Tuesday, May 3, 2011 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
New Report Entitled “Investing in Illinois” Shines Light on Significant Economic Benefits of “Shovel-Ready” Wind Farms
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS –As many as 20,000 jobs would be created with the development of the 3,200 MW of utility-scale wind generation currently permitted in Illinois, according to a report from three leading wind energy organizations. The report—entitled “Investing in Illinois” and released by the Illinois Wind Energy Association (IWEA), American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), and Wind on the Wires (WOW) — is being released at a crucial time, as state lawmakers consider legislation to overhaul the state’s electric market. The study highlights why any major energy bill passed this year must include provisions that accelerate development in Illinois of clean, affordable, homegrown renewable energy.
Using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Job and Economic Development Impact model, the report finds that if all 3,200 MW of the current permitted wind projects were developed in Illinois, the state would likely:
· create over 19,000 new jobs in construction, manufacturing and maintenance;
· generate more than $930 million in construction wages and $34 million in annual operations and maintenance wages;
· produce over $32 million in annual local taxes, approximately 70 percent of which would go directly to local school districts;
· generate over $9 million in annual lease payments to Illinois farmers; and
· spur millions of dollars in orders for local supply chaincompanies working in tower and gear manufacturing, transportation, engineering and materials services.
* I’ll be putting up an automated news feed for the Rod Blagojevich trial in a day or so. I already designed it, but the guy who actually turns it into a program is out of town. Anyway, I was wondering…
* The Question: Your Blagojevich trial predictions? Explain fully, please.
* This morning’s coverage…
* Harris testimony: Blagojevich asked what he could get for Senate seat
* Judge rebukes Blagojevich defense during cross examination of first witness: A visibly agitated judge scolded Rod Blagojevich’s defense attorneys as they cross examined the first witness at the ousted Illinois governor’s retrial. U.S. District Judge James Zagel’s rebuke came after a Blagojevich attorney repeatedly tried to ask FBI agent Dan Cain how many hours of FBI wiretap recordings exist. Prosecutors objected to virtually every one of her dozen questions.
* Former Rod Blagojevich Chief-of-Staff John Harris Testifying Early in Retrial: Harris testified that Blagojevich was very concerned in 2008 with the size of his campaign fund because he had $1 million due in legal bills that he didn’t want made public. Harris said that the size of a campaign fund is generally seen to be an indicator of a politician’s strength. Blagojevich was also having trouble fundraising because of the rumors of legal troubles, Harris testified.
* The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce announced a proposal today for a $6.1 billion state borrowing plan. The four-year bond would be used to pay off past-due state bills to vendors.
Chamber President Gary Plummer said slow state payments “have created a tremendous financial hardship” for his members and is slowing economic recovery in the state of Illinois. Plummer said he estimated the bonds would carry a 6 percent interest race, but said it could end up being lower than that.
Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka issued a recent report claiming that the state will end the fiscal year with $8.3 billion in unpaid bills.
The Springfield area is represented by three Republican legislators who have all said they were highly skeptical of any borrowing plans.
“The Quinn Administration applauds the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce for its support of a plan to immediately pay past due bills by restructuring these debts at attractive interest rates. Today, the Chamber proposed a four-year, $6.1 billion bonding plan to pay off state debts.
“The Springfield Chamber - an established and experienced organization - whose goal is to stimulate the economy, agrees with the Quinn Administration that debt restructuring makes good business sense and is paramount to stabilizing the budget. We encourage those who have provided services to the state to come forward and urge legislators to support debt restructuring, a sound and reasonable step needed to return the state to solid financial footing.”
[ *** End Of Update 1 *** ]
* In other news, the Senate overwhelmingly rejected legislation this morning by Sen. Terry Link to shrink the number of local governments in Illinois. The bill was apparently modeled on the US government’s military base-closure commission. From the legislation’s synopsis…
Creates the Local Government Consolidation Commission Act. Establishes the Local Government Consolidation Commission to create a recommended list of units of local government to be abolished or consolidated. Provides that the Commission shall submit its recommended list to the General Assembly by no later than April 1, 2012. Sets forth the requirements for the recommended list. Provides that the General Assembly may disapprove the list of the Commission in whole, but may not disapprove of specific types of units of local government or specifically named units of local government on the list, within 30 calendar days after each chamber next convenes after the list is submitted to the General Assembly, by adoption of a resolution by a record vote of the majority of the members elected in each house. Provides that if the recommended list is not disapproved by the General Assembly within the time period for disapproval, then the Legislative Reference Bureau shall prepare for introduction a revisory bill effecting the changes in the statutes as may be necessary to conform the statutes to the changes in law made by the recommended list.
Just one Republican voted for the bill, Sen. Tom Johnson. Only 14 of 35 Democrats voted “Yes.” 30 members of both parties voted “No” and two went “Present.”
“I’m not opposed to good, efficient government that provides service to the community,” Link said. “But Illinois has too many units of government many of which can levy taxes on their citizens. Today, local government lobbyists won in their effort to ensure that Illinois has more government than any other state in the union. While they celebrate, I intend on going back to the drawing board to continue my efforts in reducing inefficiencies.”
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* Gov. Pat Quinn has been coy about what he thought about the concealed carry bill, fending off reporters’ questions by saying he didn’t want to take a stand on the legislation until it got to him…
Gov. Pat Quinn has indicated his opposition to concealed-carry in the past (as has Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel), but Quinn recently issued a statement saying he’d give the proposal “the thorough review it deserves should it arrive on (his) desk.”
* Well, that all changed today when he told reporters that he was opposed to the bill and would veto it if it passed both chambers. Quinn said he appointed an anti-violence commission last year and said it unanimously recommended that he oppose the legislation.
Quinn repeatedly used the “concealed, loaded handguns” phrasing that seemed to poll so well earlier this spring. From that poll, which was commissioned by the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. Statewide opposition jumped from 56 percent to 65 percent when the phrase “concealed, loaded handguns” was included in the question.
The governor said he would also oppose a “two-tiered system” that would allow concealed carry outside Chicago.
“I campaigned in the primary and the general election against allowing private citizens to carry loaded, concealed handgun,” Quinn said. “It’s important that they defeat this bill,” he added.
A gubernatorial veto won’t mean a whole lot since the bill requires a three-fifths majority to pass anyway. But an active gubernatorial intervention could be crucial since the pro-concealed carry folks are just on the cusp of having enough votes.
* This is not a bad idea at all. The General Assembly has sent Gov. Pat Quinn a bill to allow museums and aquariums to stop giving free passes to out-of-staters…
The Illinois House passed a measure Thursday by a vote of 107-0, with one lawmaker voting present. It would bar non-Illinoisans from taking advantage of the 52 free days that museums and aquariums are required under state law to offer each year.
The measure could bring in $11 million for Chicago’s cultural institutions.
…Adding… Or maybe it isn’t a good idea. From Yellow Dog Democrat in comments…
The bill might save museum’s money, but the big trade-off is that you’ll also likely see a big drop in attendance, and dropping attendance from out-of-state visitors means a drop in significant tourism dollars.
For example, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Field Museum are pretty much day long affairs. Getting a couple and their two kids to spend an extra day and hotel night in Chicago so they can save $120 on admission to a museum is a VERY good deal.
Plus, the free days tend to be middle-of-the-week when museums are open but traffic is low.
* An e-mail message from the Illinois State Rifle Association…
We have good news and bad news regarding HB148, the 2011 Concealed Carry Bill.
The good news is that this year’s concealed carry bill enjoys broad bi-partisan support from around the state. The reason for this success is that the bill has been carefully crafted to address some legislators’ concerns about public safety while, at the same time, ensuring that the provisions of the bill will allow for citizens to protect themselves and their families from dangerous criminals. This bill has been so fine-tuned that there is absolutely no practical reason for anyone to oppose HB148.
The bad news is that the Chicago Gun Grabbing Machine has switched into overdrive in its efforts to kill off H148 so that you and your family remain defenseless against muggers, murderers, robbers and rapists. The gun control movement is using threats, intimidation and outright lies in its attempt to coerce members of the House of Representatives to vote against HB148.
I’ve asked for details about the alleged “threats, intimidation and outright lies” by opponents, but I’m still awaiting a response.
…Adding… From the other side of the equation comes this e-mail…
Help Stop “Ticking Time Bomb” Gun Bill
Dear xxxxx,
HB 148, a dangerous gun bill that will allow mentally ill individuals to carry concealed, loaded guns in public, will be voted on this week by the Illinois House.
Please call your state Representative today and say VOTE NO on HB 148 - this dangerous bill will put Illinois lives at risk.
•Will medical pot smokers be allowed to take their medicine in public facilities, or will they need to stand 15 feet outside the doors as tobacco consumers are required to do?
•Will legalized medical pot be allowed inside junior high, high schools or college dorms?
•Will Illinois lawmakers authorize local law officials to ignore federal law concerning medical cannabis?
All they have to do is read Lang’s amendment and their questions would be answered. This ain’t brain surgery.
(2) Possessing cannabis, or otherwise engaging in the medical use of cannabis:
(A) in a school bus;
(B) on the grounds of any preschool or primary or secondary school; or
(C) in any correctional facility.
(3) Smoking cannabis:
(A) on any form of public transportation; or
(B) in any public place.
And the answer to the third question is in the preamble…
States are not required to enforce federal law or prosecute people for engaging in activities prohibited by federal law. Therefore, compliance with this act does not put the state of Illinois in violation of federal law.
A flooded Mississippi River has flowed over the top of a levee in southern Illinois.
Patti Thompson is spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. She says officials received a report that water was higher than the levee at Olive Branch in Alexander County.
Thompson didn’t know if anyone was hurt or property damaged, but she says it appears the water had begun backing off.
The Wabash River on the eastern border of Illinois was also flowing over a levee in Lawrence County. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the county.
* And despite what his press release said earlier today, Sen. Mark Kirk is now on a ground tour of Cairo. He didn’t just fly over. Good for him. A photo of Kirk in Cairo just after landing…
Kirk being briefed by Army Corps of Engineers, with the big Cairo sandboil in the background…
Checking out that big sinkhole…
*** UPDATE 2 *** Courtesy of Sen. Kirk, here’s the Birds Point levee, which was blown up by the Corps of Engineers last night…
* As of 9 o’clock this morning, the Ohio River was at 60.45 at Cairo. That’s down from 61.72 feet at its peak yesterday before that Missouri fuseplug levee was blown. Here’s the chart…
The previous Cairo record was was 59.5 feet. There’s still a ways to go before the river even gets that low. At least four more days, according to that chart.
* If you haven’t yet seen the video of the Missouri levee’s demolition, click here. Boom!
Missouri officials fought hard to stop the plan, filing court actions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Rep. Jo Anne Emerson, a Republican from nearby Cape Girardeau, stood beside Walsh as he announced his decision Monday, but she was clearly unhappy.
“We’re uprooting families that have been here six generations and you don’t even know if it’s going to work,” she said.
* A second blast at the southern end of the levee to allow outflow was delayed last night due to weather conditions.
Hardin County volunteers were sandbagging in Elizabethtown as the Ohio River keeps rising, a sheriff’s dispatcher said Monday night. There has been no mandatory evacuation order, but some residents are leaving, she added. Illinois 146 was still open in Elizabethtown.
Sandbagging occurred throughout low-lying areas of the city Monday, as well as along Possum Road just south of town. And officials were hopeful that this would keep the water at bay long enough for the river to crest and the flood to recede.
Hopes that the Wabash River had crested have proven premature. At Mt. Carmel, where flood stage is 19 feet, the Wabash was measured at 33.5 feet at 2 p.m. Monday and is expected to crest Thursday evening at 34.1 feet—just above the all-time record of 34 feet.
Downstream at New Harmony, Ind., where flood stage is 15 feet, the Wabash was measured at 23.29 feet at 4:30 p.m. Monday, with a crest of about 23.5 feet expected Tuesday evening.
And at Old Shawneetown, where flood stage is 33 feet, the Ohio River was measured at 54.86 feet at 4:30 p.m. Monday, with a crest of about 56 feet expected Wednesday evening.
Residents of Urbandale scrambled to gather be-longings and evacuate homes Monday as flash flooding overtook the small town that resides along the Ohio River be-tween Mound City and Cairo.
Sue Travis ran back and forth from her front door to her PT Cruiser, packing it with blankets and pillows, as water completely engulfed her backyard.
“None of this water was (here) at 9 this morning,” Travis said.
At the same time, Michael Woodworth was readying his family to evacuate to Anna. They had fled Cairo for Urban-dale last wee
The month of May has only just begun, but it’s already shaping up to be a wetter-than-normal one.
In fact, the first two days of the month may have already topped the monthly average for Southern Il-linois.
“So far, we’re four inches and counting,” meteorologist Rick Shanklin of the National Weather Service in Paducah said Monday afternoon. “Normal rainfall in May is 4.82 inches and we may exceed that before the end of (Monday). In two days, we’ve basically made our average for the month.”
Marty Nicholson with Alexander County’s emergency management office, said she hopes that the feds show up soon.
“There are so many costs right now. I just hope (we get) a federal disaster declaration to help pay for all of this,” she said.
Nicholson is quick to say that Alexander County is “already deep in debt” so it can’t pay for much. As the only paid employee in the county’s emergency management office, she said she’s taking time off from her other job to do her duty as emergency manager.
“I’m using my vacation days from the Cairo Police Department to be able to fight these floods,” she said.
Alexander County can’t even pay for meals for the emergency workers. Nicholson said volunteers are bringing in food.
“Ladies from the local churches down here are doing a fantastic job of feeding and taking care of us,” she said.
The Red Cross is still in need of volunteers to give any amount of time they can to assist with needs of flood victims. As area rivers continue to rise and rain continues to pelt Southern Illinois, many residents are forced to leave their homes and stay in emergency shelters.
Red Cross volunteer Linda Parker is coordinating volunteer efforts during the flooding. Both trained volunteers and “spontaneous” volunteers (who have not had Red Cross training) will be welcomed, she said. Those willing to serve are asked to call the Red Cross office at 618-529-1525.
State Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, said Quinn’s trip on Monday made up for hurt feelings from last week.
“It is important that the governor’s presence being made known in those areas where they are suffering the most,” Bost said.
Cairo Mayor Judson Childs said it was good to have Quinn and officers from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers standing behind him on Monday.
“I’m glad to look up at their faces,” Childs said. “When you have a team, when you are playing ball, you look around and you look for some support, and it makes you feel much better.”
* And Sen. Mark Kirk may be making the same mistake Quinn made last week by holding a presser in Marion and then flying over the real damage. From a press release…
Following a briefing by Illinois emergency management officials on Mississippi and Ohio River flooding, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) will hold a media availability at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday to discuss the need for federal assistance in flood-ravaged Southern Illinois towns. Senator Kirk also will take a helicopter tour of flooded Southern Illinois towns like Cairo
* Roundup…
* Ohio River Sets New Record, Mississippi Waters Still Rising
* Last week, the Department of Human Services told a House appropriations committee that it might have to close two state schools in Jacksonville for the blind and the deaf if the department had to cut an additional 6.5 percent from its budget. That claimed sparked outrage from Republicans on the committee, and now AFSCME has weighed in…
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said the agreement between the union and Gov. Pat Quinn prevents any facility closures or layoffs until after June 30, 2012, the end of AFSCME’s current contract.
“Our union reached a cost savings agreement with the Quinn administration that is very simple and clear,” said AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall. “We made concessions including deferred pay increases and unpaid furlough days and the state agreed there will be no layoffs, no facility closures through the end of (June, 2012). Any plan advanced to the contrary would be a direct violation of a collective bargaining agreement.”
“The General Assembly came to DHS and asked the agency to do a budget exercise related to what would happen if an additional 6.5 percent were to be cut from the governor’s proposed DHS budget,” said spokeswoman Stacey Solano. “The department would be forced with making the extremely tough decision of closing these schools, as well as moving approximately 6,400 individuals out of the Home Services program.”
But Solano said it was “just a budget exercise. As of today, there are funds in the line items for these schools in the budget.”
DHS has done this time and time again. They told human service providers in January, for instance, that they could face gigantic cuts, but then the budget office claimed it was all just an exercise. It would be helpful if everybody could ratchet down the rhetoric, including the GA, and focus instead on getting the job done.
“Every line item is on the table,” said state Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge. “There is limited money available. Everything is being reviewed for significant reductions.”
And Republican legislators who represent the two fairgrounds are, predictably, opposed…
State Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said the fair could give Illinoisans an in-state vacation option during a time of higher fuel costs.
“Given the economy, where people are less likely to be able to travel because of the gas prices, you’re taking an option away from people to take a little vacation,” Bomke said Monday. “It doesn’t surprise me that it might be considered. But it can’t be that much of a savings.”
State Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, who represents Du Quoin, said a battle over fair funding wouldn’t be a surprise.
“I’m going to fight for it, but I would say it’s a possibility,” Bost said.
More than a year after winning a landmark Illinois Supreme Court case that stripped a Downstate hospital of its property tax exemption, Illinois officials are seemingly stumped about what to do with their victory.
The Illinois Department of Revenue, which reviews requests for tax exemptions, hasn’t decided on a single hospital case since March 2010, when the state supreme court upheld a department decision depriving Provena Covenant Medical Center in Urbana of its property tax exemption for 2002 and following years. More than 95 hospital parcels await rulings on their status, according to documents provided by the department.
The Naperville-based Illinois Hospital Assn. has asked Revenue Director Brian Hamer to “hold off on denying property or sales tax exemptions,” according to a Jan. 26 letter to Mr. Hamer, a copy of which was obtained by Crain’s.
The association asked for the moratorium so that the two sides could “continue that dialogue in search of a mutually acceptable resolution,” according to the letter.
* Related…
* Quinn administration looks at options to pay Medicaid bills
* Senate may be roadblock for Quinn’s latest bill pay plan
* Nursing home residents protest proposed Medicaid cuts
* Another jobless summer for Illinois youth - Teens, whose unemployment in the state has reached a record high of 27.5 percent, tell officials about their need for summer jobs
* Gov. Quinn paid $42,300 in income taxes last year
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Grid Modernization will give customers new tools and options that can make a real difference in their monthly energy bills.
This is not guesswork or hyperbole. ComEd has been running field tests on customer benefits where real-time pricing and smart meters are available. Here’s what we found:
• Customers who participated in ComEd’s real-time pricing pilot program saved 10% in 2010 and 15% in 2009. Since the program began, 90% of customers have saved money.
• The savings extend across all demographic groups. Nine in 10 program participants aged 65 and over saved an average of nine percent off their electric bill.
• 70 percent of the 6,000 customers enrolled in dynamic pricing as part of the smart meter pilot have saved money.
• The lowest income group has the highest percentage of customers saving money. In the group earning less than $20,000, 78% of customers saved money under the pilot program, compared to 69% of customers in the highest income group.
It’s just another reason why grid modernization is an important part of Illinois’ future.
CAIRO, IL – With the serious threat of severe flooding looming and rain continuing to fall, state Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) is working with other local lawmakers state Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion), state Rep. Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro), state Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton) and state Sen. David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville) to encourage local residents to volunteer as the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers continue to rise.
“We are desperately looking for anybody who wants to help volunteer in Golconda, Shawneetown, Old Shawneetown, Harrisburg, Carmi, Brookport, Metropolis, Cairo, Karnak, Olive Branch, Thebes, Tamms, New Haven, Junction and Grand Tower,” Phelps said. “We will be down in Cairo today with the Governor, while the Army Corps of Engineers survey the situation. We need volunteers in these towns to continue sand bagging because the rivers are still rising.”
The Army Corps of Engineers is continuing work on the Birds Point levee in preparation of a possible blast to alleviate the strain the Ohio River is currently putting on the floodwall, a move that would spare the city of Cairo from being leveled. The Cairo floodwall can handle up to 64 feet of water; currently the water has risen to 61.05 feet as of this morning eclipsing the 1937 record of 59.5 feet. Sources expect the river to crest on Wednesday at 61.5 feet and stay at that level until Friday.
“We need help,” Bradley said. “There is no way to describe the amount of water we are already dealing with. This is a catastrophe and any and all help is needed.”
The state has already provided hundreds of thousands of sandbags to local communities and has ordered one million additional sandbags. Inmates at the Tamms, DuQuoin and Dixon Springs correctional facilities have filled more than 80,000 sandbags, while inmate crews have been assisting with sandbagging in several communities. Other resources coordinated by the state include portable toilets, bottled water, life vests for emergency workers, generators, trucks for transporting assets, pumps, hoses and light stands.
“We have neighbors who are hurting and need help,” Bost said. “We encourage everyone who is willing and able to volunteer tying, loading or stacking sandbags, or helping carry families’ possessions to dry land. Whether you can lend a hand to a neighbor across the street or across the county line – Southern Illinois needs to pull together.”
“I was pleased that the Mayor of Cairo [Judson Childs] took steps over the weekend to evacuate residents and protect their safety,” Forby said. “As water levels rise, cities near the river are facing some of the flood’s most devastating effects and they need the people of Southern Illinois to come together now, more than ever. I am encouraging all residents in the area to volunteer any way they can.”
“In times of crisis like this one, we often find that our fellow citizens rise up to help their neighbors,” Luechtefeld said. “I would encourage interested volunteers to contact their local ESDA officials and they will help coordinate your efforts.”
For more information, please contact Rep. Phelps’ constituent service office at (618) 253-4189 or reach out to the American Red Cross Little Egypt Network at (800) 272-2984.
As if it isn’t complicated enough to pass a workers’ compensation reform bill — what with unions, trial lawyers and the medical community so far allied against major changes — there’s also a noticeable schism within the business lobby about what to do and how far to go.
This schism isn’t new. In one way or another, the major business groups compete against each other for members and, therefore, tend to tout themselves as the true leaders over the others. That sometimes-friendly, sometimes-not rivalry intensified a bit since the Democrats won complete power in 2002.
The Illinois Manufacturers Association and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association both are run by political pragmatists who are far more interested in cutting a deal than taking shots. The National Federation of Independent Business is far more conservative, and the Illinois Chamber is sort of a hybrid of both.
The manufacturers group and retail merchants organization both have appeared to be more willing to work closely with the Democratic majority than their counterparts. And that’s been the case with the workers’ comp reform negotiations as well.
The Manufacturers Association, for its part, has been attempting to cajole and drag the governor and the Democratic legislative leaders as far as it can to its side. The association obviously is encouraged by the progress. But, so far, the effort hasn’t satisfied the Chamber, and the National Federation of Independent Business is nowhere near on board.
Greg Baise, the manufacturers group’s president, said last week he knows he still has a ways to go before he can get a deal. And, he warned, if the business community is sharply divided, then the bill likely will fail.
There’s no reason for Republicans to alienate the doctors at the Illinois State Medical Society and the Democrats to upset the trial lawyers and the unions if the reform legislation is decried as an empty sham.
That’s easier said than done, of course. But Baise believes, probably rightly, that Gov. Pat Quinn must take a far more forceful lead on the issue if it’s going to pass.
“The governor is the only person who can make this happen,” Baise said. Quinn, Baise said, needs to push this issue as far as he can toward the business’ side or “it won’t get done.”
Baise has been taking that message to newspaper editorial boards lately, so we probably can expect to hear more on this subject soon.
There are some areas of compromise emerging, however. A bill pushed by the Senate Republicans, which failed in mid-April, included a section that allows business owners to choose the doctors who will treat workers’ comp-related injuries. The Democrats claim this is a killer political issue they could use against the GOP if necessary. People want to choose their own doctors, so the issue can be framed in a highly negative way.
The House Republican leadership also is said to be against the proposal, and they’re actively looking for ways they can climb on board a reform bill without completely freaking out the doctors, who contribute a whole lot of money to their campaign coffers. This issue may be one way to get them to an agreement.
But the distance between the two sides on this subject is more like a chasm. They don’t even agree on what caused Illinois’ workers’ comp costs to soar. Six years ago, Illinois had the 20th-highest workers’ comp costs in the nation. By last year, it was the third highest.
Organized labor and the trial lawyers say the insurance industry is to blame for the high costs. The insurance companies, they claim, lost money in the Great Recession and stock market crash and are making it up by charging higher prices here.
The business groups say insurance companies are very competitive in this state and operate under low profit margins. Plus, why are our costs going up so fast and other states aren’t?
That’s a good point. Instead, they say, medical prices have been allowed to skyrocket and none of the big reforms they wanted six years ago were implemented.
With the big recent blowup over whether Caterpillar would leave the state or not, workers’ comp has become a very high priority issue in the General Assembly. Legislators in both parties understand that something has to be done.
But actually getting it done is a whole lot more difficult than it looks on the outside.
* Related and a roundup…
* No deal imminent on workers’ comp: Baise said that’s one of the issues under discussion and the debate centers on “what level of causation” would be acceptable to all the parties. He noted that other states have good workers’ compensation systems that have settled that issue and wonders why Quinn hasn’t used his influence to get that done here.
*** UPDATE 1 - 1:26 pm *** Two sources just said that Gen. Walsh told top state officials this afternoon that the Missouri fuseplug levee will likely be blown by midnight. We’ll see.
*** UPDATE 2 - 1:50 pm *** I’m told that Rep. Brandon Phelps and Sen. Gary Forby both met personally with Gen. Walsh this afternoon on behalf of their district to plead with him to blow that Missouri fuseplug levee today or tonight.
Maj. Gen Michael J. Walsh, President of the Mississippi River Commission, will announce his decision regarding operation of the Floodway at a press conference at 5 p.m. today (May 2) at the Checkpoint on the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway levee road. A represent from COL Reichling’s staff will also be present to answer questions.
*** UPDATE 4 - 3:43 pm *** Video from today’s press conference featuring Gov. Quinn and others…
*** UPDATE 5 - 4:31 pm *** Aerial video of the flood zones…
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* A frustrated, exhausted state Rep. John Bradley just called with a plea to the Army Corps of Engineers: “It’s time to blow the levee” in Missouri to relieve severe flooding pressure on Illinois.
Bradley said he’s been participating in sandbagging all weekend, but things are getting worse. “We can’t pump water out fast enough. It’s going over the sandbags,” he said. “Even a foot of relief would make all the difference in these towns,” he said.
Old Shawneetown, Olive Branch, Tamms, Grand Tower and Junction are just some of the towns that Bradley said are in serious trouble right now. “We haven’t lost Cairo yet,” he said, “but we’re losing these towns around it.”
Bradley also said that the water is rising in and around larger towns like Metropolis, Harrisburg and Carmi.
“It’s time to blow that levee,” Bradley said. “Let’s quit waiting.”
* Major General Walsh with the Army Corps of Engineers is in Cairo right now meeting with the governor.
But Rep. Bradley is clearly frustrated with all the talk about doing something and now wants some action. He certainly has a point. As of noon today, the Ohio River was at 61.15 feet at Cairo. The previous record was 59.5 feet. Have a look…
* I’ve avoided doing this since we’re a state blog, but my mom just sent me an e-mail and, as is usually the case, I think she might be right…
I know it’s not usual for your blog, but I think you should have a post about Illinois citizens’ reaction to the killing of bin Laden or some such thing
Have at it, but I will impose one rule: Absolutely no partisan bickering. Thanks.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Statement from Jonathon Monken, State Homeland Security Advisor…
As the State Homeland Security Advisor to Governor Quinn, I have been in contact with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding the death of Osama bin Laden. At this time, we are working closely with the State Terrorism and Intelligence Center (STIC) as intelligence experts there collect and disseminate information to our state and local law enforcement partners regarding this event. I am also in close communications with the Illinois State Police.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has indicated that it does not intend to issue a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) at this time. While our country remains at a heightened state of vigilance, we do not want the public to be alarmed.
As always, it is important for people to remain vigilant, be aware of situations taking place around them and report anything that appears suspicious to local law enforcement agencies.
A number of precautions have been taken, including having all police personnel in uniform. Key personnel with the Fire Department and Department of Aviation have also been notified to “remain vigilant,” the release said.
In addition, OEMC personnel have been actively monitoring cameras citywide, including those in the Operation Virtual Shield surveillance network with special emphasis on critical infrastructure. Those employees are also in contact with the police Crime Prevention Information Center to monitor cameras and share information.
City officials have also been in contact with the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, as well as federal and state law enforcement officials to share and distribute information, the release said.
Illinois can more than double its renewable energy capacity by developing its permitted “ready for construction” wind projects, but the narrow scope of the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) makes it extremely difficult to build new wind farms.
In the absence of any 2011 RPS revisions, Illinois is poised to lose these projects along with thousands of jobs.
In order for the state to be competitive and reap wind energy’s full benefits, the Illinois legislature must include renewable provisions in the state’s 2011 energy bill.
These provisions are two-fold:
1. Incentivize local economic development
2. Create a stable financial structure that guarantees long-term contracts for wind power
Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan said [Saturday] that he isn’t ruling out the possibility of cutting Chicago and other cities’ share of income taxes as part of a state budget plan. […]
The Tribune disclosed Quinn’s office was looking at suspending the nearly $100 million a month in payments the state makes to cities across Illinois in an effort to pressure reluctant lawmakers to support a borrowing plan to pay some long overdue bills.
“I’ve committed to Gov. Quinn that I’m going to work with the governor in terms of adopting a balanced budget and so my commitment is to work with the governor,” Madigan said.
“In the majority of states across the nation it has happened where local governments have been called upon to sacrifice also,” he said. “So it’s not out of line to ask local governments to share the sacrifice. So that’s why I would say my plan is to work with the governor.”
* The Question: Should the state significantly cut funding (let’s say, at least a third) to local governments to help balance the budget? Take the poll and the explain your answer in comments.
* The Lake County Sheriff has long been a lightning rod on the immigration issue. For instance, here’s a story from 2008…
Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran on Thursday released the results of an audit that showed a fifth of his jail population is undocumented and pressed for the power to deport them.
In the process, he took shots at Cook County, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and politicians in Springfield and Washington for not doing the same.
“The city of Chicago as well as the state of Illinois have shown little interest in cooperating with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” Curran said. Later, he added: “Throw the bums out of Springfield and Washington but treat the illegal immigrants with love and respect.”
A churchful of activists seeking state laws to protect undocumented immigrants got a boost from an unlikely source Saturday when Republican Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran told them he had seen the errors of his former pro-deportation stand.
“I was on the other side of this issue, so in essence, a persecutor at one time,” Curran told thousands of activists at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church in West Lawn, standing with House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton.
“I cannot think, in good conscience, that breaking up families is something that God is going to look favorably upon in America if we continue to go down that route,” he said as protestors erupted in applause. “My confirmation name as a Catholic is Paul. St. Paul was a persecutor at one point. There was a conversion story. We can stop this silliness of deporting people, breaking up families, and then claiming that we’re ‘pro-family.’ ”
The event was held in the home turf of Madigan, who years ago refused to meet with some of these activists.
But on Saturday, Madigan told them he was on-board with their main requests, and they in turn praised him for his support and help in killing 14 “anti-immigrant” bills that have come up in the state legislature.
“We know that if we work together there will be a fair remap for the state of Illinois and we know that if we work together there will be an Illinois Dream Act,” the Speaker of the House said to raucous cheers.
“Everybody in America came from somewhere else. My family came from Ireland many, many years ago,”
He and Cullerton gave favorable forecasts for passage of the state’s Dream Act, which would create a commission funneling private scholarships to children of undocumented immigrants who were educated here. Efforts for a similar federal law, giving citizenship to foreign-born students who attend college or serve in the military, have failed.
Madigan’s ward is seriously Latino these days and so is his House district. So, it makes sense for him to reach out to those he formerly snubbed. As the video shows, the crowd ate it up.
*** UPDATE *** Blagojevich’s defense lawyers have made a motion to scrap jury selection and start all over because of “overwhelming bias.” Natasha Korecki Tweeted U.S. District Judge James Zagel’s response…
judge says if jury pool is tainted, it’s b/c ex-gov wouldn’t shut up.
Heh.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* It turns out that the Illinois State Police was secretly working with the FBI in the days leading up to Rod Blagojevich’s arrest. Blagojevich had ordered that his campaign office be swept for bugs. But the Sun-Times reveals today that the coppers faked the sweep and told Blagojevich no bugs existed in order to deliberately hide the FBI’s snooping…
The revelation appeared to stun Rod and Patti Blagojevich in a recent interview.
“Wow,” Rod Blagojevich said, describing his State Police security detail as “quasi-family.” […]
In an interview, Blagojevich said he regretted naming [Illinois State Police Director Larry Trent, who worked closely with the FBI]. He distanced himself from the bug sweeps, saying he didn’t order them himself, adding: “They were routine.”
Yeah. Sweeping the governor’s campaign office for listening devices is “routine” in a year when he’s not campaigning. Sure.
More…
[Former ISP Director Terry Gainer] said the fact Blagojevich seemed surprised at the State Police’s role in the federal probe showed a distorted view of what the law-enforcement agency’s purpose really is all about.
“That’s where some elected leaders get it wrong. You are not loyal to the person. You are loyal to the office,” Gainer said. “Again, policemen are supposed to remember they took that oath and put the badge on. You don’t owe blind allegiance to those elected officials.”
The lawyers clashed briefly over Juror 213, an African-American woman whom Zagel wound up cutting because she was busy trying to run a medical transport company and has two sons with felony convictions whom she is trying to keep out of further trouble.
Blagojevich’s attorney, Sheldon Sorosky, grew upset because the woman was only one of two prospective jurors to note on written questionnaires that Blagojevich was innocent until proven guilty. Sorosky said he thought maybe the government was fearful of that opinion and pointed out the woman was a “person of color.”
Assistant U.S. Atty. Reid Schar reacted strongly to any insinuation that race was a factor in the selection process.
“I don’t know what it is with Mr. Sorosky today, but the attacks on the government aren’t getting us anywhere,” Schar said.
Zagel said he did not believe race was a factor in the government’s request that the woman be bounced by the judge.
After the government asked Zagel to dismiss an unemployed man who said he spends his days watching reruns of “The Beverly Hillbillies” and who struggled to express himself during his interview, defense attorney Sheldon Sorosky bristled.
“Maybe he didn’t speak King’s English . . . but we would be developing a class standard if we don’t let him serve,” Sorosky said. He added that prosecutors seemed to want only people who could “be depicted in a Norman Rockwell painting” as jurors.
Dropping his characteristic formality, prosecutor Reid Schar turned to Sorosky and said angrily, “Shelly, go ahead and argue your point but don’t misinterpret what I’m saying.”
In the end, Zagel dismissed the man on the grounds that he “seems to be entirely detached from reality.”
CAIRO – Governor Pat Quinn will give an update on flood response in Southern Illinois.
WHO: Governor Quinn
Federal, State and Local Officials
WHEN: Media advised to arrive at 11:15 a.m.
Briefing scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.
Directions: I-57 South. Use Exit 1 to reach US 51 South. Checkpoint is located on Rt. 51, just north of entrance to City of Cairo. Press must present credentials to Illinois State Police at checkpoint and further guidance will be provided.
* Rivers rise, residents sweat - Army Corps of Engineers preparing to blow Missouri levee after the U.S. Supreme Court decided to not hear Missouri’s appeal on the matter
Situated in a cornfield east of the intersection of U.S. 47 and Illinois 113 in Grundy County is the point referred to by the census as the Mean Center of Population for Illinois.
The coordinates are calculated as the place where an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of Illinois would balance perfectly if all its residents were of identical weight. […]
“Somewhere close to half the population of the state is within 40 miles of The Loop,” Illinois State University geography professor Mike Sublett said.
This actually isn’t “new” news. The state’s population center has been in Grundy for the past twenty years. In fact, the population center actually moved a tiny bit south in the most recent census.
* Meanwhile, I defended Rod Blagojevich for years for not living in Springfield. I have no regrets about that because I also criticized him for not showing up for session days. And, here we go again…
Since his inauguration for a full term Jan. 10, Gov. Pat Quinn has spent 12 days in Springfield, according to a review of his publicly released schedule.
Counting days Quinn spent partially in the capital city raises the number to 24, according to the governor’s staff, which also reviewed his private schedule.
The Executive Mansion is not the White House. There is no requirement or even established tradition that he should live there, the whining from Springfield types notwithstanding. As the top story clearly shows, most of Illinois lives in the Chicago media market. Population trumps geography any day in my book. I really don’t care how many days the governor spends in Springfield as long as he gets the job done. By the end of the session, we’ll have a good idea if he cleared that particular hurdle.
However, the governor has said time and time again that he “lives” at the mansion. That’s obviously not true, so this SJ-R story is a legit little gotcha.
Quinn spokeswoman Mica Matsoff responded that “when the General Assembly is in Springfield, so is the governor.”
Not true. The GA has been in session more than 24 days since Quinn was inaugurated. They surpassed 24 session days back in March.
“I live at the mansion,” “I’m there whenever the Legislature is in town,” “I won’t support any tax increase above 1 percentage point,” “I’m for the death penalty,” “My helicopter couldn’t land in Cairo.” These things do add up.
