Today, Governor JB Pritzker, Nexamp, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) joined local leaders and partners to announce that Chicago will serve as Nexamp’s second national headquarters. As the nation’s largest community solar provider, Nexamp’s expansion in Illinois will create 50 new jobs as part of more than $2 billion in planned investments in the state through its existing projects and development pipeline.
“Illinois’s commitment to sustainable energy wouldn’t be possible without innovative companies like Nexamp—and their decision to open a Chicago headquarters underscores the role Illinois is playing in the national solar conversation,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As solar energy companies like Nexamp expand throughout the Midwest, we see a ripple effect of job creation and skills-building that, just like clean energy itself, will benefit communities and generations for years to come.”
The Pritzker Administration’s landmark Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) served as a catalyst for Nexamp to choose Illinois for its second headquarters location. With more than 30 Fortune 500 company headquarters in Illinois, the State of Illinois is no stranger to welcoming companies from near and far that are ready to call Illinois their home.
“Thanks to Governor Pritzker’s leadership in securing the passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021, Illinois is our fastest growing market,” said Nexamp CEO Zaid Ashai. “But the state is far more than just an attractive market for solar generation—for Nexamp, it’s a state which shares our vision of a cleaner, more equitable energy future powered by a diverse, equitable, and skilled workforce. As we sought a location for a second headquarters, Illinois was the natural choice because of our mutual interest in seeing clean energy work for - and do right by - everyone.”
* Sun-Times | Clean energy firm Nexamp to build second headquarters in Chicago: The Boston company’s addition to Chicago marks the latest clean energy company to come to Illinois. Gotion, a Chinese electric vehicle battery manufacturer in September announced plans for a $2 billion lithium battery plant in Manteno on the site of a former Kmart distribution center, a factory that should create 2,600 jobs.
* ABC Chicago | Chicago migrants: Brandon Johnson to discuss crisis in special meeting with 25 suburban mayors: The meeting is set for Monday afternoon, and the mayors will discuss the current state of the area’s new arrival mission and coordination effort. Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso will be in that special meeting at 4 p.m., and he spoke with ABC7 on Monday morning. “I think all mayors want to be sure that their residents are safe and the migrants are safe, and that we have an understanding of how the process is going to work when migrants come,” Grasso said.
* WTTW | Repeated Police Misconduct by 141 Officers Cost Chicago Taxpayers $142.8M Over 4 Years: In 2022 alone, the city spent $51.5 million to resolve lawsuits that named 286 officers whose alleged misconduct more than once cost Chicago taxpayers money. The total for all officers in was 2022 nearly as much as the city spent to resolve lawsuits naming officers more than once between 2019 and 2020, according to the data.
* Sun-Times | Gaza cease-fire resolution vote to be postponed in City Council: In what she called the “interest of collaboration,” mayoral ally Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33rd) has agreed to the demand by more than two dozen colleagues to postpone Wednesday’s City Council vote on a resolution demanding a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
* Crain’s | Mayor appoints insurance exec to key post on World Business Chicago board: Mayor Brandon Johnson is elevating insurance executive Charles Smith to replace Mellody Hobson as vice-chair of World Business Chicago. Smith is the founder and CEO of CS Insurance Strategies. His appointment was announced Monday and is expected to be approved by the WBC board at its first-quarter meeting.
* Journal-Courier | Governor’s Mansion opening for tours of Illinois artwork: The mansion in Springfield will host art tours of Illinois-based artworks starting Sunday. The artwork on display has been curated by first lady M.K. Pritzker, the Illinois State Museum and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
* LA Times | Malls have rebounded thanks to an unlikely source: Gen Z: Retail experts say these young shoppers have helped malls bounce back after the downturn brought on by the pandemic, in part because the digital space has turned Gen Z into a generation that expects instant gratification. The immediacy of touching, trying out and buying products may be the thing driving them to physical stores.
* Sun-Times | Common hopes his wellness book can fuel a movement toward healthier living: Over the course of 209 pages broken out into four sections (food, body, mind and soul), there are words of wisdom he’s gleaned from many sources, like his integrative physician, Dr. Tracey Rico. He also offers practical ways forward — including plant-based recipes, workouts for all levels and even playlists of the tracks he listens to in the gym to get motivated — for anyone who wants to join what he hopes will become a movement.
* SJ-R | SJ-R’s Leisa Richardson named executive editor of two South Carolina newspapers: “My time in Springfield has been among the most rewarding of my career professionally and personally – thank you. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Richardson said. “The State Journal-Register and journalism play vital roles in this community. Please continue to support the work and the journalists who produce it.”
* NBC | Billions of cicadas will emerge in the U.S. this year in a rare double-brood event: This year’s dual emergence is a once-in-a-lifetime event. While any given 13-year brood and 17-year brood can occasionally emerge at the same time, each specific pair will see their cycles aligned only once every 221 years. What’s more, this year’s cicada groups, known as Brood XIII and Brood XIX, happened to make their homes adjacent to one another, with a narrow overlap in central Illinois.
* Texas Monthly | Houston Is Now Less Affordable Than New York City: For decades, Houston has been a city with one of the nation’s most pragmatic sales pitches: Move here for big-city opportunities at a small-city price. Not a fan of swarming mosquitoes, punishing hurricanes, and soul-melting moisture? What if I told you that you could barricade yourself away from all three inside a sprawling single-family home on one acre near good schools and golf courses for under $200k? Still not sold? Two words: “backyard grotto.”
* First some background from a column I wrote in December…
Three of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s appointees to the Illinois Commerce Commission have not yet been confirmed by the Illinois Senate, including the chair, Doug Scott.
All three unconfirmed appointees have recently voted against the stated interests of trade unions.
Senate President Don Harmon has assiduously courted trade union support and has raised millions of campaign dollars from them.
So, right off the bat, the legislative math is pretty clear, even though Harmon’s office opted not to comment for this column.
Operating Engineers Union Local 150 is one of the most politically engaged trade unions in Illinois. The union blasted an ICC vote in November that “paused” $265 million in natural gas pipeline replacement work next year by Peoples Gas, calling it “a troubling example of political overreach” by “unconfirmed appointees” who are “playing games with peoples’ jobs, heat, and safety as we head toward the holidays and the cold of winter.” […]
Mark Poulos, Local 150’s top lobbyist, told me last week the ICC’s decision will cost his union members 1.5 million person-hours of work next year, and he’s furiously warning the ICC commissioners’ confirmation hearings might not go so well in the Senate.
* From a Friday press release…
Gov. Pritzker Announces Eighteen Appointments to Boards and Commissions […]
Doug Scott will continue to serve as Member and Chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission.* Before being appointed to the Commission, Scott served as the Vice-President for Energy Systems at the Great Plains Institute (GPI). In this role, he addressed climate strategy and regulatory response as well as issues involving the changing utility business model. Before joining GPI, Scott served as Chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission, and prior to that, as Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Scott’s public service also includes a term as Mayor of Rockford, Illinois; three terms as an Illinois State Representative; and ten years as an attorney for the City of Rockford. Scott earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors from the University of Tulsa and a Juris Doctor with honors from Marquette University. […]
* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today if he was worried about Chair Scott’s confirmation. Pritzker didn’t directly answer the question…
Well, he’s not alone in making those decisions. As you know, it’s a bipartisan commission. And all of the commissioners have participated in the decisions that have been made over the last few months that have been great for clean energy, that have been good for consumers, making sure that we’re trying to keep the rates that they’re paying as low as possible. So I’m very pleased with the work that they’re doing. And and I look forward to them being confirmed by the state Senate.
* Governor Pritzker during a Q&A following a Roe v. Wade anniversary roundtable…
Number one, we want to make sure that we are securing women’s rights for as long and as broadly as we can.
Second, we know that women are seeking those rights coming across the border from places like Missouri and Wisconsin and Indiana. We want to provide the services to them as well, if they should need it. The providers that were here today, many of them are seeing many more patients as a result of that. Again, these are refugees from other states. This is a vitally important fundamental reason that many of us are engaged in the fight for freedom.
I will say that, personally, I believe that we need to continue this battle to figure out how we can do a better job of providing the right kinds of services. It isn’t just a question of the old thinking that it was a single mom who got pregnant, a single woman who got pregnant and is seeking an abortion and has never had a child before. We’re talking about families now. Women who are in Missouri or in Indiana, who have an ectopic pregnancy or have some other challenge with their health care related to reproductive health. And their lives are on the line. And we need to make sure that we are the ones here in Illinois that are helping to save their lives.
At [the Chicago Abortion Fund] we’ve seen a 92 percent increase in support requests post-Dobbs. And that highlights Illinois, as the crucial search state that we are. Recent research released by the Guttmacher Institute and the Society of Family Planning shows that Illinois had the largest increase in abortions in the country post-Dobbs with Florida right behind.
We anticipate a ruling in Florida any day now that will immediately impact Illinois. As we know people are traveling throughout the southeast. They’re already coming to Illinois, and Florida is also sharing that burden and if we lose Florida, we will see an influx that affects our state immediately right away.
* Related…
* Tribune | Roe v. Wade anniversary: Two activist families fight contrasting abortion battles in Illinois, Indiana: Miller is a third-generation anti-abortion activist, the granddaughter of the late Joseph Scheidler, who founded the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League and was widely known across the country as the “godfather of pro-life activism.” The teen is now carrying on his legacy through her own work opposing abortion in Illinois, a longtime stronghold for reproductive rights in the Midwest. Just over the state line in northwest Indiana, another family is fighting a diametrically opposite battle to restore reproductive freedoms in a part of the country where they’ve recently been stripped.
* NYT | What to Know About the Federal Law at the Heart of the Latest Supreme Court Abortion Case: One of the newest battlefields in the abortion debate is a decades-old federal law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, known by doctors and health policymakers as EMTALA. The issue involves whether the law requires hospital emergency rooms to provide abortions in urgent circumstances, including when a woman’s health is threatened by continuing her pregnancy. But, as with many abortion-related arguments, this one could have broader implications. Some legal experts say it could potentially determine how restrictive state abortion laws are allowed to be and whether states can prevent emergency rooms from providing other types of medical care, such as gender-affirming treatments.
* KSHB | Community weighs in on Missourians for Constitutional Freedom launching ballot initiative: “Most of these patients, if not all, would have their rights restored by a fetal viability standard, and this would put us on par in terms of language of laws with a state like Illinois,” said Dr. Iman Alsaden, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood Great Plains. “And certainly no one thinks of Illinois as a restrictive abortion state.”
* KOMU | Missouri Democrats reveal abortion rights legislation: Abortion has been illegal in Missouri in nearly all circumstances including rape or incest, under a state law enacted in 2019 and signed into law in 2022. […] HB 2038 and 2040, both sponsored by state Rep. Emily Weber (D-Kansas City) would “protect the right to an abortion prior to the point of fetal viability when necessary to protect the life or health of the mother.” It would also specify that an ectopic pregnancy should be considered a medical emergency, allowing an abortion to legally be performed.
* NPR | Why Vice President Harris is going to Wisconsin today to talk about abortion: In Wisconsin, Harris plans to lay blame for the restrictions with former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the Republican presidential race. “The former president hand-picked three Supreme Court justices because he intended for them to overturn Roe. He made a decision to take your freedoms,” Harris will say, according to excerpts released by the White House.
(B)ack in 2008, when Rod Blagojevich was nearing his fateful end, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute found that 75% of Illinoisans believed Illinois was heading in the wrong direction, while 12.4% believed it was going in the right direction.
In 2010, the Simon Institute had the wrong/right track result at 81%-11%. In 2011, the Institute poll pegged the numbers at 75%-15% wrong/right, and it stayed there for a while. The Simon poll’s 2012 wrong/right results were 70%-20%. The 2013 Simon poll had it at 75%-16%.
In early 2015, shortly after Republican Bruce Rauner was sworn in as governor, Illinoisans’ mood improved a little. “Only” 63% said the state was headed in the wrong direction, while 22% said it was moving in the right direction.
By 2016, after all heck had broken loose in Springfield amid Rauner’s refusal to negotiate a budget until he won his war with organized labor, things got even worse. The Simon poll found a whopping 84% of the state’s voters believed Illinois was off on the wrong track, while only 10% thought it was following the right path. The Simon poll numbers were essentially unchanged two years later (84%-9%) as Rauner was finishing up his first and only term.
By October of 2022, an Emerson College poll found that 52 percent thought Illinois was on the wrong track, while 48 percent thought the state was heading in the right direction.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today about national polling which shows that, despite lower inflation and a stronger economy, people are still pessimistic about economic conditions. His response…
Well, we’re actually solving problems and actually making things better. And in the end, it’s good policy that makes good politics.
And so whether there’s a lag between the time that people feel the benefit of an economy where earners are earning, outpacing inflation, and therefore their income levels are rising. They may not recognize it at the beginning. But I think they’re beginning to recognize it now.
I’d like to say I just read a Republican poll in Illinois that shows that, in Illinois anyway, that more than 50 percent of the people of Illinois are optimistic about the economy in Illinois and only 42 percent are not optimistic. That’s different than the polls that you’re citing, right? And that’s a recent poll by a Republican organization. And it shows that I think there’s progress and, certainly in Illinois, there is more optimism.
* I asked his spokesperson what poll he was talking about and was pointed to this result…
That’s actually a better result than Pritzker portrayed. Just 20 percent are pessimistic? And less than one percent are very pessimistic? In Illinois?
Empower to Win is a project of Cor Strategies, which is a Republican consulting group. The poll was featured in their latest video presentation.
…Adding… From the Empower to Win response to Pritzker’s comments…
This latest tracking poll shows a huge challenge for Illinois Republicans in 2024. How do you craft an economic message when a majority of voters are optimistic about the economy, yet still cite the economy as one of their top issues and want to leave the state?
Behind closed doors: [Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson] met privately with small groups of aldermen Friday — keeping groups small avoids the pesky open meeting rules — to brief them on how the city will no longer set up new shelter space because the costs are too high. That means it won’t build industrial tents for migrants, either. Here’s a copy of the briefing report obtained by Playbook.
New strategy: The city will work with churches and private individuals to find beds for asylum seekers. And as individuals leave any of the current shelters, beds will open for the next wave of migrants. And while the cold snap continues, the Harold Washington Library will serve as a warming center for some asylum seekers as well as for the already unhoused.
The goal: Get asylum seekers into regular housing as soon as possible or send them back to the landing area, which is a shelter of sorts until beds open up in the current shelters. Getting folks out of shelters and into housing will be easier now that the state has staffed up case managers in nearly all of the city’s 28 shelters, the aldermen were told.
[From Rich: The landing area is not a “shelter of sorts.” Heated buses ain’t shelters. This “plan” is not a plan. Instead, it’s the mayor deciding that reality will not intrude on his other priorities. Also, his budget deliberately underfunded this effort and the money will run out in April. What’s the city gonna do then?]
*** UPDATE 1 *** Gov. Pritzker was asked about this report today…
We do not have enough shelter as it is in the city of Chicago. The city has not told the state where they would like us to put our resources to build new shelters or help them build new shelters. So we can’t help if they don’t identify those locations. And we need to make sure that we’re not ending shelter capacity as the city is now planning to do at the end of winter. If you think this problem is going to end when the temperature warms up, it’s not. We still need shelter for people. So I’m deeply concerned and I’m hoping that at least the plan that I read this morning actually in your column is not one that they will end up carrying out.
…Adding… From comments…
this reminds me of the line in Band Of Brothers about a lieutenant: “He wasn’t a bad leader because he made bad decisions. He was a bad leader because he made no decisions.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Um, this statement from the city ignores the approximately $600 million spent by the state. The city has not “carried the entire of weight”…
There are 1,300 municipalities in the State of Illinois, of which Chicago is one. The State has the authority to fund, stand up and operate a shelter in any one of those municipalities at any time that it chooses, including the City of Chicago. When announcing additional funding for the mission on November 16, 2023, the State reduced the length of rental assistance from six to three months for all residents in shelter. The 60-day shelter policy was announced in conjunction with State investments to accelerate outmigration and resettlement.
Our goal is to manage the immediate humanitarian crisis while providing the necessary resources for asylum seekers to achieve independence and self-sufficiency. The City of Chicago has taken in nearly 35,000 new arrivals since the mission began, and currently houses 14,000 new arrivals in 28 City-run shelters. Outmigration and resettlement services have been expanded significantly to create more open beds within the shelter system.
We continue to partner with the County and the State to provide asylum seekers with temporary shelter, food services, medical care and case management, and will support the State in fulfilling its promise of 2,200 shelter beds made back in November. Thus far, the City of Chicago has carried the entire of weight of the new arrival mission, sheltering nearly every asylum seeker sent to Illinois. We remain committed, however, to ensuring that asylum seekers are housed while also fulfilling our fiduciary responsibilities to the people of Chicago.
Also, resettlement is being handled by the state, not the city.
And this once again begs the question: Is the progressive mayor just going to dump migrants into the street when his woefully inadequate budget runs out of appropriations authority?
Migrants and volunteers told Block Club that the changing deadline for leaving shelters has created “panic,” with communication from the city limited to single-page eviction notices in Spanish, often passed out just a day or two before shelter stays are said to be up.
Some migrants still have outdated eviction notices penned for Jan. 22, when the deadline was first extended, said volunteer Erika Villegas, who has been receiving frantic messages from families with pictures of the notices. […]
Mayoral spokesperson Ronnie Reese said plans are still in flux.
“We are currently finalizing changes to the 60-day policy and will have more information in the coming weeks,” Reese said in an email.
[From Rich: More info in “the coming weeks”? Their evictions were scheduled for today.]
New numbers Friday show the cost Texas paid to fly migrants to Illinois last month.
Two flights were chartered by the Texas state government late last year. One flew from El Paso and landed at O’Hare Airport. The other was from San Antonio and landed in Rockford. […]
The Texas Division of Emergency Management spent $135,000 on the flight that landed at O’Hare and more than $235,000 on the flight to Rockford.
The flight from El Paso carried more than 120 migrants to Chicago, which means at least $1,000 was spent per migrant. There were more than 300 asylum seekers on the flight to Rockford.
* More…
* Sun-Times | What New York’s migrant shelter limits could mean for Chicago: ‘Expect utter chaos’: “Be aware that this move is gonna throw away that tiny bit of stability that the families have had since coming here,” Mahmoodi warned in a phone interview from New York. “These are children who started school and are making friends — all those small things are ‘poof’, out the window.”
* The Hill | Texas company sues Chicago over penalties on buses dropping of migrants: The suit argues Chicago’s penalties are a violation of the interstate commerce clause, and the equal rights and due process of the company and the migrants on buses. “Rather than welcoming migrants and giving them sanctuary, Chicago is turning its back on those wishing to travel here by enacting an ordinance that targets the transportation companies that transport migrants from our southern border to their desired destination — Chicago. — in violation of Plaintiff’s constitutional rights,” the suit stated.
* Rockford Register Star | What happened the night a plane filled with asylum seekers landed in Rockford?: With temperatures dipping to 30 degrees in the early morning hours of New Year’s Eve, migrant families who went to Texas seeking asylum, found themselves exiting an Eastern Airlines charter plane in Rockford. Most of the 355 people were children, officials say, and they were wearing t-shirts, shorts and flip flops.
* The Record | Wilmette steps up for arriving migrants, leading Village to expand donation drive: The Village started an impromptu winter-clothing drive to support migrants by placing donation boxes inside the town’s Metra station, 722 Green Bay Road. It didn’t take long for community members to respond. “The response was incredible,” Village Manager Mike Braiman said. “The station was filled wall to wall with donations within a couple of days.”
One of the bigger state budget expansion fights we could see play out in Springfield this spring is the creation of a permanent $300 Child Income Tax Credit.
The new proposal has been scaled back from last year’s $700 per child tax credit bill, which went nowhere in the House after it was introduced in February and ultimately had 15 sponsors and co-sponsors. But proponents say even the downsized version would make a major difference.
The problem, of course, is the cost, pegged at about $300 million per year. As I’ve told you before, numbers crunchers with the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget are saying Illinois could face a budget deficit of $891 million next fiscal year, which begins July 1. That deficit could rise to $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2026 and $1.66 billion in FY27.
But this issue has real potential to take off in the General Assembly.
“We have the data that shows roughly 60% of the recipients of this benefit across the state would be Black and Brown households,” state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, said recently on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight program. “We’re talking about being able to make a difference in the lives of about a million and a half children across Illinois. That is a game-changer for families.”
The idea is framed as a partial replacement for the now-expired but massive 2021 expansion of the federal child tax credit.
“Monthly checks of up to $3,600 offered parents reliable resources to pay for basic goods, like formula, diapers and school supplies, and basic necessities like shelter, utilities and food,” wrote Natalie Foster in a recent Crain’s Chicago Business op-ed. “The expanded federal CTC slashed child poverty in half, decreased food insecurity and improved educational outcomes.”
“This is something that has to be dealt with at the federal level,” Canty admitted last week. Efforts are indeed being made in Washington, D.C., to revive a scaled-down version of the federal tax credit program. A bipartisan agreement has been announced, but D.C. being D.C., nobody can be certain it can actually pass.
So the states, Canty said, “have a real opportunity to make a difference. There are 14 other states that are running programs like this.”
Asked how she would pay for the new tax credit program, Canty said, “Where there is a will there’s a way,” which is not exactly an answer. “We always talk about a budget being a moral document,” Canty said, “So when you talk about your policies, those are the things that you want people to know, but what we fund is where your morals really are. Those are your real values.”
All true, of course, but, unless he goes along with it, this could be one of the most interesting challenges to the governor’s effort to tamp down attempts to add permanent costs to the budget in the face of possible future deficits.
Keep in mind that more than half of all current House Democrats never served under then-Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget disasters, and the budget crunch during the pandemic’s early stage was beyond anyone’s control and was dealt with in just a few session days, so the newbies really have no idea what it’s like to try and manage a possible deficit year.
Meanwhile, Capitol News Illinois reported in December on the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, which is “tasked with developing a new model for funding higher education.”
The news service reported that “some draft meeting materials presented at the board’s November meeting suggest it would require as much as an overall $14,000 per-student increase in state appropriations to fully fund higher education. With 130,000 undergraduates and 56,000 graduate students enrolled at state universities this year, these numbers suggest the needed funding increase could reach into the billions.”
Not included in the article was the arithmetic, which would total $2.6 billion in spending. That’s per year, by the way.
There’s just no possible way the state can pay for that. But it could be in the realm of possibility for another spending “ramp,” something along the line of what the state did with pension funding and with gradually bringing all K-12 schools up to adequate funding levels.
Amends the Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Sequestration Act. Provides that a certificate of authority does not grant an owner or operator of a carbon dioxide pipeline the authority to take and acquire an easement in any property or interest in property for the construction, maintenance, or operation of a carbon dioxide pipeline through the exercise of the power of eminent domain. Removes corresponding provisions concerning eminent domain. Repeals a provision that provides procedures for acquiring easements.
Creates the Classification by Biological Sex Act. Sets forth findings. Provides that any public school or school district and any State, local agency, department or office that collects vital statistics for the purpose of complying with antidiscrimination laws or for the purpose of gathering accurate public health, crime, economic, or other data shall classify each individual who is part of the collected data set as either male or female at birth. Amends the Statute on Statutes. Sets forth the meaning of the following terms as used in any statute or any rule or regulation: a person’s sex; female and male; woman and girl; man and boy; and mother and father.
* Press release…
In an effort to prioritize educators, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel introduced a measure that would guarantee teachers have classroom planning time built into each school day.
“During my 15 years in the classroom, I experienced firsthand the struggle many teachers face when trying to find time to plan,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “Teachers are often forced to plan lessons before or after school. By providing time during the school day, we can ensure better quality plans while avoiding extensive hours outside the classroom for educators.”
Senate Bill 2721 would guarantee that every teacher receives at least 45 minutes of continuous, uninterrupted individual classroom planning time per day. The requirement would apply to all public school districts in Illinois.
Currently, there is no law that protects a teacher’s ability to have time set aside during the school day to plan their lessons. Under Loughran Cappel’s measure, an educator would be able to choose to substitute or attend meetings, trainings or conferences during their designated planning time.
“When we prioritize our teachers, we ensure students are given the best educational opportunities,” said Loughran Cappel. “We must continue putting education at the forefront of our priorities.”
Senate Bill 2721 awaits committee assignment in the Illinois Senate.
Congress is nearing a January deadline to expand the national child tax credit, but Illinois lawmakers say they’re pushing forward on a state-level credit that would give working and low-income families financial relief regardless of what happens in Washington, D.C. […]
“The time has come for Illinois to put those dollars back in the pockets of parents who continue to struggle,” state Sen. Mike Simmons said. “I’m confident that we’re going to get this included in the budget ASAP.” […]
Simmons introduced a bill in the state Senate last year still under consideration that would award parents a credit of up to $700 per child. A similar bill introduced in the state House of Representatives has been gaining sponsors this month.
A recent analysis by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute found the proposal would slash childhood poverty in the state by 7.6%. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 15.7% of Illinois children live in poverty.
Amends the Election Code. Provides that a person is ineligible to hold the position of committeeperson in any specified committee or any other elected or appointed committee position, including, but not limited to, local, county, or State chairperson, if he or she has ever been convicted of a felony, unless he or she has received a pardon for the offense from the Governor or the President of the United States. Provides that when a committeeperson or a person holding any other elected or appointed committee position (rather than a committeeperson) is convicted of a felony, the position occupied by that committeeperson shall automatically become vacant. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections to make a conforming change. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Provides that a school district shall waive tuition costs for a non-resident pupil who was previously a resident of the district if the pupil submits a letter stating that the pupil no longer resides in the district because the pupil has made allegations of domestic violence, abuse, or sexual abuse against the pupil’s parent or guardian and the Department of Children and Family Services has removed the pupil from the parent’s or guardian’s home.
Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Redefines the term “children” to include persons under the age of 23 (rather than 21) who were committed to the Department of Children and Family Services pursuant to the Juvenile Court Act or the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 and who continue under the jurisdiction of the court. Requires the Department to provide or authorize child welfare services, aimed at assisting minors to achieve sustainable self-sufficiency as independent adults, for any minor eligible for the reinstatement to wardship pursuant to the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, whether or not such reinstatement is sought or allowed, provided that the minor consents to such services and has not yet attained the age of 23 (rather than 21). Makes conforming changes in the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, the Illinois Identification Card Act, and the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code.
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Creates the Pet Insurance Article of the Code. Defines terms. Requires a pet insurer to disclose coverage exclusions, limitations, waiting periods, and other information. Provides that pet insurance applicants shall have the right to examine and return the policy, certificate, or rider to the company or an agent or insurance producer of the company within 30 days of its receipt and to have the premium refunded if, after examination of the policy, certificate, or rider, the applicant is not satisfied for any reason. Provides that a pet insurer may issue policies that exclude coverage on the basis of one or more preexisting conditions with appropriate disclosure to the consumer. Provides that a pet insurer may issue policies that impose waiting periods upon effectuation of the policy that do not exceed 30 days for illnesses or orthopedic conditions not resulting from an accident. Prohibits waiting periods for accidents. Provides that no pet insurer or insurance producer shall market a wellness program as pet insurance. Sets forth provisions concerning wellness programs sold by a pet insurer or insurance producer.
* ICYMI: White Sox and Related Midwest stadium pitch shows how a new neighborhood could be built. Crain’s…
- The developer, Related Midwest said the shift in the vision for The 78 will not abandon plans to create a new $7 billion neighborhood from scratch.
-The stadium would be surrounded by a hotel and thousands of units of housing, 20% set aside at affordable rates.
-The White Sox say that even if they abandon their century-long stay on 35th Street that the neighborhood won’t be left behind.
* Sun-Times | What New York’s migrant shelter limits could mean for Chicago: ‘Expect utter chaos’: “Be aware that this move is gonna throw away that tiny bit of stability that the families have had since coming here,” Mahmoodi warned in a phone interview from New York. “These are children who started school and are making friends — all those small things are ‘poof’ — out the window.”
Governor Pritzker will be at the Nexamp Illinois offices on Wacker Drive at 10:30 am for a business development announcement. At noon, Pritzker will hold press availability following Roe v. Wade anniversary roundtable. Click here to watch.
* Crain’s | Will a nuclear reactor spring up on the U of I campus?: U of I, which has one of the nation’s top nuclear-engineering programs, operated a research reactor on campus for nearly 40 years until the late 1990s. It’s now one of a handful of universities and national labs that want to build next-generation small modular reactors — also called microreactors — for research and test purposes. If successful, their work could create new interest in nuclear energy for the first time in decades and keep Illinois at the forefront of the industry.
* AP | Illinois high court hands lawmakers a rare pension-overhaul victory: The court’s unanimous opinion rejected claims by three dozen working and retired police officers and firefighters from across the state that the merger of 649 separate systems into two statewide accounts violated the state constitution’s guarantee that benefits “shall not be diminished or impaired.”
* WCIA | State to make cuts to care for developmentally disabled in Illinois: Service providers across the state are bracing for an 8.7 percent reduction in hours covered by the state. The money the state allocates to pay for those hours goes towards employee salaries, and without state funding, providers will have to find new ways to cover those costs, or reduce care hours.
* WTAX | Educator. Doodler.: The superintendent of the Illinois State Board of Education, Tony Sanders, has a plan to address underperforming schools, as designated by the state’s annual Report Card. “We’ve been working on rethinking our statewide system of support for the school districts that are really struggling the most,” Sanders said Thursday, “so we’ll be announcing in the next few months some strategies that we’re going to be taking at the state board level to really rethink how we are supporting schools and school districts that are either in targeted or comprehensive status.”
* Daily Herald | State liquor tax revenues dropped last year. Will lawmakers raise tax rates?: For the first time in at least a decade, annual liquor tax revenue in Illinois declined. The modest 0.3% drop from $318.9 million in fiscal year 2022 to $318.1 million in fiscal year 2023 also ends a five-year run where the state saw annual off-premise liquor tax collections increase by at least $2 million a year.
* Tribune | ‘Locked in’: Chicagoans who use wheelchairs, mobility aids struggle to navigate city’s sidewalks during snowstorm: Some Chicagoans who use wheelchairs and mobility aids say it’s challenging to navigate the city’s sidewalks when extreme weather grips the region, like last week. Wind chills descended to nearly minus 30 degrees on Tuesday, while the city saw 1.5 inches of snow Friday morning. Disability and transit advocacy organizations are calling on the city to improve conditions, referencing a program that could require the city to clear some sidewalks in winter.
* WIFR | Despite new federal standards, Minnesota says funny and quirky traffic signs are here to stay: According to their statement, there is some leeway to what can be displayed on signs. Additionally, officials said they are aware of the new guide guidelines and that “we do not anticipate they will change the way MnDot shares creative highway safety messages.” The Federal Highway Administration also denied a request for an interview but did release a statement.
* I had never heard of Poi Dog Pondering when I first moved to Chicago in 2000. But some of my city friends quickly educated me. They seemed to play everywhere back then. Here’s the Tribune…
The rock and soul band Poi Dog Pondering will perform at 8 p.m. Aug. 17 at RiverEdge Park in Aurora, park officials announced Wednesday.
The band is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. “Poi Dog Pondering: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life, Love and Music” is a one-night-only show, RiverEdge officials said.
A recreation director was fired by the Park District of Highland Park while on leave for the post-traumatic stress disorder he has experienced since the mass shooting during the suburb’s 2022 Fourth of July Parade. […]
As director of recreation, Maliszewski was co-chair of the 2022 Fourth of July Parade and was one of the first Park District employees to arrive at work that morning.
At the time of the shooting, he was at the start of the parade route, just north of where a gunman fired into the crowd from a rooftop. The mass shooting left seven people dead and dozens injured. […]
For at least nine months, Maliszewski has been receiving treatment for anxiety, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder related to the parade massacre. He said he never suffered from any mental health problems before the incident. He was on leave from the Park District for part of that time.
Maliszewski has a pending workers’ compensation case related to the psychological injury he sustained in the wake of the parade shooting. His case began while he was on leave from his Park District job through the Family and Medical Leave Act.
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate increased +0.1 percentage point to 4.8 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased +1,200 in December, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and released by IDES. The November revised unemployment rate was 4.7 percent, unchanged from the preliminary November unemployment rate. The November monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +6,800 to +4,400 jobs. The December unemployment rate and payroll jobs estimate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.
In December, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month job gains included: Leisure and Hospitality (+3,300), Educational and Health Services (+1,700), and Government (+1,100). The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll job declines included: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-4,900), Information (-1,200), and Other Services (-400).
“Today’s report adds the finishing touches on a year of strong, consistent job growth and continued accomplishments surrounding the stabilization of the state’s labor market,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “As we head into the new year, IDES remains committed to the services provided for workforce and employer opportunities and bridging the two together.”
Update: As reported by @AVHndz in @BlockClubCHI, the Chicago Rat Hole has been restored to its former glory after local residents braved the cold and icy conditions to scrape out the plaster-like substance from the Rat Hole. This is what community is all about. #twillhttps://t.co/bZjdEKY9vC
* USA Today | Unemployment claims in Illinois declined last week: Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Illinois dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday. New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 12,701 in the week ending Jan. 13, down from 12,890 the week before, the Labor Department said. U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 187,000 last week, down 16,000 claims from 203,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.
* Sun-Times | With end of cash bail, ‘dramatic increase’ in appeals from people ordered held in jail or told to submit to restrictions to be released: Illinois appellate courts have been hit with a “dramatic increase” in appeals since the elimination of cash bail from people challenging orders keeping them in jail or imposing conditions like electronic monitoring for their release. The state’s high court announced Tuesday it is creating a task force of appellate court justices to study the issue. The task force is slated to hold its first meeting in the next two weeks and is expected to give a report to the Supreme Court within 45 days.
* Tribune | Lockport student alleges District 205 failed to monitor student in alleged sexual assault: A Lockport Township High School District 205 student and her parents filed a lawsuit against the district alleging she was sexually assaulted by a junior varsity basketball player and former student in December 2022. The lawsuit, filed Jan. 8 against the district, names Superintendent Robert McBride and Anthony Cundari, assistant superintendent for personnel.
* Sun-Times | Firm tied to former Chicago top cop David Brown back at police academy after being dumped over cost: A Texas firm with ties to former Supt. David Brown is back training officers at the police academy after being dumped by the Chicago Police Department over cost concerns after Brown left the department. Last May 19, then-interim police Supt. Fred Waller told police reform chief Tina Skahill to notify Professional Law Enforcement Training that “CPD will no longer need their services as of June 1,” citing the “significant cost.”
* Patch | ‘Condescending’: DuPage Officials Disagree Over Night Meetings: Two Democratic DuPage County Board members differed over whether to hold a night board meeting this year. One accused the other of being “condescending.”In October, member Dawn DeSart, who represents Naperville-based District 5, proposed two night meetings, as opposed to the usual daytime sessions.
* Crain’s | UChicago grad union adds pressure to university’s poor financial position: Graduate Students United, or GSU, which represents some 3,000 graduate students at the university, told Crain’s that UChicago officials are now using its recent public debt issues and a $239 million budget deficit as reasons not to meet the union’s financial demands.
* SJ-R. | Sangamon County State’s Attorney appoints a new top lieutenant: Mary Beth Rodgers, chief of the office’s felony division, was named First Assistant State’s Attorney Thursday by John Milhiser, who returned to the State’s Attorney office in November after serving as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois during the Donald Trump presidency.
* Daily-Journal | Will County declares emergency, announces opening of nuclear plant warm water siphons into Kankakee River: The Will County Emergency Management Agency has coordinated with Constellation Energy to activate all three siphons of warm water from the Dresden Energy Center cooling lake to accelerate the melting of ice on the Kankakee River. This decision follows a declaration of emergency by county executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant due to the historic flood levels and ice jams along the Kankakee River.
* Center Square | Illinois pays hefty sum to participate in Rose Parade: According to documents obtained by The Center Square, the cost of constructing the Enjoy Illinois float, the performances and the entry fee cost taxpayers $560,000. The 24-foot-tall float took three months to build using about 22,000 volunteer hours and featured 30,000 flowers. The state hired the vocal group Straight No Chaser to ride and sing on the float.
* Sun-Times | Soldier who sold guns used by Chicago gang members in 2 mass shootings pleads guilty: Brandon Miller told investigators he joined the Army to escape the mean streets of Chicago, where he said he was going to “funeral after funeral after funeral.” He was in the field artillery at Fort Campbell on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, where he specialized in operating the computers that guide artillery and missiles.
* Daily Herald | Authorities: Glendale Heights village president pushed police chief : According to the charge, Khokhar shoved Glendale Heights Police Chief George Pappas with both hands as Pappas stood in front of him on Oct. 25. The misdemeanor battery charge was added Friday to Khokhar’s disorderly conduct case, in which he is accused of making a false report to police.
* Daily Herald | Six state police vehicles hit in a week serves as reminder of Scott’s Law: The good news is that none of the state troopers suffered life-threatening injuries. The bad? State police say at least three of the drivers who hit the squads were violating Scott’s Law, aka the Move Over Law, when the crashes occurred. Another is accused of driving under the influence.
* Block Club | White Sox Should Stay In Bridgeport, Alderperson Says As Team Eyes South Loop Stadium: Prominent developer Related Midwest owns the land, which was also floated as a casino site before Bally’s won the contract to build it in River West. Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), whose ward includes the site named for what could be the city’s 78th official community area, said in a statement she will “meet soon” with Related Midwest “to discuss the possibility of a stadium being built for the Chicago White Sox.”
* Tribune | The ‘Chicago Rat Hole’ draws devoted fans bringing gifts for the city’s new tourist attraction: Neighbors in the area told Dumaine the spot has been there for nearly 20 years and that the mark was actually left by a squirrel, not a rat. But the rodent-inspired name has endured. “Chicago prides itself on all of the things that make Chicago difficult, and no matter how much Chicago hates rats, they love rats. It’s a part of our culture,” Dumaine said.
* The American Prospect | How Boeing Ruined the JetBlue-Spirit Merger: This week, the sixth-largest and seventh-largest U.S. airlines, JetBlue and Spirit, were denied the opportunity to merge. Stripped from context, it doesn’t sound like an earth-shattering development. But the ruling by Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, signals the end of four decades of unstoppable waves of airline consolidation that have damaged passengers, workers, smaller communities, and commerce. More broadly, it’s another victory for the Biden Justice Department’s aggressive antitrust enforcers, who are drawing the line at additional concentration.
* Daily Herald | Coyotes are more active this time of year. Here’s how to keep your pets safe: The police department post recommends that residents keep unattended dogs and cats indoors or in enclosed areas if they have to be outside, especially at night. It also implored people to keep their dogs on short leashes while walking them outside, preferably six feet or less.
Kullgren said Mayor Johnson saw the alleged incident.
“The mayor gave no indication he didn’t want to talk to me until his staffer started shoving me. He saw the whole thing happen and didn’t intervene,” Kullgren told Fox News Digital via email when asked for additional comment. […]
Two west suburban Catholic grade schools will close this summer, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Thursday.
St. Frances of Rome School in Cicero and St. Odilo School in Berwyn will close their doors in June after the conclusion of the academic year.
School and church leaders said the expiration of the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program in the fall left the schools facing a financial cliff with more than half of students at the schools relying on the program to attend.
The program expired in November after state lawmakers adjourned during the final week of the General Assembly’s last session without taking up a proposal to extend it beyond Dec. 31.
* During the 2022-23 school year, St. Frances of Rome had just 13 Invest in Kids participants. But, according to the PR firm which oversaw the Invest in Kids push, that number jumped to 104 students during the current school year after a major local effort.
St. Odilo went from 27 IIK students during the 2022-23 school year to 60 this year, according to a press release.
Raw data is here. Both of those schools have experienced enrollment declines.
* From that Mac Strategies press release…
“Empower Illinois stands in solidarity with the parents, students, teachers, and communities of St. Frances of Rome and St. Odilo. Without this life-changing scholarship program many of those families simply could not afford to attend the school, forcing its closure,” said Bobby Sylvester, executive director of Empower Illinois. “Sadly, we know that these are unlikely to be the last schools to close unless our legislators act this spring to renew the program. We call on all Illinois General Assembly members to re-engage in the vital work of providing educational opportunities to low-income students through this program by passing an extension this spring.”
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Invest in Kids proponents should’ve tried to broker a phase-out compromise that would’ve at least continued funding for students currently in the program. Those two schools were obviously hoping to keep their doors open with a big effort to enroll students in IIK, even though people at the top knew it was quite likely that the program would be allowed to expire at the end of December. They could’ve tried to lock in those gains, but went for an extension instead.
If one Oklahoma representative gets his way, children who act like dogs and cats during school hours could be punished by — animal control. Yes, parents might soon have to collect their erstwhile kids from the pound — if Rep. Justin Humphrey’s bill makes it to the finish line as it stands today. That is, of course, if kids acting like animals at school is really that widespread a problem, which is up for debate.
Humphrey’s bill, which was filed Wednesday, seeks to put in place a law whereby “students who purport to be an imaginary animal or animal species, or who engage in anthropomorphic behavior commonly known as furries at school shall not be allowed to participate in school. … The parent or guardian of a student in violation of this section shall pick up the student from school, or animal control services shall be contacted to remove the student.”
Humphrey tells Rolling Stone he was inspired to write the bill after hearing several reports of students disrupting school while engaging in animal-like behavior. He cites two such alleged incidents in which a grandchild of a friend took to crawling down the hallway while wearing a leash, and another where a student distracted classmates by meowing like a cat. He seemed most concerned, however, with the idea of students requesting litter boxes in the classroom, a favored talking point among right-wing politicians that has been debunked. Similar bills have been introduced in the past as well, but none have included the “animal control” language.
Humphrey says he’s heard “reports” of such instances but did not cite a specific incident. “Why are we going to bring in a litter box and put it in a room? Are they allowing those kids to actually use litter boxes?” he asks, incredulous. “If you think that you’re an animal, that’s a mental health issue, and we need to get you mental health assistance. Some people are going to say, ‘Well, they’re being artistic.’ There’s nothing artistic about mental illness.”
An Oklahoma bill has stirred controversy in the state Legislature for seeking to label Hispanic people who are gang members as terrorists. No other racial or ethnic group is singled out in the legislation.
The bill, written by Republican state Rep. Justin Humphrey, proposes that any person who “is of Hispanic descent living within the state of Oklahoma,” is a member of a gang and has been convicted of “gang-related offenses” would be deemed a terrorist. Humphrey has since apologized for zeroing in on Hispanic people and plans to change the language in the bill to “undocumented.”
Humphrey told NBC News that the bill was meant to focus on “those people who are here illegally and who are coming across the border and trying to do harm to America and to Oklahoma.” […]
“I don’t believe that the Mexican cartel, the Hispanic gangs, are the only bad actors … I don’t really say, ‘I made a mistake’ or that it was racial, because it wasn’t, but it was an oversight and it could be made much, much better by expanding that to say, ‘any undocumented person,’” Humphrey said, adding that he spoke with Hispanic friends who told him they were somewhat offended by the bill.
Humphrey has also said that “Chinese nationals” are contributing to the fentanyl crisis, but did not explicitly mention that group in the bill. There were 3,547 unintentional drug overdose deaths in the state between 2017 to 2021, according to data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Fentanyl was involved in 579 of those deaths.
🚨🚨Oklahoma introduces a FELONY BAN on VIEWING pornography.
This is 100% straight out of the Project 2025 playbook. It appears to me with the bills I've read out of Oklahoma that representatives there are testing the waters for Project 2025. pic.twitter.com/sMIPlFmwaP
An Oklahoma lawmaker proposed a bill that would require students to take a gun course at school.
State Sen. Nathan Dahm filed Senate Bill 1699, which would require courses focusing on gun safety, the history of gun confiscation and the dangers of gun confiscation throughout history.
According to Senate Bill 1699, the Oklahoma State Department of Education would develop resources related to implementing gun courses with grade-appropriate instruction and high-quality professional learning opportunities for gun course teachers.
Transgender children who need an adoptive or foster parent could be placed in homes that don’t support their gender identity if a new bill gets signed into law.
Senate Bill 1677, authored by Sen. Julie Daniels, would prohibit the Oklahoma Department of Human Services from requiring a condition for potential foster and adoptive parents that they support a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity if it conflicts with the prospective parents “sincerely held religious or moral beliefs”.
The bill would also prohibit DHS from denying a prospective parent adoption or fostering a child based in part on their religious beliefs regarding sexual orientation or gender identity.
If a parent is denied adoption or fostering a child based on their religious belief, they would be able to seek injunctive relief and damages.
A former state legislator has formed a group that is launching a statewide effort to put parents’ rights on Illinois’ November 2024 ballot.
The Parents Matter Coalition has said that minor children in Illinois should require the guidance of their parents when faced with life-altering medical decisions like abortions or gender identity procedures. The group, in response, has launched a petition seeking to ask voters if parents should have more control over such decisions.
“Shall the written consent from a minor’s parent or guardian be required before any entity, person, clinic or school can provide a minor (under the age of 18 years) any nonemergency medical procedure, medication, pharmaceutical, or any gender modification procedure, gender identification counseling or gender therapy?” the question asks.
Jeanne Ives, a former state representative, said Thursday petitioners hope to get the advisory question on the November ballot.
“We want it on the 2024 ballot, that means we need petition signatures,” Ives told The Center Square. “Our goal is 500,000 signatures. We need less than that, but we are aiming for 500,000, and we would like to collect those by the end of March.” […]
The initiative is just a ballot question and will not change state law regardless of the final vote outcome. However, Ives said this can put pressure on those making the laws.
Matt Dietrich at the Illinois State Board of Elections said the circulators must collect 328,371 valid signatures of registered voters and submit them by May 6. So, 500,000 may not be enough.
State law limits the number of referenda to no more than three at a time. The General Assembly could decide to crowd out the Ives effort (if it’s even successful) by voting to put their own questions on the ballot, including a constitutional amendment.
In an unsurprising decision, the Illinois Supreme Court today ruled unanimously to uphold the 2019 downstate police and firefighter pension fund consolidation law after certain members sued claiming their voting power was diluted. My story from November: https://t.co/YtJZO3lRT7pic.twitter.com/Q9nzhauvCQ
Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement on the Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling on local pension consolidation:
“The Illinois Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of this landmark, bi-partisan pension reform law today is confirmation that smart, thoughtful pension reform can be accomplished in Illinois. After 70 years of attempts, my partners in the General Assembly and I were able to accomplish meaningful reform during my first term in office. We ushered in a new era of responsible fiscal management, one aspect of which has been consolidating over 600 local pension systems to increase returns and lower fees, reducing the burden on taxpayers and keeping another campaign promise. Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for Illinois taxpayers, local governments and first responders.”
THE ARLINGTON HEIGHTS POLICE PENSION FUND et al., Appellants, v. JAY ROBERT “J.B.” PRITZKER, Governor, et al., Appellees […]
Plaintiffs filed a complaint against defendants in the circuit court of Kane County seeking, inter alia, a finding that Public Act 101-610 (eff. Jan. 1, 2020) (Act), which amended portions of the Illinois Pension Code (40 ILCS 5/1-101 et. seq. (West 2020)), violated article XIII, section 5, of the Illinois Constitution (Ill. Const. 1970, art. XIII, § 5), commonly known as the pension protection clause, and/or article I, section 15, of the Illinois Constitution (Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, § 15), commonly known as the takings clause. The circuit court granted summary judgment in favor of defendants. The appellate court affirmed. 2023 IL App (2d) 220198, ¶ 20. For the following reasons, we also affirm. […]
It is axiomatic that, if plaintiffs have no constitutional right in how their local pension funds are funded or the adequacy of that funding, they similarly have no constitutional right regarding who invests local fund assets. The Act does not change plaintiffs’ right to elect members of their local funds’ boards or the local boards’ authority to determine the amount of benefits plaintiffs are entitled to receive. It only changes the local boards’ power to invest the assets of the local funds. Simply put, the 2020 amendment to the Pension Code has no impact on plaintiffs receiving their promised monetary benefits. […]
Plaintiffs have failed to identify any property right under Illinois law that is affected by the 2020 amendment to the Pension Code. It is undisputed that the Act does not impact the pension payments that plaintiffs are entitled to receive. Additionally, as defendants recognize, plaintiffs’ takings claim must also fail because even if they had a property right in the local funds’ assets, which they do not, the Act would not constitute a taking of that property for the government’s use. The Act simply changes how local fund assets are managed and invested without affecting the ultimate use of those assets to pay the benefits of local fund members
The Illinois Municipal League and the Associated Firefighters of Illinois supported the state’s position.
…Adding… House Speaker Chris Welch…
Today’s ruling shows that smart decision making can produce real savings for taxpayers, while protecting what workers have earned. By advancing commonsense reforms, collaborating with stakeholders, and delivering fiscally and socially responsible budgets, we’re continuing to rebuild Illinois’ fiscal house and move our state forward.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Changes the names of the offenses of unlawful use of weapons, unlawful use of weapons by felons or persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections facilities, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, being an armed habitual criminal, unlawful use of firearm projectiles, and unlawful use of a firearm in the shape of a wireless telephone to unlawful possession of weapons, unlawful possession of weapons by felons or persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections facilities, aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, persistent unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of firearm projectiles, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the shape of a wireless telephone. Provides that if any person before the effective date of the amendatory Act has been arrested, charged, prosecuted, convicted, or sentenced for unlawful use of weapons, unlawful use or possession of weapons by felons or persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections facilities, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, being an armed habitual criminal, unlawful use of firearm projectiles, or unlawful use of a firearm in the shape of a wireless telephone, the changes of the names and the defendants to unlawful possession of weapons, unlawful possession of weapons by felons or persons in the custody of the Department of Corrections facilities, aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, persistent unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of firearm projectiles, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the shape of a wireless telephone, shall retroactively be made in any criminal background records maintained by the Illinois State Police, law enforcement agencies, clerks of the circuit court, and any other State agencies providing criminal background information to the public under specified timelines. Amends various Acts to make conforming changes. Effective January 1, 2025.
Amends the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Provides that within 90 days after the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Areas have been designated by the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Program Board, the Board chair shall appoint 8 public officials of municipal or county (rather than municipal) geographic jurisdictions in the State that include a Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Area to the Board.
Amends the Department of Natural Resources Act. Makes legislative findings concerning the growth of American white pelican populations and their impacts on recreational fish populations in the Upper Mississippi River System. Directs the Department of Natural Resources to collaborate with an accredited university or college in the State to conduct a study of the American white pelican communities that reside, during their migration, in Pool 13 of the Upper Mississippi River System in order to: (1) evaluate the movements and foraging activities of those communities; (2) assess how the migration of those communities impacts fish populations in the Upper Mississippi River System; and (3) collect the data necessary to develop trophic models of the Upper Mississippi River System that incorporate impacts of piscivorous birds, such as the American white pelican. Requires the Department to report the findings of its study to the General Assembly by no later than December 31, 2025. Effective immediately.
Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that, on or before January 1, 2025, the Department of Children and Family Services shall require each licensed day care center to maintain a video security system and maintain video surveillance of all public areas within the premises of the day care center, including, but not limited to, hallways, entrances, play areas, common rooms, and eating areas. Provides that video surveillance shall not take place in private areas within the day care center, including, but not limited to, bathrooms and changing areas. Provides that, if a video security system is deemed inadequate by the Department, the day care center shall have 30 days to correct the inadequacy. Provides that each licensed day care center must notify all parents of children attending the day care center that public areas are under video surveillance and must post a sign at the entrance of the day care center that informs visitors that the area is under video surveillance. Provides that the minimum standards for licensing shall require that each child care institution, maternity center, day care center, group home, day care home, and group day care home require that every staff member involved in the direct care of children be certified in first aid, in the Heimlich maneuver, and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation(rather than have on its premises during its hours of operation at least one staff member certified in first aid, in the Heimlich maneuver, and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) has taken an important step in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Illinois students by filing legislation aimed at preventing inappropriate relationships between teachers and students.
Senate Bill 2823 makes it illegal for any teacher to engage in sexual activity, whether consensual or nonconsensual, with a high school student even if that student is 18 or older.
“It is our responsibility to create an educational environment that protects students from potential harm and fosters trust,” said Sen. Bryant. “Individuals with custodial authority in other areas of work, like corrections, face criminal charges for the abuse of that authority, no matter the age of the victim. The same should apply in our school system.”
Senate Bil 2823 builds upon existing Illinois law to further protect students from potential abuse of power. Teachers who violate the proposed law would face a Class 3 felony for their first offense and a Class 2 felony for subsequent offenses or if multiple victims are involved. Additionally, Senate Bill 2823 mandates the inclusion of individuals who violate the law in both the sexual predator and sex offender database, ensuring public awareness and continued monitoring.
For years, the media could listen to police scanners in real time to keep track of what’s going on in Chicago neighborhoods.
However, the City of Chicago recently began encrypting transmissions, putting them on a 30-minute delay.
In response, State Representative LaShawn Ford has introduced a bill that would require accredited newspapers and FCC licensed broadcasters, like ABC7 Chicago, to have access to real-time scanners.
Ford spoke to ABC7 about what prompted the bill.
“The police are not the only people that have to help protect individuals as it relates to public safety,” Ford said. “They need partners. It’s all hands on deck.”
Amends the Notice By Publication Act and the Newspaper Legal Notice Act. Provides, in both of the Acts, that the term “newspaper” also includes any digital publication that (1) is posted on a public-facing website, web application, or digital application, including, but not limited to, a social network, ad network, or search engine, that has 3,000 or more unique monthly United States visitors or users with at least 50% of those visitors from the geographic area for which the notice is required to be published during the immediately preceding 12 months; (2) regularly gathers, prepares, collects, photographs, records, writes, edits, reports, investigates, or publishes news or information that concerns local, national, or international events or other matter of public interest for dissemination to the public; and (3) is paid for by subscribers to the digital publication.
Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that specified in-servicing training for law enforcement officers must be completed every 2 years (rather than 3 years) and must include at least 30 hours of training.
* ICYMI: Funny messages on Illinois highway signs to be banned, feds say. NBC Chicago…
- The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has given states two years to implement changes outlined in a new manual released last month.
- Overhead electronic signs with obscure meanings, pop culture references or those intended to be funny will be banned in 2026 because they can be “misunderstood or distracting to drivers,”
- Some examples of IDOT signs include “No Texting, No Speeding, No Ketchup” and “OMG, Are you texting? I can’t even.”
* CNI | Smart Start preschool expansion ahead of schedule in first fiscal year: The Smart Start program passed last May as part of the state’s operating budget, which allocated $250 million to expand early childhood education programs, including wage support for child care workers, early intervention programs and home visiting programs. It also included a goal of adding 5,000 pre-k spots in areas where access was lacking – and the state has exceeded that number by over 800 seats.
* Our Quad Cities | Local law enforcement reacts to new Illinois law allowing non-citizens to become police officers: “There’s certain steps to becoming a police officer,” said Sheriff John Booker with the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s not just, ‘Okay, today I’m going to be a police officer,’ take a test and you’re hired tomorrow. It’s a long process.” The Whiteside County Sheriff explained only part of the process to becoming a police officer that takes more than three months to complete.
* Crain’s | Bally’s casino workers vote to unionize: Three groups of workers at the temporary Bally’s casino in River North have voted to unionize. The votes were certified this week and affect hundreds of workers at the company’s temporary casino at the Medinah Temple.
* Wes-Gazette | Casino payout: Pension funds, riverfront among early beneficiaries: Funding for riverfront development, city sewer upgrades, construction of an addition to the Boys and Girls Club and paying down city fire and police pensions: Those will all benefit as a result of the opening of Danville’s Golden Nugget Casino. Planning for some of the projects is underway, while others, like the start of the pension paydown, are ongoing endeavors.
* Daily Southtown. | Two solar energy facililties get green light in Monee Township: Nexamp has proposed a 5-megawatt solar farm on about 44.26 acres of land at 26845 S. Will Center Road in Monee, about 0.2 miles from South Will Center Road and West Pauling Road. The company has also proposed a 2-megawatt solar farm to be built on about 19 acres of a 29.26 acre parcel of land on the northwest corner of South Will Center Road and West Pauling Road.
* WLPO | State AFL-CIO Endorses Candidates, But Not in Every Race: Of 127 candidates backed by the union giant, 126 are Democrats. The lone Republican is Brad Stephens, a candidate for State Representative who’s a union member and the Village President of the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, adjacent to O’Hare. The union has not endorsed a candidate in the 76th District, where three Democrats and two Republicans are vying for the seat being vacated by Democrat and union champion Lance Yednock.
* WBEZ | Black parents are caught in the middle of Chicago’s school choice debate: Blackburn and Presswood are two Black mothers in the middle of an intensifying debate about school choice, the system that allows Chicago parents to send their children to charters, magnets and selective enrollment schools, rather than be tethered to the school in their attendance boundary.
* Daily Egyptian | FAFSA complications causing distress for Southern Illinois families: The old FAFSA would require potential students, or their parents, to fill out a long, complicated form that would feature roughly a hundred questions regarding the family’s living situation.
The goal of the new FAFSA was to simplify the process, with only around 50 questions. The new application was designed to make it much easier for the government to provide benefits to families in need. However, it has been proven to be a more tenuous process, at least in the beginning.
* Sun-Times | Two downstate men accused of trying to break window with flag poles during Jan. 6 Capitol riot: Two men from southern Illinois have been arrested and are facing criminal charges for allegedly trying to break a window at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, joining the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Justin LaGesse, 37, and Theodore Middendorf, 36, both of McLeansboro, about 300 miles south of Chicago, are charged with felony destruction of property, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.
* NBC | Capitol Police investigated more than 8,000 threats against lawmakers last year: U.S. Capitol Police investigated 8,008 threats against members of Congress last year, according to new case numbers released Thursday. Last year’s tally marked an increase from a figure released for 2022, but it’s below the 9,625 cases the agency investigated in 2021 when the Jan. 6 riot occurred.
* NPR | How social media algorithms ‘flatten’ our culture by making decisions for us: “[There] are equations that measure what you’re doing, surveil the data of all the users on these platforms and then try to predict what each person is most likely to engage with,” New Yorker writer Kyle Chayka explains. “So rather than having this neat, ordered feed, you have this feed that’s constantly trying to guess what you’re going to click on, what you’re going to read, what you’re going to watch or listen to.”
* SJ-R | How some superintendents decide on closing schools or E-learning days in bad weather: Students can sometimes be on a bus for 40 minutes to get to their schools, Superintendent Fred Lamkey said. If a bus breaks down or loses heat in the middle of the country, it can take 25 to 40 minutes to get a substitute out. That’s just one of the scenarios Lamkey and other superintendents had to consider when deciding whether to implement an emergency day or an e-learning or remote learning day, as they did on Tuesday because of the extreme cold.
* Sun-Times | University of Illinois system freezes in-state tuition at all 3 of its campuses for 2024-25 school year: The Board of Trustees approved tuition rates for the 2024-25 academic year Thursday. Rates will remain unchanged for the seventh year of the last 10 years, the school said in a press release. “I want to thank our trustees for their vote to freeze tuition for in-state undergraduates again,” University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen said. “This decision maintains our ironclad commitment to affordability. Few things we can do have a more positive impact on the working families of Illinois than holding down the cost of a life-changing college education.”
Tom Miller: We talk about these big issues, abortion, nationwide issue, weapons, nationwide issue, but when it comes to your district, the 58th District, a large district too, you probably noticed that already on the maps. Would you have a goal in mind that you could share with us today about something you want to accomplish intrinsic to your Senate district that you’re running for in the upcoming primary election?
Wesley Kash: Well, I mean, there’s nothing special about this district over every other district.
He then went on to talk about lowering state taxes and ending business as usual, and concluded, “So no, I don’t really have a specific plan for the 58th Legislative District.”
The big picture is important, but in reality, about the only thing that Republicans can accomplish in the General Assembly is to push things that specifically help their districts. Almost every legislator in both parties can support that. Sen. Bryant is good at it.
Tom Miller: We listened to you talk about things you’re against. That’s pretty much the line right now, except that with that Democratic majority, you would have to turn the tide and that’s a difficult item, especially when you’re in a super minority. I mean, do you have thoughts on that, the Republicans’ role in Illinois if you win and what you’re able to accomplish with the current Democrat/Republican breakdown?
Wesley Kash: Well, yeah, my thoughts were as I’ve been listening to Dan Bongino a lot and uh, well what can’t continue won’t. And apparently Chicago’s about had it with all the illegals pouring in, and I don’t know that they’ll stay blue much longer, they’ll probably start seeing that the Democrats hate ‘em up there. And we might be able to flip the state. And we need principled conservatives that haven’t been willing to play that Springfield game. We need to stand on our principles, win, lose and draw. I might not be able to get anything done at first, but we got to start somewhere. And I’d ask people to start with me right here and right now. I’m going to be a principled conservative. Getting crumbs off the Democrats’ table hasn’t been working for us so far. We vote and go along with their bloated budgets and tax increases and we’re still in a ton of debt. So that’s not working out. So I’d say even if we can’t do nothing right at the beginning, let’s let’s quit going along with them and making terrible legislation, bipartisan legislation. We could run on, ‘Look at what the Democrats are doing. Vote Republican.’
Chicago’s going to flip to the Republican Party. Right. OK.
Also, those taxes have funded a whole lot of infrastructure spending in southern Illinois, just as one example.
The state’s down payment on the Smart Start program to boost PreK enrollment and eliminate education deserts created 5,823 new PreK spots. The goal was 5,000 for the first year. #twillhttps://t.co/NISElSQkvrpic.twitter.com/QrZw5hNrQB
In 2023, the Illinois State Police’s (ISP) modernization of the Divisions of Patrol, the creation of Special Operation Groups focused on criminal interdiction, and the continued implementation of a data-focused command structure led to a decrease in interstate shootings and fatal crashes. These same enforcement strategies also yielded more arrests, as well as increases in gun and vehicle recoveries.
“ISP saw a growing problem in Illinois, used data and first-hand expertise to efficiently address problems, and achieved results—the absolute model of what state government can and should do for its citizens,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The decrease in fatal expressway shootings and crashes is an important step on the road to a safer Illinois, and I thank ISP for their innovation and dedication to advancing this work.”
“As an agency, we’ve become more nimble and focused on data, making decisions based on where the greatest threats to public safety emerge, rather than following the same old pattern or habits,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Over the past several years, we have really demanded more of ourselves, making the tough decisions, executing, and empowering the most effective law enforcement tool there is – the well-trained, professional, crime-fighting trooper. Challenges remain, but we are headed in a good direction.”
2023-2022 Patrol Enforcement Data:
Interstate/expressway shootings: In 2023, ISP saw a 32% decrease in reported interstate/expressway shootings from2022.
Fatal Crashes: In 2023, ISP responded to 7% fewer fatal crashes on interstates than in 2022.
Arrests: In 2023, ISP saw a 3% increase in patrol arrests from 2022 (6,543 arrests in 2023).
Guns Recovered: In 2023, ISP patrol reported a 12% increase in guns recovered from 2022.
Vehicles Recovered: In 2023, ISP patrol saw a 7% increase in vehicles recovered from 2022.
* From the Illinois Local Journalism Task Force’s report this week…
Five of Illinois’ 102 counties have no local source of news, and 33 rely on just a single source, according to The State of Local News 2023, a research project led by Northwestern’s Medill Local News Initiative. The report focused on “news deserts,” which Abernathy defines as “a community, either rural or urban, where residents have very limited access to credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds democracy at the grassroots level and nurtures community.”
The five no-local-news Illinois counties are Pulaski, Alexander, Perry, Hamilton, and Edwards.
Jeff Egbert at the Perry County Weekly-Press begs to differ. “I’ve published a newspaper in Perry County for the last 14 years,” he told Rich via email.
He also pointed out that the McLeansboro Gazette operates out of Hamilton County.
Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot is hosting a City Club roundtable on neighborhood investment (her first public event in Chicago since leaving office). Comes as she announces a new non-profit called Chicago Vibrant Neighborhoods Collective to help orgs in disinvested neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/xJtbQRsF1G
Stellantis’ estimated $4.8 billion plan to build a new vehicle at the Belvidere Assembly Plant, construct a battery production facility and establish a parts distribution “mega hub” could require what officials say is a tremendous amount of additional water, power and sewer capacity. […]
But officials say utilities would have to be extended to an area along Irene Road west of the Belvidere Assembly Plant where Stellantis has told the United Auto Workers it intends to build a $3.2 billion “joint venture” battery production facility.
Four Rivers Sanitation Authority Executive Director Tim Hanson said his office is preparing an estimated $32 million plan talked about for three decades to extend sanitary sewer lines to the area from Cherry Valley to service the Stellantis facility and any suppliers that will be needed. […]
A Winnebago County-based agency that cleans 1.5 billion gallons of sewage a year, Four Rivers has the capacity needed for the project, Hanson said. It would require an agreement in which Boone County owns the pipeline and Four Rivers Sanitation manages it, Hanson said.
How the sanitary sewer pipeline — which would have a main trunk more than 3 miles long and a diameter of up to 42-inches — and an estimated $5 million lift station in Cherry Valley would be paid for remains a question.
* Sun-Times | Car insurance rates went up again for Illinois drivers last year, analysis shows: The price of car insurance for Illinois drivers surged by more than $1.25 billion last year — following a $1.1 billion increase in 2022, according to a consumer group’s analysis of rate filings. The report only looked at the 10 largest auto insurers, who represent 81% of Illinois’ auto insurance market, and suggested that rates could have risen even more last year
* SJ-R | Springfield-area candidates file quarterly campaign finance reports: What to know: Springfield-area candidates are beginning their campaign pushes in 2024, buttressing their campaign chests with the primaries just more than two months away. Quarterly reports were filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections this week, showing how much candidates have made and spent between October and December. It was the last full quarter before the primary election scheduled for March 19.
* The Telegraph | Ethics violation by Madison County’s Prenzler under investigation: No action was taken by the Madison County Executive Committee against county board Chairman Kurt Prenzler over a reported ethics violation relating to passing out campaign material on county property during business hours, but the panel could consider the issue next month.
* WTTW | Chicago Won’t Evict Migrants Until Feb. 1, Officials Announce: Initially, Johnson granted approximately 650 migrants a week-long reprieve, until Jan. 22, which is set to be the first day of above freezing temperatures in a week. As many as 1,800 migrants could be evicted from city shelters Feb. 1, according to city data. Another 1,600 people could be evicted Feb. 2. It is unclear how many of the 3,400 migrants set to be evicted will be able to find permanent housing in the next two weeks or obtain work permits.
* Daily-Journal | Manteno also passes migrant bus ordinance: “Due to the recent events with buses dropping off migrants at unannounced and random locations, the village is adopting this ordinance in an effort to prevent those random events,” said Trustee Todd Crockett. “The village has limited resources, and bus drivers who make these random drops are putting the lives of those at risk.”
* WCIA | Kyle Patterson named new Champaign Township Supervisor: Patterson is a Champaign County board member and serves as an Urbana Cunningham Township case manager. Council members said the position is an opportunity to show how the new supervisor handles the position under pressure and during the upcoming election.
* Sun-Times | Pitchfork hit by layoffs, downgrade, but music festival will continue: Pitchfork’s owner, media empire Condé Nast, said Wednesday it has folded the brand into GQ, another title at the company. “This decision was made after a careful evaluation of Pitchfork’s performance and what we believe is the best path forward for the brand so that our coverage of music can continue to thrive within the company,” Condé Nast chief content officer Anna Wintour wrote in a memo to staff.
* Farm Progress | 8 questions with Illinois Pork Producers: Jennifer Tirey, Illinois Pork Producers Association executive director, has a lot of good reasons for folks to come to this year’s expo. “We’re a small but mighty group, and we need their voice. Lawmakers take my calls, but they really want to hear from actual producers,” Tirey says. “I can’t stress enough how showing up for your industry will help everyone in the long run.”
* Sun-Times | Nearly 100 cats and dogs saved from PAWS Tinley Park fire: Fire crews rescued 55 dogs and 42 cats from the building and brought them to Midwest Animal Hospital, where they were treated into the night, according to the Tinley Park public safety department. No injuries were reported, but 14 cats and two dogs showed signs of respiratory distress from smoke inhalation.
* CNN | Uvalde school massacre could have been stopped sooner, DOJ report finds: Critical failures in leadership among specific law enforcement officers who rushed to Robb Elementary are blamed by the Justice Department, whose 575-page report nearly 20 months after the massacre is the fullest official accounting of what happened, though much already was known largely through CNN investigation.
Highland Park and Deerfield joined the growing list of municipalities who have placed regulations on one-way buses dropping off 10 or more passengers.
While the ordinances are generic and apply to all one-way buses, no matter who the passengers are, the regulations come after municipalities around Chicago have experienced an influx of unscheduled buses dropping off groups of migrants at all hours of the day and night. […]
At the recommendation of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, suburban municipalities have started to approve regulations around when and where buses can drop off one-way passengers. The rules also seek advance communication from the bus companies about expected arrival date, times and a manifest of who is on the bus.
I checked and, while IEMA has been drafting some guidance, nothing has yet been officially sent to municipalities.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today about the fact that home rule governments are imposing some restrictions on buses (whether or not it’s constitutional) while other governments cannot. So, should there be some uniformity across the state on this?…
That’s something that the legislature is looking at now and considering. It certainly seems like if one town can do it and another town can’t then we ought to have some uniformity. So that I know is being discussed in committees.
* Capitol News Illinois has a very good and wide-ranging story on what’s happening with the asylum-seekers, including this fact check…
On Tuesday, a group of four conservative lawmakers announced they were filing legislation that would repeal portions of the TRUST Act, a 2017 state law that bars local law enforcement agencies from participating in federal immigration enforcement, such as by working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or by detaining people based on their immigration status.
“Repealing the TRUST Act is absolutely required to solve the Illinois illegal immigration crisis and it’s the right thing to do for the citizens of this state,” Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, said in a statement.
Individuals seeking asylum, like many of the recently arrived migrants, are generally not subject to deportation through Immigrations and Customs Enforcement action.
Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Cherry Valley, also on Tuesday criticized the management of two state programs that offer Medicaid-style benefits to some noncitizen residents of Illinois. […]
The Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults and Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors programs, which Syverson proposed cutting back, are designed for people who don’t have legal permission to be in the country and some others. Asylum seekers generally don’t qualify for those programs but do qualify for some federal benefits.
They’re not being serious people, but it’s not like anyone else has come up with a solution. Anyway, go read the rest.
* Tribune | Texas transportation company sues Chicago for migrant bus restrictions: Wynne’s subcontractors have faced 95 separate lawsuits filed by the city for violating the new rules, each seeking $2,000 to $10,000 fines, said the company’s attorney, Michael Kozlowski, of the Chicago-based law firm Esbrook P.C. “It unlawfully interferes with the business and makes the business very difficult to run,” he said. “It’s certainly not chump change.”
* WBEZ | Chicago migrants cook, wash windows and sell candy for cash without work permits: Like other migrants in Chicago, Fernandez is desperate for money. More than 34,000 migrants sent to Chicago from Texas and other states since August 2022 want financial stability. Many are seeking asylum and may qualify for work permits. But these applications can take a long time and not everyone knows how to navigate the process or where to go for help. Most migrants do not speak English, making it harder to find employment.
* CBS News | Man welcomes migrants into building he owns in Chicago: A lucrative investment in cryptocurrency provided the funding for the mission, while Chris Amatore himself provides the kindness. Amatore, chief executive officer of Manage Chicago, owns a South Shore neighborhood building with eight units and 60 beds – and he’s using one big heart to welcome in residents.
* Chalkbeat | Chicago educators ask lawmakers to step up support for schools seeing increase in migrant students: Gabriel Paez, an English learner program teacher at Cameron and chair of the Chicago Teachers Union bilingual education committee, estimate that about 200 migrant students at the school need access to more bilingual education, transportation, and basic needs — a reflection of the wider challenges presented by the arrival of thousands of migrant families to the city.
* NYT | Chicago Warms New Migrants in Idling Buses as the Weather Turns Nasty: A limit of 60 days on stays in city shelters would be set aside temporarily because of the snow and the predicted single-digit temperatures that would follow, the mayor said. “We’re not evicting new arrivals out in the cold this winter,” Mr. Johnson said at a news conference. “Our mission is to continue to live up to our values as we welcome new arrivals.” More than 14,500 migrants are in city shelters.
Will the South Siders be playing baseball in the South Loop?
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, “serious” negotiations have taken place between the Chicago White Sox and developer Related Midwest in regard to possibly building a baseball-only stadium at Roosevelt Road and Clark Street — an area known as “the 78.”
Related Midwest owns the site. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority — which owns Guaranteed Rate Field — has not been involved in the talks, the organization’s CEO, Frank Bilecki, told the Tribune.
“I’m not part of the discussion, at least as of yet,” Bilecki said. “I truly know nothing. I’m a landlord and they’re a tenant, and they’re looking at options as tenants do everywhere.”
* A park that close to downtown would be a great after-work draw. A cool stadium would also bring in tourists. And the view could be just tremendous…
Ownership being what it is means I ain’t holding my breath on any of it.
* Gov. Pritzker has opposed public funding for a new suburban Bears stadium, but the White Sox play in a park owned by a state agency, so he was asked today whether he would support state funding for this…
Nobody’s made the ask yet. So having said that, I think you know my views about privately owned teams and whether the public should be paying for private facilities that will be used by private businesses. Having said that, I mean, there are things that government does to support business all across the state, investing in infrastructure, making sure that we’re supporting the success of business in Illinois. So, as with all of the other, whether it’s sports teams, or other private businesses, we’ll be looking at whatever they may be suggesting or asking for.
* The Question: Your own thoughts on this topic?
…Adding… In response to some comments, here’s NBC 5…
State taxpayers still owe roughly $50 million on bonds used to construct the stadium. The White Sox lease expires after the conclusion of the 2028 season.
One of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s signature priorities — a major tweak to the real estate transfer tax designed to boost funding for anti-homelessness initiatives — has been dealt a significant setback, failing to garner the coveted endorsement of the Chicago Federation of Labor.
In a vote last week, a motion to endorse the referendum measure came up just decimal points shy of the two-thirds weighted vote necessary to receive the official backing of the federation, an umbrella organization that represents more than 300 unions in Chicago and Cook County.
The rejection came despite personal calls from Johnson to some union leaders expressing how important the issue is to this labor-friendly administration. The opposition, meanwhile, was aided by two traditionally progressive unions that represent workers who staff hotels and buildings that would be affected by the proposed increase in taxes on property sales over $1 million. […]
If [CFL President Bob Reiter] decides to allow the CFL to reconsider Friday’s vote, it would be rare and could lead to tension among labor groups. But the fact that the vote was so close and that some unions were absent from the vote because of poor weather allows an opening, sources within unions told Crain’s.
Local 150 of the Operating Engineers and Unite Here Local 1 sided with their members’ employers (real estate developers, hotel owners, etc.) and voted against it. SEIU Local 1 abstained.
* Meanwhile, the CFL endorsements contained two other bits worth noting…
Cook County States Attorney
Neutral
Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Maryiana T. Spyropoulos
CFL affiliates are on both sides in the state’s attorney race, ergo the neutrality. And the CFL went with the Cook County Democrats’ slated candidate against incumbent circuit court clerk Iris Martinez.
* Background is here and here if you need it. The gist of NAACP Illinois State Conference President Teresa Haley’s remarks last October…
But these immigrants have come over here, they’ve been raping people. They’ve been breaking into homes. They’re like savages as well. They don’t speak the language and they look at us like we were crazy, because we were the only people in America who were brought over here against our wills and were slaves, sold into slavery. But everybody else who comes over here? We’re so kind we’re so friendly. You need some clothes, you need a place to stay? We’re gonna make it happen. So brother, I feel your pain. I’m right there with you. I’m trying not to be a [N-Word] but you know, I’m pro-Black.
Teresa Haley says her controversial comments about immigrants brought from the Mexican border to Chicago were misinterpreted and taken out of context. […]
Recalling the November Zoom call, Haley said savages isn’t a word that is part of her everyday vocabulary. She said she used the word in the video when she was summarizing and referring to the same term used by at least two other Illinois branch presidents during the meeting.
Illinois NAACP officials were airing concerns about immigrants being transported unannounced by Texas officials to impoverished, predominantly Black Chicago neighborhoods in late fall and winter.
Haley told Illinois Times she regretted repeating her peers’ comments.
“A good leader listens and summarizes what is being said,” she said. “My intent was just to simply have the conversations and let my branch presidents and leaders know, ‘I hear you. I’m listening to you.’”
I guess she has a different understanding of leadership than most.
Haley said it was “out of order” for Gov. JB Pritzker to criticize her comments and call for her to apologize.
Haley said she believes the Democratic governor’s comments were fueled by policy differences between the two, including Haley’s opposition to legalization of adult-use marijuana and the NAACP’s unsuccessful legal challenge of the new legislative redistricting map that Pritzker signed into law.
The Rink, a longtime roller skating rink on the South Side, has a starring role in a new music video by Chicago band Wilco, out Thursday.
The video for “Meant To Be,” a song off Wilco’s 2023 studio album “Cousin,” was filmed at The Rink, 1122 E. 87th St. The Rink was one of the birthplaces of “JB skating,” a flowing, laid-back style often skated to the music of James Brown. According to The Rink’s website, the location has been open for some 50 years and is the sole African American-owned roller skating rink in Illinois.
In the video, the skaters swirling around the band include a number of Chicagoans, according to a band announcement Thursday, including Calvin Small, an originator of JB style, and champion skater Darius Sanders.
Indiana State Rep. Earl Harris Jr. (D-East Chicago) is looking to continue his late father’s dream of luring an NFL team to Northwest Indiana, and with the nearby Chicago Bears mulling the option of leaving Soldier Field, a short move across state lines might not be out of the realm of possibility.
Authored by Harris, House Bill 1174 proposes forming a 19-member sports development commission for Northwest Indiana and assigning the commission the tall task of enticing a professional sports franchise to set up shop in the Region.
While the bill itself doesn’t allocate any funding or target any specific teams — and is just about forming a board to develop a comprehensive plan to attract and develop a sports franchise in Northwest Indiana — there is one specific NFL team that Harris thinks Indiana can entice: The neighboring Chicago Bears.
“With the Chicago Bears looking into options for a new location, this legislation will help make Northwest Indiana a more attractive option for them and other sports teams,” Harris said.
Amends the Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit Act. Renews the program for incentive periods beginning on or after July 1, 2018 and ending on or before June 30, 2025. Removes language concerning the Put Illinois to Work Program for the second series of incentive periods. Provides that the term “full-time employee” means an individual who is employed for a basic wage for at least 35 hours each week (currently, employed for a basic wage for at least 35 hours each week or renders any other standard of service generally accepted by industry custom or practice as full-time employment). Provides that a net increase in the number of full-time Illinois employees shall be treated as continuous if a different new employee is hired as a replacement within 8 weeks after the position becomes vacant (currently, a reasonable time). Effective immediately.
Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that a qualified child care director must be present at the open or close of the facility. Provides that a qualified early childhood teacher who has been employed by the facility continuously for at least 24 months may otherwise be present for the first or last hour of the workday.
A new bill in the Illinois General Assembly would create a board of health care experts that would have the authority to set price limits on prescription medications.
House Bill 4472 was introduced Wednesday by state Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, and state Sen. David Koehler, D-Peoria.
Using a variety of information related to the medication’s market, including the number of people taking the medication and its out-of-pocket cost, the board would assess a price. If the board finds it to be unreasonable, it could limit the amount wholesalers, pharmacies and hospitals can bill insurers and consumers for the drug.
The bill’s sponsors said it was an effort to limit health care costs across the board.
Amends the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975. Provides that the Illinois Racing Board may appoint the Director of Mutuels to serve as the State director for inter-track wagering and simulcast wagering by inter-track wagering licensees and inter-track wagering location licensees. Provides that the pari-mutuel tax imposed at all pari-mutuel wagering facilities and on advance deposit wagering shall be remitted to the Board (rather than the Department of Revenue). Provides that the Board shall distribute contributed funds to a charitable organization on a schedule determined by the Board, based on the charitable organization’s estimated expenditures related to the grant (rather than by December 31 of each year). Provides that any funds not expended by the grantee in a grant year shall be distributed to the charitable organization or charitable organizations selected in the next grant year after the funds are recovered. Repeals provisions authorizing the Board to make daily temporary deposits of certain fees and provisions requiring the Board and the Department of Agriculture to establish a program to conduct drug testing on horses at county fairs. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the Counties Code and the Autopsy Act. Provides that autopsies must be performed by board-certified forensic pathologists or, if under the direct supervision of a board-certified forensic pathologist, pathology residents or forensic pathology fellows (rather than a licensed physician must perform autopsies). In the Autopsy Act, further provides that other qualified personnel or other qualified personnel selected by a board-certified forensic pathologist (rather than a physician) may perform (rather than assist) an autopsy. Further amends the Counties Code. Provides that a county in which the body of a deceased person is found shall indemnify and hold harmless a board-certified forensic pathologist who renders services under the provisions for all of the pathologist’s conduct arising out of the pathologist’s testimony as an expert witness in a criminal proceeding based on the service provided under the provisions, except actions involving willful and wanton misconduct of the pathologist. Conditions the duty of the county to indemnify a board-certified forensic pathologist who rendered services under the provisions for a judgment recovered against the pathologist upon receiving notice of the filing of the action. Provides that, if a board-certified forensic pathologist is made a party defendant to an action and the action against the pathologist is based upon the pathologist’s conduct arising out of the pathologist’s testimony as an expert witness in a criminal proceeding, then, within 10 days of service of process, the pathologist shall notify the county in which the body of a deceased person was found of the fact that the pathologist has been made a party defendant to the action. Includes requirements for the notice. Provides that the State’s Attorney of the county in which the body of the deceased person is found may appear and defend on behalf of the board-certified forensic pathologist. Effective immediately.
Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Provides that a voluntary recipient admitted to a mental health facility who gives a written notice to the treatment staff that the recipient wishes to be discharged from the facility may be involuntarily held at the facility if within 5 days after giving the notice, a copy of the notice and a petition and the 2 certificates executed by a physician, qualified examiner, psychiatrist, advanced practice psychiatric nurse, or clinical psychologist which states that the recipient is subject to involuntary admission on an inpatient basis and requires immediate hospitalization are filed with the court (rather than only the petition and 2 certificates).
Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Provides that a person who reasonably believes that another person is experiencing an overdose and knowingly fails to seek emergency medical assistance for that person is guilty of a Class 4 felony unless the person experiencing the overdose dies as a result of failing to obtain the emergency medical assistance, in which case the penalty for violating this provision is a Class 1 felony.
Amends the State Universities Civil Service Act. Provides that each academic year, a public university shall offer a 50% tuition waiver for undergraduate education to each child of an employee of the State Universities Civil Service System (”University System”) who has been employed by the University System for an aggregate period of at least 7 years. Sets forth requirements relating to the 50% tuition waiver. Provides that each academic year, a public university shall offer a full tuition waiver for undergraduate education to each child of a person who died while employed full time by the University System or while on leave from full-time employment. Sets forth requirements relating to the full tuition waiver. Amends various Acts relating to the governance of public universities in this State to require full undergraduate tuition waivers for the children of persons who died while employed full time by any public university or while on leave from full-time employment. Sets forth requirements relating to the full tuition waiver. Effective July 1, 2024.
Amends the Acupuncture Practice Act. Provides that none of the provisions of the Act shall prevent an unlicensed person from engaging in a standardized 5-needle protocol if the person satisfies specified conditions. Provides that the treatment utilizing the 5-needle protocol shall be limited to the insertion of disposable, sterile acupuncture needles into the ear and only in compliance with the 5-needle protocol. Provides that the application or insertion of needles anywhere else on the body of another person by a person shall be considered engaging in the practice of acupuncture without a license.
A Texas-based bus company is suing Chicago, alleging discrimination in a city ordinance that controls where buses can and can’t drop off passengers.
Wynne Transportation, which has brought migrants from Texas to Chicago, filed lawsuit in federal court in Chicago. The company says the city’s rules interfere with interstate commerce.
The mayor’s office said the city doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
The city ordinance seeks to govern how and where buses can stand. Violators risk a $3,000 fine or impoundment of the vehicle.
“No owner or operator of any intercity bus shall use any designated bus stop, bus stand or passenger loading/unloading zone, or any other location, for loading or unloading of passengers, luggage or other goods without first obtaining the approval of the Commissioner,” the ordinance reads.
The Supremacy Clause enables Congress to preempt state law. A state law is preempted if Congress: (1) enacts a statute with an express preemption provision; (2) determines that a field must be controlled by its exclusive governance; or (3) when the state law conflicts with federal law. […]
In Villas at Parkside Partners v. City of Farmers Branch, 726 F.3d 524 (5th Cir. 2013), an ordinance that required occupancy licenses before renting was deemed to infringe on Congress’s authority over the subject of immigration. The ordinance was seen as forcing undocumented aliens to relocate, which was considered as establishing the city’s own regulations on immigration. The court held that the criminal offense and penalty provisions of the city ordinance and its state judicial review process was preempted by federal immigration laws.
Similarly, the [Chicago] Ordinance is specifically designed to prevent entry of migrants into Chicago by placing stringent requirements and harsh punishments. Therefore, the City of Chicago is creating its own policy and regulations concerning immigration, and hence, violating the Supremacy Clause.
The Ordinance interferes with trips from points outside of Illinois, and hence, it is controlled by the Commerce Clause […]
A statute or ordinance that facially applies even-handedly to in-state and out-of- state market participants may violate the Commerce Clause if it burdens interstate commerce by impacting the out-of-state participants more than their in-state counterparts. […]
Similarly, the Ordinance targets the out-of-state unscheduled intercity buses. The stringent limits placed on these buses, coupled with harsh punishment for violation of the Ordinance, are designed to force Plaintiff to use subcontractors within the Chicago-Naperville- Joliet, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, instead of Texas transportation companies. […]
Additionally, a state law that has an extraterritorial effect violates the Commerce Clause. Therefore, under the Commerce Clause, a state law cannot have the practical effect of controlling conduct beyond the boundaries of the state. […]
The Ordinance punishes the transportation companies working with the State of Texas. Additionally, the Ordinance’s unreasonable permit procedures and its strict arrival time requirements dictate how the transportation companies should arrange their departure date and time in Texas and effectively prohibit cross-country travel. […]
Finally, a regulation cannot impose conditions hampering a right to pursue interstate commerce operations. … Similarly, the Ordinance is hampering Plaintiff’s right to pursue interstate commerce operations by inter alia: (1) creating strict permit procedures, which may result in 32 days delay of a trip; (2) prohibiting operation after business hours; (3) prohibiting operation during weekends; and (4) subjecting Plaintiff to significant fines and seizure of its buses for each violation of the Ordinance.
A. Violation of the Equal Protection rights based on the national origin, alienage, and race of Plaintiff’s passengers.
The Ordinance is intentionally discriminatory based on national origin, alienage, and race and fails the “strict scrutiny” test. Although it may be facially neutral, it has an adverse effect motivated by discriminatory animus and also was applied in an intentionally discriminatory manner. […]
The intentional discrimination is obvious from: (1) the City Council members’ proposed referendums on migrant issues; (2) the purported traffic rules that target only the migrant charter buses; and (3) comments from some city council members such as “[w]e need to set some ground rules on what is acceptable in our city, what we are willing to accept of our new guests, new arrivals.” […]
B. Violation of Plaintiff’s Equal Protection rights due to arbitrary classification.
The Ordinance treats similarly situated persons (bus companies and their passengers) differently. […]
The rules implementing the Ordinance classified the intercity buses into two categories of regularly scheduled and unscheduled intercity buses. The rules then placed stringent limits on the unscheduled intercity buses. The distinction between these two categories of buses is completely arbitrary and unreasonable.
The Ordinance violates the fundamental right of interstate travel of Plaintiff and its passengers. The Ordinance makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for Plaintiff to transport people across state lines from Texas to Chicago and even within Illinois.
An ordinance adopted by the governing body of a city must satisfy the same requirement of reasonableness that is applicable to statutes enacted by the General Assembly.
By classifying the intercity buses into two categories of regularly scheduled and unscheduled intercity buses, and then placing stringent limits on the unscheduled intercity buses, the Ordinance confers upon the scheduled buses a special benefit that is denied to the similarly situated unscheduled buses—by allowing the scheduled buses to operate absent the Ordinance’s burdensome restrictions. This violates the State’s constitutional prohibition on special legislation. […]
The Ordinance infringes on the fundamental right of travel, discriminates in favor of a select group and makes an arbitrary classification between regularly scheduled and unscheduled intercity buses. This violates the Illinois Constitution’s mandate that a general law should be made applicable to both groups.
The Ordinance on its face and/or as applied confers a special benefit or exclusive privilege on intercity buses with regularly scheduled service
* ICYMI: Chicago releases emails detailing unsanitary conditions at Pilsen migrant shelter, officials were aware of issues. WTTW…
-The shelter was put under scrutiny in December after 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero fell ill and later died at a hospital.
-Nearly two months before Martinez Rivero’s death, Ald. Nicole Lee sent an email to Johnson and top administration officials warning of the alleged conditions at the shelter.
-Despite the stated efforts in late October, complaints about unsanitary and overcrowded conditions from migrants and the volunteers serving them have persisted to the present day.
* Sun-Times | White Sox in ‘serious’ talks to build new stadium in South Loop’s ‘The 78’: The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which owns and financed Guaranteed Rate Field, has not yet been involved in the discussions, according to the authority’s CEO Frank Bilecki. At some point, the stadium authority would need to get involved in determining the future of Guaranteed Rate Field and possibly in building a new ballpark, if it is publicly funded.
* Bolts | How Illinois Housing Banishment Laws Push People into Homelessness and Prison : That’s why state police came calling in 2013. “You have to move, sir,” the officer repeated. “A day care moved [within] 500 feet.” Orr says he panicked and started calling around, trying to find a place to go. But each time he found an available apartment, police shot down the address saying it wasn’t compliant with Illinois’s dense web of housing restrictions.
Governor Pritzker will be at the Rochester Elementary School at 10 a.m. to celebrate Smart Start investments in early childhood education, and the Peoria Heights Grade School at 12:45. Click here to watch.
* BND | Under new owner, a metro-east manufacturer plans expansion to make electric car parts: Wieland Rolled Products North America, the German firm that owns the former ammunition manufacturer, unveiled plans for a $500 million modernization and expansion project so that it can increase production of copper and copper alloy parts for electric vehicles, charging stations and other renewable energy sources.
* AP | Freezing temperatures complicate Chicago’s struggles to house asylum-seekers: “The city’s favorite word for everything is ‘temporary,’” said Vianney Marzullo, a volunteer who has helped migrants staying at O’Hare International Airport. “It’s their new choice of Band-Aid word. Everything is temporary, temporary, temporary.”
* Sun-Times | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign returns contributions improperly accepted from city contractors: Records filed Tuesday with the Illinois State Board of Elections show Johnson’s campaign fund made refunds to many — but not all — of those people and companies between Nov. 9 and the end of the year. Among those who gave to the Friends of Brandon Johnson despite being city contractors are Michael Tadin Sr., who runs MAT Leasing Inc., and his son Michael Tadin Jr., who runs MAT Construction Leasing Inc.
* Crain’s | Bally’s seeks big change to casino hotel due to ‘unforeseen infrastructure issues’: City water pipes below the Chicago Tribune’s Freedom Center printing plant are forcing Bally’s to find a new location for 400 hotel rooms at the casino and entertainment complex it intends to build on the site, raising questions as to whether the gambling giant will need to clear another public review process and why city officials didn’t flag the problem before choosing Bally’s to run Chicago’s first casino.
* WTTW | Despite Decades of Cries for Help, Chicago Failed to Aid Blind Pedestrians. Now, City Wants Lengthy Timeline to Fix Problem: The Chicago Department of Transportation said it currently maintains 2,703 signalized intersections with pedestrian signals. In March 2022, CDOT told WTTW News it planned to install 150 APS during 2022 and 2023. But the agency only installed nine signals in 2022 — one of which was an upgrade to an existing signal — and 12 signals in 2023, bringing the total number of APS across the city to 45. CDOT said it has yet to determine how many APS it plans to install this year.
* WICS | Illinois State Museum to host “Latinos in Illinois and USA”: Join the ISM as we dive into the cultural history of Latine music in Illinois with Bilingual Chicago-based music journalist, Catalina Maria Johnson. She brings this rich history from the last several hundred years of music in the Latine U.S. to life during this lively virtual presentation.
