* We may have a light week next week here at the ol’ blog because of the legislative break. We’ll see how it goes and what I feel like doing. In the meantime, Lucinda Williams will play us out. Turn it up…
But you got yourself into this mess and there’s nothing I can do
* Senate President John Cullerton called on the Senate Republicans to put their budget proposals into bill form soon, saying his side of the aisle was preparing to do just that in early May. Cullerton said the Senate appropriations committees will be considering amendments and invited the Republicans to offer their own proposals, digging at them a bit for holding press conferences about their budget cuts without introducing any actual legislation. Ironically enough, he said all this during a planned media availability.
“We’re going to go to the Reference Bureau, not the Blue room… and we’re going to vote on bills,” Cullerton said, adding, “I think they proposed cuts in education of something like $750 million. So, go to the Reference Bureau and get their amendment to cut the education budget by $750 million and let’s debate it.” Watch…
* Cullerton also said he was “surprised and disappointed” that Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno wants to sit down over the next two weeks “to meet on an agreed-upon budget.” He said he’d meet with her, but he called it an “odd request,” considering that the committees will be considering legislation to deal with the budget.
“We will offer our amendments, we’ll urge them to vote for it. If they don’t think that we’re cutting enough, they can introduce their own amendments and then we can take votes on cutting some more.” Watch….
Radogno said she was wary about offering up her amendments because she figures the amendments would die in committee and there would be no floor votes on her members’ ideas.
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* Meanwhile, you probably already know that a Republican-backed worker’s compensation reform bill went down in defeat yesterday…
The Illinois Senate killed a bill late Thursday evening that would have dramatically overhauled the state’s workers’ compensation system – a system that all parties agree is rife with fraud and abuse. […]
[GOP Sen. Kyle McCarter’s] legislation, Senate Bill 1349, would have reduced the medical fee schedule for workers’ compensation procedures by 30 percent, given employers the right to choose an employee’s doctors and course of treatment for the first 60 days, adopted American Medical Association guidelines for determining impairment and required that the workplace be the primary cause of the injury – a principle known as causation.
Causation was the sticking point for Senate Republicans and the business community.
“If causation is not part of it (reform), it’s likely it will not be strong enough to make a difference,” Sen. David Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, said. […]
“I don’t want to pass a bill that will lead to more litigation, not less litigation – that’s not going to save anybody any money,” said Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago.
Most Democrats voted “Present.” The media take-aways is they did so to avoid being accused of voting against reform. Likely true, but it’s also a way to show that they’re not completely opposed to working with the Republicans. Sort of a legislative courtesy, I suppose you could say.
Among the stumbling blocks was disagreement over whether injured employees should be required to prove their injuries occurred at the workplace.
While GOP lawmakers argued it would crack down on fraud, Democrats said the clause would allow business owners to challenge claims and limit workers from collecting payments. […]
But Democrats and labor groups complained employees would lose the right to choose their own doctor. They said it also would prohibit many workers from receiving benefits.
Laborer’s International Union officials said the proposal would result in injured workers receiving less medical care and less money to live on while they recover.
Unions, trial lawyers and the docs were against it, so it went down. Not much of a surprise.
Chicago-area officials say the bill could cost them hundreds of millions, and maybe billions, of dollars a year. But the measure involved, S.B. 2194, nonetheless passed its first test at midday Friday, clearing the Illinois Senate with three votes to spare and heading to an uncertain fate in the House.
Technically, all the bill, sponsored by Sens. Toi Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields, and Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, would do is force the Illinois Department of Revenue to collect sales taxes based on one and only one factor: the location at which the item is purchased.
But local officials including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin and, reportedly, Mayor Richard M. Daley are telling lawmakers that the bill would do far more, threatening their ability to provide services.
For instance, according to an analysis circulated by the Regional Transportation Authority, the bill would allow most any firm to set up a satellite office in a low- or no-tax county, and route all its orders there via computer, even if the item is delivered and used in a higher-tax area, like Chicago or Cook County.
* Related…
* Naperville leaders pleased with workers’ comp reform efforts
* Gov. Pat Quinn spoke at a recent function for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. During his remarks, Quinn talked about his election, saying of his former opponent Bill Brady: “If I wasn’t here we’d have Scott Walker on steroids as our governor.” Watch…
* The Question: Should Gov. Quinn start toning down the rhetoric against Gov. Walker and others, or should he continue full speed ahead? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please. Thanks.
A young, once rising figure in the Illinois Republican party has quit the committee that runs the state party after the Sun-Times revealed the man’s ties to an Outlaw motorcycle gang member and a convicted wholesale drug dealer.
Craig Pesek, 34, is a key supporter and adviser to Cicero Town President Larry Dominick and a consultant to the town. A high school graduate who has managed a hot dog stand and a nightclub, Pesek was hired to oversee economic development in town and major building projects there.
Pesek and his older brother Jeff, 38, were caught on FBI surveillance in 2007 talking with Mark Polchan, an Outlaw motorcycle gang member, about Polchan’s fear he would be arrested for a mob-ordered bombing and whether the Peseks would post bond for him.
Last year, at Polchan’s federal criminal trial, a convicted drug dealer, Enrique “Henry” Rendon, testified that he was a silent investor in the Chicago nightclub, Ontourage. Craig Pesek is listed as the sole owner of the nightclub. Jeff Pesek testified under a grant of immunity from prosecution at Polchan’s trial that there were other people who helped Craig Pesek out with the club at the start, but that Craig Pesek never declared them as investors with the City of Chicago. […]
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady said Craig Pesek had done “nothing wrong” but that Pesek offered his resignation Thursday from his seat on the state central committee representing the 4th Congressional District to avoid creating distractions for the party.
Perhaps Brady shouldn’t have been so quick to say that Pesek had done “nothing wrong.” That could come back to bite him.
The resignation of Craig Pesek as GOP State Central Committeeman (3rd Dist.) is yet another example of the decay in the Cook County GOP which could not win even one aldermanic seat, the governor’s race, or any state rep/senate seats in Cook County that matter.
Embarrassing allegations about Craig Pesek lend yet even more credence to the argument for direct election of GOP State Central Committee members. Conservatives and Tea Party members need to use this embarrassment as a clarion call for even greater hands-on action at the grass root level to elect candidates we can be proud of.
“The irony of Mr. Peraica’s comment is that he took tens of thousands of dollars of campaign contributions from Craig Pesek, hosted campaign events at Mr. Pesek’s night club, introduced Mr. Pesek to Republican Party leaders, and then fought tooth and nail to ensure that Mr. Pesek won a seat on the State Central Committee. If Republicans are embarrassed over these recent allegations, they should call Tony Peraica and thank him.”
Oof.
* But Peraica isn’t the only one complaining about the Republican Party these days. So is former Chicago Ald. Brian Doherty…
“They didn’t offer any assistance to us at all, I think shows very poorly on the Republican leadership in the state level, county level,” Doherty said Wednesday.
Doherty said party officials did not return phone calls during the campaign, but the heads of the state and county parties said Wednesday they never got those calls.
“We think it’s important that we do field candidates in these city council races, and we need more Republican representation on the city council,” said Pat Brady, chair of the Illinois GOP. “And that’s what we’re working towards.”
As for resources, Brady said there is only so much money to go around. […]
The head of the Cook County Republican Party, Lee Roupas, noted that his group did get involved in a different aldermanic race. Roupas said it donated $500 and recruited volunteers for 45th Ward candidate John Garrido. Garrido ended up losing by fewer than 30 votes.
* As for Peraica’s call for the passage of legislation to provide for the direct election of state central committee members, the bill passed the Senate the other day on a unanimous roll call. It’s passed the Senate before, but was held up in the House, where House Republican Leader Tom Cross is opposed. Democratic Rep. Lou Lang has picked up sponsorship.
* The accidental nature of former Sun-Times Chairman James Tyree’s death was not exactly played up in the media coverage. But the medical mistake was apparently serious enough to result in a threat from the federal government…
A threat by federal officials to end the University of Chicago Medical Center’s participation in Medicare after the death of Sun-Times Media Holdings Chairman James Tyree was dropped Thursday after a follow-up investigation found that problems identified at the hospital had been resolved.
In a public notice issued this week, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) warned the hospital it would no longer make Medicare payments for inpatient services after April 28 because an investigation found “deficiencies . . . so serious they constitute an immediate threat to patient health and safety.”
The notice did not specify what prompted the investigation by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Joint Commission, but sources said it was Tyree’s March 16 death at the hospital of an air embolism during removal of a dialysis catheter.
The investigation “pointed to the issue of training of individuals performing these [catheter] procedures,” CMS spokeswoman Elizabeth Surgener said. “When we looked into that, we found a lack of documentation of training in accordance with hospital policy.”
* Tyree died after an air bubble got into his bloodstream when a dialysis catheter was removed. This sort of mistake is classified as a “never event” by Medicare. But the hospital has apparently addressed the problem…
The U. of C. said it received a notice today that the medical center’s “participation in the Medicare program remains intact” after submitting a “thorough plan of correction to demonstrate continued and sustained compliance with the Medicare conditions of participation.”
Most health facilities that face the loss of Medicare funding eventually address government inquiries before funding is stripped.
Nevertheless, the government’s move shows the increasing seriousness those who pay for health care place on the quality of medical care. The error at the U. of C. that contributed to Tyree’s death falls into a category known as a “never event,” which means it is a preventable situation. […]
“Documentation, which was at the center of the investigation, has been improved and centralized,” the medical center said in today’s statement. “The investigations confirmed that all related personnel have appropriate training, experience, competency and credentialing.”
First, the Canadian man made sure the death penalty had been abolished in Illinois. Then he bugged his victim’s vehicle before tracking her down and shooting her to death. Then he turned himself in. […]
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said Smirnov shot the Westmont woman several times in the head and body as she left her office at 122 W. 22nd St. At one point during the shooting, Berlin said, Smirnov reloaded his .40-caliber handgun and kept firing.
“Clearly, it was premeditated,” Berlin said, calling the fatal shooting a “gut-wrenching, senseless crime.” […]
Berlin said that before the defendant’s return to Illinois, he had researched the death penalty and learned it was recently abolished here. He said Smirnov came back to the area with a “preconceived plan to take life.”
Vesel, 36, and Smirnov, who had once served in the Canadian military, had met through an online dating service in 2008, Berlin said, and Smirnov moved to the Chicago area to begin seeing her. But, after what Berlin called a “brief relationship,” Vesel resumed dating a previous boyfriend, the prosecutor said.
Smirnov returned to Canada but began harassing Vesel, who was living in Berwyn, by phone and the Internet, Berlin said. In 2009, Vesel filed a complaint with the Berwyn Police Department stating that Smirnov had threatened to harm her. She did not file for orders of protection in Cook or DuPage counties, Berlin said.
* I called State’s Attorney Robert Berlin this morning with a question. Did Smirnov decide to murder that poor woman before or after he’d researched whether Illinois had a death penalty?
Berlin said he didn’t yet know whether that was the case, but said an analysis of the alleged gunman’s computer will likely provide some answers. “I’m sure it will give us a lot more information.”
“Make sure Pat Quinn gets a copy of this story,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said Thursday, reacting to Smirnov’s death penalty research. Berlin, a strong advocate of capital punishment, is an outspoken critic of the governor’s recent decision to abolish the death penalty in Illinois.
State’s Attorney Berlin said today that the comment came after the press conference had ended, and that while he didn’t regret saying it, he should’ve said “Governor Quinn.”
“The point I wanted to make,” Berlin said, “is that I want the governor and the General Assembly to be aware of the facts of the case.” Berlin says the state has debated back and forth for years about whether the death penalty is or is not a deterrent to crime. “I think this case proves that it is a deterrent,” he said.
“I do think there’s a good chance that if we still had the death penalty that this victim might still be alive. [Smirnov] might not have gone through with his plan,” Berlin said. Asked, however, if Smirnov had made any direct statements to that effect, Berlin said Smirnov hadn’t specifically said it.
* Obviously, this is a horrible turn of events. We might want to let this play out a little while before we jump to too many conclusions here. And this Smirnov guy is obviously quite disturbed. I can, however, certainly understand Berlin’s frustration and anger with the new law abolishing the death penalty. This is just an awful thing to happen.
So, everybody needs to take a very deep breath before commenting, please. Just because the media is screaming doesn’t mean we have to as well. Thanks.
*** UPDATE *** DuPage state Sen. Kirk Dillard is the first out of the legislative gate to use the case to argue that his colleagues need to at least partially reinstate the death penalty…
Dillard said the state needs to reinstate the death penalty for the “worst of the worst,” which he said were serial killers, murderers of children and people who murder witnesses to crimes.
Dillard specifically mentioned the case of Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville as a reason for the death penalty to be revived. In July 2009, Brian Dugan pleaded guilty to fatally bludgeoning Jeanine on Feb. 25, 1983, after kidnapping her from her home on a day she stayed home sick from school. A jury later sentenced him to death.
This came years after two other men were convicted of Nicarico’s murder, then later cleared. These wrongful convictions became a significant part of the argument in whether to repeal the death penalty.
Dugan already was serving life prison terms for the 1984 murder of Donna Schnorr of Geneva and the 1985 slaying of 7-year-old Melissa Ackerman of Somonauk.
* Wisconsin and other states really ought to take heed…
Illinois teachers unions have numbers and money that translate into influence at the state Capitol, but they’re still agreeing to major concessions on job security and strikes under legislation approved Thursday by the state Senate.
While union leaders said they were driven by what’s best for kids, they also acknowledge watching high-profile fights over public employee rights in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana.
“It made all the parties more cognizant that everyone was going to have to come away with less than their ideal on some issues,” IEA President Ken Swanson said Thursday. “But at the end of the day, this thing was too important to not come to agreement.”
The Senate showed yesterday that there are real paths to reform which do not require unilateral, partisan, mean-spirited attacks on school teachers. We can only hope that this approach will be applied to the other searing issues facing the General Assembly this year.
But the legislation still must pass muster in the House, where Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) advocated in the late 1990s for the outright elimination of teacher tenure and has bottled up attempts to allow teachers to take tenure from job to job as Lightford’s bill allows.
“For my part, I wasn’t willing to agree that this was the version that wouldn’t have any changes. That would be disingenuous,” said Rep. Roger Eddy (R-Hutsonville), a House GOP point person on education.
State Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, the House GOP’s point person on education, and House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, both praised the Senate bill, but they also said it is unlikely that the House will rubber-stamp the Senate’s version.
“There are two chambers for a reason,” Currie said. “We, of course, will have our own ideas, but I think a lot of what I’ve read about what they plan to do sounds very much in keeping with our own agenda.”
“To expect everyone to summarily agree with something they haven’t read yet, that’s not how this process works,” Eddy said.
However, he added, “this bill, in many ways, achieves the goals that we all had when we started this process in the House (last year).”
Currie said Democrats have resisted some provisions in the bill before. But she also said she hopes changes made in the House “would not so upset the apple cart that we end up with nothing.”
* A unanimous vote in one chamber (in this case, the Senate) offers no guarantee of success in the other chamber. We’ve all seen 59-0 Senate bills fail in the House, and vice-versa. But this is a big deal, not some little “merely” bill, and there is clearly some serious momentum behind this legislation. For instance…
Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel said he is pleased with the new reforms because it puts the Chicago Public School students on what he calls a level playing field. Emanuel said he campaigned on the components of the bill so he is relieved state legislators worked together to achieve a common goal.
“Like the police and fire, we will now have responsibility as teachers to provide essential services that make sure to raise the threshold,” Emanuel said.
“The kids in the state of Illinois — the entire state of Illinois — have a chance to get a better education because of this bill,” added Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, who predicted the legislation would help school boards save money and make sure the “better teachers stay and the lesser teachers go.” […]
“The reforms in this bill put Illinois at the head of the class nationally,” said Jessica Handy, policy director of Stand for Children. “Any one of these changes alone would be significant. Together they are monumental.”
When you get Matt Murphy, the Chicago Teachers Union and Stand for Children on the same page, you’ve truly accomplished something.
* The winner of yesterday’s caption contest is an anonymous commenter who contributed this gem…
Our next project is torte reform.
Perfect.
I’m going to have to trust whomever e-mails me to identify myself, but I think I can figure a way to verify the person’s identity. If you want that free lunch at Hickory River Smokehouse, with drinks thrown in by Greg Baise, send me an e-mail using one of the “contact” links on this page. Thanks and congrats. There were a whole lot of funny comments yesterday, by the way. Good job.
*** UPDATE *** OK, well, the winner lives in Chicago and he asked that I award the prize to someone else. Small Town Liberal…
These three may have moved slow, but it was only because these three didn’t have to move for anybody.
“This measure is in response to a case where an individual who was taking drugs with a friend and the friend began to overdose,” Silverstein said. “The friend died because that individual was too afraid to call for emergency assistance because they would go to jail for having drugs.”
Senate Bill 1701 provides immunity from prosecution for an individual found to possess drugs as a result of the individual seeking medical help for an overdose. Immunity depends on the amount of drugs found on the individual and is only granted to first time offenders. These safeguards will ensure that drug dealers cannot use this law to escape prosecution.
“This bill does not let the bad guys go, and immunity does not apply to every individual,” Silverstein continued. “But, we do not want to lose someone we love who made a bad decision that caused them to fear seeking help.”
The immunity only applies to relatively small amounts of drugs. A dealer wouldn’t get the immunity, but an overdosing user would. The first time offenders limitation is a problem, in my opinion, but it ain’t easy passing bills like this, so we have to take what we can get.
* State law requires that the Illinois State Board of Education take action when local school districts have been on academic watch lists for more than three years. The state board can remove local school board members, fire staff, etc. But a new Illinois Auditor General’s report found that the state isn’t doing anything…
We noted 411 schools in FY09 and 471 schools and 42 school districts in FY10 had been on academic watch status for over three years by the end of the school year. The Agency had taken some remedial steps during the first three years on academic watch status, but had not taken the action required by statute after three years.
The board says it lacks the money to take action. It may ask for a change in the law so that it isn’t required to step in.
So, while state lawmakers are crafting a deal on education reform which mostly focuses on teachers, the State Board of Education wants out of its role in enforcing a significant reform component that focuses on administrators and boards.
Peachy.
*** UPDATE *** From the State Board of Education…
Rich,
Just wanted to touch base with you on an item you had on the blog about the audit finding for schools on the academic watch list. I don’t think that in our response we said that we wanted to amend so that we wouldn’t step in, but rather that we would possibly seek legislative changes, trying to more narrowly define what schools would be eligible for these types of actions.
Currently, about 500 schools are in this status and eventually if NCLB is not reauthorized it’s likely every school in Illinois will be in this status. The type of turnaround activity that is required is expensive and there is no specific line item currently in the ISBE budget for this, which is now made up of more than 90% in GSA and MCATS.
We have received $146 million in school improvement grant funds from the federal government that we are beginning to do this type of work, however, the vast majority of that ($124 million) is stimulus funding. Of that 146 we have awarded $57 million to 10 schools in 5 districts to do this type of work. We expect to make additional awards this summer for the remaining funds, but even so, the total number of schools that will be impacted by this $146 million is going to be about 25 (best guess).
In FY 12 we’re seeking an additional $5 million in funding that would allow us to be able to start doing some of this work for schools that are not eligible for the SIG grants. We’re seeking the funds to allow us to do audits to provide a comprehensive examination to assess the overall structure, curriculum, instruction, finances, program effectiveness, human capital and governance in order to provide foundational information to target strategies and interventions. This funding would also provide on-site leadership and support to schools most in need.
* Right after Sen. James Meeks dropped out of the mayor’s race, I began hearing rumors that he would retire from the Senate as well. He missed some session days early on, which only intensified the rumor-mongering. I finally button-holed him in Springfield in late February or early March and asked him point blank if he was stepping down. He said that he needed a break after the mayoral campaign craziness, so he skipped some session days when his attendance wasn’t really required in Springfield. He denied that he was going anywhere.
State Sen. James Meeks, a former candidate for mayor and governor and one of the city’s best-known black public officials, says he is thinking of stepping down from his Far South Side legislative seat when the spring session ends.
“I am giving prayerful consideration to focusing on the church,” Mr. Meeks said. That would be the giant Salem Baptist Church in the Roseland neighborhood, which Mr. Meeks literally built and where he serves as senior pastor.
His congregants “have been very understanding” while he served in Springfield and took time off to campaign for governor and mayor, he said. “It might be time to concentrate on them.”
Mr. Meeks, 54, said he has not made up his mind and he might merely choose not to seek a new term in 2012. But Springfield sources say it looks to them like the 10-year legislative veteran is going soon, and Mr. Meeks conceded, “I have discussed (spring retirement) with a few people.”
* In other news, Mayor Daley said yesterday that he has no interest in a census recount. Ald. Bob Fioretti and 44 of his city council colleagues introduced a resolution yesterday calling for a recount. Chicago lost 200,000 residents in the last census…
“You know, they had a thorough - we had a really outreach program. I mean, we’ve done everything possible. That’s over with,” Daley said.
Outgoing Mayor Richard M. Daley’s government is passing the buck to Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel on this one.
A spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department says that the decision can’t legally be made until June, which is when Mr. Emanuel will be in the big chair.
Daley obviously despises Fioretti, so that may be why he reacted so harshly. But as some of the highly informed comments on our previous post made abundantly clear, Chicago really does need to seek a do-over.
Rahm Emanuel’s transition team is looking into the matter, but hasn’t yet come to a conclusion.
The beating death of a mentally disabled man living in a group home, and the disclosure that officials knew the home was unsafe, could lead to increased protection of people with disabilities.
The Illinois House voted, 115-0, on Wednesday to toughen oversight of group homes. Abuse allegations would trigger state reviews.
New managers could be brought in to run unsafe homes. Employees would undergo periodic background checks.
More inspection records and abuse reports would be available to the public.
Hopefully, the bill gets to the governor’s desk soon. We can’t have any more murders and torture by state-subsidized group home staff, particularly in group homes where a staffer had already killed somebody else. Ridiculous.
The federal judge overseeing Tribune Co.’s bankruptcy case should reject both proposals to reorganize the media company’s finances because neither adequately protects Tribune Chairman Sam Zell from lawsuits, Zell’s attorney argued Wednesday.
Attorney David Bradford said such lawsuits threaten not only to injure Zell’s reputation, but also to waste the company’s assets. Bradford also said the reorganization proposals unfairly restrict Zell’s ability to have Tribune pay for his legal expenses if the lawsuits are allowed.
The Illinois House voted on Wednesday to bar legislative scholarships from going to family members of members of the General Assembly.
House Bill 1353, sponsored by Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinkley, forbids relatives – by blood or marriage – of legislators from receiving the scholarships.
“This is a first step – it doesn’t completely address a problem that’s been identified by media across the state where legislators awarded scholarships to employees, friends, contributors and others that weren’t selected because of objective criteria,” Pritchard said.
While he favors abolishing the scholarships completely, measures to do so have been unsuccessful so far, Pritchard said.
Despite public outrage and calls for his resignation, a west suburban school board president tied to a drug dealer and a motorcycle gang member, refused to step down on Wednesday night.
Jeff Pesek, president of Morton High School District 201, which serves thousands of students from Cicero and Berwyn, made a brief statement Wednesday to more than 150 parents, students and school employees, who attended a district board meeting, in which he denied any wrongdoing but refused to answer any questions. […]
“To infer that a grant of immunity raises questions that I did something wrong is simply not the case,” he said.
Pesek’s statement was met with scornful laughter and loud calls from parents and students for him to resign.
Pesek’s brother, who was also involved, is a member of the Republican State Central Committee. We haven’t heard word one from the state party since this story broke. From the IL GOP’s website…
By fighting to reform Illinois, we will regain the trust of the people of this state.
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich criticized prosecutors on Wednesday for trying to bar his lawyers from telling jurors that wiretaps admitted as evidence against him represent only a fraction of secret recordings made on the eve of his 2008 arrest.
Blagojevich faces a second trial next week on corruption charges.
In a five-minute appeal delivered in front of his northside home and carried live on local news, Blagojevich said prosecutors were sabotaging his efforts to defend himself by blocking his attorneys from informing jurors of the hours and hours of FBI tapes not admitted as evidence by the court.
Emphasis added to the ugly part. What the heck were those Chicago TV stations thinking? Sheesh.
Illinois restaurants may soon have to find a way to cut artificial trans fats from French fries, onion rings, popcorn shrimp, pies, cakes and fried chicken.
Legislation that passed the Illinois House on Wednesday would ban artery-clogging trans fats in food served in restaurants, movie theaters, cafes and bakeries or sold in school vending machines, starting in 2013. School cafeterias would be affected in 2016. Most prepackaged food would not be covered.
If the Senate approves the bill and Gov. Pat Quinn signs it, Illinois will be only the second state to enact such a ban. The first was California. […]
The National Academy of Sciences says trans fats cannot be safely consumed in any amount.
* The Question: Should trans fats be banned in Illinois? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please. Thanks.
* It’s no surprise that when the state announced a major change to the health insurance of over 100,000 state employees, retirees and dependents that lots of folks were upset. People don’t like change, especially when it comes to this stuff. Adding to the sturm und drang is what happened the last time a governor (Rod Blagojevich) attempted to pick a new health insurer. It was done in such a shady manner (changing the bid specs midstream) that even Blagojevich had to back off.
So, I decided to ignore the uproar until I could see whether this new announcement was legit. I didn’t really believe the $100 million annual cost savings projected by the administration because I never totally trust their numbers. But I was troubled by a contract provision requiring insurance providers to have networks in place by last January 1st. The winning bidders Downstate appear to have only “open access provider” plans in place, which critics say is far more expensive for employees. Here’s a chart being distributed at the Statehouse by losing bidder Health Alliance, which currently has the contract. Click the pic for a larger image…
[Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet] said he based his projection of $100 million in additional [taxpayer] costs on information in a Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability report that found it will cost taxpayers $1,000 for every person covered by a state health plan who switches from an HMO to one of the lower two tiers of the three-tier open access plans. Health Alliance currently covers nearly 100,000 state employees and retirees in its HMO plan.
Rose contends most of those Health Alliance state members would have to choose those lower-tier open access plans because Health Alliance has exclusive HMO contracts with Carle and several other providers. And the top tier in PersonalCare’s and HealthLink’s open access plans would be unavailable to state members at Carle because they will be HMO plans.
According to Rose, the Quinn administration believes Carle and other providers will just break their exclusive contracts and sign on with the available state health plans, but there’s no incentive for providers to do that when people are likely to migrate to the more expensive open access plan tiers to keep their current doctors.
“I just don’t see the projected savings,” said Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign.
[Health Alliance spokeswoman Jane Hayes] said Health Alliance officials decided to protest the proposed open access contracts in addition to the HMO contracts after learning Monday that the requests for proposals submitted by insurers were scored differently for HMOs and open access plans.
On HMO plans, she said, 70 percent of the state’s consideration was pricing and 30 percent of the consideration was quality, provider network and other non-pricing factors.
On open access plans, she said, it was the other way around: Just 28 percent of the consideration was pricing and the rest of the consideration went to quality and other factors.
Yet, Hayes said, the two selected open access plans which are structured with three different service level tiers and out-of-pocket costs for each will include HMOs on their first tiers.
To some, this might look like the administration set the bidding specs to favor open access plans and against incumbent HMO providers.
* Humana has now joined Health Alliance’s protest. Humana covers around 15,000 state employees and retirees in an HMO.
Thoughts?
* Other stuff…
* State leaders talk about shifting teacher retirement costs
* Republican state Sen. Kirk Dillard, Gov. Pat Quinn and Illinois Manufacturers’ Association CEO Greg Baise pose for a photo on Baise’s birthday…
Winner gets a free lunch special with a drink at either Springfield location of Hickory River Smokehouse. The restaurants are owned by our old friend Mike Madigan. No, not that Mike Madigan, the good Mike Madigan.
…Adding… Baise just said he’d pay for the winner’s drinks. Carry on…
* School reform will likely pass the Senate soon, but without any of the hostile craziness which has accompanied similar labor issues in other states. As subscribers knew yesterday morning, an agreement was reached late Tuesday night after months of negotiations, which were chaired by Sen. Kimberly Lighford…
Lightford said they reached two separate sets of regulations regarding school strikes, one for Chicago and another for the suburbs and Downstate. Both would require several steps, including airing out their sides before an arbitrator, before moving forward with a strike, she said.
One key change for Chicago is a requirement that 75 percent of Chicago Teachers Union would have to vote to go on strike, a higher standard necessary because Chicago has so many more children and teachers impacted by a strike, Lightford said. […]
A second major change would loosen the seniority standard that determines who gets laid off and make it easier to dump a teacher based on performance, Lightford said. The move would address the notion that it is tough to dismiss poor-performing teachers because of their seniority, she said. […]
Under the proposal school districts also would be able to set a length of school day or lengthen the school year without having to negotiate those time periods, she said. Unions still would be able to negotiate for more pay or benefits if more time in the classroom is added, she said.
* The legislation can be read by clicking here. The unions met with House Speaker Michael Madigan yesterday to urge him to sign on to the agreement. Madigan made no commitments, but it’s believed most of it will survive…
Through the months, key House members were kept updated on the talks. Rep. Marlow Colvin, a Chicago Democrat on the House Elementary and Secondary Committee, said it was “too early to tell” how the legislation would be accepted in the House.
“But the appetite to get something done on education reform is clear,” Colvin said. “The House hasn’t had a really good look at it, and given the divergent opinions of the larger (House) chamber that’s twice the size (of the Senate), it’s hard to say.”
The proposal wraps up months of negotiations between self-proclaimed education reformers, such as Stand for Children and Advance Illinois, and interest groups such as the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Education Association, the Chicago Teachers Union, groups representing school administrators and boards and lawmakers. The talks have been led by state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Chicago.
Stand for Children became a key player in state legislative races last year when it dumped more than $600,000 into candidates’ campaign funds. Much of that money went to Democrats.
Robin Steans, executive director of Advance Illinois, acknowledged the role Stand for Children’s bank account played in the effort. However, she also cited the federal Race to the Top program, in which states competed for federal money based on their willingness to reform their education laws.
“You bring in a new player with some dollars to put behind education reform, so you have a lot of good and strong conditions and they remain in place,” she said.
* Ensuring tenure decisions will be based on performance evaluations by requiring teachers to earn two proficient or excellent ratings in years two through four of the probationary period, with a proficient or excellent rating in the fourth year. No longer will teachers automatically receive tenure after four years in the classroom regardless of performance.
* Providing fair and efficient dismissals of tenured teachers by streamlining the dismissal process of tenured teachers in situations related to conduct and performance dismissal decisions.
Making performance count, rather than seniority
* Allowing districts across the state to make layoff decisions based on performance before seniority. Allows districts to match teachers’ qualifications to the positions they will hold and ensures that teachers with poor performance evaluations are laid-off prior to more effective teachers.
* Currently seniority is used as the primary criterion for filling new and vacant positions across the state (with the exception of Chicago Public Schools, which already fills positions based on merit and ability). Under SB 7 school districts will now be allowed to fill positions based on certifications, qualifications, performance, merit, ability and relevant experience with seniority only used as a tie-breaker.
* If a teacher receives two unsatisfactory ratings within a seven-year period, the State Superintendent will have the authority to revoke a certificate or require professional development.
Improving Learning Conditions
* A survey of learning conditions will be administered to teachers and students every two years beginning in 2012-2013.
* School board members will be required to complete four hours of training.
One great, big vulnerability in this package: It still allows teachers to walk out of their classrooms and head to the picket line. Teaches perform an essential public service, and when they’re on strike, their students suffer. Emanuel wanted to prohibit strikes by teachers, but he didn’t get it. And that’s a red flag as he moves to bring in aggressive new leadership and address a financial crisis at Chicago Public Schools.
The proposed law does set a higher bar for a job action. Authorization for a strike in Chicago would require approval from 75 percent of active union members, rather than a majority. The legislature should set an even higher bar for job actions by professional educators.
Not mentioned by the Tribune is that the strike clause also requires tons of mediation and public disclosures before a strike could be voted on. And three-quarters of all union members would have to vote to strike, not just three-fourths of those voting. That’s a pretty darned high standard.
* Related…
* Sweeping changes proposed to how IL teachers are hired, fired - Seniority is out, teacher performance is in.
* Sweeping school reform bill targets school day, strikes, bad teachers
* The governor’s office forwarded me a story yesterday about a site called MoneyRates.com which just rated Illinois as the best state in the nation to make a living…
1. Illinois
At $41,986.51, Illinois had the best adjusted-average income. The unemployment rate in Illinois is not especially low, but the state benefits from relatively high average wages, a low state tax rate, and a below-average cost of living. As an added plus, you can make good use of your money once you earn it in Illinois. Four of the best banks in America, based on a MoneyRates.com analysis of factors like customer service, checking account fees, and savings and money market rates, have operations in Illinois.
* Here’s how the the ratings were devised…
* Average state wages
* State unemployment rate
* State tax rate
* State cost of living
2. Washington (state): The cost of living is higher than average, but so is the average wage and the state imposes no income tax. Adjusted average income: $41,456.
3. Texas: Also benefits from no state income tax. Adjusted average income: $41,427
4. Virginia: $41,120
5. Delaware: $39,105
6. Massachusetts: $38,665
7. Georgia: $38,228
8. Tennessee: $38,038
9. Colorado: $38,020
10. Minnesota: $37,721
* However, if you are looking for work, you might want to avoid Illinois. Juju.com has published its top ten list and Illinois is nowhere to be found. We’re also 40th on the list of Money-Rates.com’s best places for retirement.
* Related…
* McCarter: Workmen’s comp reform will make Illinois competitive again
* Senate passes workers’ comp bill by vote of 59-0
