* I avoided posting this Tribune story today about the editorial board’s GOP gubernatorial candidate interview= because it didn’t look all that enlightening. But, whatevs, here’s an excerpt…
Asked afterward if Bailey agreed with Trump’s false assertion that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, he said, “There was fraud. We know there was fraud.” Pressed on whether he believed that led to Biden’s victory, he said, “I haven’t seen that proven yet, but there was fraud.”
During the editorial board session, Bailey sought to question Irvin’s support for the former president.
“I am a supporter of President Trump, as opposed to what Mr. Irvin wants to say, about (how) he wants to talk about the issues. But it’s interesting because all he really wants to talk about is trashing each one of us around this table.”
Except for Irvin, the candidates — including paving magnate Gary Rabine, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo and attorney Max Solomon of Hazel Crest — explicitly said they voted for Trump in 2020. Irvin, repeating a line he has used in recent days after WTTW Ch.-11 reported on texts in which he called Trump an “idiot” and a “bigoted racist,” said only: “I’m a Republican and in generals (elections), I vote Republican.”
This morning, outsider candidate for governor Jesse Sullivan was joined by Illinois parents and former teachers at a press conference to unveil his latest policy agenda: “Power to the Parents.”
“This isn’t a problem of dollars and cents in Illinois, it’s about power – the radical union bosses have too much, and parents have too little,” Sullivan said. “Schools are injecting sexual and racial ideology into our curriculum, and the teachers’ unions are funding the campaigns of Illinois Democrats then turning around lobbying them to get whatever they want. It’s time to call out the Chicago Teachers Union for what it really is – a radical, extremist wing of the Democratic party.” […]
DELIVER PARENTAL CHOICE BY FUNDING STUDENTS, NOT SYSTEMS
• Universal school choice. Education funding should follow the child. Every parent in Illinois should receive a “Backpack Scholarship” to send their child to the school that best suits their needs: whether public, private, religious or charter.
• Expand the Invest in Kids Opportunity Scholarship Program. Rather than allowing the program to sunset in 2023, we will expand and improve the program to meet the needs of all families seeking access to a quality education for their children. Our plan will:
• Streamline the donation process for investors
• Move from a 75% tax credit to a dollar-for-dollar tax credit
• Allow earmarks for corporate donors
• Advocate for allowing donors to deduct the contribution on federal taxes
• Incentivize workforce training. One of Illinois’ strengths is its diversity. Our manufacturing, information technology, agriculture, and countless others require trained, highly skilled employees. Today, we do not have enough labor to fill the jobs available. Our plan will:
• Expand pathways to post-secondary educational success and open them up to Illinois students. We will end the days of a one-size-fits-all, top-down education system that is failing a significant portion of our students.
• Incentivize industry-driven, proprietary education directly related to available jobs (tying communities that need jobs to available jobs / the jobs of tomorrow). Every child who graduates high school in Illinois should have mastery over at least one skill that will lead to high-wage employment.
DEFUND TEACHERS UNIONS
Self-interested teachers’ union bosses in Illinois prolonged the shutdown of our schools, funded extremist politicians that have made our streets unsafe, protected sexual predators, and have harmed the noble reputation of the teaching profession. The Sullivan administration will:
• Ban political giving from teachers unions: Illinois teachers union bosses give millions of dollars to corrupt Illinois Democrats who sit on the other side of the bargaining table. This is a blatant conflict of interest that has cost Illinois taxpayers billions of dollars.
• Declare the Chicago Teachers Union an extremist hate group: The CTU has openly promoted violence, protected sexual predators and praised murderous, socialist dictatorships abroad. My administration will immediately declare the Chicago Teachers Union an extremist hate group.
PROTECT ILLINOIS SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM SEXUAL PREDATORS
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has refused to provide basic, commonsense protections against sexual abuse in schools, while pushing radical gender curriculum throughout the state. The Sullivan administration will:
• Punish predators in schools: Make it a crime for school employees to have sexual contact with a student, regardless of the student’s age. Teachers unions, Illinois Democrats and Gov. J.B. Pritzker fought against passing a law to do this, despite rampant sexual abuse in Chicago Public Schools uncovered by Chicago Tribune reporters.
• Require parent notification of teacher misconduct: Even if an educator was disciplined by the state for misconduct, Illinois law prohibits ISBE from releasing records related to their misconduct, unless the educator fought against license sanctions. We will require parental notification of all findings of misconduct.
• Close the obscenity loophole for Illinois public schools: We will amend Illinois’ obscenity statute (720 Ill. Comp Stat. Ann, Sections 11-21(c)3) to remove the special protection given to employees of schools, museums and public libraries regarding the distribution of “harmful material” to minors. These employees should be held to the same standards as every other adult in a child’s life. Harmful material is defined as the quality of any description or representation, in whatever form, of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sado-masochistic abuse, when, taken as a whole it (i) predominantly appeals to the prurient interest in sex of minors (ii) is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community in the State as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors.
END POLITICAL INDOCTRINATION IN ILLINOIS SCHOOLS
It doesn’t matter where you stand on the issues of sexual education and pronoun usage in school, you should know who is teaching your kids, and what they’re learning. The Sullivan administration will:
• Reform ISBE to focus on core education, merit and competency, not political indoctrination:
• Increase transparency by passing House Bill 5239, requiring school districts to accept parent or guardian requests to review curriculum and learning material throughout the school year.
• Forbid instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade
• Appoint members of the State Board of Education who value local control, to ensure curriculum decisions are made at the local level wherever possible, rather than mandated by the state.
• Remove racist curriculum from Illinois schools: The Sullivan administration will affirm that no teacher, school official, or student should ever be compelled to teach or affirm any idea that violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• Require curriculum transparency: We will require public schools to post all gender and sexuality education materials online for parents to be able to access.
• Move to parental opt-in for Comprehensive Sexual Education programs. Opt-outs only work in situations where parents know about the curriculum. Opt-in for these sensitive topics will necessitate transparency and accountability to parents.
• Establish an American Civics Bootcamp for teachers to replace Pritzker’s CRT training: Our public education system was founded to teach students how to be productive citizens and engaged members of our representative democracy.
Regrettably, in Illinois schools today, civics and American government are afterthoughts. Our administration will ensure that Illinois teachers have a proper and comprehensive understanding of American civics to teach these core principles to their students.
PASS ILLINOIS’ FIRST PARENTS’ BILL OF RIGHTS
Trust and collaboration between parents, administrators and teachers is the key to student success. By bringing transparency and accountability to Illinois’ education system, we will restore that trust. The Sullivan administration will:
• Pass a Parents’ Bill of Rights: In the model of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Parents’ Bill of Rights, we will introduce and pass legislation establishing the government cannot infringe upon the fundamental rights of parents and legal guardians to direct the upbringing, education, healthcare, and mental health of their child.
• Restore Parental Notification about a Child’s Physical, Mental or Emotional Health: Our administration will ensure that a school district may not adopt procedures or student support forms that require school district personnel to withhold from a parent information about his or her student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being, unless a reasonable person would believe that such disclosure would result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Additionally, we will make it so that school district personnel may not discourage or prohibit parental notification of and involvement in critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.
Lots to unpack there, but CRT is not being taught in schools. My big question (which I have asked) would be what happens if and/or when he can’t pass these bills? Does he try to shut down the government and/or veto the budget, for example?
Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today announced the return of more than $43,000 in unclaimed property to St. Andrew Ukrainian Church in Bloomingdale.
The Treasurer’s Office recently found the unclaimed money and reached out to church officials to return it. The gorgeous Ukrainian Orthodox church, which is a cultural and religious center for Chicago’s west suburban Ukrainian community, has stepped up its charity work in Ukraine following the unprovoked and immoral Russian invasion.
Unclaimed property, also known as I-Cash, refers to money or accounts within financial institutions or companies in which there has been no activity for several years. Unclaimed property includes forgotten bank accounts, unpaid life insurance benefits, the contents of safe deposit boxes and other items.
In the case of St. Andrew, the Treasurer’s Office discovered the church was owed the money while conducting unclaimed property compliance audits of companies. The office found that an investment bank was holding 220 shares of a tech stock for the church that had gone unclaimed since 2018. The stock makes up most of the $43,523.15 returned to St. Andrew. Included in that total is more than $3,600 in dividends the Treasurer’s Office also found.
“We’re so glad to have reunited St. Andrew with this money as the church supports Ukraine at such a crucial time in the country’s history,” Frerichs said. “It’s so important that we do what we can in Illinois to help brave Ukrainians stand against Vladimir Putin’s unjust invasion.”
St. Andrew has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in money and much-needed items to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in late February 2022. On Saturdays, the church sells homemade vareniki (pierogi) and cabbage rolls to raise funds. Church officials say the money has helped Ukrainians to buy tourniquets, diapers and food. In addition, St. Andrew has collected medical supplies, including walkers, crutches and wheelchairs. Church Board President John Jaresko and Pastor Rev. Victor Poliarny have led the way and stressed the importance of rallying around Ukraine and calling for the world to do the same.
Church member Jaroslav “Jerry” Sydorenko said St. Andrew will use the funds to help the people who are suffering in Ukraine.
“We appreciate all the work the Illinois state treasurer’s office did with this project and helping us to receive those funds,” said Sydorenko, of Hoffman Estates. “Ukraine has been in a fight for its life for the last three months. Due to this war, we will be forwarding all of the funds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine.”
Frerichs this week announced I-Cash reached a historic milestone when it paid its 1 millionth claim since he took office in 2015. The office has returned a record-shattering $1.4 billion to Illinois taxpayers during that time.
Tomorrow, voters across Illinois 6th District begin casting their ballots in the Democratic primary. Yet, Rep. Marie Newman continues to refuse to answer questions or publicly release the details of the settlement at the heart of the US House of Representatives’ investigation into her for promising federal employment to Iymen Chehade in exchange for his political support.
“Today is Rep. Newman’s last chance to provide voters with the transparency and honesty they deserve before they begin to cast their ballots,” said Casten for Congress Spokesman Jacob Vurpillat. “Rep. Newman’s highest-paid campaign staffer is someone who a federal investigation found ‘substantial reason to believe’ she promised a taxpayer-funded job in order to win her election, yet she refuses to provide any transparency on this topic.
“Before they cast their ballots, voters deserve to know the answers to many of the questions Rep. Newman has refused to address. How much of the money entrusted to her by her campaign donors has Rep. Newman promised to pay Iymen Chehade? Has she made any additional promises to pay him with taxpayer-provided funds? Does the settlement provide Mr. Chehade with any input on her policy positions or impact on her votes, as suggested may be the case based on her email exchanges with Mr. Chehade? What did Mr. Chehade commit to provide Rep. Newman in exchange for the cash payments?
“Above all else, why is she refusing to answer these questions? What is she hiding?
“Voters should expect transparency from their representatives. If Rep. Newman respects her voters, she’ll release the details of the secret settlement at the heart of her bribery scandal.”
* The Question: Do you plan to vote early this spring (in-person or by mail)? Why or why not?
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker dropped by Riverside Foods on the morning of May 17 to go grocery shopping with and for a Riverside woman.
No, the billionaire governor is not moonlighting as an Instacart shopper. But he did want to highlight how the recently passed package of tax cuts will help parents struggling with high prices and rapid inflation. […]
Pritzker spent nearly an hour at Riverside Foods. After helping Pfeiffer put her grocery bags in the back of her Chrysler minivan, Pritzker and Zalewski stopped by the Riverside home of John, Gelse and Ethan Tkalec.
Waiting for them was ShawnTe Raines Welch, the wife of Illinois House speaker Chris Welch and a candidate for judge in the 4th Judicial Subcircuit.
Raines-Welch said she was there in her capacity as a member of the Proviso Township Mental Health Commission, even though the Tkalecs live in Riverside Township. Pritzker chatted with the Tkalecs for approximately 15 minutes.
A NEW POLL shows Democrats Eric Sorensen and Litesa Wallace are leading in a four-person race for the newly drawn 17th Congressional District seat that Rep. Cheri Bustos now holds. But 51 percent of the 600 likely voters who participated in the Impact Research survey are undecided. Sorensen has an edge in the poll, which his team commissioned, with 20 percent, followed by Wallace, 16 percent; Jonathan Logemann, 5 percent; and Angie Normoyle, 3 percent. Margin of error was +/- 4 percent.
Some of those numbers are more than 5 weeks old.
* Press release…
Today Junaid Ahmed, Democratic candidate for Illinois’ new District 8, asks incumbent Raja Krishnamoorthi to join him in refusing corporate-backed campaign donations.
Last week, an article in Politico highlighted ethical concerns over a Krishnamoorthi fundraiser. A pair of lobbyists planned to attend in hopes of discussing an active investigation that the Congressman is leading. Following questions by Politico about the possible conflict of interest, Krishnamoorthi and his campaign decided to cancel the event.
“Representative Krishnamoorthi is quoted in the Daily Herald as saying that he has to play by the rules of a broken political system. I guess those rules say you can break the law so long as the media doesn’t catch wind of it,” Ahmed said. “The congressman was caught with his hand in the corporate cookie jar. He embarrassed himself, his office, and the citizens of District 8. I call on the Congressman to join my pledge to refuse corporate PAC money.”
Ahmed has raised nearly $1 million through individual donations. To date, Rep. Krishnamoorthi has over $11 million cash on hand, more than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other high-ranking members of Congress.
“Since Rep. Krishnamoorthi is the chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, he should really be leading the charge for campaign finance reform,” Ahmed said. “His job is to promote policies that address income inequality for the middle class. Fairer elections can happen if we take big money out of the picture.”
* Hackler is up against fellow Republican Jennifer Korte for the right to take on Rep. Katie Stewart (D-Edwardsville)…
Today, Joe Hackler, candidate for State Representative in the 112th district, announced his endorsement from the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police. As Democrats cast votes to make our communities less safe, supporting law enforcement and first responders is more critical than ever before. With this key endorsement, police voiced their support for Hackler as the candidate to represent them in Springfield.
“I am honored to have the support of our policemen and women and will fight every day to support them as they keep our communities safe,” said Hackler. “As crime skyrockets, I will continue to stand with law enforcement and take down the Democrats’ radical pro-criminal, anti-police agenda.”
* The folks at Peoples Fabric are in possession of another potentially huge oppo file: 3,500 emails between Tina Wallace, a candidate running for the Illinois House as a Democrat, and Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez, who is now a candidate for mayor. Some of the email exchanges between the two revolved around Wallace’s efforts to at first keep out and then close down a popular and award-winning local brewery/restaurant. Have a look…
Launching her largely self-funded campaign for 19th District state representative with the slogan “The Change We Need,” Tina Wallace has touted her small business credentials and lack of political insider connections.
But public records show Wallace has already used her government connections to satisfy petty grievances, somewhat reminiscent of another area official. In one case, she set her sights on shuttering a beloved award-winning brewery—and she even enlisted the help of an alderman many wards away in her campaign against the small business. […]
In March 2019, after the extensive renovation—and more than a year after the establishment opened for business—inspectors from the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection were dispatched to the site by the alderman whose ward is more than twelve miles away. […]
In a highly unusual move, the south side alderman prompted then-BACP Commissioner Rosa Escareno to investigate Eris. The request was entirely based on complaints emailed by Wallace.
Republican candidate for Governor Paul Schimpf released his 2021 Tax Returns, becoming the first Republican candidate to provide Illinois voters and media the opportunity for full transparency ahead of Illinoisans casting their ballots for the Primary Election. Schimpf understands the struggles of working families across the state, and calls on the other candidates for governor to release their tax returns and offer full transparency to the people they are trying to obtain support from.
“Illinois’ history of corruption runs deep, in large part because elected officials decided transparency to the people they were elected to serve wasn’t important,” Schimpf said. “I will bring transparency to our state government, and I’m starting now by releasing my 2021 tax returns so voters can truly know who they’re voting for—and who are they voting for? Someone that understands the daily struggles our working families face. I’m not like some of my other opponents who are lined with millions of dollars. High taxes, rising gas prices, increasing energy costs, record-high grocery prices all impact our low- and middle-class families, and I feel their burden. I call on all my fellow opponents to release their tax returns because Illinois voters deserve full transparency from the people who could be managing their tax dollars and running our state.”
The return is here. Schimpf reported an adjusted gross income of $56,360, mostly from his pension.
* Government email, but campaign-related…
Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) released the following statement after Governor Pritzker signed HB4383, which makes buying, selling or possessing certain guns illegal in Illinois.
“Governor Pritzker is once again targeting law-abiding gun owners by banning certain firearms when his soft-on-crime policies caused the crime wave in Illinois,” said Miller, who is a member of the House Second Amendment Caucus. “Governor Pritzker cares more about providing “sanctuary state” benefits to non-citizen illegal aliens than defending the Second Amendment rights of the citizens he swore an oath to serve. The crime wave in Illinois is the result of Governor Pritzker using COVID to release inmates and refusing to accept inmate transfers from county prisons, and his work eliminating cash bail to put offenders right back on the street. Governor Pritzker is refusing to work with ICE to deport dangerous illegal immigrants but has no problem violating the Second Amendment rights of the citizens he swore an oath to defend. In Congress, I will always stand up for our Second Amendment. That is why I voted against H.R.8, also known as the “universal” background check bill, which seeks to criminalize the private transfer of firearms. We must protect law-abiding gun owners and our Second Amendment.”
* From the Rodney Davis campaign…
For two weeks, Mary Miller has refused to comment on news reports that a campaign worker of hers served jail time for soliciting sex from a young boy on the internet. Rodney Davis is calling on Miller to break her silence and explain her relationship with the child sex predator.
“Mary Miller needs to stop using the Biden basement strategy and start answering questions about her relationship with a child sex predator. For someone who claims to be an advocate for children and family values, Miller’s silence on this issue speaks volumes about her judgement and character. When you’re a candidate for Congress, you have to answer basic questions about your record. You can’t just hide from the public and hope a bad story blows over like Miller is doing. It’s far past time for Miller to start giving voters some answers.” - Rodney Davis, Republican candidate for Congress in IL-15
A recently conducted survey by Lake Research Partners in IL-01 reveals a competitive Democratic primary race for Congress, and a major opportunity for State Senator Jacqui Collins to take the lead. The race starts out a statistical tie between Collins, Jonathan Jackson, and Pat Dowell, with the undecided vote the clear leader today. However, Collins surges into a commanding 30-point lead once voters learn more about how her background and agenda for the office.
● Despite Jonathan Jackson’s name ID advantage, the race starts out with the top three candidates in a dead heat: 19% for Jackson to 14% for Collins and 14% for Dowell. Karin Norrington-Reaves (5%) and Jonathan Swain (3%) trail behind in the single digits. A 42% plurality of voters are completely undecided, making this contest truly up for grabs at this point in the race.
The polling memo goes on to claim that Sen. Collins’ builds a substantial lead with push questions. But that assumes she’ll have the cash to make her full case to voters. We’ll see.
The annual Paul Simon-Jim Edgar Statesmanship Award is presented to a former or current state or local government official in Illinois who has demonstrated a pattern of public service characterized by vision, courage, compassion, effectiveness, civility, and bipartisanship.
Former Governor Jim Edgar and the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute invite you to nominate an Illinois elected official who has displayed this kind of exceptional leadership.
We created the Simon-Edgar Statesmanship Award to shine a spotlight on remarkable public service that is taking place in our state and local communities. Please join us as we celebrate the Prairie State’s best traditions. Nominate an Illinois statesperson by June 1.
Last Saturday in Chicago’s Millennium Park, a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot prompting Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to impose a curfew on unaccompanied minors.
WGN News asked: “If your 19-year-old and your 17-year-old called you up and said, ‘Hey dad, we want to hang out at the Bean on a Saturday night,’ would you be comfortable with them doing that?”
“Well, certainly watching what happened, the traffic, the death 16-year-old in that area gives one pause,” Pritzker said. “It is the responsibility of local law enforcement to do everything that they can to protect their downtown areas – that’s not just in Chicago, that’s in Rockford, it’s in Quincy, it’s in Carbondale, everywhere in the state.”
The fiscal year 2023 budget includes $1.4 billion to reduce crime and violence.
* Pritzker was also asked about that shooting and the mayor’s curfew order earlier in the week…
I’ve had the Illinois State Police reach out to the city and to the CPD to make sure that we’re offering every available service that we have, from the state level, including state troopers if necessary. And so that’s always available, but we just wanted to double down and make sure that they know, in any moment, particularly if there’s a crisis that’s happening in any given hour, we have state police on the front lines available to assist.
And of course, it’s up to each city, they are on the frontlines to do what is necessary to keep order. And to this, I just want to say these killings, particularly of young people, but any sort are just horrific for everybody that lives in Chicago and everybody that lives in Illinois. And so local police have to get their arms around this. We are providing at the state level significant support in other ways, including state police. But I also want to say, violence prevention programs, we put tens of millions of dollars into youth employment programs and making sure that we’re providing services for youth for the entire summer, but also all year long. And so those services are critically important to employ. We want to make sure that those dollars are being used properly. But suffice to say that the state’s engagement in this is significant.
* Also today, the governor signed a bill outlawing ghost guns…
Governor JB Pritzker signed HB4383 into law, banning the sale and possession of so-called ‘ghost guns’ statewide. ‘Ghost guns’ refer to unserialized, privately made firearms that are often sold as a set of parts to be assembled at home, allowing prohibited purchasers to circumvent background checks. Ghost guns cannot be traced by conventional means and can be created on a 3-D printer, leaving no record of their ownership.
“The people creating, selling, and purchasing these firearms know that they’re working to circumvent common-sense gun laws that ensure guns stay out of the hands of traffickers, abusers, and convicted criminals,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We are seeing these unseralized guns being built in basements by those who should never have had access to such dangerous weapons and then used to commit heinous crimes, and it must be stopped to keep Illinoisans safe.”
Illinois is a trailblazer the fight against ghost guns. President Joe Biden’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has focused on ghost guns since taking office, recognizing the unprecedented threat these unregulated weapons pose. President Biden’s administration has taken similar steps to Illinois on the national level to reign in ghost guns, requiring serialization and reclassifying these build kits as firearms.
Because ghost guns are cheaper and easier to acquire than conventional firearms, they are more accessible to young people. Already in May of 2022, at least two Illinois teenagers were charged with possession of ghost guns, including one case where a loaded ghost gun was brought to a high school. ISP has worked on 28 cases concerning ghost guns in May of 2022 alone. Using the increased expressway cameras installed under Governor Pritzker, State Police recently brought into custody and arrested individuals associated in connection with multiple armed carjackings who used ghost guns to commit these crimes.
A second male, whose age was not listed in the police report, also was “observed in close proximity to (the 17-year-old) at the time of his arrest.” He also was seen pulling a gun from his waistband, but the police report notes he only took out the weapon after Holliday had been shot. When he saw officers coming toward him he also took off running, the report said, but he was stopped and detained after a brief foot chase.
The gun the second male pulled from his waistband was a ghost gun, meaning it does not have a serial number and can’t be traced, according to the report. It was not immediately clear whether police had filed charges against the male with the ghost gun.
* Saying the locals have to step up more may be partly why Lori Lightfoot elbowed her way in today…
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is crashing the governor’s news conference at St Sabina where he is signing a ghost gun bill that Kam Buckner — one of her opponents — pushed. It is not on her public schedule.
More likely, though, it was because the bill’s sponsor Rep. Kam Buckner was being featured. Buckner is running for mayor and Lightfoot never so much as mentioned his name when she spoke and then maneuvered him to the side of the photo op during the bill-signing…
Tonight, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Rachelle L. Crowe to serve as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement on her confirmation:
“We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed Rachelle Crowe to serve as U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Illinois. After seven years without a confirmed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, Ms. Crowe has the qualifications, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction.”
Ms. Crowe’s biography from the White House is included below:
Rachelle L. Crowe: United States Attorney Nominee for the Southern District of Illinois
Rachelle L. Crowe has served as the State Senator for Illinois’s 56th District since 2019. From 2006 to 2018, she served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office in the Violent Crimes, General Felony and Juvenile Abuse units. She was previously an associate at three law firms: Carmody MacDonald P.C. from 2004 to 2006, Riezman Berger from 2002 to 2004, and Hoagland, Fitzgerald, Smith & Praintis from 2000 to 2002. Ms. Crowe received her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2000 and her B.A. from the University of Missouri in St. Louis in 1996.
No word yet on when she will resign her Senate seat. The GOP has targeted the district. Subscribers know a bit more.
Weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court announces a major decision that is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade, Democratic Secretary of State Anna Valencia today has launched her first TV ad, “Consequences,” that highlights her staunch advocacy for reproductive rights.
The ad contrasts her record with Alexi Giannoulias’ support for Republican Tom Cross, who sponsored anti-choice legislation in Springfield and specifically changed the language of the ban on partial-birth abortions to limit the exemption to instances where the procedure was necessary to save the life of the mother, instead of the life of a mother. The bill was intended to maintain a limit on choice for persons in Illinois, and continued to lack an exemption for rape or incest under the amended language that Cross sponsored.
The ad also highlights Giannoulias’ 2016 op-ed urging Illinoisans to unite behind Donald Trump – whose Supreme Court picks are the reason why abortion rights are about to be rolled back. The ad will run on Chicago broadcast and cable TV, as well as on digital platforms throughout the state.
* Spot…
* Script…
“After 50 years, a women’s right to choose is being torn away.
“My opponent, Alexi Giannoulias, has supported an anti-choice candidate and even lectured us to unite behind Donald Trump.
“Trump’s the reason we are facing this crisis today.
“Elections have consequences. That’s why Democrats statewide are standing with me.
“No woman should face jail time for seeking an abortion. And no politician should make medical decisions for us.
In her ad, Valencia is referring to Giannoulias’ endorsement of former Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross, who ran for state treasurer four years after Giannoulias had left the office.Cross, a moderate Republican from Oswego, however, has a history of endorsements that show he supported abortion rights and also same-sex marriage.
He also ran a 2014 television ad in which he said, “I’m pro-choice.” Cross was endorsed by Personal PAC in 2008 and by Equality Illinois in 2014. He was also just one of three House Republicans who voted to legalize same-sex marriage in 2014.
Valencia’s campaign also referenced a bill sponsored by Cross, as House GOP leader, in 2003, describing it as an “anti-choice” bill.
The legislation, a so-called “shell bill,” was designed to amend “the Partial-birth Abortion Ban Act,” according to its synopsis, making “a technical change to a Section prohibiting partial-birth abortions.” Shell bills are typically filed as a way to move legislation often on unrelated issues along more quickly. Budget bills are often moved through shell bills that have already been introduced. […]
Valencia’s ad also features a Chicago Tribune op-ed that Giannoulias wrote in 2016. The words on the screen read, “Alexi Giannoulias ‘Let’s All Help’ Trump.” The op-ed, however, ran two days before the election was called for Donald Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton, and the headline actually read, “Let’s all help our president-elect unify a divided America.”
Nobody was gonna use that shell bill to move something unrelated because the topic was just too hot and the title couldn’t be changed, and it also wasn’t an approp bill. He did what he did, but his endorsement by Personal PAC does say quite a lot. And Cross was also endorsed by Personal PAC in 2010 and in 2012. Tough to call him anti-choice after that.
The hatred and vitriol in this presidential campaign are unparalleled, and our country is deeply and dangerously divided. Hillary Clinton supporters contend they will leave the country if Trump wins (which is the same exasperated refrain we heard when George W. Bush was elected). Some Trump supporters are actually dangerous in their rhetoric, even threatening to take up arms against a Clinton administration.
As it turned out, a few loudmouths threatened to leave and didn’t, but some Trump supporters did, in fact, take up arms after the 2020 election and stormed the United States Capitol Building. He was calling for calm, but used himself as some sort of shining light because he had a drink with Mark Kirk after getting thumped. And the same people who ran Kirk’s race, who went on to run Bruce Rauner’s first race are now running the Griffin slate and salivating at a repeat Giannoulias performance this fall (although, to be fair, they’re also quite pleased with the oppo that has emerged from Valencia’s recent past).
The cost of renovating the north wing of the Illinois Statehouse will be more expensive than officials initially estimated.
Only one bid came in for the project, which is about to get underway. CORE Construction Services of Illinois Inc. priced the job at $243.5 million, well over the $170 million that was originally estimated. […]
“Given the challenges this industry is facing across the nation, such as inflation, increased costs, demand issues, and labor shortages, the project has surpassed its original budget, which was established well before the economic pressures were recognized,” [Statehouse Architect Andrea Aggertt] added. “With that being said, the project is still within the amount that was appropriated by the state.”
State lawmakers set aside $350 million for Statehouse renovations as part of a $45 billion capital improvements package that passed in 2019.
Click here to read what’s in store for the north wing.
As adept as Carvana has proven itself at vertically stacking cars, it’s falling short in the transfer-of-ownership portion of its used car buying experience — which some would argue is the most important part of that experience. Complaints from customers in multiple states, usually around failing to provide titles and sometimes even telling customers to drive on a series of expired out-of-state temporary tags, have finally caught up with the company. Its dealer license in Illinois has been suspended, and the state’s Secretary of State Police department say there’s no ETA for the startup to get it back.
Illinois Secretary of State Police temporarily blocked Carvana’s dealer license on May 10 because the company failed to properly transfer titles for vehicles it sold and misused issuing out-of-state temporary registration permits, said Henry Haupt, an Illinois Secretary of State spokesman.
The Secretary of State’s police department opened an investigation into consumer complaints about Carvana in February, Haupt told Automotive News. The investigation spans about 90 signed complaints, Haupt said. He said he couldn’t provide an exact date as to when Carvana might see the suspension lifted.
Spokesman Henry Haupt said the office suspended Carvana’s license to operate in Illinois after investigating consumer complaints. He said Carvana failed to get buyers their titles within a 20-day period specified under law and in some cases were four to six months late.
He also said Carvana unlawfully issued buyers temporary vehicle registrations from another state. The out-of-state registrations were issued as replacements for temporary registrations in Illinois that expired after 90 days, Haupt said. […]
He said some Carvana customers were ticketed in Illinois for expired registrations. Those customers should pay the fines and the Secretary of State will work with Carvana to get them reimbursed, Haupt said. He had no estimate on when Carvana’s business license might be restored. […]
The Phoenix-based company last week said it was laying off about 2,500 workers, or 12% of its workforce, and its top executives would give up salaries for the rest of 2022 to fund severance. It had reported losing $506 million during the first quarter of 2022, a deficit six times higher than its result from the same period in 2021.
The company has similar problems in other states.
* The Question: Have you ever bought, or would you ever consider buying a car online? Explain.
“It is very discouraging when a candidates resorts to distortions and lies to win votes. It’s even more discouraging when they wear the label Republican. The current campaign tactics used by the Irvin campaign exceeds normal “tough campaign tactics”. For those of us who know these men it is hard to see them so totally misrepresented. The bylaws of the McLean County Republican party do not allow me to endorse in a contested primary. Rightly so as our role as a party should be to allow our Republican voters to have access to all candidates to let them make the decision at the primary. But I can not stay silent when such mailers as these pile up in our mailboxes. Having a large war chest for campaign funds does not mean it needs to be used in such a fashion. I urge voters to not listen to mass mailings but to learn for yourselves who these people are that ask for your vote.”
She doesn’t seem all too happy.
* Speaking of which…
Sheesh.
* IFT…
The Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) Executive Board voted on Saturday, May 14 to endorse candidates for federal, state, and judicial races in the June 28 Primary Election.
The endorsements are the result of the union’s robust candidate review process, which includes candidate questionnaires and surveys, regional discussions, and thorough consideration by board members. IFT’s Executive Board is comprised of 40 elected individuals who represent our diverse local unions statewide.
The IFT had previously early endorsed Alexi Giannoulias for Secretary of State, State Representative Delia Ramirez for U.S. Congress (3rd District), Nikki Budzinski for U.S. Congress (13th District), and Justice Mary Kay O’Brien for Illinois Supreme Court (3rd District).
This Primary Election is an important one; it’s a critical step toward electing lawmakers in June who share our union’s values and will strive to create the future we all deserve. Candidates who have earned the IFT’s endorsement have expressed staunch support for vital public services and a commitment to public education at every level.
IFT President Dan Montgomery said, “We are proud to support these women and men who have demonstrated a will to protect collective bargaining and champion public education and public services. These outstanding candidates represent the collective values of our membership and a desire to work with us to advance our shared goals on behalf of students and communities.”
The complete list of IFT 2022 Primary Election endorsements is available here.
* IEA…
The state executive committee of the Illinois Political Action Committee for Education (IPACE) has recommended four candidates in the Illinois Congressional primary races.
IPACE is recommending Delia Ramirez for in the Congressional District 3 Democrat primary, Rep. Sean Casten in the Congressional District 6 Democrat primary, Brad Schneider for Congressional District 10 Democrat primary and Jonathan Logemann for Congressional District 17 Democrat primary.
The following quote can be attributed to Kathi Griffin, IEA president:
“We are excited to recommend Delia Ramirez, Sean Casten, Brad Schnieder and Jonathan Logemann in the Illinois primary for Congress. These candidates put public education first and know our educators deserve a voice when it comes to education policy. We look forward to working with these politicians and providing the important perspective that only our teachers, paraeducators, professors and support staff can provide, so we can make sure every student continues to have access to the best public education possible.
The IEA is especially excited to be supporting Logemann because he is an IEA member and teacher. He truly knows what supports are needed for our teachers and students because he lives it every day. We need his voice in Washington to both amplify and advocate for public education issues.”
Griffin said it is important that IEA members have a chance to weigh in on candidates running for office in Illinois, whether it be in school board races, legislative contests or for the state’s constitutional officer positions.
“There is a deep connection between schools and elected officials,” Griffin said. “Nearly everything that happens inside a school is governed by a decision made outside of it. The laws, rules and regulations put in place dictate education policy on everything, including curriculum, safety and even what students eat. Those who work in public schools and higher education in Illinois need the ability to listen to candidates and determine who best represents the cares and concerns of public education in our state.”
— Former Gov. Pat Quinn has endorsed Thomas Maillard in his bid to represent that 62nd District of the state House.
— Former state Rep. Mary Edly-Allen has been endorsed by the Illinois AFL-CIO in her bid for the 31st District state Senate seat. She’s in a competitive race against Dem Rep. Sam Yingling. Here’s the full list of AFL-CIO endorsements
Maillard is up against fellow Dems Laura Faver Dias and Terry Wilke to replace Rep. Sam Yingling, who is running for Senate.
* The Republican candidates are all together in one room today…
“We decided to put our energies and resources into having an in-person meeting with the candidates to help us with out endorsement decision. Our call based on the realities of the moment. Nothing to do with anyone else.” (2/2) @
* It goes without saying that she needs to do more than post digital ads…
Democratic Secretary of State candidate Anna Valencia today has released a new digital ad highlighting the endorsement she received from Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. Secretary White notes the historic nature of his own election while encouraging Illinois voters to elect Valencia as the first woman to be Secretary of State.
“My election as Secretary of State not only made history by being the first African American to hold the office, but it allowed me to fix the problems that I inherited,” says Secretary White in the new ad. “And my approach was simple, I looked at the world through the eyes of taxpayers so I can make government work better for you.
White continues in the ad, “I’m proudly endorsing Anna Valencia to replace me. She will carry on our reforms and continue our progress just as she has as City Clerk. I believe in my heart that Anna Valencia will be an outstanding Secretary of State. Let’s make history again by electing the first woman to the Secretary of State’s office.
Last week, Valencia released an ad featuring endorsers including Planned Parenthood Illinois Action President and CEO Jennifer Welch, Illinois State Representative Ann Williams and Cheryle Jackson, CEO of Grit and Grace. The ad highlighted Valencia’s commitment to reproductive justice and history of working alongside women elected officials and community leaders fighting the Trump and Rauner administrations.
Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) released the following statement upon Governor Pritzker’s announcement that Illinois will be rejoining the federal Title X program and putting the funds towards the Illinois Family Planning Program, which includes Planned Parenthood.
“The Hyde Amendment and federal law prohibit funding for abortion or abortion services,” Miller said. “Governor Pritzker may support aborting 9-month-old babies in the womb, but he can’t use tax dollars to pay for it.
President Trump was right when he issued a rule prohibiting Title X from going to Planned Parenthood because they provide abortion services. I joined H.R. 243, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act to ensure that this Trump-era policy stays in place. We must stand up for the unborn and I will not stop using my voice to speak on behalf of those who have no voice.”
* The governor was asked again yesterday about the future of DCFS Director Marc Smith…
Let’s start with these are the most vulnerable children in our state. We owe it to them to do everything that we can to keep them healthy, safe, and make sure that we’re providing the services that are necessary for them and for the people who are caring for them.
When I came into office, many of the employees that we needed at DCFS had gone away, again defunding of DCFS. Twelve directors over the course of less than 15 years, 12 directors. So this idea that when you have an agency that is so challenged, like DCFS, that just cycling through leaders is somehow going to be helpful. Not at all. You need stability, in fact, in order for an agency to improve. So you have to start out with a good leader, we have a good leader, somebody who is working very hard and comes from an agency that was directly serving these children.
You’ve got to provide the resources necessary. And then you’ve got to rebuild things that took years to build up and then were devastated by Governor Rauner. 500 residential beds were done away with during the Rauner administration. You can’t snap your fingers and get 500 beds back. These agencies and organizations don’t have 500 available beds, if you stop contracting with them, they either go out of business, or they provide those services to other agencies even out of state because they don’t trust the government. And remember, bills weren’t paid back then, either. So now we’re rebuilding trust, we’re also rebuilding those beds. I think you’ve seen a plan that the agency put forward, if you haven’t, I’ll provide it to you, in which we’re putting literally dozens of beds every month back into service so that we can provide the kind of residential care.
And then finally, I just say we have more work to do. But if you look inside this agency, many, many positive things have happened. And the best example I can give you, but there are others is, it used to be when I took office, before I took office, 50% of the calls that were going into DCFS were calls about neglect, abuse, all of them were about neglect and abuse. Only 50% of them were being responded to immediately, the other 50% were going into voicemail, and then got responded to over some period of time. Now 99% of all the calls that come into our hotline are responded to immediately. That’s a big change. And it took a lot of effort to get that done. And that’s just one of a list a long list of things that needed to be improved, but take time to do that. We weren’t able to do that in a month or two. That literally took the first year to get the scheduling redone to make sure that the people that you hired understood that they were now going to have to work different hours in order to answer those calls. to put in a a system of reporting that included an online system, there are people who don’t want to talk teachers and others who don’t want to talk to somebody on the phone about it. They’ll put their name in, and their contact information, but they don’t really want to engage in a conversation. They just want to report what they’ve seen. And then that’s another system that we put in to make sure that we’re responding and getting that information immediately. So there’s a lot of work still to be done, I know that. But just hammering on the leader of an agency and not looking at the work that’s being done underneath with the University of Chicago, Chapin Hall with Annie E. Casey Foundation, all advising this agency and making the improvements necessary. All of that work is being done and it would be worthy of all of you just to take a look at that work.
* Pritzker talks a lot about the hotline, so I asked for and received this list about other progress at DCFS since the governor took office in 2019…
• Launched a comprehensive training and retraining program for all DCFS staff.
• Built a new simulation training lab at UIC and building new labs at NIU and SIU for a statewide footprint.
• Achieved the highest DCFS headcount in a decade with nearly 3,000 employees, 79 percent of who are frontline staff.
• Provided a 58 percent increase to child welfare residential providers since FY19 with cost of living increases to private child welfare staff four years in a row after staff went without increases in 16 of the last 18 years.
• Launched a new healthcare plan for 30,000 youth in care with a network three times the size of the previous network and care coordinators to book appointments and help families navigate the process.
• Added more than 100 residential beds with more in the pipeline that are equipped to serve children with the most complex medical needs.
• Dramatically expedited the time it takes background information on families to be provided to investigators from weeks in 2019 to within an hour of a case being assigned today.
• Launched pilot programs across the state with local law enforcement to jointly respond in cases where there are safety concerns.
• Not only eliminated the hotline backlog, but launched a new online reporting system so residents can now report complaints faster and easier than at any point in DCFS history.
* From Kyle Hillman, Legislative Affairs Director for the National Association of Social Workers…
While we deeply share the governor’s desire to finally see stability at the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), maintaining failed leadership to accomplish stability undermines the department and harms the very children who need DCFS to succeed. We joined others in support of Director Smith (a licensed clinical social worker) when he was announced by the governor. His background and experience within the child welfare system seemed to set him up to be a good fit to serve in this critical position. In reality, the Director has proven time and time again that the job is too large and the challenges too difficult to be addressed with his underperforming leadership.
The department’s relationship with child welfare agencies, advocates, and foster parents continues to be eroded. The Director’s DCFS culture that allows leadership to even consider shackling children, forcing kids to sleep on office floors, that places LGBTQIA+ kids in non-affirming placements, and leaving children locked in hospitals to grow up, continue. As we saw in the recent audit, even basic requirements of child welfare are being ignored. A lack of urgency to address even the most pressing issues facing the department must fall squarely on the Director.
We might feel differently if the Director had a strategic plan with timelines that the General Assembly was refusing to fund. Instead, we have seen the General Assembly dramatically increase funding for the department only for the most glaring issues to remain unaddressed.
We wince at the idea of yet another change at DCFS, but holding onto failed leadership just so our governor doesn’t have to admit his choice didn’t work out is hurting children in Illinois. Protecting our kids, strengthening families in trauma, and ensuring our kids brought into care succeed should be more important than the politics playing out here. Our kids can’t wait until after an election, we need the governor to act now.
* Once again posting these in reverse order of when they were received…
Governor JB Pritzker today signed HB1950, extending and expanding the Hospital Assessment Program through 2026. The legislation helps ensure cash-flow predictability for hospitals, tying greater funding to higher Medicaid utilization to protect safety net hospitals. It also reclassifies certain hospitals to better align with payment and Medicaid needs, as well as offering tax exemptions and waivers to help hospitals recover from the effects of COVID-19.
“The Hospital Assessment program was an important support to hospital’s critically in need of additional funding during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This extension continues to support them on the path to recovery and offers expanded services and Medicaid support to more hospitals to ensure people across the state have access to affordable, high-quality health care.”
“The work that is being done in safety net hospitals and other hospitals that serve high percentages of Medicaid customers is so critical – particularly for historically under-served communities of color,” Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Theresa Eagleson said. “The Hospital Assessment program reinforces a more equitable system of health care in Illinois, and ensures more resources are going to the facilities Medicaid customers choose for their care.”
The renewed Hospital Assessment establishes refined payment structures for each hospital class and maintains the existing assessment tax structure. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) collects a hospital assessment tax, the federal government provides matching funds, and the dollars are redistributed to hospitals based on the volume and acuity of the Medicaid patients they serve, as well as the class of hospital.
HFS worked with the General Assembly and stakeholders to distribute funding to hospitals across the state and prioritize hospitals that serve a high number of Medicaid patients. In order to come into compliance with a recent federal mandate, the Hospital Assessment program will gradually shift payments so that each year a larger share of the payments to hospitals is tied to the volume and acuity of Medicaid patients.
The continuation of the Hospital Assessment program recognizes the challenges faced by hospitals, especially small and rural hospitals, over the last several years.
To support recovery from COVID-19 losses, the renewed Hospital Assessment program waives $240,000,000 in the assessment imposed on hospitals, an amount replaced by General Revenue funds in the budget adopted by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Pritzker.
The current Hospital Assessment program, signed into law in 2020 to run through calendar year 2022, brought additional funding, and improved Medicaid responsiveness in the areas of Illinois affected most by COVID-19.
The amendments to the act recognize outpatient services to determine qualification as a high Medicaid hospital, allowing more hospitals to qualify. The reclassifications also establish a new class of small government hospitals, to better align their payments with their costs and federal limits. This class would consist of seventeen critical access hospitals and three small, rural hospitals. This is another commitment to expanding rural health care following other actions from the Pritzker administration on that front, including the recently signed bills SB3017 and SB1435.
The Hospital Assessment program also provides for more security and reliability to safety-net hospitals, hospitals primarily serving Medicaid patients, by adding a rate floor for safety net and critical access hospitals ensuring higher payments during periods of higher utilization.
“The Hospital Assessment program brings an additional $3.9 billion dollars into Illinois’ Medicaid program,” said House Majority Leader Greg Harris. “In addition to providing stability for our healthcare system during these unstable times, we are using these dollars to support trauma services, access to behavioral healthcare and reducing health disparities.”
“Safety net hospitals have historically provided excellent medical services despite having fewer resources and greater need, especially during this pandemic,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Health care is a right and not a privilege. By expanding the Hospital Assessment Program, Illinois is creating a broader pathway for better health outcomes by ensuring access to equitable, affordable health care.”
“The access that is being provided by hospitals that serve high percentages of Medicaid customers is so critical – particularly for historically under-served communities of color,” Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Theresa Eagleson said. “The Hospital Assessment program prioritizes Medicaid-serving hospitals, especially safety net and critical access hospitals and also larger hospitals serving significant numbers of our customers, reinforcing a more equitable system of health care in Illinois, and ensuring more resources are going to the facilities which Medicaid customers choose for their care.”
“The renewed assessment program will provide greater certainty for hospitals as to the amount of the payment they will receive when they serve a Medicaid customer,” said Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights.) “The assessment program will support continued viability for safety-net hospitals and hospitals serving high percentages of Medicaid patients so they can continue their vital work in the communities they serve for the long term.”
“As a safety net hospital, we serve as frontline healthcare providers to some of the most vulnerable populations in Illinois, who often have no other place to turn for their care,” said Larry McCulley, CEO of Touchette Regional Hospital. “This legislation provides an increased investment in safety net hospitals, increasing their ability to provide the desperately needed mental and behavioral services in underserved communities. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, safety net hospitals have seen a massive increase in the need for behavioral health services, one that is difficult for providers to sustain. Through this larger investment by the state, safety-net hospitals will be able to deliver greater access to the behavioral and mental health services that our communities critically need.”
“Communities we serve on the Northwest side of Chicago are in desperate need of expanded behavioral health services, with at least ten to fifteen patients present every day in the emergency department in need of behavioral health services,” said Edward Green, Chairman of the Board at Community First Medical Center. “The legislation signed today will allow our medical center to immediately establish a 24-bed inpatient behavioral health unit to help address the increased need for behavioral and mental health services we are seeing across the city. We want to extend our gratitude to the House and Senate leaders that worked to pass this legislation and to the Governor for his continued prioritization of expanding mental health across the state.”
“The hospital funding included in HB 1950 will go a long way to stabilizing hospitals so they can continue to fulfill their mission of caring for their communities. The reauthorization of the hospital assessment program, coupled with pandemic-related financial relief and the Safety Net HEAL program, will preserve access to healthcare and advance health equity in communities across the state,” said A.J. Wilhelmi, President & CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association. “I’d like to thank Gov. Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers for their support of Illinois hospitals, ensuring all Illinoisans—and particularly our most vulnerable populations—continue to receive quality, affordable care.”
“The updated hospital assessment, in combination with increased investments in safety net hospitals in the recently signed budget, provide a strong step forward in ensuring that community safety net hospitals have the resources necessary to provide essential care,” said Anne Igoe, Vice President, Health Systems, SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana.
* CMS…
A bill strengthening the Child Labor Law passed by the General Assembly was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker.
Senate Bill 3161 enhances the Child Labor Law and is the result of negotiations among the Illinois Department of Labor, the business community, worker advocacy groups and unions.
“Protecting the youngest and most vulnerable workers is critical to preventing exploitation. This bill gives the Illinois Department of Labor additional tools to ensure that child workers in the entertainment industry are safe on the job,” said Illinois Department of Labor Acting Director Jane Flanagan.
The Child Labor Law regulates terms and conditions in which children can work. The changes enacted as part of SB 3161 provide IDOL with more discretion when it comes to protecting children in the entertainment industry from working through the overnight hours.
In fiscal year 2021, IDOL received 14,846 child employment certificates. During the same timeframe, IDOL received 488 requests for night waivers for minors working in motion picture or entertainment productions. Last year, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity said there were more than 80 television and film productions in Illinois.
Employers will be required to provide additional justification for child performers expected to work between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. The waiver request must be made 72 hours prior to the work.
The amendment also allows child performers to work until 10 p.m. without a permit.
These changes will take effect January 1, 2023.
* Another one…
A bill strengthening the One Day Rest in Seven Act has been signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker.
Senate Bill 3146 is the result of negotiations among the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL), the business community, community groups and unions.
“The changes will strengthen the One Day Rest in Seven Act and reflect the ongoing mission of the Illinois Department of Labor to protect the rights, wages and working conditions for people in Illinois,” said Illinois Department of Labor Acting Director Jane Flanagan.
The One Day Rest in Seven Act gives workers the right to a day of rest every workweek and meal or rest breaks during daily work shifts. The changes enacted as part of SB 3146 are intended to clarify the day of rest requirements for workers whose schedules don’t align with a Sunday to Saturday calendar week, and apply to any consecutive seven-day work period. The amendments also require an additional 20-minute break for workers during a 12-hour shift and clarify penalties for bad actors.
Employers with fewer than 25 employees that violate the act can face a penalty of $250 per offense and damages up to $250 per offense. Employers with 25 or more employees that violate the act can face a penalty of $500 per offense and damages up to $500 per offense.
Every employer covered by the Act must post a notice at the workplace to notify employees of their rights under this Act. IDOL will provide this notice on its website for employers to download and post.
The changes will take effect January 1, 2023, giving employers time to update meal and rest break policies and remain in compliance with the law.
…Adding… Another one…
State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) championed a new law to bring awareness to child care assistance opportunities for college students with dependents.
“A lack of resources and support systems can shut out parents from pursuing higher education,” Villanueva said. “Education is a fundamental right, and our state’s student-parent population should not be barred from exercising their right to building a better life for themselves and their children.”
The new law, previously Senate Bill 3149, enhances the effectiveness of assistance programs for students with dependents. It requires that students with dependents be notified of resources that aid them with parenthood, higher education and balancing the two. Senator Villanueva sponsored the measure in the state legislature to bring equity to students whose parenthood might put them at a financial and social disadvantage in higher education institutions.
“This law will help these students focus on their education by helping them achieve independence and stability,” Villanueva said. “Setting them up for success at home increases their chances at succeeding in school and beyond.”
This measure was signed into law Friday.
…Adding… Another…
Governor JB Pritzker today signed two bills designed to provide better access to healthcare for rural Illinoisans. SB3017 amends the Loan Repayment Assistance for Physicians Act to address the shortage of healthcare providers, particularly for obstetrical services, in rural committees. SB1435 amends hospital licensing procedures to clear the way for health center mergers and increased healthcare coordination in rural districts.
“From our telehealth expansions to our Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives, we’re shaping Illinois into a leader in tackling systemic inequities in our rural healthcare systems,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I want to thank Senator Turner and Representatives Yednock and Rezin for bringing us closer to a world where all Illinoisans have the easy and affordable healthcare access they deserve.”
The amended Loan Repayment Assistance Act expands the definition of a “designated shortage area” to include any Medicaid-accepting health provider and expands the eligibility for loan repayment to more physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physicians’ assistants. These expansions are targeted towards attracting more qualified health care professionals to work in rural areas lacking adequate access to care.
SB1425 allows any hospital in a county of fewer than 125,000 inhabitants to apply to the Illinois Department of Public Health to conduct operations from multiple locations within contiguous counties under one license. As a result of the bill, St. Margaret’s Health- Spring Valley will have a path to merge with St. Margaret’s Health- Peru. This will increase healthcare coordination across rural counties and improve quality of care for patients in these systems.
According to a University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center study, rural populations are typically older and have more health needs than those living in urban areas despite facing transportation and coverage shortages. These disparities are particularly acute for patients using Medicare. Rural residents need accessible health care options without the long delays and financial burden of extended travel.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation in 2021 that established the Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives program, which encourages healthcare providers to partner together to develop innovative solutions for meeting healthcare needs in their communities and closing gaps that exist in healthcare delivery across the state. In July, the administration announced roughly $94 million in funding to eight innovative collaborations.
SB3107 and SB1435 target these underserved areas to improve healthcare for rural Illinoisans. Both bills are effective immediately.
Newman, who upset anti-abortion rights House veteran Dan Lipinski two years ago, is hitting the issue hard again, even though Casten—unlike Lipinski—says he’s pro-choice.
In an opinion piece written for CNN a few days ago, Newman wrote about her experience in having an abortion at age 19, when she was a college student “already working two jobs, which hardly covered enough money to support myself.” Beyond that, she wrote, “As a teenager barely out of childhood myself, I simply was not ready to take on the monumental responsibility of becoming a parent.”
Newman picks up that theme in a new campaign ad that starts airing on cable TV today. She then suggests she can be trusted on the issue unlike Casten, who “voted for anti-choice Republicans like George (H.W.) Bush.”
Casten’s campaign responds that he indeed did favor Bush for a variety of reasons—two decades ago—but that his and Newman’s views on abortion rights are “identical.”
There was a difference between HW and W, but the ad doesn’t specify that.
When I was 19 I made the very difficult decision to have an abortion. I just wasn’t ready to start my family. I’ve fought for women’s reproductive rights for 30 years and I’m outraged that this fundamental right is being taken away. In 2020, I beat one of the last anti-choice Democrats in Congress. My opponent now is Sean Casted, who voted for anti-choice Republicans like George Bush. I’m Congresswoman Marie Newman and I approved this message to ask one question: With the stakes this high, who do you trust?
Discuss.
…Adding… Jacob Vurpillat at the Casten campaign…
Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and Marcie Love, the founder of Personal PAC, endorsed Congressman Casten not only because of his 100% pro-choice voting record in Congress, but also because they know he will never hesitate to protect a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. It is disappointing to see our opponent try to mislead voters about an issue they are in total agreement on.
…Adding… The Casten campaign saw some of the confusion in comments and clarified that Casten voted for HW in 1992.
* An email from River Cities’ Reader Publisher Todd McGreevy…
Hello Rich,
I hope this finds you well. Been a long time since we’ve connected.
We’re looking to query the candidates for senate and house seats in the Illinois Quad Cities with insightful questions that we will publish their answers to in our June print edition, out June 2.
Do you have any ideas, comments or specific questions you think we should include in said candidate questionnaire?
* John Noverini, a Republican candidate in the Illinois Supreme Court’s 2nd District, notified the Board of Elections this week that he’d busted the campaign contribution caps with the accumulation of eight separate contributions/loans….
Noverini, who presides over branch court in Elgin, loaned his campaign fund $95,000 in May. He served on the County Board as a Republican before switching to the Democrats. Noverini has since won retention bids. He already has a website up bearing the slogan: “Experience. Integrity. Independence.”
Moreover, Noverini is a bold and independent risk-taker who does not allow establishment politicians to persuade him from undertaking a challenging election contest. For example, in his 2008 judicial election, Noverini, despite not having prior judicial service defeated the appointed office-holder. In unseating the then-incumbent, Noverini, with bipartisan support, became one of the first Democratic judicial candidates to win in Kane County. In the 2014 and 2020 nonpartisan retention elections Judge Noverini was overwhelmingly retained by the voters.
As a conservative, Noverini was actively engaged in Republican party politics in the past, having been elected as a precinct committeeman (1996-2006) and having been elected chairman of the Dundee Township Republicans in 2004 and in 2006.
Additionally, Noverini has a long record of public service, which began with serving on the Carpentersville Zoning Board of Appeals and the Village of Carpentersville Board. He later served as a county legislative-branch official, in that he was elected as a Republican candidate to the Kane County Board and also the Kane County Forest Preserve Commission in both 2002 and 2006. […]
In seeking the Republican nomination for Supreme Court, Noverini is coming home to the party that is aligned with his core values. While the Democratic party has so dramatically shifted to the left in recent years, Judge Noverini’s conservative principles and personal integrity have remained constant, such that he welcomes a return to his roots in the Republican party and looks forward to an enthusiastic, vigorous and engaging campaign.
“He is a godly man.” Also, notice the obvious edit in that video. Weird.
* Anyway, this action busts the caps for all candidates in that district, including for Democrats Liz Rochford and Nancy Rotering. Hold onto your hats.
…Adding… Oops on my part. From Matt Dietrich at the Illinois State Board of Elections…
Rich — Not a big deal but the contribution limits in the Second Supreme Court vacancy were actually lifted April 15 when Daniel Shanes filed the attached Notice of Self Funding.
You can tell a lot about someone based on their friends. Take Richard Irvin. The real Richard Irvin is a lifelong liberal Democrat. Irvin voted for Barack Obama in the Democratic primary for President. Irvin is so liberal that he’s been a strong supporter of Lori Lightfoot. And Irvin called JB Pritzker a ‘great leader’ and a ‘great friend.’ So, the next time you see Richard Irvin’s TV ads, remember, Richard Irvin is a lifelong liberal you just can’t trust.
The ad has been spotted on both cable and Chicago broadcast.
The $1.8 million ad buy set to begin across Illinois on Monday will mark the first TV commercials that Bailey has aired in the Chicago area.
“We’re turning up the heat,” DeBose said.
The latest contribution from Uihlein brings his contributions to Bailey’s campaign to more than $6 million. But that still pales in comparison to the competing largesse from hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin, who so far is bankrolling Irvin’s bid for governor to the tune of $45 million.
