For the past eight months, members of the Save Bell Bowl Prairie coalition have been inundating Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office with emails, petitions, texts, tweets, phone calls and old-fashioned letters, pleading with the governor to broker a deal that would save a patch of ancient prairie from demolition by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority, which plans to rip up the prairie as part of a major expansion of the airfield’s cargo operation.
The deluge of messages has largely been met with silence, save for a brief off-the-cuff comment made by the governor at a press conference back in November. Then, two weeks ago, Pritzker’s reelection campaign dropped a 30-second TV ad called “Cargo Load.”
“Do you know what city has the fastest growing cargo airport in the world? Rockford, Illinois!” the ad boasts. “As governor, J.B. Pritzker made it happen.”
“My first reaction was, ‘What?’” said Kerry Leigh, executive director of the Natural Land Institute, the organization that for decades was entrusted with stewardship of Bell Bowl Prairie — a handful of acres of 8,000-year-old land tucked inside the airport’s nearly 3,000-acre expanse.
In the ad’s emphasis on job creation and the airport’s importance as an economic engine, Leigh distinctly heard echoes of the talking points the airport authority has used in its ongoing battle against the Save Bell Bowl coalition, by portraying the conservationists as anti-development and anti-commerce.
“What I got out of the commercial is (Pritzker’s) only listening to the airport,” said Robb Telfer, of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves, a nonprofit that’s allied itself with Natural Land Institute in the fight for Bell Bowl.
* Response from Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
The governor’s new ad celebrating Rockford being home to the fastest growing cargo airport in the world does not indicate a shift in any previously held positions. Economic development and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive, and the governor has demonstrated a strong commitment to both. As he said in November, we can protect our environment, while also creating jobs.
The push to clean up a culture of corruption in Illinois could have the unintended short term consequence of flooding farm fields after all of the drainage experts in one local unit of government quit their jobs, leaving the office that monitors and manages flood risks vacant.
Larry Skinner, Dale Ewing, and Randy Mayhall informed the Douglas County Circuit Clerk’s office that they would rather step down from their unpaid government duties than submit to “intrusive” transparency laws.
The Newman Murdock Union Drainage District has a meager budget. It collects $10,579.80 in property taxes each year, and sets aside funds to upgrade or install new drainage tiles to prevent backed up water from flooding farm fields. […]
Skinner and Ewing both submitted letters of resignation, though county officials said Ewing was considering potentially rescinding his resignation and complying with the new ethics law. Mayhall verbally resigned, but had not yet submitted his letter in writing at the time of this report.
“All three of us have resigned because they’re asking us to list our wives, they’re involving our spouses, trying to get us to list things that we owe on or we buy together,” Skinner said. “It’s just stuff that’s totally nobody’s business.”
Skinner’s resignation letter noted it’s an unpaid position and he doesn’t personally handle any government funds. […]
Their resignations are the first reported cases of local officials who fulfill mundane tasks in unpaid government jobs who ditched their posts before a May 1st deadline to fill out the more stringent forms.
Skinner, a local farmer in Newman, Illinois, said he’d rather quit the job than reveal his personal financial information to the government.
“I prefer to resign,” he said in a March 17th letter. “The questions being asked by the Statement of Economic Interest and the potential liability it places on someone just trying to do what is right and helpful is just a problem I don’t need.”
* I asked Alisa Kaplan at Reform for Illinois if she had any comments…
Hi Rich,
Overall we are in favor of more transparency and support the legislature’s moves in that direction. Some officials are not going to like it — that’s inevitable with just about any serious ethics reform. These forms are well in line with what other state legislatures require and are by no means the most detailed out there. And there are some ways in which the new forms require less information than the old forms, by raising the dollar thresholds that trigger reporting, for example.
If this truly becomes a problem, however, it might be worth revisiting the types of office-holders required to disclose certain kinds of information. We may need different information from a state legislator than from an unpaid local official, though we shouldn’t underplay the possibilities for corruption at any level of government.
Finally, there seems to be some confusion that needs to be cleared up about what is actually required in the new forms and how much of a departure it is from the old forms.
* The Question: Should ethics disclosures be loosened for unpaid local board members? Explain.
Long-sought state funding for Kane County’s Longmeadow Parkway will help push the 5.6-mile corridor to completion. But it won’t eliminate the toll — yet.
State lawmakers included $17.5 million for the project in a marathon state budget session last weekend. After the bipartisan Longmeadow funding passed, some state lawmakers, such as state Rep. Suzanne Ness, issued statements saying the money “eliminated” the need for a toll on the parkway.
But the money in the state’s 2023 budget is only about half of what county officials sought to eliminate the toll.
The toll became a necessary to help fund the Longmeadow Parkway bridge over the Fox River when, unlike the Stearns Road bridge, not enough federal and state money came through to pay for the project at the northern border of Kane County. County officials sold bonds to pay for the construction and ongoing maintenance.
We have some terrific news. Last week the Illinois legislature passed bills with two of Reform for Illinois’ top priorities: making voting more accessible for people with disabilities, and advancing a serious discussion about public campaign financing in Illinois.
Accessible Voting
We asked you to show your support for SB 829, a bill we’ve been fighting for with our partners Equip for Equality, Access Living, the Illinois Council of the Blind, and others. The bill takes an important step towards enabling Illinois voters with certain types of disabilities to cast a private ballot without assistance, a right many of us take for granted.
You contacted your representatives and submitted hundreds of witness slips, and we’re thrilled to report that SB 829 passed the legislature and is on its way to the governor’s desk! […]
Task Force on Public Financing of Judicial Campaigns
Reform for Illinois is a fervent advocate of public campaign financing as a way to fight corruption and diversify candidates and political donors. So we are pleased that the General Assembly passed a measure that, if signed by the governor, will establish a task force to explore public financing for judicial elections.
While we support public financing for many offices, the judiciary is a good place to start. Special interests and big donors shouldn’t be able to put their thumbs on the scales of justice. An optional public financing program would offer judicial candidates the opportunity to fund their campaigns without threatening their independence and impartiality.
HB 716 was sponsored by Senate President Don Harmon and Representative Jay Hoffman. Although we have expressed concerns about other provisions of the bill, we enthusiastically support the creation of the task force and look forward to its work.
* Gov. Pritzker…
Celebrating the passage of a FY23 budget that prioritizes responsible spending, Gov. JB Pritzker joined students, lawmakers, and advocates at Gately Park Indoor Track in Chicago to highlight programs designed to foster the success of young people throughout the state. […]
Under the state’s FY23 budget, new investments in youth programs will provide young people with opportunities to learn, work, and grow in a safe environment. These efforts include:
• Additional Early Childhood Education funding of $54.4M to cover services for an additional estimated 7,131 children
• Funding for $300M Strengthen and Grow Childcare grants while continuing investments in rate increases for childcare providers July 1, 2022, and December 1, 2022
• An extra $460M for K-12 schools and programs to provide quality classrooms, qualified and well-compensated educators, and the textbooks and supplies necessary for a good education
• $122M increase in need-based Monetary Assistance Program scholarships for college students to a total of $600M to help over 155,000 students receive awards while also increasing the maximum grant award
• Increase of $12M for the Regional Offices of Education to address truancy and chronic absenteeism issues coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic
• $7M funding increase to support targeted summer youth services in the areas of Teen REACH, Community Youth Services and Youth Employment.
• Additional $16M for Homeless Prevention and Homeless Youth services, in addition to continued authority to maintain rental assistance programming into FY23
• Additional $8M investment in Redeploy Illinois to reduce juvenile incarcerations and prevent crime
• Increase of $87 million to bolster the DCFS provider network
• Increase of $15.5 million to hire an additional 360 DCFS staff
• New funding of $25 million to rebuild residential capacity for vulnerable youth in care.
• Includes $56M for new Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grants at IDNR to provide for parks for children to explore, the largest and most accessible round in the state’s history for distressed communities.
• Includes funding to fully implement the Pathways to Success Program for children with serious mental illnesses approximately $150M. Pathways to Success is a program for Medicaid enrolled children under the age of 21 in Illinois who have complex behavioral health needs and require intensive services and support
• Expands the Earned Income Credit for working families from 18% of the federal credit to 20%, while expanding the number of households covered
• Provides families with a “Back to School” sales tax holiday on clothing and school supplies for a week this August
These programs serve as major components of a state budget that prioritizes building a financially strong and responsible state that can be passed down to the next generation of leaders.
Plastic forks may soon be a thing of the past in Illinois’ state parks after the legislature passed a bill that could soon be sent to the governor’s desk.
If Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs it, Senate Bill 1915 will require state agencies to contract with suppliers only providing compostable or recyclable foodware in state parks and natural areas.
The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest, who said the goal is simple: to reduce waste.
Illinois Environmental Council Executive Director Jen Walling said it shouldn’t cost the state much either.
New Orleans City Councilwoman Helena Moreno has sent a subpoena to a senior member of Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration on Monday demanding he hand over a wide array of documents and appear before the council for questioning related to a potential multimillion-dollar “smart cities” project and contract-fixing allegations regarding a Chicago-based consultant called Ignite Cities. […]
Moreno has previously complained about the lack of public information and the administration’s refusal to share details about the project — a sprawling plan that includes creating a “city-directed” but privately run internet service to compete with existing internet providers like Cox Communications and AT&T. The project would also install thousands of “smart” devices throughout the city to collect data that the city could use to improve services and sell to private companies. […]
The subpoena also comes days after Ignite Cities became embroiled in another controversy in Chicago that sheds new light onto the contract-fixing allegations in New Orleans, and pokes big a hole in the Cantrell administration’s central justification for dismissing those allegations. […]
The reporting from Illinois TV station WCIA-TV centered on Ignite Cities’ managing director, Reyahd Kazmi, and his wife, City Clerk of Chicago Anna Valencia. The station reported on emails from Valencia, a public official, showing how she used her position to advance government projects that involved Kazmi and Ignite Cities.
Vitally, the report revealed that Kazmi is also a registered lobbyist for IKE Smart Cities — a WiFi kiosk manufacturer that, unlike Ignite Cities, is an official member of the Smart+Connected NOLA consortium that would be responsible for installing dozens of kiosks around New Orleans. Kazmi was also present at the recent “WiFi for All” events in New Orleans to promote the smart cities project. […]
In her subpoena, one category of documents that Moreno requested in her subpoena is “any and all communications with George Burciaga, Anna Valencia and Reyahd Kazmi.”
I fully admit that I’m not quite understanding this yet. But it sure does look like Valencia has been providing help to her husband’s business through her city office, which wouldn’t be good.
* Meanwhile, we’ve talked about how the People’s Coalition Map crowd has been hammering away at the Chicago United Map group for its Madigan connections. Well…
Supporters of the Chicago United Map today called on the political committee supporting the “People’s Coalition Map” to return a $10,000 contribution Victor Reyes’ law firm made to the political committee supporting the Latino Caucus-backed map that flies in the face of City of Chicago ethics rules.
The law firm, Reyes Kurson, was hired to advise the Latino Caucus in the city remap process and is headed by attorney and lobbyist Victor Reyes. Reyes is named as “Lawyer A” in the federal criminal indictment case against former House Speaker Michael Madigan and Reyes Kurson is named as “Law Firm A” in the indictment. Reyes’ firm has billed the city nearly $150,000 for work on the remap from the end of May to the end of November, according to a recent media report.
An advisory opinion issued by the City of Chicago Board of Ethics in Feb. 2022 found that the city’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance limits certain contributors, including those “seeking to do business with the City,” to $1,500 in political contributions per calendar year to a candidate or the “candidate’s authorized political committees.” The Reyes Kurson contribution to the Chicago Coalition Map to Redistrict Chicago may be in violation of this ethics rule.
The Chicago United Map is supported by the majority of the Chicago City Council. Supporters of the Chicago United Map are calling on the Chicago Coalition Map to Redistrict Chicago to return the campaign contribution immediately.
* Irvin…
J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Democrats did nothing to clean out corruption in government prior to adjourning session last Friday, even as it was announced the very same day that a state legislator was being investigated by the federal authorities for misusing campaign funds and that former Chicago Alderman Danny Solis was charged for taking bribes in return for favorable ordinance rulings on the City’s Zoning Committee.
The Deferred Prosecution Agreement between Solis and the U.S. Attorney’s Office that was unveiled yesterday showed he had been wearing a wire since December 2018 in his cooperation with the feds, which ultimately resulted in the takedown of former House Speaker Mike Madigan. Solis is being arraigned in federal court this morning.
“J.B. Pritzker’s record when it comes to cleaning out corruption in government is nothing but words and no actions,” said Irvin for Illinois spokesperson Eleni Demertizis. “Pritzker’s continued denial of his connection to Madigan and his criminal enterprise goes hand in hand with his refusal to enact meaningful ethics reform that would prevent any further corruption and misuse taxpayer dollars.”
* Casten…
Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) announced he has been endorsed by the NRDC Action Fund. This endorsement comes on the heels of the League of Conservation Voters endorsing Rep. Casten and adds to the growing list of pro-environmental groups backing him over his opponent in his re-election campaign.
“It’s never been more important for lawmakers to help lower energy costs for American families by standing up to the fossil fuel industry and securing a clean energy future,” said Kevin S. Curtis, executive director of the NRDC Action Fund. “We’re proud to support Congressman Sean Casten because he is in the thick of that fight, working to build a better future for his constituents by growing clean energy jobs, cutting fossil fuels pollution and working to solve the climate crisis.”
“I have spent my entire life working to combat the climate crisis,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “The evidence is overwhelmingly clear - this is the greatest existential threat we face as a species. I’m proud to be endorsed by the NRDC Action Fund as we continue our work together to create clean energy jobs and pass a livable planet on to our children and grandchildren.”
Since coming to Congress, Rep. Casten has passed critical legislation to address the climate crisis. In December, President Biden signed into law legislation from Rep. Casten to reduce the carbon footprint of the federal government. Rep. Casten has also passed legislation to invest in clean energy storage technologies and protect the US financial system from the devastating impacts of the climate crisis.
* Foster…
Today, scientist and businessman Bill Foster announced that his re-election campaign raised over $620,000 in the first quarter of 2022. Foster currently has $4.59 million cash on hand, a clear sign of the strong and broad-based support for his campaign.
“I am so grateful for everyone who has supported our campaign,” Foster said. “When I left my career in physics to run for public office, I didn’t know if we would succeed but I was humbled by the widespread and grassroots support for my campaign. I continue to be honored by everyone who chooses to support me and I look forward to serving the new Illinois’ 11th District next Congress as the only PhD physicist in Congress.”
* Pekau…
Mayor of Orland Park and 6th Congressional District candidate Keith Pekau released his first official campaign video and digital video ad, which focuses on how politicians like Marie Newman, Sean Casten, Nancy Pelosi, and Kim Foxx have put special interests, party politics, and extreme far-left agendas ahead of doing what’s best for the people they’re supposed to represent, and how he will put people over politics in the 6th District.
Video Script:
Politicians like Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx are letting violent criminals run free, putting our families’ safety at risk. I didn’t put my life on the line to defend our country in the Air Force, including three tours in Iraq, so families would feel unsafe in their homes. Here in Orland Park, we’re fighting back. We’ve reduced crime to the lowest rate in 27 years and we’re rated the safest city in Illinois.
Our economy is struggling. Workers are especially hurting in Illinois, where unemployment remains among the highest in the nation. As a successful small business owner, I will fight to bring economic growth and prosperity back to our country, especially right here in the 6th District. That’s what we’ve done here in Orland Park, where our businesses are thriving and creating good-paying jobs for our residents.
But with the highest inflation since 1980, working families are struggling to keep up. Gas, groceries, utilities, and even eating at restaurants costs more now. This is because Washington politicians keep spending and printing money like drunken sailors. It needs to stop. I’ve led by example in Orland Park. I’ve cut spending, paid down debt, and lowered taxes.
While the other Republican candidates talk about solving challenges like crime, inflation, and the economy, I’ve actually done it. This is the common sense leadership we need to take on the failed far-left politics of Marie Newman and Sean Casten. Join me and let’s put people over politics.
* Lightfoot…
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot’s political operation announced its fundraising efforts will be chaired by civic leaders Laura and Brooke Skinner Ricketts, Charles Smith and Sam Sanchez.
“I am grateful to these four incredible civic leaders for believing in this campaign, and for being willing to step up and lead this effort,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “Charles, Brooke, Laura and Sam have spent this pandemic doing all that they can to help Chicagoans in communities across the city. I’m humbled to have their support.”
“From refocusing more than $1.4 billion in public investment into our historically underserved South and West Side neighborhoods through the INVEST South/West program, to raising the minimum wage to $15 for hundreds of thousands of Chicago workers, Mayor Lightfoot has stayed focused on her mission of equity and opportunity for every Chicagoan,” said Smith. “That’s why Brooke, Laura, Sam and I are already hard at work, and we’re confident that we will have all the resources we need to ensure Mayor Lightfoot can continue her crucial work to guide our city back onto solid ground following this unprecedented time.”
In the first quarter of 2022, the campaign had its strongest fundraising quarter since her election, raising more than $800,000, and reporting more than $1.7 million in cash on hand.
Abdelnasser Rashid raised nearly $115,000 in less than three weeks of his campaign for state representative in the 21st District. Rashid is also first out of the box with a timely digital ad targeting incumbent Rep. Mike Zalewski for legislation he introduced that would allow cities to raise the gas tax. […]
— Republican Kathy Salvi has been endorsed by the Republicans of Wheeling Township in her bid for the U.S. Senate. […]
— Kina Collins has been endorsed by the Sunrise Movement, a grassroots network of youth climate advocates, in her bid for the 7th Congressional House seat.
— Fernando “Sergio” Mojica, a former Chicago Public School principal, has been endorsed by state Rep. Lamont Robinson, Equality Illinois co-founder Art Johnston, and former Midwest Regional Director at Lambda Legal Jim Bennett. Mojica is running to replace retiring Rep. Greg Harris in the Illinois 13th District. Full list
Rashid’s total included a $25K loan from a retired relative. Zalewski has not been reporting many large contributions, but he had $338K on-hand at the end of last year.
* As you know, the Illinois legislature just voted to get rid of the state’s 1 percent grocery tax for a year. Revenues from that tax go to local governments, but the locals will be reimbursed by the state for the loss. So, while this Tax Foundation take is a bit late for our purposes, it’s still worth a look…
In the face of decades high inflation, policymakers across the political spectrum have proposed either reducing or repealing their states’ grocery taxes. Doing would “actually increase tax liability for the lowest-earning households” while “providing only extremely modest tax savings for the middle class,” according to a new study released today by the Tax Foundation.
Current state of grocery taxes:
13 states currently tax groceries to some degree. While they may be in the minority, “the economic evidence strongly suggests that they are in the right,” said Jared Walczak of the Tax Foundation. Of these 13 states, only three tax groceries at the ordinary rate without providing some sort of offsetting grocery tax credit.
State definitions of groceries vary, but mostly at the margin. All states distinguish between prepared and unprepared foods, and prepared foods are subject to tax. (For example, a rotisserie chicken is a “prepared food” and therefore subject to grocery tax.)
A flawed logic for exemption:
Exempting groceries from state sales tax bases is seen as a progressive move; advocates say that it would benefit low-and middle-income taxpayers most since they spend more of their income on groceries.
“The assumption is simple and, on the surface, reasonable—and it is wrong,” Walczak said. “Grocery exemptions are a middle-income, not a low-income, benefit—and middle earners can be more efficiently made whole through grocery tax credits.”
Here are the flaws to the argument, Jared finds:
• It largely ignores the full impact of the universal policy of exempting from sales tax any purchases made using federal food-purchasing assistance programs, such as SNAP. These kinds of policies can dramatically reduce taxable consumption for low-income families.
• Additionally, the conventional wisdom underestimates the degree to which higher consumption of groceries does scale with income. Higher earning households purchase not only more, but higher qualities of, groceries. Low-income households, in fact, are more likely to purchase taxable substitutes to what states classify as groceries, a category that traditionally only covers unprepared foods.
• Finally, while low-income households spend more on groceries as a share of income than do the highest-income households, they do not necessarily spend more on groceries relative to other necessities.
The result is that a policy designed to inject progressivity into the sales tax has the opposite effect, increasing tax liability on the lowest-income households.
The bottom line: “Public perceptions regarding grocery taxation are not easily changed. In states where groceries are taxed, the policy is not always very controversial, because it is deemed the ordinary condition, at least until policymakers agitate for change. But in states where groceries are exempt, or taxed at a preferential rate, a reversal is likely to meet with stiff opposition unless the public can be convinced of the benefits,” said Walczak.
“A more comprehensive approach, however, is possible, broadening the sales tax bases to include both groceries and consumer services (which tend to be consumed by higher earners) and is potentially paired with a modest grocery tax credit, with remaining revenues dedicated to income tax reductions. This approach can manage something of a tax policy hat trick: it is progressive, it yields greater revenue stability, and it makes the overall tax code more pro-growth,” said Walczak.
* But what hasn’t really been highlighted yet is that millions of Illinoisans will still be paying sales tax on groceries via the mass transit tax. Here’s the breakdown…
• 1.25 percent sales tax on qualifying food, drugs, and medical appliances in Cook County
• 0.75 percent sales tax on general merchandise and qualifying food, drugs, and medical appliances in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties […]
• 0.25 percent sales tax on general merchandise and sales of qualifying food, drugs, and medical appliances in Madison County
• 0.75 percent sales tax on general merchandise (excluding items that are titled or registered) and sales of qualifying food, drugs, and medical appliances in St. Clair County
“Qualifying food” means groceries and is defined here.
* Car hijacking: The Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Preventing and Insurance Verification Council will provide grants and financial support to help identify, apprehend, and prosecute hijackers and recovery hijacked and stolen vehicles. It also must develop strategies for combating hijackings and improving how laws are administered (HB3699 Delgado/Martwick). Additionally, language was approved to protect those who receive red light tickets as a result of car hijackings (HB 3772 Delgado/Aquino).
* Ghost Guns: Bans sale and possession of ghost guns which are untraceable due to lack of a serial number (HB 4383 Buckner/Collins).
* Expressway cameras: The Expressway Camera Act was expanded to include Lake Shore Drive and allows the use of images from the cameras to investigate and prosecute car hijackings, terrorism, or any forcible felony (HB 260 Williams/Feigenholtz). The law was also expanded to cover 21 additional counties (HB 4481 Greenwood/Murphy).
* Assistance for first responders: Requires DHS to provide grant programs for (i) childcare centers to provide late night care for children of first responders and other late-shift workers (HB 1571 Manley/Glowiak Hilton); (ii) local law enforcement, fire districts, schools, hospitals, and ambulance services to provide behavioral health services for first responders (HB 1321 LaPointe/Hastings); (iii) local governments for mental health and substance use prevention for individuals who are incarcerated and individuals in county jails or recently discharged. (HB 4364 Tarver/Loughran Cappel); (iv) departments for officer hiring and training and retention strategies (HB 3863 Vella/Morrison). To aid with retention and recruitment, the General Assembly approved (i) a program to review the standards for transferring credits from community colleges to 4-year colleges to satisfy requirements for law enforcement positions, and allow officers to purchase their guns and badges (HB 1568 Vella/Martwick); and (ii) create a waiver process for out-of-state officers wishing to work in Illinois (HB 4608 Delgado/Bennett).
* Victim protections: To aid victims, (i) investigators will receive instruction and training on victim-centered, trauma-informed investigations; (ii) grants were approved to set up anonymous tip hotlines with cash rewards for info that leads to an arrest; (iii) aspects of the witness protection program are expanded, and a pilot program is established whereby social workers will work alongside law enforcement officers (HB 4736 Gordon-Booth/Peters). The bill also creates a task force to review researched based methods for reducing crime.
* Smash-and-grabs: The General Assembly approved IRMA’s initiative to deter smash-and-grab thefts and moves to resell stolen goods online. The bill creates a new organized retail theft crime and gives the Attorney General and local prosecutors additional tools to prosecute offenders (HB 1091 Buckner/Glowiak Hilton).
* Officer worn cameras: allows officers to identify video they believe has evidentiary value, and clarifies when an officer does not have to have a camera turned on. (HB 4608 (Delgado/Bennett)
* Eavesdropping: Extends the sunsets on laws that allow investigators to recording conversations for qualified sex and drug offenses (date moved from January 1, 2023 to January 1, 2027), and the Illinois Street Gang and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Law (date moved to June 11, 2023) (HB 3893 (Hernandez/Joyce).
* Gun storage campaign: Department of Public Health must conduct a multi-year safe gun storage campaign (HB 4729 Willis/Morrison).
* Burglary: Updates the definition of burglary tools to include new technologies (HB601 Andrade/Gillespie).
* Meanwhile, Deputy House Republican Leader Tom Demmer appeared with other legislative leaders on Chicago Tonight…
(W)hat is the message that the majority party today, Democrats who control the governor’s office, the Senate in the house, what’s the message they’re sending about how serious they are about addressing the public safety issues in Illinois? We’ve had a record level of retirements and resignations from police officers and sheriff’s deputies. We have a system in place right now that come January a carjacker will be back on the streets mere hours after they’ve committed their carjacking because cash bail has been abolished. We have to ask about what’s the longer-running narrative there. This was never an issue that was just related to the to the Prisoner Review Board. This is about a larger approach of what does it take to achieve public safety and which party is actually looking out for people every day.
The host attempted to change the subject to a budget question, but Senate President Don Harmon wanted to respond first to Leader Demmer…
Paris, I’ll answer that question, but I have to respond [crosstalk]. Republicans have clearly latched on to this political strategy that doesn’t match with reality. Democrats are voting to fund police. Representative Demmer’s notion that cash bail is going to release people is upside down. Today, a carjacker can bail out so long as he has enough money. When the new bail system is put into place, those people can be held in jail pending trial because they’re a danger to the community. This is, it’s fear mongering and panic. It is totally inappropriate. I’ll leave it at that.
…Adding… House Speaker Chris Welch was asked today if he is confident that the crime bill is better today than it was a year ago…
I’m very confident in what we passed a year ago. I want to make sure people understand that we never bought into the false narrative created by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. What we passed a year ago was monumental, historic legislation celebrated by people as high as the Supreme Court of this state. Advocates believed the work that we did was extremely important.
What we did this session was continue to listen to the people that send us to Springfield. We know that carjackings have been a problem, we responded to that. We know that organized retail theft has been a problem, we responded to that. We know that ghost guns have been a problem, we responded to that. We continue to make our state a safer place. We even included half a billion dollars in our budget toward public safety, and what did our friends on the other side of the aisle do? They voted no to a half a billion dollars in things that are going to increase public safety. And so what what I like to point out is, there’s only one party in this state that’s voting to defund the police. There’s only one state in this party that is voting to defund youth investment programs. And that’s not the Democratic Party. I’m proud of the work that we’ve done for public safety. And we’re going to continue to build on that.
…Adding… Jesse Sullivan campaign…
“Illinois families deserve to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. But J.B. Pritzker and the insider politicians are more interested in protecting criminals and handcuffing our cops than providing the real change that law enforcement is asking for.
“The Democrats hope that election-year gimmicks – bills that nibble around the edges – will trick voters into forgetting that Kim Foxx is releasing criminals out of jail and refusing to enforce our laws.
“They’re hoping voters will forget that Pritzker refused to bring law enforcement to the table to fix his disastrous anti-police bill.
“They’re hoping voters will ignore the rising crime in their communities and reward the insider politicians responsible.
“If we want real change, we need a real outsider. That’s why more than 20 sheriffs, state’s attorneys and law-enforcement leaders around Illinois are backing me and my Safe Streets Plan, and why the voters are going to demand real change this election.”
* Related…
* ADDED: CPD makes significant headway on reform but still grapples with longstanding problems, consent decree monitor says: In an unusual move, the court-appointed monitor, Maggie Hickey, included a letter in the report that reiterates much of her team’s criticism and slams members of the department “who believe crime reduction is separate from, or even opposed to, reform efforts. Constitutional and effective policing — and the Consent Decree — requires the CPD and its officers to reduce crime as community partners, which requires building, maintaining, and rigorously protecting community trust and confidence,” wrote Hickey, a former federal prosecutor.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is adopting new federal guidelines for tracking COVID-19 at the community level. The new CDC guidelines emphasize the case rate and hospitalizations in order to better track the prevalence of COVID-19 in communities. As a result of these new guidelines, testing providers will no longer be required to report some negative tests and IDPH will therefore no longer report test and case positivity.
In addition to adopting new CDC guidelines, IDPH is bolstering the data on its COVID-19 dashboard to provide additional information to help communities respond to changes in the course of the virus.
Among the new data that has been or will be shared on the IDPH COVID-19 dashboard are the following:
• Updated data on vaccination rates to reflect the full population eligible as eligibility continues to evolve.
• The number of people admitted to the hospital with a COVID-19 diagnosis.
• More detailed data on hospitalizations, including information about vaccination status in those who are hospitalized.
“Test and case positivity rates were seen as a good way to monitor the level of community spread early in the pandemic,” said IDPH Acting Director Amaal Tokars. “At this stage, now that we have vaccines and effective therapies available, it is more useful to rely on data that indicates the case rate, disease severity and the level of strain on healthcare system to guide our public health recommendations.”
The changes adopted by the CDC mean that states will no longer be required to report negative antigen test (rapid test) results – and are only required to report negative PCR and NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) results that were performed in certified labs. In addition, the widespread use of at-home tests means that national testing data is not as comprehensive or representative of population-based testing as it was before the introduction of at-home tests.
The CDC announced in March that is relying on these three metrics to determine the community level of COVID-19 and to classify it as low, medium or high:
• Total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days.
• New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days.
• The percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.
IDPH officials note that case rates for COVID-19 are now slowly rising in many areas of the state. However, hospitalizations and deaths continue to remain low at this time.
A Freedom Peaceful Assembly and Convoy / Motorcade Rally will be held near the Lincoln statue at the Illinois Capitol Building grounds, corners of S. 2nd Street, 1st Street , Monroe Street and E. Capitol Avenue in Springfield Illinois starting at 11 am on April 30, 2022.
The rally will begin at High Noon near the statue and along the “Grassy Knoll” along Monroe Ave.
For the Convoy and Motorcade beginning at 11 am, participants are encouraged to display one or more American flags and signs of their choice conspicuously on or in their vehicle’s windows to identify participants to each other.
Participants will drive the streets surrounding the Capitol building and “follow the leader”, driving only on the streets and allys that are closest to the Capitol complex, and joining together into an impromptu motorcade.
Any legally licensed roadworthy vehicle is encouraged to join: semi trucks with or without trailers, tractors and farm equipment with proper safety placarding and licensing, campers, RVs, pickups, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, or mopeds.
Also horses and/or horse drawn wagons and carriages with road safety placards are welcome to show support of the assembly.
Pedestrians, joggers, wagons, strollers, wheelchairs, families, and legally operated drones, kids battery powered vehicles, roller skaters, those with walkers or prosthetics are all encouraged to safely participate and carry flags and signs and walk the sidewalks around the capital at the same time as the motorcade from 11 am to noon. Or simply bring your favorite chair to watch the event unfold.
At 12 noon or thereabout the participants will peacefully assembly for a rally aimed at citizens airing their dissatisfaction publicly on the loss of their rights and freedoms, and how the misuse of the Governor’s Emergency Orders and ever-changing rules of his health department and pressuring of private businesses and medical facilities have impacted the lives of them, their children and livelihood.
The motto for the Protest and Rally for April 30, according to the handout flyer, is to “Remind the government that THEY WORK FOR US, and not the other way around”. Their handout also states that “Emergency Powers = Tyranny” and get involved to “STOP The Tyranny NOW!!”
Every resident of Illinois is encouraged to join the protest. Lord knows that our elected representatives are not representing us in Springfield and are passing impossible unfunded budgets, killing small businesses with their impossible regulations and taxes, caving to personal and special interests, spending money they don’t have, infringing on our free speech and medical privacy and trying to force us into submitting to their narratives of oppression and control.
Add to that the tyrannical and out of date Emergency Orders ad nauseum and our tromped upon Constitutional Rights over the last two years, and their ever increasing laws and rules for increasing pay raises and benefits for themselves that pad their pockets and set themselves as a preferred status Ruling Class Citizen, and you have statewide frustration and distrust of lawmakers and Governor.
The government we have before us is NOT a representational government OF the people and BY the people. This misbehavior by our elected and appointed officials must stop.
Bring megaphones, bells, whistles, sirens, noisemakers, pots and pans, cymbals, gongs and horns! Maybe they will hear us. If they don’t, we will continue pressuring them to stop their lies and deceit.
Republican governor candidate Richard Irvin’s campaign is out with another mailer that’s full of irony. In the latest item landing in mail boxes, the Aurora mayor slams fellow Republican gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan for backing open borders and amnesty for illegal immigrants.
It’s apparently based on an article Sullivan wrote some 15 years ago. The funny thing, though, is that Irvin has supported Aurora as a sanctuary city and has praised DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It’s the policy that allows some immigrants to stay in the United States even if they don’t have citizenship.
In a little bit of oppo, Irvin in 2019 said Aurora backs Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in “prohibiting the use of our resources to aid or support ICE in its enforcement activities.” In the same statement, Irvin vowed that Aurora Police will continue their practice of declining to ask for a person’s immigration status.
The Irvin campaign is a well-funded exercise in pure projection.
The City of Aurora joins with Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in prohibiting the use of our resources to aid or support ICE in its enforcement activities.
While Aurora does not have any jurisdiction over federal actions, including the pending raids, I fully support our immigrant and refugee families who live in Aurora and object to any such raids that will separate families and traumatize entire segments of our community.
As Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman and I have both previously stated, our Aurora police officers do not, have not and will not ask for or use immigration status in routine police activities. These policies have been in place for many years and, rest assured, they will not be compromised during my administration. Furthermore, the City of Aurora will not enter into a ‘287g Agreement’ with ICE and deputize our officers to engage in immigration enforcement work.
Aurora remains focused on unifying and not dividing our community. We are One Aurora and support all residents in our city.
I encourage all of our immigrant residents - and their families, friends and allies - to review their rights by visiting the National Immigrant Justice Center’s website at www.immigrantjustice.org.”
…Adding… From Eleni Demertzis at the Irvin campaign…
Aurora is not a sanctuary city, and Aurora police regularly work with federal law enforcement to fight violent criminals. Mayor Irvin opposes Illinois having sanctuary cities, and believes that immigration is a federal responsibility where federal resources should be used to enforce immigration laws, not state or local resources.
* I will be in Florida soon, but it ain’t for the alleged “freedom” unless you count freedom from cold and grey and long pants…
We want Illinois to look more like the free states of Texas and Florida, not New York and California!
* Here’s a quick primer on how political coverage too often works: A candidate, in this case Democratic 19th House District candidate Tina Wallace, sends an exclusive preview of a press release to a reporter which makes a claim of fundraising prowess. The reporter dutifully hypes the impressive fundraising claim, but doesn’t bother taking 30 seconds to check the candidate’s report online to see that, instead of “raising” $100,000 as claimed, Wallace actually raised only $18,450 from named contributors, $500 from not-itemized others and loaned herself the rest. The money will spend the same, though.
With Republicans already on defense over their agenda of tax hikes, which could raise taxes on 33% of Illinoisans, and raised premiums, now they will also have to explain their recent votes against measures to lower costs for Illinois families.
Over the past two weeks, Illinois Republicans in Congress have voted against bills to make insulin more affordable, which as many as 993,000 Illinoisans rely on, and help more than 11,000 Illinois restaurants and businesses who didn’t receive the first round of Restaurant Revitalization Fund relief cover costs. Plus, state Republicans belittled critical tax relief efforts for Illinois families while voting against a balanced state budget.
Illinois Democrats, meanwhile, are hard at work in Springfield and in Washington, D.C. to lower costs and provide tax relief. In Congress, Illinois Democrats overwhelmingly voted in favor of bills to cap the monthly cost of insulin at $35 and get much needed relief to local businesses. At the state level, Democrats just passed more than $1.8 billion in tax relief as part of the FY2023 balanced budget, including direct relief checks to working families along with relief at the gas pump, at the grocery store, and on property taxes.
The difference couldn’t be clearer: while Illinois Democrats at the state and federal level want to help lower costs and provide relief for Illinoisans, Republicans have no plan to lower costs — leaving working families to foot the bill.
* From the League of Women Voters of Illinois…
You can apply for permanent vote by mail status as early as 45 days before election day. Voters with permanent vote by mail status will be automatically sent a vote by mail ballot for every election. You can ask to be removed from this list at any time.
May 19: First day for the election authority to send vote by mail ballots to applicants.
June 13: Early voting begins. Voters may place their vote by mail ballots in a drop box, if drop boxes are available in their county. Voters may also deliver their vote by mail ballots in person to their local election authority during early voting. Check with your election authority for locations.
June 23: Last day for an election authority to receive vote by mail ballot applications via mail.
June 27: Last day for a registered voter to apply in person at an election authority for a vote by mail ballot.
June 28: General primary election day! Mailed-in ballots must be postmarked by this date. Voters may also drop off vote by mail ballots with their election authority or in a drop box. Check with your election authority for locations.
NOTE: If you change your mind, you may surrender your vote by mail ballot at your polling place and vote in person instead. If you lose your vote by mail ballot, or it doesn’t arrive in the mail, you can vote with a provisional ballot at your polling place. Provisional ballots are counted 14 days after the polls close, once the election authority confirms that you haven’t cast a vote by mail ballot.
Consumer prices rose 8.5 percent in the year through March, reaching the fastest inflation rate since 1981. Stubbornly rapid price increases have been exacerbated by a surge in gas costs tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Fuel prices jumped sharply higher last month, with the U.S. average for a gallon of regular gas peaking at $4.33 on March 11.
Gas is not the entire story. Stripping out volatile fuel and food, so-called core prices climbed at a brisk 6.5 percent in the year through March, up from 6.4 percent in the year through February. Even so, the core index offered a rare glimmer of good inflation news: It slowed down a bit on a monthly basis, rising 0.3 percent from February, compared with 0.5 percent the prior month.
March’s data may represent a high-water mark for inflation, some economists have said. Overall price increases could begin abating in the coming months in part because gasoline prices have come down somewhat — a gallon cost $4.10 on Tuesday, according to AAA. Researchers have been expecting consumers to stop buying so many goods, like cars and appliances, potentially taking pressure off overburdened supply chains and allowing prices for those products to moderate.
* More…
* Richard Irvin Only Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Who Broke From Trump: So was Mayor Irvin being intentionally naive when he worked with Underwood to undermine the Trump tax cuts? Remembering after Underwood was first elected and flipped the IL-14, Irvin, in late December of 2018, gave Underwood the key to the city. As for the results of Irvin’s efforts working with Underwood to undermine the Trump tax cuts, the U.S. House Democratic leadership rejected Underwood’s bill, and opted to go for a two-year repeal of SALT deduction caps. The Democrats’ plan went nowhere with the Senate. So in light of this record, and the Irvin gubernatorial campaign accusing rival Darren Bailey as “leaving Trump” and a “Never Trumper”, the evidence overwhelming Mayor Irvin’s campaign was projecting.
The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy… As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could.
So today, for the first time ever, I publicly performed my Dad’s song, IMAGINE.
Why now, after all these years? - I had always said, that the only time I would ever consider singing ‘IMAGINE’ would be if it was the ‘End of the World’…
But also because his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide. Because within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time…
The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for…
As a result of the ongoing murderous violence, millions of innocent families, have been forced to leave the comfort of their homes, to seek asylum elsewhere.
I’m calling on world leaders and everyone who believes in the sentiment of IMAGINE, to stand up for refugees everywhere! Please advocate and donate from the heart. #StandUpForUkraine
With children under watch of the Department of Children and Family Services continuing to die and contempt of court citations piling up, how long can Gov. JB Pritzker continue to stick with director Marc Smith? […]
Pritzker summed it up: you can’t just fire the director every time there’s a problem.
* Pritzker’s full response…
Let me remind you that there have been over a dozen leaders of DCFS over the prior years to my becoming governor. It’s important for us to bring stability to DCFS with a good leader who is bringing change. It is hard to make changes in a bureaucracy when you walk in Day One. It takes some time, and especially after you had two years of no budget, and essentially defunding of DCFS over an awful lot of years.
So we’ve increased budgeting. We brought in outside help for the agency from both the University of Chicago Chapin Hall, as well as the Annie Casey Foundation and others to make sure that we’re surrounding the leadership at DCFS with the right kinds of advisors. They bring their own experienced leaders to DCFS. And together they’ve made a lot of progress.
Are there still challenges? Absolutely. Every circumstance of a death or neglect or abuse is a tragedy at DCFS. So we’re trying to address those. And but you can’t do it by just saying every time there’s a problem, ‘Let’s toss out the director. That’s the answer, toss out the director.’
There are a lot of changes that needed to happen at DCFS. And they are happening. Do they always happen fast enough? No. But look at just the hotline at DCFS where just three short years ago, only 50% of the calls coming into that hotline, were getting answered. Think about that. Neglect and abuse charges, 50% were getting responded to immediately. Now 99% are getting responded to immediately.
And not every time that you hear about a tragedy of a child that has had some contact with DCFS is it simply DCFS’ fault that something occurred. There often are state’s attorneys involved, and sheriffs and local authorities. And DCFS is just one of a number of agencies. And yes, DCFS should take responsibility, but so too, should local authorities engaged in that child’s life, engaged in that family.
So look, we’ve got to continue to make changes. I’m dedicated to that. I’ve stood out front here on this issue when many governors have tried to bury DCFS, put it aside and not stand up for our most vulnerable children. That’s something that matters a great deal to me, and I will continue to stand up for them and make the investments necessary.
A measure intended to protect Illinois restaurants from unauthorized third-party delivery services has cleared the House and Senate.
The plan, known as the Fair Food and Retail Act, would prohibit services like Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats from using the name, likeness, or intellectual property of a merchant without first obtaining written approval. The delivery services also would not be allowed to provide delivery or pick-up services without that approval.
“If you have somebody representing your goodwill within your community, you’ve got to have an understanding of who that is and what they’re doing with it,” state Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, said. “We need to make sure our mom and pop businesses, after what they’ve been through under COVID, are looked out after. We have to stop this abuse.” […]
“Their entire being and their entire life’s work is in that restaurant,” Keicher said. “For someone to come in and damage that reputation or alter the experience of the customer that the owner has worked sometimes generations to experience, it’s wrong.”
Keicher was a hyphenated co-sponsor. This bill was the brainchild of Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago).
* SEIU Healthcare…
Greg Kelley, President of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, issued the following statement in response to the budget passed by lawmakers in Springfield over the weekend:
“As a union of the frontline home care, child care and healthcare workers who have experienced the direct impact of underfunded public services greatly exacerbated by a pandemic, we applaud the leadership of Governor Pritzker, President Harmon and Speaker Welch in passing a balanced budget with significant increases to home care programs, investment in affordable housing and no cuts to crucial programs.
“We also appreciate the continued investment in child care, safety net hospitals and other avenues of crucial community support.
“The final budget contained much that will strengthen the care and service programs through which our members provide crucial support to many of the state’s most vulnerable residents, from small children to seniors in need of home care. In addition, through our advocacy and that of lawmakers committed to fighting for the services their communities most need, we were able to win significant nursing home rate reform and funding, 65% of which is slated to go directly to workers and a rate increase and training improvements for Developmental Disabilities Services home care workers.
“While the budget passed this weekend will provide crucial help to the workers and communities hardest hit by the pandemic, additional investment is still needed. We look forward to continue working with the Governor and the General Assembly to address the need for additional investment in crucial care services and infrastructure in communities across the state.”
* AIDS Foundation of Chicago…
On April 7, 2022, HB4430—Increasing Access to PrEP and PEP sponsored by State Representative Kelly M. Cassidy—passed the Illinois House on concurrence with a vote of 72-30. This bill specifically prioritizes pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which are two highly effective prevention methods in reducing the risk of acquiring HIV. The bill will soon be sent over to the Governor’s Desk for the final step in the state legislative process.
Once signed into law, HB4430 would enact the following reforms:
• Allow pharmacists, under a standing order, to initiate lifesaving pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis medication and care to the communities most vulnerable to HIV.
• Aid pharmacists in referring individuals to ongoing preventative care and giving them the ability to connect patients to laboratories for additional tests to determine if PrEP is the most appropriate course of care. Pharmacists will continue to facilitate connections to ongoing medical care and social support services.
With Governor Pritzker’s signature, Illinois will become the 8th state in the nation to make HIV prevention care more accessible by expanding access through pharmacies.
“The passing of HB4430 is momentous as we are truly changing lives and circumstances for many Illinoisians who’ve been too often left out and left behind,” said State Representative Kelly M. Cassidy (D-Chicago). “This win exemplifies our power to change once we engage the whole community, from medical providers to community advocates. We are one step closer to our goal of getting to zero new cases of HIV transmission by 2030, but work does not stop here. Together, we must continue listening and addressing the needs of our community.”
* Illinois Families for Public Schools…
Young children will be protected from any current or future plans to expand state standardized testing into prekindergarten through second grade if Governor Pritzker signs a new Too Young To Test law passed by the Illinois General Assembly this session.
The Too Young To Test bill, SB 3986, received broad and bipartisan support from legislators and a coalition of Illinois parents, educators, researchers, and advocacy orgs concerned about the possible encroachment of the state testing system into PreK-2. The Too Young To Test bill prevents the state from requiring or paying for any non-diagnostic standardized testing of children before third grade.
“Too Young To Test seeks to safeguard the early years by ensuring that the Illinois State Board of Education does not spend finite resources or require standardized assessments in K-2 that have been proven to be developmentally inappropriate during such a fluid time of child development.” said State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago), the bill’s chief sponsor in the Senate. “Instead, the state should invest in research-based practices that support whole child development such as play-based learning, social-emotional skill building, and teacher coaching. Especially after the unprecedented disruptions of these last two years, we cannot forget that the same part of the brain that registers stress and trauma is also responsible for memory and learning.”
“Our decisions about state standardized testing should reflect evidence-based research and provide reliable data,” chief House sponsor of SB 3986 State Representative Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago) said. “Encouraging schools to focus on unreliable standardized tests for children too young will change the focus of classroom instruction and create further inequity. We need to direct our education resources and energy toward proven strategies that enrich the classroom experience for our youngest learners.”
Assessment experts, teachers, and early childhood researchers all agree that test scores from children below age eight are not statistically reliable or valid measures of what children know and can do and should not be used to assess academic achievement or school performance.
Despite this, the Illinois State Board of Education has been considering a proposal to add optional, state-funded K-2 testing in Illinois to the existing 3-8th grade tests. That proposal has been unpopular with parents and teachers. A petition from grassroots public ed advocacy group Illinois Families for Public Schools calling on ISBE to drop the plan garnered over 1300 signatures from parents and community members in over 150 towns and cities across Illinois.
Too Young To Test wouldn’t restrict the ability of districts, schools, and teachers to use or develop assessments paid for with local funding dollars. It also does not stop the state from creating or funding tests or evaluations used for screening or diagnostic purposes.
Since the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, overtesting has become a significant problem in early elementary school because younger students are being prepped for high-stakes tests in later grades. “We are relieved and encouraged by the General Assembly’s action to set clear criteria for what types of assessment the state can develop, fund and require before third grade.” said Cassie Creswell, director of Illinois Families for Public Schools.
“Before age eight, and even after, kids should be learning via play, exploration and inquiry, and the way teachers assess what they’ve learned should reflect that. What parents want for their children is small classes with teachers who use meaningful assessment methods, not more contracts with commercial test vendors,” added Creswell. “Governor Pritzker has said he’s committed to Illinois becoming the best state in the nation for families raising young children, and we think the Too Young To Test bill is an important part of fulfilling that. We hope we can count on him to sign this bill into law as soon as it gets to his desk.”
Too Young to Test was supported by a broad coalition of organizations, including the Chicago Teachers Union, Defending the Early Years, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois School Counselor Association, Learning Disabilities Association of IL, and the National Association of Social Workers - IL Chapter.
* Illinois Partners for Human Service…
Budget Highlights for Health and Human Services
Mental/Behavioral Health: $170M increase from FY22, which includes Mental Health and Substance Use Medicaid rate increases (to learn more about the incredible advocacy behind this investment, view this fact sheet).
Intellectual/Developmental Disability Services: Appropriations remained the same as the Governor’s initial proposal, which included $2 billion for services for people with developmental disabilities, including funds for the implementation of the second phase of the Guidehouse rate study (though the second phase of implementation is not fully covered through this appropriation). Included in this is $94.8M to support mid-year implementation of a $1.00 an hour rate increase for DSPs and the CILA Rate Study calculator; $45.1M to fund the annualization of the FY22 rate increases and liability changes; $69.6M to support 700 new PUNS placements, a 5.9% increase in the Home-Based program liability, a 2% mid-year grant COLA, and additional support for the DD service delivery system.
Childcare: Appropriations remained the same as the Governor’s initial proposal, which includes funding to support Child Care Assistance Program rate increases and anticipated caseload growth and also includes sufficient budget for federal ARPA stabilization programming. The Budget continues support for FY22 Child Care policy changes (co-pay caps, 250% FPL exit eligibility, 70% attendance policy).
Early Intervention: Appropriations increased by $7m (6.4%) from the Governor’s proposed budget.
Domestic Violence Services: Appropriations increased from $20m in the Governor’s proposed budget to $70m, thanks to the incredible advocacy of Domestic Violence providers and coalitions across the state.
Older Adult Services: Appropriations were the same as the Governor’s proposal, which included $14 million to fund a rate increase for CCP providers beginning January 1, 2023; $100.7 million funding increase for the Community Care Program (CCP) to accommodate caseload growth and utilization, with the assistance of increased federal aid.
Homeless Services: An additional $15M in homelessness prevention funding was appropriated in the General Revenue Fund from the Governor’s initial proposal, along with $1M for homeless Youth through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Healthcare: There were no cuts from the Governor’s proposed budget, and additional funding was included for nursing homes, hospitals, and expansion of Medicaid for undocumented individuals down to age 42.
* Healthy Illinois…
We were told over and over that the state budget was tight this year, and it wasn’t the right time to expand healthcare access. But we didn’t give up–we kept organizing, making calls, sending letters, telling our stories, and meeting with legislators. And we built the power necessary to win an expansion of healthcare coverage for tens of thousands of additional undocumented Illinoisans. Starting July 1, 2022, everyone in Illinois ages 42 and older will have a pathway to healthcare coverage, regardless of their immigration status.
This win is the result of 8 years of campaigning and thousands of hours of work by dozens of organizations and countless individuals. Congratulations to all who have made a phone call, sent an email, shared their story, and helped build this campaign. Because of you, tens of thousands of people in Illinois will have access to healthcare coverage, many for the first time in decades.
* One Aim Illinois on HB4383, the ghost guns bill…
The passage of the new legislation adds Illinois to the list of the eleven other states that have passed similar ghost gun laws and ensures the following solutions:
• Immediately prohibits the sale of unserialized gun parts that can be turned into guns.
• Requires serial numbers on guns manufactured with a 3D printer.
• Creates standards for serialization for existing unserialized firearms at federally licensed firearms dealers and other federal licensees authorized to imprint serial numbers.
This legislation requires gun companies to serialize gun kits and goes one step further than today’s federal rule by requiring individuals who currently possess ghost guns to get them serialized.
Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Declares that it is the public policy of the State to prevent discrimination based on source of income in real estate transactions. Defines “source of income” as the lawful manner by which an individual supports himself or herself and his or her dependents. Provides that it is a civil rights violation for various people to participate in specified discriminatory actions related to real estate transactions because of an individual’s source of income.
Paul Arena, director of legislative affairs at the Illinois Rental Property Association, said if the bill is signed into law, landlords statewide will lose control.
“It’s a blank check for government to further control rental property moving forward, and that is why it is so dangerous,” Arena said.
Under the measure, landlords would continue to be able to screen tenants. However, if those tenants meet the landlord’s criteria, and the tenants use Section 8 subsidies, landlords would be required to sign Section 8 contracts and abide by Section 8 rules and restrictions.
The legislation also mandates that housing providers who require tenants or prospective tenants to have a certain threshold level of income must subtract any subsidies the tenant receives from the monthly rent before calculating if the income criteria have been met.
The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, said the law has been enacted in 19 other states with success.
“No one across the country that has this law has repealed it,” Ford said. “It is the right thing to do, and it was great negotiations because even the realtors decided to be in support.”
This story has been edited since initial publication to reflect changes to the legislation that were made before final passage and add a comment from a supporter of it. Also, the Illinois Realtors now support the measure.
Gotta read those amendments.
* More…
* Illinois lawmakers approve incentivizing nursing home quality with more funding: House Bill 246 would inject more than $700 million from state and federal tax funds annually into Medicaid-funded nursing homes to reform the facilities by offering a number of incentives for safe staffing. The measure also includes a pay raise for certified nursing assistants. More than $300 million would be used as incentive payments for nursing homes to increase their staffing levels up to or beyond certain target levels.
* Illinois lawmakers pass budget with more money for schools, tax relief for families: The Monetary Award Program, otherwise known as MAP, provides scholarships to students who demonstrate financial need. The fund has grown to $601 million in the latest budget plan and would give an additional 24,000 students funding for tuition and fees as they pursue an undergraduate degree. The maximum award for students increased from $6,438 last year to $8,508 this year.
* Proposal to remove NRG’s Waukegan coal ash ponds stalls in state legislature: Once the bill arrived in the House in late February, Mayfield said NRG and lobbyists like the Illinois Manufacturers Association, the Chamber of Commerce and others began to question members about the proposed legislation. “They took them to dinner and fed them misinformation,” Mayfield said. “There is still an opportunity for the bill to pass. Schrader, who said the company representatives testified several times before the legislature, claimed the legislation was aimed at one entity. He said there is existing law establishing a regulatory process to deal with coal ash ponds.
Criminals continue to feel empowered in J.B. Pritzker’s Illinois as brazen acts are committed repeatedly, and in some instances, on the Governor’s front lawn. In just one week, the Chicago Transit Authority saw five violent incidents that included stabbings and beatings on platforms in the Loop, and in one case a CTA employee was pushed onto the tracks. The CTA’s union president said that the “violence has gotten out of control.”
Carjackings continue to be an epidemic. An 18-year-old man who carjacked a rideshare driver downtown this weekend was the same individual who carjacked another driver in front of J.B. Pritzker’s front lawn in the Gold Coast last year.
Just last week we learned that a four-time convicted felon for gun possession and narcotics charges was paroled by the Illinois Department of Corrections and didn’t last six months before being arrested for carjacking, robbery, and heroin delivery. The Illinois Department of Corrections failed to revoke his parole and he was eventually released on electronic monitoring. Just nine days after being released, he was arrested again for drug dealing. He is now being held without bail.
“The simple truth is that criminals run rampant throughout Chicago and Illinois because they know J.B. Pritzker and Kim Foxx will not hold them accountable for their actions,” said Irvin for Illinois campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “We need leaders who will prioritize the safety of our citizens over criminals.”
Prisoner releases are gonna be the gift that keeps on giving for the GOP this year…
The Irvin for Illinois campaign is announcing a new list of 20 endorsements for Richard Irvin and Avery Bourne from law enforcement leaders across the state. The support from these influential leaders in our law enforcement community shows Irvin has a strong record in supporting police and giving them the resources they need to keep communities safe.
“I am thrilled to have the support of even more law enforcement leaders from across Illinois who will help me take our state back from out of control crime,” said Mayor of Aurora and gubernatorial candidate, Richard Irvin. “Working with law enforcement is essential to creating safe communities, and earning these endorsements today is one step closer to achieving that for Illinois.”
Sangamon County Sheriff, Jack Campbell, is backing Richard Irvin because he is the only candidate that can truly take Illinois back from sky high crime by working with law enforcement, not signing dangerous anti-police policies into law.
“Our great state of Illinois has been made less safe by politicians who backed false narratives, rather than enforcing the rule of law,” said Campbell. “They didn’t bother asking law enforcement for our input on the disastrous crime bill. Richard Irvin is the candidate who will listen to us and seek our counsel. I have gotten to know Mayor Irvin and he is the real deal. I believe he is the best chance to return safety and security to the forefront of Illinois politics.”
Brian VanVickle, Ogle County Sheriff and Past-President of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, spoke to Richard Irvin’s proven record as Mayor of Aurora, working with police and against Pritzker’s damaging crime policy.
“From Northern to Southern Illinois, Governor Pritzker’s crime bill has made all of our communities less safe,” said VanVickle. “In his time as Mayor, Richard Irvin has shown a blueprint for how he will govern, that he will work with local Sheriffs’ offices and empower law enforcement with the resources needed to keep our communities safe. Mayor Irvin is the best chance that we have to defeat Pritzker in November and reverse his dangerous pro-crime policies.”
Wilson ran for Mayor of Chicago in 2015, being one of several challengers to incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel. […]
Wilson placed third in a five-candidate race with 50,960 votes, equal 10.66% of the votes cast. Wilson’s endorsement in the runoff was actively sought by both candidates Rahm Emanuel and Jesús “Chuy” García. Wilson endorsed García [who lost]
2016 U.S. presidential campaign
After setting up an exploratory committee on May 11, 2015, Wilson officially announced on June 1, 2015, that he would be running as a candidate for President of the United States in the 2016 election. He ran as a Democrat. […]
Wilson received 1,314 votes, or 0.35% of the total, in South Carolina […]
In the general election, Wilson voted for Republican nominee Donald Trump.
2019 Chicago mayoral campaign
In March 2018, Wilson formally announced that he would run a second time for Mayor of Chicago in the 2019 mayoral election.
During his campaign, Wilson generated controversy for handing out money to churchgoers. This practice of his was challenged before the Illinois State Board of Elections, which found that it did not violate any campaign finance laws since the money came from his non-profit foundation. […]
Wilson was endorsed by the Cook County Republican Party. Wilson failed to make it to the runoff, placing fourth with 59,072 votes, equal 10.61% of vote cast […]
2020 U.S. Senate campaign
In August 2019, Wilson expressed his intention to challenge incumbent United States Senator from Illinois Dick Durbin in 2020, running in the general election as an independent challenger to Durbin. Rather than run as an independent, he ultimately opted to run under the ballot line of his newly created “Willie Wilson Party”. […]
Wilson received 4% of the vote statewide, finishing in a distant third place. His highest support came from the majority-black wards of Chicago where he had done well in both his mayoral campaigns. Totaling up all 18 of Chicago’s majority-black wards, Wilson garnered 18.5% of the vote, well ahead of Republican Mark Curran, who received only 4%, but still far behind Durbin who received 75.9%
What Wilson has demonstrated so far is that he has a ceiling of about 11 percent in Chicago. His relationship with Rauner and Trump won’t help this time, either. Yes, Wilson could take votes away from Lightfoot in the first round. But I’m not sure those voters would be with her anyway.
A significant list of pressing issues facing the State of Illinois was left largely unaddressed by JB Pritzker and Springfield Democrats as they closed out the legislative session early Saturday morning, showing just how skewed their priorities are: one-time election year gimmicks rule all.
Richard Irvin, Mayor of Aurora and candidate for governor, commented on the outstanding issues JB Pritzker refused to address:
“Instead of committing to real solutions to combat crime and deliver permanent tax cuts, J.B. Pritzker pushed election year gimmicks that don’t reverse his anti-police, pro-criminal policies but do set up his campaign to permanently raise taxes after the election. The people of Illinois are paying a steep price for a governor who will do anything to win re-election, even if it means mailing checks to voters right before hitting them with the largest income tax hike in state history. It’s time to take back our state.”
That’s pretty darned bold to predict that this budget sets up “the largest income tax hike in state history.” I’d love to see the numbers. In fact, I asked for them. I didn’t get anything specific except for a comment that Pritzker is growing spending while revenues will decrease next fiscal year. But revised projected spending for this fiscal year (including tax cuts and debt paydown) is $49.119 billion; and projected spending for next fiscal year is $46.541 billion. Discretionary spending will rise $2.6 billion over the originally budgeted amount, but revenues are rising $2.2 billion over the originally budgeted amount. So, again, even if money will be tight, I do not see how this budget is setting the stage for “the largest income tax hike in state history.”
But, hey, this is the same campaign which is claiming that Darren Bailey, of all people, is a Trump-hating liberal…
Yeah. So, please tell me more about a candidate who is willing to “do anything” to win a race.
* Meanwhile, I’m kinda curious how much of this cash is from our own governor as the DGA ramps up its anti-Irvin and pro-Bailey spending…
The DGA is shattering fundraising records heading into the 2022 midterms, reporting raising a massive $23.25 million in Q1 across all entities. https://t.co/6LopLkvCtI
* Not a campaign release, but it might as well be since she’s running for Congress…
On the heels of State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago) passing a plan to ban the production and distribution of ghost guns, President Joe Biden is set to unveil national policy to address the issue.
“Although I’m proud to see this threatening issue be taken to the national stage, Illinois must act quickly to enact my legislation to ban the production and distribution of ghost guns.” Collins said. “We cannot allow fatal gun violence to continue to run rampant in our communities. HB 4383 tackles these issues at their source.”
With the alarming rise of gun violence in a number of Illinois communities, the existence of untraceable firearms has become a pressing public safety concern. Ghost guns are firearms that lack serial identification, and they are growing in popularity because of their ease of accessibility. Not only can they be ordered online, but they can also be purchased absent a background check or a FOID card, which is required to carry either a firearm or ammunition in Illinois.
House Bill 4383, an initiative introduced by Senator Collins, would require all firearms –including 3D printed guns –to be serialized, effectively prohibiting the creation and sale of these weapons. Unserialized guns prevent law enforcement from thoroughly conducting their criminal investigations, which hinders their efforts to address the violence in our state. Illinois law enforcement has seen a 400% increase in these types of weapons in just the last five years.
The federal rule, however, is expected to only regulate gun companies and not individuals who possess an existing stock of ghost guns. Collins’ legislation will require individuals who currently possess ghost guns to go get them serialized as well.
“Enacting a nation-wide policy that protects our most vulnerable populations is a positive first step,” Collins said. “Although I would like to see a national policy that addresses individuals who possess ghost guns as well as dealers, I am pleased we are moving in the right direction.”
HB 4383 passed the General Assembly Friday and goes to the governor for final approval.
* More stories…
* Illinois’ newest Latino congressional district brings heavy competition, divided Democratic visions: Both the Ramirez and Villegas campaigns said they expect more than 70% of the votes in the Democratic primary will come from Chicagoans. That’s despite the fact that the 3rd District stretches about 30 miles from the city’s Avondale neighborhood on the east to West Chicago on the western edge of DuPage County.
* Mayor Lori Lightfoot is ramping up her expected re-election campaign with three new political hires: Eric Adelstein is media consultant. He’s founder of Chicago-based political media firms AL Media Strategy and Adelstein & Associates. He was 27 when he served as Illinois state director for the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign, consulted for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign and has advised the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Governors Association. He and his firm also have advised Georgia Democrats, including Stacey Abrams and Raphael Warnock. Deborah Cosey-Lane is political coordinator. She recently served as the financial secretary/ treasurer of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308. She has been a member of her union for 31 years. Last year, Cosey-Lane was elected as the first woman president of ATU Illinois Joint Council. She also is advising Jonathan Jackson in his bid for the 1st Congressional District. Valerie Martin is general consultant. Martin co-founded Silversmith Strategies, a national political consulting and media firm that creates TV and digital advertising and develops campaign plans. She previously helped elect Congressman Brad Schneider and Congresswoman Robin Kelly, as well as managed out-of-state U.S. Senate races and fundraising for Claire McCaskill’s 2006 upset victory in Missouri.
Three years after his secret cooperation with federal investigators became public knowledge, turning him into “Alderman A,” federal prosecutors have finally filed a criminal charge against former longtime Chicago Ald. Danny Solis (25th).
The bribery count leveled against Solis in a one-page, lightly detailed document at least confirms that Solis will face public charges. A lengthy investigation into his own alleged misdeeds prompted him to turn on some of the state’s most powerful politicians.
Federal prosecutors have used evidence gathered by Solis, 72, to secure racketeering indictments against Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) and, more recently, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. […]
The charge against Solis alleges he agreed to accept campaign contributions between July and September 2015 in exchange for amendments to a zoning ordinance sought by an unnamed developer.
A litany of alleged misconduct by Solis was revealed in a bombshell FBI affidavit first obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times in January 2019. The document, filed in federal court in May 2016, alleged that Solis, once the Council’s powerful zoning chair, “received a flow of private benefits” from people in exchange for official action.
In an August 2020 court filing, lawyers for Burke revealed Solis had entered into a deferred prosecution agreement that will likely mean Solis will not spend even one day in jail — and keep his city pension — in return for his extraordinary role in the prosecution of both Burke and Madigan.
That agreement has not been confirmed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Solis flipped and agreed to help investigators after he was accused by federal agents of accepting sex acts, Viagra, free weekend use of an Indiana farm once owned by Oprah Winfrey and a steady stream of campaign contributions in return for City Council actions, as first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th Ward), who replaced Solis, said his predecessor should have been held accountable years ago.
The deferred prosecution agreement means Solis will not only escape any jail time — he’s likely not going to be prosecuted for the crime at all. What’s more, the deal could allow the 72-year-old Solis to keep collecting his nearly $100,000 annual city pension, which could easily bring in a sizable sum from the taxpayer-funded system over the remainder of his lifetime.
Last, year, the Tribune interviewed nearly a dozen longtime members of the city’s legal community, including several who worked on public corruption cases for the U.S. attorney’s office, and none could remember such an arrangement being made for a public official caught abusing their office.
Solis’ work as an FBI mole began in mid-2016, when he was confronted by investigators who had secretly listened in on hundreds of his phone calls over the course of nearly a year, including conversations where the alderman solicited everything from campaign donations to sexual services at a massage parlor, court records show.
Illinois Legislative Jewish Caucus Helps Pass Balanced Budget, Secures Funding to Protect Houses of Worship from Terrorism
Springfield, IL – As part of their efforts to pass a fiscally-responsible state budget that prioritizes providing resources to public safety initiatives, the Illinois Legislative Jewish Caucus (ILJC) secured $20 million in new funds for the Non-Profit Security Grant Program (NSPG), which provides resources to non-profits that are at high risk of terrorist attacks.
“Over the past few years, we have seen an alarming rise in the number of crimes targeting minority communities in their houses of worship,” Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Highwood, said. “No one, regardless of their background, should be made to feel unsafe, and investing in the Non-Profit Security Grant Program is an important step toward that goal.”
In response to the rise in attacks targeting religious, ethnic, and racial minorities in communities across the state, the ILJC worked to include $20 million in funding for the NSPG in the state’s budget. The NSPG provides grants to non-profit organizations, including houses of worship, to keep them protected by purchasing equipment such as bulletproof glass and reinforced doors, offering safety training and planning for staff, and even hiring security professionals.
“Today’s action brings needed investment to communities looking to protect themselves,” said Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago. “This funding is the result of vulnerable communities across our state joining together and keeping each other safe. Not only will this help to save the lives of Jews who have faced devastating attacks in recent years, but of people of all different backgrounds across our state.”
“With many Illinoisans facing increased threats of violence due to bigotry, we must do everything in our power to provide the necessary tools to keep everyone safe,” said Sen. Ram Villivalam. “We cannot allow those who are blinded by their hate to intimidate residents and make them live in fear. I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow ILJC members to stamp out hatred and keep Illinois a welcoming home for all people.”
* Press release…
Illinois House and Senate overwhelmingly passed the Mychal Moultry Jr. Funeral and Burial Assistance Act. The State of Illinois will now pay funeral and burial service providers up to $10,000 for respectable funerals and burials of children under the age of 17 who are murdered by gun violence if their family’s income is within 150% of the federal poverty level ($40,000 for a family of 4 in 2021).
Recent statistics:
• 45 children were murdered by gun violence under the age of 17 in Chicago, IL (2021). 14 already in 2022, on pace for 60 in 2022, a 33% increase than 2021
• 5 children were murdered by gun violence under the age of 17 in Peoria, IL (2021)
• 7 children were murdered by gun violence under the age of 17 in East St. Louis, IL (2021)
• The average cost for a funeral with burial in 2021=$9,420
(Source: National Association of Funeral Directors)
All direct payments to funeral and burial service providers are intended to alleviate some of the pain of families who are experiencing trauma and financial hardship following the loss of their child due to gun violence. Illinois currently reimburses families of murder victims for up to $10,000 in burial expenses. While helpful, many families have to take on tremendous debt or raise funds in a short time period to bury their children. Families may wait months or years for reimbursement. Now, families no longer are forced to take on debt or raise funds in a short period of time to bury their murdered child.
* Press release…
State Rep. Anna Moeller has championed new legislation to expand the amounts of savings and income spouses of nursing home residents can keep to care for themselves and their families.
For the past 10 years, federal guidelines have increased what community spouses of nursing home residents can keep of their own money. But Illinois has kept that level flat, with no increases to account for inflation.
Rep. Moeller’s legislation will increase the amount community spouses can keep each year for the next 10 years, until Illinois has reached the federal rates.
“It is critically important that we recognize the needs of our seniors in our community when their spouses need nursing home care,” said Moeller, D-Elgin. “In this time of rampant inflation, our seniors need help. By allowing them to keep more of their own hard-earned income and assets, without jeopardizing the standard of care of their spouses in nursing homes, we are showing them the respect that our seniors and their loved ones deserve.”
The measure has the strong support of AARP Illinois, the Illinois State Bar Association and the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys.
During debate, Sims noted there is no language in the budget implementation bill that blocks the cost of living increase for state lawmakers, something that is estimated to cost taxpayers $485,400. That would be about $2,742 extra for lawmakers, if split evenly, though senators get higher pay than representatives. […]
The grocery tax of 1% will be zeroed out for a year and retailers must note that on receipts “to the extent feasible.”
The message on receipts from grocery stores must say “From July 1, 2022 through July 1, 2023, the State of Illinois sales tax on groceries is 0%.” The legislation says “if it is not feasible for the retailer to include the statement on any cash register tape, receipt, invoice, or sales ticket issued to customers, then the retailer shall post the statement on a sign that is clearly visible to customers. The sign shall be no smaller than 4 inches by 8 inches.”
Page 281 of the budget says the state will fund costs of a feasibility study of “projects under the Public-Private Partnership for Civic and Transit Infrastructure Project Act.” That may include one of the casino projects being considered in Chicago.
The House passed clarifications to provisions that dealt with electronic monitoring of criminal suspects and other measures within the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (or SAFE-T) Act that was signed by Pritzker last year with the aim of making the criminal justice system more equitable.
Republicans over the last few months have tried to use the justice package, which includes an end to cash bail in 2023 for nonviolent offenses, as a way to paint Democrats as being weak on crime issues going into the election.
“Safety now? We want safety now. This bill doesn’t give us safety now. Vote ‘no,’” state Rep. Patrick Windhorst, a Republican from Metropolis, said, drawing applause from his fellow GOP members.
State Rep. Justin Slaughter, a Chicago Democrat, offered a loud and impassioned rebuttal to the Republicans, saying there is a “bad stench of racism” from the GOP side of the House.
“In the Black community, it’s been a state of emergency for a really long time now,” Slaughter said. “But as long as crime and violence is contained in the hood, it was OK. As long as my folks terrorize other people of color, it was fine. But now, Chiraq is in your communities. And now, it’s a state of emergency.”
Slaughter’s remarks drew an equally angry response from several GOP members.
“That’s wrong! That’s wrong!” said Durkin, the House GOP leader. “You know that’s wrong!”
* From early Saturday morning…
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more heated moment on the House floor. Several Republicans were calling on Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman to step in and cut Slaughter off during his speech.
* I told subscribers about some recent Republican State Leadership Committee mailers on behalf of Leader Durkin. Someone’s tweet reminded me of that effort. Here’s one of the mailers…
The RSLC appears to be spending money in order to bust the campaign contribution caps for Durkin. Leader Durkin has no control over the independent expenditure.
Delicate discussions among top Democrats in Illinois have been taking place since a Jan. 17 meeting about the control and structure of a coordinated campaign for the 2022 ticket.
Accounts of what happened at that meeting vary regarding the views of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s political team on the role of Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., on the coordinated campaign. […]
“I think we can be a lot further along. We need more cooperation,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday.“We’re moving in the right direction but too slowly.”
What’s at issue?“There are a lot of personalities tied up in this. We got to put them aside for the duration of the campaign. We got to focus on November and focus on victory and do it together,” Durbin said.
Is this about control? “I don’t know if that is the reason. It could be something else. But whatever it is, it’s unacceptable,” Durbin said.
I dunno. I mean, I do get his point, but Sen. Durbin opposed the governor and seized control of the state party and now he’s publicly whining that the billionaire won’t fund his apparatus, which might not even be constructed to be fully in compliance with federal election laws. That might be seen in some quarters as a bit on the presumptuous side. Just sayin, Dick.
Republican state lawmakers, outnumbered and looking to boost their relevance, had one goal for the election-year legislative session — to paint majority Democrats as soft-on-crime and anti-police.
Democrats, sensing political vulnerability, knew they had to counter by passing some pro-police, anti-crime legislation that didn’t weaken their larger equity-based criminal justice goals.
They also sought to change the subject, pushing election-year tax relief for families amid public concerns over inflation.
Crime and inflation became the watch words as the final hours of the truncated spring legislative session played out early Saturday. Those two themes, brought from the national stage to the local statehouse, are likely to be struck repeatedly in TV ads and campaign literature as the June 28 primary and Nov. 8 general election grow closer.
* Tracy Swartz, Dan Petrella and Karen Ann Cullotta at the Tribune…
The state of Illinois will distribute $87.5 million to hundreds of school districts that were underpaid because of a “coding error” — while seeking repayment from Chicago Public Schools, which mistakenly got the funds.
The appropriation is part of the $46.5 billion spending plan lawmakers passed Saturday. The Illinois State Board of Education said a contractor made a “coding error” in the spring of 2018 during the initial implementation of a new state school funding formula.
As a result, 14 school systems are owed between $1 million and $5 million, while 565 are due up to $100,000 according to ISBE. In total, 762 school systems were underpaid over the past four years.
Meanwhile, the state is trying to recoup the $87 million it mistakenly paid CPS, its largest school district. ISBE said 52 other school systems were overpaid by a total of $3,396 during the affected period, and it will try to recover funds from districts that received at least $10 more than they should have.
$10? It’ll cost more to process those collections.
* The governor’s remarks as prepared for delivery…
Thank you for joining us this morning. It’s a terrific day.
We end this legislative session with enormous and historic victories for the people of Illinois:
Gas, grocery, and property tax relief, more support for local government than ever before, a massive improvement in staffing for our nursing home residents, short and long term debt reduction, and a balanced budget for the fourth year in a row.
We’ve achieved our state’s strongest fiscal position in generations, and we prioritized the education, public safety, health, and welfare of the residents of Illinois. Just a few years ago some people said what we’ve achieved was impossible. But it’s true. Our bill backlog is paid off. Our pension liabilities are reduced. Our rainy day fund is recovering. And we are delivering $1.8 billion of direct tax relief to the people we serve.
This budget is for all those who are worried about the rising cost of groceries, which seem ever more expensive each time you go to the store.
It’s for those who can only put $10 at a time into your gas tank, because filling up the whole tank stretches you too thin.
It’s for those who have been straining under the weight of property taxes, only to see them increase without a break.
It’s for our teachers, who have taken on so much these past two years of the pandemic — and who have volunteered to help students in need by spending their own money on them.
It’s for the 97 percent of income tax filers who will receive a direct check to help pay their monthly bills.
This budget – and its $1.8 billion in tax relief – is for you, the people of Illinois.
I have always believed state government ought to, first and foremost, lift up the working families of Illinois and those who have too often been left out and left behind. This budget prioritizes them.
We’ve accomplished a lot in this budget, and I want to thank some of my partners in the General Assembly:
Speaker Chris Welch and President Don Harmon; House budget leaders Greg Harris, Will Davis, Lisa Hernandez, and Mike Zalewski, and Elgie Sims and Bill Cunningham in the Senate, and their staffs; and I want to express my gratitude to the members in the General Assembly who have once again joined me in the unglamorous but vital work of righting our fiscal ship and serving the best interests of the people of Illinois.
For the fourth straight year, I’ll sign into law another balanced budget that continues to reverse the damage inflicted by decades of fiscal mismanagement. Responsible budgeting in Illinois is now the rule, not the exception.
Let me tell you what that looks like:
We’re improving our schools and our classrooms by investing in our teachers and our children. With this budget, Illinois school districts will see an extra $518 million with full support for Evidence Based Funding and paying for textbooks, classroom upgrades, counseling staff and teachers.
We’re making childcare more affordable than ever before, and we’re providing scholarships for college as well as career and technical education for more than 155,000 students.
We’re making it more attractive and affordable for small businesses in Illinois by revitalizing commercial corridors and creating jobs by extending our incredibly popular Main Street Grants program — helping small cities and towns up and down the state. We’re suspending licensing fees for bars and restaurants and giving them grants to assist in their recovery. Our hospitality industry is bolstered with its own grants program. And we’re investing in employer training and renewing tax credits to attract and grow new businesses while providing new benefits to startups.
This budget will make this a safer state for all who call Illinois home. We’re hiring the largest state police cadet class in history, funding the Gang Crime Witness Protection Program, and providing mental health support for police across the state. Through our Reimagine Public Safety program, we’re tackling the root causes of violence with an expansion of our successful youth summer jobs initiative and proven violence intervention programs. Illinois has never seen an effort this robust to fight and solve crime.
On the day I was sworn into this office, I said that we are going to restore fiscal responsibility to this state.
Because of the foundation we’ve laid over the past three years, we’re able to put unprecedented one billion dollars into the state’s Rainy Day Fund, and put an extra $500 million into our pensions — saving taxpayers nearly two billion dollars. And most importantly, we can do all of this AND return 1.8 billion dollars in tax relief to the families who need it most.
I want to end this morning on a success that got lost in the flurry of news over the past two weeks.
Not long ago, interest payments to cover our state employee health insurance surpassed $274 million – not the debt itself, but the interest alone — the consequences of kicking the can down the road for decades.
This legislative session, Democrats teamed up to pay off that lingering liability. That frees up more than a quarter of a billion in taxpayer dollars every year for priorities we all care about, like tax relief, and school funding, and mental health care, and addiction treatment, and public safety.
Lots of politicians talk about getting rid of waste; the people standing here today are actually doing it.
Today, in Illinois, we’re using state resources as they should be: not sending hundreds of millions of dollars to creditors for interest, but instead supporting schools and roads and public safety. To make our residents’ lives better. To make our future brighter.
Before I turn things over, I want to take a moment to express my profound appreciation for Leader Greg Harris. The State of Illinois is unquestionably stronger because of his service. This is the last full budget he will have negotiated before he retires, and what a testament to his years of hard work, dedication and focus on the most vulnerable people of our state. Greg, we couldn’t have done this without you.
Well, first of all, there have been hearings for months on all of the various aspects of this budget. I introduced the budget back on February 3, when I held the state of the state and budget address. That is the fundamental underpinning of the budget that passed. The basics of this budget have been known by everybody, Republicans and Democrats since then. There have been hearings that have quizzed various agency heads about their needs at their departments. We’ve had people from outside organizations coming in to talk about new programs like EIC to make sure that families, working class families, families that really need help, are addressed in this budget. This has been known for quite some time. So this false idea that there’s some, you know, 3000-page budget that got introduced late at night, that’s just, it’s ridiculous. Everybody knows that each section of that budget has been reviewed by committees for months now.
Senate President Don Harmon D-Oak Park, issued the following statement after the Senate voted to pass a balanced budget that pays down debts, invests in education and police, and provides nearly $2 billion in tax relief for Illinoisans:
“This budget continues our practice of responsible budgeting and providing strength through stability. It pays our bills, sets extra aside and provides billions in relief for those who need it the most.
This is a great budget that reflects the needs and priorities of the people of this great state.”
* ACEC-IL…
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-IL) released the following statement regarding the preservation of gas tax revenues for infrastructure projects included in the state’s budget:
“We applaud Governor Pritzker and the legislature for passing a budget that provides a solution to the motor fuel tax issue that maintains the state’s commitment to prioritize infrastructure projects throughout Illinois,” said Kevin Artl, president and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. “It’s important to strike a balance for consumers who are feeling pain at the pump, while also keeping the state on track to revitalizing our bridges, roads and highways. Engineers across the state applaud Illinois policymakers for their thoughtful leadership on this issue.”
* IML…
The Illinois Municipal League (IML) issued the following statement after the General Assembly approved a State Fiscal Year 2023 budget that includes an increase to the Local Government Distributive Fund, from the current distribution rate of 6.06% of individual income tax collections to a rate of 6.16%, which will provide additional funding to cities, villages and towns:
“We thank the governor and leaders in the House and Senate for prioritizing this investment in our cities, villages and towns. Years of revenue cuts from the state have placed great pressure on local budgets, forcing many municipalities to consider tax and fee increases, service cuts and even layoffs as they struggle to make ends meet,” said Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe of Decatur, IML President. “This additional funding will help ease some of those burdens so communities can better meet the needs of our residents.”
“It’s important to note that while municipalities received federal COVID relief dollars, their use was restricted to water, sewer and broadband projects and could not be used for purposes such as personnel, pension payments or debt payments. The funds provided through LGDF can be used on a much broader array of items, including public safety,” Brad Cole, IML Executive Director. “While there remains a long way to go before LGDF funding is fully restored, this is a step in the right direction.”
* Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association…
The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association has released the following statement after the General Assembly approved the Fiscal Year 2023 state budget, in which hotels are set to receive $75 million in aid to assist with pandemic recovery efforts:
“As a vital component of Illinois’ economy, the pandemic decimated our state’s hotel industry, with record low occupancy rates and sustained losses due to the massive decline in conventions and tourism. This $75 million in aid is an important lifeline for our industry, allowing hotels to rehire workers and fully re-open their doors as travel begins to rebound,” said Michael Jacobson, president & CEO, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association. “We appreciate the support of the legislative leaders and the members who championed our cause, especially House Majority Leader Greg Harris, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, Rep. Kam Buckner, Rep. Terra Costa Howard, and Rep. Lamont Robinson as well as Sen. Elgie Sims, Sen. Bill Cunningham, and Sen. Sara Feigenholtz. As the industry rebuilds, we look forward to welcoming travelers back to Illinois and helping to lead the economic recovery of our state and local communities.”
* IFRA…
Josh Sharp, CEO of the IL Fuel and Retail Association, is issuing the following statement on actions taken by the Illinois Legislature to authorize two gas tax increases for 2023 and require fuel retailers to post signs at their own expense.
“By delaying, instead of simply eliminating, the annual gas tax increase for six months, the Legislature is guaranteeing two gas tax increases for next year; one in January and another in July. That is not relief for Illinois taxpayers, that is conveniently kicking the can down the road until after an election.”
In addition to the two gas taxes now coming in 2023, the Legislature also approved legislation requiring gas stations to post a 4X8 sign on pumps to inform motorists about the six-month “suspension” of the gas tax increase that was slated for July 1st. Gas stations will have to post the signs or face criminal penalties and fines of up to $500 per-day.
“The idea that fuel retailers would have to reach into their own pockets to tell their customers about legislation approved in Springfield and then face heavy fines if they don’t is completely absurd.
There is no Constitutional authority for the State of Illinois to make these ridiculous requirements and if the Governor signs this bill into law, we plan to challenge this requirement in court. It is not the job of our members to run free political advertising for lawmakers who want to pat themselves on the back for simply delaying a tax increase six months.
Voters need to know that the taxes Illinois imposes on a gallon of gas aren’t changing, they’re not being lowered. On July 1 when this new state budget takes effect, the motor fuel tax will remain exactly what it is today. That’s Springfield’s definition of “relief” – taxing you more but doing it later and hoping that no one notices until after an election.”
* AARP Illinois…
At the close of the 2022 Spring Legislative Session, AARP Illinois commends the General Assembly for passing several measures that will significantly enhance the lives of older adults and their loved ones across the state.
For decades, nursing home residents have experienced a severe crisis in quality of care with abuse and neglect.
This is why we fought so hard for reforms to increase staffing and improve quality of care to ensure nursing home residents’ safety and well-being. We are thrilled to see the passage of the Nursing Home Compromise Reform Bill, which invests in and retains quality frontline line staff who provide critical care to Illinois Medicaid nursing home residents. The measure also requires greater transparency of nursing home ownership and revenue.
On behalf of our 1.7 million members and all older adults in Illinois, AARP Illinois also spent four years leading an “Enough is Enough” campaign to pressure lawmakers to address the state’s decades-long fiscal crisis. That is why we are pleased to see a balanced budget this year that takes steps to improve the state’s fiscal health, including a $500 million pension payment, $1 billion for the rainy day fund, and nearly $900 million for the group health insurance bill backlog.
The budget fully funds the state’s Community Care Program, adds an additional $4 million for caregiving and includes property tax rebates and expands the earned income tax credit to those who are 65 and older.
Several measures passed this session will give Illinois residents the equity they deserve and ability to care better for the people they love. SB3490 ensures that LGBTQ voices are represented in state programming and policymaking. The increase in the Community Spouse Asset Allowance means people won’t have to feel forced to give up their belongings when a spouse enters a nursing home and uses Medicaid. And SB 1405 makes sure no one in a nursing home will ever have to die alone again.
And finally, HB 2775 is a triumphant end to housing discrimination that has persisted for years. This bill ensures that renters can no longer be turned away for using Social Security, veteran’s housing benefits or other sources of income if they are otherwise qualified.
With these important measures approved, AARP is committed to making Illinois affordable for those 50+ by working diligently for consumers on pocketbook issues, including efforts to lower the cost of Rx drugs, improve opportunities to keep more of your hard-earned income and assets, expand home and community-based services and keep utility bills in check.
We urge Governor Pritzker to sign these bills into law so that older adults and their families can begin feeling the impact as soon as possible.
* The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence…
After over a decade of largely stagnant funding following recession budget cuts, Illinois made a historic investment today in allocating $70.9 million in general revenue funds for domestic violence services. This increase demonstrates the power of the community of survivors and service providers who passionately advocated for survivors’ needs. We thank Representative Kelly Cassidy, Senator Peters, Representative Mussman, Representative Barbara Hernandez, the Women’s Caucus, and the Latino Caucus for their leadership in championing the needs of domestic violence survivors.
This investment will help address the growing need for services seen throughout the state, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline was contacted by more than 32,000 individuals seeking assistance. These contacts mark over an eight percent increase in communication from 2020, in turn a record-breaking year. With the state’s investment, community-based service providers will be better equipped to meet the growing needs of survivors, particularly around housing, legal advocacy, counseling, and violence-prevention.
State funds will help expand community outreach and provide life-saving education on domestic violence resources. Service providers will be able to start addressing unmet needs for services, particularly shelter and housing. Survivors will have a stronger safety net to meet basic needs as well as the enduring emotional, financial, and legal needs stemming from survivorship. Lastly, these funds will help providers pay their staff the thriving wage they have earned in working as essential workers throughout the pandemic.
Domestic violence programs remained open throughout the pandemic, providing a critical safety net for survivors. With limited funding, service providers struggled to maintain an adequate and equipped staff. With this investment, service providers will be able to sustain and increase their capacity to continue providing essential quality services.
The Network is grateful to the Illinois Legislature for making this investment towards addressing and ending gender-based violence. The Network looks forward to seeing this investment in gender-based violence services continue through legislation in future sessions to help support survivors and service providers. The Network and the gender-based violence community will continue to advocate alongside survivors to push for improved community safety and resources.
* Americans For Prosperity - Illinois…
AFP-IL State Director Jason Heffley released the following statement in response to the budget’s passage:
“At AFP-IL, we fight to break down barriers Illinois families face to reach their potential, and despite the rhetoric, this budget fails to remove any barriers families face in this state. Relying on one-time federal money to ‘balance’ the budget, calling temporary tax freezes tax relief, and failing to address the systemic problems the state’s bloated government has created is not a way to build a state budget. Our activists will continue to call for greater accountability from state government, starting with permanent tax relief for families in the state with the highest tax burden in America.”
* Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus…
“Tourism is one of Illinois’ largest and most critically important industries, and destination organizations throughout the state continue to drive economic recovery during the most challenging circumstances we’ve ever faced. The approved budget builds on last year’s strong budget for tourism and is another necessary step to providing the stability we need to attract visitors and business to Illinois–which, in turn, brings customers for our local small businesses and economic security for our communities. Visitors are future residents and talent and we must continually invest in tourism and destination marketing to maintain a competitive position.
“ICCVB is grateful to Governor Pritzker, his Administration, and the State Legislature for their continued support as this budget makes clear that funding for tourism and destination marketing efforts by the Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (ICCVB) and its partners is essential to our State’s broader economic recovery. The Governor and legislators have listened to the hard-hit travel & tourism industry and have helped put the industry on the path to economic recovery from COVID-19. This investment is the necessary fuel we need to drive growth now and with urgency. Our elected leaders are listening and have responded.
“In addition to the state’s investment in tourism marketing, the budget includes a combined $140 million that has been appropriated from the State Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the Tourism Attraction Development Grant Program ($15 million), the Hotel Jobs Recovery Grant Program ($75 million) and Restaurant Employment and Stabilization Grant Program ($50 million). This level of support is critical to important sectors and partners that have been decimated by the pandemic. We are especially grateful to our champions, Senate Tourism Committee Chair Sara Feigenholtz and House Tourism Committee Chair Lamont Robinson for their continued leadership. They haven’t just supported our requests, they are our strategic partners and understand the value that tourism brings to the entire State of Illinois.
“We have a long road ahead of us but the continued commitment to tourism and the promotion of Illinois is vital to get us back on track and to our pre-pandemic levels. Every $1 spent on tourism promotion results in $11 for our state, which is why we need leisure travel, meetings & conventions, group business, and sports tourism to thrive and to stay competitive against other states on a national level and as we compete on a global stage.”
* Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy…
“Instead of permanent solutions for working families like real tax cuts and reduced spending, Democrats passed temporary election-year gimmicks, a massive increase in spending, and pay raises for politicians. In the face of record inflation and a crushing tax burden, Democrats gave taxpayers a handful of candy and told them to suck it up. They failed to provide real relief to taxpayers and all but guaranteed tax increases when the federal bailout money goes away.”
* Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights…
As the Illinois General Assembly session ended early Saturday morning, immigrant leaders in Illinois celebrated major wins while committing to continue the fight for community resources.
“This year ICIRR members ratified and advocated for a state platform that brings our communities closer to FULL CITIZENSHIP - that means going beyond immigration papers and pushing for policies at all levels of government that allow our families and neighbors to live lives with dignity and respect,” said Lawrence Benito, Executive Director of ICIRR. “Today we’re celebrating landmark wins for ITIN filers receiving tax relief and expanded healthcare to low-income residents aged 42-and-up regardless of immigration status. At the same time, we advocated for $53 million in funding for the Immigrant Services Line Item, and that final number came in under our demand. We will continue to organize with our 100+ statewide members to ensure that this funding source, which has provided tens of thousands of undocumented Illinoisans with direct assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, is made whole.”
As the spring legislative session ends, negotiators representing organized labor today announced agreement on delaying temporary employer tax increases and worker benefit reductions, but an impasse in discussions to address a historic deficit in the state fund that provides unemployment insurance benefits to workers.
Representatives of five key labor organizations announced that negotiations among labor, business, legislators and Gov. Pritzker’s administration over solutions to eliminate what remains of the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit of $4.5 billion had reached an impasse.
Negotiators announced support for stop-gap action delaying temporary triggers in state law that will increase costs for businesses and decrease benefits for workers. However, if no action had been taken by the end of the year, the so-called “speed bumps” in the unemployment insurance law would drive up costs in the system by $409 million in tax increases on employers, and $318 million in benefits for jobless workers.
“We just saw the Legislature and Governor provide $2.7 billion in federal pandemic relief funding to the unemployment insurance program,” said Pat Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer with the Illinois AFL-CIO. “But without an agreement on structural reform to protect workers, employers and taxpayers, Illinois’ unemployment fund will be bankrupt again in a couple of years.
All parties need to get back to the bargaining table and find a real solution that protects workers and taxpayers, gives businesses stability and certainty and finally gets honest about the revenue needed to support our unemployment system.”
This is the third time Illinois has faced a multi-billion-dollar hole in its unemployment trust fund in the past 18 years, but the $4.5 billion debt is the state’s largest ever – initiated by widespread unemployment from the pandemic economic shutdown, but cemented by a revenue structure that has seen little change since 1980.
Labor negotiators have urged all involved to focus on more than just providing relief to businesses through federal ARPA funding. Because the system is chronically underfunded, economic crisis events create large deficits – and too often, workers and taxpayers are expected to bear the burden of bailing out the system. The labor groups will urge negotiations focus on ending the historic underfunding of the UI system that results in huge debt challenges during economic slowdowns.
The state had already delayed the automatic “speed bumps” (benefit cuts and tax increase) that would take effect without a deal until July 3rd. An amendment to SB157, which cleared both chambers early this morning, delays that action until January 1, safely after the November election.
Wrapping up their spring session, lawmakers staged an all-nighter – a rarely seen 20-hour behemoth of a day in Springfield filled with bluster, brief naps at their desks, and long speeches that resulted in a finalized, $46 billion-plus spending plan as sunrise approached Saturday.
Unlike Congress, the state legislature doesn’t have the filibuster. But that effectively is what Republicans resorted to before an audience of sleeping Illinoisans in trying to slow down a budget plan that drew praise from Wall Street and, in the end, Republican votes for parts of the package.
But in the end, Democrats – with their House and Senate supermajorities – muscled through a plan put together by Gov. JB Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside. The timestamp on the final budget vote was 5:52 a.m Saturday.
“Boy, you guys hate that we’re balancing the budget and paying our debts, don’t you?” House Majority Leader Greg Harris, D-Chicago, said, needling the cast of House Republicans who sacrificed their REM sleep to blast the plan in speech after speech after speech.
The Fiscal Year 2023 spending plan also provides for the statutorily required $350 million in additional funding for public schools through the Evidence Based Funding formula that was originally adopted in 2017. Higher education would see increases as well.
The portion of the state’s income tax going to local governments would increase from 6.06 percent to 6.16 percent. […]
Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, who is running for treasurer, said the pandemic-related revenue windfalls have allowed Democrats to grow funding faster than year-after-year revenues.
“And when this one-time revenue dries up, the only thing you’ll know how to do is go back and raise taxes yet again,” he said.
As long as they didn’t put too many new items into the spending base or permanently subtract too much money from the revenue stream, Demmer would be wrong.
The GOP dismissed the majority party’s tax relief plan as an election-year gimmick. […]
Loathe to vote against tax breaks before facing voters later this year, however, Republicans nearly all voted in favor the proposal.
Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie said Democrats were trying to “buy” votes, and then participated in this alleged bribery scheme by voting for the tax cuts.
Another bill sponsored by Delgado received bipartisan support. It would codify that victims of carjacking or vehicle theft wouldn’t have to pay for tows, speeding tickets and other fees that accumulate on their vehicles after they’re stolen.
Republicans contended that owners of stolen vehicles already have ways to avoid paying such fines, and the bill does nothing to go after perpetrators.
“This, as presented on the floor, does nothing to bring down crime, does nothing to promote public safety and, in fact, is not holding the (criminals) accountable for the laws that they broke along the way. This is absurd. This is not what we need to do to bring down crime,” said state Rep. Avery Bourne, a Republican from Morrisonville who is running for lieutenant governor in the June 28 primary.
Not mentioned anywhere in the story is that, after blasting Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado’s “absurd” bill, Rep. Bourne voted for it. Indeed, not a single Republican voted against it.
In another development during the legislature’s final session day of the spring, Democrats also voted to curtail fundraising in judicial races — a vote that took a not-so-subtle swipe at GOP mega-donor Kenneth Griffin by moving to complicate any attempt he may harbor to funnel millions of dollars into judicial campaigns.
The measure’s sponsor, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, described his legislation as a campaign-finance step designed to keep dark money out of Supreme Court races and other judicial elections.
Contributions from a single source to independent expenditure committees — political funds unaffiliated with individual candidates that can spend on their behalf — would be capped at $500,000 per election cycle.
Republicans were quick to point out that independent expenditure committees were crucial in the 2020 defeat of Democratic state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride. One of those funds, Citizens for Judicial Fairness, spent millions of dollars against Kilbride’s retention on the high court.
State campaign records show $4.5 million of the group’s receipts came from one source over two days in October 2020: Chicago hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin, who also is bankrolling Irvin’s Republican gubernatorial campaign to unseat Pritzker this fall.
State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst, who voted against the measure, said the legislation wasn’t truly about protecting the integrity of the judiciary but rather about preventing a replay of Kilbride’s defeat, particularly when control of the Supreme Court is up for grabs this fall.
“This is once again in Illinois the political machine that’s in power is trying to protect its own,” she said.
Mazzochi is right. But her party’s opposition is based on preserving the influence and power of the state’s wealthiest resident, who is also her party’s single largest financial benefactor.
…Adding… Comptroller Mendoza…
llinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza applauds the legislature for passing a FY ’23 budget that saves for the future, utilizes extra revenue to support working families, and addresses the pension shortfall and other structural issues.
“I am very pleased and thankful to see an infusion of $1 billion into the state’s Rainy Day Fund,” said Comptroller Mendoza. “We know this is an important signal to the credit rating agencies that Illinois is getting its fiscal house in order and planning for the future.” Illinois celebrated two credit upgrades last year – the first upgrades in more than 20 years.
The budget also mandates an extra $45 million a year to be placed in the Rainy Day Fund starting in FY ’23. The budget expands the Earned Income Tax Credit for low- and moderate-income taxpayers.
The budget includes an additional $200 million pension payment, which brings the total pension payment beyond what is required, to $500 million dollars. This will save taxpayers more than $1.8 billion.
Comptroller Mendoza recently announced that her office had paid down the bill backlog to what is now “accounts payable.” Illinois has been paying its bills in about 15 business days since July 1, 2021 – down from a crushing 210-business-day bill payment cycle in Nov. 2017 – a result of the 2015-2017 budget impasse.
The shortened General Revenue Fund bill payment cycle, along with the two credit upgrades, happened before the state received ARPA federal stimulus payments.
“Overall, I believe this budget adds greatly to the momentum we have built toward further credit upgrades, which will mean further savings for taxpayers,” said Comptroller Mendoza.
Comptroller Mendoza thanks Gov. JB Pritzker as well as Sen. Michael Hastings, Rep. Michael Halpin, Sen. Elgie Sims, Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris, Rep. Michael Zalewski and all the legislators who supported reviving the Rainy Day Fund.
She looks forward to working with legislators to continue strengthening the Rainy Day Fund and Pension Stabilization Fund through further legislation.
...Adding… Irvin campaign…
As Springfield Democrats proudly closed out the end of legislative session with a number of significant issues left unresolved, Aurora Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin released the following statement:
“Instead of committing to real solutions to combat crime and deliver permanent tax cuts, J.B. Pritzker pushed election year gimmicks that don’t reverse his anti-police, pro-criminal policies but do set up his campaign to permanently raise taxes after the election. The people of Illinois are paying a steep price for a governor who will do anything to win re-election, even if it means mailing checks to voters right before hitting them with the largest income tax hike in state history. It’s time to take back our state.”
The remaining issues left unanswered by Governor Pritzker include the following:
• No reversal from Pritzker’s anti-police, pro-criminal policies while crime surges throughout the state;
• No permanent tax cuts for Illinois residents (instead quite the opposite: increases in state spending to push for higher taxes when the federal money runs out);
• No comprehensive ethics reform to root out corruption from Mike Madigan’s criminal enterprise;
• No substantive changes to the Department of Children and Family Services after the director has been found in contempt of court eight times and vulnerable children are put in danger; and
• No plan to fully replenish the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, forcing tax hikes and benefit cuts.
* IFT…
Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) President Dan Montgomery issued this statement today after the state legislature passed a Fiscal Year 2023 budget.
“The FY23 budget passed today is further proof that Governor Pritzker prioritizes public education at every level. Budgeting for the annual $350 million increase to the evidence-based funding model puts our state one year closer to achieving equitable funding and eliminating disparities in districts statewide. Budget increases for community colleges and universities are an important step towards the much-needed reinvestment in public higher education and making college more affordable.
“We applaud the governor and lawmakers for crafting a budget that invests in public schools and vital services and provides relief for Illinois families. The pandemic will have a lasting impact on students, educators, school staff, and our communities. But by expanding the earned income tax credit, cutting grocery and gas taxes, and offering property tax rebates, this budget will provide the economic support that families desperately need right now.
“The IFT looks forward to continuing our work with Governor Pritzker as he focuses on the state’s economic recovery.”
…Adding… Responsible Budget Coalition…
The Responsible Budget Coalition issued the following statement in response to the FY 2023 state budget approved by the General Assembly.
As a coalition of the state’s leading advocacy, human service, community and labor organizations, we judge any budget by these principles: It must contain adequate revenue, fairly raised, and it must avoid cuts to vital programs and services.
The FY 2023 General Fund Budget passed by the General Assembly increases year-to-year spending on Education, Healthcare, Human Services, and Public Safety–which collectively account for over 95 cents of every dollar Illinois spends on public services through its General Fund. That is a welcome development, given that Illinois has been cutting its spending on those core services in real, inflation-adjusted terms for over two decades. We also applaud an important step towards tax fairness, a more than $100 million dollar expansion of the Illinois Earned Income Credit which will cover older and younger workers as well as undocumented immigrants who pay taxes, and provide more money to all credit recipients. For these reasons, the budget passed by the General Assembly and supported by Governor Pritzker is a major step in the right direction, and we urge the governor to sign it.
But for the state to continue playing a positive role in making Illinois more equitable —whether addressing short term challenges like those caused by the pandemic, or long-term challenges, like poverty or structural racism–it needs the ongoing fiscal capacity to do so. Creating that fiscal capacity must remain a priority in the coming fiscal years, especially as federal pandemic relief funding expires.
As we look towards next year, we hope to re-engage the General Assembly in a broader conversation about Illinois’ still unfair tax system, one that does not provide willing political leaders with the financial resources to make the change we all seek for people in our state who are struggling the most. Until then, we appreciate a budget that takes important steps to help people in need.
* Illinois Pork Producers Association…
This week, leadership from IL Pork, IL Beef, IL Corn, IL Soybeans and IL Farm Bureau worked to increase the Illinois State budget request by $750,000 from the General Assembly’s FY23 budget toward the IL Dept of Agriculture (IDOA). These funds would be used to provide additional field veterinarians and proactive foreign animal disease prevention measures necessary to protect Illinois agriculture in the event of looming foreign animal disease outbreaks.
“With the recent announcement by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirming the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a small backyard flock in Mclean County, the need for these funds is immediate,” says Illinois Pork Producer Association’s Executive Director, Jennifer Tirey. “This recent outbreak proves that a foreign animal disease does not discriminate based on the size of a livestock farm. The devastation could impact the smallest backyard hobby farms, farmers that sell their product at a farmers’ market, small meat processors or our larger producers. We’re also concerned about the potential of an African Swine Fever outbreak in Illinois swine herds. The impact of any of these animal disease outbreaks to Illinois agriculture would be detrimental and being underprepared would only worsen the impact.”
Today, IDOA only has one field veterinarian on staff to serve the entire state of Illinois. Adding veterinarians could mean regionally-defined service areas, even allowing field staff to support vet work on specific species-related issues.
“We believe the collaborative response from our five groups empowered our request,” says Tirey. “We are incredibly grateful to the legislators who stand for the best interests of Illinois agriculture and Illinois farmers.”
Adds Josh St. Peters, Executive Vice President, Illinois Beef Association, “Earlier this winter the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) expressed this issue as a concern to our organizations and we are happy to see the funding secured and look forward to working with the department to protect the ag industry from potential foreign animal disease outbreaks,” he says. “Director Costello, IDOA leadership, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Patrick Joyce (D-Essex), Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) and Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) are greatly appreciated by the Illinois ag community for their partnership.”
…Adding… Press release…
The Illinois General Assembly approved a state budget that includes $2.5 million in funding for the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program, otherwise known as Children’s Savings Accounts. Parent leaders and advocates of the Financial Inclusion for All Illinois coalition have long called for an investment in the future of Illinois’ children and families. Advocates celebrate that the program, which was signed into law in 2019, will finally be funded in 2023.
After the budget is signed into law, all children born or adopted after December 31, 2022, will receive a $50 seed deposit in a Bright Start 529 college savings account. However, parents must claim this seed deposit by their child’s 10th birthday. Advocates warn that only 30% of Illinois families will be able to claim the deposit without further investment and effort by state officials to make the program more robust, accessible, and equitable. The statewide CSA program will be managed by the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office.
“I have advocated for a statewide Children’s Savings Account program for nearly a decade. In 2019, when the program was signed into law by the Governor, we thought our fight was over. But the pandemic hit, and the program was never funded. We are glad to see this appropriation so that the program can finally get started. It will also take more funding in future years to ensure that all families who could benefit will be able to participate.”
– Rosazlia Grillier, Co-President Emeritus of POWER-PAC IL
Children’s Savings Accounts (CSAs) are proven to boost hope for the future, especially among children who may not already have college-going aspirations. They are also proven to reduce maternal depression, improve early childhood outcomes, and, with the right features, promote equitable access to higher education. The savings accounts can be used for books, computers, college or university tuition, and at other post-secondary institutions like trade schools.
“As a parent of three children, I have spent years advocating for a CSA program. I didn’t go to college, but my son was lucky enough to receive a scholarship. Once the CSA program is fully funded, we will be sure that more families like mine will have hope for the future and an investment in their children’s potential early on. Thank you to our legislative champions, Senator Pacione-Zayas and Representative Collins!”
– Liliana Olayo, Co-President of POWER-PAC IL
During the Illinois General Assembly’s legislative session, Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas and Representative Lakesia Collins, champions for the statewide CSA program, also passed a bill to prioritize equity in the program implementation. Once signed into law, the measure requires the State Treasurer’s Office to collect socioeconomic, geographic, racial and ethnic data on program participants to understand whether the program is reaching community members who face systemic barriers to wealth-building and would most benefit from a jump-start in their college savings. It also gives the Treasurer’s Office the option to provide automatic bonus deposits in the accounts of children from financially insecure households.
“Thank you to the Illinois General Assembly for ensuring that this program can kick-off in 2023. The pandemic has caused many families to lose hope – but this CSA program restores some of that hope for children across Illinois. Our coalition urges legislative leaders to continue to invest in this crucial program over the long-haul.” –
Amy Eisenstein, Financial Inclusion for All Illinois Coalition Manager with Heartland Alliance
Financial Inclusion for All Illinois is a coalition committed to expanding access to the tools Illinois families need to build financially secure futures. Its Children’s Savings Account Committee includes leaders from Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), POWER-PAC IL, Woodstock Institute, YWCA Metro Chicago, VOCEL, Start Early, Legal Action Chicago, Chicago Urban League, I-PROMOTE IL, Children’s Home and Aid, and Heartland Alliance.
To support retailers, update prosecuting resources and promote statewide economic growth, the Illinois Senate adopted a measure led by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) to curb organized retail crime and hold ringleaders accountable.
“Organized retail crimes across the state have disturbed residents, wreaked havoc on businesses and stunted growth within local economies,” Glowiak Hilton said. “By advancing the Organized Retail Crime Act, Illinois has an opportunity to enact one of the most comprehensive crime-curbing efforts in the nation.”
In partnership with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the office of the attorney general, Glowiak Hilton’s initiative defines organized retail crime as a criminal charge and gives prosecutors additional resources to charge crime ringleaders. Specifically, the measure codifies ORC as the theft of retail merchandise with the intent to sell.
Under the proposal, prosecutors would have new opportunities to bring charges against offenders regardless of where the crimes takes place. For example, if the conspiracy, theft and selling occurred in different jurisdictions, each jurisdiction would have the ability to prosecute the entire crime. The Illinois attorney general would also have the ability to prosecute via a statewide grand jury.
“The measure targets individuals stealing for profit, not anyone engaging in petty shoplifting,” Glowiak Hilton said. “Deterring retail crime starts with supporting law enforcement, holding criminals responsible and making it tougher to resell stolen goods.”
To prevent stolen goods from being sold online, the measure also creates the Integrity, Notification and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act, or the INFORM Act, to require third-party sellers to verify users’ identity with bank account numbers or other personal identifying information. Sellers who do not comply may be suspended.
As amended, House Bill 1091 moves for concurrence consideration in the House.
* IRMA…
On behalf of retailers across the state, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) applauds lawmakers in the Senate for their bipartisan support and passage of HB1091, a comprehensive proposal to combat organized retail crime that has plagued neighborhoods across Chicago and communities throughout the state.
Crafted by IRMA in partnership with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, the measure represents one of the most sweeping efforts in the nation to combat organized retail crime by addressing the problem from multiple angles. This includes providing prosecutors with more tools to hold criminals accountable, dedicating state funds to investigate and prosecute the criminal rings carrying out these brazen thefts, requiring more oversight of third-party marketplaces where stolen goods are sold, stronger rights for victims of organized retail crime and the creation of a statewide intelligence gathering and sharing platform to allow retailers and law enforcement agencies to better coordinate.
“Organized retail crime robs our communities of tax dollars, threatens the safety of employees and customers, and puts our communities at risk of further crime including illegal firearm purchases, human trafficking and terrorism. By passing this measure, Illinois lawmakers are sending a message to criminals that these brazen thefts will not be tolerated and they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said Rob Karr, president & CEO, IRMA. “I want to personally thank Attorney General Raoul for his partnership and tireless work on this issue and offer our appreciation to Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton and Rep. Kam Buckner for their leadership as well as every lawmaker who voted in favor of this important measure.”
The bill creates and defines the violation of organized retail crime, providing the emphasis and focus required to combat this dangerous form of retail theft, which is performed by criminal groups with the goal of reselling stolen items to fund illicit activities. The legislation specifically targets those organizing these crimes, which is defined as an individual who knowingly recruits, organizes, supervises, manages, finances or otherwise directs others to commit organized retail crime, which includes smash and grab robberies as well as the looting of supply chain vehicles. Prosecutors would be given wider discretion to bring charges regardless of where the crime takes place. For instance, if the conspiracy, theft and selling all occurred in different jurisdictions, each jurisdiction would have the ability to prosecute the whole crime.
In addition, organized retail crime could be prosecuted by the Attorney General via the Statewide Grand Jury. This would give law enforcement officials another avenue by which to hold leaders of criminal rings accountable. Further, victims of organized retail crime must be given at least seven days’ notice of all court proceedings, which must be sent to the establishment where the crime occurred as well as any persons the victims designate.
To support these efforts, the proposal calls for earmarking state funds on an annual basis to create new positions in the Attorney General’s office and various State’s Attorneys offices dedicated to investigating and prosecuting retail theft and illicit trade.
“Organized retail crime is committed by sophisticated criminal enterprises that harm our communities in ways that extend beyond lost revenue and stolen products. These complex operations rely on theft and resale of stolen products to fund and perpetuate the cycle of violence through even more dangerous illegal activities like trafficking drugs and firearms,” Raoul said. “The Organized Retail Crime Act will give my office and other law enforcement agencies the additional tools needed to continue to disrupt these criminal enterprises and combat the rise in organized retail crime. I appreciate Senator Glowiak Hilton’s leadership on this matter and the bipartisan support for this effort.”
The legislation builds on the work of the Attorney General’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force, which is designed to investigate these crimes and trace them to their source. In December, the task force and the Chicago Police Department Force recovered stolen goods worth millions of dollars during a sting operation. IRMA also works with the United to Safeguard America from Illicit Trade (USA-IT) Coalition, which aims to address organized retail crime at the national level.
Increasingly, goods stolen during the execution of organized retail crime are often sold on third party electronic marketplaces. The proposal would require these online marketplaces to verify the identity of high-volume sellers using bank account numbers, taxpayer IDs or other information. Those sellers would be required to provide valid contact information, and marketplaces would be required to suspend the activity of third-party sellers for non-compliance. This is a vital public safety component as these sales are used to fund illegal activity including drug trade, weapons smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism. The proposal is identical to the agreed proposal being sponsored in Washington, D.C. by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.
A recent study by the Retail Industry Leaders Association found that as much as $68.9 billion in products were stolen from retailers nationwide in 2019, with retail crime resulting in $125.7 billion in lost economic activity and 658,375 fewer jobs. It’s estimated that retail theft costs federal and state governments nearly $15 billion in personal and business tax revenues, not including sales tax losses. These are conservative estimates as some jurisdictions discourage organized retail theft complaints and prosecutions.
* Chicagoland Chamber…
The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce released the following statement after the Illinois Senate passed HB1091, a comprehensive proposal to combat organized retail crime:
“The impact of violent crime has been felt across the Chicago area, including the suburbs, and addressing it remains a top priority of the business community as both an economic and social imperative. Doing so requires bold action by our lawmakers, which is why we applaud the bipartisan legislation put forth by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the Attorney General’s office to combat organized retail crime and illicit trade. By providing the tools and resources needed to hold these criminals accountable, we can establish stronger protections for those impacted by organized retail crime, including Chicago’s retail, tourism, and hospitality sectors that have been particularly affected. The additional investment enables law enforcement to investigate these particular cases efficiently and effectively so we can better safeguard our communities and prevent further crime that threatens jobs and economic opportunity,” said Jack Lavin, president & CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.
* IRMA dot points…
Focuses on Organized Retail Crime The proposal creates and specifically defines a violation of organized retail crime (ORC). ORC is usually committed by two or more individualswho work together to steal merchandise with value over the current retail theft threshold and resell the item(s) for profit to fund other illegal activities such as gun, drug, and human trafficking.
Deters Smash-and-Grab Thefts Smash-and-grab thefts occur when a group of individuals rush into a retailer and destroy retail property or threaten retail team members while stealing a great amount of inventory in a short period of time. This sometimes involves the use of vehicles and other tools to gain entry into the retailer or to the merchandise.
Deters Supply Chain Thefts Individuals are increasingly involved in stealing merchandise while it is in transit between the manufacture and distributor and the retailer. This involves raiding delivery trucks and cargo containers on trains.
Reduces Criminals’ Ability to Avoid Prosecution The proposal provides jurisdiction to any state’s attorney where any element of ORC takes place to prosecute the whole crime. For instance, if the conspiracy, theft, and selling all occurred in different jurisdictions, each jurisdiction would have the ability to prosecute the whole crime. It also provides the Attorney General the use of the statewide grand jury to prosecute ORC.
Provides Dedicated Enforcement ResourcesThe proposal seeks to provide annual funds to the Office of the Attorney General for additional investigators and attorneys to focus exclusively on ORC. It also provides grant money to states attorneys across Illinois whose communities tend to be the focus of ORC. This grant money will be used to add additional states attorneys dedicated exclusively to ORC.
Addresses Online Fencing ORC rings increasingly use technology and the anonymity of online third-party marketplaces to sell their stolen goods. The proposal requires online third-party marketplaces to verify the seller and the goods offered for sale and the seller to provide contact information. This action will help police outlets used to monetize stolen merchandise, which often funds other illicit activities including gun, drug and human trafficking. The proposal mirrors an agreement that was reached on the federal level by stakeholders and currently sponsored by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.
Enhances Public and Private CoordinationThe proposal calls for a formal collaboration of all stakeholders involved in addressing ORC. The collaboration is designed to provide real-time information and intelligence-sharing and collaboration between asset protection investigators and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners involved in combating ORC related issues at the local, regional, and national levels
Requires Timely and Proper Notice The proposal requires timely and accurate notice of court proceeding to retailers that are victims of ORC, ensuring they can participate in the legal process.
The following changes were made at the request of stakeholders
• Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) provisions were removed;
• A threshold was included for ORC which is consistent with retail theft;
• ORC only applies to two or more individuals rather than one individual; and
• The legislation specifically targets those organizing these crimes, which is defined as an individual who knowingly recruits, organizes, supervises, manages, finances or otherwise directs others to commit ORC.
…Adding…. IRMA…
Moments ago, the IL House passed the ORC legislation by a vote of 96-5. Earlier this morning the IL Senate passed the legislation by a vote of 42-10.
…Adding… AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today applauded the Illinois General Assembly’s bipartisan passage of legislation to combat the rise in organized retail crime and disrupt the criminal enterprises that engage in and profit from organized retail theft.
Attorney General Raoul initiated House Bill (HB) 1091 to address organized retail crime in partnership with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA). The legislation closes gaps in current Illinois law that criminals exploit and provides law enforcement with more tools to address organized retail crimes.
“Organized retail crime is committed by sophisticated criminal enterprises that harm our communities in ways that extend beyond lost revenue and stolen products. These complex operations rely on theft and resale of stolen products to fund and perpetuate the cycle of violence through even more dangerous illegal activities like trafficking drugs and firearms,” Raoul said. “House Bill 1091 will give my office and other law enforcement agencies the additional tools needed to continue to disrupt these criminal enterprises and combat the rise in organized retail crime. I appreciate Senator Glowiak Hilton and Representative Kam Buckner’s leadership on this matter and the bipartisan support for this effort.”
“Organized retail crime threatens our local economies and public safety,” Glowiak Hilton said. “HB 1091 gives prosecutors additional resources to hold perpetrators accountable and expands the comprehensive approach to help stop the rise in organized retail crime across the state. I am proud to work with Attorney General Raoul and our other partners on this effort.”
“By obstructing these criminal networks at their core, we are going after the individuals who are behind this growing public safety issue,” Buckner said. “I would like to thank Attorney General Raoul for his work in making the passage of this proposal today a reality.”
“Organized retail crime robs our communities of tax dollars, threatens the safety of employees and customers, and puts our communities at risk of further crime including illegal firearm purchases, human trafficking and terrorism. By passing this measure, Illinois lawmakers are sending a message to criminals that these brazen thefts will not be tolerated and they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Rob Karr, President & CEO of IRMA said. “I want to personally thank Attorney General Raoul for his partnership and tireless work on this issue and offer our appreciation to Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, Sen. John Curran and Rep. Kam Buckner for their leadership as well as every lawmaker who voted in favor of this important measure.”
House Bill 1091 creates and, for the first time, specifically defines organized retail crime in state law. Organized retail crime and retail fraud are often mistakenly viewed as being isolated incidents, however, organized crime rings are often behind these acts. Organized criminal enterprises connected to the drug trade, human trafficking and other criminal activities target big box stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, auto dealerships and other retailers to carry out sophisticated theft operations, and these operations cross county and state borders. Enterprises use boosters and mules to coordinate thefts of large amounts of merchandise, which is then resold below market value using online marketplaces in order to fund the enterprise’s other illegal activities.
The legislation puts in place stronger oversight of those taking advantage of these online marketplaces and creates a statewide intelligence platform to help retailers and law enforcement agencies better coordinate their enforcement efforts. Additionally, the legislation requires online marketplaces to verify the identity of high-volume sellers. This will help police outlets used to monetize stolen merchandise, which often funds other illicit activities including gun, drug and human trafficking.
The proposal also aims to reduce a criminal’s ability to avoid prosecution for organized retail crime. House Bill 1091 would allow any state’s attorney where any element of organized retail crime takes place to prosecute the whole crime. Those participating in smash and grab robberies, as well as looting of supply chain vehicles such as trains and cargo trucks, could also be prosecuted for organized retail crime. Additionally, the legislation would provide the Attorney General’s office to utilize the statewide grand jury to prosecute organized retail crime. In addition, the legislature appropriated $5 million to the Attorney General’s office to allow the office to award grants to State’s attorney’s offices and law enforcement agencies that investigate and prosecute organized retail crime.
House Bill 1091 builds on the work of Attorney General Raoul’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force. The Organized Retail Crime Task Force is the first statewide, public-private collaboration of its kind in Illinois and is designed to foster cooperation among retailers, online marketplaces, law enforcement agencies and state’s attorneys dedicated to targeting organized retail crime enterprises. The task force allows Raoul’s office to utilize data and tips provided by retailers and partner across jurisdictions with law enforcement agencies to investigate organized retail crimes and trace thefts to the source. For example, the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, with support from Chicago law enforcement recovered more than $1 million worth of stolen goods from several Chicago-area storage units during December 2021. Raoul’s goal in establishing the task force is to continue to improve communication among public and private entities and utilize a multifaceted approach to combatting organized retail theft and related criminal activity.
House Bill 1091 passed the Illinois Senate and House today on bipartisan votes. The legislation will now head to the governor for his approval.
