Afternoon roundup
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Herald & Review…
Twelve inmates in the Sangamon County Jail have been declared unfit for trial and ordered to be taken from the jail’s custody and committed to a state approved treatment facility.
But all 12 of them are still in jail, having waited multiple weeks or months to access critical inpatient psychiatric care from the state. […]
Lee Enterprises reporters spoke to seven Central Illinois sheriffs, state’s attorneys and jail administrators about the inmates declared mentally unfit for trial left in their custody pending transfer to Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) approved facilities.
A spokesperson for the department discussed this story in a phone call with a reporter, who provided a detailed list of questions by email at the spokesperson’s request. However, IDHS did not respond to the questions, or to any subsequent attempts to follow up by email and phone.
Some county officials reported inmate wait times of well over 100 days. In Macon County, for example, three inmates are awaiting care. One of them has been waiting for over 140 days. McLean County Sheriff Matt Lane said one inmate has waited since Nov. 3 of last year.
The state simply has to put a bigger effort into building up its psychiatric services. And not just for inmates. The governor has announced a plan, but dollars need to be put into hiring ASAP.
* Crain’s…
A little over a year ago, Gov. J.B. Pritzker extolled the beneficial effect his Climate & Equitable Jobs Act would have on ComEd customer bills thanks to a credit they would get from the owner of Illinois’ nuclear power plants.
“I’m proud that our commitment to hit carbon-free power by 2045 is already bringing consumers savings just months after becoming law,” he said in a press release at the time.
That credit of 3.087 cents per kilowatt-hour, though, quickly turned out to be overly generous — so much so that ComEd customers now owe the utility $1.1 billion for credits it provided them but couldn’t collect from nuclear plant owner Constellation Energy Group when wholesale power prices dropped unexpectedly beginning last year.
* Also Crain’s…
Illinois pharmacists are now allowed to dispense certain types of birth control to patients without a prescription from a doctor thanks to a new order from the state that looks to expand access to contraception.
The order, signed May 10 by the head of the Illinois Department of Public Health, proclaims that with additional training, pharmacists can dispense self-administered hormonal contraceptives, which includes birth control pills, vaginal rings and injections. […]
More than 20 other states, including California and South Carolina, have enacted similar policies that allow residents to receive birth control from pharmacists.
* A couple of Brandon Johnson inauguration excerpts…
It’s true, y’all know we need revenue. We have a structural deficit. And we have to invest in people. And we have to do that without breaking the backs of working people with fines, fees and property taxes.
You can’t make people feel bad because they have a payment plan. [applause]
You can’t stop someone with a payment plan from becoming mayor of the city of Chicago. [massive applause]
And…
We cannot afford to get it wrong, Chicago. We don’t want a Chicago that has been so overwhelmed by the traumatization of violence and despair that our residents felt no hope or no choice but to leave, shrinking our economy and make it difficult for this city to remain a world class city.
* This is just nuts and it’s becoming all too common…
…Adding… Mayor Johnson has signed four new executive orders…
EO 2023-15 — Boost Youth Employment
Mayor Johnson’s youth employment executive order instructs the Office of Budget and Management to prepare an analysis of all resources in the City’s FY2023 budget that are available to fund youth employment and enrichment programs, including any state, county, or federal funds. In addition, the executive order instructs the Deputy Mayor of Education and Health and Human Services to lead all city departments and agencies in identifying additional entry-level jobs that would be suitable for young people. The order instructs the Mayor’s Office staff to coordinate year-round youth employment and enrichment activities among City sister agencies and City Departments, including collaboration with companies and non-profit organizations, for summer internships and community service credit opportunities with Chicago Public Schools and college credit opportunities with City Colleges of Chicago.
EO 2023-16 — Establish a Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights
Mayor Johnson’s executive order to establish a Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights makes the new role responsible for the coordination and communication between all applicable City departments and officials related to the City’s efforts to support newly arrived and established immigrants, refugees, and migrants. In addition, the order instructs all City department heads to take direction from the Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights to assist with efforts to address immediate needs and long-standing policy and programmatic goals to ensure the efficacy of Chicago’s status as a welcoming and sanctuary city.
EO 2023-17 — Establish a Deputy Mayor for Community Safety
Mayor Johnson’s executive order to establish a Deputy Mayor for Community Safety calls on the new office to focus on eradicating the root causes of crime and violence and advance a comprehensive, healing-centered approach to community safety. In addition, the order instructs all City departments to work with the Deputy Mayor for Community Safety to achieve this goal.
EO 2023-18 — Establish a Deputy Mayor for Labor Relations
Mayor Johnson’s executive order to establish a Deputy Mayor for Labor Relations will allow coordination to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of Chicago, in addition to improving working conditions, advancing new job opportunities for employment, and protecting workers’ rights.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* WAND | Illinois House Democrats pass firearm omnibus bill helping domestic violence survivors: The plan could allow judges to order law enforcement to seize guns while issuing emergency orders of protection. Although, Republicans and gun advocates are worried police will take expensive guns from families.
* Sun-Times | Federal prosecutors urge judge to block defense efforts to contact ComEd jurors, call it a ‘fishing expedition’: Federal prosecutors argued the appropriate response is “not to authorize the defendants to hound this jury — a move that no doubt will send a public message that jury service is something to be avoided.”
* Tribune | Brandon Johnson sworn in as Chicago mayor: ‘Our best and brighter days are ahead of us’: Johnson began his sweeping remarks by shouting out the greatness of Chicago: the “beauty” of Lake Michigan, its “boundary-breaking” arts and cultural scene and even the signature Italian beef. And, ever eager to reference his former profession as a social studies teacher, he shouted out the unique history of Black Chicago, starting from its founder, the Haitian voyager Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, before broadening to the city’s tapestry of immigrants who hail from all corners of the earth.
* Sun-Times | ‘Soul’ searching: Johnson takes office, vows ‘to tell a different story’ for ‘Chicago with its sturdy shoulders’: The inauguration started with the introduction of the newly-elected City Council, which includes 16 fresh faces; a record 14 Hispanics; 18 women, matching a previous all-time high; and nine members who identify as LGBTQ. The average age is 47. That’s nearly four years younger than the average age of the old Council.
* ABC Chicago | Brandon Johnson sworn in as Chicago mayor at inauguration ceremony: Later Monday night, Johnson will celebrate at an invitation-only gala at what’s being called the “people’s ball” at 7 p.m. at the UIC Forum.
* Crain’s | In inaugural address, Johnson promises to bring ‘the soul of Chicago’ to City Hall: Delivering his speech with local, state and federal elected officials, labor allies, campaign aides and their guests seated behind him, Johnson said the “soul of Chicago is alive in each and every one of us” and only by working collaboratively would the city fix its “shared challenges.”
* Fox Chicago | Brandon Johnson sworn in as Chicago’s 57th mayor: Andrea Sáenz, president and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust foundation, said she’s hopeful that Johnson can bring philanthropies, businesses, police and activists together to create a wide-ranging strategy to prevent violence now and chip away at the conditions that let it flourish. “It feels like this is a moment — the moment — to have those conversations, for a mayor to bring everybody to the table,” Sáenz said.
* Joe Cahill | Chicago’s $20 million club shrinks: Belts tightened across corporate America in 2022, and Chicago’s $20 million club was no exception. Membership in the exclusive club for CEOs paid $20 million or more shrank to eight from 10 amid a broader slowdown in CEO pay growth last year.
* Sun-Times | Funeral arrangements set for Chicago police Officer Aréanah Preston: Visitation will be held from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn, police said. Her funeral will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Trinity United Church of Christ on the South Side.
* Tribune | Urban Prep’s looming closure concerning for students, parents as CPS takes over: ‘The school was a safe haven for these boys’: Looking ahead to his senior year of high school, Myles Brown isn’t sure what to expect. He’s conflicted, hopeful, sad. “I really thought this would be the school I graduate from,” the Urban Prep Academies junior said last week. “But just the turn of events has been very turbulent, to say the least.”
* Rev. Charles Straight and Rev. Michael P. Russell | Illinois is ready to redefine community safety : During Chicago’s 2023 mayoral race, conservative democrats and the right-wingers supporting Paul Vallas repeatedly claimed that Brandon Johnson wanted to defund the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Millions of dollars were spent trying to convince voters that Johnson would make Chicago less safe because of his association with community organizations leading the charge to redirect money from policing to resources like mental health care, substance use treatment, and violence prevention programs. Vallas’ supporters failed to leverage fear to convince marginalized communities that crime would worsen if Chicago adopted a more holistic approach to public safety — one centered on preventing crime before it happens instead of simply responding afterwards.
* Crain’s | Pharma services giant expands in Fulton Market: Charles River Laboratories, a Wilmington, Mass., pharma services giant, is further expanding its footprint in Chicago as it takes up more space in one of the two buildings that make up Fulton Labs.
* Block Club | Northeastern Illinois University Faculty Avoid Strike As Contract Agreement Reached: The ratified contract adds 3 percent yearly pay raises and bonuses to faculty salaries, better balances workload and brings back awarded merit pay, the union president said.
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A tale of two state budgets
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Associated Press…
April’s plummeting general funds receipts — a drop of $1.84 billion from the previous year — is stunning in anyone’s estimation. But budget-makers at the state Capitol aren’t panicking.
Compared with 2022, revenue fell a whopping 23% last month, driven by a drop of $1.76 billion in personal income tax, according to the legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.
On its face, that would seemingly cause jitters and with one week left in the spring legislative session, it might historically be a call for the May money magic from days of yore that led to mountains of debt in the last two decades. […]
Gov. J.B. Pritzker pointed out that the budget he proposed last winter for the fiscal year that begins July 1 relies on estimated revenue of $49.94 billion. His Office of Management and Budget currently estimates next year’s revenue increase at $532 million, about 1%, more.
* Now, on to California Public Radio…
California’s expected budget deficit has grown to $31.5 billion, standing in stark contrast to $100 billion surpluses of the past two years. It’s driven largely by lagging tax revenue from high-income earners.
Governor Gavin Newsom is currently presenting his $306.5 billion spending plan. It includes plans for filling the deficit, which has grown from the $22.5 billion shortfall predicted in January.
The deficit is “well within our expectation and well within our capacity to address,” Newsom said. […]
Despite a shortfall, the governor is proposing a 5% increase to higher education budgets and an 8.2% cost of living adjustment for K-12 and community college staff. […]
His revised budget would spend $3.7 billion on homelessness, up from the $3.4 billion he proposed in January.
Jerry Brown brought some much-needed sound management to state government and Newsom has been able to build on that. In Illinois, balanced budgets have not been a normal thing for decades.
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Question of the day
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Associated Press…
Just in time for the summer dining season, the U.S. government has given its blessing to restaurants that want to allow pet dogs in their outdoor spaces.
But even though nearly half of states already allow canine dining outdoors, the issue is far from settled, with many diners and restaurants pushing back against the increasing presence of pooches.
“I’d like to be able to enjoy my meal without having to worry about fleas, pet hair, barking and entitled dogs and their owners,” said Tracy Chiu Parisi, a food blogger in New York, who was once startled by a dog that stuck its head in her lap while she was reading a menu.
Restaurants have been required to allow service dogs for decades. But it wasn’t until the mid-2000’s that a handful of states — including Florida and Illinois — began passing laws allowing dogs in outdoor dining spaces, according to the Animal Legal and Historical Center at Michigan State University. Twenty-three states now have such laws or regulations.
* I’m sure I have a photo of Oscar at a restaurant somewhere, but here’s one from the weekend in a park…
* The Question: Your thoughts on dogs in outdoor areas of restaurants?
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It’s just a bill
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* State Journal-Register…
Legislation granting victims of digital forgeries, commonly known as deepfakes, to take legal action against perpetrators who create and share inauthentic media is now one step closer to becoming law.
House Bill 2123 from Sen. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, passed in the Senate unanimously on Thursday. The bill, previously led by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, will return to the House for a concurrence vote where it is expected to pass.
The growing presence of artificial intelligence and it is abilities have made it more challenging to depict fiction from reality, Edly-Allen said. When the technology is used to make deepfakes, often used to make pornographic material, there is not a legal avenue for victims to seek compensation.
* HB1 is on First Reading in the House. Chicago Tribune…
Evanston Councilmember Devon Reid’s hope to decriminalize psilocybin and other entheogenic plants, commonly known as “magic mushrooms,” was shot down when the Human Services Committee instructed city staff not to move forward with his referral earlier this month. […]
Reid’s push for looser psilocybin restrictions may still be granted with a proposal in the Illinois General Assembly brought forth by Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago).
Ford’s legislation, the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens (CURE) Act, aims to “establish a new, compassionate, and effective approach to entheogens.” This would create a two-year program development period to adopt rules to eventually implement a regulatory program allowing adults to receive psilocybin services, create the Illinois Psilocybin Advisory Board within the Department of Public Health and examine scientific research on treating mental health conditions with psilocybin, according to the bill.
The CURE Act is currently in the Rules Committee after being taken up by the Executive Committee.
* State Journal Register…
The Illinois House passed a bill Friday that would bar anyone convicted of a felony, bribery, perjury or misuse of public funds while serving as a public official from ever being elected to a state or local office again.
That measure was introduced as an amendment to House Bill 351 on Thursday and moved quickly through the House Ethics and Elections Committee Friday morning with bipartisan support. It then went to the House floor where it passed 106-0.
Current law bars anyone convicted of a felony from holding a state office until they’ve completed their sentence. And a provision of the Illinois Municipal Code bars anyone who has ever been convicted of a felony from holding an elected municipal office.
But those people are free to run for the General Assembly, governor or any other constitutional office once they’ve completed their sentence.
* Press release…
The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence and our partners across the gender-based violence (GBV) services community commend the Illinois House of Representatives and the House Firearms Working Group and lead sponsor Representative Hirschauer, on the passage of HB676 on Friday, May 12, 2023. This common-sense firearms package includes important provisions to ensure the timely removal of firearms from respondents in emergency orders of protection.
“The data shows that 70 women are killed by an intimate partner every month in this county. Ensuring removal of firearms is happening in a timely fashion and that the weapons are kept with our trusted law enforcement is commonsense policy that will make a huge impact in ensuring survivor safety” Amanda Pyron, Executive Director of The Network, stated in the wake of its passage.
This bill was drafted in partnership with Legal Action Chicago, an attorney-led organization with expertise in orders of protection. Focusing on justice and equity through policy, advocacy and litigation, they know the risks associated with leaving and filing an order of protection.
“This bill recognizes the often-terrifying risk that survivors of domestic violence must face when seeking safety and takes a real step forward in addressing those risks” John Bouman, Executive Director of Legal Action Chicago.
The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a membership driven organization representing direct service providers in the domestic violence community across the state has been a strong proponent of this legislation.
With the legislative session ending this week, The Network, including more than forty direct service providers across the state, urges the Senate to pass HB676 promptly to send to the Governor’s desk for signature. Survivors experiencing gun-involved domestic violence have a 500% greater likelihood of being murdered. Survivor safety during the highest time of lethality cannot wait.
* WAND…
Illinois House Democrats approved a sweeping gun control bill Friday morning despite concerns from Republicans, the Illinois State Rifle Association, and law enforcement.
The plan could allow judges to order law enforcement to seize guns while issuing emergency orders of protection. Although, Republicans and gun advocates are worried police will take expensive guns from families.
House Democrats say the firearms should go directly to trusted law enforcement to keep domestic violence survivors and their families safe.
“We are adding penalty enhancements to the law which as disfavored by the majority party unless it suits them,” said Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis). “And we are putting additional burdens on law enforcement when they have not requested those burdens.” […]
The legislation passed out of the House on a 70-36 vote. This plan now heads to the Senate for further consideration next week. The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on May 19.
* SB2261 is on First Reading in the Senate. Block Club Chicago…
Youth advocates are pushing for more investment in jobs programs following a new study by the University of Illinois at Chicago that shows a dramatic increase in unemployment among Black youth in Chicago — and especially young Black women — during the pandemic. […]
The Alternative Schools Network commissioned the study as part of a push for a bill currently moving through the state Legislature that would provide $300 million in funding for a statewide youth jobs program. […]
Howell was a part of a group of students who testified before the state’s appropriations committee and the Illinois Senate in support of the bill that would provide $300 million in funding for 80,000 jobs for youth across the state.
The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Robert Peters and Rep. Kam Buckner, both Chicago Democrats. If passed, students could work five to 15 hours a week, earning $15 an hour during the school year. The bill also provides for an eight-week summer program in which students could work 25 hours a week.
* AP…
Holed up at home during the pandemic lockdown three years ago, 13-year-old Shreya Nallamothu was scrolling through social media when she noticed a pattern: Children even younger than her were the stars — dancing, cracking one-liners and being generally adorable. […]
But as she watched more and more posts of kids pushing products or their mishaps going viral, she started to wonder: Who is looking out for them? […]
Illinois lawmakers aim to change that by making their state what they say will be the first in the country to create protections for child social media influencers. Nallamothu, now 15, raised her concerns to Illinois state Sen. David Koehler of Peoria, who then set the legislation in motion. […]
The bill passed the state Senate unanimously in March, and is scheduled to be considered by the House this week. If it wins approval, the bill will go back to the Senate for a final vote before it makes its way to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who said he intends to sign it in the coming months.
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It’s almost a law
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Crain’s…
Among the moves by the General Assembly last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker hailed the Illinois House’s passage of House Bill 579, which would allow Illinois to set up its own insurance marketplace similar to Obamacare.
“Through the adoption of a state-based insurance marketplace, we can expand health care access by effectively identifying traditionally underinsured communities, conducting effective outreach to them and assisting in the enrollment process,” Pritzker said in a statement, adding that he looks forward to following the bill’s progress in the Illinois Senate.
A bill that’s already heading to Pritzker’s desk for a signature would require health insurers to cover preventative liver screenings and other diagnostics. The bill, championed by state Rep. Hoan Huynh, D-Chicago, will expand access to tests that may detect forms of cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.
“People shouldn’t have to choose between buying their next meal or their medication,” Huynh said in a statement. “Rising costs of health care and general inflation are suffocating our working families and seniors. I remain committed to working to find ways to implement real relief for those who need it most.”
* The Intelligencer…
A bill by state Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon, to help alleviate the teacher shortage across the state by providing flexibility and incentives for established educators now awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature.
House Bill 1297 would extend the current statute in the pension code to allow teachers the ability to buy up to two years of service credit at a private or parochial school from the Teachers Retirement System. It passed in the Senate on May 4; it was approved in the House on March 23.
“Our teachers are incredibly important and with the teacher shortage still a persistent and serious issue across our state, we must look at collaborative ways to address the issue,” said Harriss. “This bill is a good step in allowing teachers the flexibility to move from the private sector into public schools and buy back their time in the retirement system.
“With the current law set to expire June 30th, this legislation is merely an extension of a sunset now set for 2028 if signed into law.”
* WAND…
State lawmakers have passed a plan to improve drug overdose education standards in K-12 schools to help students understand substance use and overdose trends.
The bill will require education on the history of drugs and health policy in Illinois and the United States, the impact of zero tolerance, and restorative justice practices.
House and Senate Democrats filed the bill in memory of Louie Miceli who died from an overdose in 2012. Louie’s mother and other advocates say young people haven’t properly learned about healthy coping mechanisms, the truth about drugs, or potential risks they could face. […]
Senate Bill 2223 passed unanimously out of the House Friday. It previously received unanimous approve in the Senate on March 30.
Louie’s Law now moves to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.
* Chicago Tribune…
All state-funded affordable housing would be required to have air conditioning under a bill sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker by legislators spurred to action by the heat exposure deaths last year of three seniors in their apartments on Chicago’s Far North Side.
The bill on Pritzker’s desk will require housing financed under the Illinois Affordable Housing Program to have cooling and dehumidification systems capable of operating independently from heating systems. There is also a requirement that newly constructed buildings that fall under the state program include permanent cooling.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Illinois would become one of the first states to make so-called crisis pregnancy centers subject to the same consumer fraud standards as car dealerships, retailers and service-based businesses under a bill that will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker.
Upon the measure becoming law, crisis pregnancy centers could be sued under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act if they engage in “unfair methods of competition” or “deceptive acts or practices.”
Crisis pregnancy centers are facilities affiliated with anti-abortion, often religious, organizations designed to deter newly pregnant women from seeking an abortion.
Democrats working to expand Illinois’ role as a “haven” for abortion-seekers in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last summer overturning Roe v. Wade say CPCs often intentionally deceive those who are trying to end their pregnancies.
* WMBD…
The Illinois Senate passed House Bill 3224 on Thursday, highlighting future opportunities for children with disabilities.
Championed by Senator Dave Koehler (D – Peoria), House Bill 3224 will grant students with individualized education plans (IEP) and their parents would be provided information on the school district’s career and technical education and dual credit opportunities.
“This measure helps families and children with disabilities see the career options that are available to them,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “Every child deserves additional opportunities outside the classroom.”
* WICS…
A new bill is now headed to Governor Pritzker’s desk that would require judges to consider a different set of circumstances when determining criminal sentences for juveniles.
HB3414 would amend the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 by requiring judges to consider factors such as home environment and childhood trauma when sentencing juveniles.
“Many people don’t want to see our children locked up and basically put into solitary confinement when some of our resources in our jails and our juvenile system are not there to protect children in a way that they absolutely need it,” Sen. Rachel Ventura, (D) Joliet, said.
If signed, judges would be required to consider additional factors when determining a sentence for a person under the age of 18, including home environment, childhood trauma, peer pressure, and the results of a comprehensive mental evaluation.
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Civic Federation: Look before you leap
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Alex Nitkin has a solid piece on the future of Tier 2…
An influential state legislator is digging up what he calls a fiscal time bomb his predecessors buried more than a decade ago, arguing the General Assembly can’t wait any longer to defuse it. But experts and city officials are warning of collateral damage if he doesn’t slow down.
State Sen. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) is proposing legislation he says would “fix” a 2010 law that aimed to stem Illinois’ pension crisis by cutting back retirement benefits for future public employees. Researchers have since warned that the measure likely went too far, potentially depriving workers of benefits they’re entitled to under federal law. […]
The 2010 [Tier 2] law dramatically narrowed retirement benefits for public workers who would come on the job after Jan. 1, 2011. Instead of reaping compounded interest on their pension payouts every year from retirement until death, as older workers had, pensioners in the new “tier” would only see nominal annual bumps. It also placed a cap on how high benefits could reach and lowered the standard for how annual payouts are calculated.
The result was a significantly smaller cost outlay for governments once “Tier 2” pensioners start to fully vest their pensions and retire. That hope is why many actuarial projections show Chicago and Illinois starting to make real progress toward shoring up their pension funds starting about 2030.
Even as they crafted the pension rollback legislation in 2010, lawmakers heard warnings that the Tier 2 calculus could someday invite costly legal challenges. If pension payments are too small, public workers could sue their employers on the back of a federal rule that pension payments must exceed the income that workers would otherwise earn from Social Security payments.
The story then goes on to talk about a bump to Downstate first responder pensions when the pension funds were consolidated, and efforts to pass similar legislation for Chicago first responders (who were promised the change years ago when the casino bill was passed) and for Cook County workers.
* Conclusion…
Legislators will seek out further analysis as they explore “fixes” for other Tier 2 pensioners, like teachers and department staffers, all across the state, Martwick said.
“I would posit that they all need to get done,” he said.
* But it’s difficult to argue with this warning from the Civic Federation…
Benefit enhancements are likely necessary to meet Safe Harbor requirements, but the solution should be thoroughly vetted, actuarially sound and the most cost effective of all possible options. The Civic Federation urges legislators and the Governor to demonstrate the need for the specific Tier 2 enhancements before taking any binding legislative action. The State cannot afford to take a step backward by unnecessarily increasing Tier 2 pension benefits. The Illinois General Assembly must ensure that the financial impact of any proposed Tier 2 changes is fully evaluated by pension actuaries and publicly disclosed before any action is taken. Until a complete analysis is done, there should be no urgency to pass these supposed Safe Harbor “fixes.”
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* The Peoria Journal-Star covered Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ trip to the area…
DeSantis brought a crowd of roughly 1,150 Republicans to the event at the Peoria Civic Center, plus protesters and the New York Times. While he did not announce an anticipated run for president while in Peoria, he did use a roughly 42-minute speech to take shots at Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and levy a barrage of verbal jabs at Democrats, while also lauding his accomplishments as governor of Florida.
“I’m a little disappointed your governor said I wasn’t welcome in Illinois,” DeSantis said in response to remarks made by Pritzker ahead of his arrival. “Because I seem to remember when he was locking down this state, he sent his family to live in my state and live in our freedom.”
We talked about this months ago…
Um, they were in Florida before the stay at home order was issued and then sheltered in place (his kid goes to college there). Did they know what was coming? Probably. Not saying it was the case with them, but I had friends down there who were miserable during the spring. The beaches and pools were closed. The restaurants and taverns were shuttered. And then summer hit and COVID zoomed as people retreated indoors to avoid the Florida heat and humidity. I put off visiting the Sunshine State to the fall, when cases were rising in Springfield as people went back inside and Florida’s dropped because people could enjoy the outdoors again.
Natalie Edelstein from the Pritzker campaign…
The governor and his family live in Illinois. As you know, they have one daughter who attends the University of Miami. If this pathetic, repeated lie about someone’s child is the best thing the GOP can come up with to campaign on, then it tells you everything you need to know about their ideas for the future.
* Back to the PJ-Star…
Peoria Congressman Darin LaHood cracked a similar joke at Pritzker’s expense saying, “you know it’s a sign we’re having a good Lincoln Day when J.B. Pritzker is tweeting and crying that Ron DeSantis is not welcome in Illinois.” […]
During his speech, DeSantis frequently criticized Illinois laws and policies, including the state’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois tax rates, and criminal justice reform. DeSantis specifically mentioned Florida’s lack of an income tax and said “you should try it sometime.”
“We have to reject the weaponization of the criminal justice system, this is being driven by woke ideology,” DeSantis said. “We reject the idea that you defund law enforcement, we reject the idea that you tolerate rioting and looting and disorder. We reject soft on crime policies like abolishing cash bail and releasing prisoners from jail early.”
Back to Edelstein…
“Inviting a failed governor who is at war with Donald Trump to keynote one of your largest events is emblematic of today’s Illinois GOP,” said JB For Governor spokesperson Natalie Edelstein.
“Republicans are too busy fighting each other to get out of their own way and solve the issues facing working families. While they celebrate banning books and picking on LGBTQ+ kids, Illinois Democrats will continue to win elections and build a state where everyone is free to be who they are.”
* Dave Dahl…
State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) was part of a private pre-event with DeSantis.
“He set his agenda out when he first ran for office, and he has accomplished everything,” Rezin said. “So now he is on his second set of accomplishments. He works to govern. I think that is what’s missing in politics today: leaders who really appreciate and work on governing for their state.”
* Meanwhile, the Florida legislature passed a bill to allow DeSantis to run for president…
In addition, the bill would amend Florida’s resign-to-run law to resolve legal ambiguity surrounding DeSantis’ expected presidential run. Currently, Florida law requires public officials running for another office that overlaps with their current term to submit a resignation from their current office before running. This resignation is irrevocable, meaning even if a candidate were to run and lose, they would still have to resign their office. The bill would instead explicitly exempt candidates running for president from this requirement, a change that would allow Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to run against former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for president in 2024 without resigning his governorship.
The bill passed and was enrolled on April 28, but hasn’t yet been sent to the governor’s desk for whatever reason.
* More…
* Tribune | Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tells Peoria crowd that Biden’s reelection would leave U.S. ‘unrecognizable’: More than 1,100 tickets were sold for the event at various levels, starting at $85, and an estimated $240,000 was raised by the two county organizations, organizers said. The ticket sales eclipsed last year’s event, when 700 people attended a speech by another potential 2024 presidential contender, former Vice President Mike Pence.
* Politico | DeSantis takes anti-woke show to Illinois: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday doubled down on his attacks against “woke” policies in big business, saying he will soon sign legislation to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion language “from all our public institutions.” … A large portion of his speech zeroed in on business policies: Along with attacking DEI language, he criticized the investment strategy that addresses environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG), calling it an effort to “weaponize corporate power.” And he poked at Walt Disney Co., which opposed the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law last year. “They don’t run the state of Florida. We run the state of Florida.”
* WCBU | Progressive groups protest Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Peoria visit: As of 4 p.m. Friday, the protest saw between 60 and 70 people spread between both locations. No counter-protesters appeared throughout the day.
* Press Release | ACLU of Florida Statement on 2023 Legislative Session: These bills included banning abortions after six weeks, creating an unaccountable private police force for the governor, reintroducing unconstitutional non-unanimous juries for death penalty recommendations, censoring and intimidating students and faculty for engaging in speech with which lawmakers personally disagree, further prohibiting conversations related to LGBTQ+ people and their lives in schools, limiting immigrants’ ability to live safely in Florida, suppressing free speech, and allowing medical professionals to deny medical services due to personal beliefs. … “All Floridians and all Americans should be outraged by how easily the legislature stripped people of their rights, focusing their efforts on censoring our classrooms, controlling people’s bodies, limiting our right to vote, and creating the Governor’s own personal army by diverting over $100 million in taxpayer dollars to build, equip, and train a Florida State Guard of 1,500 people to serve at the sole discretion and direction of the governor, including an armed specialized unit with the authority to apprehend and make arrests.”
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* Daily Herald, Thursday, May 11…
The Chicago Bears and three Arlington Heights-area school districts are millions apart on what they think the team’s new Arlington Park property is worth and how much the team should pay in taxes, according to documents obtained by the Daily Herald.
During the parties’ closed-door negotiations after Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s reassessment of the 326-acre site, the schools suggested a $95 million value for the land, for which the Bears would be responsible for paying $7.9 million in annual property taxes for the next two years.
But new Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren called that proposed settlement a “nonstarter” and not “viable,” especially considering where negotiations began in January, according to a May 4 letter he sent to the superintendents of Palatine Township Elementary District 15, Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211. […]
The Bears countered with a land value of $52.5 million and annual tax payments of $4.3 million.
Kaegi’s reassessment would hike the property value from $33.5 million to $197 million, which is just below the $197.2 million the Bears paid Churchill Downs Inc. for the old racetrack.
* Daily Herald, Friday, May 12…
After new Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren called the property tax and assessment settlement proposed by three school districts a “nonstarter,” the superintendents fired back with a letter of their own Friday that doubles down on their offer. […]
But given a “substantial gulf” between the two sides, the school district superintendents told Warren Friday they don’t see the need to make a counteroffer. […]
The school districts said they now intend to proceed with resolution of the 2022 assessment year on its own, which will help inform both the schools and the Bears on an “appropriate” assessment for tax years 2023 and 2024, when the Bears will have full responsibility for the taxes.
* Tribune…
With one week remaining in the Illinois legislature’s spring session, a revised version of proposed legislation to aid the Chicago Bears’ move to Arlington Heights has surfaced in Springfield.
Like the previous proposal, the new bill would freeze the property tax assessment on the former Arlington International Racecourse, where the Bears have proposed a new stadium as part of a $5 billion mixed-use development, and create a $3 admission tax to help pay off debt incurred to fund renovations of Soldier Field two decades ago. […]
Democratic state Rep. Marty Moylan of Des Plaines said the new bill, filed Wednesday, reflects negotiations that have taken place since he filed a measure last month. That proposal caught some local officials and fellow lawmakers off guard. […]
Joining Moylan as a co-sponsor on the measure is freshman state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, a fellow Democrat who just completed a term as an Arlington Heights village trustee.
Rep. Canty’s full statement…
Throughout negotiation on a new Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights, my focus has been on the impact on our communities – the Village of Arlington Heights itself as well as neighboring communities that would be affected just as much. Every affected community needs a seat at the table. The latest proposal is a step forward, but by no means final. My sponsorship of this legislation reflects my support for continued discussions with all stakeholders engaged. I hope to continue these conversations in the months ahead.
Subscribers know more.
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* Isabel wrote this week’s syndicated newspaper column…
My associate Isabel Miller recently interviewed Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago) about the national controversy he found himself in after posting a statement on Twitter. I thought I’d share it with you this week. Here’s Isabel…
A few weeks ago, Sen. Robert Peters posted a tweet that he knew would generate backlash. What he didn’t know was that it would go national.
The tweet was in response to teens converging on downtown Chicago. The Chicago Tribune reported three teenagers were wounded in two shootings and 16 were arrested during the violence: “I would look at the behavior of young people as a political act and statement. It’s a mass protest against poverty and segregation.”
Now-former Fox News host Tucker Carlson jumped in, telling his millions of viewers: “So, what happens if you encourage this kind of behavior, if you cheer the mob rather than restraining the mob? Well, ugly and totally inevitable things will happen. Productive people will flee, innocents will die and ultimately you will get from this mob racial attacks. All of that is happening in Chicago right now. All of it.”
Peters said he was paraphrasing a 1966 quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “A riot is the language of the unheard.”
“If I actually said what Dr. King said, I think… [people] could’ve responded even more harshly,” Peters said. “I don’t want anybody to ever get hurt. I have a district where there’s a lot of violence, particularly in a lot of working class areas. And I think everybody deserves to have their fair share of safety and comfort and I think we seem to be caught up responding to the same questions in relatively the same way. And I think a lot of people are sick and tired of it.
“And we have to look at it from both the historical context and the present context about what are we going to do to change things. If a kid has had their school closed, or healthcare institution closed, or they’ve had their housing foreclosed or they’ve been evicted, or they’re living cooped up in housing too small, mismanaged, then we have to do whatever we can to change that. And it’s clear that we need to push back on what has been a terrible, terrible status quo for people.”
Despite receiving hate and threats for his comments, Peters said he remains committed to his stance. “I do not believe in violence, that needs to be clear. I just want a good-faith discussion about what it means to have safety in every zip code. Instead, I was met with a person [Carlson] who defended terrible people and far-right extremism and thought it would be good to come after me.”
Peters said he struggles with whether speaking out is worth the threats. “I don’t want to have to worry about not only my well-being, but the well-being of the people I care and love.”
“Everyone’s ‘tough on crime’ until they want to send dangerously violent, anonymous emails,” Peters said. “There was a massive contradiction and hypocrisy by some people, and it just goes to show some people authentically want to bring safety to every community and make sure that every kid and every parent and every person, whether they’re struggling with housing and health care, there are people who really want to do that. I think I belong to those people.”
Peters is known for carrying a heavy workload in Springfield, and he also served on Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s transition team. Asked how he balances all of his tasks, Peters said, “Well, I mean, I have the unfortunate thing of having been born with ADHD. And, you know, it has its ups and downs. But it’s almost sometimes this work is kinetic; you know what I mean? It’s moving quickly. And you have to make quick assessments and you need to power map what you can and cannot do, and you need to know… what is an immediate thing you can make happen and what is something that might be longer term.”
“When I was younger, I was told I would amount to very little. After my dad passed away, I struggled with what the meaning of the world was and sort of figured that out and you combine all the sort of kinetic sort of ADHD energy with a drive that the meaning of my existence is to show that nobody has to go through the things that myself or my family, or the people I love around me had to go through.”
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Pre-inauguration coverage roundup
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* The Chicago mayoral inauguration ceremony begins at 10:30 this morning. Click here for more info and to watch it live…
* Tribune | Brandon Johnson: His rise from union organizer to Chicago’s new progressive mayor, and the challenges he inherits: To get here, Johnson took an unconventional route compared with previous mayors. Having cut his teeth politically as a top Chicago Teachers Union organizer a decade ago, Johnson brings with him a labor-friendly resume that has galvanized the city’s political left. That coalition of progressive unions and grassroots organizations propelled Johnson to victory after their chosen candidates suffered mayoral runoff losses in 2015 and 2019.
* Tribune | Facing CPD remake, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson promises new approach, including adding police detectives: When Johnson is sworn in as the city’s 57th mayor Monday, he inherits a Chicago Police Department in a swirl of transition. Along with his promise to add detectives, Johnson needs to choose a permanent CPD superintendent, and he has promised to eliminate controversial recent additions to the city’s police landscape, including the ShotSpotter system.
* WGN | A decade before his election, Brandon Johnson foreshadowed his own rise to power: Johnson spoke about how Emanuel’s decision to close 50 Chicago Public Schools a year after the strike became a personal issue for him – as a teacher, CPS parent, and a union member. Then CTU-president Karen Lewis viewed the school closures as proof the CTU would have to have its own candidates run for government offices.
* Sun-Times | Migrant crisis ‘one of the most challenging’ problems facing Chicago’s new mayor, chief of staff says: Rich Guidice spent nearly 20 years running the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Emergency response is his forte. But Guidice said he has never seen an emergency quite like the more than 8,000 asylum-seekers who have poured into Chicago since September, with scores more on the way.
* Crain’s | It’s inauguration day for Chicago’s next mayor. Here’s what you need to know.: A full guest roster hasn’t yet been announced, but we already know it’ll be pretty crowded onstage. Gov. J.B. Pritzker; Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton; both Illinois U.S. senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth; and a long list of other local and state elected officials are listed as inauguration co-chairs, so there’s a good chance they’ll be in attendance.
* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson fleshes out senior staff, shows continued influence of Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago Teachers Union: Annette Guzman, Preckwinkle’s county budget director, will be Johnson’s city budget director. Jennifer Johnson, chief of staff for the CTU, where Brandon Johnson has been a paid organizer, will be deputy mayor for education.
* Daily Herald | When it comes to transportation, there’s a lot riding on Chicago’s new mayor: Inexplicably to those of us obsessed with things that move, the O’Hare 21 expansion, which involves building a new Global Terminal plus two concourses costing $7 billion, was a nonfactor in the mayoral election. But aviation expert Joseph Schwieterman expects Johnson will support the plan. “The need for a better O’Hare is pretty obvious,” he said. “The new mayor will need to champion O’Hare 21 to keep the mega-project moving at maximum speed. Delays will both hamper the airport’s revenue potential and hurt our image as a premier convention town.”
* The New Yorker | Chicago’s Unlikeliest Mayor, Brandon Johnson: The attention from powerful Democrats indicates the importance of the race not just to those who live in the city of Chicago but to national politics. In the aftermath of the 2020 uprisings and Presidential contest, the Republican Party went all in on two issues: opposing crime and what they describe as “woke intolerance.” In doing so, they conflated the rise of crime rates during the height of the pandemic with the political outcry throughout that summer. Within this recriminating narrative, Chicago loomed large. For years now, Chicago has been described by Republicans as the quintessential example of big-city chaos. As former President Donald Trump once said, “All over the world they’re talking about Chicago. Afghanistan is a safe place by comparison.”
* Fox Chicago | Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel shares message for incoming Mayor Brandon Johnson: Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel shared a message on Sunday for incoming Mayor Brandon Johnson: “I’m rooting hard for your success.” Emanuel shared the message via Twitter from Japan, where he serves as the U.S. Ambassador. Emanuel was Chicago’s mayor from 2011 to 2019.
* Block Club | Brandon Johnson And All 50 Alderpeople Will Be Inaugurated Monday.: Clerk Anna Valencia will be the first official sworn in, followed by all 50 alderpeople and Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, according to the meeting agenda. Johnson will take his oath of office last and then deliver an inaugural address.
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Open thread
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* I hope you all had a relaxing weekend! I’m not gonna jinx it by counting down the days. What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | Budget, Bears, Chicago school board and ethics: Illinois legislators face busy agenda in spring session’s final week: The Illinois General Assembly heads into the final scheduled week of its spring session facing unresolved issues from the budget to a proposal to help the Chicago Bears move to the suburbs, while also coming under pressure to toughen government ethics laws in the wake of the “ComEd Four” corruption case convictions. Also on the table is the possibility of additional funding to help Chicago address its growing influx of migrants and asylum-seekers, and the need to finalize a map for the city’s new elected school board.
* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois Supreme Court considers whether a fetus can be a ‘victim’ of murder: In 2007, Reginald Lane shot and killed Jwonda Thurston, his pregnant girlfriend. For the murder, he was sentenced to life in prison, following state statute for someone who is found guilty of killing “more than one victim.”
* Daily Herald | ‘My kids will have to live with the decisions that I make’: How parenthood affects moms in office: When Kara Lambert first ran for Mundelein trustee in 2019, a man cornered her in a local Walgreens and asked how she effectively could serve while also being a mom to her then-2-year-old son, Theo. It’s not the kind of question a father running for office likely would face.
* Sun-Times | Former red-light camera exec who helped feds gets his bribery case dismissed: During a telephone hearing that lasted around a minute, federal prosecutors dismissed the single count of conspiracy to bribe a public official that had hung over businessman Omar Maani’s head since he was charged in 2020.
* Tribune | Brandon Johnson: His rise from union organizer to Chicago’s new progressive mayor, and the challenges he inherits: The mayor-elect, 47, will enter his inauguration ceremony on a mission to uplift the working class after campaigning on an anti-establishment platform that denounced what he called “the tale of two cities.” A former Cook County commissioner and teachers union organizer, Johnson will succeed Lori Lightfoot after her tumultuous term, which saw widespread discontent following the pandemic and civil unrest.
* Sun-Times | Migrant crisis ‘one of the most challenging’ problems facing Chicago’s new mayor, chief of staff says: Rich Guidice, who spent nearly 20 years running the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, said he has never seen an emergency quite like the thousands of asylum-seekers who have poured into Chicago since September, with scores more on the way.
* WTTW | Brandon Johnson Commits to Reopening Chicago’s Public Mental Health Clinics Closed 11 Years Ago: “We are going to reopen the mental health clinics,” Johnson said, putting it first in a list of his top priorities, which he said included fully funding Chicago’s schools, making sure Chicago’s public transportation system is clean, safe and efficient and Chicagoans have access to clean water and fresh food.
* WBEZ | Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to Illinois lawmakers: Fund gun enforcement: Dart, who has an annual budget of more than $500 million, set up a task force to go after guns in 2013. However, he said with the other demands on his office he couldn’t devote enough officers to go after the thousands of licenses revoked in Cook County every year.
* Sun-Times | Chicago man accused of selling fake Cubs hats while on probation for selling fake White Sox tickets: Bruce Lee was arrested Wednesday after undercover officers purchased the counterfeit Cubs bucket hats from Lee on two separate occasions in Wrigleyville, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said in a news release.
* Crain’s | Groupon terminating HQ lease early: Groupon is ending its lease for its River North headquarters two years early as it risks running out of cash, creating a big leasing challenge for Chicago developer Sterling Bay much sooner than expected. The struggling online-deal company recently executed an option to terminate its lease at 600 W. Chicago Ave. as of Jan. 31, 2024, according to a regulatory disclosure filed earlier this month. Groupon’s lease for nearly 300,000 square feet was due to expire in January 2026, but the company paid a termination fee of $9.6 million to end its commitment early. The imminent exit is not surprising, given the company’s warning to investors this week that there is substantial doubt it can remain a “going concern.”
* Daily Herald | Campton Hills trustee-elect Timothy Morgan vows to be seated despite 2002 Michigan DUI conviction: Morgan previously deferred taking his oath of office at the May 2 Campton Hills Village Board meeting because Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser had warned him that a 2002 felony DUI conviction in Michigan made him ineligible.
* NBC | Migrants say rumors encouraged crossing before Title 42 ended: In total, Border Patrol apprehended just over 6,200 undocumented migrants crossing the border on Friday, the first day after Title 42 was lifted, two Homeland Security officials told NBC News on Saturday. That figure was lower than the 11,000 apprehended each day on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as the 10,000 apprehended on Thursday.
* CNN | Border crossings down 50% after Title 42: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tells CNN’s Dana Bash that only 4,200 migrants were encountered at the border on Saturday, down from more than 10,000 per day earlier in the week.
* Tribune | These mothers sell flowers on the streets of Chicago for Mother’s Day: Every Mother’s Day, Minerva Garcia is surrounded by hundreds of bouquets of roses. The red ones are her favorites. They remind her of love, she said as she softly touched a petal. There are also dozens of white and pink roses, but none of them are for her.
* Sun-Times | Giant snapping turtle ‘Chonkosaurus’ evidence of a much cleaner Chicago River: Everything about the video screams Chicago, from the previously polluted stream of water to Santore’s recognizable accent as he marvels at the turtle’s size. “That’s a Chicago river snapper,” Santore’s friend comments from the background. “Are you kidding me?”
* Daily Beast | There Are 2 AI Booms Happening. We’re Caught in the Middle.: In December, the Princeton student used his holiday break to create GPTZero, a tool for educators to help them determine whether student essays were written with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Buoyed by growing concerns about the emerging technology and the nascent AI boom, Tian’s tool went viral—garnering more than 6 million users in just a few months.
* AP | ‘Robo umps’ reach Triple-A, but MLB rollout is uncertain: ‘You’re losing some of the human emotion of the game’: “Nobody complains about anything anymore with the strike zone because there’s nothing to complain about,” Saints manager Toby Gardenhire said after his first series with the so-called “robo-ump.” “You take that as good and bad. It’s kind of entertaining to watch a guy argue.”
* Sun-Times | White Sox drop another series, lose 4-3 to Astros: Lucas Giolito was strong after the first inning. Luis Robert Jr. continued his torrid May by hitting a home run in his third consecutive game. And Jake Burger returned from the injured list with a two-run homer of his own. But those are just details for a White Sox team that has a major hole to escape, one that got deeper with their 4-3 loss Sunday to the Astros.
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Live coverage
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* WBEZ | An Illinois town was at risk of becoming a local news desert. Then a startup newspaper began publishing: Stout now has time to write for a growing startup that’s harnessing the journalism expertise that’s still in Macomb to fill the local news void. It’s called the Community News Brief. “People really realize they’re getting something local,” Stout said of the Brief, which was founded by editor Lynne Campbell, a McDonough County native with a robust journalism and marketing resume including time with Gannett’s owner, GateHouse Media.
* Russ Stewart | Leftists plot “Peoples Forums” as state Rep. Andrade mulls Senate pick: Rumors abound that state Representative Jaime Andrade Jr. (D-40) will be the area Democratic committeepersons’ pick to fill the soon-to-be-vacant 20th District state Senate seat, from which incumbent Cristina Pacione-Zayas will depart on May 15. The senator will become new Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first deputy chief-of-staff for policy and director of intergovernmental affairs.
* Illinois Newsroom | Providers say Illinois set to become haven for gender-affirming care: Michelle Hanlon, a nurse at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and trans woman, said she’s had to turn down work opportunities because not every state has the same protections for the trans community as Illinois.
* Center Square | Republicans reveal proposals they say will spur jobs, help families: House Bill 4085 would allow the Illinois Commerce Commission to keep a power plant online if they feel the closure would put the health of the power grid or the affordability of power in jeopardy.
* KFVS | Grand opening of Cairo, Ill. grocery store set for June: The grand opening for Rise Community Market in Cairo will be Friday, June 16. Organizers say the event will start at 10 a.m. They said they’re finalizing vendor agreements and selecting/pricing products. They’re also in the process of hiring an assistant manager, full-time clerks and stocking positions.
* WMBD | Positive nursing outlook in Central Illinois: The 2023 AMN Healthcare Survey of Registered Nurses examined the pandemic’s impact on 18,000 nurses’ career plans, job satisfaction, and mental health. Thirty percent of nurses said they are likely to leave their nursing careers post-pandemic and just 15 percent said they will stay in their hospital roles. And 95 percent reported a moderate or severe nursing shortage at hospitals.
* Crain’s | The high-profile union organizing campaign at Starbucks spotlights Mellody Hobson’s dual role: In her day job, she’s co-CEO of Ariel Investments, which manages hundreds of millions in pension funds for union workers, including members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). On the side, she serves as chairman of Starbucks as it battles SEIU’s efforts to unionize the coffee chain’s stores.
* NYT | Generation Connie: It was on my first day of college at the University of California, Berkeley, when I started to realize there were more of us out there. […] Afterward, I went back to my dorm room and typed “Connie” into the campus Facebook. I found the girl from the sandwich line — and I also found many, many more. In my freshman class alone, there was a Connie Zheng, a Connie Guo, a Connie Xu, a few Connie Chengs, and multiple Connie Wangs. No wonder the university email address I’d wanted had been taken. All this time, I’d thought the story of my name was special; little did I know it was the story of a generation.
* The Guardian | ‘It’s hell’: life under the American mobile home king who calls himself a ‘grave dancer’: Billionaire Sam Zell is the largest mobile home landlord in the US, but his tenants say they reckon with disrepair, neglect, flooding and rising rents. Some have had enough
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That toddlin’ town roundup
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Two days ago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the appointment of Kevin Barszcz as the city’s Director of Veteran Affairs. She also signed an executive order and declared a state of emergency earlier this week. Today, Lightfoot signed several more executive orders, just days before her term ends…
• Executive Order Requiring Recommendation on Continuation of Key Fines and Fees Reform Programs
• Executive Order Establishing the Pension Advance Fund
• Executive Order Establishing the Youth Commission as a Formal Advisory Body to Ensure Youth Voice Remains in City Government
• Executive Order Expanding Access to U/T Visa Certification
• Executive Order Formally Establishing the Office of New Americans
• Executive Order Enhancing Zoning Transparency and Consistency
• Executive Order to Promote LaSalle Street Revitalization
• Executive Order to Operationalize Annual Progress Reporting of City Departments’ Requirement to Create and Maintain Racial Equity Action Plans
• Executive Order to Ensure Implementation of ‘We Will Chicago’ Citywide Plan
• Executive Orders on Procurement and Delegate Contracting Reforms
Crain’s…
The move follows an executive order on Wednesday on environmental justice and another on Tuesday declaring a state of emergency due to a wave of asylum seekers arriving in Chicago.
Similar to those executive orders, the Johnson transition team was caught off guard by the orders and were not briefed in advance. Johnson’s transition team declined further comment until they read through the implications of the orders. […]
Those orders can be rescinded by Johnson, but their issuance forces him into the tough position of publicly doing away with policies, even if they are largely ceremonial. Some of the orders touch on policies Johnson has expressed are priorities of his incoming administration, but would want to craft the specifics of the policy with his own team.
Crain’s has posted the orders on its site.
* From the BGA’s David Greising…
Under Lightfoot, the City Council began to exercise a modicum of independence. There even was talk about appointing a parliamentarian to help the council further assert autonomy. Or perhaps a legislative counsel might supplant the city’s corporation counsel — a mayoral appointee — in ruling on legal matters before the body.
Such talk has mostly gone silent — at least for now. Waguespack was banished to the backbenches, and in case the point wasn’t made, Lightfoot-era heavyweights Aldermen Anthony Beale, 9th; Brendan Reilly, 42nd; Brian Hopkins, 2nd; and Walter Burnett Jr., 27th, were sent there too. They hold not a single committee chairmanship among them.
The guy needs a fact-checker. Hopkins will chair the Committee on Public Safety. And, according to a Brandon Johnson press release today, “Ald. Walter Burnett will make history as the first African-American Vice Mayor.” The current Vice Mayor is Tom Tunney.
Ald. Beale was quoted as saying “The only candidate in this election who has encouraged racial division is Brandon Johnson.” Ald. Reilly worked more closely with Vallas than just about anybody.
* The ILGOP is fundraising off the new mayor-elect…
Incoming Chicago Mayor and avid defund the police advocate Brandon Johnson appeared before the Illinois General Assembly to talk about his agenda for the city.
It’s worse than you’d think…
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Chicago deserves better, and we will work with Republicans and conservatives across Chicago and Cook County to win in future elections and combat this failed agenda.
You can aid us in our efforts to combat the radical agenda of Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Democrats with a contribution of any size today
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* The Triibe…
In the month leading up to the April 4 mayoral runoff, Tio Hardiman Jr., a native of the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side, was paid to work for former Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Paul Vallas’s unsuccessful campaign for mayor. […]
In the final push for votes ahead of the runoff, Vallas spent more than $600,000 to hire hundreds of people like Hardiman Jr. to get out the vote in the Black community. Payments to such workers were listed under the catchall category “services” on campaign expenditure reports. A TRiiBE analysis found much of what Vallas spent on individual services went to residents of South and West Side wards.
And that doesn’t include the $700K he paid to Chima Enyia. We won’t see his April spending until July.
* A few more…
* ADDED: Sun-Times | Chicago cops’ racist social media posts detailed in new COPA report: Among the cops’ posts: Sgt. Keith Olson described Chicago teenagers as “little animal f—-” but expressed encouragement that “the ghetto building” hadn’t gotten approval yet. Officer Dallas Englehart responded to a post endorsing then-President Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and proposed shooting down what he called “undocumented Planes” with anti-aircraft blasts. Sgt. Anargyros Kereakes equated the Black Lives Matter movement, the NFL and Black entertainers to the Ku Klux Klan and asked, “do Black Lives really Matter to black people?” Officer Angel Avalos Jr. used the social media platform to write “Work will set you free!” — a variation of a phrase that appeared on the gates to the Nazis’ Auschwitz concentration camp. Officer Scott Kniaz predicted, when a police officer was reported to have been injured after video was released showing the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by a Chicago cop: “It will not be long until the war starts.”
* Tribune | Incoming City Hall chief of staff was suspended for role in free United Center parking ‘scheme’: The city suspended Richard Guidice for 30 days in 2017 after a report from the Chicago Office of Inspector General found he and several other city employees participated in a “scheme” in which they set aside free street parking for friends and family during Blackhawks playoff games and Bulls games in 2015 and 2016.
* Sun-Times: NASCAR to use mufflers in Chicago, keep lakefront accessible: “Given the information provided from NASCAR related to their noise-reducing mufflers, we do not anticipate any negative noise or vibration impacts on our facility or to our animals,” Shedd Aquarium spokesman Johnny Ford said in an email Thursday.
* CBS Chicago | Lightfoot going on bus tour as part of final send-off as Chicago mayor: Today, Lightfoot will visit the Bronzeville Winery as part of a bus tour around the mayor’s INVEST Southwest and Chicago Works community development programs. Then at 4:30 p.m., a final sendoff as she leaves City Hall for the last time.
* Greg Hinz | As Mayor Lightfoot becomes Citizen Lightfoot, a look back at the good — and the bad: Mayor Lori Lightfoot had some choice words earlier this week when she declared a city emergency over a renewed wave of immigrants and asylum seekers now flooding the city, many of them on buses and planes dispatched from Texas.
* Tribune | Meet ‘Chonkosaurus,’ the Chicago River’s massive, fat snapping turtle: Scoot over Chance the Snapper: There’s a new famous critter in town. Its name is “Chonkosaurus” and it likes to bask in the sun. The massive snapping turtle was caught on camera by botanist Joey Santore as it lorded over a Chicago River pylon Saturday. In a widely shared video, the turtle suns itself as its fat, leathery legs burst beyond its shell.
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* Hannah Meisel…
Illinois would become one of the first states to make so-called crisis pregnancy centers subject to the same consumer fraud standards as car dealerships, retailers and service-based businesses under a bill that will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker.
Upon the measure becoming law, crisis pregnancy centers could be sued under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act if they engage in “unfair methods of competition” or “deceptive acts or practices.” […]
Another measure pushed through by Democrats would require university and community college campuses to maintain at least one vending machine where students can buy the emergency contraceptive Plan B “morning after” pill – a medication that, if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, will stop or delay the female body from releasing an egg from an ovary. […]
Also this week, Democrats pushed through an initiative of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. House Bill 3326 would prohibit out-of-state law enforcement from getting access to Illinois’ automatic license plate reader data unless they stipulate they won’t be using that information to investigate someone seeking an abortion in Illinois or based on his or her immigration status. The bill passed on partisan lines and has yet to be heard in a Senate committee.
* On to reaction on SB1909 in the order received. AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today applauded the Illinois House of Representatives’ passage of his legislation to hold crisis pregnancy centers that engage in deceptive practices accountable.
Illinois law establishes the fundamental rights of individuals to make autonomous decisions about their reproductive health. There have been reports in Illinois and nationwide of limited services pregnancy centers, often referred to as “crisis pregnancy centers,” using deceptive and misleading practices to spread false information and interfere with patients’ timely access to the full range of reproductive care.
“I witnessed deceptive crisis pregnancy center tactics firsthand on a visit to tour a Planned Parenthood health center in Illinois. People who appeared as though they might work there were outside attempting to divert us away from the health center,” Raoul said. “Patients report going to crisis pregnancy centers – sometimes even receiving exams and ultrasounds – thinking they were visiting a different clinic that offers the full range of reproductive care. This is an extreme violation of trust and patient privacy that should not occur in our state. I would like to thank members of the House for passing legislation to help my office hold those engaging in deceptive practices accountable.”
Senate Bill 1909, sponsored by Rep. Terra Costa Howard, will next go to the governor for approval.
“These fake clinics were set up specifically to deceive patients who are seeking reproductive healthcare,” said Rep. Costa Howard. “These so-called clinics actually put patients’ health at risk by interfering with their access to comprehensive care, and it’s time to hold them accountable for their deceptive practices.”
While crisis pregnancy centers’ advertising may offer general pregnancy-related services, these facilities do not offer the full range of reproductive care, and the mission of most crisis pregnancy centers is to convince pregnant people to carry to term and not have an abortion. Many provide misleading information overstating the risks associated with abortion, including conveying false claims that abortion causes cancer or infertility.
Some are located near clinics that do provide comprehensive reproductive care and use names similar to clinics to misdirect patients and prevent them from accessing the full range of information and care. Crisis pregnancy centers do not provide abortions or referrals for abortions. Many do not provide contraceptives or comprehensive prenatal care. They often do not have any medical professionals on-site, and they do not necessarily disclose any of these limitations in their online or in-person materials. They also may not keep medical records and personal information private and confidential.
In addition to initiating SB 1909, Attorney General Raoul has offered recommendations to patients seeking reproductive care to ensure they can access comprehensive health services. Patients should check to be certain that they are entering the correct facility because crisis pregnancy centers may be located near abortion clinics and use similar names to divert women away from abortion providers. They should also make sure the facility they plan to visit offers the full range of reproductive care options if that is what they seek.
* Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri…
“Everyone must have access to accurate, comprehensive, evidence-based, judgment-free health care and information from expert providers — especially when it comes to decisions about sexual health, pregnancy, and abortion. Deception and disinformation have no place in health care and neither do fake clinics designed to target and shame patients.
“I commend the General Assembly for advancing this important legislation — an example for other states — and I look forward to Governor Pritzker signing it into law.”
* Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick…
“For too long, so-called ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ have been intentionally deceiving pregnant Illinoisans in order to stop them from accessing abortion and other reproductive health services. Employees of these centers use scare tactics, misinformation, and pressure to prevent people from seeking abortions, emergency contraception or even birth control. Today, we applaud the Illinois General Assembly for passing new protections for consumers and ensuring Illinois continues to be a safe place to access reproductive health care, including abortions.
“We are pleased that people seeking reproductive care are now an explicitly protected group under the Consumer Protection Act. We look forward to working with the Attorney General and Illinois municipalities to hold so-called crisis pregnancy centers accountable for their deceptive practices. We thank Attorney General Kwame Raoul and chief co-sponsors Sen. Celina Villanueva, Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, Sen. Cristina Castro, Sen. Mattie Hunter, Sen. Adriane Johnson, and Rep. Terra Costa Howard.”
* Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City)…
“It is not enough for the far-left politicians running our state to merely enact laws to keep abortion legal – which they have the constitutional authority to do – but they are now engaged in using the power of government to target people with whom they disagree. Senate Bill 1909 is an intentionally vague measure to give the Illinois Attorney General complete autonomy to intimidate and harass crisis pregnancy centers. There has been no evidence provided to suggest crisis pregnancy centers engage in deceptive practices begging the question why do we need this legislation?
Women who seek help from a crisis pregnancy center do so by choice. The counseling, the assistance with baby clothes, diapers and other resources are given freely to anyone who wants them. No one is forced to go to a crisis pregnancy center. No state dollars are used to fund them. Yet under this legislation, which JB Pritzker will sign into law, anyone can file a complaint and trigger an investigation. Even people who have had no direct interaction with a crisis pregnancy can file a complaint. This legislation is the epitome of evil. It is important for all pro-life people to speak up because there is no end to the lengths the far left will do to ensure more babies are killed and more money is put in the hands of the monsters who make a living killing unborn babies.”
* Illinois Freedom Caucus…
We hear a lot about protecting women, we keep using the word women in reference to this bill. How far should we go to protect women?
Should we protect young women in high school restrooms from intact males in that space? Should we protect women in collegiate athletics from having into contact with males in their dressing rooms?
We all agree women need to be protected, and we acknowledge that a woman that is born female and only a biological female can give birth. So, if we are going to talk about protecting the health and safety of women in one space, we need to stop ignoring that there is deception in other spaces which is a tremendous danger to women as well.
Senate Bill 1909 is nothing more than a power grab to give the Attorney General carte blanche authority to target crisis pregnancy centers for any reason. Anyone – even people who have had no direct connection to a crisis pregnancy center – can lodge a complaint and essentially launch an investigation.
This legislation is not about protecting anyone but the monsters in our state who celebrate the brutal murder of innocent children as a ‘right.’ This bill is not only a violation of the First Amendment rights of those involved (mostly volunteers) at crisis pregnancy centers, but it also is an overt persecution of people whose only crime is disagreeing with the abortion death cult. Senate Bill 1909 will be challenged in court. It will be overturned, and we will continue to speak out against the extreme positions of the pro-abortion advocates in our state.
* Planned Parenthood Illinois CEO Jennifer Welch…
Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) is thrilled Senate Bill 1909 passed the House and is headed to the Governor’s desk. This bill holds anti-abortion Limited Service Pregnancy Centers (LSPC) accountable for spreading misinformation and deceiving patients who are seeking reproductive health care. At a time when access to health care is under attack like never before, it’s critical that people have access to accurate and unbiased information when making decisions about their health.
PPIL provides reliable and medically-accurate information to our patients about the full range of abortion care options. LSPCs routinely spread misinformation and use deceptive practices that lead to confusion, anxiety, and even physical harm for our patients.
We look forward to Governor JB Pritzker signing SB 1909 and ensuring individuals have the medically-accurate information and resources they need to make decisions that are best for their bodies, their lives and their futures.
* Rep. Adam Niemerg…
The Illinois House this week moved the state even further to the left with the passage of a series of pro-abortion, gun control, immigration, and trans agenda measures, according to State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich).
One bill the House approved (SB 1909) gives the Illinois Attorney General unchecked power to investigate and harass crisis pregnancy centers.
“Senate Bill 1909 is intentionally vague and is a response to a nonexistent problem,” Niemerg said. “There was a FOIA request made to the Attorney General’s office for these supposed complaints, and the results of that request showed there was a grand total of ZERO complaints against crisis pregnancy centers for violations of the state’s deceptive business practices act. They say they want choice, but they are passing legislation aimed at preventing any other choice than abortion.”
Another measure approved prevents Illinois law enforcement from providing law enforcement agencies in other states with information gathered from automatic license plate readers to help prosecute people seeking an abortion in Illinois and to use that data to detain people based on immigration status.
“Essentially sex traffickers can transport young women to Illinois to get abortions and law enforcement here can’t do anything about it because they are going to an abortion clinic,” Niemerg said. “We are also ignoring immigration laws with this legislation and ultimately putting people’s lives at risk all for the sake of advancing the far left’s radical agenda.”
Finally, the House also passed legislation (HB 218) paving the way to make gun manufacturers liable for the illegal use of firearms and another measure (SB 1344) requiring insurance companies to cover abortifacients, hormone therapies and PrEP medication for HIV treatment.
“On the way hand, the far-left refuses to hold criminals responsible for their actions by instead focusing on gun manufacturers and on the other hand they want everyone else in society not only to embrace their radical agenda but to also pay for it as well,” Niemerg said. “We are living Georg Orwell’s nightmare scenario every day in Illinois thanks to the extremists running our state.”
* And now, HB3326 react. Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick…
We applaud the passage in the House today of HB3326 and thank chief sponsor Rep. Ann Williams and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias for introducing it. Reproductive rights are under attack like never before, and we are surrounded by states with severe restrictions on abortion access. That’s why we must do all that we can to ensure that Illinois remains an oasis for safe access to abortions and other reproductive healthcare. HB3326 ensures that those coming to our state seeking healthcare can rest assured that their license plate data will be secure and protected, and that our Illinois law enforcement agencies and municipalities will never turn their information over to states seeking to persecute them. We urge the Senate to take up the final version of this bill and pass it quickly.
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* Sun-Times…
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker stood together in April 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic to showcase the rapid transformation of an empty convention hall at McCormick Place East into a medical facility with 500 beds — and 2,500 more to be installed later. […]
The city kept 126 full-size beds from the McCormick Place temporary hospital. City officials say it would be difficult to set them up quickly because the beds include a mattress, headboard, footboard, bed frame and no linens.
Instead, the Lightfoot administration chose to send cots for immigrants to sleep on at temporary shelters because they’re “easy to deploy and set up during an emergency,” according to Mary May, a spokeswoman for the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. […]
The state has kept 750 “quick beds” and 375 hospital beds from the McCormick Place field hospital, according to Kevin Sur, a spokesman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security. A quick bed is a heavy, sturdy, tubular metal frame bed. The hospital beds are powered to help position a patient for better care and recovery, he said.
Sur said the state is willing to provide those beds to the city, but the city hasn’t requested them.
* Block Club Chicago…
Migrants are being temporarily housed at police stations while the city’s shelters are at capacity — but the stopgap is reaching a breaking point.
A migrant, who asked not to be named, told Block Club people who showed up Monday evening at the 12th District station at 1412 S. Blue Island Ave. were turned away and locked out.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), whose ward includes the station, said Tuesday he heard about the situation from district Cmdr. Beth Giltmier. The alderman said he was told the police station had nearly 100 people staying inside and officers had to turn away people because there was no more room. […]
The Police Department referred questions to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office, which didn’t respond.
* CBS Chicago…
With shelters at capacity, lobbies of police stations like the one behind me, now serve as temporary housing. But compassionate people, and volunteers are stepping up big time.
Air mattresses, food along with access to bathrooms and showers. A once empty warehouse in Pilsen is alive again, serving as an emergency shelter for at least 70 migrants.
Most of them from the 12 District police station.
“They’ve already given us mattresses. They’ve already given us clothes. We’re eating well.”
* Sun-Times…
Heather Kofke-Egger, who lives in Logan Square, has delivered meals and other necessities to the new arrivals since mid-April and estimates she’s spent hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars.
“People don’t want to look away,” Kofke-Egger said. “They don’t want to see children go hungry. They don’t want to see their new neighbors sleeping on the floor of police stations in these really difficult conditions.”
With more people now sleeping in police stations, Kofke-Egger said the last few weeks have been like running a small government in the absence of a city response.
“We need a city response that is comprehensive and addresses both the needs as people are waiting for shelter and the needs as people transition into the shelter system,” she said. “Counting on volunteers to do this work is just not appropriate.”
* ABC Chicago…
Residents of South Shore are taking legal action against the city of Chicago over plans to turn a shuttered neighborhood high school into a migrant respite center.
“Members of the Black Community Collaborative, South Shore constituents and stakeholders are extremely dismayed by the city of Chicago’s inability to control and develop safe parameters around housing migrants that have been transported here from the border,” said Natasha Dunn.
A week ago, hundreds of South Shore neighbors packed into an auditorium and pilloried city officials as they attempted to explain plans to open a respite center for incoming migrants in the former school building.
“There is also a due process issue,” said attorney Frank Avila. “We want the refugees and the asylum-seekers and migrants to come in, but we have areas across the city where they can go. Not centralized in one community.”
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* ISP…
MT. VERNON – The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Internal Investigation continues its investigation into the discharge of an Illinois State Police Officer’s duty weapon during a motorist assist on May 9, 2023 at 3:30 a.m. on Interstate 64 near milepost 72. During the incident, an altercation occurred and 23-year-old Brandon L. Griffin of Albuquerque, New Mexico brandished a firearm. Griffin and an officer exchanged gunfire and Griffin was fatally shot. An ISP officer was also shot and was taken to an area hospital. The Officer has since been released and is recovering at home.
Griffin’s wife, 31-year-old Christine J. Santos, was present at the time of the incident and is currently being held at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on a no-bond arrest warrant out of New Mexico for bond violations on a pending aggravated assault with a firearm case in which Griffin was her co-defendant.
In accordance with ISP’s commitment to integrity and public transparency, the video of the event is being made available to the public and can be found by clicking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc01KTJOEI8.
This video is being released after consultation with and authorization by the Jefferson County State’s Attorney. ISP provided Griffin’s mother the opportunity to review the video before its release to the public.
This remains an ongoing investigation being conducted by ISP and is under review by the Jefferson County State’s Attorney’s Office. No additional information is available at this time.
I can totally understand if you don’t watch the video, but both troopers seemed to handle things pretty well during some serious chaos. At one point, Griffin yelled as he was struggling to break free: “I was in the military. You’re gonna have to shoot me.” Griffin continued resisting, eventually obtained a gun from the car and shot one trooper and then the other trooper fired at him in response.
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The state needs to step in
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune has a story about often-shady smoke shops…
On a recent school day, a student at Uplift Community High School in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood began vomiting multiple times and became unresponsive.
A short time later, other students alerted security that they had taken cannabis gummies from a classmate and felt sick, the school incident report showed. Another student who’d taken a gummy was “extremely paranoid and delusional.”
Five students were transported to hospitals, one classified as code red, suggesting a potentially serious condition, though all recovered. The Chicago Fire Department tweeted that the gummies came from a “dispensary” — but those involved indicate that’s not the case.
The gummies came not from a licensed cannabis dispensary, but from a neighborhood smoke shop, according to the school report of the incident and one of the parents of the teens involved. […]
Uptown Smokes is located within 1,000 feet of Uplift school and would not be allowed to be a licensed dispensary. The store, according to its Instagram account, advertises delta-8 and delta-10-THC, tobacco, and another drug called kratom, sold alongside potato chips, pop, candy and other items popular with high schoolers. […]
Uptown Smokes was shut down by the city the day after the incident — not for the overdoses, but for building code violations. Chicago officials say they generally have no authority to regulate the sale of delta-8, but can use code citations to temporarily address problem sites. The store was to remain closed until violations were corrected. The registered agent for Uptown Smokes, Zeyad Abughoush, could not be reached for comment.
The state has no authority to regulate the gray-market stores, either.
According to an online archived copy of the now-defunct website CBD At Work, there were an eye-popping 9,712 CBD shops in Illinois alone two years ago. And that doesn’t include the gas stations which sell it everywhere you look.
So far, the legislature hasn’t stepped up to do anything about it, although Rep. Bob Morgan tried a couple of years ago. There is no bill in the hopper right now, but the subject is being addressed by Rep. La Shawn Ford’s cannabis working group. Morgan ran the state’s medical cannabis program under Pat Quinn.
* From Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago)…
Incidents like what happened in the high school in Uptown are exactly why we need regulatory controls over these products. We regularly hear from people confused by storefronts calling themselves dispensaries, parents upset that their minor children have been able to purchase from these stores who are frustrated that there’s no recourse, and people who’ve purchased these products believing them to be tested and regulated. Regulation is about protecting consumers and ensuring the safety of the products being sold.
This reminds me of the taverns and other places offering the shady “sweepstakes” games that have never truly been addressed by the state.
* If the General Assembly is looking at reforms, maybe addressing this kind of stuff would be a good place to start. After all, the gray-market sweepstakes game industry was behind the former Rep. Luis Arroyo bribery scandal which resulted in the indictment of his alleged bribery paymaster James Weiss.
I doubt it will be too long before this delta thing attracts similar federal interest.
Either legalize, tax and regulate it or ban it. The status quo is not acceptable.
…Adding… Mark Peysakhovich…
Hi Rich –
I am one of the lobbyists who represents some Illinois companies involved in various aspects of Illinois’ hemp industry, including cultivation, research, processing, and retail of products like delta-8. They have invested years of our lives and millions of dollars to build hemp businesses, which, by the way, was legal before adult use applications even started. The industry includes hundreds of demographically and geographically diverse companies and a lot of jobs in Illinois.
The honest, legitimate companies in this space have been advocating for strict regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoids for almost two years. (Fact sheet attached.) Unfortunately, the insatiable cannabis companies see delta products as competition and they really do not just want regulation, which is part of why there is no regulation. They want to take the hemp businesses away for themselves by putting the hemp products (like the deltas) under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA.) If they can’t do that, they will push for a ban. They went as low as hiring a retired DEA agent to spy on Illinois hemp businesses and presenting the cherry-picked information to the House Cannabis Work Group a few weeks ago.
The Illinois General Assembly acknowledged that hemp products, such as delta-8, are legal when it passed the Industrial Hemp Act in 2018. But now, even though their products remain federally illegal, Big Cannabis is advocating a hostile takeover of the hemp industry by moving hemp regulation under the CRTA rather than amending the Hemp Act. This step would put us out of business and give control of our industry to the huge cannabis corporations.
While my clients already carefully test and label products and restrict sales to consumers who are 21 or older, we know there are irresponsible people out there cutting corners to make a fast buck. That’s why we have been advocating for age restrictions as well as robust state licensing and regulation of hemp consumer products for years. This approach will protect consumers by ensuring they get fairly taxed, carefully tested, quality hemp products that are professionally made in local state-of-the-art facilities, rather than dangerous, potentially tainted, and mislabeled or unlabeled products made by shoddy operators in basements and garages.
At the same time, hemp and cannabis cannot be put under the same regulatory structure, which is what Big Cannabis wants. Hemp is federally legal. Cannabis is not. Giving control of the hemp industry to Big Cannabis is neither fair nor viable. It would disenfranchise those in the hemp industry and give away our businesses to the few hundred wealthy individuals who already own the licensed cannabis industry.
In short, we hope the Illinois General Assembly will protect consumers by enacting a strong hemp licensing and regulatory network. At the same time, we hope the General Assembly to resist Big Cannabis’ cynical scaremongering and to protect Illinois’ legal and legitimate hemp industry.
I am attaching a fact sheet we’ve been sharing widely. Please let me know if you have questions.
The fact sheet is here.
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Pritzker remains optimistic about budget
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers about the latest Governor’s Office of Management and Budget report to the Legislative Budget Oversight Commission a couple of days ago. The GOMB lowered its FY 2023 revenue estimates by $616 million, which makes it even lower than the recently revised Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s estimates. But GOMB increased its FY 2024 revenue estimate by $532 million ($802 million increase in state revenues, minus $270 million in an expected federal $ decrease), although at least some of that is said to be one-time revenues. Here’s Capitol News Illinois…
Gov. JB Pritzker said this week that the state remains “on a great trajectory from a fiscal perspective,” even as his office decreased its current-year revenue estimates in light of falling tax revenues.
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget this week shaved $616 million off its estimate for current-year revenues, marking a downward revision of about 1.1 percent. The move corresponded with a $532 million, or roughly 1 percent, increased revenue estimate for the upcoming fiscal year.
* That report also showed a small uptick in spending. And the governor was asked yesterday about the revised forecast…
Q: Yesterday, you said that your budget put forth as it is now, if it was passed that it would be balanced. But it looks like for Fiscal Year 23, the spending estimate is a little bit higher than revenues with the supplemental funding that you have proposed. So do you have to maybe consider not putting more into pensions or not doing the supplementals for daycare facilities?
Pritzker: I think the good news is, as you know, that the amount that we’re talking about is a very small percentage of the entire overall budget. We’re talking about possibly 1% of the entire budget. So we, knowing that this might be coming, we’ve ramped down some of the spending here and there within all of our agencies to make sure that we could cover that 1% difference.
* The governor was also asked yesterday what specific suggestions he made to the General Assembly to rein in the exploding costs of undocumented immigrant healthcare. He listed two of what he claimed were several: Co-pays based on income and provider reimbursement rates..
Q: Yesterday, when I had asked you a question about what you plan on doing in your budget proposal about the nearly $1.1 billion budget hole regarding the [Medicaid-like program for non-citizens], and you had said that it’s basically up to the General Assembly, and you indicated that you would hope that they consider some of the options that you had presented to them so that they could fit it into the budget. Could you elaborate about what some of those options from your administration are to the General Assembly?
Pritzker: Well, as you know, it’s a program that’s different than Medicaid and different than regular private insurance. It is possible, for example, that there could be for some people at certain income levels, co-pays. That’s an example of something that would defray the cost of the program. That’s one example. Another is, you know, a question about reimbursement rates, and what level the reimbursement rates would be for whatever services are given to people. So those are two, among many. But really, we gave them many options to choose from and ideas that they could take back to their caucuses and talk about and, and we’ve tried to answer every question that’s been brought to us. But these are all things that that I think are reasonable, to consider to make sure that we’re reining in the cost, but also serving the people who most need this healthcare.
I think he was talking about the enhanced reimbursement rate that’s given to Cook County’s health system because it churns Medicaid dollars. This isn’t, for the most part, a reimbursable program, however.
Other ideas include a hard spending/enrollment cap, but the Latino Caucus is digging in its heels so far…
The recent upward revisions to estimated program costs have prompted sharp criticism from Republicans. But in a news conference earlier in the week, state Rep. Lilian Jimenez, D-Chicago, pushed back against calls to end the program.
“Many immigrants in the state of Illinois do contribute to taxes. They pay their taxes when they work, they file their taxes with an ITIN number,” she said. “They are taxpaying members of this state and should be treated as such. And they’re also human beings, most of all, and we have to remember that when we talk about cutting this or cutting that.”
* One small caution about this next story is that the Civic Federation’s report doesn’t include GOMB’s newly revised outlook for this and next fiscal years. Crain’s…
Despite a huge drop in revenue last month, Illinois’ overall budget outlook remains good and within earlier forecasts, according to Fitch Ratings.
And that report comes just as the watchdog Civic Federation gives Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2024 spending plan its thumbs-up.
In its assessment released today of Pritzker’s proposed $49.6 billion operating budget, the Civic Federation praised “smart” moves to inject an additional $138 million into the state’s rainy-day fund and to make $200 million in supplemental pension payments. […]
The federation expressed concern that non-pension spending is proposed to rise 8.3% over last year’s budget. However, that increase is smaller — 1.2% — when supplemental appropriations are added to the proposed budget.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* The Senate’s consent calendar sure comes in handy…
* Patrick Keck…
Legislation granting victims of digital forgeries, commonly known as deepfakes, to take legal action against perpetrators who create and share inauthentic media is now one step closer to becoming law.
House Bill 2123 from Sen. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, passed in the Senate unanimously on Thursday. The bill, previously led by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, will return to the House for a concurrence vote where it is expected to pass. […]
The scene on the Senate floor, several Republicans thanking Edly-Allen for the bill, was vastly different from several committee hearings on the matter earlier in session.
Prior coverage:Digital forgeries bills advance out of House, Senate committees
Members of the minority party had expressed First Amendment concerns for when the technology was used for parodies or for political ads. Democrats and supporters of the bill answered by saying the bill only applies to bad actors, meaning those forms of speech would not be impacted. […]
Like the Digital Forgeries Act, HB 3563 is also heading back to the House for concurrence and tasks the Department of Innovation and Technology to build an AI task force. The Generative AI and Natural Language Processing Task Force would be created to investigate the potentials for the technology through the bill.
* WCBU…
Peoria environmental advocates and community leaders are advocating for the passage of legislation expanding regulations on the construction of carbon dioxide transport pipelines.
At a press conference Thursday, Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance member Joyce Harant said House Bill 3119 and Senate Bill 2421 include protections for the communities proposed carbon dioxide pipelines would pass through. […]
Measures included in the bills would place liability for pipeline accidents on the development companies, establish financial benefits for the communities near pipelines and prohibit the use of forced acquisition or eminent domain in pipeline construction.
The company Wolf Carbon Solutions is currently in talks with BioUrja about a potential trunkline that would transport captured carbon dioxide from the BioUrja ethanol plant in South Peoria to a sequestration site in Decatur.
* Bryant Greening…
If you are an Uber or Lyft customer, you have probably received an email recently urging you to press your lawmakers to oppose House Bill 2231. The rideshare companies say the legislation is a “disguised safety bill” and will cause dramatically increased fares.
These misleading tactics are an attempt to trick passengers into lobbying against a bill that would protect them. The fact is that House Bill 2231 is not a disguised safety bill but rather a legitimate effort to ensure the safety of rides-hail passengers. That Uber and Lyft are trying to deceive their passengers into believing that this legislation is solely about increasing fares is deeply concerning. It is clear that their primary concern is their bottom line, not the safety of their customers. This type of behavior is unacceptable and must be called out.
It is worth noting that other cities and states have implemented increased safety standards, and the rideshare companies seem to be operating without issue. Furthermore, safety improvements like driver training, enhanced background checks, and in-app emergency features can be effective and cheaply employed.
* Green Power Alliance…
Core partners of the Campaign to End Energy Poverty held a press conference to discuss the energy unaffordability crisis plaguing the state. New data issued from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the agency that oversees the state’s energy assistance programs, reveals the depth of the problem. Five pending utility rate increase requests and utility record profits will only exacerbate the situation.
To bring attention to this crisis, the Green Power Alliance, the lobbying affiliate of Blacks in Green, the National Consumer Law Center, and other advocacy organizations called on the utilities to come to the negotiating table and work to achieve passage of the People’s Utility Rate Relief (PURR) Act - HB2172, and SB1842, a separate bill that would increase available energy assistance dollars to begin to meet the immense need throughout the state.
The PURR Act - HB 2172 – will protect the interests of Illinois consumers and keep families safe by minimizing disconnections of essential utility services for medically vulnerable populations and requiring the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to specifically assess the impacts of utility revenue collection practices by zip code. The Bill is the product of the Campaign to End Energy Poverty, sponsored by the Green Power Alliance, the lobbying arm of Blacks in Green (BIG™), and the National Consumer Law Center, with input and support from consumers and advocates from throughout the state.
“We’ve been inviting decision-makers to come to the table and work out a morally-correct bill by May 19 for months now,” said Naomi Davis, founder and CEO of Blacks in Green. “In the meantime, the data keeps rolling in, painting the painful reality of the severity of the affordability crisis that affects millions of Illinois customers struggling to pay for heat and light.”
* WAND…
Illinois school buses could soon have extended stop arms to help kids stay safe thanks to a plan passed out of the House and Senate.
Senate Bill 2340 will allow school buses to have two stop arms with flashing lights to partially obstruct roads when students get on or off the bus.
Most people know that it is illegal for cars to drive around buses when they are stopped to drop off kids. However, sponsors say too many people ignore the stop sign.
“Unfortunately, too many cars and too many vehicles do blow past those stop signs,” said Rep. Janet Yang Rohr (D-Naperville). “This bill allows those buses to have these flashing extended arms to help remind cars that they need to stop.”
* Effingham Radio…
State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) is seeking to protect gun owners across Illinois, who recently made legal firearm purchases, from facing unjust criminal prosecution in the future. […]
“First, the Attorney General and the Governor’s Administration refused to issue any guidance, or even to encourage people to be cautious, while the injunction was in effect,” said Plummer. “Now, the Governor is telling people to commit perjury by lying on a form about the date in which they purchased the firearm?”
To rectify the issue and to prevent law-abiding citizens from being turned into criminals, Sen. Plummer filed legislation, Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 1073, which updates the affidavit requirements to include firearms purchased during a period in which a court issued an injunction on the law. This would allow individuals who purchased “banned firearms” during this recent injunction or any future ones, to be able to legally keep and possess them.
“This isn’t about how you feel about guns,” said Plummer. “This legislation protects people who were simply trying to follow the law, it’s that simple. This is the right thing to do. If the Governor and the Attorney General say they really aren’t trying to entrap lawful people, they will support this bill.”
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Dems take yet another swing at DeSantis
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This attack has been sustained for much of the week. DPI…
Democrats from Peoria to Florida know just how dangerous Ron DeSantis’ “Florida blueprint” really is. Ahead of his visit to Illinois, Party leaders are speaking out against the spread of his extreme agenda:
“Ron DeSantis’ policies have no place in Illinois, and we won’t let him spread his ‘blueprint’ without accountability. From stripping reproductive rights to attacking members of the LGBTQ+ community and restricting civil rights across Florida, DeSantis has shown us that his vision for our nation contradicts everything that we stand for in Illinois,” said DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez. “Illinoisans have repeatedly rejected extremism, both in races up and down the ballot last November and just last month in school and library board races across the state. It’s clear that DeSantis’ hateful agenda is antithetical to our values and priorities in Illinois. While DeSantis callously enacts his dangerous platform in Florida, we’re lucky to have leaders here who respect the dignity of all Illinoisans, especially the most marginalized among us.”
“We here in Florida have seen firsthand the devastating effects of Ron DeSantis’s failed ‘Florida blueprint’. DeSantis spent Florida’s legislative session pushing through extreme legislation—including a more extreme abortion ban and a law that could make it easier for criminals to carry weapons—while ignoring the growing cost-of-living crisis that working Floridians are facing,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. “Ron DeSantis is shadow campaigning for president with an extreme MAGA agenda built on the backs of Floridians, and we will make sure that people in every state know how devastating DeSantis has been for Florida, and how devastating he would be in the White House.”
“The differences between Illinois and Florida under Ron DeSantis’ leadership could not be more clear. I am proud and grateful that our state’s leaders have never stopped working to uplift working families, defend women’s rights, and make Illinois a place where all are welcome and have opportunities to thrive,” said Illinois Senator Dave Koehler. “In Peoria, we believe in access to quality education, equitable economic opportunities, and the freedom to make our own decisions about how we live and who we love. While DeSantis seeks to divide us in pursuit of his own ambitions, I have no intention of ceasing our efforts to build a more inclusive, accepting, and supportive community for all.”
“Ron DeSantis is waging a self-serving culture war at the expense of Floridians, decimating access to health care, childcare, affordable housing, and educational resources. I hope that in visiting Peoria, DeSantis can learn that in Illinois we trust women, we say gay, and we will never allow extremists like him to intimidate us into turning back the clock on freedom and progress,” said Peoria County Democrats Chair Rick Fox.
Illinois Democrats have a successful record of progress that continues to serve working families across the state. Illinoisans have made it abundantly clear: hate and extremism are not welcome in Illinois
* Pritzker campaign…
It is no coincidence that the party that was unable to make any statewide gains in the last Midterm election would invite failed governor Ron DeSantis to keynote one of their largest dinners. DeSantis, who is trailing Donald Trump in the polls and has yet to show he is ready for primetime, will keynote tonight’s Peoria-Tazewell Lincoln Day Dinner and share the policies he has implemented that has made Florida one of the most restrictive states when it comes to exercising reproductive freedom, one of the worst states for health care access, and one of the worst states for teacher pay––with one of the largest number of banned books.
DeSantis has repeatedly failed to lead Florida, passing draconian abortion bans, overseeing the collapse of the state’s unemployment insurance system, delaying needed evacuations during a devastating natural disaster, and even running campaign ads during the state’s latest crisis.
“Inviting a failed governor who is at war with Donald Trump to keynote one of your largest events is emblematic of today’s Illinois GOP,” said JB For Governor spokesperson Natalie Edelstein. “Republicans are too busy fighting each other to get out of their own way and solve the issues facing working families. While they celebrate banning books and picking on LGBTQ+ kids, Illinois Democrats will continue to win elections and build a state where everyone is free to be who they are.”
DeSantis has shown time and time again he is an authoritarian career politician who has no business being in public office. From passing a harsh abortion ban in the dead of night to erasing Black history from textbooks, it is clear the only direction he wants the country to go is backwards. The Illinois GOP would be better off putting their resources into helping families across the state instead of playing footsie with an extremist who will forget all about central Illinois the minute his plane takes off.
Your thoughts on this?
…Adding… A DPI fundraising pitch just landed in my inbox…
Hey Richard, JB here.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in Illinois. Today, DeSantis will give a speech to GOP donors in Peoria about how Illinois needs to be more like Florida.
He’ll try to pass off his racism, homophobia, and misogyny as protecting your freedoms.
I’m calling BS.
It’s up to us to show Americans there is a better way forward than DeSantis’ campaign of hate. Here in Illinois, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.
DeSantis tried to force the AP to revise an African American studies course. I announced that Illinois will reject a water-downed course that censors the contributions of Black and queer Americans.
DeSantis signed a 6-week abortion ban into law. I’ve made Illinois one of the strongest states in America for protecting reproductive care.
And while Governor DeSantis is pushing to lower the age to buy an assault weapon, I’ve already signed legislation to ban assault weapons altogether.
Richard, if you agree we should keep being ILLINOIS and not Florida, will you chip in $10 or more today to the Democratic Party of Illinois so we can keep electing real leaders to block the GOP’s attacks on our freedom and rights?
If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately […]
Illinois will not be pushed around. We value our diverse history, we defend our rights, and we know the path forward.
In solidarity,
JB Pritzker
Governor of Illinois
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Open thread
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* It’s finally Friday! What’s goin’ on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | Illinois day cares struggle to reduce lead discovered through mandatory water testing: “It was like, well yeah we have to fix it; this is what we considered our responsibility,” Dinkelman said. “But it would have been nice if (the state) had been like, ‘OK here’s what we know; let us help you through this.’ Rather than saying, ‘All right, what are you going to do to fix it?’”
* Capitol News Illinois | Gov’s office revises revenue estimates, calls on lawmakers to ‘defray’ noncitizen health care costs: The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget this week shaved $616 million off its estimate for current-year revenues, marking a downward revision of about 1.1 percent. The move corresponded with a $532 million, or roughly 1 percent, increased revenue estimate for the upcoming fiscal year.
* Crain’s | State finances get two pieces of good news: Despite a huge drop in revenue last month, Illinois’ overall budget outlook remains good and within earlier forecasts, according to Fitch Ratings. And that report comes just as the watchdog Civic Federation gives Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2024 spending plan its thumbs-up.
* Belleville News-Democrat | New regulations could force southern IL power plant to install new technology or shut down: With a few notable exceptions, Illinois appears well on its way to meeting the Biden administration’s proposed limits on climate-changing pollution emitted by power plants. The biggest outlier is a coal-fired plant in southern Illinois owned by dozens of municipalities in Illinois and across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states.
* Tribune | Illinois makes it easier for women to get birth control directly from pharmacists, without doctors’ visits: The head of the Illinois Department of Public Health issued a standing order Wednesday that will allow pharmacists who complete additional training to dispense hormonal patches, vaginal rings, oral contraceptives and contraceptive injections to patients. Patients will not need prescriptions from their own doctors first.
* WBEZ | Brandon Johnson campaigned on reopening mental health clinics. Will he follow through?: Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson was clear on the campaign trail that he supported reopening the shuttered city-run mental health clinics that closed more than a decade ago. It’s a goal he said “that we have to work towards immediately in this first budget.” But as he prepares to take the keys to the 5th floor office next week, his new administration says much of their approach has “yet to be determined.”
* Sun-Times | He used to do business with reputed mob figures. Now, he’s licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board.: Jeffrey Bertucci testified in 2010 to illegally paying out winnings from video gaming machines installed in his Cicero diner and splitting his take with the mob’s so-called video poker king. In 2019, gambling regulators gave him a license to legally operate video gaming devices.
* The Telegraph | Farmers need state help with soil conservation: With seven people dying and dozens injured when a dust cloud enveloped Interstate 55 south of Springfield and made international news, there have been a lot of people commenting about the need to do something to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
* Capitol News Illinois | General Assembly approves criminal sentencing reforms for minors: House Bill 3414 adds to the factors that judges must consider in the process of sentencing children found guilty of a crime. The bill would require a judge to consider a child’s involvement in the child welfare system, whether they have a history of domestic abuse or sexual exploitation and the results of any mental health evaluations the child has gone through. This is in addition to existing factors that judges already consider, such as age, maturity and potential for rehabilitation.
* WCCU | Disability worker shortage putting pressure on family caregivers: The Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (IARF) is calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office to raise the pay of disability workers. The agency said people have left the industry for less stressful jobs, and it’s causing families to depend on each other to provide care.
* Sun-Times | Lawsuit seeks to stop former South Shore High School from being turned into shelter for migrants: ‘We were forced to do this’: The suit alleges a plan to house asylum-seekers at the shuttered school violates a lease agreement and names the city of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools as defendants.
* USA Today | Federal judge blocks Biden from ‘paroling’ migrants hours before Title 42 set to lift: A federal judge in Florida on Thursday blocked a Biden administration plan to release migrants in the U.S. on “parole” because of an surge expected once an emergency immigration restriction known as Title 42 lifts.
* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson fleshes out senior staff, shows continued influence of Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago Teachers Union: Annette Guzman, Preckwinkle’s budget director for Cook County government, will be Johnson’s city budget director. Guzman replaces Susie Park, who for the last four years has been part of a triumvirate of women credited with engineering a financial turnaround under Mayor Lori Lightfoot tha has included a record low $85 million budget shortfall, a $272 million pension pre-payment and 13 bond rating upgrades.
* Sun-Times | 100 years, 37 convictions later, City Council begins second century bullish for future, sheepish about past: Reformers were aiming to root out corruption with the advent of the 50-ward system in 1923, but illegal backroom deals have remained all too common for a legislative body that has otherwise seen massive change.
* Daily Herald | ‘Nonstarter’: Bears, suburban school districts millions apart on property tax deal for Arlington: “This is an excessive sum for property that will sit idle and will have no commercial use for at least the next two years,” Warren wrote. “This is simply not financially feasible and has negative consequences for all parties, including Arlington Heights and the surrounding communities.”
* Tribune | Teachers authorize strike at Acero charter school network in Chicago, says operator, accusing teachers union of ‘bad-faith bargaining’: An Instagram account attributed to the CTU’s charter division posted Wednesday that 93% of more than 500 members across the Acero network voted in favor of authorizing a strike. “It’s up to Acero management to avoid a strike by meeting our demands for Supportive, Safe and Sustainable schools. They must increase staffing to support our students and provide Equal Pay for Equal Work,” the post read.
* Politico | She Stole $54 Million From Her Town. Then Something Unexpected Happened.: “You have not been doing your job,” said a gray-ponytailed man in flannel once he got to the microphone. City Council members and the mayor sat stone-faced on the dais, absorbing this and similar blasts of anger from the public, still grappling with the shock of the crime they’d discovered far too late. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re all fired. Thank you very much.” Among the scores of citizens of Dixon, Illinois, who had packed the council chambers, lined stairwells, spilled out the front door of the red brick building and across the street into the library parking lot, this was not an uncommon sentiment.
* Tribune | This summer’s Chicago Street Race promises to boost tourism, but it may be even more pivotal for NASCAR: The Chicago Street Race, which is expected to draw 100,000 attendees during July Fourth weekend, promises to be a potential tourism boon for the city, but the event could be even more pivotal for NASCAR. Faced with declining ratings, dwindling attendance and growing domestic competition from the Formula 1 international racing series, which offers several urban street courses, NASCAR is seeking new roads to build its fan base.
* WBEZ | NASCAR tweaks its Chicago race plan as residents voice concerns about noise and lakefront access: And in response, the racing brand says it will limit car noise, keep access to the lakefront trail open to pedestrians — by way of Monroe Street and Roosevelt Road — and set aside some greenspace areas for public access during the racing festival’s weekend activities.
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Live coverage
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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* Press release…
Chicago City Council Latino Caucus urges state elected officials to go back to the drawing board to create a new map for Chicago’s first school board elections that will give more representation to Latino communities.
The draft map proposes seven majority white districts, seven majority Black districts and six majority Latino districts, closely resembling the city’s population, which is 33% white, 29% Black, and 29% Latino, according to the U.S. Census.
However, the Chicago Public School student population is 11% white, 36% Black and 47% Latino.
The Chicago City Council Latino Caucus urges the state to create a map based on the city’s student demographics rather than its overall population. As it stands now, Springfield has proposed a map that creates a majority white board which will govern the outcome of Black and Latino students.
The Chicago City Council Latino Caucus was created to fight for the well-being and betterment of all Latino residents of Chicago. The Caucus demands a map that will protect minority communities, not unfairly dilute their power.
The City Council Latino Caucus includes 15 members from across the city. They represent wards as diverse as Chicago itself. The Caucus membership includes: Ald. Daniel LaSpata (1), Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), Ald.-Elect Peter Chico (10), Ald.-Elect Julia Ramirez (12), Ald.-Elect Jeylu Gutierrez (14), Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22), Ald. Silvana Tabares (23), Ald. Bryon Sigcho-Lopez (25), Ald. Robert Maldonado (26), Ald.-Elect Jessie Fuentes (26), Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30), Ald.-Elect Ruth Cruz (30), Ald. Felix Cardona (31), Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33), Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Chairman Gilbert Villegas (36) and Ald. Andre Vasquez (40). Chicago’s Clerk Anna Valencia is an ex-officio member of the Latino Caucus.
Emphasis added because how would drawing elected school board district boundaries based on student demographics even be close to legal? Hey, commercial and residential property owners might want a greater say, too, since they pay property taxes, but too bad. Everyone 18+ gets a vote, and you can’t legally dilute votes this way.
“Demand the impossible and grudgingly settle for a compromise” may be the play here, so I’m not too outraged because I’ve seen that many times before. Still, what they’re asking for is not done anywhere that I’ve ever seen.
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Afternoon roundup
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Shot…
Fundraising during session. Except as provided in this Section, any executive branch constitutional officer … may not hold a political fundraising function on any day the legislature is in session or the day immediately prior to such day.
Greg Hinz Chaser…
State Democrats have scheduled a fundraiser featuring Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson on Thursday that will raise money to help pay host expenses for next year’s Democratic National Convention here. […]
Corporate guests who attend the event are being asked to commit at least $1 million to the cause, party sources report.
He’s just being featured, and it’s a 501c6. Totally legal. But still. He’s helping raise money to put on a political event during a session day. I can’t help but assume there’s gonna be some heavy-hitters who often have Springfield interests at that funder.
* The revenue drop wasn’t the major crisis that some portrayed it, and Fitch saw through some of the hype. Crain’s…
Despite a huge drop in revenue last month, Illinois’ overall budget outlook remains good and within earlier forecasts, according to Fitch Ratings. […]
However, it added, “Despite April tax revenue declines, all three states are on track to comfortably exceed their adopted budget revenue forecasts, which anticipated tax revenue declines for the full fiscal year. Illinois had budgeted a 7.4% drop in tax revenue but has seen a smaller 1.0% (year over year) decline in year-to-date tax revenue through April.”
Illinois’ April dip also may have been impacted by a new provision in the law intended to give pass-through entities such as partnerships protection from a change in federal law that capped the personal deduction for state and local taxes, generally known as SALT, at $10,000 a year, the agency said.
* Something that’s being lost in this debate is that the firefighters thought they had a deal…
The casino’s revenues are earmarked for the city’s first responder pension funds.
* Senate President Don Harmon…
Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) issued the following statement after the State Senate took bipartisan action to reappoint Judge Michael McCuskey as Legislative Inspector General:
“Over the past year, Judge McCuskey has shown himself to be a fair, honorable man driven by high ethical standards. He is doing an admirable job of enacting our shared goal of fostering honesty in Springfield.
“I believe he will continue to serve the people of Illinois well.”
* Pitch…
Hi Rich,
We’re in Springfield sharing these new flyers with information that has never been scrutinized about the program: Public Dollars, No Public Oversight and Vouchers Fund Discrimination.
If you’d like more details or links for anything on the flyers, please let me know.
Best,
Jennifer Jones
(she/her)
Illinois Families for Public Schools
From the Illinois Opportunity Project…
Every child should have the opportunity for a world-class education. It is the only way they will be able to compete and contribute to today’s economy and society. Unfortunately, Illinois is failing on this front.
A child’s potential shouldn’t be determined by a zip code or their family’s income.
The Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program has granted over 40,000 scholarships to well deserving families providing them the opportunity to send their children to a school that best fits their unique needs.
These life-changing scholarships are at risk because the program is set to expire this year.
* ISP…
The Illinois State Police (ISP) is releasing the final name of the seven people fatally injured in multiple crashes that occurred on May 1, 2023 at approximately 10:55 a.m. on both northbound and southbound Interstate 55 between mile markers 72 and 78, near Farmersville in Montgomery County. Otto Medina-Salazar, 58-year-old from Carthage, MO was fatally injured in the crash. A total of 72 vehicles are known to be involved in the crashes and 37 people were transported to area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical. There were seven fatalities in the crashes, including the following names previously released.
Shirley Harper, 88-year-old from Franklin, WI
Joseph Bates, 73-year-old from Crystal Lake, IL
Donna Bates, 71-year-old from Crystal Lake, IL
Earl LeGrand, 64-year-old from Florissant, MO
Michael Zinchuk, 55-year-old from Champaign, IL
Amy Zinchuk, 54-year-old from Champaign, IL
ISP recognizes the impact of this tragic event and offers its condolences to families and friends mourning their loss. ISP thanks all its first responder partners and sister agencies for their tremendous work and assistance during this incident.
* Sun-Times reports that the CTU’s chief negotiator will be the next deputy mayor for education…
Jennifer Johnson, chief of staff to the CTU that employed Brandon Johnson as a paid organizer, will serve as deputy mayor for education. She is a former history teacher at Lincoln Park High School. […]
Pointing to Brandon Johnson’s roots as a middle-school teacher, Davis Gates said: “What once was is no longer. We do not have a mayor who has declared war on us. The previous two mayors were very clear about being adversaries. The mayor-elect and his team … will lead the transformation and sustainability of our public school system.”
Maybe. But her portfolio won’t be confined to just education. Johnson’s full title will be Deputy Mayor of Education, Youth, and Human Services. The city’s human services network has been struggling for years. Will it be forced into the back seat again?
* Isabel’s roundup…
* 21st Show | COVID-19 emergency orders are coming to an end. Where does Illinois go from here?: To unpack all of it, The 21st was joined by a professor of infectious diseases, the Illinois state epidemiologist, and a journalist that’s been following the story.
* Capitol News Illinois | General Assembly approves criminal sentencing reforms for minors: House Bill 3414 adds to the factors that judges must consider in the process of sentencing children found guilty of a crime. The bill would require a judge to consider a child’s involvement in the child welfare system, whether they have a history of domestic abuse or sexual exploitation and the results of any mental health evaluations the child has gone through. This is in addition to existing factors that judges already consider, such as age, maturity and potential for rehabilitation.
* ABC Chicago | Final victim of I-55 dust storm crash ID’d as Missouri man: Illinois State Police: Illinois State Police publicly identified the final victim of the deadly Interstate 55 dust storm crash. Otto Medina-Salazar, a 58-year-old Missouri man, was killed in the crash.
* Crain’s | Cannabis retailer NuEra plans to buy grower: If approved by state regulators, the deal to purchase Ieso, a marijuana growing operation in Murphysboro, will help NuEra climb the ladder to the big leagues. Cultivation capability is important because only marijuana grown and processed in the state can be sold in stores here. The largest operators — such as Green Thumb Industries, Cresco Labs, Verano Holdings and PharmaCann — have both cultivation and retail capabilities. Such vertical business integration is seen as the key to success in an industry where profits remain scarce.
* Daily-Journal | Pritzker commutes Kankakee man’s sentence: Pritzker reduced the conviction to a “juvenile adjudication,” according to Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe. The man was 17 years old when he was arrested as a suspect in a drive-by shooting in which two people were shot in August 2017 in Kankakee.
* Crain’s | Brandon Johnson poaches the county’s budget director as he names key advisers: Annette Guzman was named budget director. She most recently served in the same role at Cook County, where Johnson has served as a commissioner. Guzman’s time at the county saw the Board of Commissioners approve stable budgets while administering an avalanche of federal pandemic relief funds.
* NYT | Open-Armed Chicago Feels the Strains of a Migrant Influx: As the number of migrants entering Chicago has significantly increased in recent weeks, their presence around the city — in police stations, in park facilities and on neighborhood streets — has become far more visible. More than 100 new migrants are arriving each day now, officials said, compared with about a dozen a day a few months ago.
* Block Club | Lightfoot Signs Environmental Justice Executive Order As Mayor-Elect Johnson Vows To Build On Progress: Lightfoot ordered the city to complete a study of the communities most impacted by industry and pollution by Sept. 1. Advocates say it will help draft legislation to improve residents’ health.
* Tribune | Allison Arwady has been the face of COVID-19 in Chicago. Will Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson keep her on?: Within weeks, schools, offices, restaurants and businesses would all be shut down, and it wouldn’t be much longer before Arwady became a household — or, rather, housebound — name. In news conferences held daily at first, it was Arwady who tried to explain the science and the data behind an ever-changing set of rules and restrictions over masking, testing, vaccine mandates, social distancing and capacity limits.
* Crain’s | After protests delayed opening, Englewood Save-A-Lot now open: After protests prompted a delayed debut, the new Save-A-Lot grocery store in Englewood opened this morning, filling a void left by Whole Foods. The store opened at 8 a.m., and a couple hundred people came to shop in the first two hours, said Joe Canfield, CEO of operator Yellow Banana.
* Tribune | 26-year-old woman charged with felony battery after allegedly attacking 4 on Northwest Side with baseball bat: A 26-year-old woman was charged Thursday with four counts of aggravated battery after she was allegedly caught on video beating a mother with a baseball bat in the Albany Park neighborhood.
* News-Gazette | Hari Minnesota mosque bombing conviction upheld: A federal appeals court has affirmed the conviction and sentence for a former Ford County resident convicted in the firebombing of a Minnesota mosque almost six years ago.
* Sun-Times | City releases new renderings showing ‘evolved’ Bally’s casino design: “Our intention was to really create a Chicago moment,” Cox said of the new designs. “A feeling that would be iconic.”
* NYT | Here’s how the Biden administration has prepared for an expected migrant influx.: The Biden administration’s new rule presumes that those who do not use lawful pathways to enter the United States are ineligible for asylum when they show up at the border. Migrants at the border can rebut this presumption only if they sought asylum or protection in another country through which they traveled en route to the United States and were denied safe haven there, or if they can demonstrate exceptional circumstances, such as a medical emergency.
* Sun-Times | Some 17-year cicadas might show up a year early in Chicago: “It’s not expected to be in very large numbers, these off-year ones,” said Kacie Athey, assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who studies how insects affect agriculture.
* Journal Star | Longtime reality TV series is coming to Illinois in search of antique collections: Have a barn or garage full of “rusty gold?” “American Pickers” is looking for you. The longtime reality series will be filming episodes in Illinois in July. The show is seeking leads on antiques collections and colorful characters throughout the state.
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* From the John Howard Association…
In 2022 JHA conducted two visits five months apart to Stateville Correctional Center and the Northern Reception and Classification Center (NRC), the latter of which also houses the Stateville Minimum Security Unit (MSU). Between the two visits, the population at Stateville decreased by 249 people. The reduction seemed to be part of an IDOC systemic reorganization and a plan to transition Stateville into a multi-level security prison focused on reentry programming; this remained unrealized at the time of our latter visit due to ongoing physical plant and staffing difficulties.
As IDOC implements their system-wide transition plan for facility usage, it is impossible to overlook the major issues facing Stateville in terms of the dilapidated physical plant and extremely limited out-of-cell time, purportedly due to understaffing. In September 2022, Stateville reported less than two-thirds of its allocated 929 security staff, which notably also includes staff for NRC/MSU and for substantial transportation needs including medical and court writs.
Opened in 1925, Stateville Max is one of the older IDOC facilities and presents myriad problems around conditions of confinement and the health and safety of people who are incarcerated there. Due to lack of routine maintenance, the facility is rapidly deteriorating. Things have continually worsened, as JHA has observed and documented for years. Crumbling structures, leaks, concerns about the safety of the water and sanitary systems, and lack of pest control and ventilation all conspire to create living conditions that are inhumane and unsafe.
Stateville benefits from both many unique, valuable programs and easier access for many visitors as the closest prison to Chicago —which has historically made being housed there perhaps preferable to some of the other prisons. However, we received a significant unprompted response from people in surveys and in discussions on our visits supporting closure or at least temporary relocation for substantial renovation. People also expressed willingness to sacrifice program opportunities and visits in order to live in better physical conditions. Humane living conditions and the ability to see loved ones and participate in programming should not be mutually exclusive.
JHA expects that when the 2022 assessment of IDOC’s infrastructure (done by an independent consultant) is finally made available, it will reveal billions of dollars in needed repairs throughout the system – with several hundred million dollars needed to address physical plant issues at Stateville alone. It is time to shut down old prisons that are not fit for habitation and to increase decarceration efforts in meaningful ways.
The full report is here.
Thoughts?
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Support Renewable Energy Credits for Illinois’ public universities to help offset the cost of solar power on campus, help fight climate change and create good-paying union jobs.
Join Climate Jobs Illinois’ Carbon Free Healthy Schools campaign: www.climatejobsillinois.org/schools
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Parties snipe ahead of DeSantis visit
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s…
With state Democrats and Republicans sniping over another visit from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who’s still reportedly eyeing a 2024 presidential run — the General Assembly approved several bills strengthening LGBTQ+ protections and gender inclusivity. Among the changes: using gender-neutral language in some laws and tracking non-binary employees for the purposes of diversity, according to the Associated Press. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has confirmed he’ll sign the bills into law.
This comes as the Florida Legislature, politically aligned with DeSantis, has passed more bills targeting LGBTQ+ residents, including an expansion of the state’s “Parental Rights in Education,” which critics and pro-LGBTQ+ advocates have labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
* Other recent DeSantis actions, including banning payroll deduction for teachers’ union dues…
* Sun-Times…
DeSantis, who is expected to announce his presidential run soon, is also likely to sign a trio of bills passed by the Republican-majority Florida General Assembly that will affect the state’s transgender community, including a bill that will prohibit transgender children from receiving gender-affirming treatments.
Another bill restricts teachers, faculty and students from using the pronouns of their choice in public schools — and another prohibits transgender people from using a bathroom that matches their gender identity while in government buildings.
The Democrat-led Illinois General Assembly is going in the opposite direction, as the state seeks to counteract anti-LGBTQ legislation passed in surrounding Republican-led states.
Pritzker plans to sign a measure that would help affirm LGBTQ youth in the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services system by replacing words such as“mother” with “person who gives birth” and “he or she” to “minor.” Another measure awaiting Pritzker’s signature would require state agencies to track employees who identify as non-binary or gender non-conforming.
* More Crain’s…
Illinois Democrats are “welcoming” likely GOP presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis to the state, and you might say the greetings are less than cordial. DeSantis allies are responding in kind.
In a press release headlined “Illinoisans reject the DeSantis blueprint,” the Democratic Party of Illinois said the Florida governor will bring “a dangerous agenda” when he speaks to Peoria and Tazewell counties’ Republicans on Friday. […]
“Of course, Illinois Democrats don’t want to talk about the impact of their extremist ‘progressive’ policies on Illinois residents,” [Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy] said in an email. “They don’t want to talk about the lawlessness and out-of-control crime in Chicago encouraged by their anti-police rhetoric, or that the state of Illinois is poised to spend more than $1 billion on health care for undocumented immigrants — more than we spend on caring for our own veterans.”
* Pantagraph…
“Governor Ron DeSantis is one of the preeminent conservative voices in our country, fighting back against the radical left,” U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, said last month, adding that he looked forward “to hearing him share his Florida Blueprint with Central Illinois conservatives.”
LaHood is a rainmaker of sorts for Peoria area Republicans, attracting several high-profile speakers to the dinner in recent years, making it one of the most preeminent annual events in Illinois Republican politics. […]
“He doesn’t seem to be much for freedom, Ron DeSantis,” Pritzker said. “He wants to take away people’s right to read the books that they want to read, wants to take away Black history in our schools, somebody who does not believe in a woman’s right to make decisions for herself about her own body. So, maybe he could learn something when he’s in Illinois (about) what freedom looks like.”
* Like the president, the governor has been using the word “freedom” a lot lately. Here he is yesterday talking about the assault weapons ban…
The purpose of that law is to save lives and we’ve seen just in the last two weeks that entire families have been killed by assault weapons. It is time to end this madness and to save our families’ lives. It is to the freedom of the people of Illinois that we are addressing this law, their freedom to be at the Highland Park parade without getting shot and killed.
* The Democrats and their allies are trying to use this visit to make some political points. Here’s DPI…
On Friday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will bring his regressive agenda to Illinois as a keynote speaker during the joint Peoria and Tazewell County Republicans’ 2023 Lincoln Day Dinner.
Illinoisans have rejected extremists like DeSantis repeatedly. In November, Democrats successfully won every statewide seat on the ballot, and won a record-breaking number of seats in the General Assembly. In school and library board races last month, over 73% of extremists that DPI communicated against lost their elections.
While DeSantis tries to distance himself from “MAGA” Republicans, make no mistake, his agenda follows the same brand of extremism that Illinois voters rejected from Donald Trump in 2020, Darren Bailey in 2022, and school and library board candidates across the state in April.
Ron DeSantis has signed excessively cruel policies that are an affront to Floridians’ freedoms, and his dangerous vision has no place in Illinois.
* Press release…
A rally and demonstration to protest the appearance in Peoria of Florida Governor Ron Desantis at the GOP Lincoln Dinner on Friday, May 12th, 2023 will take place that day from noon to dusk at the Federal Courthouse Plaza, 100 NE Monroe, Peoria.
Several organizations have united to organize this event, including the Peoria chapter of the National Organization for Women. Its co-president Nancy Long said “Governor Desantis’ use of political demagoguery against certain groups and women threatens a vibrant, inclusive representative American democracy. In solidarity with all against his anti-science and patriarchal authoritarian brand of hateful, divisive politics, we invite all people of goodwill to join us in registering opposition by using our constitutional rights of peaceable assembly and freedom of speech.”
The event begins at noon at the Federal Courthouse Plaza with an informational display from supporting groups on the sidewalk from noon-dusk. We encourage people to support the event outside the Civic Center beginning at 2pm, with Drag performances at 4:30pm. At 4:00, all people are invited to grab their rainbow umbrellas and stand with us in solidarity on the public sidewalk around the Peoria Civic Center to greet those attending the extremist Governor’s speech with signs. At 5:30 pm, we’ll finish at the federal courthouse with “Rally for American Democracy” including a labor-themed sing-along.
Those planning to speak include Laura Welch, President of Illinois NOW; Nancy Long, Co-Chair of Peoria IL NOW; Dr. Merrill Cole, Community Outreach, University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 and alumnus of New College of Florida; Rev. Jennifer Innis of the Peoria Universalist Unitarian Church; Zoie Roach-King, President, SHE Speaks and student at Bradley University; Labor Bard Musician Kathy McNeil and others.
* Pritzker…
Discuss.
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Pritzker: “There’s nobody going after anybody”
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square…
Illinois Republicans say Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration entrapped citizens who bought certain semi-automatic firearms during the six-day window when the state’s gun ban was blocked by a federal court.
State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, said when the Southern District of Illinois federal court enjoined the state from enforcing the law, the Pritzker administration didn’t put out any guidance.
Six days later, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the injunction. Illinois State Police said after consulting with the attorney general, certain semi-automatic firearms purchased during that time are illegal.
“If the purchase of a firearm or firearm attachment banned under PICA was initiated and completed between the date of the Southern District of Illinois’ Order on April 28, 2023, until the stay of such Order by the U.S. Appellate Court on May 4, 2023, the possession of such weapon will be unlawful beginning January 1, 2024, pursuant to 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9(c),” a public information officer for Illinois State Police told The Center Square in an email Friday.
Wednesday, Plummer decried that.
“This is, I believe, an intentional effort by the governor and the attorney general to entrap Illinoisans, law-abiding citizens, and turn them into felons and I think it’s punitive and egregious,” Plummer said during a news conference.
Ah, but here’s the rest of what the ISP said…
Persons who possess a banned firearm or firearm attachment are required to endorse an affidavit by January 1, 2024, stating that any banned firearm or firearm attachments were possessed prior to the enactment of PICA (January 10, 2023) pursuant to 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9(d).
So, if they file an affidavit like everyone else, then they’re in compliance, according to the governor…
“What the law says is that as of Jan. 1 of 2024, that people will need to fill out the affidavit that they have one of those guns,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event. “That’s really all it is. There’s nobody going after anybody, but that’s really what the law says.”
…Adding… From comments…
Ok but the affidavit is that those arms were owned prior to PICA being signed January 10, 2023. So to do what the Governor said would mean lying on the affidavit. Lying and since the purchase includes ATF 4073 forms a lie that can be followed up on.
Just my 2c but it would make more sense to modify the affidavit to include the injunction periods. I don’t think anyone is out to get anybody
It would definitely make sense to modify the affidavit just to be absolutely sure. But that would have to be done through the legislature. And there are a lot of twists and turns to go before January 1.
…Adding… Press release…
State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) is seeking to protect gun owners across Illinois, who recently made legal firearm purchases, from facing unjust criminal prosecution in the future. […]
To rectify the issue and to prevent law-abiding citizens from being turned into criminals, Sen. Plummer filed legislation, Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 1073, which updates the affidavit requirements to include firearms purchased during a period in which a court issued an injunction on the law. This would allow individuals who purchased “banned firearms” during this recent injunction or any future ones, to be able to legally keep and possess them.
* The press conference was mainly aimed at the attorney general…
“The attorney general had an opportunity to urge caution and express the consequences of what may or may not happen down the road to people that are exercising their constitutional right during that six-day period of time, but he neglected to do it,” GOP state Sen. Jason Plummer of Edwardsville said Wednesday during a statehouse news conference. “Now, today, the attorney general is saying that those transactions were illegal.”
Plummer accused Raoul and Pritzker of engaging in “an intentional effort … to entrap Illinoisans, law-abiding citizens, and turn them into felons.”
But this is from the AG’s spokesperson Annie Thompson…
Consistent with our handling of any rapidly-evolving litigation being handled by the Attorney General’s office, our office has not issued formal guidance related to the Protect Illinois Communities Act as the matter goes through the court system.
Any insinuation that the Attorney General’s office would intentionally mislead or “entrap” law-abiding Illinois residents is, at best, laughable. At worst, it is dangerous.
* Back to the Tribune…
Also on Wednesday, lawyers for Naperville gun shop owner Robert Bevis, who sued the city and the state over the gun restrictions, said in a U.S. Supreme Court filing that Raoul’s office is “spitting on the Constitution” in its arguments to uphold the law.
The attorney general’s response to the Supreme Court filing is here.
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Public health emergency ends today
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
As the state of Illinois and the nation reach a major milestone and end the COVID-related Public Health Emergency (PHE) declarations that have been in place since the beginning of the pandemic, Governor JB Pritzker today declared May 11 “Illinois Public Health & Health Care Hero Day.” The Governor formally issued the proclamation at a worker appreciation event at the Sangamon County Health Department in Springfield alongside the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Sameer Vohra and other leaders of the state’s public health and healthcare community.
“With the heroic efforts of our healthcare workers and institutions, the perseverance and grit of the people of Illinois, and with 26 million vaccine doses administered, I couldn’t be happier to announce today that all national and state COVID-19 related emergency declarations have finally come to an end,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Although today marks the official end of our state’s emergency declarations, we are taking this moment to ensure that we learn lessons from the pandemic experience so we can prepare for the future and save lives in the years ahead. And we are especially grateful to our healthcare heroes who made this milestone possible. We owe them our everlasting respect and gratitude, and so many of us owe them our lives.”
“Our public health and health care workers are first in our hearts for their dedication and the support that they provide to others while doing their job day in and day out,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, they sacrificed and served to keep Illinois residents safe. Healthcare is core to all our lives, and it is the people who provide it that work hard to ensure we can live and be well. They are truly our heroes.”
Governor Pritzker aligned the conclusion of the state’s disaster proclamation with the conclusion of the federal government’s COVID-19 public health emergency, to ensure enhanced federal benefits in SNAP and Medicaid remained in place for vulnerable families for as long as possible.
Since March of 2020, state and local partners benefitted from a disaster proclamation in the following ways:
• Federal reimbursement for state response costs.
• Illinois residents were able to collect additional SNAP benefits, more than 1.4 million children received Pandemic EBT (nutrition) support, and Medicaid expansion ensured access to telehealth options and the resources Illinoisans needed to stay healthy.
• Use of State Disaster Relief Fund, covering direct state costs and reimbursements to Illinois National Guard and mutual aid groups.
• Use of the state’s mutual aid network, groups of public safety response professionals — including hundreds of health care providers and management professionals, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians and disaster response professionals — that are available to deploy to areas of shortage.
• Authorizing the Governor to activate Illinois National Guard reservists, some of whom were doctors and nurses and served on the front lines of the pandemic response.
• Allowing expedited procurement should it be necessary.
• Authorizing additional executive actions as needed to protect public health and safety.
The Governor issued the initial emergency proclamation on March 9, 2020 as the state and nation were bracing for an unprecedented, global public health emergency. The pandemic went on to last more than three years, causing more than 4 million COVID-19 cases and 36,000 deaths in Illinois. With case rates remaining at low levels in recent months, including last week’s announcement that no Illinois counties are at an elevated community level for COVID-19, the tools provided by the PHE are no longer necessary to fight the virus.
“It is fitting today as we formally end the Public Health Emergency that we pause to reflect on the truly heroic efforts of the thousands of public health workers, including those at IDPH and in our local health departments, as well as the healthcare workers in our hospitals and clinics,” said Dr. Vohra. “Their bravery and fortitude in the face of this overwhelming public health crisis is a gift to cherish and appreciate. As we write the next chapters in the story of public health in Illinois, we look forward to their continued leadership and guidance to help address inequities and promote health throughout our great State.”
The proclamation, signed at the onset of the pandemic, leveraged federal funding and formalized emergency procedures by activating the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), bringing together decision-makers from every state agency and the state’s highly qualified mutual aid network to deploy critical resources for healthcare staffing, testing, vaccinations, and therapeutics as necessary during the public health threat.
Officials were able to mobilize resources to conduct millions of COVID-19 tests throughout the state at community testing sites as well as through Test to Stay programs in schools and colleges, allowing children to remain safely in school. When vaccines became widely available in late 2021, Illinois launched a massive vaccination program that spanned across the state and has to date delivered more than 26 million doses.
Maintaining the PHE allowed for federal mandates covering healthcare costs to remain in place, supporting testing and other services that were critical during the recent winter surge. Funding also allowed for thousands of healthcare staff to be deployed to hospitals during staffing crises through state contracts.
The end of the PHE means the federal government is expected to phase out providing tests, vaccines, and treatment directly to states. However, these efforts will not end immediately, but over the coming months. The state of Illinois is continuing to offer at-home rapid tests to households in economically disadvantaged communities through June 30, through a partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation’s Project ACT.
With the national and state Public Health Emergencies for COVID-19 expiring on May 11, there will also be changes to data collection and reporting on the virus. After May 11, the CDC has announced it will stop tracking and reporting COVID-19 cases at the community level, as it has been doing since April 2022. Hospitals will no longer be required to report the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital beds or in the ICU or on ventilators. However, data on COVID-19 and the flu in Illinois will continue to be reported via the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.
IDPH will continue to report general COVID-19 data and will also track a variety of other metrics to monitor disease spread and severity including lab data, genomic sequencing, and wastewater surveillance data.
Dr. Vohra stressed that even as the PHE is expiring, IDPH will remain focused on prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and will use lessons learned from the pandemic to address other public health challenges including chronic diseases, the opioid epidemic, and health disparities.
For those covered by the Medicaid program, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) has launched the Ready to Renew campaign to ensure that Illinoisans who are enrolled in Medicaid do not lose coverage due to the expiration of the automatic renewal provisions that were in place during the Public Health Emergency.
In Illinois, there will not be a “coverage cliff,” where everyone loses coverage at one time. Rather, redeterminations will happen on a rolling basis through mid-2024. HFS is reminding Medicaid customers to keep a close eye on their mailboxes for notices about when they need to take action to renew their coverage. For more information about Medicaid Renewals, click HERE.
The U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced it is launching the HHS Bridge Access Program For COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments for those who are uninsured. The program will create a $1.1 billion public-private partnership to help maintain uninsured individuals’ access to COVID-19 care at their local pharmacies, through existing public health infrastructure, and at their local health centers.
Finally, services such as telemedicine through the Test to Treat program offered through the SIU School of Medicine is expected to continue into Spring of 2024 and address the Covid-19 treatment needs for all Illinois residents during the next respiratory season.
IDPH is encouraging local health department partners around the state to mark the end of the PHE by hosting events to thank their employees and encourage local residents to show their appreciation for public health and health care heroes.
…Adding… Senate President Don Harmon…
I want to thank the entire public health and health care community for all the work you’ve done over the past few years.
As someone who’s had COVID, … not once, but twice, … been fully vaccinated and drooled countless times into SHIELD test tubes, I know that it is the public health and health care professionals on the front lines and behind the scenes all across this great state who worked to keep all of us safe.
I want to extend a sincere, heartfelt thank you to all of you for all that you have done.
· To the lab techs working around the clock to process samples …
· To the nurses and doctors caring for the infected …
· To the staff who set up and ran testing and vaccination sites …
· To the public health workers who tracked cases to help prevent disease spread …
You are the ones who sacrificed your time, your family, … your diets … in the name of public health and safety.
You ate pizza after pizza at the emergency command posts and testing tents.
You missed family events to staff clinics and care for patients.
You worked around the clock and calendar to try to stay ahead of the curve.
You saved lives.
And you can never be thanked or appreciated enough for what you have done.
And so I want to say: thank you.
Thank you on behalf of myself, my family, the Illinois Senate and the nearly 13 million people who call Illinois home.
Thank you for your sacrifices, your work and your commitment.
You are all true heroes.
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* SB2388 has been re-referred to Assignments. Chalkbeat…
A pandemic-era rise in youth joblessness and disconnection hit young Black women in Chicago especially hard, almost doubling their unemployment rate, according to a new report from the University of Illinois Chicago.
According to the study, about 45,800 16- to 24-year-olds were not in school, college, or the workforce in Chicago. Across the state, 177,000 were out of work and out of school in 2021. […]
The report was commissioned by the nonprofit Alternative Schools Network to help make the case for a bill to launch a $300 million statewide youth jobs program introduced in the Illinois Legislature this year. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Kam Buckner and state Sen. Robert Peters, both Chicago Democrats, would enlist community-based organizations across the state to help coordinate jobs for as many as 80,000 teens and young adults. […]
The issue of youth who are not in school, college, or the workforce has long bedeviled Chicago and other cities, despite research tying the problem to persistent poverty and violence rates. City leaders have argued that finding solutions is key to combating a rise in gun violence, and Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson has set a goal of doubling the number of youth summer jobs.
* WCIA…
A proposal to allow victims of doxing the right to a civil private right of action for damages to help deter bad actors on the Internet is making its way through the Illinois legislature. The bill passed the Senate Wednesday, and now heads to the governor’s desk. […]
Legislators say the state’s laws have lagged behind online technology. […]
“It is absolutely critical for our laws to evolve with the changing nature of the cyber world,” Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) said. “This legislation provides a necessary solution to the dangerous practice of doxing, by both helping victims and deterring future bad actors.” […]
The bill has received unanimous support in both chambers.
* Politico…
A bill that would prevent information from automated license plate readers from being used to track individuals seeking abortion care or criminalizing a person’s immigration status. It now goes to the Senate. […]
All for one: A House bill that would require vehicle manufacturers to establish a 24/7 hotline where police can contact the manufacturer in the event of a carjacking or kidnapping to get the real-time vehicle location data passed the Senate with all 59 senators — D’s and R’s — signing on as co-sponsors. The bill was carried by state Rep. Marty Moylan and state Sen. Michael Hastings.
* HB218 now moves to the Senate. WAND…
Illinois House Democrats hope to pass a plan in the final two weeks of session to hold gun manufacturers and others in the firearm industry accountable for gun violence.
Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) told the House Judiciary-Civil Committee Wednesday morning that gun manufacturers enjoy a special immunity under federal law as they can legally market firearms to anyone. Gong-Gershowitz and co-sponsors said every family devastated by gun violence should have an opportunity for justice through civil action.
The proposal could make it unlawful to knowingly create, maintain, or contribute to a condition in Illinois that endangers the safety or health of the public by failing to establish reasonable safeguards. […]
Still, the Illinois State Rifle Association and Illinois Federation of Outdoor Resources stressed the bill language is too vague and could lead to unintended consequences.
“There are trap shooting teams in downstate Illinois. There are out-of-state companies that engage in partnerships with them to provide discounted ammunition,” said lobbyist Josh Witkowski. “We are worried that these partnerships will dissolve because these companies are going to be worried about the language contained in this act.” […]
House Bill 218 passed out of the House Judiciary-Civil Committee on a partisan 8-4 vote. The legislation later passed out of the House hours later on a 71-40 vote with Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) voting present.
* HB1277 is still in the House Rules Committee. Illinois Radio Network…
House Bill 1277 aims to suspend a retired lawmaker’s pension if felony charges relate to their duties as a lawmaker.
The measure’s sponsor state Rep. Amy Elik, R-Fosterburg, said the effort is in response to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, being charged with 22 counts of corruption, including racketeering, bribery, and extortion.
According to previous reporting, Madigan receives $7,100 a month in pension payments from his decades as an Illinois legislator. Madigan was in the Illinois Legislature for 50 years. Most of that time he served as House Speaker.
State law allows for a retired legislator’s pension to be revoked if they are found guilty of a crime stemming from their work as an elected official.
* WAND…
The Illinois Senate approved a bill Wednesday to require Native American history for elementary and high school students.
This plan requires school districts to include Native American history curriculum in their social studies classes starting with the 2024-2025 school year.
House Bill 1633 requires students to learn about Native American contributions to the economic, cultural, social and political development of the United States. […]
House Bill 1633 passed out of the Senate on a 44-8 vote. The legislation now heads back to the House on concurrence. Representatives previously approved the plan on a 75-32-1 vote on March 23. If passed on concurrence, it will move to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.
* WICS…
EpiPens will soon cost a maximum of $60 for twin pack in Illinois.
House Bill 3639 passed the Senate on Wednesday and heads to Gov. JB Pritzker who’s expected to sign the new legislation.
A twin pack cost anywhere from $500-700 on average, and a single injector costs anywhere from $300-400. This has placed a significant financial burden on families who need to keep multiple EpiPens on hand for emergencies.
* Sierra Club and Illinois Environmental Council…
Environmental justice organizations and advocates from across the state will be joined by Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-11) and Rep. Sonya Harper (D-6) for a press conference calling on the Illinois General Assembly to prioritize environmental justice in Illinois by passing the Environmental Justice Act (HB2520) during this session.
The Environmental Justice Act (HB2520/SB1823) would help end the accumulation of pollution in vulnerable communities and reform the state’s industrial permitting processes to allow more community participation and transparency. The bill would also ensure the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency takes the amount of area pollution and health impacts into account as part of permit decision-making. The legislation comes in response to decades of environmental disasters and the legacy of toxic industry in Illinois’ communities of color. Chicago Southeast Side advocates point to state permitting laws that have allowed almost 200 industrial sites to accumulate in their communities and for permitting new polluters to set up operations across the state – often next to homes, schools and parks – with little scrutiny.
Thursday evening, over 100 activists will also participate in a “Free the Frontlines: Environmental Justice Power Hour” to demonstrate the grassroots support behind this legislation and to urge lawmakers to pass the Environmental Justice Act. To join the Power Hour, please register via bit.ly/ejpowerhour.
Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time
Where: via zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/81796442485
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Today’s quotable: Rep. Gregg Johnson
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Rep. Gregg Johnson (D-East Moline) received a sustained standing ovation last night after delivering this speech during debate on Senate Bill 1909, a bill to expand the Consumer Fraud Act to protect individuals from deceptive practices by crisis pregnancy centers…
Back in September of 2021, shortly after I announced my candidacy for the seat, I was approached by a local activist who asked if I’d be willing to tell the story at an upcoming women’s rights event of a 33-year-old mother from Rock Island that died six months prior to the Roe v. Wade decision due to preeclampsia.
I agreed, under the condition that all three of her kids would meet and allow me to give an accurate picture of the story. The oldest daughter was 11 at the time of her mother’s death, and was the only one of the kids with any memory of their mother’s story. The son, who was eight, had no memory of his mother, and the youngest daughter was only 15 months old at the time of the mother’s passing.
The mother’s name was Shirley Hunter. And with each pregnancy, she suffered through life-threatening preeclampsia. She gave birth to her third child, a baby girl, in April of 1971. She was told that she would not survive another pregnancy. In January of 1972, she found out that she was pregnant and began to contemplate just what would become of her kids were she to die.
The world was much, much different then. Earning money for a single mother was incredibly difficult. But she scrimped and she saved and she refused to take her medication to save on costs. But she was finally able to save enough money to go to New York. New York at that time was the only place where you could get a legal and safe abortion in our country. But by the time she got there, she was told she was too far along and nothing can be done.
She returned home to Rock Island with essentially a death sentence. The older sister talked about how her mother had spent her last Fourth of July with the kids watching the fireworks and eating ice cream, knowing that it would be her last. She died nine days later.
Kathy, the sister, talked about how she only found out a few days later at the funeral home that the man that she had called Dad for as early as she could remember and the father of the other two was actually not her biological father. And she was taken away from the funeral home kicking and screaming as she was torn away from her siblings and went to live with her father and a new family. She never lived with her siblings again.
The younger sister, Tracy, she talked about how she went through life. Always feeling like everyone viewed her as a little girl that lost her mom and never be at peace about knowing her past. The son had spent 49 years running from the past and was unwilling to confront it. He had absolutely no memory of his mother. And it bothers him to this day that he cannot remember the sound of her voice in times of crisis or even what she looked like the first eight years of his life are wiped clean.
But this story is about Shirley and the moments that she missed in her childrens’ lives. The fact that she was never given the opportunity to pick them up when they fell down or to give them praise when they succeeded. She wasn’t there when her oldest daughter graduated from nursing school and started a 40-year career in taking care of others or when she herself became a mother and grandmother. She wasn’t there when our youngest daughter became the best community organizer that I’ve ever seen, nor to see her become a parent.
She also wasn’t there to help her when the daughter herself became pregnant at an early age and attended one of these clinics and was surrounded by employees with a clinic that offered her nothing but group prayer and disturbing pictures.
Nor was she there to see her little boy win his first race or make his biggest first basket. Nor was she able to guide him along the nearly 40-year journey for him to find purpose in his life. Finally, she was not there in January of this year, when her son was sworn into the 103 General Assembly of this chamber.
Shirley Hunter was my mother and these girls were my sisters, and our lives were thrown into chaos, because our mother had no other option than to die and leave us. An increasingly activist Supreme Court has created a situation in which countless more families just like ours will be thrown into chaos and women and families all over the world will experience the same grief and trauma that ours did.
I am honored to serve along with 117 other members of this house. And I absolutely believe I would not be here had not the experience of my life form my social core. All that being said, I would trade every one, every day here and every day of the last 50 years if I’d had my mother to walk along me on my path through life.
I want to thank the sponsor for this bill.
Prior to last June, I was at least cognizant of the fact that this was never going to happen to any other little girls and the other eight-year-old boy and the other women. I can’t say that anymore. I now worry about our future going forward. And I will also tell you that it has been painful the last year and a half. Every single time I tell this story, it takes a chunk out me. It does. But this is important. It’s important work we do here. For just the rest of the day I’ll probably still feel like that eight-year-old lonely boy. But tomorrow, we go back to work, tonight we go back to work, and that work includes protecting women and their ability to make their own health care decisions. Thank you.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
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bp Is Investing In Illinois
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Open thread
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* I have to keep reminding myself that it isn’t Friday. Anyways, what’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Crain’s | Dems plot fundraiser to help cover 2024 DNC expenses: State Democrats have scheduled a fundraiser featuring Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson on Thursday that will raise money to help pay host expenses for next year’s Democratic National Convention here. The event had been set for Pritzker’s Gold Coast manse, but it moved to an unidentified new location because the guest list grew too large. Roughly 75 donors and prospective donors now are set to attend, including financier Michael Sacks, sources say, with the goal of getting commitments for $80 million to $100 million.
* Tribune | Uber warns Democrats, mayor-elect if tougher ride-share rules pass problems might arise, especially during next year’s DNC: But sponsors of the legislation were undaunted by Uber’s tactics. They said the measure is aimed at ensuring greater passenger safety by allowing those injured in an Uber or Lyft vehicle to file a liability claim against the company, rather than just the driver.
* Tribune | GOP lawmakers say lack of guidance from attorney general puts gun buyers in legal jeopardy: A spokeswoman for Raoul’s office pushed back, saying in a statement: “Any insinuation that the attorney general’s office would intentionally mislead or ‘entrap’ law-abiding Illinois residents is, at best, laughable. At worst, it is dangerous.”
* Capitol News Illinois | U.S. Supreme Court justice considering action on Illinois’ assault weapons ban: Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who hears applications from the Seventh Circuit, could decide on her own whether to issue an emergency injunction or she could refer the question to the full court for consideration.
* Sun-Times | Lawyers for 2 convicted in ComEd bribery trial ask for permission to speak to jurors: Attorneys for former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker filed a motion in U.S District Court, asking for an order granting them permission to speak to the panel of seven women and five men who last week found them guilty on every count.
* Sun-Times | Faster police response would not have saved slain Officer Areanah Preston, Johnson’s chief of staff says: Rich Guidice, who for 20 years ran the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, said “Chicago Police did the best they could to get to the scene of the incident as quickly as they did.”
* Sun-Times | Two mothers linked by tragedy: One lost her police officer daughter, the other’s 16-year-old son is accused of the murder: Her son Jaylen Frazier is still alive, but Walker said it feels like she has lost him as well. “It’s almost as if he’s dead because his life is over at such a young age,” Walker said. Each mother was left thinking of the other. Mhoon told reporters she “felt sorry” for those accused of killing her daughter.
* WAND | Crackdown on crisis pregnancy centers passed out of statehouse: Senate Bill 1909 passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives Wednesday night and is headed to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk for signature. The proposal is aimed at cracking down on crisis pregnancy centers that deceive patients. But some centers say their industry is being wrongly vilified.
* Scott Holland | Quinn’s ethics proposals are detailed, but don’t address punishment: Perpetually absent from debate about government ethics is the suggestion to place anything considered an abuse of public office and make it a felony punishable by a mandatory prison sentence. When politicians abuse privilege to line their wallets, if the only punishment is making them give back some of the money, is that a sufficient deterrent?
* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson meets Vice President Kamala Harris, works Capitol Hill: This was Johnson’s first time in the White House and the first time he met Harris, an experience that he told me left him “humbled” and “inspired.”
* Tribune | Barack Obama back in Chicago to tout initiatives for young men of color: ‘Fight cynicism’: Former President Barack Obama returned to Chicago this week to highlight cities across the country who will serve as “model communities” for his namesake My Brother’s Keeper initiative. Launched in 2014 after the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, while Obama was still in the White House, MBK sought to steer public, private and philanthropic dollars to programs that would help young boys and men of color succeed.
* Bloomberg | A $6 Billion Chicago Real Estate Project Seeks Funds After Delay: The third-biggest US city has been slow to issue permits for the 53-acre development on the banks of the Chicago River, set to become a life sciences hub, and developer Sterling Bay is now in the process of recapitalizing the whole project, said Chief Executive Officer Andy Gloor.
* WTTW | Chicago Museums’ Plans To Deal With NASCAR Race Range From ‘We’re Closed’ to ‘What Race?’: Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium have developed plans — including closings and altered hours — for the days leading up to, during and directly after the race. Some are standing their ground and some are taking evasive action.
* WGN | Migrants volunteer in community garden as they await placement at local shelters: For the last 15 days, Manuel Moreno and his wife, Laurimar, have been living out of the Chicago Police Department’s 22nd District police station in Morgan Park. While they wait for placement in a local shelter, Moreno and a group of men have been helping in the nearby Edna White Community Garden. […] Moreno said through a translator that he “doesn’t want to be a burden to the government of the US or Chicago. We want to be productive people for the country. We are here to help our families.”
* Daily Herald | Another Kennedy Expressway curveball as construction continues: Starting Monday, “the reversible express lanes exit at Diversey Avenue will be closed for approximately eight weeks,” IDOT planners said. “During that time, the express lanes will remain open in the inbound direction and motorists will not be able to exit them until Ohio Street.”
* WCIA | Elusive emu evades police on I-74 outside of Urbana: ISP said troopers chased the emu off the roadway. However, ISP said the emu ran into some heavy timber and the troopers lost sight of the emu. Jennifer Sigler shared a video on Facebook, and with WCIA, of Illinois State Police officers trying to apprehend the emu.
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Live coverage
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Afternoon roundup
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker was joined today by Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton, Illinois State Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza, elected officials, and first responders to sign the Act-of-Duty Bill into law. HB 3162 retroactively provides Chicago police officers and firefighters disability benefits for the time they were unable to serve due to contracting COVID-19 between March 9, 2020, and June 30, 2021.
“Since the darkest days of the pandemic, our first responders — police officers, firefighters, and EMS workers alike — have been on the ground, putting their own health and safety at risk to protect others,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “When our first responders are disabled on the job, they deserve comprehensive benefits. HB 3162, a bipartisan Act-of-Duty Bill, ensures they get the benefits they are entitled to.”
“Our first responders serve and protect, heal and care, comfort and support, Illinois residents in their time of greatest need,” said Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. “During the pandemic they continued to answer the call, many at great cost to themselves and their families. This law will provide them with full disability benefits they deserve for the selfless sacrifice they have made on behalf of the people of Illinois.”
As the COVID-19 pandemic gripped our nation in the early months of 2020, first responders jumped into action assisting the sick, dispersing testing kits, transporting infected patients to the hospital, and more. When officers contracted the virus themselves, even after taking precautions and wearing PPE, they often needed to be hospitalized and many were left without the salary and healthcare coverage they needed. For the past three years, COVID-19 was the leading cause of law enforcement deaths - far surpassing firearm and traffic-related deaths.
“Chicago police and firefighters should not have to die to qualify for full COVID disability benefits. And that was the unfortunate message the city’s pension disability board was sending with its rulings against my brother and Officer Diana Cordova-Nestad – and the other first responders disabled by COVID in the days before vaccines were available who are waiting to go before the board,” Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza said. “That’s unforgivable. I can’t thank everyone enough - my sponsors, Representative Hoffman and Senator Cunningham, legislators, and Governor Pritzker, for fixing this injustice for my brother and all our first responders.”
“Our first responders put their lives on the line to ensure we could rely on emergency services in the darkest days of the pandemic,” Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville). “The least we can do is make sure they receive the benefits they are rightly owed. I am appreciative of the strong advocacy on this topic from Comptroller Mendoza, first responders and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.”
“Today, we have taken a significant step towards recognizing the sacrifices of Chicago police and firefighters who have suffered from the long-term effects of COVID-19,” said State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago). “This action puts Chicago police and fire in parity with the rest of the state by giving them access to the full disability benefits they deserve.”
The Illinois Works Jobs Program Act has already been revised to ensure that families of the COVID-19’s fallen first responders receive their benefits. The Act-of-Duty Bill furthers this initiative, giving those who were disabled due to the virus the benefits that they deserve.
Since the onset of the pandemic, more than 100 million Americans have been infected with COVID-19 and more than one million of those were left with long-term COVID-related disabilities.
“I am proud to stand with Comptroller Mendoza in support of our police officers and firefighters across the state. This legislation provides Chicago police officers and firefighters with the same COVID-19 disability benefits as our officers and firefighters in downstate Illinois,” said Deputy Republican Leader Norine Hammond (R-Macomb). “These brave officers and firefighters who fell ill and were injured in the line of duty deserve our utmost support and with today’s action, they will finally receive the financial support they’ve earned. We cannot thank them enough for their service to the people of Illinois.”
“In the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, our first responders put their lives on the line to ensure the health and safety of our communities. Now when they need us, we need to be there for them,” said Assistant Majority Leader Natalie Manley. “By including the rebuttable presumption for first responders who have become disabled as a result of COVID-19, we are correcting a great injustice and ensuring that our first responders have the resources they need to live fulfilling lives.”
“While most of us were at home during COVID trying to protect ourselves, our police and firemen were in the midst of the virus, serving on the frontlines to serve and protect our communities,” said Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg). “It’s incredibly important we support them through this legislation, because they are the everyday heroes of our communities, and they shouldn’t have to stress about compensation in an event of a COVID exposure leading to a disability.”
“As a strong advocate for our law enforcement officials, I’m proud to continue supporting them by ensuring they receive the benefits they deserve,” said State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “We have to continue prioritizing the men and women who protect our communities.”
* This bill has passed both chambers…
To increase the baseline financial penalty for civil rights violations, State Senator Robert Peters championed a measure to create the Civil Rights Remedies Restoration Act.
“Business enterprises receiving federal funds should not be immune to the consequences of discriminating against people,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “Protecting businesses from punishment when they knowingly commit discriminatory acts goes against Illinois values.”
House Bill 2248 was created in response to the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller, P.L.L.C. that ruled emotional distress damages are not recoverable in a private action under the anti-discrimination provisions of either the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The bill would allow state claims for violations of federal civil rights laws to be heard in any court with jurisdiction. It further provides that Illinois courts may award no less than $4,000 in damages or other relief for violations.
“Illinois has maintained the status of being a welcoming state for everyone,” Peters said. “The Civil Rights Remedies Restoration Act will serve as a source of relief for those seeking assistance for emotional distress due to discrimination. Considering previous court rulings that have prevented Illinois courts from intervening, this measure eliminates the red tape and allows victims to pursue financial justice.”
* Press release…
“The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) supports legislation passed today by the Senate that will prohibit the use of e-cigarettes everywhere that smoking is prohibited under the state’s smoke-free law. ACS CAN supports everyone’s right to breathe clean smoke-free air.
“E-cigarettes pose a potential risk to people who do not use them through secondhand exposure to toxicants in the aerosol. Prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes in workplaces, including restaurants, bars and gaming facilities, can protect the public’s health by preventing nonusers from being exposed to nicotine and other potentially harmful chemicals in the aerosol emitted by these products. No one should have to choose between their health and their job.
“ACS CAN commends the General Assembly for passing this important legislation and looks forward to seeing Gov. Pritzker sign it into law.”
* Pitch…
Hello,
Writing to you about an international finance industry-backed bill (HB73) that would do away with portions of consumer protection laws that were recently put in place.
Last year, former Senator Collins, the legal funding industry, and advocacy groups negotiated a bill that gave a regulatory framework with consumer protections to ensure loans cannot be larger than $100k — the Consumer Legal Funding Act (CLFA) was signed into law.
But HB73 wants to do away with portions of that law:
• The bill would add a carveout to the Consumer Legal Funding Act (CLFA) for legal funding greater than $500k
• Under HB 73, the sky’s the limit on the principal amount, finance charges, and fees which could be harmful to consumers
• There is only one known proponent–the International Legal Finance Association. According to a WSJ article, foreign-funded shell companies underwrite many patent-infringement lawsuits against U.S. firms in industries critical to national security.
I wanted to offer you an interview with a rep from Woodstock Institute, an organization that works to advance economic justice and racial equity within financial systems.
* Press release…
The CHANGE Illinois team has successfully pushed legislation through the Illinois General Assembly! Our bill, HB 1496, is designed to fairly and effectively implement the ban on prison gerrymandering to ensure fairer representation for all Illinoisans.
We asked our supporters to take action and send an email to their representatives to call HB 1496 for a Senate floor vote. With your help, we were able to successfully shepherd it through both the Illinois House and Senate and get it one step closer to being signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker.
* Equality Illinois…
A statement from Myles Brady Davis, Communications Director of Equality Illinois, the state’s civil rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) Illinoisans:
“We are extremely excited by Clare Killman’s historic inauguration to the Carbondale City Council. Killman is the first Trans person to serve on a city council in Illinois and she is one of only five Trans people now elected to office in Illinois. Killman’s inauguration is impactful for Carbondale, which has become a significant community of safety and refuge in Southern Illinois for folks seeking access to reproductive healthcare and gender-affirming healthcare that is otherwise limited, prohibited, or criminalized in their home states.
“Killman will be a powerful voice for change and will inspire more Trans people to run for office in their communities. We know Trans people remain severely underrepresented in all levels of government. At this time when more than 700 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state capitols across the country in 2023, when the opponents of equality are working hard to take healthcare away from Trans people, when anti-Trans forces have tried to silence an elected Trans state legislator in Montana, we need many more Trans voices in rooms of power. Now more than ever.”
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Sun-Times | Pritzker signs bill guaranteeing disability pay to first responders who contracted COVID-19: Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s Chicago cop brother was denied duty disability benefits despite contracting COVID-19 on the job in 2020. Mendoza, who attended Wednesday’s ceremony, wiped away tears as she thanked the governor and others who helped get the bill passed.
* Capitol News Illinois | As the COVID disaster declaration sunsets, Pritzker looks back on how Illinois came through the pandemic: “There are no restrictions,” Pritzker said. “Why was there a disaster declaration? Because in order for us to receive the federal benefits that were being offered to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients, who are the poorest people in our state, people who needed Medicaid, who are the poorest people in our state, you needed to match up your disaster declaration and executive orders with the federal government’s executive orders and disaster declaration. So we did that.”
* Patch | No Evidence Pritzker Planned Hinsdale Central Visit: “The District has reviewed its files and has not located any records responsive to your request,” the district’s records officer, Deb Kedrowski, said in a reply.
* Daily Herald | Don’t call her inexperienced: 32-year-old who was on city council sworn in as suburb’s youngest mayor: She was the city’s Ward 7 alderman for the past four years, after she first started showing up to meetings at city hall to get answers about flooding in her west-side neighborhood. She manages a team of financial investigators at CME Group that ensures integrity in the markets. And she just got married and bought a house not too far from where she grew up.
* Tribune | Group of four alleged teen robbers held without bond in slaying of off-duty Officer Aréanah Preston, killed while still in uniform during weekend confrontation: The four appeared for a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building midday Wednesday. Judge David Kelly held the group without bond in front of a packed courtroom with police officers filling the benches and lining the walls.
* WTTW | Former Interim Top Cop Charlie Beck: CPD Needs to Embrace Consent Decree, Brown’s Leadership Came Up Short: “I was under a consent decree in Los Angeles,” said Beck in an interview with WTTW News. “I completed the consent decree while I was chief. And when people asked me what I would change after it was over, I said ‘nothing’ because it’s a road map to excellence. Yes, it’s a heavy lift, but when you’re completed with it, when you’ve done more than check the boxes but actually made the change that it demands, you have a much, much better police agency.”
* Tribune | 53 candidates apply to become next CPD superintendent: Anthony Driver Jr., president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, told reporters Wednesday that 53 candidates submitted their materials for consideration before the May 7 deadline. Of those, 32 applicants have current or former ties to the CPD, Driver said.
* WAND | Bill requiring water bottle filling stations heads to Pritzker’s desk: The change would apply to any new public buildings with an occupancy of over 100 people and properties that are 5,000 square feet or larger. State law requires water fountains in public buildings, but Democratic lawmakers say their plan would encourage more people to use their own bottles instead of having more plastic in landfills.
* Crain’s | CME shareholders vote no in droves on executive pay — and nearly oust a director: Holders of less than a third of CME shares, or 91.5 million, voted in favor of the pay practices and package for CEO Terry Duffy and other executives, according to a Securities & Exchange Commission filing today. Charles Carey, chairman of the compensation committee and a member of the Chicago Board of Trade since 1978, got just 54% of the vote to keep him on the board.
* WMAY | Springfield Ald. Shawn Gregory discusses his frustration with moves by the new City Council: Springfield Alderman Shawn Gregory discusses his frustration with the new City Council and some early votes it’s taken against measures important to him and his ward, and why it’s prompted him to suggest the city’s Voting Rights Lawsuit consent decree, ensuring minority representation, may need to be revisited.
* Tribune | Migrating birds set to risk their lives flying over Chicago, most dangerous city for migratory birds in North America: Thousands of birds carpeted the sky last night, according to Annette Prince, director and president of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, a nonprofit dedicated to the respite and protection of migratory birds through daily rescue efforts, when on Thursday Chicago experienced a drastic shift in wind patterns moving up from the south, prompting waves of birds to pass through downtown looking for green space to settle.
* News-Gazette | Surprise! Champaign teacher honored with state award: Tate “inspires her students through her positivity, belief that any student can learn and her dedication to creating a classroom with a culture of learning,” the Golden Apple Foundation said in Tuesday’s announcement.
* Nerd Wallet | 4 things to know about the latest inflation report: April marked the 10th month in a row of overall inflation decreases. The consumer price index for all items rose 4.9% for the past 12 months throughout April, down from 5% in March. It’s a small decline, but it makes April the lowest annual increase since April 2021. That includes the peak for overall CPI at 9.1% in June 2022.
* Fresh Air | Millions of people have long COVID brain fog — and there’s a shortage of answers: Neuropsychologist James C. Jackson says people with long COVID can suffer from symptoms like exhaustion, shortness of breath and disturbed sleep. Some of the most troubling symptoms are neurological: struggling to remember things, to focus, even to perform basic daily tasks and solve problems.
* WSJ | The Home Buyer’s Quandary: Nobody’s Selling: Many Americans who want to move are trapped in their homes—locked in by low interest rates they can’t afford to give up. These “golden handcuffs” are keeping the supply of homes for sale unusually low and making the market more competitive and pricey than some forecasters expected.
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Meanwhile, in Opposite Land…
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Idaho…
A federal judge denied Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s request to reconsider the order barring the state from prosecuting emergency room physicians for providing abortion care to stabilize a patient.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill made his initial decision to block part of Idaho’s ban on abortions in August, just before the ban went into effect, following a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against the state.
Idaho’s ban on abortion applies to all stages of pregnancy and makes exceptions only for documented cases of rape and incest or to save the pregnant person’s life.
The Justice Department argued that the ban conflicts with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which requires hospitals that accept Medicare to provide stabilizing medical care for all those who come to the hospital with an emergency. Winmill ruled that the two laws were in conflict and the federal law superseded the state law.
* Indiana…
For generations, the Kinsey Institute has shined a light on diverse aspects of sex and sexuality, in pursuit of answers that bring us closer to understanding fundamental questions of human existence. In a time of divisive politics and disinformation, it is more imperative than ever to preserve and defend the right of such academic institutions to illuminate the unfolding frontiers of science — even, and especially, research that might challenge us as it advances our understanding of ourselves.
Thus it is tremendously disappointing that Indiana lawmakers voted late last month to approve a budget that specifically blocks Indiana University from using state funding to support the Kinsey Institute, and that last week Gov. Eric Holcomb signed it into state law. This is an unprecedented action that takes aim at the very foundation of academic freedom.
The Kinsey Institute, where I serve as the executive director and a senior scientist, is the leading sex research institute in the world. We publish dozens of scientific and academic articles each year, across multiple disciplines. Our faculty are internationally renowned biologists, psychologists, anthropologists, health scientists and demographers. We house the world’s largest library and research collection of sexuality-related materials, and scholars from across the globe visit us to study these materials and to train in our research theories and methods. […]
As Kinsey wrote in 1956: “It is incomprehensible that we should know so little about such an important subject as sex, unless you realize the multiplicity of forces which have operated to dissuade the scientist, to intimidate the scientist, and to force him to cease research in these areas.”
* Kentucky…
A Powell County woman is being faced with an impossible decision: give birth to a child who will likely be born stillborn or travel hours away across state lines for an abortion. […]
“I see my baby that has no brain, that has no life and it hurts,” Maberry said. […]
She tells us she has to leave the state to seek abortion care because, at this point in her pregnancy, terminating isn’t an option in the State of Kentucky. […]
“We’ve been called hypocrites. We’ve been told that they hope we have to carry this baby to term and be made to,” Maberry said. “Those people that say that; they don’t know our story, they don’t know our pain and I hope to God, they never have to.”
* Florida…
Construction workers say many employees have not showed up to work because they fear deportation.
Critics say Florida Senate Bill 1718 is to blame.
If signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, businesses could face a $10,000 fine for every undocumented employee and the state could revoke their business license.
Because of this, many construction workers who spoke to CBS News Miami say they are fearful of the future.
“Many workers are leaving, thinking they’re going to be deported, so they’re going to other states,” says Jose, an employee. “Everyone is really uneasy…we just want to work to help our families.”
* More from Florida…
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida signed a series of bills Monday that bans Chinese citizens from buying land in the state. […]
One bill restricts Chinese nationals from buying land in Florida unless they are also American citizens or permanent residents.
Chinese citizens with non-tourist visas, meanwhile, would be limited to buying fewer than two acres of land that is at least five miles away from any military institutions, the Tampa Bay television news outlet WTVT reported.
* Even more from the Sunshine State…
Florida has rejected dozens of social studies textbooks and worked with publishers to edit dozens more, the state’s education department announced on Tuesday, in the latest effort under Gov. Ron DeSantis to scrub textbooks of contested topics, especially surrounding contemporary issues of race and social justice.
State officials originally rejected 82 out of 101 submitted textbooks because of what they considered “inaccurate material, errors and other information that was not aligned with Florida law,” the Department of Education said in a news release.
But as part of an extensive effort to revise the materials, Florida worked with publishers to make changes, ultimately approving 66 of the 101 textbooks. Still, 35 were rejected even after that process. […]
The revisions outlined by the state included:
- An elementary school textbook no longer includes “home support” guidance on how to talk about the national anthem, which had included advice that parents could “use this as an opportunity to talk about why some citizens are choosing to ‘Take a Knee’ to protest police brutality and racism.’” Florida officials said that content was not age-appropriate.
- A text on different types of economies was edited to take out a description of socialism as keeping things “nice and even” and potentially promoting greater equality. The description was flagged as inaccurate, and mention of the term “socialism” was removed entirely.
- A middle school textbook no longer includes a passage on the Black Lives Matter movement, the murder of George Floyd and its impact on society. The removed passage described protests, noting that “many Americans sympathized with the Black Lives Matter movement,” while other people were critical of looting and violence and viewed the movement as anti-police. The state said the passage contained “unsolicited topics.”
* Missouri…
A school board member in central Missouri resigned Tuesday, blaming a slate of bills introduced by state lawmakers that would negatively affect her transgender daughter.
Katherine Sasser, who served for two years on the Columbia School Board, said at a school board meeting Monday that her family will also move before the start of the next school year because the state “is no longer a safe place” for them, according to KOMU-TV, a local NBC affiliate. […]
While holding back tears at the board meeting, Sasser called on other school board members to “use our agency and privilege, wherever we find it, to stand in on behalf of those who continue to be attacked and minoritized,” KOMU-TV reported.
“Especially in these challenging times, believe people when they say who they are and what they need,” she said. “Lean in to community and care with one another. Choose compassionate action. Take care of yourselves and take care of each other.”
* Those bills now go to the desk of Missouri Gov. Mike Parson…
In the waning days of their legislative session, Missouri lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday that would ban transition care for transgender youth.
The legislation, which had stalled for weeks in the Republican-controlled General Assembly because of disagreement over whether to include exceptions, is the latest in a national push by conservatives to limit access to medical care for transgender children, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries.
The Missouri bill allows young people already receiving hormone treatments and puberty blockers to continue doing so, and the portion of the bill restricting hormone treatment and puberty blockers would expire in 2027. The measure would also ban transition surgeries for adult prisoners.
Missouri lawmakers also passed on Wednesday a bill that would ban transgender women and girls from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
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* Gov. JB Pritzker was asked by reporters today if he had a response to former Gov. Pat Quinn’s call for a special session to take up a set of ethics reforms…
I saw the letter and I know there were enumerated some ideas at the end of the letter and I think those are, you know, ideas, some of them worthy of consideration. […]
Well, he’s asking for a special session. We’re still in session. So there’s an opportunity while in session and, of course, all along there are opportunities for the General Assembly to take up these ideas. […]
Well, again, I mean, the General Assembly has, you know, committees and hearings and has addressed ethics concerns over time. I don’t think that there’s anything that’s been specifically brought up by the recent doings in court that isn’t already illegal in law. They have been found guilty. And I think we need to look always at upgrading and improving our ethics laws in the state and so I want to continue to do that.
* Pritzker was then asked about downward revenue projections for the current fiscal year and if that means he’d be taking any of his budget proposals off the table, or what other impacts it could have…
Well as you know, we also projected downward number in the budget that I proposed in February, because we understand that the broader economy is slowing down a bit. And we also understood that the benefit to the economy of some of the stimulus that was put into it in prior years will also wane. So this is actually a lower revenue estimate that was put into my budget than we actually thought. We wanted to make sure that we were being conservative and you’ve seen I think everybody’s come down very close to where we are on the revenue estimate. So my budget actually takes all of it into account and if we pass the budget as it is, that budget would be balanced and indeed we would have a surplus.
* Has he figured out what to do about the exploding Medicaid program costs for non-citizens?…
Well, the General Assembly is considering all the options. The budgeteers as well as the various caucuses. So, it’s something that I hope they’ll come forward with their ideas about among the options that we presented, that they might want to use in order to make sure that the program fits within the budget. But my priority to be clear is balancing the budget. I’ve done that every year with the leaders. We need to make sure we do that again. We’re on a great trajectory from a fiscal perspective, we want to stay on that trajectory.
* He was also asked about Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s emergency declaration in the wake of an influx of asylum-seeking migrants…
What I can say is that we’re gonna do everything we can to take care of those who are sent here by Governor Abbott, that are sent here by mayors of cities in Texas. And it’s a humanitarian crisis. There’s no doubt about it. Thousands of people that are here legally, I might add. Asylum seekers here legally, who are being sent from the place that they arrived to someplace that they did not necessarily choose to go to. But it is our obligation as Americans to help take care of them. And it’s obligation of the federal government to step up and help us deal with that challenge. But we will do everything that we can. And I think if the mayor felt that an emergency needed to be declared, remember that just gives her more procurement capability than anything else. That is what she felt was necessary and I think that we’ve got to do what is necessary to take care of these folks. […]
There was an $800 million appropriation at FEMA that is meant to support states that are challenged with this. We’ve not received enough of that yet. And there will be I think more grants given in the next month, I am told, but we’re gonna fight hard for it and we deserve it. We’re doing everything that we should do to provide food, clothing and shelter for people who need it.
More on this presser later. I’m still waiting on some answers to a different question.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* HB218 is on Third reading in the House…
Gunmakers would be held responsible for dangerous marketing that contributes to gun violence under new legislation introduced by state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview.
“In 2020, guns surpassed traffic fatalities as the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. In 2023 alone, there were 58 unintentional shootings by children,” said Gong-Gershowitz. “Gun manufacturers enjoy a special immunity under federal law: they can legally market an insurrection to white supremacist groups like the Proud Boys and pink assault weapons to children too young to own one. HB218 is designed to hold gun manufacturers accountable and ensure families devastated by gun violence have a path to justice in Illinois civil court.”
Marketing campaigns sponsored by gun manufacturers often depict wanton violence, a weapon’s ability to cause egregious bodily harm and glorification of extreme paramilitary behaviors, effectively promoting violent criminal activity. Recently, an Illinois gunmaker began marketing a “JR-15,” a smaller version of the notorious AR-15 rifle but designed for children.
In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary mass shooting, courts found that parents have a reasonable claim against a gun manufacturer that engages in deceptive marketing campaigns promoting “illegal offensive use of the rifle.”
House Bill 218 would empower victims of gun violence to bring civil legal action against gun manufacturers in cases when firearm advertising contributes to illegal shootings. This legislation is the result of months of work by the House Firearms Safety and Reform Working Group in concert with stakeholders and representatives of the Senate and the Illinois Attorney General’s office.
* HB676 is on Third Reading…
* Capitol News Illinois…
Senate Bill 850 would direct the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or DCEO, to establish the “Grocery Initiative,” a program that would study “food deserts” in Illinois and provide grants to new or existing grocery stores in these areas. The grants would be available to grocery stores that are organized as independently owned for-profits, co-ops and nonprofit organizations as well as grocery stores owned by units of local government.
“It’s incredibly expensive to run a grocery store,” bill sponsor Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, said in an interview. “It takes a lot of product and your margins are very thin.”
The initiative was first introduced in Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which called for $20 million to fund the program. Canty, who is sponsoring the proposal in the House, said she will continue to work on it in the next two weeks as lawmakers craft next year’s budget.
The initiative was first introduced in Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which called for $20 million to fund the program. Canty, who is sponsoring the proposal in the House, said she will continue to work on it in the next two weeks as lawmakers craft next year’s budget.
* WGN…
A bill in the state capitol would remove the exemption of drivers of rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft, and lump them in with carriers such as bus drivers, train conductors, airline pilots, and taxi drivers, who have “vicarious liability”: if a bus rider for an unsafe ride sues the driver, the bus company can also be found liable for employing an unsafe driver under Illinois law.
Lyft officials are strongly opposed to the bill. They argue with the current laws in place, only 0.0002% of their rides have a registered safety incident. Representatives of the company also say the new rule would increase the cost for riders.
Uber is also against the bill. They argue if the bill becomes law, it may cause them to end services in some parts of the state and impact service for users in the state. […]
The Senate passed an amendment to the House’s bill. It now returns to the House. If approved, the bill heads to Gov. JB Pritzker to be signed into law.
* Uber now appeals to Mayor-elect Johnson…
* Tribune…
Advocates called Tuesday for changes to help medical cannabis patients and to broaden opportunities in the marijuana industry.
The Alliance for Cannabis Equity, a collective of social justice advocates, medical caretakers and trade associations, is seeking the changes to be combined in state law under an omnibus bill.
For medical patients, the group called for making curbside or drive-thru pickup permanent and for buying cannabis tax-free at any dispensary. For motorists, police would be prohibited from using cannabis as probable cause to make a stop. People with prior criminal convictions would be allowed to work in the industry; craft growers would get more space to cultivate their crop; and a single agency would replace the myriad agencies that regulate the industry.
“No substantive social equity law has been passed for two years, and action is desperately needed to address many issues,” said Douglas Kelly of Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition. […]
Rep. LaShawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat, has led a cannabis working group that’s met to address some of these issues. He hopes to have a single bill to encompass many of these problems before the General Assembly adjourns its session, as scheduled for May 19.
* Scott Holland…
Policies don’t inherently prevent problems, they primarily provide recourse. But that truth doesn’t mean such efforts are wasted.
Consider two pieces of legislation moving through the General Assembly. House Bill 3425, which has already cleared both chambers, is the “anti-bullying bill” requiring schools to give parental notice of alleged bullying incidents within 24 hours. Senate Bill 90, which the Education Committee advanced to the full Senate, stipulates “each school district, charter school or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school must create, implement and maintain a policy on discrimination and harassment based on race, color, or national origin and retaliation.”
Many schools have well established programs for reducing bullying or being proactive about inclusion and tolerance. It’s hard to quantify when such efforts make a difference in the hearts and minds of individual kids, although at the district and region level there surely have been countless meetings and reports about what “works.”
Still, and I try not to come off as a crank when I say this, if some kid wants to call another kid fat or ugly or weak or just shake them down for lunch money, well, it’s probably going to happen and all the language in the school handbook mostly establishes the roadmap for what happens next.
* HB2044 is on First Reading in its originating chamber. Reps. Dagmara Avelar and Ryan Spain…
All around Illinois, the signs of change are apparent. The COVID-19 pandemic changed our economy, how we live and work, and how working-class and lower-income families struggle day to day.
We come together to argue for a solution to one of our State’s most pressing needs to address this change head on: Affordable housing. This is not a regional problem, or one of partisan politics. We all know someone who needs help finding a home to call their own, without bankrupting them. […]
As envisioned under House Bill 2044, Illinois can take a major step toward addressing its affordable housing shortage by mirroring that successful federal tax credit program with a State credit that more than 20 other states already have adopted.
The Build Illinois Homes State Tax Credit calls for creating an estimated 3,500 homes or apartments each year, generating nearly $1 billion in economic activity and $300 million in State and local taxes paid over the next decade, and more than 17,000 jobs supported during that time. Each annual round of tax credits will cost the state $350 million spread over 10 years, but the economic returns generated from the program will more than offset the cost.
* Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood of Illinois Amy Whitaker…
A recent patient came in with concerns about her pregnancy. She had been somewhere else and was told she was carrying twins, but that one might not be developing as well as the other.
She showed us the ultrasound pictures on her phone. However, the images did not resemble typical medical ultrasound images. We quickly realized that the patient had been misinformed and had not actually received anything close to the standard of care for pregnancy diagnosis and assessment.
After she was given an ultrasound at Planned Parenthood, it was determined that the patient actually had a molar pregnancy (a rare complication) which is not viable and, if left untreated, can cause cancer. It is an outrage that the patient had been led to believe that she had received legitimate health care for her pregnancy, when really she was given the wrong information that could have caused severe health issues.
Senate Bill 1909, the Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act, protects patients and allows everyone the freedom to receive medically-accurate and unbiased information. It is not intended to close down any organization; rather, it holds accountable those that systematically employ deception, fraud, and false pretense in order to sway a patient’s health care decisions.
Rep. Bill Hauter opposes access to abortion. He introduced HB 4028, which singles out abortion for special regulations which are not applied to any other similar medical procedure. Clearly, Hauter believes that abortion should be marginalized from other health care and targeted for extra regulation.
* Illinois Answers…
State Sen. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) is proposing legislation he says would “fix” a 2010 law that aimed to stem Illinois’ pension crisis by cutting back retirement benefits for future public employees. Researchers have since warned that the measure likely went too far, potentially depriving workers of benefits they’re entitled to under federal law.
Chicago leaders and other local governments are blasting the bills for their promise to burden taxpayers with hundreds of millions more dollars in pension obligations. And at least one fiscal watchdog says the proposals risk repeating the previous law’s sin of taking action before studying the consequences. […]
Other critics, like leaders of the nonpartisan budget watchdog The Civic Federation, say Martwick and his allies risk repeating their predecessors’ mistakes by plowing forward with a “fix” without taking time to study how the new benefit formula would hold up over time. […]
Martwick responded that it can be “quite expensive” to run actuarial studies of every proposal. But he said he trusts the formula JB Pritzker’s administration reached to rejigger police and fire pensions in 2019, as well as the analysis by Preckwinkle’s finance team of an appropriate formula for county pensioners.
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* WBEZ…
Parents, teachers and community groups on Tuesday asked Illinois Democrats to go back to the drawing board and create a new map for Chicago’s upcoming first school board elections. They want a map based on the city’s student demographics rather than its overall population.
About a dozen people spoke out at a virtual hearing Tuesday evening. This comes days after lawmakers from the House and Senate released a first draft map. Lawmakers have until July 1 to draw the voting boundaries.
As first noted by Chalkbeat Chicago, the draft map proposes seven majority white districts, seven majority Black districts and six majority Latino districts — closely resembling the city’s population, which is 33% white, 29% Black, and 29% Latino, according to the U.S. Census.
But the CPS student population is 11% white, 36% Black and 47% Latino.
* Here’s a visual…
* Chalkbeat…
“Our students need representation who understand their communities and the challenges that they face in their daily life,” said Vanessa Espinoza, a parent with Kids First Chicago. “We know that board members who have shared experiences with the communities they serve can better understand the needs of the students.”
Espinoza called the draft map “unconscionable” because she said it underrepresents Latino families in Chicago. Kids First Chicago has published a map that will create eight Latino districts and seven Black districts, she told lawmakers. […]
It is unusual for lawmakers to use school district enrollment rather than city population numbers to create districts for an elected school board, but advocates say it is the only way to ensure that Black and Latino families are equitably represented. […]
It remains unclear how many maps will be drawn during the general assembly’s map-making process. State lawmakers have published a draft map for 20 districts, and have received nine map proposals from the public, Sen. Kimberly Lightford, who represents that city’s West side and west suburbs, said Tuesday.
* The Chicago Tribune…
State Rep. Ann Williams, who leads the House Democrats’ Chicago Public School’s Districting, stressed the current map is only a starting point.
“We will be seeing another map; it will look different,” Williams, who represents Lakeview, said at the end of Saturday’s hearing. “We are hearing what you are saying and taking your input into perspective and into account.” […]
For decades, Chicago’s Board of Education members have been appointed by the mayor, unlike most school systems, whose governing boards are chosen by voters. But under a change in state law, the Chicago school board will expand from seven appointed to 21 elected members by 2026. The transition will begin with the November 2024 election, when 10 members will be elected and 10 members, plus the board president, will be appointed. […]
Jamie Groth Searle with the Southwest Collective, a nonprofit that advocates for Southwest Side residents, called out the borders of one district in particular to make the point that the map fails to keep communities intact.
“Can you explain why you drew a district that is 79 blocks long?” Searle asked. The panel responded by reminding the audience that this was a preliminary map.
* Press release…
As legislators work through remapping the Chicago School Board districts, Cor Strategies’ data experts developed a map that provides more representation to Chicago’s Hispanic and Asian communities.
Cor’s data experts built a model, pulling data which included registered voting data, along with data from the Chicago Public Schools and Census Bureau, that more fairly and accurately took the city’s demographics into account.
Click to view the proposed map here.
In the proposed map, the district breakdown includes:
16 Majority Minority Districts
7 Hispanic Districts
7 Black Districts
1 Asian Plurality District
5 White Districts
“The stark contrast between the school district map we developed and what has been proposed already is we accurately include the Asian community and we don’t underrepresent Hispanics,” said Cor’s Chicago Political Expert Chris Jackowiak. “If you just look at voting data, you don’t get the full scope of Chicago demographics and that’s how Hispanics and Asians can end up being so misrepresented in maps that have been politically drawn.”
Springfield Democrats claim their new maps would bring them closer to community-led education, yet certain minority groups would actually have less representation if these maps were passed.
Cor Strategies Founder Collin Corbett said, “We’re not map-makers but we are data experts, and our data team was able to identify maps that would lead to even more Hispanic and Asian representation on the school boards than what the Democrats in the House and Senate proposed, so clearly their maps could be improved to better reflect the city.”
Cor Strategies is a GOP firm.
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bp Is Investing In Illinois
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Question of the day
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WICS TV…
The Multi-Purpose Arena (MPA) will be up and running for the 2023 Illinois State Fair.
The MPA underwent an $8.6 million overhaul in 2022, repairing sidewalks, walls, steps, expansion joints, and electrical systems, readjusting the tension structure, installing a new canopy, and rebuilding the retaining walls around the facility. The funding was made possible by the Governor’s historic Rebuild Illinois capital program, which modernizes infrastructure throughout the state.
* I’ve always thought the Multi-Purpose Arena was cool looking, so I’m glad it’s back…
The name is just so boring, though. It’s a cool-looking place, so it ought to have a cool name.
* The Question: Your name change suggestions for the Multi-Purpose Arena? Snarky fun is not prohibited, but it is somewhat discouraged. Thanks.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In 2022, electric vehicle drivers on the Uber platform have avoided using over 12.5M gallons of gas, globally.
Read our commitments here.
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* This piece covers only a tiny part of the real story…
Rep. Mary Flowers removed from leadership after saying staff member resembled Hitler
A longtime Democratic state representative has been removed from Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s legislative leadership team.
State Rep. Mary Flowers of Chicago believes it’s because she told a House staff member he resembled Adolf Hitler. She said his appearance that day made her feel uncomfortable and disrespected.
“This is my workplace. I was stunned when I walked in and saw this young man looking like Hitler,” Flowers said of the staffer, whom she did not name. She said she also asked him about the look directly, to which he laughed. […]
“This is so petty it’s ridiculous,” Flowers told WBEZ, accusing Welch of not following established protocol. “There’s a process. There’s an [Office of Executive Inspector General] process, and whoever my accuser is, is supposed to go fill out a form.”
While OEIG oversees complaints for agencies that fall under the governor’s purview, someone making a complaint against a state representative would likely go through the Legislative Inspector General, or LIG.
Deputy Majority Leaders aren’t banned from party caucus meetings and stripped of their positions for an isolated remark. There’s so much more to this story.
* Here’s House Speaker Chris Welch’s full letter to Rep. Flowers, which I shared with subscribers after it was sent yesterday…
Dear Leader Flowers:
On Monday, May 8, I called you to request a meeting in my office in Room 300. The intent of this meeting was to discuss your repeated unwillingness to meet the expectations enumerated in the Leadership Agreements that all members of the House Democratic Leadership team agreed to, and the actions I would be taking as a result.
While I believe we owed it to one another to have this conversation in person, you refused to meet unless told the purpose of the meeting. I informed you that as a result of your behavior in caucus meetings, in leadership meetings, and toward staff you would no longer be invited to participate in meetings of the House Democratic Caucus and meetings of our Democratic leadership team during the 103rd General Assembly. You stated that you would not meet in-person without your attorney present.
As you know, in February, the members of the House Democratic leadership team wrote and adopted Leadership Agreements stating how we will communicate with fellow members and staff. Included in this document, drafted by you and your leadership colleagues, are pledges to:
- Start with respect
- Find the commonality
- Pick our battles
- Check our intentions
- Don’t start with blame or accusations
- Show others grace
Since signing the Leadership Agreements, you have consistently shown an unwillingness to meet these expectations.
Specifically, in a Caucus meeting on Tuesday, May 2, you used language widely recognized as a slur intended to divide people - including members of our own Caucus - based on their national origin. In this same meeting, you compared the appearance of a staff member to Adolf Hitler. You declined to offer the caucus a sincere apology for either comment when asked. This was not the first time you made derogatory comments toward colleagues and staff.
At a Caucus meeting earlier this year, when several members expressed that they felt bullied or insulted by you, you dismissed their concerns and attempted to further belittle them in front of colleagues and staff.
In individual meetings with you, I have informed you of how I expect members treat colleagues and staff, and I have requested specifically that you refrain from abusive behavior. This conduct has continued unabated.
These are a few of many examples of pervasive behavior that fails to start with respect, divides rather than builds commonality, weaponizes blame against colleagues, and refuses to show others grace. You have made no effort to correct your behavior despite being asked and despite being informed your actions violate the Leadership Agreements, and potentially the spirit of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act. I cannot, and will not, tolerate this behavior toward members and staff.
Your refusal to even meet to discuss this situation shows a further lack of respect for your colleagues and the agreements we all signed. I am again requesting we meet before the end of the spring session, along with any counsel you deem necessary.
As discussed in our call, participation in the House Democratic Caucus meetings and leadership team meetings are a privilege. Your actions have precluded your further participation in these meetings.
I am further informing you that as a result of your refusal to meet and discuss this matter respectfully, I am removing you as a member of my leadership team effective at the end of the day on May 31, 2023.
Sincerely,
Emanuel “Chris” Welch
State Representative, 7th District
Speaker of the Illinois House
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | Trial date for alleged Highland Park parade shooter could be announced in September: Crimo, who is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder among 100 felony charges stemming from the July 4, 2022, mass shooting, appeared Tuesday at a case management hearing that lasted less than five minutes.
* Sun-Times | Half of Chicagoans witness a shooting by age 40, study found: Over half of Black and Latino survey respondents, and a quarter of white respondents, had seen a shooting by age 40, according to the study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
* WBEZ | Former Illinois State Senator Tom Cullerton convicted in corruption scheme gets a new job — state lobbyist: Lissa Druss, Strategia’s founder and chief executive, said, “People make mistakes. Tom is taking this opportunity to pay back his restitution, but more importantly, our firm is getting involved in a [prisoner] reentry program, and Tom will be volunteering some of his time to help returning citizens.”
* Crain’s | Springfield progressives push to impose a wealth tax: Unhappy with the direction state budget talks are going, a group of Springfield’s leading progressive lawmakers today announced a new drive to move two much-discussed ideas that repeatedly have been shot down in the General Assembly: imposing a wealth tax and slashing the fee retailers get for collecting state sales taxes. In a Springfield press conference, officials including Sen. Robert Peters and Rep. Will Guzzardi, both Chicago Democrats, said their ideas would generate a combined nearly $700 million a year for school, housing and related programs at a time when state revenues have begun to decline and potential spending cuts may be on the way.
* Tribune | Medical debt initiative on track to erase $80 million in unpaid doctor bills for nearly 73,000 Cook County residents: The first round of debt-buying has spent down just $800,000 of the county’s allotted $12 million for the federal funded program. Officials hope to erase $1 billion in debt before its expiration.
* WAND | Critics of the draft voting map for Chicago’s elected school board want a do-over: “Springfield is proposing a map that sets the table for a majority white board that governs the outcomes of BIPOC students and families,” said Daniel Anello, CEO of the nonprofit Kids First Chicago, in a statement. In releasing the draft map, lawmakers said the 20 districts “keep communities of interest as whole as possible” and reflect the “diversity of Chicago,” according to a news release.
* Tribune | Family and colleagues honor fallen CPD Officer Aréanah Preston in evening vigil; 5 in custody in connection with shooting: “She was a lion,” said 5th District Cmdr. Tyrone Pendarvis. “She was a delight of a person — and that’s the type of officer we need.”
* Crain’s | Court denies Chicago Sun-Times’ motion to dismiss defamation lawsuit: The Appellate Court of Illinois denied motions by the Chicago Sun-Times to dismiss a lawsuit by a former state official accusing the newspaper of misrepresenting his role in the 2011 property tax assessment of the Trump International Hotel & Tower. Mauro Glorioso, a former executive director for the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, filed a defamation lawsuit against Sun-Times Media Holdings and its investigative reporter Tim Novak in January 2021, alleging that two articles released in February and October 2020 about the Trump Tower property tax appeal “falsely depicted him as a corrupt political official, lacking integrity in his profession,” according to a May 8 filing by the appellate court.
* Tribune | Mayor Lori Lightfoot declares state of emergency over migrants arriving in Chicago: ‘We’ve reached a breaking point’: The executive order marked the outgoing administration’s grimmest prognosis yet on how Chicago’s most vulnerable new arrivals will fare as the city braces for the imminent end of its runway on financial assistance. It came nine months after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, began shepherding recent refugees from Central and South America onto one-way bus rides to Chicago, arguing that liberal “sanctuary cities” should readily take on more of the burden stemming from the border crisis.
* Tribune | City treasurer moves to bolster community lending in Albany Park, other Northwest Side neighborhoods: The Chicago treasurer’s office deposited $10 million of its cash holdings into Albany Bank & Trust Co., a community bank on the Northwest Side, in a move aimed at bolstering affordable housing construction and small business creation in neighborhoods such as Albany Park, according to City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin.
* Sun-Times | Florida Gov. DeSantis to hit Peoria this week — and how he’ll play depends entirely on which party you ask: Organizers of the downstate Lincoln Day Dinner say DeSantis will “speak on his successful Florida Blueprint,” as Republicans “fight the radical Progressive Left’s Marxist agenda here in Illinois.” But Gov. J.B. Pritzker said, “DeSantis’ views are not what we call freedom in Illinois.”
* AP | What is Title 42 and how has US used it to curb migration?: Title 42 has been used more than 2.8 million times to expel migrants since its implementation. However, children traveling alone were exempt. Also, it has been unevenly enforced by nationality, partly because it’s harder to expel people to some countries, including Venezuela and Cuba.
* USA Today | Climate change is bad for everyone. But this is where it’s expected to be worst in the US.: San Francisco faces above-average risk across these categories and more, and it is the nation’s most exposed large city, Kamins said. It’s one of those urban areas where residents aren’t used to temperature extremes and many homes don’t have air conditioning, he said. In a world where temperatures rise 5 to 10 degrees, San Francisco residents are ill-equipped for dealing with heat, and that could be economically damaging.
* Tribune | Illinois environmentalists point to crucial role of wetlands in Supreme Court case that pits ecology against property rights: In the coming days, the U.S. Supreme Court will determine whether the federal government has jurisdiction over wetlands similar to Marian Byrnes. A case that pits property rights against ecology, Sackett v. EPA challenges whether isolated wetlands — those that do not abut a flowing body of water — fall under the purview of the Clean Water Act. The federal law regulates the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters such as lakes and rivers.
* Tribune | How did the Chicago White Sox home run jacket come to be? Elvis Andrus on the inspiration behind the fashion.: “Elvis came up with it. I love the idea,” infielder Jake Burger said recently. “It’s a little Chicago mobster-type outfit and my wife says I look good. That’s the positive.
* Sun-Times | Grace Barry, who headed up the Economic Club of Chicago and was best friends with Maggie Daley, dies at 82: Her close relationship with the Daleys helped her land the job as the first female head of the Economic Club in 1986. She held the post for more than 25 years, according to former Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan, a friend of Barry’s since their days growing up in the Beverly neighborhood on the South Side.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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