* Senate President Don Harmon did an impromptu gaggle with reporters tonight on his way to a caucus meeting…
Reporter: Will there be any votes on budget bills tonight?
President Harmon: I doubt that but we’re going to caucus right now to discuss the schedule for today and tomorrow.
Reporter: So you will be here tomorrow, in session?
Harmon: We’re planning to be here tomorrow in session.
Reporter: Any plan beyond that? Sunday, Monday, Tuesday?
Harmon: I’m hoping the Senate will be able to wrap up its business tomorrow.
Reporter: What are the sticking points right now?
Harmon: Time.
Reporter: An amendment hasn’t dropped yet, what is the..?
Harmon: We agreed from the start that the House and the Senate would agree to every word and every number in the budget before filing. We are very close to that with the next amendment. We’re talking to both of our caucuses and we’ll move forward after that.
Reporter: What is the situation with the transit money coming out of the Road Fund? Local 150 is opposed to this, they seem to believe that they have been able to stall the budget over this. Do you think that can be overcome?
Harmon: I do. I do. I think it’s important to remember that a significant chunk of the Road Fund is dedicated to mass transit. We’d like to emphasize that the money going to the RTA for mass transit is coming from the portion of the Road Fund that supports mass transit, and not taking money away from the roads.
Reporter: The House is down like 10 people. I guess they’re going back up tomorrow. Do you see any need to run the bonding authority bill in the Senate before it goes to the House?
Harmon: We’re going to coordinate with the House, we’ll make sure that both chambers are in full agreement on which Bill starts where. We’ve worked very well in collaboration with the House through this whole process. We’re going to continue that to the bitter end.
Reporter: Will the Senate take up that prisoner review board measure?
Harmon: I expect so but I haven’t talked to the caucus.
Reporter: What about the Chicago School Board bill? There’s been some pushback.
Harmon: I need to talk to the caucus about that as well. Let me get the caucus since we’re late already. Thank you all appreciate it.
*** Adding ***
* The paper release…
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch released the following statement Saturday:
“The House and Senate are very close to an agreement on a final budget. Procedurally, the earliest an agreement could pass both chamber is next week. To let members and staff rest and spend time with family, we are adjourning for the holiday weekend and will return to complete this work.”
Miller (no relation): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to speak to this bill.
Leader Barbara Hernandez: Would you like her to yield sir?
Miller (no relation): No, I just want to talk about this bill.
Leader Hernandez: To the bill.
Miller (no relation): Thank you, Madame Speaker. You know, I think that one of the things that I’ve done over the last 50 years is I’m a farmer, and I raise cattle. And when we’re raising cattle, I raise a lot of bulls, you know, and after listening to all this stuff, my ol’ BS meter’s going, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING! Because what we’re seeing here is a myth about climate change…
Saturday, May 25, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Current merchant point of sales and card processors systems can’t separate tax from a purchase when applying processing fees and it may take several years for these systems to get updated. The proposed budget deal that would require separation of interchange fees on the sales tax portion of electronic transactions could mean consumers will have to swipe a credit or debit card twice for a purchase or worse, pay the tax portion in cash. In no uncertain terms – it would be a major disruption to the current electronic payments system in place today.
This proposal and disruption to the current system would undoubtedly affect Illinois consumers and beyond. How will constituents, tourists coming to the state this summer, and attendees at the DNC in August react to an overhaul in the way they conduct transactions? This could create a huge embarrassment to Illinois and require immediate retraction. Why take the risk? In the past 17 years there’s been 58 bills in other states trying to remove interchange fees from the state and local sales tax portion of debit and credit card purchases…none have passed because it’s a bad idea. Although this proposal is included in a potential budget deal, there is NO impact to the state budget based upon this component. It simply puts more money in the pockets of Illinois retailers.
The current interchange system in Illinois works. Illinois legislators should reject budget deals that increase profit to big box retailers.
* From Rich: Click here for our end of session cheat sheet. This live coverage software is not automated like the old one was, and today is Isabel’s first time handling these duties. She’s good at everything she does, but help her out in comments, please. Thanks…
Saturday, May 25, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Protect Illinois Hospitality is a coalition of tipped workers, chambers of commerce, service operators, and local small businesses who strongly support keeping the tip credit available for Illinois businesses.
CLAIM: An Illinois bill would change how individuals who committed criminal offenses are referred to under state law, replacing “offender” with “justice-impacted individual.”
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. The bill, HB 4409, would not relabel all people who commit crimes as justice-impacted individuals — just those in the state’s Adult Redeploy Illinois program. Adult Redeploy Illinois is intended to reduce incarceration, in part, by placing individuals with any probation-eligible offense in community corrections programs rather than in prison. […]
“HB4409 represents a small change to an incredibly successful diversion program that simply seeks to better reflect the program’s intention,” State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “Those who choose to fan the flames of misinformation and fearmongering do all of us a disservice. Focusing on semantics rather than substance is an insult to everyone’s intelligence.” […]
HB 4409 was passed by the Illinois state Senate on Tuesday after passing the House on April 16. In addition to the name change, it stipulates that an oversight board for Adult Redeploy Illinois will include two individuals who participated in programs funded by the initiative and adjusts how funding for Adult Redeploy Illinois is allocated.
Illinois could soon join a handful of states with digital IDs and driver’s licenses.
House Bill 4592, introduced by Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), passed by a unanimous vote in the state senate Friday. The bill cleared the state House of Representatives earlier this week and now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker for his signature.
The legislation would not eliminate physical driver’s licenses but would allow the state to offer them as a companion to a physical card. […]
Some Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints are equipped to accept digital IDs, with support expanding.
State lawmakers are sending a plan to the governor’s office to create new funeral home regulations in response to the mishandling of human remains at the Heinz Funeral Home in Carlinville.
The Integrity in Death Care Act would create an identification system for all human remains to ensure funeral homes never mishandle human remains again.
Anyone intentionally violating preparation room procedures and rules could face a Class 4 felony. People engaging in funeral directing or embalming without a license would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. […]
Senate Bill 2643 passed unanimously out of the Senate Friday and previously gained unanimous support in the House.
A bill heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk could help make schools safer through new student discipline procedures.
The Illinois House passed legislation Friday to require the Illinois State Board of Education to draft and publish guidance for development of reciprocal reporting systems between schools and law enforcement.
This measure also calls on ISBE to publish guidance for re-engagement of students suspended, expelled or returning from an alternative school setting. […]
Senate Bill 1400 passed out of the House on a 106-5 vote. It previously passed out of the Senate on a 54-2 vote.
* Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar…
State Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar, D-Chicago, is expanding career opportunities for mental health professionals by passing legislation eliminating non-compete agreements for those who serve veterans and first responders.
Guerrero-Cuellar championed Senate Bill 2737 which prohibits non-compete and non-solicitation agreements for mental health services that support veterans and first responders. Current agreements would be void if they result in an undue burden on veterans or first responders seeking mental health services from licensed mental health professionals.
“Ensuring our communities have the personnel ready to aid and save lives is critical, but often you have competing organizations cornering the market and preventing employed personnel from doing their jobs. This puts everyday Illinoisans in danger,” Guerrero-Cuellar said. “Barring non-compete, non-solicitation agreements means more of our professionals can remain in the field, responding to emergencies and protecting us. While it’s unfortunate that some organizations have stifled emergency response, this legislation will make sure these personnel are there when we need them.”
The Illinois State Senate passed a bill to phase out fluorescent lighting on May 24th.
The switch to LEDs will save Illinois consumers more than $1.5 billion on utility bills, avoid 2.2M metric tons of CO2 emissions by cutting energy waste and prevent 419 pounds of mercury pollution by 2050, according to the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. […]
Illinois will become the 10th state to pass clean lighting policies after Minnesota passed similar legislation last week.
“Energy efficiency is the foundation of the clean energy transition. The cheapest, cleanest energy is the energy we don’t use,” said Illinois PIRG State Director Abe Scarr. “We thank Senator Johnson and Representative Nicholas Smith for their leadership on this important policy.”
* Sen. Rachel Ventura…
State Senator Rachel Ventura advanced legislation that passed both chambers on Friday to address surplus state-owned properties by curating a report on its condition.
“We have an obligation to address the numerous state-owned properties that have either been vacant or unused, which in turn wastes taxpayer dollars through maintenance and security costs,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “This legislation will give us insight into each property’s maintenance and demolition costs to consider what to do with them in the future.”
Senate Bill 381 would require the Director of the Department of Central Management Services to assess surplus real property held by the State and determine whether or not the property is unsellable in its current condition.
Additionally, the director is required to submit a report, beginning on Feb. 1, 2025 and every other year, detailing the assessment to the governor and General Assembly. The report will include the annual state maintenance costs for said properties and attempts to sell the properties as well as the estimated demolition and remediation costs at the time of the last attempted sale. […]
The Senate concurred to Senate Bill 381 on Friday. It now heads to the governor for further consideration.
The Illinois House voted unanimously Friday to pass a plan requiring DCFS caseworkers to develop hair care plans with youth in care and their foster parents.
Members of the DCFS Youth Advisory Board worked with lawmakers to make this recommendation into legislation. They stressed that Black children are often placed with families or in residential settings where they aren’t allowed to wear their hair in ways that represent their cultural background. […]
The plan would allow DCFS to adopt rules to facilitate implementation of the changes, including responsibilities of caseworkers and placement plan specialists in developing the hair care plan, engaging parents regarding the hair care needs of youth and procedures to follow if the parents cannot be contacted, and factors to consider in granting children increased autonomy over hair care decisions.
House Bill 5097 passed unanimously out of the House Friday. It previously passed out of the Senate on a 49-9 vote. The proposal now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.
* Sen. Mike Porfirio And Rep. Stephanie Kifowit…
To protect our nation’s veterans from predatory business practices, State Senator Mike Porfirio and State Representative Stephanie Kifowit championed legislation through the General Assembly aimed at combating unaccredited companies that target veterans by offering benefits in exchange for financial compensation. […]
Common predatory practices include guaranteeing an increased disability rating or percentage increase, advertising expedited VA claims decisions, requesting login credentials to access a veteran’s personal information through secure VA websites and more. Senate Bill 3479 would combat deceptive business practices by ensuring transparency regarding these businesses’ lack of VA accreditation. To offer better consumer transparency, Porfirio’s legislation requires these entities to disclose that their businesses are neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Under the measure, which is a legislative priority of Veterans of Foreign Wars at both the state and federal level, veterans would be better informed about the services offered to them, reducing the risk of misleading or fraudulent advice. The goal is to protect veterans from these deceptive practices and establish a more secure environment when they are seeking assistance related to their veteran or military benefits. […]
Carbon capture and sequestration projects have been hot button issues in Central Illinois for years, and now lawmakers in the state capitol are trying to address it.
Proposed pipeline projects like the Navigator pipeline through Sangamon County and the Wolf/ADM pipeline ending near Decatur faced major backlash from residents due to the lack of regulations. Legislators believe they have the fix.
Some of the components of the bill include companies needing to prove their project will catch the carbon and not store it underground. It also creates more stringent rules carbon dioxide pipeline projects, versus other carbon sequestration projects. Finally, the bill puts in place a moratorium on all multi-state pipelines. […]
Not everyone is on board with the bill. The Illinois Farm Bureau still opposes the bill, as companies can use a version of eminent domain, even though companies would have to complete multiple steps first before claiming a farmer’s land.
The bill passed out of the committee Friday afternoon 21-7-1. It now heads to the House floor.
The Illinois hemp industry is in a frenzy over new legislation moving forward in Springfield that business owners say will put popular products out of reach and push the THC lounges and CBD shops that dot Chicago-area neighborhoods out of business. […]
[P]roducts like CBD lotions and infused drinks and treats made with THC derived from hemp are seemingly in a legal gray area under which businesses using hemp-derived THC have proliferated.
State Sen. Kim Lightford, D-Maywood, said that’s harming Illinois’ tightly-regulated cannabis industry and undermining the state’s goals to use the law to lift up people of color disproportionally harmed by the war on drugs. To be part of the legal marijuana industry, businesses had to compete for coveted – and expensive – licenses, with priority going to social equity applicants. […]
Lightford, the sponsor of the measure (House Bill 4293), which passed out of a Senate committee Thursday night, asks of the businesses: “Why did you go into the hemp business if you wanted to sell weed?”
Illinois lawmakers are addressing a growing form of cyberbullying in schools involving artificial intelligence.
The House passed House Bill 299 that would amend the Illinois school code to include sexually explicit digital depictions of students under the definition of cyberbullying.
State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, said the images generated by AI could have lasting effects on a young person. […]
A state bill that would prevent changes to Chicago’s selective enrollment schools and block the district from closing schools until 2027 appears to have stalled in the final scheduled hours of the legislative session.
The lack of movement comes after Mayor Brandon Johnson sent a letter to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon asking him not to call the bill for a final vote, arguing it “seeks to solve problems that do not exist.”
The situation is a win so far for Johnson, whose appointed Board of Education is mulling changes to the district’s school choice system and recently rolled out a new budget formula.
State Rep. Margaret Croke, a Democrat representing Chicago’s north side neighborhoods, filed the bill earlier this year that would prevent the board from making changes to admission requirements or cutting funding for selective enrollment schools until a fully elected school board is in place in 2027. She later added an amendment that would extend the moratorium on school closures and prevent any school from shuttering until 2027.
One lawmaker believes she can get everyone on board with her bill to make reforms to the Prisoner Review Board.
The proposal has already passed the Illinois House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support. […]
State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) said she’s worked with both sides of the aisle to come up with a bill she believes everyone can agree on. […]
The bill would make several reforms, including mandatory domestic violence training for board members every year, with focuses on areas like the legal process regarding orders of protection and the dynamics of gender based violence.
* ICYMI: Illinois Senate pitches budget, but talks continue into holiday weekend as Democrats struggle to reach consensus. Tribune…
- Senate Democrats filed a 3,374-page plan about 5 p.m. Friday but hours later hadn’t held a committee hearing or floor vote.
- Flagship spending proposals the governor laid out in his February budget address were part of the Senate measure released Friday, which Pritzker spokesman Alex Gough said reflected “an agreement in principal” among the governor, Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch
- Despite ongoing uncertainty, a few details emerged Friday on the discussions between Pritzker and Democratic legislative leaders.
* WAND | Legislative session helps pick up business in Springfield: “Typically when session is going on we see higher occupancy rates through the city of Springfield,” said Darin Dame, the President of the Springfield Hotel and Lodging Association. “We always want to see if they can stay another night to go visit the visitor sites or have a convention here.” Dame said the goal is to connect with legislators so they come back for a future vacation, or stay there when they return for legislative work.
* WBEZ | CPS selective enrollment bill dead in Springfield after Johnson letter to Senate president: Johnson sent a letter to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon on Thursday asking him to hold House Bill 303, which had already passed the Illinois House and needed a final vote in the Senate. The mayor’s public pledge that he would not close or otherwise harm selective enrollment schools meant the bill would no longer be called in the Senate as the spring legislative session ends, according to two sources who were granted anonymity to share details about the legislative process. The bill could be revived in the fall veto session if the mayor reneges on his promises.
* Tribune | Lawmakers angry about NRG plan to only cap Waukegan plant’s ponds; ‘They’re hypocrites, and … don’t want to be held accountable’: Now required by the EPA to deal with a Coal Combustion Residuals Management Unit at the Waukegan site known as the grassy area, state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Gurnee, hoped NRG would remove two coal ash ponds rather than the utility’s previously announced plan to cap one and remove the other. […] NRG disclosed in an email Thursday it is developing an application to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to approve its plan to cap both coal ash ponds at its Waukegan generating station now used only for backup purposes.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Tribune | Lawmakers vote to name Loop high-rise after former Secretary of State Jesse White: Lawmakers voted to name a state-owned Loop office building after Illinois’ longest-serving secretary of state, Jesse White. Set to turn 90 next month, White stood in the House chamber earlier this month before lawmakers voted to name the high-rise at 115 S. LaSalle St. the Jesse White State of Illinois Building. The resolution’s main sponsor, state Rep. Harry Benton, noted the rarity of a state building being named after someone who is still alive.
* Capitol News Illinois | Measure targets ‘legacy’ admission at public universities: Senate Bill 462 would prohibit public higher education institutions from admitting applicants based on “legacy status” or relationships to donors, effective upon becoming law. […] It passed both houses unanimously and needs only a signature from the governor to become law.
* SJ-R | Lawmakers pass 2 bills strengthening child labor laws in Illinois. What you need to know: Senate Bill 3646 introduced by Peters is designed to strengthen up and remodel the general labor laws of the state. The bill includes rules about the number of hours a minor can work during school days and weekends. A minor can’t work more than eight hours on weekends during the school year, and depending on the job they can only work a certain number of hours on a school day. If an employer were to violate the rules they may receive various fines.
*** Statewide ***
* SJ-R | Illinois took in nearly $70M on marijuana sales in the final quarter of 2023: Twenty-three states, along with Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana and generated more than $3 billion in tax revenue in 2022. In the final quarter of 2023, the states that generated the most revenue took in a combined $457.7 million.
* Press Release | Illinois’ spring turkey hunters harvest record number of wild turkeys: Illinois hunters harvested a preliminary statewide record total of 17,208 wild turkeys during the 2024 Illinois spring turkey season. This year’s total compares with the 2023 statewide harvest of 16,123 and the previous harvest record total of 16,569, set during the spring season in 2006.
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune | Mayor Johnson, CPD announce Chicago’s summer safety plan ahead of Memorial Day weekend: Officials also encouraged parents to be watchful of their children once school lets out. It was unclear if Johnson planned to implement a youth curfew downtown, a tactic employed over the past two summers. In May 2022, a 16-year-old was fatally shot near the Bean, leading to a temporary ban on unaccompanied minors in the Millennium Park after 6 p.m.
* WGN | Citing lack of ‘allies,’ mayor’s nominee to RTA board withdraws from consideration: Still, Acree’s nomination was passed by the committee 14 to 2, with the two no votes coming from Ald. Scott Waguespack of the 32nd Ward and Ald. Andre Vasquez of the 40th Ward. At the time, they said it was because Johnson’s staff had not prepared Acree for the meeting. “Our city is in need of leadership with the expertise and fiscal background to deal with the issues we are facing in this Johnson Administration,” Waguespack told WGN via text message. “There was no discernable vision for public transportation laid out in the appointment process by the appointee or the 5th floor and we have yet to hear one.”
* Sun-Times | ComEd flips the switch on Bronzeville microgrid in latest push for electric power: One of the country’s first solar-powered electric grids of its kind is now operating in Bronzeville, and there are already plans to replicate the project in northern Illinois. City and state leaders as well as officials from the U.S. Department of Energy gathered Friday at the Chicago Housing Authority’s Dearborn Homes to flip the switch on the Bronzeville Community Microgrid, part of a larger push to make Bronzeville one of ComEd’s “smart communities.”
* Crain’s | West Loop assessments show Kaegi’s rosier view of downtown offices: A Crain’s analysis of newly released assessments for more than two dozen prominent West Loop office buildings showed that recent valuations dropped by an average of just under 16% compared with Kaegi’s final estimates in 2021, the last time his office assessed all of downtown.
* Tribune | Chicago White Sox suffer another loss to Baltimore Orioles, falling 6-4 to drop 22 games under .500: The Chicago White Sox first baseman on Thursday was ruled out on an interference call near second base, part of a controversial ending in a loss. On Friday, he hit a solo home run to even the score in the seventh inning. “(Orioles reliever Yennier Cano has) got a demon sinker, it’s really good,” Vaughn said. “Just tried to go up there and make a good swing on a good pitch.”
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Southtown | Cook County program to fund infrastructure, projects throughout south suburbs: The Build Up Cook program “aims to extend a helping hand to municipalities most in need,” according to the county. The county identified 46 projects in 22 communities, primarily in the south and west suburbs, for funding. With a $30.5 million total budget from American Rescue Plan Act Funds, the county said construction on projects can begin immediately and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
* Daily Herald | Accountability, education keys to stemming campus antisemitism, say suburban undergraduates: The Highland Park Democrat opened the forum defending a person’s right to speak freely “no matter how much I disagree … But when it crosses the line to intimidation, harassment, isolation, exclusion,” he said, the administration has an obligation to speak out. University of Michigan student Hannah Dalinka agreed. “People have a right to free speech, but a lot of what’s happening on our college campuses is beyond free speech.”
* Crain’s | ‘Home Alone’ house for sale in Winnetka: This is only the second time the house has been on the market since the movie was shot in the late 1980s. It joins another North Shore home with a cinematic past that went up for sale in recent weeks. The Kenilworth house that appeared in the Steve Martin and John Candy movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” is on the market at just under $2.5 million.
*** Downstate ***
* News-Gazette | County board votes to censure Danos: After at least a month of discussion on the subject, the Champaign County Board has voted to censure county auditor George Danos for alleged failure to act as an “independent watchdog” of taxpayer funds and actions “unbecoming an elected official.” The Champaign County Board voted Thursday night to approve the censure resolution.
* WIFR | Winnebago Co. Board considers area-wide license plate readers: On Thursday, the Winnebago County Board votes on a five-year agreement bringing license plate readers across the area. The expansion in law enforcement technology arrives as the city of Rockford, Loves Park and Machesney Park have used them for years. “We put that in, if it goes through one of these LPRs, it flags immediately real-time, immediately,” says Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana.
* QC | Mississippi River at Rock Island expected to exceed 13-foot action stage by Friday: Due to the recent heavy rains the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 15, Rock Island, is expected to exceed its 13-foot action stage by next Friday, said Meteorologist Andy Ervin of the National Weather Service, Davenport. […] However, that forecast did not account for the observed rainfall that fell Friday, May 24, or the predicted rainfall that is expected to fall Saturday night into Sunday. An updated forecast will be available on Saturday.
* WAND | I-57 SB near Pesotum reopens after crash that caused 4 deaths: Illinois State Police Troop 7 was on the scene around milepost 212 where a truck-tractor semi-trailer was traveling northbound and crossed the median into southbound traffic. At least four people have been confirmed dead and one has been seriously injured.
One issue on which there appears to be broad agreement is repealing the 1% statewide sales tax on groceries. Ditching the tax won’t affect the state’s bottom line because the money all goes to local governments. […]
To make up for the lost revenue, municipalities — both those with broader home rule powers to raise taxes on their own and non-home-rule communities — would be granted the ability to levy their own 1% tax on groceries. Towns without home rule would be given the ability to tack on an additional 1 percentage point tax on general retail sales.
Along with other concessions, the proposal on the table was enough to win the support of the Illinois Municipal League, which represents local governments across the state.
“We are pleased with the overall framework of the issues affecting municipalities,” Brad Cole, CEO of the Illinois Municipal League, said in a statement. “Local leaders have long advocated for greater authority to provide for the programs and services their residents rely on every day, which they will be granted under this budget agreement.”
The locals will also receive tons of money from a variety of other sources.
I really didn’t think Pritzker would actually achieve this. The tax will go away in January of 2026.
* Subscribers were also told about this win. Sun-Times…
Another politically thorny Pritzker provision is also expected to be in the revenue measure — capping the discount that retailers receive for collecting sales tax at $1,000 per month. The governor’s office contends it would mostly impact larger retailers and generate another $101 million for state coffers.
Budgeteers tried to appease opponents from the retail industry by prohibiting processing fees on the sales tax portion of electronic transactions. Currently, financial companies can charge fees on the entire transaction, which includes the goods purchased as well as the tax.
A plan pushed by state Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, is also expected to be included in the revenue measure. Castro requested a tax on third-party entities that resell large blocks of hotel rooms but avoid paying the standard hotel operator’s room occupation tax. Her initiative is expected to bring in about $50 million.
The retailers also received some concessions in exchange for the agreement. The elimination of processing fees on taxes has received big pushback (you may have caught an ad on here yesterday), but it’s part of the deal. Again, I’d have bet against the governor on that.
Also, Sen. Castro’s re-renters tax will generate millions for local governments. And, as you saw yesterday, negotiators agreed to a graduated tax on sports betting companies.
A [now] former DuPage County prosecutor [Samuel Cundari] has been charged with threatening two state lawmakers and several gun control groups, and suggesting a bomb could go off at a downstate LGBTQ festival. […]
None of the victims was identified in the complaint, but state Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, who was the chief sponsor of Illinois’ assault weapons ban, confirmed to the Sun-Times that he was tagged in the post.
Another social media post on May 15 that prosecutors say Cundari made from a different X account with the user handle @jastownsends suggested a bomb threat at the Springfield PrideFest, which was held last week.
“I sure hope NOBODY leaves a pressure cooker filled with ball bearings, glass and nails, filled with diesel fuel and fertilizer, with the over pressure safety valve disabled, near a natural gas line. That would be VERY sad and VERY unfortunate,” read the post, which was made in reply to a separate post by an anti-LGBTQ organization, according to the complaint.
Springfield PrideFest was sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield. The insurance company’s X profile received a similar bomb threat post May 16 from the same @jastownsends account, prosecutors said […]
Cundari, a Wheaton resident, met with an FBI agent the next day and admitted to making the social media posts but insisted the comments were made as a “joke,” the complaint says.
The complaint alleges that on March 17, 2024, the Illinois State Police were contacted by two Illinois State Representatives about a threat that they had received via the social media company X, formerly known as Twitter. The social media post stated, “Our patience grows short with you. The day we put your kids’ feet first into a woodchipper so we can enjoy their last few screams is coming.” Besides the two state representatives, five other individuals or groups were “tagged” with the post to include the Illinois Attorney General. As a result, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Division began an investigation.
The complaint further alleges that on May 15, 2024, the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received an online tip regarding a post on X that seemed to be in response to an advertisement about the Springfield PrideFest which occurred on May 18, 2024. In the post, it states: “I sure hope NOBODY leaves a pressure cooker filled with bail bearings, glass, and nails, filled with diesel fuel and fertilizer, with the over pressure safety valve disabled, near a natural gas line line [sic]. That would be VERY sad and VERY unfortunate.”
The complaint also alleges that law enforcement traced the two social media posts to Samuel Cundari of DuPage County, Illinois who used the internet to communicate the threats. At the time the posts were made, Cundari was an Assistant State’s Attorney in DuPage County. If convicted of communicating an interstate threat, Cundari faces a maximum sentence of imprisonment of no more than five years. The charge also carries up to three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Springfield Field Office with assistance by multiple law enforcement agencies including: FBI Chicago and FBI Indianapolis Field Offices, the Illinois Secretary of State Police, the Illinois State Police, the Springfield Police Department, the Pierceton Police Department (Indiana), United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Investigations Unit, and the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger.
* Cundari’s Springfield PrideFest tweet was apparently in response to this post from Awake Illinois…
The Illinois Freedom Caucus focused on Blue Cross, which Cundari also threatened, in its press release about PrideFest…
The Illinois Freedom Caucus is urging Blue Cross Blue Shield to pull its sponsorship of the Family Area at this weekend’s Springfield Pridefest in light of the blatant sexualization of kids as young as 10 years old with the Teen Drag Show.
Not sayin’, just sayin’. But when you gin people up with that sort of heated language, there’s no telling what could happen.
* Subscribers were told about the new graduated sports betting tax this morning. React from East St. Louis Mayor Charles Powell III…
The Governor and the legislature are currently considering including a graduated sports gaming tax in the budget that will, if passed, devastate East St. Louis. We will be forced to forfeit essentially all services to our citizens and its passage might cause the largest employer, the Casino Queen, to leave the City of Champions. Balancing the budget on the back of my Town and the inclusion of the graduated sports gaming tax will devastate one of the oldest, hardest working cities in the state of Illinois.
Friday, May 24, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Across America, families use credit cards to put food on the table, fill their gas tanks, and access the credit needed to make life work. Only 10% of consumers don’t have a credit card. At a time when inflation is hitting all of us, merchants want to squeeze consumers even further.
Removing sales tax from interchange calculations would disrupt credit card payment systems that work for families across Illinois. Consumers use cards as a safe and convenient payment method, and this would drastically change the way business is transacted by requiring separate calculations of the interchange fee based upon the purchase price of goods and the amount of state and local taxes.
This proposal will exponentially increase the cost of the electronic payments system. Retailers will continue to shift this cost of doing business to Illinois consumers at a time when they can least afford it.
Why put Illinois consumers at risk? There is NO benefit to the state in removing sales tax from the interchange fee calculation. For decades, special interest groups advocating for increased profits to big box retailers have argued for this change that governments across the United States have denied.
Illinois legislators should not support a retailer bailout that would set Illinois apart from every other state in the nation. Keep card transactions safe and convenient by supporting the current interchange system!
Disabled Illinoisans who make a sub-minimum wage in community workshops would eventually make the minimum, if a bill which passed the House Thursday becomes law.
The sponsor of the “Dignity in Pay” Act is State Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago).
“One in four of us has a disability,” Mah said. “People with disabilities are our neighbors, our friends, and those we love. Our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, you and me.”
After a long debate Thursday, the Illinois state House of Representatives passed a bill requiring workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities be paid the full minimum wage.
Known as the Dignity in Pay Act, it would end Illinois’s 14(c) certificate program, allowing some employers to pay people with disabilities less than the minimum wage. Though administered by the federal government, Illinois lawmakers can outlaw the program from being used in the state.
The programs would be phased out, eventually ending Dec. 31, 2029. To help ease the transition, the bill comes with a $2 million annual grant program administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services. The bill would require annual progress reports on the plan’s implementation through Jan. 1, 2030, and then provide up on the employment of people with disabilities through Jan. 1, 2035. The bill also requires that at least two current 14(c) certificate holders sit on the task force.
“We can all agree Illinois should evolve in a way that respects the full dignity in all people with disabilities,” said state Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, the bill’s sponsor.
Though the bill passed with bipartisan support, not everyone’s on board with the change. Opponents fear it will put people with disabilities out of work.
Advocates, including House sponsor Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, said eliminating 14(c) certificates would build upon rights granted to people with disabilities in previous decades by giving them higher paying and more rewarding employment.
“After more than five years of dialogue and compromise, stakeholders have united on this bill – the Dignity in Pay Act – which is designed to expand work opportunities and improve the menu of services and supports for people with disabilities in Illinois,” Mah said.
Mah noted that workers with disabilities who work in 14(c) workshops could have a variety of conditions like epilepsy, cerebral palsy, visual and hearing impairments, and mood disorders.
State Representative Charlie Meier is leading a charge to oppose legislation that would require sheltered workshops like the Kaskaskia Workshop to pay minimum wage to their clients with intellectual and developmental disability.
Meier told a news conference in Springfield last week that the state needs to create opportunities before they close the others.
“There are 3591 clients we believe in the state of Illinois. Where this has been done in other states, a lot of times 70-80% of these residents never work again. So as you look at our clients here with the shirts on today, my work my choice, think about 2513 of them never working again at 70%.
Meier says service providers do a fantastic job, but many of them would be unable to pay minimum wage.
Many provisions that were not previously in the bill now have been added to the bill making it a better bill. But it’s not a perfect bill.
Many of the disabled concerns have been addressed and I gave my word- which has always been good- that if the House votes with more than 60 votes I would vote for the bill because it’s a lot better than we had last year.
* Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy was on WJPF Radio this week…
So for Democrats, big government’s an economic thing that they support because they benefit from it. Whereas Republicans, we Republicans, you know, we just want to be left alone to raise our families and to do our jobs. But they’re not going to leave us alone.
You know, we’re on a march to socialism now and Marxism.
And you know, they have a saying … you can vote yourself into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s nominee for the Regional Transportation Authority, West Side pastor Rev. Ira Acree, withdrew himself from consideration Friday after activists and some aldermen argued he was unqualified for the position.
Acree, pastor of Austin’s Greater St. John Bible Church, is a close ally of Johnson’s and a civil rights activist. As his nomination advanced in the City Council’s Transportation Committee earlier this month, Acree struggled answering questions about the transit system during a tense hearing. […]
The former nominee described the aldermen who resisted his nomination as “so-called allies” who are “enemies of African American advancement and empowerment” in an interview with the Tribune Friday. […]
When asked when he last rode Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains, Acree answered [during a committee hearing] that he took them as a kid going to school.
“As a man, I don’t have to use CTA. I’m fortunate to have a car,” he said. “But I use the CTA often when I come downtown because, even though I am a working pastor, these prices, parking tickets are super high.”
Isabel: Governor, IDFPR says it only has eight workers for processing licensing applications for 80 health-related professions. Why haven’t you budgeted more for application reviewers in this specific category in the budget?
Pritkzer: So we did. There are more than eight now, to be clear. There were eight at some point. But the truth is that as you’ve seen across state government over the last couple of years, it’s hard to hire. And so now we’re seeing the opportunity to hire more and more people.
So that’s happening. The process of bringing more people in as well as making sure that we have the software that’s necessary to process all of these things, that’s a procurement issue that I think we’re going to handle. But we’ve got to go back to the legislature and reduce some of the requirements around procurement because it’s just too onerous for most of the agencies to be able to procure the things they need, in particular around technology, which, as you know, needs to be upgraded every few years.
Isabel: Is that the holdup with the software? Is it a procurement issue? Are there steps that they still have to go through?
Pritzker: It’s the combination of being able to find, remember, we’ve got to have bidders for the software that we want, as well as having enough people to be able to run that once it’s installed. But those are both things that are working against us moving more quickly. Meanwhile, everybody’s working around the clock to try to get those licenses issued as fast as possible.
I followed up and was told that they’ve brought in two temp workers to help with processing the applications for those 80 health-related professions. The department, I’m told, is hiring more people, but its headcount is so far still limited to eight. I was also told that more processors will be hired with the new budget.
Friday, May 24, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Mayor Brandon Johnson says he will not close high-performing CPS Selective Enrollment Schools, at least not until a fully elected Chicago Public School Board takes over the system in 2027.
The mayor made his promise in a letter sent on Friday to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, asking for Harmon to kill statewide legislation that would protect those schools.
“The district will not close selective enrollment schools, nor will the District make disproportionate budget cuts to selective enrollment schools,” the letter states. “The district will maintain admissions standards at those schools. Any narrative to the contrary is patently false.”
Johnson and his Chicago Teachers Union allies have lobbied hard against legislation passed by the house that would explicitly protect those schools, along with magnets and charter schools. The legislation was filed due to concerns those schools could be on the chopping block, after Johnson’s handpicked school board released a five year strategic plan that alluded to redirecting resources away from them and toward neighborhood schools. The bill’s house sponsor, State Rep Margaret Croke, says she is disappointed that Harmon has apparently agreed to sit on the bill in the senate.
“While his letter agreement with the Mayor contains some concessions,” Croke said. “It does not protect magnet or charter schools and still allows for changes in admissions criteria for selective enrollment schools.”
Selective enrollment schools were created to foster integration in CPS, not to codify segregation. pic.twitter.com/IRIWprn3k5
— Mayor Brandon Johnson (@ChicagosMayor) May 23, 2024
…Adding… Somebody just pointed out the fine print on Mayor Johnson’s tweet: “Note: Selective high school data includes Jones, Lane Tech, Whitney Young, Payton and North Side.” The city has eleven selective enrollment schools, and the ones not mentioned above have significantly higher Black and Brown enrollment.
…Adding… IML…
“We are pleased with the overall framework of the issues affecting municipalities,” said Brad Cole, Chief Executive Officer, Illinois Municipal League. “Local leaders have long advocated for greater authority to provide for the programs and services their residents rely on every day, which they will be granted under this budget agreement.”
As subscribers know, the municipals did pretty well, considering.
After a last-minute plea from Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon is expected to put the brakes on legislation that would extend a moratorium on public school closings in Chicago. […]
Sen. Robert Martwick, an ally of Johnson and the CTU, said he was glad to see the issue resolved without the city’s hands being tied by legislation, because “the mayor has made it very clear that his intention is to wait for the fully elected school board to take place before major changes are made.”
“As the mayor has publicly provided assurances that there will be no dramatic changes to the role of selective enrollment and magnet schools in the school district, the need for the legislation is obviated,” Martwick, a Chicago Democrat said. “We don’t need it anymore.”
…Adding… He’s not helping his legislative cause…
Jessica Handy, Illinois Executive Director of Stand for Children…
“HB 303 would extend the moratorium on school closures for ALL Chicago Public Schools until the fully elected school board is seated. ALL of them. Magnet, charter, neighborhood, selective enrollment. ALL of them.
This isn’t a bill about protecting a small group of selective enrollment schools from closure. A commitment to not close a narrow segment of selective enrollment schools is not an alternative to HB 303.
Opponents have called selective enrollment schools racist, while promising they have no intention of closing them. The same assurances have not been given to charter, magnet, and neighborhood schools from closures. CPS’s charter schools serve a student body that is 98% Black and Latino/a. Sixty-five percent of CPS’s Black students attend a school of choice rather than their zoned school, including 84% of Black high school students in CPS. Half of CPS’s Latino/a students attend a school of choice rather than their zoned school, including 71% of high school students.
In December, the CPS school board passed a resolution imposing its vision to “transition away from” selective enrollment, charter, and magnet schools. We polled Chicago families to ask how they felt about that vision, and 82% of respondents believe CPS families should be able to choose the public school that best meets their student’s needs, whether that’s their neighborhood school, a school in another neighborhood, or a magnet, selective enrollment, or charter school. Sixty-four percent of voters believe eliminating school choice would limit opportunities and increase segregation.
A student’s zip code should never determine the quality of public education they receive. Public school choice will always be available to families who can afford to move and live in areas with better quality schools. The students who will be hurt by “transitioning away from” schools of choice are not the ones with resources – they are those who are already the most disadvantaged and marginalized. If ‘HB 303 seeks to solve problems that do not exist’ and CPS truly does not intend to close or disproportionately cut options schools, then it makes very little sense to fight HB 303.”
The Illinois legislature has passed a bill that would cap patient costs for prescription inhalers at $25 a month. […]
The bill passed the House 87-21 on Wednesday, and now moves to the governor for his signature. When asked whether the governor plans to sign the bill, a spokesperson for Gov. J.B. Pritzer’s office said in an email Thursday that he “will give it a careful review” once it reaches his desk.
No insurance industry group opposed the bill, but some Republican lawmakers spoke against it during floor debate, before it passed. […]
The bill would not apply to all insurance plans, only those regulated by the state. Many large employers have plans that are regulated by the federal government.
The Illinois House unanimously passed a plan Thursday to curb the amount of young people purchasing fruit flavored malt drinks containing 4-6% alcohol.
This bill requires retailers to separate soda and juice from liquor that looks like soda. The proposal prohibits retailers from displaying alcopop drinks next to soft drinks, bottled water or snacks catered to young customers.
“If it’s an area that is designated where individuals who are not 21 shouldn’t be, then you don’t have to worry about those items being co-branded or alcohol-infused products being adjacent to those others because it’s in the area that’s supposed to be for 21 anyway,” said Rep. Curtis Tarver (D-Chicago). […]
Senate Bill 2625 passed unanimously out of the House and now moves to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval. The legislation previously gained unanimous support in the Senate.
A proposal to reform the requirements of owning mobile home parks has passed both chambers of the Illinois statehouse.
Under the bill, the Illinois Department of Public Health would be required to conduct annual inspections on all the mobile home parks in the state.
The bill would also require increased licensing fees for mobile homes park owners and IDPH to come up with an annual report on the state of mobile home ownership. […]
The bill passed the Illinois House 93-12 and the Illinois Senate 47-12.
* Sen. Celina Villanueva…
State Senator Celina Villanueva advanced a measure to allow driver’s license holders more notice for court appearances prior to suspension.
“By eliminating license suspensions for a failure to appear in court, we are able to more effectively use law enforcement resources,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “A lot of the time, these initial court notices are not reaching people at their correct addresses. It is simply unfair to revoke driving privileges when people are not even getting proper notice.”
Under House Bill 277, if a person fails to appear in court, the court may text, call or email the person’s last known contact information with notice regarding the continued court dates. The notice will include a statement that a future failure to appear could result in a warrant or consequences affecting their driving privileges. The current penalty for failure to appear in court is immediate license suspension by the Secretary of State.
“It is imperative we offer drivers the courtesy of an electronic continued court date notice before we issue warrants or license suspension,” said Villanueva. “Individuals who lose their licenses are likely to continue to drive out of necessity, leading to further legal penalties and creating a cycle of legal non-compliance.”
House Bill 277 passed the Senate on Thursday and heads to the governor for further consideration.
Authorities in Illinois would not be allowed to aid another state’s investigation of people coming to Illinois to seek abortions or other reproductive health care under a bill that cleared the General Assembly Thursday.
House Bill 5239, which needs only a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker to become law, also gives individuals the right to sue for civil damages if their information is improperly disclosed.
Further, it gives minors the right to apply for public aid to obtain family planning services without the consent of their parents. And it gives the state exclusive authority to define and regulate “lawful health care activity,” prohibiting local units of government from exercising similar authority.
The bill is one of several responses Illinois lawmakers have passed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade. It came in response to legislative efforts in other states to ban or severely limit access to abortion services.
* Rep. Dagmara Avelar…
Working to help people engage with government and access critical services in their preferred language, state Rep. Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, passed legislation through the House expanding language offerings in state offices.
“Illinois faces a critical opportunity which can change lives for residents statewide — providing accessible resources for a significant community of people who don’t use English as their first language, or not at all,” Avelar said. “It’s more important than ever that we consider and adapt to the state’s colorful range of cultures and languages — we can do so by reshaping our state agencies to provide accessible and equitable assistance to all, especially the non-English speaking, immigrant communities that have been residing in and contributing to our state’s longevity for decades.”
The Avelar-led Senate Bill 3762 seeks to ensure each state agency has the resources or staffers to assist Illinoisans with limited English proficiency. By ensuring agencies have a communication plan to cater to preferred languages noted by Illinois respondents in the U.S. Census, Avelar’s bill will help people access state services, activities and resources, plus resolve issues in the language they are most comfortable with.
Senate Bill 3762 passed out of the House Thursday and awaits the governor’s action.
* Sen. Omar Aquino…
State Senator Omar Aquino led a measure through the Senate that calls on Illinois’ labor oversight boards to work together to streamline the resolution process at worksites involved in unfair labor complaint proceedings. […]
The Illinois Labor Relations Act lays out the rights public sector employees are entitled to in Illinois, including the right to form, join or assist a labor organization without fear of penalty, discrimination or retaliation. When a public employer or labor organization interferes with the exercise of rights provided under the ILRA, the employee, union or employer can file unfair labor practice charges with the labor board overseeing their sector. In recent years, labor unions representing public sector workers have seen wait times as long as 400 days on their unfair labor practice claims.
To ensure there is publicly available data on how long it takes to resolve cases and begin taking steps to speed up this process, Aquino worked with the AFL-CIO on legislation calling on the Illinois Labor Relations Board and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board to expedite their consideration and resolution of unfair labor practices and report the timeline of these steps annually to the governor and General Assembly. […]
House Bill 5324 passed the Senate Thursday and is one step closer to becoming law.
* Sen. Celina Villanueva…
State Senator Celina Villanueva championed a measure through the Senate to ensure reproductive health care records are not being improperly disclosed.
“As the war on reproductive rights continues throughout the nation, we must ensure that those who are seeking reproductive health care are protected in every way possible,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “As a safe haven state, we have a responsibility to protect individuals’ rights to care and ensure their health care records remain private.”
Last year Villanueva led House Bill 4664 – a law to shield out-of-state patients and in-state providers from legal action originating from other states regarding abortions performed here. To expand upon that measure and provide further protections, Villanueva led House Bill 5239 this year.
The measure would ensure that location information and health records for reproductive health care performed in Illinois would not be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Further, it would ensure that units of local governments could not assist in imposing a civil or criminal liability against a person or provider who received reproductive or gender affirming care in Illinois. […]
House Bill 5239 passed Senate Thursday and heads to the governor for further consideration.
* Sen. Mary Edly-Allen…
State Senator Mary Edly-Allen passed an initiative to align nutrition and restraint protections for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated individuals in state prisons. […]
House Bill 5431 seeks to align rights statewide to address the lack of humane treatment of pregnant and postpartum people. Additionally, this legislation requires annual reporting on pregnancies, births, miscarriages, and the use of restraints in facilities as well as requiring supplemental nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding prisoners. […]
House Bill 5431 passed the Senate on Tuesday and now heads to the governor for further consideration.
After years of negotiations and continued opposition from service providers, Illinois appears poised to prohibit employers from using a federal exemption that allows them to pay individuals with disabilities less than the minimum wage.
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established minimum wage law, but created an exemption for businesses, rehabilitation and residential care facilities to pay disabled workers less than minimum wage if they obtain a special certificate permitted in Section 14(c) of the law. This “commensurate wage” is based on the worker’s individual productivity in proportion to the wage and productivity of workers who do not have disabilities but are performing the same or a similar task. […]
House Bill 793, which passed the House 78-30 on Thursday night, would prohibit companies from holding 14(c) certificates beginning in 2030 – a timeline that was extended in a late amendment to garner further support, including from Republicans. […]
It now heads to the Senate, where it will need to be read on three separate days before it can pass. It’s unclear how long the Senate will remain in Springfield before it adjourns its spring session, making it possible that the measure will have to wait until the fall veto session or later until it can be moved to the governor’s desk.
Here’s the moratorium language. No pipelines “…until the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has adopted final revisions to its pipeline safety rules…” or until after July 1, 2026. #twillpic.twitter.com/dTag5rgQ8z
A bipartisan group of Illinois senators passed the massive Healthcare Protection Act Thursday night. The legislation, a top priority for Gov. JB Pritzker, could curb predatory insurance practices and protect consumers.
This plan would make Illinois the first state to ban prior authorization for in-patient adult and children’s mental healthcare. The bill would also ban step therapy, or the fail first method, where insurers force people to receive less effective drug treatments before moving to options initially recommended by doctors.
The measure would also require prior approval from the Department of Insurance before large group insurance plans can increase rates and require premiums to align with the actual cost of providing care. […]
House Bill 5395 passed out of the Senate on a 45-14 vote and now heads back to the House on concurrence.
The House passed two bills that would regulate battery collection and storage.
Senate Bill 3481 would require automotive parts recyclers that store over 5,000 kilograms of used electric vehicle batteries – or approximately 10 EV batteries – to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency by Feb. 1, 2026. […]
The bill passed the House Tuesday on a 77-35 bipartisan vote, but since it was amended in that chamber, it goes back to the Senate for concurrence.
Senate Bill 3686 would create the Portable and Medium-Format Battery Stewardship Act.
Beginning July 2026, battery producers would be required to create and facilitate a battery stewardship plan, and retailers would be prohibited from selling batteries from producers who haven’t submitted plans. Producers would be required to submit an annual report and pay an annual $100,000 fee to the IEPA. […]
It cleared the House Tuesday with bipartisan support in a 77-35 vote. Since it was amended in the House, it will go back to the Senate for a concurrence.
Just after popping the lid off a new market, hemp beverage makers fear a proposal to ban intoxicating hemp products in Illinois would end their new business. […]
The ban, as originally proposed by state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, would put a two-year moratorium on all intoxicating hemp products, including those sold widely at vape shops and gas stations, until a committee can propose regulations. A newer version, put into an existing bill for fast approval, would allow the sale of products, but only by businesses licensed under the current state cannabis law.
Hemp business owners say that would cause widespread closures of businesses and put many people out of work. Instead, they are calling for restricting products to adults 21 and older, requiring testing and labeling of potency and purity, and imposing a wholesale tax of 10% plus a retail tax of 10%.
State-legal cannabis companies have pushed for the legislation, saying it’s unfair they have to follow tight restrictions while hemp businesses are unchecked.
* Labor leaders send letter of support of Enhancing Equity in Education tax credit scholarship program…
As the final days of the 2024 Spring Session of the 103rd General Assembly begin to wane, we would like to express our support for Enhancing Equity in Education, the new Illinois tax credit scholarship program. Designed to help the most impoverished in Illinois, many parents and children across our State would benefit from this program, and we urge you to act now.
As Labor Unions representing workers across Illinois, we know all too well the importance of a quality education. Electricians, laborers, carpenters, operating engineers, bricklayers, plumbers, and all other skilled tradespeople in the private and public sectors must have a quality education to be successful in their careers. We are fortunate to live in a state that not only provides quality public school options for parents to choose from but also provides options for low-income parents who desire other educational alternatives - including private and parochial schools.
The Enhancing Equity in Education program would not only offer children from low-income families traditional educational options for their individual needs but would also include opportunities for those who may want to attend an approved technical academy to provide coursework and training in career and technical education.
On behalf of those families who would benefit from this new scholarship program, we urge you to support the Enhancing Equity in Education tax credit scholarship program, so those families in need have an opportunity to receive a scholarship to thrive in a school of their choice.
Chicago Public Schools moved a step closer to finalizing a new school safety policy Thursday, following a Board of Education vote in February to remove uniformed Chicago Police Department officers from all district schools as of the end of the school year.
The board approved a new “Whole School Safety Framework” presented by the district Thursday. But a state bill that could supersede the district’s plans may also be voted on this week. Sponsored by Rep. Mary Gill, D-Chicago, HB5008 would allow high school Local School Councils to contract directly with CPD to employ school resource officers, known as SROs, through February 2027. […]
Proponents have argued that LSCs should continue to vote on whether to keep SROs, given that different schools have different needs.
Lynn Morton of Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), one of four community-based nonprofits which have partnered with CPS to reshape its safety policies, recognized that removing SROs makes some community members nervous.
* HB5008 passed out of committee and heads to the House floor on Second Reading.
* Press release…
The following is a statement from the coalition of supporters for The Small Business Financing Transparency Act (SB2234 - Belt/Tarver) disputing misinformation from opponents of the bill:
“Unfortunately, high-priced lenders (a.k.a. ‘financing companies’) that oppose the Small Business Financing Transparency Act are circulating misinformation about the supposed impossibility of disclosing an APR for revenue-based financing (a.k.a. ’sales-based financing’).
“APR is simply the price of a loan expressed as an annualized percentage, i.e., the yearly cost of the loan. Lenders obviously know the price of their own products.
“Disclosing an estimated APR based on future revenue is not a new concept. Federal regulations pertaining to consumer loans account for the need to estimate APR under certain circumstances. For example, in income share agreements and refund anticipation loans, the lender knows how much it expects to earn on the loan and calculates the APR based on its expectations of the amount and the timing of the payments.
“A more plausible reason for not disclosing APR is because the opponents don’t want their borrowers to know when they are being charged in excess of 100% APR.
“In 2021, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’s Economic Access Pillar significantly elevated Illinois’s standing for consumer financial protection. The Small Business Financing Transparency Act is the natural extension of that work considering that businesses in Black, Brown, and lower income communities are disproportionately driven to the ‘nonbank’ lenders that the bill would cover. Empowering entrepreneurs to make informed decisions about their businesses is good for small business, and thus, good for our state’s economy.”
* ICYMI: Cook County plans to replace juvenile detention center with smaller ‘centers of care’. Injustice Watch…
Cook County officials plan to drastically reduce the size of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, the nation’s largest juvenile jail, long criticized for its inhumane treatment and ineffective care of vulnerable kids, and replace it with community-based treatment centers.
The plans, which have the backing of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans, call for downsizing the five-story detention center on Chicago’s West Side and replacing it with “centers of care,” which would be semi-secure facilities to house youths who judges deem can’t be released to their homes, according to a proposal submitted for a federal grant to support the effort.
Officials plan to repurpose the JTDC, which currently houses nearly 200 teenagers in single-occupancy cells, into “less traumatizing dormitory-style conditions” for the fewer than 50 youths expected to require secure detention. By the end of next year, the footprint of the more than 600,000-square-foot detention center is expected to shrink by 60%, according to the plans, which Injustice Watch obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The move would be the most significant reform to juvenile detention in Cook County since the JTDC was released from federal court oversight nearly a decade ago and would put Cook County at the forefront of a nationwide push to reduce the incarceration of young people.
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* AP | The Justice Department is suing Ticketmaster and Live Nation. What does that mean for concertgoers?: The lawsuit could potentially lead to a breakup of Live Nation Entertainment, a company that resulted from Ticketmaster’s 2010 merger with concert promoter Live Nation. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the aim is to allow more competition and to let smaller players gain more of the U.S. ticket-selling market — which Ticketmaster controls a whopping 70% of. More competition could lead to cheaper tickets. But experts say live event lovers shouldn’t expect changes any time soon.
* Tribune | Illinois fails to protect immigrant victims of crime, report finds: The report released Thursday reveals widespread violations by the state’s law enforcement agencies of an act that attempts to provide greater access to protections for immigrants who are victims of crime or human trafficking. Amid a migrant crisis in Chicago in which over 42,000 people have arrived in the city in nearly two years sent on buses from the southern border, the report shines a light on an intractable problem: that some will inevitably be victims of crime but won’t rely on police or law enforcement agencies for support because they’re worried they will face trouble with the law for their immigration status.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Pantagraph | Quantum leap? Pritzker’s tax incentive proposal moving forward in state legislature: The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Dave Vella, D-Rockford, sailed through the House on a bipartisan 98-14 vote on Wednesday. It heads to the Senate, where it could be considered later this week. In addition to quantum, the package bolsters a menu of existing economic development initiatives, such as the state’s Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credit, its program targeting electric vehicle manufacturers and suppliers and its research and development tax credit.
* WSIU | Area lawmakers remain vigilant on a plan prioritizing the wellbeing of Choate residents: Members of the Illinois Senate stated that the cameras are working as intended, but there is room for further oversight and improvement to ensure those housed at Choate are protected. They add management must do more to create an environment where employees have no reason to fear retaliation for reporting cases of abuse.
* Tribune | Ahead of Memorial Day, Illinois treasurer seeks to return a dozen unclaimed Purple Heart medals: The medals were submitted to the treasurer’s office through its unclaimed property program, but their stories remain shrouded in mystery. A Purple Heart is awarded to those who are killed or wounded in service. “These Purple Hearts are priceless. You can’t put a price tag on them,” Frerichs said at a news conference Thursday morning. “We’re not going to stop until we get them back into the rightful owners’ hands.”
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Shootings in Chicago are concentrated in the summer, yes. That’s only part of the story.: A new analysis from the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab found that more than a third of annual shootings in Chicago happened in the summer, with July alone accounting for 12% of the year’s incidents. Those shootings are not only concentrated in the summer months, they overwhelmingly impact a small geographic region of the city. Read the Crime Lab’s full findings below. […] Of those nearly 7,000 grids mapped across the city, 10% of them accounted for 58% of annual shooting incidents across the five-year period. Those numbers worsened when examining summer shooting incidents, with 10% of the grids accounting for 64% of those shootings. Neighborhoods in the South and West sides accounted for the highest share of shootings.
* Sun-Times | NASCAR Chicago Street Race is the focus of Chicago History Museum pop-up exhibit: Visitors to the Chicago History Museum will be able to relive last year’s NASCAR Chicago Street Race weeks before the roar of engines echoes through downtown as the race returns to the city for the second consecutive year. The museum, 1601 N. Clark St., hosted a preview of its NASCAR Chicago Street Race Experience pop-up exhibit on Thursday ahead of its public opening Friday.
* Block Club | Lollapalooza Releases 2024 Schedule: The annual Chicago fest released its schedule Thursday with individual set times, allowing attendees to start mapping out their Lolla stage-viewing plans. The detailed lineup includes headliners SZA, Tyler, the Creator, blink-182, The Killers, Future x Metro Boomin, Hozier, Stray Kids, Melanie Martinez and Skrillex.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Sun-Times | Did the Kane County sheriff’s office blow a chance to arrest suspect hours before killing him?: That’s what family and friends of Jim Moriarty want to know. He was shot to death by sheriff’s deputies on May 24, 2023, after a carjacking and chase and repeated comments about “suicide by cop” amid what people close to him called a mental health breakdown. Records say the sheriff’s office “compromised” a stakeout in Aurora a day earlier aimed at bringing him in safely.
* Daily Herald | Wait and see regarding concerns over District 128 superintendent, new initiatives: As seniors from Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools graduated Thursday to their next chapters, they leave behind a district also facing an uncertain future with new initiatives and the 293-member teachers union voting “no confidence” in the superintendent. Parents and community members also had a lot to say regarding educational initiatives planned for the 2024-25 school year during a six-hour Libertyville-Vernon Hills High School District 128 school board meeting held in the Vernon Hills High School gym.
* Fox 2 Now | Madison County Jail adds golden retriever to staff: Madison County Sheriff Jeff Connor has added a new sergeant to the staff: Doug, a one-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever. Inmate Justin Baker was in jail before Doug joined the staff. Though jail is still nowhere Baker wants to be, he says interacting with Doug and being able to pet him takes the edge off from not being able to leave.
* Intelligencer | Illinois governor attends celebration for new Madison County Transit building:
The new MCT site is a two-story, 26,416-square-foot building just south of West Chain of Rocks Road. The new site houses administration, human resources, marketing and communications, accounting procurement, information technology, engineering and planning and capital projects. Building amenities include a state-of-the-art boardroom, a new video surveillance system and access control system for the building and grounds in addition to a new bus pull-off and shelter.
*** National ***
* AP | Who gets paid? How much? What to know about the landmark NCAA settlement: The plan, which still needs approval from plaintiffs and a federal judge, calls for paying damages to thousands of former and current college athletes who say now-defunct NCAA rules prevented them from earning endorsement money. It also calls for setting up a first-of-its-kind revenue-sharing system for college athletes, which will impact hundreds of schools across the country as early as fall 2025.
* Mayor Brandon Johnson’s full letter to Senate President Don Harmon is here. Here’s his tweet…
Selective enrollment schools were created to foster integration in CPS, not to codify segregation. pic.twitter.com/IRIWprn3k5
— Mayor Brandon Johnson (@ChicagosMayor) May 23, 2024
* Rep. Margaret Croke’s full statement…
I am deeply disappointed to learn that President Harmon may not call this bill. While his letter agreement with the mayor contains some concessions, it does not protect magnet or charter schools and still allows for changes in admissions criteria for selective enrollment schools.
The CPS school budgeting process has been hidden from both the public and from Springfield legislators, and I fully expect that disproportionate cuts will be made to magnet schools and charters will eventually be close.
Most of us in both Chambers voted in favor of an elected school board. We should ensure that Chicago voters maintain the right to have their elected school board members make these decisions. I hope when the Senate realizes that this letter falls horribly short from how it is being spun that they will reconsider and run this bill.
* The elections omnibus bill is here. More on the pink slime sites issue is here. Background on the red light cam story is here. Background on Tiffany Henyard’s salary ploy is here.
WGN Investigates has learned a top aide to a state representative who abruptly resigned in April has now been charged with sending obscene and harassing messages to a rival state senator.
The text messages sent to State Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Frankfort) included fake sexually explicit images of Hastings, Gov. JB Pritzker and other elected officials, according to a source.
Timothy Pawula is now charged with harassment through electronic communication, transmission of obscene messages and obscenity, according to Illinois State Police.
Pawula was chief of staff for State Rep. Tim Ozinga (R-Mokena) before Ozinga abruptly resigned without explanation in April as the investigation heated-up.
Ozinga has not been charged with a crime and its unclear if he was aware of Pawula’s alleged actions.
“I’ve been a victim of electronic harassment where someone – potentially affiliated with others – sent me digitally altered, sexually explicit images that are highly offensive,” Sen. Hastings told WGN Investigates.
* Pawula was not Ozinga’s chief of staff when Ozinga abruptly resigned without explaining his reasons. But he had worked in Ozinga’s district office prior to that and is currently listed as treasurer of Ozinga’s campaign committee. He’s also listed as treasurer of Ozinga’s Big Tent Coalition PAC. Ozinga and Sen. Hastings have been political adversaries.
The Illinois State Police opened an investigation after Sen. Hastings filed a complaint. The results of that investigation were then turned over to the attorney general’s office, which ultimate filed these charges in Will County…
720 ILCS 5/26.5-3(a)(1) - Harassment through electronic communication.
720 ILCS 5/26-5-3(a)(3) - Harassment through electronic communication.
720 ILCS 5/26.5-1(1) - Transmission of obscene messages
720 ILCS 5/11-20(a)(1) - Obscenity
Pawula’s booking photo…
* Pawula could not be reached and he has no attorney on file in Will County. Ozinga did not respond to phone calls and text messages, which included these questions…
Did your resignation from the House have anything to do with the charges now pending against Timothy Pawula?
Were you aware that Pawula was [allegedly] sending pornographic images to Sen. Hastings?
I’ll be happy to update with any response. Ozinga has not been charged.
Pawula’s first court date is June 5.
* Meanwhile, Jeff Berkowitz recently interviewed Ozinga and sent out this press release…
Could a scaled-up, empathetic “Big Tent Coalition” fix IL? Could Tim Ozinga, the Big Tent’s CEO, be the IL GOP GOV Candidate to fix IL’s education system, crime problems & lack of growth?
*** Adding *** Tim Ozinga texted me this response…
Thank you for reaching out for comment Rich.
I had zero knowledge of the incident and was not aware that any charges were being filed until after I had already retired from the general assembly.
When I did find out about it, I disciplined the employee, he was put on unpaid leave, and justice will be served.
I believe everyone should be held accountable for their actions.
Court records show the ex-wife of powerful Illinois State Sen. Michael Hastings accused him of elbowing her in the face in the presence of their small children and harassing, intimidating and threatening her in a series of text messages.
Senator Hastings is unfit for office and was asked to resign by Governor Pritzker. Hopefully justice will be served by the voters of Illinois this election by removing him from office.
*** Adding ***Click here to see Pawula’s notice to appear. Something to note, the date of the offense is November 8, 2022, the day of the general election.
*** Adding *** It turns out that Ozinga put Pawula back on staff. I kid you not. I circled back to Ozinga and here’s what he said…
He was disciplined and is dealing with the consequences of his actions. He is still working under probation/supervision at this point in time.
When Illinois legalized recreational marijuana in 2020, state legislators sought to correct the effects of the drug war on Black and Brown communities with “the most equity-centric law in the nation.”
The government did so by issuing special “social equity” cannabis business licenses for people of color so they could reap the profits of the now billion-dollar industry. But even with those licenses, many minority entrepreneurs are struggling to get bank loans to kick start their businesses.
Cook County government took a step toward correcting that disparity by opening applications Thursday for its Cannabis Development Grant program. The county is offering $3.6 million in grants to license holders. Applications, available online, are open through June 14.
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said grant winners will be announced later this summer.
* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), with a bipartisan coalition of 29 states, today filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ticketmaster LLC, alleging that the company has illegally monopolized the live entertainment industry. The lawsuit seeks to restore competition in the live concert industry, provide better choices at lower prices for fans and open venue doors for working musicians and other performance artists.
“Live Nation’s anticompetitive business practices have led to higher costs and fewer choices for fans seeking live entertainment in Illinois,” said Raoul. “That’s why I am joining the U.S. Department of Justice and my fellow attorneys general in filing this complaint against Live Nation. I remain committed to combating monopolies that harm consumers and undercut innovation in Illinois and across the country.”
Live Nation operates several major concert venues in Illinois, from the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois to smaller venues like House of Blues Chicago. In 2022, Ticketmaster sales reached nearly $1.5 billion for Illinois, accounting for the vast majority of expenditures on live music entertainment.
The complaint, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that Live Nation’s unlawful conduct has deprived music fans in the United States of ticketing innovation and forced them to use outdated technology while paying more for tickets than fans in other countries. At the same time, Live Nation exercises its power over performers, venues, and independent promoters in ways that harm competition. Live Nation also allegedly imposes barriers to competition that limit the entry and expansion of its rivals.
*** Statewide ***
* KMOX | Illinois Judge: State has ’successfully turned the Titanic’ with cash bail reform: “This is an overhaul of a system I’ve known in my 40 years of my legal career,” said Andrew Gleeson, Chief Judge in the 20th Judicial Circuit in Illinois in 2023 on Total Information A.M. when the decision initially happened. Months later, has it changed criminal justice system in Illinois for the better or for worse? “I think as of now, you’d have to say yes, it’s changed for the better” said Gleeson on Total Information A.M. Wednesday.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Chicago newsrooms get $1.6 million in grants to strengthen local journalism: The newsrooms receiving the funding are Borderless Magazine, Chicago News Weekly, Cicero Independiente, Growing Community Media, Injustice Watch, Investigative Project on Race & Equity, Invisible Institute, Lansing Journal, La Raza Chicago, Reparations Media NFP, Respair Production & Media, South Side Weekly and the Windy City Times. Each news group has a different plan for using the money, ranging from hiring staff to creating hard copy reports for distribution. Each of the participating newsrooms has an operating budget of less than $2 million and prioritizes “amplifying community voices,” among other criteria.
* Sun-Times | CTA unveils ideas for open space under revamped L tracks in Edgewater, Uptown: Skate parks, dog parks, fitness spaces, playgrounds, walking paths and areas for outdoor markets, all shaded under L tracks on the North Side. Those were some of the proposals in the Chicago Transit Authority’s vision for more than a mile of new open space under renovated Red Line tracks stretching from West Lawrence to West Ardmore avenues in Edgewater and Uptown.
* Crain’s | Lagunitas is moving its brewing operations out of Chicago: The Lagunitas Brewing Company is moving its Chicago brewing operations to Petaluma, Calif. The brewery will maintain operations of its Chicago warehouse but is closing its Chicago tap room in Douglas Park. “The changes were prompted by a need to future-proof the organization amid changing tides in the craft beverage industry,” the company said in a statement. “The transition will allow for a more efficient and flexible supply chain, with a greater focus on innovation and the acceleration of more sustainable brewing practices.”
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Hanover Township offering free summer lunches to youth: Hanover Township is partnering with the Northern Illinois Food Bank to provide free lunches to youth beginning Monday, June 3, at the Township’s Astor Avenue Community Center, 7431 Astor Ave., Hanover Park and at the Izaak Walton Youth Center, 899 Jay St., Elgin. Lunches will be available Monday through Friday between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., at the Youth Center and 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., at the Community Center. No registration is required.
* NBC Chicago | Wayfair’s first-ever physical store opens in Wilmette with freebies, giveaways: According to Wilmette village president Senta Plunkett, the store is expected to have a “transformative effect” on the suburb. “It will be our largest sales tax generator,” Plunkett told NBC Chicago in an interview. “We’re excited to be able to reinvest those sales tax dollars into our infrastructure. It’s a big deal here.”
* Sun-Times | Cook County jury rules Zantac not the cause of Brookfield woman’s colon cancer: Jurors deliberated for just over four hours from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning. The three-week long trial — a first of thousands of similar cases nationwide to appear before a jury — wrapped up Wednesday. Lawyers laid out two starkly different arguments in their final pitches to the jury of nine women and three men. They did agree she proved she took Zantac for nearly 20 years, but they did not find it was the cause of her colon cancer.
* WTTW | Some Landscapers Say Evanston’s Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Ban Created a Tense Atmosphere, With the Public and Fellow Landscapers Submitting More Than 1,000 Violations: Tom Klitzkie, president and co-owner of Nature’s Perspective Landscaping, who runs what he has called the “largest landscaping business in Evanston,” served as a member of the city’s Environmental Board. That board helped advise the Evanston City Council on legislation directly impacting his own company: the city’s controversial ban on gas- and propane-powered leaf blowers. In turn, Klitzkie is one of the top submitters of leaf blower violation complaints involving other landscaping companies. He’s the second most frequent submitter, accounting for 283 of the whopping 1,385 submissions made to the city as of April 25. Most of the submitters — 640 — left their name blank. 122 are under “hire reputable landscapers.”
*** Downstate ***
* The Telegraph | Collinsville hosts Illinois GOP state convention this weekend: Unlike a national convention, which is focused on selecting a presidential candidate, the state convention is about networking and training. Approximately 500 to 600 people will attend, according to Convention Coordinator Deb Detmers.
*** Cicadapocalypse ***
* ABC Chicago | Rare blue-eyed cicada donated to Field Museum: ‘One in a million’: A rare blue-eyed cicada found by a suburban family has been donated to Chicago’s Field Museum. A 4-year-old, Jack Bailey, from Wheaton discovered it. His sister noticed it had blue eyes. The family took pictures of the cicada and then released it back into the yard. Later, they discovered how rare blue-eyed cicadas are, so they found it again.
* WCIA | ‘I’m staying inside’: Decatur neighborhood reacts to cicada influx: People have been doing all they can to try to keep their yards clear of the bugs and what they leave behind, but Tapscott says when they start cleaning in the morning — by the next day it looks like nothing was done. “There’s not much you can do about them. It’ll be nice when they’re gone. Because its very noisy,” said Tapscott.
*** National ***
* AP | Political consultant behind fake Biden robocalls faces $6 million fine and criminal charges: The Federal Communications Commission said the fine it proposed Thursday for Steven Kramer is its first involving generative AI technology. The company accused of transmitting the calls, Lingo Telecom, faces a $2 million fine, though in both cases the parties could settle or further negotiate, the FCC said.
* USA Today | Activist Rev. Al Sharpton issues stark warning to the FTC about two gambling giants: In the letter, obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Sharpton writes to FTC Chair Lina Khan that the domination of the two gambling platforms threatens consumer protection in the market. “As you are well aware, DraftKings and FanDuel dominate the online sports betting market in the United States,” Sharpton wrote. “As of September 2023, they had a combined market share of approximately 75% in mobile sports betting. Their Sports Betting Alliance (SBA), which includes fellow legacy operators BetMGM and Fanatics Sportsbook, likely controls close to 90% of the market now.
* Crain’s | Durbin renews call for Alito to recuse himself in 2020 election cases: Referring to a New York Times report that the “Appeal to Heaven” flag was seen flying outside Alito’s New Jersey vacation home — news that follows revelations that an upside-down American flag had been displayed at the conservative justice’s Virginia residence — Durbin argued tonight that the incidents “further erode public faith in the court.”
Voter registration records or data shall not be used for any personal, private, or commercial purpose, including, but not limited to, the intimidation, threat, or deception of any person or the advertising, solicitation, sale, or marketing of products or services. The State Board of Elections shall deny a request made under this subsection to any person or entity that is the subject of a court order finding a violation of this subsection.
As we’ve already discussed, the attorney general has sued Local Government Information Services over their publishing of the data.
The Illinois House Restorative Justice Committee unanimously approved a plan Wednesday morning to help provide more educational opportunities for young people serving time in the Department of Corrections.
The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice could be required to establish an emerging adult program for individuals 18 to 21 in prisons. Those people would be transported to a juvenile justice center in Harrisburg, Illinois to participate in therapy sessions, case management, vocational training and higher education opportunities. […]
Senate Bill 426 could be discussed on the House floor before lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn Friday. The proposal passed out of the Senate on a 41-15 vote on May 6.
Illinois legislators this week approved a bill to restructure an oversight board in charge of distributing state money to courts that provide prison alternatives, while other criminal justice measures introduced throughout the session remain stalled.
House Bill 4409 would change the makeup of the Adult Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board to include 20 members, including two individuals who have previously participated in an Adult Redeploy program. Currently, it is comprised of state officials and probation officers, but no board members have the experience of being a participant in a diversion court program.
Under current law, the board provides formula-based funding to dozens of diversion programs in courts around the state, but the bill would change that to a grant-based program that’s subject to appropriation in future budgets. It would also give the board authority to penalize courts for not meeting agreed-upon goals for reducing the number of probation-eligible individuals who are transferred to state correctional facilities. The governor’s office proposed spending $14.6 million on the Adult Redeploy Illinois program in the upcoming fiscal year, roughly level from the current year.
The measure also changes the term for participants in the program from “offenders” to “justice-impacted individuals,” a new common practice with terminology in criminal justice legislation. It needs only a signature from the governor to become law.
There’s a push to make sure a program that helps people with their power bill does not go away.
It is the low-income home energy assistance program and it is designed to help people pay for energy services like their heat bill. State funds for the program are set to sunset on January 1st.
If that happens, the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission said more than 174,000 homes across the state would be impacted. […]
The bill passed unanimously in both the state house and senate. It now awaits Governor Pritzker’s signature.
* Rep. Adam Niemerg….
State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) passed legislation to permit the transfer of a Fire Protection District’s ambulance levy to a county that is already providing its ambulance service. Supported by the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts, the new law will permit this transfer when emergency ambulance service to any portion of the Fire Protection District is already providing that service through an intergovernmental agreement by the county. […]
Upon certification to the county clerk by both the County and Fire Protection District that all criteria have been met under the provisions, the rate for emergency ambulance service for the area once serviced under the Fire Protection District for emergency ambulance service shall be the rate the county levies under the Code. Endorsed by the United Counties Council of Illinois, Senate Bill 3402 now goes back to the Senate for a vote on the House change.
Illinois senators passed a plan Wednesday to prohibit landlords from retaliating against their tenants.
The proposal could ban landlords from terminating leases, increasing rent, decreasing services or threatening lawsuits. It also states that landlords would no longer be allowed to refuse to renew a lease after a tenant complains about code violations or seeks assistance from elected officials.
“Like many state offices, my staff receives and works with plenty of constituents who have faced some form of housing retaliation,” said Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago). “These individuals are looking for quality, safe and affordable housing and should not be barred from seeking remedies without fear of retaliation.” […]
House Bill 4768 passed out of the Senate on a 34-19 vote with two senators voting present. The measure now moves back to the House on concurrence. It previously passed out of the House on a 62-42 vote with two representatives voting present on April 16.
A measure that would prohibit contests that award cash or prizes for killing certain wildlife is unlikely to clear the Senate after narrowly passing the House last week, according to its Senate sponsor.
House Bill 2900 would ban the practice of holding wildlife contests that reward participants with cash, prizes or inducements for killing fur-bearing animals. Much of the floor debate centered on contests that award the killing of coyotes as a method of population control.
Under the measure, organizing, sponsoring or participating in such contests would be a Class A misdemeanor and subject to a fine between $500 and $5,000.
Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure arrived too late in the process for passage by the chamber’s scheduled Friday adjournment. It arrived in the Senate on May 16 but had not yet received a substantive committee assignment as of Wednesday.
The Illinois beer industry is rallying against legislation in Springfield that, if passed, could make making low-dose THC beverages illegal. The brewers claim the dispensary lobby is ramrodding a bill through the state Senate and House that would mandate breweries and distilleries that produce drinks like THC seltzers to operate under the same (and more costly) licensing requirements as dispensaries.
Introduced in April, the Hemp Consumer Products Act (Senate Bill 3926) presents far-reaching regulations that impact bars and taprooms, which began serving hemp-derived products in February. These products are derived from hemp rather than cannabis. Licenses would come with a $5,000 application fee and a July 1, 2026 deadline to apply.
An amendment to that bill, filed on Tuesday, May 9, which brewers say goes beyond the scope of public safety, and adds stricter guidelines for hemp-derived products. In a statement, the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild describes the legislation “as short-sighted and the monopolization of THC under the guise of legislation” and claims that the measures would “immediately prohibit thousands of Illinois businesses manufacturing hemp-based products, including craft breweries.”
The regulations would administer a big blow to the state’s breweries, which are searching for ways to boost sales since the industry’s peak at the start of the pandemic.
* Sen. Javier Cervantes…
State Senator Javier Cervantes is making it easier to cancel unwanted gym memberships thanks to legislation that he passed through the Senate to streamline how people can cancel a contract.
“Giving consumers simple and efficient methods to cancel their subscription or contract helps ensure they don’t fall victim to confusing subscription services that automatically renew payments for services they no longer use,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “This legislation will simply update business practices to fit with modern times.”
Under the new legislation, businesses offering physical fitness services, like gym memberships, would have to allow customers to cancel their contract either online or by email, instead of only by mail or in-person.
The measure would also require contracts for physical fitness services that automatically renew to comply with the Automatic Contract Renewal Act, which ensures businesses give full disclosure of their automatic terms and cancellation policies and do not charge customers without proper consent.
“Consumers in Illinois have the tools to make canceling their subscriptions with other services easier—these provisions should also apply to fitness services,” said Cervantes. “Residents may go months or even years without knowing if their old gym membership is renewing and charging them, which can cause financial strain. These changes will make the process more transparent, fair and easier for everyone.”
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.
Isabel Miller: Governor, is it time to close Choate with the new allegations that came out yesterday?
Gov. Pritzker: Well, I think actually one of the things that the videos and video equipment shows is that we need more and more of them. We need to make sure that it gets installed.
As you know, there was a lot of challenge to get it put in because you had to get permission from everybody at Choate to have it put in. But the fact that they’re there deters people from committing these kinds of acts.
The fact that one act occurred like that is one too many, no doubt about it. But because it was there, we were able to actually take action against the perpetrator.
Q: Governor, your health care bill, what do you think the chances are of getting it pased? And if not, will you hold a special session for it?
Pritzker: I think we’re going to get it passed. I feel pretty good about it. I know that when you get down to the last few days of session, it always feels like something has to pass. Why hasn’t it? What’s going on? There’s plenty of time. It feels like we’re going to get a good result here. It’s got to go through both chambers still, and, again, I think there’s broad agreement that this is something really good for the people of Illinois. It will lower people’s health care costs and increase the likelihood that people get the health care they need.
Q: Would you call a special session if it doesn’t?
Pritzker: It’s too early to say that. I will just say this is something very important for the state. I do think the legislators, for the most part, a majority of them recognize that.
Q: You’re seeing some pushback on the sportsbook, increase in that tax. Is that something that you’re going to be able to get done?
Pritzker: Most of the pushback, of course, is by the sportsbook companies that have made literally tens of millions of dollars from the state of Illinois. All we’re asking is that they pay a little more of their fair share.
By the way, the proposal that was made keeps our tax rate at below the other of the top sportsbook states in the country, New York and New Jersey. We’re number three in the country in terms of the amount of handle that sportsbooks get from our state. And so we’re just asking that they pay a fair share, and lower than the top two states.
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Labor unions, government officials, business voices, and the academic community are speaking up about the critical role that carbon capture and storage (CCS) can play in helping Illinois reach its clean energy goals. The Capture Jobs Now Coalition is supporting SB3311/HB569 to advance CCS projects, prioritizing jobs and economic development in local communities.
Matt Rush, Farmer from Fairfield and Past President of the Illinois Corn Growers Association:
“This important technology will help the corn ethanol industry pursue domestic and international low carbon fuel markets, bolster investment in existing production facilities and better position the industry to develop market opportunities like sustainable aviation fuel.” (March 2024)
Joe Heinrich, Executive Director of the Smart Carbon Network and Rick Terven, Jr., Legislative & Political Director for the Illinois Pipe Trades Association:
“Illinois is the country’s second-largest corn-producing state and third-largest producer of ethanol. Illinois is a key supplier of the products needed to keep our country fed and fueled. It also means Illinois’ economy relies on demand for these products to remain afloat. Thanks to carbon capture technology, we can increase demand for Illinois corn and ethanol while spurring job creation, investment, and value-added agriculture.” (September 2023)
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Dominique Juarez, a server at Alexander’s Steakhouse in Peoria, said at the news conference she opposes the elimination of tip credit and that the bill “corners us into a no-win situation.”
A resolution to place a nonbinding advisory referendum regarding separating Chicago and Cook County from the rest of the state of Illinois was passed 15-7 by the Madison County Board on Wednesday.
* Gov. JB Pritzker was in the county today to mark the completion of the Madison County Transit Administration Building. He specifically addressed the nonbinding referendum in his speech…
First, let’s be clear about the financial benefits to Madison County for Chicago being a part of the state of Illinois. A study conducted by experts at SIU Carbondale showed that the Chicagoland area pays for the bulk of the benefits the rest of the state receives.
About 73% of our GDP in the state of Illinois comes from the Chicagoland area. People in the northeast region of the state only get about 80 cents back for every dollar they pay in taxes to the rest of the state. The southern third of Illinois gets almost $2 back for every dollar paid in.
The southwest region of Illinois that includes Madison County gets $1.42 for every dollar that you pay to the state of Illinois.
And here are a few examples of how this plays out. Let’s start with this new headquarters, this Madison County Transit Administration building that we’re celebrating today.
Over $10 million, you heard it, that’s 71% of the cost of this new transit hub came from Illinois state government. That likely means that this building wouldn’t exist without the taxpayers of the rest of Illinois subsidizing it. But it’s designed mostly to serve the residents of this county and rightly so. Making transit here more efficient and allowing better service for Madison County seniors and riders with disabilities and keeping people safer.
And this is just one in a long line of projects funded by state government that benefits Madison County residents. Last year I was in Edwardsville breaking ground on a new SIUE Health Sciences building secured in part because the state invested $105 million as part of a bunch of capital improvement projects for the SIU system.
Madison County students also received millions of dollars in scholarships and support services over just the last year that were largely paid for by the taxpayers of the rest of Illinois. And then there are the jobs. In January I stood alongside workers at Wieland North America as the company announced a $500 million investment to modernize their facility in East Alton.
That’s hundreds of jobs saved and more being created, made possible by incentives provided by our state, including in large part the taxpayers in Chicago. That came just after $3 million of a state grant to help restore and revitalize downtown Alton.
Nearly $600 million in infrastructure improvements in Madison County since 2019, well, frankly, like the I-270 bridge replacement. And those are there because of our state’s infrastructure program called Rebuild Illinois, once again paid for by everyone in Illinois.
Now I mention these things not because Cook County is more important than Madison County. It is not. Instead, I simply want to remind everyone here that we are one Illinois. One Illinois.
Madison County is just as important to our state as Chicago is. It’s also, frankly, it’s too easy to let partisanship and regional differences divide us. Instead, let’s all row in the same direction.
We are. The people who are working in Springfield right now to pass a budget are working in the same direction for all of the people of Illinois. Let’s all stand up for all of this state. Madison County is vital to the rest of the state. So is Cook County.
Let’s bring people together to advance our shared goals, good schools, safe communities, and economic opportunity.
So I want to once again thank the legislative and community partners at every level for delivering for the great people of Madison County. I’m always proud to see these historic investments come to life. And I look forward to working together to bring more opportunity to communities across this region and our state.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* He was subsequently asked by a reporter why he wanted to talk about the issue today…
Let me begin by saying we’re a very diverse state, there’s no doubt. We have rural communities, and exurban communities, and suburban communities, and urban communities. And the idea that some place in Illinois wants to kick out another place in Illinois should not be on the ballot. It shouldn’t be something that’s part of a lexicon, a discussion of politicians.
We’re one state. We’re supporting each other. And as I was simply trying to point out, there are folks in Cook County who may not love the idea that they’re sending two dollars to an area of the state that only puts one dollar into state coffers, but they do it anyway. And, why? Because we’re one Illinois. And the same thing, there are lots of people here in Madison County who support the idea of Cook County being part of Illinois, they understand that 102 counties, this is one of the greatest states in the country. I believe it’s the greatest state in the country. And that it’s our collective that makes us great, having an agricultural economy, second to none, and having great industry up in Chicago that helps produce revenue that supports the rest of the state. All of that brings us together into a great state.
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As enrollment in Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) has grown, so have concerns with MCOs inappropriately delaying or denying care for thousands of patients—including cancer patients, people with cardiac conditions, elderly patients and people with disabilities.
In a 2023 study, the U.S. Dept. of Healthcare and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that, on average, the MCO denial rate was over twice that of Medicare. The study said, “Prior authorization can be used to manage costs by denying services that the MCO judges to be inappropriate or not medically necessary. However, Federal regulations stipulate that prior authorization may not be used to arbitrarily restrict access to medically necessary services covered by the MCO’s contract.”
The Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) agrees with the OIG. Illinois MCOs are using unnecessarily burdensome prior authorization policies to manage their costs, instead of coordinating care.
IHA’s legislative reform package is a commonsense approach to addressing issues that have made prior authorization a top challenge to providing healthcare to Medicaid patients.
This is why Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson floating a citywide sales tax on services is absurd. All that would do is hand suburban commercial building owners a brutally effective new marketing tool to woo law firms and other service providers now based in Chicago.
The exits to the Oak Brooks, Oak Parks and Skokies would be swift and voluminous. It would be, to paraphrase Shakespeare, “First, let’s expel all the lawyers.”
We’re no fans of increased taxes, but the idea of subjecting services — or maybe some services, be they massage therapists or accountants — to a general sales tax in Illinois merits an honest debate. There is an argument that it is only fair, especially given the massive societal expansion in our spending money on “services” and the associated decline in how much we spend on goods. Expanding the sales tax to services also would allow for lowering the painfully high sales tax on goods, particularly in Chicago. That idea deserves an airing.
But applying those taxes just in Chicago is a terrible idea, especially since enthusiasm for these schemes varies in Springfield. Chicago could well find itself permanently rendered as non-competitive. Where restaurants go now, lawyers soon would follow. Fortunately, like many of Johnson’s other revenue-raising ideas (and there are many), this one is likely to go nowhere, since Chicago appears to need state approval in order to proceed.
* Chicago’s CFO Jill Jaworski reached out to talk to me this week about my post on this very topic the other day, so I asked her to read the Tribune editorial and provide a response to both the Trib and myself…
The City’s financial team has been analyzing the value of the State expanding sales tax to services, and views a potential expansion as an opportunity to make our sales tax fairer and more equitably applied. The City cannot and would not pursue expanding the tax base on our own, but we look forward to engaging with State officials, legislators, fellow municipalities and other governments that have a sales tax to have a robust discussion on how we can move this initiative forward.
Illinois is one of a small number of states that only tax goods, which has resulted in a narrowing tax base for the State and all of the entities, including Chicago, that impose a sales tax. Consumer spending has steadily trended towards services, such that today 70% is for services and only 30% of consumer spending is for goods. This magnifies the regressive nature of sales taxes. Upper income earners overall are spending a larger share of their income on services than lower income earners. Ideally, expanding sales taxes to a broad range of services would allow the opportunity to adjust sales tax rates downward as well. The ability to lower the rate will depend on the willingness to expand to an array of services such that we have a bigger tax base.
As the Mayor has noted, we think there are strong benefits to expanding sales tax to services. We are elevating our interest in this solution and look forward to presenting our analyses on the benefits to decision makers and stakeholders alike.
Keep in mind that local governments receive a share of the state sales tax on goods. It would presumably be the same if the state imposed a sales tax on services. As you’ll recall, Gov. Pritzker has so far refused to rule out any revenue ideas to fund mass transit, including a service tax. The city is hoping to build on that.
Illinois legislators set to change ‘offender’ to ‘justice-impacted individual’
House Bill 4409 would add Illinois Department of Corrections representation to the Adult Redeploy Illinois oversight board, but it also changes the word “offender” to “justice-impacted individuals.” Republicans on the Senate floor said the name change could cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Illinois Democratic state lawmakers are aiming to change the word “offender” to “justice-impacted individual” with a new bill.
House Bill 4409 will amend the Illinois Crime Reduction Act of 2009 to change “references from ‘offenders’ to ‘justice-impacted individuals,’” among other changes, according to a summary of the bill.
The proposed change blew up on social media, with some people mistakenly thinking that people who commit crimes would get a rebranding. Instead, it would only apply to participants in one program meant to rehabilitate people and keep them out of prison.
The specific proposed law, House Bill 4409, would remove the term “offender” and replace it with “justice impacted individual” for men and women in the state’s “Adult Redeploy Illinois” program, commonly referred to as A.R.I.
A.R.I. is an initiative that aims to keep some offenders from going to prison by connecting them to rehabilitation programs.
* This is a county-run program. Here’s DuPage’s description…
DuPage County was one of the first ARI sites, initiated in January 2011 to create a program that provides intensive supervision and community-based resources and support services to participants exhibiting probation-violative behavior that could otherwise result in a prison sentence. DuPage County ARI uses motivational interviewing, individualized case plans, and a coaching model which strives to create collaborative, strengths-based relationships with participants to tailor services to the needs of each participant and connect them to community-based treatment and support.
DuPage County ARI provides participants with access to in-house evidence-based group treatment including Thinking for a Change, Moral Reconation Therapy, and the Moving On program; in-house individual and small group sessions; community-based substance use and mental health disorder treatment; recognition ceremonies and incentives to support positive behavior and growth; and recovery coaching. DuPage County ARI is responsive to social determinants of health by providing participants access to transportation assistance; educational opportunities (GED testing, vocational certificates, and training); vital records assistance; rental and temporary housing assistance; and emergency supplies (e.g., clothes, hygiene products, toiletries) using ARI funding.
The DuPage County ARI program is a partnership between the 18th Judicial Circuit’s Probation and Court Services Department; the DuPage County Public Defender and State’s Attorney’s Offices; community-based treatment providers; local businesses that provide employment opportunities to participants; the Path to Recovery Program; the JUST DuPage Program, which provides recovery support, education/vocational services, and reentry and life skills programming; and DuPage PADS, which provides support to individuals experiencing homelessness.
It’s such a minor thing. But, I mean, I can easily see why people could be irritated by the phrase. It’s just so egg-head. People don’t talk that way.
Governor Pritzker will be at the Madison County Administration Building at 10 am to celebrate its completion. Click here to watch.
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Tribune | Judge temporarily blocks hastily passed election law that favored Democrats in November: Sangamon County Judge Gail Noll issued the order pending a hearing on June 3, which had been the statutory date for filling the unfilled candidate slots on the Nov. 5 ballot. Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the measure into law on May 3 shortly after Democratic majorities in the House and Senate passed the legislation in a two-day tour de force.
* Tribune | Contractor sues Illinois Tollway, alleging breach of $323 million contract: Judlau Contracting, a New York-based company, says in its lawsuit that it had started work on the interchange of Interstate 290 and Interstate 88 when its contract was terminated by the Illinois Tollway on May 16. The lawsuit, filed in DuPage County Circuit Court, says the action was without proper legal basis and harmed the company’s reputation and overall business. The company also says the sudden halt in the project could cost taxpayers millions of dollars extra and create safety risks for drivers on the interchange.
* NPR | When Illinois adults with intellectual disabilities seek care, they often wait years: The toughest positions to fill are Direct Support Professionals(DSPs) who work directly with people with disabilities. That’s because agencies — like Opportunity House — who contract with the state can only use state funding to pay those salaries. So, the state, essentially, dictates the wages and if they get a raise. “On average, our DSPs when you look at our starting wage is like $16 an hour,” said Matya. Supporting adults with intellectual disabilities can be really tough. So, when you can make just as much or more at Starbucks, he says, it’s a difficult sell.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Sun-Times | Illinois General Assembly budget talks stall over sportsbook tax hike, retailer discounts: In what’s become a springtime rite in the Illinois Capitol, state legislators on Wednesday were bumping up against their self-imposed deadline to approve an annual spending plan, as Democrats wrangle over a sports betting tax hike, retailer discounts and other key revenue proposals floated by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Lawmakers needed to file a budget bill by Wednesday night in order to wrap up the legislative session Friday as originally scheduled by Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and state Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park.
* Tribune | In possible DNC preview, Gov. J.B. Pritzker mocks ex-President Donald Trump: Before a captive crowd of national media members in Chicago on Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker heaped scorn upon former President Donald Trump, saying the presumptive GOP presidential nominee is cruel, wants to be a dictator and is “waiting to become the first felon elected president.” The remarks, made at a media gathering at the United Center in preparation for this August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, hinted at just some of the barbs certain to be aimed at Trump this summer and highlighted the attack-dog surrogate role Pritzker is playing in the 2024 presidential campaign.
* AP | Illinois governor’s office says Bears’ plan for stadium remains ‘non-starter’ after meeting: “As the Governor has said, the current proposal is a non-starter for the state,” press secretary Alex Gough said in a statement. “In order to subsidize a brand new stadium for a privately owned sports team, the Governor would need to see a demonstrable and tangible benefit to the taxpayers of Illinois. The Governor’s office remains open to conversations with the Bears, lawmakers, and other stakeholders with the understanding that responsible fiscal stewardship of tax-payer dollars remains the foremost priority.”
* Sun-Times | CPS expert’s remarks that not all instances of sex abuse cause trauma met with ire in state legislature: State Rep. Curtis Tarver, D-Chicago, introduced a bill in the final days of the spring session this week to protect child sex abuse victims in court. Tarver said on the House floor last week that CPS’ top lawyer, Ruchi Verma, “needs to go” for approving the use of the expert witness and the legal strategy in the case, including trying to make the victim’s name public. CPS regularly hires outside law firms to handle litigation, but Verma oversees the district’s legal activity. In this case, the Board of Education hired Chicago-based Nielsen, Zehe & Antas, which has been paid $634,317 since it first started working for CPS in 2020.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Johnson pushing to fire official in charge of city contracts: For months, Johnson’s office has wanted to replace Aileen Velazquez, the city’s chief procurement officer, according to sources familiar with the effort to remove her. Johnson has even identified a replacement, according to the same sources. But, unlike the heads of other city departments, Velazquez serves a four-year term and can only be fired for cause after a full hearing before the City Council where she would be afforded an attorney to defend her record.
* Windy City Times | Mayor’s new press secretary deletes controversial tweet about 2010 Chicago Pride Parade:“i brake for gay pride. reluctantly.” Reese wrote. The tweet, which has since been deleted, was shared around social media and among LGBTQ+ groups who felt it could be perceived as harmful to the community. But Reese told Windy City Times he was making a joke about traffic, and not LGBTQ+ people. “I lived in Uptown for 10 years and traffic was atrocious,” Reese said. “I meant no slight against LGBTQ+ people at all. I DJ’d the parade back in 2022, and it was an absolute blast.”
* Crain’s | Johnson hiring head of progressive political party that helped push him into office: Kennedy Bartley, who took over as executive director of United Working Families in July after previously serving as the party’s legislative director, is joining the mayor’s office as a liaison to progressive elected officials, unions and community groups. The hire comes after Johnson’s first year in office, but has been in the works for months, according to sources familiar with the hire. It also comes as some of the mayor’s allies on the City Council have grown concerned their longtime agenda is in peril after the Bring Chicago Home referendum failed, denying the movement a win they had pushed for nearly a decade.
* Tribune | Council gives itself power to take control of ShotSpotter’s future, defies Johnson campaign promise: The 34-to-14 vote to give the City Council final say over the mayor’s cancellation plans sharply defies Johnson, who campaigned on the promise of getting rid of the controversial and expensive technology. Under the order that passed Wednesday, the pact with ShotSpotter is now subject to an up-or-down council vote before it can be terminated. It is not clear how the new rule will be applied to a deal the mayor already announced will end, however, especially since Johnson has suggested it’s illegal for aldermen to try to exert such authority over a city contract.
* Sun-Times | Anti-abortion members of City Council stall approval of quiet zone around West Loop clinic: At the behest of Planned Parenthood, Ald. Bill Conway (34th) was trying for the second time in six months to establish a “quiet zone” around the abortion clinic operated by Family Planning Associates at 659 W. Washington Blvd. Conway was furious after Ald. Nick Sposato (38th) and Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) used a parliamentary maneuver to delay the quiet zone vote by one meeting.
* Crain’s | Cook County plans $12 million in factory-built homes: Of a planned 120 to 150 units, the first will go up in the city’s Humboldt Park neighborhood — where there are already some modular homes — and suburban Chicago Heights by the end of the summer, said Karl Bradley, deputy director of housing and strategic finance. By fall, units should be underway in Maywood, Bellwood and Broadview, Bradley said.
* Tribune | Another piping plover — apparently a female — has joined Imani at Montrose Beach: The newcomer joins Imani — the city’s most celebrated avian bachelor — who has returned to the North Side beach for three summers, apparently looking for love. The only known surviving chick of local legends Monty and Rose, Imani has endured a series of very public disappointments in his search for a mate. But his luck may be changing.
* Block Club | The Cubs-White Sox Rivalry Goes Back To A Baseball ‘War’ In 1900. Here’s Why It Still Rages On: In response to the rumor of the new American League placing a team in Chicago, Cubs President Jim Hart said he welcomed a “war” between the leagues. “If the break-up of the national agreement must come, let it come in a hurry,” he told reporters. “It cannot happen too soon so far as I am concerned. Under the present low condition of baseball, the war would help considerable to clear up the baseball atmosphere and let us know where we are standing. On the whole, it would be a good thing if the national agreement was broken.”
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Students to help build homes on land District 211 sold to developer: Students in Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211’s Building Construction program soon will benefit from the district’s 2020 sale of 62 acres in Schaumburg to a housing developer. The 149-lot Summit Grove development will provide three home sites where the construction students will gain real-world experience over the next three years.
* Naperville Sun | Naperville’s Human Library will let you ‘check out’ a person for conversation and learning: Next Saturday, April 20, the city of Naperville, Naperville Public Library and Naper Pride are teaming up to present the “Human Library,” an event where people — rather than books — will be on loan to engage with borrowers in conversation. The three-hour opportunity to peruse, and exchange, personal stories will take place between 1 to 4 p.m. at the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive.
*** Downstate ***
* WICS | Cicada season draws crowds to Lincoln Memorial Garden in Springfield: The Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center in Springfield is seeing a surge of out-of-state visitors just to see the cicadas. Our crews met people who traveled here from California to experience and learn about them. “This is a unique time in Central Illinois,” Joel Horwedel, Executive Director at the Lincoln Memorial Garden, said.
* WICS | Iroquois County reels from severe windstorm damage, EMA urges emergency sign-ups: “The EMA office started to make notifications on our Facebook page- as early as Sunday, about the potential of an upcoming storm event Tuesday. This allowed Iroquois County residents time to prepare,” said EMA Coordinator Scott Anderson. Even though the severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes did not materialize locally, the high winds did.
*** National ***
* Tech Crunch | Meta’s new AI council is composed entirely of white men: Meta on Wednesday announced the creation of an AI advisory council with only white men on it. What else would we expect? Women and people of color have been speaking out for decades about being ignored and excluded from the world of artificial intelligence despite them being qualified and playing a key role in the evolution of this space. Meta did not immediately respond to our request to comment about the diversity of the advisory board.
A judge in Springfield on Wednesday issued a temporary injunction blocking a law passed by Democrats that would have prevented Republicans from slating candidates for legislative races not filled in the March primary.
Sangamon County Judge Gail Noll issued the order pending a hearing on June 3, which had been the statutory date for filling the unfilled candidate slots on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the measure into law on May 3 shortly after Democratic majorities in the House and Senate passed the legislation in a two-day tour de force.
Basically, the judge told the State Board of Elections not to reject the locally slated candidates. The board has already said it would continue processing the filings until the courts worked it out.
…Adding… Senate Republican Leader John Curran…
“This was a gross manipulation of the electoral process by Gov. Pritzker and his Democratic allies that was clearly outside of constitutional bounds. We look forward to the Illinois courts restoring choices for voters in legislative districts throughout this state.”
An army of lobbyists for corporate sports betting giants were making a full-court press in Springfield in an effort to shelve the hike on an Illinois industry that generated more than $1 billion last year. And their message — that more than doubling the tax rate would lead to worse odds for customers and send them to illegal sportsbooks — was resonating in corners of the House Democratic caucus. […]
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, called it “a major sticking point” in the final days of session. […]
State Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, who has shepherded most gaming legislation in the Capitol, suggested the Illinois rate could fall somewhere below the 35% sought by Pritzker. […]
Perhaps a bigger sticking point in budget talks has been the governor’s proposal to lower the tax discount retailers receive for collecting sales taxes, which his office says would net the state an additional $101 million. Retailers are currently reimbursed 1.75% of the sales taxes they collect. […]
During a lengthy House Democratic caucus, members were roll-called on their support for the sports betting increase and for the retailers cap. Neither appeared to have enough support from members as of Wednesday afternoon.
The sports betting tax hike is projected to bring in $200 million. The reduced retailers’ discount is expected to generate $101 million for the state and $85 million for local governments.
The Illinois Retail Merchants Association has beaten back every attempt to take away their sales tax discount, but governors keep trying.
…Adding… Budgeteers went into a meeting at around 9:30 pm.
And it took 10 months to permanently fill the director of communications, an important position as the mayor made his first impressions as a leader. Reese, Johnson’s longtime confidant and former Chicago Teachers Union spokesperson, formally filled the role last month.
Reese was the de facto communications leader for the past year even as the administration interviewed others for the top job.
A candidate who says he interviewed for the communications director role as the position sat unfilled — and asked their name not be used because of fear of retaliation — said they were strung along for eight months. Despite interviewing for the role and receiving a verbal offer for a different position within the press office, the candidate’s start date was repeatedly delayed. The candidate said they were ultimately told they had too much “baggage” because of formerly working for Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Ultimately, the candidate described the process as “frustrating, unprofessional and kind of chaotic.”
Pacione-Zayas declined to comment on the hiring process and whether candidates weren’t considered because of affiliations with Pritzker.
“It’s more about alignment than who you worked for, who you didn’t work for,” Pacione-Zayas said.
A symbolic resolution calling for the firing of the embattled head of the Chicago Transit Authority stalled out today at City Council.
The resolution, introduced by Alds. Andre Vasquez, 40th, and Matt Martin, 47th, with 27 co-sponsors, calls for Mayor Brandon Johnson to replace CTA President Dorval Carter, joining the growing chorus calling for the transit chief’s ouster. But Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th, put a temporary block on the measure by banishing it to the Rules Committee, which will test the resolve of the sponsors to continue to push the issue. […]
“I’m 58 years old, and I have never advocated for someone losing their job, except on one occasion and that was former (Chicago Police) Superintendent Garry McCarthy,” said Ald. Chris Taliaferro, 29th. “But I’m just not in the business of taking food off people’s table.”
Ald. William Hall, 6th, another member of the Black caucus, argued the resolution went too far when Carter has “done nothing immoral, unethical or illegal.” Instead, he proposed a five-year plan that could address performance issues with the CTA.
* Common Cause…
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it will begin a rulemaking to require disclosure for Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated content in political advertising on the nation’s airwaves.
Statement of Ishan Mehta, Common Cause Media and Democracy Program Director
Americans expect and deserve to know whether the content they see on our public airwaves is real or AI-generated content – especially as the technology is increasingly being used to mislead voters. This rulemaking is welcome news as the use of deceptive AI and deepfakes threaten our democracy and is already being used to erode trust in our institutions and our elections.
We have seen the impact of AI in politics in the form of primary ads using AI voices and images, and in robocalls during the primary in New Hampshire.
We commend the FCC and Chair Rosenworcel for this work to require disclosures for AI-generated content in political ads. It is imperative that regulations around political advertising keep pace with the onward march of new and evolving technologies.
We urge Congress and other agencies like the FEC (Federal Election Commission) to follow the FCC’s lead and take proactive steps to protect our democracy from very serious threat posed by AI. That is why we have previously filed comments with the FEC urging the agency to amend its regulation on “fraudulent misrepresentation” to include “deliberately false Artificial Intelligence-generated content in campaign ads or other communications.”
*** Statehouse News ***
* Capitol Connection | Tradeswomen travel to Springfield, advocates for worker’s rights: The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades partnered with labor advocates to hold the first Tradeswomen Take Over Springfield Advocacy Day at the Capitol. The group wanted to show lawmakers that women make up a significant portion of these union jobs, and that their interests should be taken into account when developing policies at the State level.
* Innocence Project | Illinois Can Once Again Lead in Preventing Wrongful Convictions by Passing a Critical False Confession Bill: Despite the fact that Illinois judges routinely rule on the reliability of other evidence, such as eyewitness identifications and forensic evidence, Illinois has not asked its judges to assess the reliability of the alleged confession. In the Dixmoor Five case, given that the DNA evidence, pre-trial, excluded each of them as the source of the semen on the victim’s body and their so-called confessions did not align with the other evidence, it is unlikely that a judge would have found the confessions reliable. Wrongly convicted, the Dixmoor Five spent a total of 95 years behind bars, losing years of their lives they can never get back, until they were exonerated. Meanwhile, the real perpetrator, subsequently matched to a DNA database search, remained free and, in fact, committed other sexual assaults.
*** Statewide ***
* Tribune | More kinds of ticks, longer season as experts warn ‘Illinois is at the frontline’:
Though the longhorned tick generally targets cattle, Maureen Murray, assistant director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at Lincoln Park Zoo, said Chicago residents should be on the lookout for other types of ticks. Tick patterns tend to vary significantly from year to year, Murray said, but one consistency has been a movement in tick season. “We’re seeing less severe winters, which might lead to more ticks,” Murray said. “Fewer ticks die during the winter, and ticks can be active sooner in the spring, just because it warms up faster.”
*** Chicago ***
* WBEZ | Who’s in Brandon Johnson’s cabinet? Many are holdovers from the administrations he often criticizes: Pacione-Zayas points to the infrastructure the city has built in the past year — and the creation of new positions devoted to the city’s response — as evidence of its nimbleness. “Given what we’ve been able to accomplish, albeit some bumps, it’s pretty amazing that we’ve kept government running,” Pacione-Zayas said. “And we’ve also addressed this situation in ways that nobody ever gave you instructions on how to do — without any federal support or intervention.”
* NYT | Chicago Is Tired of Waiting for Trains, and Thinks It Knows Who’s to Blame: “Yes, C.T.A. chief Carter needs to go,” Crain’s Chicago Business wrote in an editorial last month, saying that his agency was in a “shambolic state.” Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Democrat of Illinois, said recently that there “needs to be an evolution of leadership in order for us to get where we need to go with the C.T.A.” Since the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Carter has drawn the ire of public transportation advocates, who have called him out for failing to fix the system’s financial problems, sluggish service and thefts and assaults on L trains and buses.
* Block Club | Simon’s Tavern Celebrates 90 Years As Andersonville’s Bar: It became a legally licensed bar in May 1934 under its original owner Simon Lundberg after operating as an illegal basement speakeasy during the latter years of Prohibition. In 1970, Lundberg passed the business to his son Roy Lundberg who ran it until 1994, when Martin took the reins.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* ProPublica | Ticketed at School as a Teen, a Young Black Woman Is Suing an Illinois City for Violating Her Civil Rights: Amara Harris, the young Black woman from suburban Chicago who won a yearslong fight against a police ticket that accused her of stealing a classmate’s AirPods, took her fight to court again Tuesday. This time, she was the plaintiff, not the defendant. Harris’ attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging civil rights violations, including racial discrimination and malicious prosecution. When she was a high school junior in 2019, a city police officer based at the school, using information gathered by school deans, ticketed her for violating a municipal ordinance against theft. Harris has always said she did not steal the AirPods but picked them up by mistake, thinking they were her own.
* Daily Herald | ‘We need resolution’: State lawsuit against Wheaton history group drags on: Twenty-three historical societies or museums help tell the history of towns in DuPage County, according to the Illinois State Historical Society. But if you want to see a treasure trove of historic artifacts from the county seat in Wheaton, you are out of luck. A lengthy court battle is still trying to determine what the Wheaton Historic Preservation Council did with its extensive collection and more than $300,000.
* Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan roofing contractor pays $365K in penalties ‘for putting his workers’ lives … in danger repeatedly’: The payment came after the Department of Labor moved to seize the contractor’s assets as part of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) debt collection program, the release said. According to the news release, the employer, Joshua Herion, “repeatedly expos(ed) employees to falls from elevations.” Falls are the leading cause of death and serious injuries in the construction industry, it said.
*** Downstate ***
* Muddy River News | Adams County public defender questioning local interpretation of Pretrial Fairness Act in cases of Springfield, Quincy men: Kareun Brewer, 21, and Latwaon McCray, 42, appeared in Adams County Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon with Public Defender Kevin Bross before Judge Tad Brenner. Bross filed an “objection to arraignment” motion on Tuesday afternoon. Brenner asked Assistant State’s Attorney Brett Jansen how long it would take for the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office to respond to the motion. Jansen said he thought they could respond and be ready for a hearing in a week. Bross told Brenner his motion was a challenge to the application of the Pretrial Fairness Act. He believes the constitutional rights of Brewer and Latwaon have been violated. Both men are in the Adams County Jail on denial of pretrial release.
* SJ-R | City Water, Lights and Power gearing up for possible lawsuit against EPA over new rules: City Water, Light and Power got the green light from city council in a 7-3 vote to seek counsel outside of the Springfield Office of Public Utilities to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over new regulations. On April 25 of this year, the EPA announced a final rule to reduce the discharge of toxic metals and other pollutants into the nation’s water bodies from coal-fired power plants.
* SJ-R | Frustration mounting for tenants of apartment complex in downtown Springfield: Frustration is mounting over the condition of one of Springfield’s premier downtown living quarters. The owners of Lincoln Tower Apartments at 520 S. Second St., Illinois-based Lincoln Tower Holdings, LLC and Delaware-based Strategic Lincoln, LLC, have been taken to court by the city of Springfield over a crumbling underground garage for residents and other fire code violations, said city attorney Gregory Moredock.
*** Cicadapocalypse ***
* WBEZ | Who wins during the cicada eruption of 2024? It turns out it’s the caterpillars: More than just a nuisance, periodical cicadas are an important player in the forest ecosystem. A 2023 study published in the journal Science, found that 80 species of birds started eating cicadas instead of caterpillars during the Brood X emergence, which had an effect on trees where the caterpillars live. Reset learns how the current eruption of cicadas affects the forest ecosystem, and the ripple effects we could be seeing for years to come.
* Sun-Times | Cicada-infused Malört shots are all the buzz at Lombard brewpub: Noon Whistle Brewing in Lombard got the idea to create the creepy drink as a fun way to spread the word of the establishment via social media. Their twist on Malört, an iconic Chicago spirit made of wormwood known for its bitter, slightly grapefruit taste, uses real bugs collected in a wooded park neighboring the restaurant. […] “Everyone already hates Malört, so it’s like, let’s just make it even worse,” said Joey Giardiniera, the restaurant’s creative director.
*** Sports ***
* Sun-Times | Ex-Bears QB Justin Fields ‘nowhere near my ceiling’ as he relaunches career with Steelers: Three years after the Bears drafted him 11th overall, hoping he would be their franchise quarterback, they offloaded him to the Steelers for next to nothing. But Fields seems happy to have moved on, as well, and this is the second chance he wanted as soon as he realized the Bears were done with him.
* Sun-Times | White Sox’ Eloy Jimenez suffers hamstring strain; OF Zach DeLoach recalled from Charlotte: Jimenez appeared to be hurt as he crossed home plate on Corey Julks’ two-run single in the fifth inning that gave the Sox a three-run lead in their 5-0 victory Tuesday. Jimenez was pinch-hit for by Gavin Sheets in the seventh inning. Jimenez, who has a long history of soft tissue injury problems, missed the first two weeks of April after suffering an adductor strain in the third game of the season.
*** National ***
* Federal News Network | Labor Dept backs state-by-state refresh of UI benefits systems rocked by pandemic: Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su told reporters Tuesday that a nearly 3,000% surge in UI claims in 2020 demonstrated how these legacy IT systems were “inadequate to meet the needs of people who were suddenly out of work.” The department first awarded UI modernization grants to states in 2021. It’s now funding projects in 18 other states, at a time when their systems are experiencing historically low levels of strain.
* Tribune | All eyes are on Milwaukee this summer. Here’s what to do beyond the Republican National Convention.: Long known as Brew City (that German influence), 27 breweries operate in Milwaukee. That compares with more than 40 breweries tapping kegs back in the 1860s. Of those 40, four are still around: Blatz, Pabst, Miller and Schlitz, once the largest beer producer in the U.S. and known as “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.” Hanging out at Lakefront Brewery, especially after a stroll along the Milwaukee RiverWalk, is a great way to spend some time. Sample the gold-medal winning RiverWest Stein, an amber lager, alongside some tasty fried cheese curds.
* NYT | ‘A Completely Different Town Now’: A Community Reels From a Deadly Tornado: Not long after the tornado hit Greenfield, Iowa, residents were already using skid loaders to clear streets. With the hospital damaged, a medical triage center started at the local lumberyard. Paramedics and police officers from across the western half of Iowa were speeding in to help. “Everybody became little makeshift ambulances,” said Ray Sorensen, a member of the Iowa House of Representatives who lives in Greenfield, and who said he helped with the rescues after racing back into town shortly after the storm hit on Tuesday afternoon. “We pulled a guy from the rubble and put him on a little makeshift stretcher that we made, threw him in the back of a truck.”
* Business Journal | Riverfront Times sold, newspaper’s editorial staff laid off: The Riverfront Times’ owner has sold the St. Louis alternative weekly newspaper, and its buyer is not retaining any current editorial staff, according to the RFT’s top editor. “I am absolutely heartsick to see the good writers, editors and photographers who made this publication a must-read for so many years losing their jobs,” said Sarah Fenske. “We fought the good fight, and what else can you say? The journalists here did terrific work day and day out. I hope someone will hire them — and that somehow, despite long odds, they’ll continue in the 47-year RFT tradition of printing the truth and raising hell.”
* Tribune | Amid campus protests against Israel-Hamas war, student journalists assume the spotlight: The reporting has been applauded at a national level. The Pulitzer Prize Board — which is housed at Columbia University, the site of the first solidarity encampment — released a statement May 1 recognizing “the tireless efforts of student journalists” covering protests while facing “great personal and academic risk.” On the front lines, student reporters have been assaulted at UCLA and arrested at Dartmouth College.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.
When Illinois legislators created a state income tax in 1969, they agreed to share a twelfth of it — about 8.3% — through the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) rather than allow smaller units of government to enact their own income taxes.
I’ve heard about this agreement so many times, but I’ve wondered who made the agreement and how.
* So, I asked the Illinois Municipal League. I was pointed to their LGDF fact sheet…
Governor Richard Ogilvie enacted the state income tax in 1969. At that time, Governor Ogilvie needed the help of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley to achieve passage of the income tax through the Illinois General Assembly. The agreement between Mayor Daley and Governor Ogilvie ensured that enough legislators would support the income tax to win passage.
We had a great trip. And honestly, we’ve already, we got an idea from them about something we need to change in the law…. And so that’s in the works for next week, when hopefully the legislature will be done with their work.
The Pritzker administration is proposing a massive tax incentive package related to the electric vehicle sector.
The incentives amount to about $300 million and would include EV makers that manufacture hovercrafts and microchips.
Illinois Manufacturers’ Association President Mark Denzler said if a company doesn’t meet their end of the bargain, they have to return the incentives.
“All of these agreements have claw back provisions, so they don’t just write a check up front. They have to meet certain capital goals, certain hiring goals, and if those are not met, companies are required to repay that money,” Denzler said during a House committee Tuesday.
* Amendment 2 to House Bill 817 makes a change to the state film incentive law. Up until now, incentives were not available for “a production in respect of a game, questionnaire, or contest.” The amendment lines out that language, making the shows eligible. It also allows national talk shows to access the incentives.
* The Question: What new game, questionnaire or contest shows would you like to see produced in Illinois? New ideas only, please. Have fun.
Cameras in the common areas of Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center were supposed to make the troubled southern Illinois facility safer for the approximately 200 people with developmental disabilities who live there.
But in mid-February, a camera caught a mental health technician grabbing a patient by the shirt, throwing him to the floor and punching him in the stomach, according to court records.
Although the worker has since been indicted, for 11 days following the incident, the employee continued to work on the same unit without consequence or restriction until an anonymous letter prompted an investigator to go looking for the video. During that time, no one at the facility, including witnesses to the event, reported the abuse, according to public records.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration announced in March the plan to install cameras in the wake of an ongoing news investigation by Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica that unearthed a culture of cruelty, abuse, neglect and cover-ups at Choate. The administration also announced it would move 123 individuals from the facility. So far, 34 Choate residents have moved, mostly to other state-operated developmental centers.
The cameras were supposed to deter employees from mistreating patients or to quickly dispel false allegations of abuse by keeping a record of interactions. But a little-discussed provision, intended to protect workers’ rights and patients’ privacy, almost kept the incident from coming to light: The video can only be reviewed if there is an allegation of abuse or neglect.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The price-setting board proposed in HB4472 is not the solution for Illinois. It would give bureaucrats the power to arbitrarily set medicine prices, deciding what medicines and treatments are “worth” paying for. We can’t leave Illinoisans’ health care up to political whims. Let’s make it easier, not harder for patients to access their medicines. Click here to learn more.
Lawmakers passed the Governor’s plan for health insurance reform out of the Senate Insurance Committee Tuesday.
The measures passed on partisan lines and now heads to the Senate floor. Pritzker’s plan would make a list of changes to the health insurance industry that his office says will put “power back into the hands of patients and their doctors.” […]
The Healthcare Protection Act bans prior authorization for mental health treatments, which is a requirement from health insurance companies that the patient get the permission of their provider for a treatment their doctor already prescribed.
It would also ban step therapies for private insurance and Medicaid. Step therapy is the practice of requiring patients to try cheaper forms of treatments prior to trying more expensive options.
The state of Illinois is one step closer to allowing people to store digital versions of their driver’s licenses and state ID cards on their smartphones. The Illinois House has passed a bill that would allow the Secretary of State’s Office to issue them.
State Representative Kam Buckner of Chicago, assistant majority leader in the Illinois House, sponsored the legislation.
He says if people can securely store digital versions of credit cards on their smartphones, they should be allowed to do the same with driver’s licenses and state ID cards. […]
The legislation is now before the Illinois Senate.
While some disabled and tipped workers have called for improved pay this session, obstacles remain in passing legislation this session despite progress being made.
Two bills now held in the Illinois House would prohibit businesses from paying employees a subminimum wage and instead have them paid the minimum wage, rising to $15 an hour starting next year. Both, however, have encountered resistance from lawmakers and business groups alike who claim it will force them to rise prices to cover the higher wages.
[Rep. Lisa Hernandez] stands by her legislation that would end the tipped wage of $8.40 per hour and replace it with the full minimum wage plus tips. The bill passed out of committee in April despite some opposition within her party, hoping that increased conversation would allow for an agreement to be reached. On Tuesday, she told reporters those negotiations on House Bill 5345 will continue this summer.
“I believe that we made great strides toward a bill that is good for everyone, bridging the interests of restaurant workers and restaurant owners,” she during a press conference. The Illinois Restaurant Association has been staunchly opposed to the measure.
Legislation to eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers statewide appears unlikely to pass before lawmakers adjourn this week, but the coalition pushing the measure vowed Tuesday to continue efforts to bring the rest of Illinois in line with the city of Chicago.
“We have more work to do. We’re going to do that over the summer. We’re going to do it in good faith,” state Sen. Lakesia Collins, a Chicago Democrat, said, standing alongside members of the coalition One Fair Wage at a Springfield news conference.
With the spring legislative session scheduled to adjourn Friday, the bill has not been called to a vote in either chamber, underscoring the difficulty of making the policy statewide after Chicago eliminated the subminimum wage last year.
State Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez noted that the measure “made more progress than ever” and did receive a favorable vote in the House Labor and Commerce Committee.
he Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday cracking down on threats against libraries. […]
The bill is an initiative of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, a Democrat. It would make violent threats against libraries a class 4 felony. It comes after a wave of threats against libraries, which includes 22 bomb threats between July and Sept. 2023 according to the Secretary of State’s office. […]
The bill passed with broad bipartisan support on an 89-20 vote. All 20 votes against the bill came from Republican representatives. The bill now heads to the state Senate.
Before heading to the floor Tuesday afternoon, the bill passed out of the House Judiciary-Criminal Tuesday morning.
The committee previously passed the bill on April 4 but it was amended Tuesday. The previous version included threats against library employees in addition to the entire library. There were concerns by some civil liberties groups that disagreements could be misinterpreted as threats. The amendment also creates a library security grant program.
State representatives passed a plan Tuesday to create new funeral home regulations in response to the mishandling of human remains at the Heinz Funeral Home in Carlinville.
The legislation could create an identification system for all human remains to ensure funeral homes never mishandle remains again.
Under this proposal, anyone intentionally violating preparation room procedures and rules could face a Class 4 felony. People engaging in funeral directing or embalming without a license would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. […]
The measure passed unanimously out of the House Tuesday. Senate Bill 2643 now moves back to the Senate on concurrence due to a technical amendment.
A bill that would help the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation expand their newly established reservation in DeKalb County advanced out of a state House committee Tuesday, despite concerns about the tribe’s long-term plans for the property.
House Bill 4718 would authorize the state to hand over what is now Shabbona Lake and State Park to the tribe for $1. It also allows the tribe and the Department of Natural Resources to enter into a land management agreement under which the land would remain open to the public for recreational use for an unspecified period. […]
The Prairie Band Potawatomi currently operate a hotel and casino complex on their reservation just north of Topeka, Kansas. But tribal chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick assured the House committee the tribe has no such plans for the property in Illinois. […]
Rupnick insisted the tribe’s immediate plans are to work with IDNR to keep the property open for public recreation. But some Republicans on the committee questioned why, if the bill becomes law, the state should continue to pay for operation of park land that it would no longer own.
The bill passed out of the committee on an 8-4 partisan vote. It now awaits final action in the House and Senate.
* Rep. Dagmara Avelar…
A bill passed by state Rep. Dagmara ‘Dee’ Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, passed out of the House proactively protects women’s right to life-saving care from any further attacks on women’s health by the conservative majority on the US Supreme Court.
“In Illinois, we believe that every woman deserves the right to safe, compassionate care. No one should be denied the care that could protect them from severe injury or death, which is why it is so important we safeguard the legal protections women in Illinois have long taken for granted. Unfortunately, we are being forced to take action as the recent actions taken by the extremist anti-choice majority on the Supreme Court has put the lives and wellbeing of millions of women at risk,” said Avelar. “As an Illinoisian and as a woman, I will not back down until we honor the humanity of every patient. Providing medically necessary services, like life-saving abortions, is a baseline commitment to safeguarding the well-being and inalienable rights of women across the state.”
Although currently protected by federal law, the Supreme Court’s anti-choice majority is expected to rule as early as this June in Moyle v. Idaho, a case that would exempt Idaho’s total abortion ban from the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). Idaho has presented the Court with an argument that, if accepted, would dismantle critical patient protections in cases involving severe pregnancy complications.
Should the Supreme Court again strike down federal protections for patient health, House Bill 581 would ensure these protections remain in place in Illinois and would impose civil penalties on hospitals that refuse to provide lifesaving abortion procedures.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to advance.
House Bill 4409 would add Illinois Department of Corrections representation to the Adult Redeploy Illinois oversight board, but it also changes the word “offender” to “justice-impacted individuals.” Republicans on the Senate floor said the name change could cost taxpayers thousands of dollars. […]
The ARI program, through community services as an alternative to prison, aims to reduce crime and recidivism at a lower cost to taxpayers. […]
[Sen. Steve McClure] asked [Sen. Robert Peters], the bill’s sponsor, if the bill also sought to change the word “victims.” McClure also asked what the term justice-impacted individual meant.
“That means someone who has been impacted by the criminal justice system and is an individual,” Peters said. “We [in this bill] don’t mess with anything in regards to the term ‘victim,’ we just change the word ‘offender’ to ‘justice-impacted individual.’” […]
The bill passed both the House and Senate and can be sent to the governor for further action.
Sen. Robert Peters…
As a crucial step toward fostering inclusivity and effectiveness, State Senator Robert Peters is leading legislation to expand representation and funding flexibility within the Adult Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board.
“This expansion marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to promote equity and effectiveness within the Adult Redeploy Illinois program,” said Peters (D-Chicago) “By diversifying the board and enhancing funding flexibility, the board can better address challenges faced within the ARI system.”
Under House Bill 4409, the ARI board would include representatives from the Department of Corrections, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Sangamon and Cook County Adult Probation departments, along with two members who have former, firsthand experience with the ARI system. This diversification of ARI’s board aims to ensure that all voices affected by the ARI process are heard, enhancing its ability to address systemic challenges and implement equitable solutions.
Furthermore, the legislation would increase flexibility in funding allocation through grant awards, enabling the board to swiftly adapt to emerging needs and support initiatives aimed at improving outcomes within the ARI framework.
House Bill 4409 passed the Senate on Tuesday and now heads to the governor for further consideration.
Concern is brewing in Illinois’ beer community over new legislation involving the production and sale of beverages that contain hemp-derived THC.
“The people who are already making these beverages and have already stepped into this space are completely shell shocked,” said Ray Stout, executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild.
Stout was talking to WBBM about Senate Bill 3926 and 0776 Senate Amendment 1. The two measures were proposed earlier this year and are part of an ongoing effort in Springfield to give the state more oversight over the creation of products that use THC derived from hemp. The proposals would, in part, make it illegal to make or sell THC-infused beverages without proper licenses. […]
Lightford’s measures would see hemp-derived THC products regulated in a way that’s similar to how the state already regulates cannabis. Leaving the current market unregulated, she added, would undermine “social equity license holders who have long worked to establish a legal, well-regulated business.”
* Sen. Rachel Ventura…
State Senator Rachel Ventura advanced an initiative through the House that would allow local government to apply for loans through the Illinois Finance Authority Climate Bank in an effort to expand clean energy infrastructure across Illinois.
“By offering low-rate loans to local government, the state will not only save taxpayers money in the long run, but also address and tackle the effects of climate change head on,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “We need every level of government to do their part and make drastic improvements to mitigate the effects of climate change.”
Senate Bill 3597 would allow units of local government to apply and obtain a loan from the Illinois Finance Authority Climate Bank to build, purchase, remodel or improve clean energy infrastructure.
Currently, units of local government borrow from the bond market, but by borrowing from the Climate Bank, they will receive a lower interest rate, saving all taxpayers money.
After the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act passed in 2021, cities in Illinois were allowed to borrow funds from the Climate Bank. In 2023, the first full year of IFA’s designation as the Climate Bank, it mobilized $256 million for climate finance purposes. To date, they have received $60 million in federal funding awards, with more anticipated. […]
Senate Bill 3597 passed the House on Tuesday and awaits further action.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Medicaid managed care came to Illinois with the promise of better healthcare for the state’s most vulnerable residents. Yet, 13 years later and countless preauthorization denials and delays by managed care organizations (MCOs), hospitals are urging legislators to fix egregious MCO practices that worsen patient health. Access to primary and preventive care is woefully lacking as MCOs manage their costs by denying needed medical services.
Nearly 30% of Illinois residents, 3.6 million people, have coverage through an MCO. They are adults, children, seniors and people with disabilities across the state. Every one of them should have access to the care they need, when they need it. Yet MCOs use complex and inconsistent prior authorization processes to deny and delay necessary healthcare, and deny reimbursement to healthcare providers.
The Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) has put together commonsense legislative reforms—with NO fiscal impact on the State’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget—to streamline access to patient care and improve health outcomes by eliminating inappropriate prior authorization practices.
These reforms address inpatient stabilization, standardization and transparency, and a “gold card” program for physicians and hospitals with historically high service authorization approvals. Learn more about IHA’s reform package and VOTE YES to support patients!
* ICYMI: Would-be union of legislative staffers accuse Welch of undermining organizing effort. Capitol News Illinois…
- Seven months after Democratic Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch advanced a measure that would allow legislative staff to unionize, members of his own staff on Tuesday blasted the speaker for allowing the bill to languish.
- In their statement, the Illinois Legislative Staff Association accused Welch of passing the bill “to deflect rising criticism” and feigning solidarity in public while privately colluding with Democratic Senate President Don Harmon to ensure the bill “went no further” once it passed the House.
- Welch’s office responded Tuesday saying the speaker’s “record is clear” on the staff unionization effort.
- The speaker’s office also pointed to nine specific areas of improvement for staffers within the speaker’s purview since Welch took power in 2021.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Sun-Times | Bill calling for interest rate disclosures on small business loans dies in Illinois House: Known as SB2234, it had strong support by a large coalition of advocates representing more than 250,000 small businesses and it passed the state Senate on May 2 by a vote of 36-19. But on Monday, the House Financial Institutions Committee didn’t call the bill for a vote. The committee gave no explanation for its decision. A prior version of the bill also died in committee last year.
* Capitol News Illinois | Potawatomi land transfer advances in Illinois House: House Bill 4718 would authorize the state to hand over what is now Shabbona Lake and State Park to the tribe for $1. It also allows the tribe and the Department of Natural Resources to enter into a land management agreement under which the land would remain open to the public for recreational use for an unspecified period.
* Crain’s | Craft brewers say new hemp rules could cut the industry’s lifeline: THC drinks: After watching sales of their new THC-infused beverages explode in recent months, Illinois’ craft beer makers are worried proposed regulation could zap their newfound revenue stream. The state’s craft beer industry struggled following the pandemic. Ten percent of the state’s breweries permanently closed throughout 2022 and 2023, as taproom traffic failed to return to pre-pandemic norms and consumer drinking habits shifted away from craft beer. Survivors began looking to THC-infused drinks as a lifeline.
* Center Square | Awareness campaign kicks off on Illinois law to provide plant-based meals: The law, which went into effect August 2023, requires schools receiving federal reimbursement for lunch meals to serve plant-based meals with prior request. Audrey Sanchez-Lawson, executive director of the public health advocacy group Balanced, said most parents are not aware of the law.
* WGLT | State employees union disputes IDOC plan to move Logan Correctional Center: AFSCME Council 31 issued a report Tuesday analyzing a joint proposal from the Illinois Department of Corrections [IDOC] and Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration that lays out a plan to rebuild both LCC, a medium-security women’s prison, and Stateville, a maximum security men’s prison, outside of Joliet. The union wrote in its report it supports the rebuild of both facilities — but on different terms than has been laid out by IDOC. In a recent report to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability [COGFA], the agency delineated plans to move LCC to the Stateville campus, leaving LCC open during the 3-5 year construction period, but closing Stateville in the interim.
*** Chicago ***
* WGN | Majority of Chicago alders support CTA chief’s ouster: Twenty-six of the city’s alders have signed on to a non-binding resolution calling on Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter to resign or for the mayor to fire him, as what began as a handful of leaders calling for his dismissal has grown to a majority. Ald. Andre Vasquez of the 40th Ward plans to introduce the resolution at Wednesday’s meeting of the Chicago City Council as critics point out that Chicago trails several cities in post-pandemic ridership recovery, including Washington, DC, Los Angeles and Boston.
* Crain’s | City Council could take control over where pot shops open downtown: An ordinance introduced by Ald. Bill Conway, 34th, gives members of the City Council more control over pot shops in the downtown area by cutting the city’s quasi-judicial Zoning Board of Appeals out of the process and requiring the dispensaries to receive zoning approval from the City Council instead.
* Sun-Times | Mariachi Potosino gallery at Pilsen art museum honors the legacy of Chicago musicians: More than 20 years since the death of Mariachi Potosino founder José Cruz Alba, his legacy comes to life in an exhibit at the National Museum of Mexican Art — from his birthplace in Ignacio Allende, Durango, Mexico in 1918, to his life on the South Side of Chicago, where his love for music spread among the working-class immigrant communities searching for reminders of home in the bold brass, strings and vibrato of mariachi.
* Block Club | Butterfly Sculptures Landing Along Mag Mile, Across Chicago This Summer: Ten butterfly sculptures have spread their wings across the Magnificent Mile as part of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s latest citywide art project, The Flight of the Butterflies. For this initiative — which combines nature, art and storytelling — the nature museum is installing 29 larger-than-life butterfly sculptures across the city. Each is 6 feet tall and was designed by an artist from around the city.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan council to consider censuring alderman who posted severed-arm photo; ‘How could you do something like this?’: As Waukegan Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, remained silent at Monday’s City Council meeting about his recent social media post in which he included the picture of a woman’s arm recently found along the city’s beach, Ald. Lynn Florian, 8th Ward, had plenty to say. […] Florian successfully collected signatures of two other council members Monday in Waukegan to place a proposal to censure Turner’s behavior on the agenda of the next City Council meeting.
* Daily Herald | Suburban mayors ask state legislature to boost their share of income tax: Suburban mayors are calling on the Illinois General Assembly to restore the local share of state income tax to levels first agreed upon 55 years ago, before cuts began in 2011. The group of about 50 mayors gathered this week in Elmhurst, where they also urged that lawmakers be more sensitive to the impact of unfunded mandates, particularly while reducing state funding to municipalities and counties.
* Sun-Times | 2 more Cook County sheriff’s correctional officers accused of PPP fraud: Two Cook County sheriff’s correctional officers have been indicted on charges of defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program, bringing the total number of the county’s jail guards accused of ripping off the program to three. Officer John Williams received two PPP loans for $20,833 each from the fraud-plagued program created to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. On his application, he said he owned a barbershop. Kiara Brown also got two loans, for $20,000 and $19,790, for a nail salon and a beauty salon.
* Daily Herald | Elk Grove selling vacant site to builder of affordable senior housing: Village officials announced plans to sell the 1.2-acre lot at 750 S. Arlington Heights Road to the Housing Opportunity Development Corp., a Skokie-based nonprofit that is developer, owner and manager of affordable housing projects across the northern suburbs. […] The proposed two-story apartment building would contain about 30 units — mostly one-bedroom residences with some two-bedrooms.
*** National ***
* Politico | Hemp and marijuana go to war: A farm bill battle is pitting hemp against its closest cousin: marijuana. The fight centers on intoxicating hemp products, which have developed into a multi-billion-dollar industry subject to few rules and regulations. Some marijuana companies and trade groups are pushing Congress to close a loophole that allows the production and sale of intoxicating substances derived from legal hemp. The hemp industry has a very different ask for lawmakers: leave the federal definition of hemp unchanged.
* Quick Take | AI Chatbots Sucked Up Troves of Data. Now Copyright Holders Want a Cut: It turns out this vast trawling of mankind’s past endeavors doesn’t come for free. News organizations, novelists, music publishers and others whose copyrighted works were fed into the chatbots’ large language models as part of their training are demanding a share of the profits. Some have cut deals with ChatGPT’s owner, OpenAI, for using their work. Others are suing the company and other AI platform developers in US courts. The outcome will be a test of the “fair use” principle, which makes it possible — in certain circumstances — to use books, news stories, song lyrics and other copyrighted material without paying their creators.
