The average Illinois household will continue paying significantly more each year in higher state and local taxes implemented after Gov. J.B. Pritzker took office, even with proposed tax cuts from Democrats at the statehouse, an analysis finds.
The report from the Illinois Policy Institute examines the state’s budget approved Saturday, which includes temporary tax savings amounting to about $556 per family, on average.
The tax breaks would come from a property tax rebate of up to $300, a one-year suspension of the state’s grocery tax coming out to an average of about $56, and a $200 low-income family tax credit. Pritzker also plans to suspend the state’s gas tax increase tied to inflation, though IPI says that provides no tax relief. The gas tax provision only delays for six months a scheduled 2.2 cents a gallon gas tax increase that hasn’t kicked in yet.
The report shows that Illinois families have paid a total of $2,721 in higher taxes since Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 24 tax-and-fee hikes were implemented in 2019.
That breaks down to the average Illinois household paying roughly $680 more each year from 2019 to 2022 towards higher state and local gas taxes, vehicle registration fees, parking garage taxes, and online sales tax, the report shows.
Um, that $680 per family, per year includes the parking garage tax? C’mon. Remove the $270 a year garage tax misleadingly included in that $680 per year in increased taxes and you wind up with $410 per year, per household; which means that the average family is coming out ahead with an overall $556 break this year. Also, not paying a legally scheduled tax hike for six months is indeed a tax savings. It should’ve been included.
The $680 total, by the way, also includes expanding the sales tax to online purchases, which is just common sense and helps local brick and mortar businesses even the playing field.
* Cases are up by 30 percent, but are still low. Hospitalizations, a lagging indicator, are down 7.6 percent. ICU and ventilator usage are up, but the overall numbers are small. Daily vaccine average is about the same. Deaths are down 37 percent, but, again, the overall numbers are small. Here’s IDPH…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 14,049 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 45 deaths since April 8, 2022.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,094,485 cases, including 33,510 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years.
As of last night, 464 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 70 patients were in the ICU and 32 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 110 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Illinoisans.
A total of 21,648,058 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 19,799 doses. Since April 8, 2022, 138,595 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 76% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, more than 68% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and more than 50% is boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data indicates that the risk of hospitalization and severe outcomes from COVID-19 is much higher for unvaccinated people than for those who are up to date on their vaccinations.
On April 12, IDPH announced it is using 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 impact of COVID-19 in communities. In addition, as a result of HHS announcing that testing providers are no longer required to report some negative test results, IDPH will no longer know how many tests are being done and will therefore no longer report test and case positivity.
All data are provisional and are subject to change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
I’m shutting down relatively soon, so comments are closed.
* In the midst of yet another very long rebuttal of the mail/TV/text attack ads on him by Richard Irvin, Sen. Darren Bailey said this today…
I mean, friends, this is absolutely disgusting. And this man, Richard Irvin, and his lieutenant governor candidate Avery Bourne, if they’re going to be so bold as to say things like this now, can you imagine what things are going to be like if they get into office? Which we don’t have to worry about that.
Bailey is doing a lot of explaining in long videos that are only viewed by a super-tiny fraction of the GOP voting base. And since he’s not pushing back in his own mail/TV/text advertising, he’s not reaching the people who are forming unrebutted views of him.
I know you’re getting concerned and frustrated. But this is what a grassroots movement does. We educate, we inform, we get out. Last night, up in Buffalo Grove, the friends that were up there, there’s hundreds of people walking. And I think over 2000 doors and phone calls have been, doors had been knocked on and flyers had been left over the course of the last week.
Lit drops aren’t very effective. And if he has “hundreds” of walkers, his campaign would have made a whole lot more contacts than that. He’d better hope the DGA ad program works.
* Speaker Welch…
Following a legislative session with a fourth consecutive balanced budget, funding for Illinois youth, and economic relief for Illinois families, House Democrats are also celebrating a strong quarter of fundraising in which they are poised to outraise all other legislative leaders and Illinois caucuses.
While adjusting to new state ethics laws, House Democrats reported raising over $1.3 million during the first quarter of 2022. Speaker Welch raised $139,900.00 for Democrats for the Illinois House, while The People for Emanuel “Chris” Welch raised $1,177,275.00.
Funds raised will be used in the 2022 primary and general elections. As the first African-American Speaker of the House, Welch says funds will be used to continue to shape Illinois into a great state to raise a family where the government is inclusive and works for the people.
“Democrats in the House have come together like we’ve never seen to get things done for Illinois families,” said Welch. “Our supporters see that. You can see it in the legislation we pass focusing on the people, and how we come together to get things done. We are going to build on that momentum by electing more Democrats to the House. We are the party working to serve Illinoisans. I am extremely proud of our fundraising efforts, and I’m thankful to the supporters who believe in our work. We have a lot more work ahead.”
In addition to the totals raised, individual members have also had a successful fundraising quarter with the support of the house democratic caucus fundraising team.
* DPI…
Today, the Democratic Party of Illinois announced it raised a total of $712,676.30 in the first quarter of 2022 and ended the quarter with a total of $4,246,889.46 on hand. Total fundraising included $362,296.56 in federal fundraising and $350,379.74 in non-federal fundraising, including contributions from nearly 750 unique donors, and marked the strongest fundraising quarter for the DPI under the leadership of Chair Robin Kelly.
“Our strong fundraising performance is a reflection of the enthusiasm from Democrats across Illinois in the DPI and its work,” said Abby Witt, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “As campaign season ramps up, we are well resourced to execute Chair Kelly’s vision of a party that provides the foundation for successful Democratic campaigns up and down the ticket in 2022 and beyond.”
* Rochford…
Today, the Judge Rochford for Supreme Court campaign announced it will report raising over $137,000 in the first quarter of 2022, bringing the total raised from the launch of the campaign through the end of March to nearly $400,000. Since the start of this race, Judge Rochford’s campaign has outraised the nearest opponent by more than $170,000. Driven by Judge Rochford’s exceptional credentials and deep judicial experience, the campaign has the momentum in this race after receiving numerous key endorsements and with strong support from a coalition of legal professionals, organized labor, elected officials, and small dollar individual donors from across the district.
The campaign has already raised more than $100,000 in the first two weeks of the second quarter following an event hosted by major labor organizations on April 12th. The event was hosted by the Illinois AFL-CIO, UFCW Local 881, Illinois Pipetrades Association, IUOE Local 399, and Plumbers Local 130, among others.
* More…
* Democratic ward orgs — mostly headed by aldermen — see infusion of Pritzker donations ahead of June Primary Election: More than a dozen aldermen who also serve as Democratic committeepeople saw a cash infusion from Gov. JB Pritzker during the first three months of this year. Several Chicago aldermen who also serve as their ward’s Democratic committeeperson saw donations ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 from Gov. JB Pritzker during the first quarter of this year.
* Jonathan Jackson endorsed by Rep. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia in race to replace Bobby Rush: Jackson, the Chicago-based national spokesman for Rainbow PUSH and the son of Rev. Jesse Jackson, was joined by Gacia (D-Illinois 14), who enthusiastically gave his support to the candidate. “I proudly stand with Jonathan Jackson and throw my wholehearted support and endorsement to his effort to become the next congressman of the First District,” Garcia said.
* Republicans in 13th Congressional District face off in Springfield forum: [Terry Martin], a journalist-turned-politician who covered Congress and Illinois state government, said he could no longer sit on the sidelines. “What I couldn’t do is stay neutral because I was becoming just so utterly frustrated at the upside down world we live in,” Martin said. “We’re told to wear masks and yet we can have the border open.”
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch shared some insight about how he came to be elected speaker in January 2021. It started about six months earlier in the summer of 2020.
Welch got a call one day from Rep. Robyn Gabel. “She said, ‘I’m working on something, and I’ll give you a call about it later. ‘Just behave, OK?’ And I thought, `What the hell is she talking about?’”
Welch told the story at a small fundraising event on his behalf last night sponsored by Illinois Environmental Council, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.
Gabel did call back, he continued. “And she said, ‘I think you’re going to be the next speaker.’ I told her she was nuts.” Though he acknowledged later that Rep. Will Guzzardi had suggested the idea, too.
Then January came, and Michael Madigan didn’t have the votes to hold the reins to the speakership. “And it happened,” Welch told the group. “Robyn saw something in me before I saw it. And how often does that happen in your life?” […]
“It’s something that we had been thinking about for a few years,” Gabel said, referring to her and other Democratic allies thinking about who the next speaker would be. “We knew Madigan wouldn’t be around forever one way or another. So I looked around at who I thought would be a good speaker. To me it was important for the speaker to come from the Black Caucus. I watched [Chris] as he got up to speed in Springfield. I liked that he supported women’s issues, which was important to me. So I thought it’s Chris.”
Pretty good story. I’ve known “Able Gabel” forever, even before she was in the House. She’s good at her job and has served Welch well in leadership.
Also, Rep. Guzzardi is a pretty strong head-counter. He knew, for instance, that his minimum wage increase bill was going to pass in 2017 even though Speaker Madigan thought it would fail. He was also the first to tell me that he believed the votes were there to override a Bruce Rauner veto of an income tax hike.
Hmm. I must be in a good mood because of the upcoming holiday.
Asked about running for office, Mr. Griffin said his plate is currently full. “I would like to think that at some point in my life, I will have that opportunity to be involved in public service,” he said. […]
Besides his investments in federal elections, Mr. Griffin is also expected to spend heavily this year to try to block a fellow billionaire, Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, from winning a second term. He has already contributed $20 million to the campaign of Richard Irvin, a Republican mayor of a Chicago suburb.
Mr. Griffin and Mr. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune and the brother of former U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, have had a running feud in recent years, lately over with rising violence in Chicago.
“I’ve had multiple colleagues mugged at gunpoint. I’ve had a colleague stabbed on the way to work,” Mr. Griffin said of Chicago. “That’s a really difficult backdrop with which to draw talent to your city.”
* Happy Good Friday. My subscriber email out-of-office bouncebacks were quite voluminous this morning, which is a reliable indicator that lots of people have already checked out for the weekend. I’ll probably put in a half-day or so. In the meantime, what’s on your mind today?
* Fourth District Illinois Appellate Court. Justice Cavanagh wrote the decision…
According to the complaints in these three appeals, the plaintiffs work for or used to work for public employers in Illinois, either on the local level or the state level. We will refer to the plaintiffs, collectively, as “the employees.” In the circuit court of Sangamon County, the employees petitioned for the issuance of temporary restraining orders that would bar the public employers and Governor Pritzker from enforcing a workplace policy requiring all employees either to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or, alternatively, to undergo regular testing for COVID-19. The court denied the petitions for temporary restraining orders. The employees appeal. We find no abuse of discretion in that ruling. Therefore, we affirm the judgments in these three cases. […]
One of the reasons why the circuit court denied the employees’ petitions for temporary restraining orders was that recently the General Assembly passed an amendment making clear that it was not a violation of the Conscience Act for any employer to take measures calculated to prevent the spread of COVID-19. […]
To quote from Sutherland again, “while the views of a subsequent legislature cannot override the unmistakable intent of the enacting one, such views may be entitled to significant weight, particularly when the precise intent of the enacting legislature is obscure.”
The employees assert that their employers’ vaccination or testing requirement violates section 2 of the Health Act (20 ILCS 2305/2 (West 2020)). The employees do not offer much of an explanation, though, of how that requirement violates the statute.
Section 2(a) of the Health Act provides that the Health Department “has supreme authority in matters of quarantine and isolation.” Id. § 2(a). The employers, however, have not quarantined or isolated any employees, nor have the employers threatened to do so. Because the term “quarantine” is undefined by the Health Act, we give the term its dictionary meaning. See People v. Chapman, 2012 IL 111896, ¶ 24. A “quarantine” is “a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed.” New Oxford American Dictionary 1393 (2001). To “quarantine” someone means to keep that person isolated from other members of society. Cassell v. Snyders, 458 F. Supp. 3d 981, 1002 (N.D. Ill. 2020). The threatened penalty for noncompliance with the vaccination or testing requirement is merely the loss of employment, not quarantine or isolation. To be fired is not to be quarantined or isolated from the community at large.
Section 2(d) of the Health Act provides that “[t]he [Health] Department may order physical examinations and tests and collect laboratory specimens as necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of individuals in order to prevent the probable spread of a dangerously contagious or infectious disease.” 20 ILCS 2305/2(d) (West 2020). Section 2(d) further provides that if the individual refuses to consent to such testing and if “that refusal results in uncertainty regarding whether he or she has been exposed to or is infected with a dangerously contagious or infectious disease or otherwise poses a danger to the public’s health, the individual may be subject to isolation or quarantine.” Id. Similarly, section 2(e) (id. § 2(e)) provides that “[t]he [Health] Department may order the administration of vaccines *** to persons as necessary in order to prevent the probable spread of dangerously contagious or infectious disease” and that “the [Health] Department may, pursuant to the procedures in [section 2(c) [(id. § 2(c))], isolate or quarantine persons who are unable or unwilling to receive the vaccines.”
Just because section 2 of the Health Act confers upon the Health Department such authority, it does not logically follow that the employers lack authority over workplace safety, such as the authority to require employees, on pain of loss of employment, to undergo vaccination or testing for infectious diseases such as COVID-19. “Administrative agencies have, in addition to the powers conferred upon them by explicit statutory language, the power to do all which is reasonably necessary to effectuate the powers and authorities explicitly granted to them.” Taylor v. State Universities Retirement System, 203 Ill. App. 3d 513, 522 (1990). “An express grant of power or duty to do a particular thing includes the express grant of power to do all that is reasonably necessary to execute the power or duty.” Owens v. Green, 400 Ill. 380, 400 (1948). The employers surely have the power to lay down workplace safety rules, of which the vaccination or testing requirement is an example—because such power is reasonably necessary to effectuate the powers that the legislature explicitly granted to them.
Citing Austin v. Board of Education of Community Unit School District 300, 2022 IL App (4th) 220090-U, ¶ 15, the employees argue that the Governor lacks authority to “make final decisions on public health.” The vaccination or testing requirement that the employees challenge, however, is not a decision on public health. “Public health” is “[t]he health of the community at large” or “[t]he healthful or sanitary condition of the general body of people or the community en masse; esp[ecially] the methods of maintaining the health of the community, as by preventive medicine and organized care for the sick.” Black’s Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019) (sub-definition of “public health” in the definition of “health”). The vaccination or testing requirement is not calculated to maintain “the health of the community at large.” Id. Nothing in the employers’ policy prevents an employee, upon testing positive for COVID-19, from circulating in “the general body of people” outside the workplace and thereby spreading the infection. Id. The vaccination or testing requirement is, instead, a workplace safety rule and a workplace rule of considerate conduct toward the public that the agencies serve. [Emphasis added.]
By this reasoning, mask mandates aren’t a form of quarantine either, since the dictionary definition of “a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed” would obviously not apply. So Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow’s ridiculous rulings to the contrary will hopefully and finally be put to rest, as will the lawsuit filed by a handful of Department of Corrections workers that we discussed earlier today.
The dissent didn’t mention the quarantine argument.
(W)hen I saw the language about quarantine, I found that odd because we’re not talking about quarantine or isolation under Subsection C of the Health Act. We’re talking about other specific provisions.
Um, the justices clearly referred to the entire section as well as numerous subsections, not just one subsection. Swing and a miss.
Several dozen employees of the Illinois Department of Corrections are suing the state over COVID-19 vaccine or testing mandates.
A lawsuit filed in Christian County Circuit Court requests a temporary restraining order. A hearing is set for Friday.
The 46 employees work at 18 different correctional facilities run by the state of Illinois.
In one of the filings from attorney Thomas DeVore on behalf of the plaintiffs, the lawsuit contends under Illinois law, “an individual may refuse to receive vaccines, medications or other treatments.”
IDOC was one of the last holdouts of state employees Gov. J.B. Pritzker mandated last fall to be vaccinated as a condition of employment. After reaching an impasse, Pritzker and the union representing more than 10,000 IDOC employees negotiated through interest arbitration. An arbitration panel in December said IDOC employees should be mandated to get the vaccine.
A major initiative of a regional carpenters’ union that aims to end wage theft in private construction projects will head to Gov. JB Pritzker.
The long-debated measure allows a worker with a wage theft or fringe benefit grievance against a subcontractor to sue the primary contractor to rectify the situation. The primary contractor is the entity that deals directly with the customer and hires the subcontractors to complete a project.
The bill also requires the subcontractor to compensate the primary contractor for any wages, damages, interest, penalties or attorney fees should the primary contractor be forced to rectify a wage theft claim.
“Construction jobs are unique in that they often feature various subcontractors under one general contractor whose job it is to make sure all laws, including wage-related ones, are being followed,” the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, said in a statement. “This measure will ensure that the hardworking individuals who are employed by subcontractors receive fair compensation should that subcontractor fail to pay them.”
The Associated General Contractors of Illinois opposed the measure. That group and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce could not be reached for comment.
The Hispanic American Construction Industry Association fought the bill. In a statement issued in early April, the group cited “the harm it will inflict on up-and-coming construction firms in Illinois and the employees who become victims of wage theft.” It said it contradicts Illinois’ goal of diversifying the construction industry and creates an incentive for cheating.
“Shifting liability for wage theft encourages bad actors to continue stealing from their employees because they know that someone else will be held accountable,” the group said.
A study issued early last year concluded that payroll fraud affects 20% of Illinois construction workers, or about 52,000 people. The study by labor-backed groups, including the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, said some employers skip paying payroll tax, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation.
* Press release…
The Illinois Education Association (IEA) worked with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and the governor’s office to ensure the passage of several pieces of pro-public education legislation during the 2021-22 legislative session in Springfield. This legislation will mean stronger K-12 schools and stronger community colleges and universities for our students, and it will help us address the growing teacher and education support staff shortages in our state.
“We are about to end our second full school year during the COVID-19 pandemic. These have been the hardest years of most of our educators’ careers and are also likely the most difficult two years of our students’ learning careers. Our lawmakers recognized that. They acknowledged that not with mere words, but with action. We thank you for standing by our teachers, support staff, students and communities,” IEA President Kathi Griffin said. “This legislative session brought positive change to every Illinois student from pre-school through college. The legislative initiatives passed by the General Assembly also help to address some of the problems that are leading to the teacher and support staff shortages that are now at a crisis level. But as much great work as we’ve done, more still needs to be done to keep our outstanding, experienced educators in their schools and higher education institutions and to attract bright, ambitious young minds to the profession. We look forward to continuing this important work.”
Legislation passed by lawmakers this session that will have a positive impact on public education:
• Threat Assessment Law Update (HB 4994) – This bill ensures safe schools for all Illinois students. It’s a collaboration between IEA and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The legislation will mean school district administrations are monitored by Regional Offices of Education to make sure they are in compliance with Illinois’ Threat Assessment Law. That law is designed to help prevent active shooter situations and violence in our schools.
• COVID Admin Days and Paycheck Protection (HB 1167) – HB 1167 will provide COVID administrative days to teachers and education support staff who are either vaccinated or who are federally exempt from the vaccine. This ensures teachers and support staff will not have to use sick days for COVID related absences. It also restores any previously used sick days educators may have taken. Included in this legislation is paycheck protection for hourly school employees in the event a school closes for an emergency.
• Special Education Co-Op Bill (HB 3709) - This bill protects collective bargaining rights for special education teachers and support staff by ensuring seniority is maintained when a special education co-op is dissolved or combined with another special education co-op.
• Mental Health Days (HB 4742) – HB 4742 provides education employees can use sick days for mental health related reasons.
• Increased education funding, full pension payment and monies to address teacher shortage (HB 900) -
o Lawmakers allocated an additional $350 million dollars for public education, which means the evidenced-based funding model for K-12 schools was fully funded.
o The legislature approved sending the state’s full payment and additional funding to the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS).
o After years of nearly stagnant funding for universities and community colleges, lawmakers approved a significant increase in higher education funding.
o Also included is $400,000 for the Educators Rising Program, which is the community-based movement that encourages Illinois high school students to choose to become teachers.
* More on the mental health days from Quincy’s WGEM TV…
QPS personnel director Lisa Otten said anything that can be done to support teachers mental health is worth doing.
She said right now teachers can use sick days as mental health days. She said the district also offers teachers three free counseling sessions through their insurance plans.
Otten said they’re noticing more teachers taking advantage of those services.
“More of our staff members are using this service, probably because of the mental health needs right now with post-COVID,” she said. “Our families and staff have been through a lot so we are noticing an uptick in of the staff that are using the free counseling services.”
On the last day of a shortened session, the Illinois General Assembly passed a budget that included a historic $122M increase in the Monetary Award Program (MAP), which will allow 24,000 more students to access the state’s primary need-based aid program. Other higher education highlights include a 5% increase in college and university funding and investments in financial aid programs that will help make college more affordable for students seeking careers with high market demand. The FY23 budget, for example, doubles funding to the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship, which aims to increase the representation of teachers of color in Illinois.
This budget symbolizes a renewed commitment by the state to make college more affordable and accessible, particularly for students who have been historically left out of higher education. The Partnership applauds Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly for advancing a budget that will help put Illinois on track to a more equitable and prosperous future.
Right now, this investment is particularly important with colleges in Illinois and across the country experiencing significant enrollment declines, particularly among Black students and other marginalized populations. While there are many reasons why college enrollment is down across the country– mental health, increased family responsibilities, and the perceived value of a degree– college affordability is perhaps the number one reason why Illinois students and families are not seeking a postsecondary education in the state.
Getting Illinois on track to a truly affordable higher education system requires a reinvestment that is both substantial and targeted. This is because the state disinvested in colleges and universities between 2002 and 2018, pushing institutions to raise their prices to cover the cost of delivering high-quality education. This priced out students from low-income households and students of color, especially from Illinois’ public universities.
Today, the maximum MAP award covers just 32% and 36% of tuition and fees at public universities and colleges, respectively, and thousands of eligible students are denied awards every year when funding runs out. Reversing this trend will require stable and significant investments in both students and the institutions that serve them and the budget passed by the General Assembly last weekend is a significant down payment toward this goal.
With both the increase in MAP funding and expanded eligibility to students seeking certificates or credentials, roughly 24,000 more students will receive a MAP award. The investment will not only increase the number of students served but also increase the percentage of tuition and fees covered by a maximum award, from 32% to 50% at public universities.
Unless both sides can reach an agreement before May 19, voters will get to decide in a June 28 referendum which map will become the city’s new ward boundaries — the one proposed by the Black caucus or the offer from the Latino caucus. A remap needs 41 votes to become law, and neither side likely has enough votes. We have always thought that letting voters decide is the best route to take, especially since Chicagoans are the one group routinely shut out of the remap process.
There’s a hitch, however, to the potential for a referendum.
Both the Black and Latino caucuses have submitted their versions of a remap for placement on the June 28 referendum ballot. But the Latino caucus now wants to submit a new and improved map for the ballot. The caucus has teamed up with Change Illinois, a civic advocacy group behind an advisory redistricting commission that crafted its own map. That document, known as the “People’s Map,” has merit because it was produced with the input of voters — the same voters that City Hall has ignored during remap talks.Like Change Illinois, members of the Latino caucus believe the process is fairer when it includes citizen input.
But 15 aldermen with the Latino caucus already signed onto putting their original map on the referendum ballot. The Black caucus map has been signed by 33 aldermen. Aldermen can only sign onto one map. A minimum of 10 aldermen are needed to put a map on the ballot, which makes it impossible for the Latino caucus to swap out its old map for a new “People’s Map.”
Change Illinois leaders tell us there is a wonky workaround, though. If at least 26 of the council’s 50 aldermen vote to approve one of the maps, then the whole process starts anew and each caucus can revamp their maps and resubmit them for placement on the ballot. A vote of 41 or more for a map would negate the need for a referendum, but given how far apart both sides have been, that’s not likely.
Considering how the reformers have been bad-mouthing the majority with “Because Madigan!” insults, I’m kinda thinking that the majority is probably in no mood to cooperate. But, hey, we’ll see.
*** UPDATE *** Like I said, the city council majority ain’t exactly happy right now. Check out their new mailers…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate fell -0.1 percentage point to 4.7 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +18,300 in March, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The February monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +19,600 to +25,100 jobs. The February unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 4.8 percent. The March payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th.
In March, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Professional and Business (+9,700), Financial Activities (+3,800), and Leisure and Hospitality (+3,500). The industry sectors that reported monthly payroll declines were: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-3,500), Other Services (-1,200) and Mining (-100).
“We are pleased to see another positive sign of Illinois’ continued economic growth,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “IDES and the Pritzker Administration are committed to innovating and building an even stronger workforce system. Workers and businesses across Illinois can leverage the latest resources by visiting Get Hired Illinois or IllinoisJobLink.com today.”
“With the unemployment rate falling and thousands of jobs being added in key industries, such as hospitality and professional services, Illinois continues on a positive economic trajectory,” said DCEO Director Sylvia I. Garcia. “DCEO remains laser-focused on prioritizing efforts to attract job creators while supporting an equitable economic recovery for all Illinoisans.”
The state’s unemployment rate was +1.1 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for March, which was 3.6 percent, down -0.2 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -2.0 percentage points from a year ago when it was at 6.7 percent.
Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +238,300 jobs, with gains across nearly all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases were: Leisure and Hospitality (+87,600), Professional and Business Services (+55,000), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+40,200). Construction was the only industry that reported a decrease (-700). In March, total nonfarm payrolls were up +4.1 percent over-the-year in Illinois and up +4.5 percent in the nation.
The number of unemployed workers was down from the prior month, a -3.0 percent decrease to +299,300 and was down -29.4 percent over the same month for one year ago. The labor force was up +0.4 percent over-the-month and up +2.2 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
* Comparison…
…Adding… Jesse Sullivan…
“Illinois should be leading America’s economy, not trailing – and we can again with new leadership.
“Unfortunately, the legacy of J.B. Pritzker’s economy is that he closed our businesses, told workers to stay home, and raised our taxes. The result: Illinois just received an ‘F’ grade for economic outcomes during COVID. Temporary election-year gimmicks won’t undo the damage he’s caused, and the voters know it.
“We can do better. I’ve invested in job creators around the world, bringing prosperity and purpose in the toughest of circumstances. It can be done here in Illinois, but only if we make a real change.
“Businesses and workers in Illinois are dealing with much more than profits and losses. They’re scared and held back because of rising crime, corruption in Springfield, and high taxes. I’m the only candidate who’s signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, I’m the only candidate who has a Safe Streets Plan to crack down on crime, and I’m the only candidate with a Clean Up Illinois agenda to end corruption in Springfield.
“It’s going to take a real change from a real outsider, not another politician, to grow Illinois’s economy to the front of the pack where we belong.”
As Willie Wilson pumped free gasoline into cars at gas stations around the Chicago area last month, many of those same stations pumped money into the campaign account of one of his political advisers who is organizing a high-profile electoral run of his own. […]
Eighteen gas station owners who participated in Wilson’s second giveaway on March 24 donated a total of $34,154 in contributions ranging from $1,000 to $5,654 to the Friends of Richard Boykin committee, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state Board of Elections at the end of March.
Boykin helped coordinate the gas giveaways, including meeting with some of the owners of the participating stations with Wilson at his high rise-condo to coordinate logistics ahead of the second giveaway. Wilson directly paid $1 million to nearly 50 stations in the second giveaway, allowing people to fill up to $50 in gas until the money ran dry.
Boykin said Wednesday the contributions were in “no way connected to their participation in the gas giveaway.”
Yeah. No connection whatsoever. Nothing to see here. Move along.
* I’d go one step further with this and a whole lot of other laws that these GOP candidates are railing against and ask if they are prepared to shut down state government or create some other crisis in order to force legislative changes. DPI…
Over the past year, extreme restrictions on the right to choose have swept across Republican-held states like Oklahoma, Texas, and Idaho. Now, these far-right attacks are creeping closer to Illinois. Yesterday, Kentucky GOP legislators overrode the Democratic governor’s veto, enacting a law that will “effectively end” abortion access in the state. This comes in the wake of a Missouri proposal that specifically targets Illinois abortion providers and Iowa’s Republican governor indicating she would seek further restrictions if Roe is overturned.
Meanwhile in Illinois, GOP gubernatorial candidates have made it clear they would not hesitate to follow suit and strip abortion rights from Illinois women if given the chance. Extremists like Darren Bailey have even suggested that there should be no exceptions for abortion even in cases of rape or incest.
The GOP’s alarming agenda has no place in Illinois. Every single candidate for governor should answer whether they would seek to implement a harsh abortion ban in Illinois if elected.
• Darren Bailey has failed Illinois women at every turn. He called equal pay for equal work “controversial” and signed on to an amicus brief in support of Mississippi’s lawsuit to overturn Roe. He even said he opposes exceptions to abortion in the cases of rape or incest.
• Richard Irvin called Planned Parenthood “bad for Aurora” and compared it to a “strip club or asbestos company.” His running mate Avery Bourne voted against the state’s Reproductive Health Act and does not believe in exceptions for abortion, even when a mother’s life is threatened.
• Jesse Sullivan wants to enact a near-total ban on abortion and called legislation to protect reproductive rights “despicable.”
• Gary Rabine promises to emulate Donald Trump’s disastrous policies, pledged support for problematic crisis pregnancy centers, and has denounced early childhood education funding that supports new parents.
• Paul Schimpf voted against a bill that would protect access to abortion if Roe were overturned.
Governor Pritzker and Illinois Democrats enacted one of the strongest pieces of abortion protection legislation into law in 2019 to protect Illinois women against the potential overturning of Roe. The Pritzker administration has worked tirelessly with Illinois Democrats to ensure women have the right to choose if and when to start a family with whom they want and when they want, free of any political interference.
* Marie Newman…
Today, three Democratic elected officials in DuPage and Cook County government announced they are endorsing Congresswoman Marie Newman for re-election in Illinois’ 6th District.
“As chair of the Environmental Committee for DuPage County, I know we have to work quickly to address climate action in everything we do,” said DuPage County Board Member Sheila Rutledge. “I am proud to endorse Marie because she is a proven fighter for sustainable policies and will continue to deliver real results for the people not only in DuPage, but all across the area.”
“Illinois needs someone in Congress who can effectively address the climate crisis. Since Marie took office, she has consistently championed sustainability, equity, and community voices. When re-elected, I am confident that she will continue to fight for our working families in Congress,” said Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Eira Corral Sepúlveda.
“We need someone in IL-06 committed to building coalitions to address our neighbors’ concerns, and in her first term, Marie Newman is already doing that work,” said DuPage County Recorder Kathleen Carrier. “I know she will continue working in close partnership with all levels of government to deliver for the middle class and working families.”
Congresswoman Marie Newman has secured the endorsements of two dozen local leaders across Cook and DuPage County, including the endorsements from mayors of Oak Lawn, Palos Hills, and La Grange. Through partnership with other levels of government, Newman has reduced train delays by up to 100% on Chicago’s Southwest Side, cut postal delays, and is actively working to address flooding in areas around the district.
* Kina Collins…
Today, People’s Action endorsed gun-violence prevention activist and Democratic congressional candidate for IL-07, Kina Collins. People’s Action is a powerful national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations fighting for justice. The endorsement is part of People’s Action’s Movement Politics strategy to help progressive candidates win against corporate Democrats. With the endorsement, People’s Action joins their member organizations, The People’s Lobby and Reclaim Chicago, in supporting the campaign.
“This race is about shifting power back into the hands of the people and having a true representative democracy,” said Kina Collins. “People’s Action has been in the trenches building power for working people, and I am proud to have their support in our fight to give the people of IL-07 representation that understands the daily struggles of working people and acts with urgency to address them.”
“Voters in Illinois’s Seventh have the chance to reject corporate control and choose people power,” People’s Action Director of Movement Politics Brooke Adams said. “Kina will build a government that works for us. We must elect her, secure this district, and save the Democratic majority in Congress.”
* CD13…
Regan Deering, Republican candidate for Congress in Illinois 13, received the endorsement of former Congressman Tim Johnson who stated the following:
“As a former Congressman who has represented this area, I understand the concerns of voters in central Illinois. Regan’s work locally has given her an up-close and personal look at the issues facing our communities today. A wife, mother, proud gun owner, former school teacher, and small business owner; Regan shares our conservative values. Further, I am convinced she will work diligently to tackle the everyday issues of the citizens she represents. I believe Regan is the best person to represent and fight for the citizens of the 13th district in Washington, DC.”
Watch for Rep. Chuy Garcia to endorse Jonathtan Jackson, in the 1st Congressional race. Jackson is the national spokesperson for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and a co-owner of a beer distributorship. And he’s the second son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson. The younger Jackson is one of 20 candidates vying for the seat that Rep. Bobby Rush is leaving at the end of this term. […]
— Also in the 1-D race: Karin Norington-Reaves raised $290,000 in the first quarter of the year and has $237,000 cash on hand in her bid for the open seat in the 1st Congressional District. Norington-Reaves has been endorsed by Rep. Bobby Rush who has held the seat for some 30 years, but 19 others also are vying for the seat.
* It’s been kinda fun watching this primary, but I’m not sure either one of them has a great shot at winning the general. Two very good candidates have been rolling out endorsement after endorsement to run in an Illinois House district that Bruce Rauner won by 9 points, Mark Kirk won by 10 and Leslie Munger won by 26…
Today, Nabeela Syed announced that her campaign has raised over $115,000 in the first quarter of 2022. Since announcing her campaign late last year, Syed has raised over $215,000. Syed is projected to have at least a $100,000 cash-on-hand advantage over her Primary and General Election opponents combined.
Syed released the following statement: “Since the start of this campaign in October, I continue to be humbled by the outpouring of support from everyday people who just want a public servant that works for them and their families. I will be an unapologetic voice that always puts working families first, fighting to reform an unfair property tax system and keep our communities safe. This campaign is continuing to demonstrate the ability to raise the resources needed to compete in June and beyond.” […]
Nabeela Syed has been endorsed by State Senators Ann Gillespie (D-Palatine), Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) and Cristina Castro (D-Elgin), State Representatives Theresa Mah (D-Chicago), Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights), Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan), Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines), Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago), and Edgar Gonzalez, Jr. (D-Chicago), 8th District Democratic State Central Committeeman Mike Cudzik, Rolling Meadows Mayor Joe Gallo, Indo-American Democratic Organization, Run for Something, and Indian American IMPACT.
She reported $180K cash on hand. Chelsea Laliberte Barnes is the other Democratic candidate. The winner faces Rep. Chris Bos (R-Lake Zurich).
The Democratic governor, facing a reelection battle in November, was also asked whether the state would consider another indoor mask mandate, as other U.S. cities respond to rising cases caused by the highly transmissible Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.
The city of Philadelphia on Monday announced a reinstatement of its mandate after lifting it a little over a month ago. Other states in the Northeast are also reporting an uptick in cases.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday also announced a two-week extension of a mask requirement for airplanes and public transportation. The New York Times reported Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the new White House COVID response coordinator, said additional time would allow the CDC to assess whether the subvariant is going to become a “ripple or a wave” in the country. The federal requirement was set to expire in five days. […]
Last week, four southern Illinois counties hit the “high transmission” threshold set by the CDC, meaning masks are recommended for people gathering indoors in Saline, Gallatin, Hardin and Pope counties.
* The governor’s full response to the question…
Well, we’re watching these numbers very closely, as you know. And the numbers that we really pay very, very close attention to are hospitalizations. Because Omicron has had varying effects different than Delta. And so now we’re in a series of infections that people are getting where not only people are less sick as a result of the fact that we have many more people who are vaccinated, and who are taking care of themselves. But also, we have therapeutics that are helping people who do get sick to recover more easily. And so we are seeing hospitalizations very far down from where they were at the height of Omicron, and stabilized at a relatively low rate. And again, we’re watching those numbers very closely. Look, I think that towns, cities across Illinois, not to mention across the country should do what they feel is necessary in their communities to keep people safe. But I feel like, right now, and listening to the IDPH and our experts on the outside of IDPH, that we’re in a pretty good place.
*** UPDATE *** IDPH…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) issued a warning today that COVID-19 case rates are slowly rising in many areas of the state and that members of the public should be paying close attention to conditions in their local communities and staying up-to-date on their vaccination status.
“While hospitalizations and deaths tied to COVID-19 remain stable at this time, we are seeing a slow increase in cases in many areas of the State,” said Acting IDPH Director Amaal Tokars. “This is a reminder that we all need to remain vigilant and remain up to date on our vaccination status. This is especially important for those who are at higher risk for serious outcomes.”
Tokars stressed that vaccination is the most effective tool we have to fight the virus – and that it is easy to find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you by either calling your local health provider or going to www.vaccines.gov.
The State of Illinois remains strongly positioned to respond in the event of a new COVID-19 surge. The State stockpile of tests has been replenished, with more than 1.5 million rapid tests on hand, and a half a million more on the way. In addition, hospitals, schools, and long term care facilities have been urged take steps to increase their current testing capacity.
The State is also supporting pharmacies and healthcare providers in efforts to increase their inventories of the various FDA-authorized treatments in case of another surge. IDPH is advising providers to assess their patients quickly, within five days of the onset of symptoms, after a COVID-19 diagnosis to determine if they are eligible for treatment.
IDPH is also reminding the public about the recent guidance from the CDC that authorized a second booster dose for certain segments of the population at least four months after the first booster dose. This includes adults over 50 years of age, and people who are immunocompromised - those with a poor ability to fight infections - over 12 years old.
State health officials are stressing the following precautions, which are critically important for those who are at high risk for serious illness:
• Get vaccinated and stay up-to-date on recommended booster shots to protect yourself, your loved ones and friends.
• If you are in an area with rising COVID-19 infections, wear a mask if entering indoor spaces with other people present and consider avoiding large gatherings.
• Stick to well-ventilated areas if you are not wearing a mask indoors around other people.
• If you feel flu-like symptoms, self-isolate and stay home from work as well as social gatherings; and obtain a test as quickly as possible.
• If you test positive, talk to your provider immediately so you can get COVID-19 treatment within five days of starting to feel sick. Also, communicate about the positive result with any persons you have been in close contact within two days of falling sick or testing positive.
• Continue to frequently wash your hands and cover coughs and sneezes.
For more information, go to: https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
The federal government recently established a new website that provides an all-purpose toolkit that provides information on how to obtain masks, treatment, vaccines and testing resources for all areas of the country at: https://www.covid.gov/.
* Background is here if you need it (and judging by some of the comments, you may very well need to click that link). Beth Hunsdorfer…
Jerame Simmons spent nearly 24 years as a convicted felon after pleading guilty to arson in 1999 until a 2021 pardon cleared that record and allowed him to head the department that put out the fire he started.
Now, he’s not only a fire chief, but also a part-time police officer [in East Carondelet], allowed to make arrests, carry a gun and use lethal force if warranted.
A plea deal allowed him to avoid prison time 24 years ago, but the prohibitions that come with a felony conviction would stand in the way of a public safety career and gun ownership.
That all changed with a May pardon from Gov. JB Pritzker, which followed a string of other favorable decisions from police, prosecutors and judges that allowed Simmons to avoid prosecution or conviction in other cases. […]
The timing of Simmons’ employment is fortuitous for him. Starting July 1, officers must have completed nine months of training before starting work. Because he was hired before the July 1 deadline, he has full police powers and can begin work immediately. He must complete nine months of training within his first 18 months of employment.
* Richard Irvin campaign…
After J.B. Pritzker’s outrageous pardon of a convicted arsonist who went on to become a fire chief resulting in mass resignations at his local fire station, Jerame Simmons is now serving as a part-time police officer who is allowed to carry a weapon, make arrests and use lethal force in the town where his politically-connected Democrat father is mayor. His previous criminal record even includes false use of police lights and he has been charged with impersonation of a police officer. […]
Pritzker’s Prisoner Review Board has been under fire recently, as a bipartisan committee of lawmakers voted to reject Pritzker’s controversial appointees who have released cop killers.
“Pritzker has not pointed to a single, legitimate reason to explain why someone who was convicted of starting a fire and charged with impersonating a police officer would be a good candidate for a pardon,” said Irvin for Illinois spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “This pardon is a clear favor for a political ally that puts politics over the people of Illinois.”
Simmons’s father, Herb Simmons, was mayor of East Carondelet in St. Clair County at the time of his son’s sentencing, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in 1999. Herb Simmons is now the director of the county’s emergency management agency.
To build something that lasts, you start at the bottom. At age 10, Gary Rabine was delivering papers and dumpster-diving for cans on Chicago’s northwest suburbs. And on that foundation, he built paving businesses that have employed thousands.
Gary Rabine.
Gary knows firsthand that some problems aren’t just on the surface. That’s why Gary Rabine is ready to clear away the career politicians to pave the way for a stronger future.
