* Press release…
Chicago City Council Latino Caucus urges state elected officials to go back to the drawing board to create a new map for Chicago’s first school board elections that will give more representation to Latino communities.
The draft map proposes seven majority white districts, seven majority Black districts and six majority Latino districts, closely resembling the city’s population, which is 33% white, 29% Black, and 29% Latino, according to the U.S. Census.
However, the Chicago Public School student population is 11% white, 36% Black and 47% Latino.
The Chicago City Council Latino Caucus urges the state to create a map based on the city’s student demographics rather than its overall population. As it stands now, Springfield has proposed a map that creates a majority white board which will govern the outcome of Black and Latino students.
The Chicago City Council Latino Caucus was created to fight for the well-being and betterment of all Latino residents of Chicago. The Caucus demands a map that will protect minority communities, not unfairly dilute their power.
The City Council Latino Caucus includes 15 members from across the city. They represent wards as diverse as Chicago itself. The Caucus membership includes: Ald. Daniel LaSpata (1), Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), Ald.-Elect Peter Chico (10), Ald.-Elect Julia Ramirez (12), Ald.-Elect Jeylu Gutierrez (14), Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22), Ald. Silvana Tabares (23), Ald. Bryon Sigcho-Lopez (25), Ald. Robert Maldonado (26), Ald.-Elect Jessie Fuentes (26), Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30), Ald.-Elect Ruth Cruz (30), Ald. Felix Cardona (31), Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33), Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Chairman Gilbert Villegas (36) and Ald. Andre Vasquez (40). Chicago’s Clerk Anna Valencia is an ex-officio member of the Latino Caucus.
Emphasis added because how would drawing elected school board district boundaries based on student demographics even be close to legal? Hey, commercial and residential property owners might want a greater say, too, since they pay property taxes, but too bad. Everyone 18+ gets a vote, and you can’t legally dilute votes this way.
“Demand the impossible and grudgingly settle for a compromise” may be the play here, so I’m not too outraged because I’ve seen that many times before. Still, what they’re asking for is not done anywhere that I’ve ever seen.
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Afternoon roundup
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Shot…
Fundraising during session. Except as provided in this Section, any executive branch constitutional officer … may not hold a political fundraising function on any day the legislature is in session or the day immediately prior to such day.
Greg Hinz Chaser…
State Democrats have scheduled a fundraiser featuring Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson on Thursday that will raise money to help pay host expenses for next year’s Democratic National Convention here. […]
Corporate guests who attend the event are being asked to commit at least $1 million to the cause, party sources report.
He’s just being featured, and it’s a 501c6. Totally legal. But still. He’s helping raise money to put on a political event during a session day. I can’t help but assume there’s gonna be some heavy-hitters who often have Springfield interests at that funder.
* The revenue drop wasn’t the major crisis that some portrayed it, and Fitch saw through some of the hype. Crain’s…
Despite a huge drop in revenue last month, Illinois’ overall budget outlook remains good and within earlier forecasts, according to Fitch Ratings. […]
However, it added, “Despite April tax revenue declines, all three states are on track to comfortably exceed their adopted budget revenue forecasts, which anticipated tax revenue declines for the full fiscal year. Illinois had budgeted a 7.4% drop in tax revenue but has seen a smaller 1.0% (year over year) decline in year-to-date tax revenue through April.”
Illinois’ April dip also may have been impacted by a new provision in the law intended to give pass-through entities such as partnerships protection from a change in federal law that capped the personal deduction for state and local taxes, generally known as SALT, at $10,000 a year, the agency said.
* Something that’s being lost in this debate is that the firefighters thought they had a deal…
The casino’s revenues are earmarked for the city’s first responder pension funds.
* Senate President Don Harmon…
Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) issued the following statement after the State Senate took bipartisan action to reappoint Judge Michael McCuskey as Legislative Inspector General:
“Over the past year, Judge McCuskey has shown himself to be a fair, honorable man driven by high ethical standards. He is doing an admirable job of enacting our shared goal of fostering honesty in Springfield.
“I believe he will continue to serve the people of Illinois well.”
* Pitch…
Hi Rich,
We’re in Springfield sharing these new flyers with information that has never been scrutinized about the program: Public Dollars, No Public Oversight and Vouchers Fund Discrimination.
If you’d like more details or links for anything on the flyers, please let me know.
Best,
Jennifer Jones
(she/her)
Illinois Families for Public Schools
From the Illinois Opportunity Project…
Every child should have the opportunity for a world-class education. It is the only way they will be able to compete and contribute to today’s economy and society. Unfortunately, Illinois is failing on this front.
A child’s potential shouldn’t be determined by a zip code or their family’s income.
The Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship Program has granted over 40,000 scholarships to well deserving families providing them the opportunity to send their children to a school that best fits their unique needs.
These life-changing scholarships are at risk because the program is set to expire this year.
* ISP…
The Illinois State Police (ISP) is releasing the final name of the seven people fatally injured in multiple crashes that occurred on May 1, 2023 at approximately 10:55 a.m. on both northbound and southbound Interstate 55 between mile markers 72 and 78, near Farmersville in Montgomery County. Otto Medina-Salazar, 58-year-old from Carthage, MO was fatally injured in the crash. A total of 72 vehicles are known to be involved in the crashes and 37 people were transported to area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical. There were seven fatalities in the crashes, including the following names previously released.
Shirley Harper, 88-year-old from Franklin, WI
Joseph Bates, 73-year-old from Crystal Lake, IL
Donna Bates, 71-year-old from Crystal Lake, IL
Earl LeGrand, 64-year-old from Florissant, MO
Michael Zinchuk, 55-year-old from Champaign, IL
Amy Zinchuk, 54-year-old from Champaign, IL
ISP recognizes the impact of this tragic event and offers its condolences to families and friends mourning their loss. ISP thanks all its first responder partners and sister agencies for their tremendous work and assistance during this incident.
* Sun-Times reports that the CTU’s chief negotiator will be the next deputy mayor for education…
Jennifer Johnson, chief of staff to the CTU that employed Brandon Johnson as a paid organizer, will serve as deputy mayor for education. She is a former history teacher at Lincoln Park High School. […]
Pointing to Brandon Johnson’s roots as a middle-school teacher, Davis Gates said: “What once was is no longer. We do not have a mayor who has declared war on us. The previous two mayors were very clear about being adversaries. The mayor-elect and his team … will lead the transformation and sustainability of our public school system.”
Maybe. But her portfolio won’t be confined to just education. Johnson’s full title will be Deputy Mayor of Education, Youth, and Human Services. The city’s human services network has been struggling for years. Will it be forced into the back seat again?
* Isabel’s roundup…
* 21st Show | COVID-19 emergency orders are coming to an end. Where does Illinois go from here?: To unpack all of it, The 21st was joined by a professor of infectious diseases, the Illinois state epidemiologist, and a journalist that’s been following the story.
* Capitol News Illinois | General Assembly approves criminal sentencing reforms for minors: House Bill 3414 adds to the factors that judges must consider in the process of sentencing children found guilty of a crime. The bill would require a judge to consider a child’s involvement in the child welfare system, whether they have a history of domestic abuse or sexual exploitation and the results of any mental health evaluations the child has gone through. This is in addition to existing factors that judges already consider, such as age, maturity and potential for rehabilitation.
* ABC Chicago | Final victim of I-55 dust storm crash ID’d as Missouri man: Illinois State Police: Illinois State Police publicly identified the final victim of the deadly Interstate 55 dust storm crash. Otto Medina-Salazar, a 58-year-old Missouri man, was killed in the crash.
* Crain’s | Cannabis retailer NuEra plans to buy grower: If approved by state regulators, the deal to purchase Ieso, a marijuana growing operation in Murphysboro, will help NuEra climb the ladder to the big leagues. Cultivation capability is important because only marijuana grown and processed in the state can be sold in stores here. The largest operators — such as Green Thumb Industries, Cresco Labs, Verano Holdings and PharmaCann — have both cultivation and retail capabilities. Such vertical business integration is seen as the key to success in an industry where profits remain scarce.
* Daily-Journal | Pritzker commutes Kankakee man’s sentence: Pritzker reduced the conviction to a “juvenile adjudication,” according to Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe. The man was 17 years old when he was arrested as a suspect in a drive-by shooting in which two people were shot in August 2017 in Kankakee.
* Crain’s | Brandon Johnson poaches the county’s budget director as he names key advisers: Annette Guzman was named budget director. She most recently served in the same role at Cook County, where Johnson has served as a commissioner. Guzman’s time at the county saw the Board of Commissioners approve stable budgets while administering an avalanche of federal pandemic relief funds.
* NYT | Open-Armed Chicago Feels the Strains of a Migrant Influx: As the number of migrants entering Chicago has significantly increased in recent weeks, their presence around the city — in police stations, in park facilities and on neighborhood streets — has become far more visible. More than 100 new migrants are arriving each day now, officials said, compared with about a dozen a day a few months ago.
* Block Club | Lightfoot Signs Environmental Justice Executive Order As Mayor-Elect Johnson Vows To Build On Progress: Lightfoot ordered the city to complete a study of the communities most impacted by industry and pollution by Sept. 1. Advocates say it will help draft legislation to improve residents’ health.
* Tribune | Allison Arwady has been the face of COVID-19 in Chicago. Will Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson keep her on?: Within weeks, schools, offices, restaurants and businesses would all be shut down, and it wouldn’t be much longer before Arwady became a household — or, rather, housebound — name. In news conferences held daily at first, it was Arwady who tried to explain the science and the data behind an ever-changing set of rules and restrictions over masking, testing, vaccine mandates, social distancing and capacity limits.
* Crain’s | After protests delayed opening, Englewood Save-A-Lot now open: After protests prompted a delayed debut, the new Save-A-Lot grocery store in Englewood opened this morning, filling a void left by Whole Foods. The store opened at 8 a.m., and a couple hundred people came to shop in the first two hours, said Joe Canfield, CEO of operator Yellow Banana.
* Tribune | 26-year-old woman charged with felony battery after allegedly attacking 4 on Northwest Side with baseball bat: A 26-year-old woman was charged Thursday with four counts of aggravated battery after she was allegedly caught on video beating a mother with a baseball bat in the Albany Park neighborhood.
* News-Gazette | Hari Minnesota mosque bombing conviction upheld: A federal appeals court has affirmed the conviction and sentence for a former Ford County resident convicted in the firebombing of a Minnesota mosque almost six years ago.
* Sun-Times | City releases new renderings showing ‘evolved’ Bally’s casino design: “Our intention was to really create a Chicago moment,” Cox said of the new designs. “A feeling that would be iconic.”
* NYT | Here’s how the Biden administration has prepared for an expected migrant influx.: The Biden administration’s new rule presumes that those who do not use lawful pathways to enter the United States are ineligible for asylum when they show up at the border. Migrants at the border can rebut this presumption only if they sought asylum or protection in another country through which they traveled en route to the United States and were denied safe haven there, or if they can demonstrate exceptional circumstances, such as a medical emergency.
* Sun-Times | Some 17-year cicadas might show up a year early in Chicago: “It’s not expected to be in very large numbers, these off-year ones,” said Kacie Athey, assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who studies how insects affect agriculture.
* Journal Star | Longtime reality TV series is coming to Illinois in search of antique collections: Have a barn or garage full of “rusty gold?” “American Pickers” is looking for you. The longtime reality series will be filming episodes in Illinois in July. The show is seeking leads on antiques collections and colorful characters throughout the state.
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* From the John Howard Association…
In 2022 JHA conducted two visits five months apart to Stateville Correctional Center and the Northern Reception and Classification Center (NRC), the latter of which also houses the Stateville Minimum Security Unit (MSU). Between the two visits, the population at Stateville decreased by 249 people. The reduction seemed to be part of an IDOC systemic reorganization and a plan to transition Stateville into a multi-level security prison focused on reentry programming; this remained unrealized at the time of our latter visit due to ongoing physical plant and staffing difficulties.
As IDOC implements their system-wide transition plan for facility usage, it is impossible to overlook the major issues facing Stateville in terms of the dilapidated physical plant and extremely limited out-of-cell time, purportedly due to understaffing. In September 2022, Stateville reported less than two-thirds of its allocated 929 security staff, which notably also includes staff for NRC/MSU and for substantial transportation needs including medical and court writs.
Opened in 1925, Stateville Max is one of the older IDOC facilities and presents myriad problems around conditions of confinement and the health and safety of people who are incarcerated there. Due to lack of routine maintenance, the facility is rapidly deteriorating. Things have continually worsened, as JHA has observed and documented for years. Crumbling structures, leaks, concerns about the safety of the water and sanitary systems, and lack of pest control and ventilation all conspire to create living conditions that are inhumane and unsafe.
Stateville benefits from both many unique, valuable programs and easier access for many visitors as the closest prison to Chicago —which has historically made being housed there perhaps preferable to some of the other prisons. However, we received a significant unprompted response from people in surveys and in discussions on our visits supporting closure or at least temporary relocation for substantial renovation. People also expressed willingness to sacrifice program opportunities and visits in order to live in better physical conditions. Humane living conditions and the ability to see loved ones and participate in programming should not be mutually exclusive.
JHA expects that when the 2022 assessment of IDOC’s infrastructure (done by an independent consultant) is finally made available, it will reveal billions of dollars in needed repairs throughout the system – with several hundred million dollars needed to address physical plant issues at Stateville alone. It is time to shut down old prisons that are not fit for habitation and to increase decarceration efforts in meaningful ways.
The full report is here.
Thoughts?
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Parties snipe ahead of DeSantis visit
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s…
With state Democrats and Republicans sniping over another visit from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who’s still reportedly eyeing a 2024 presidential run — the General Assembly approved several bills strengthening LGBTQ+ protections and gender inclusivity. Among the changes: using gender-neutral language in some laws and tracking non-binary employees for the purposes of diversity, according to the Associated Press. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has confirmed he’ll sign the bills into law.
This comes as the Florida Legislature, politically aligned with DeSantis, has passed more bills targeting LGBTQ+ residents, including an expansion of the state’s “Parental Rights in Education,” which critics and pro-LGBTQ+ advocates have labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
* Other recent DeSantis actions, including banning payroll deduction for teachers’ union dues…
* Sun-Times…
DeSantis, who is expected to announce his presidential run soon, is also likely to sign a trio of bills passed by the Republican-majority Florida General Assembly that will affect the state’s transgender community, including a bill that will prohibit transgender children from receiving gender-affirming treatments.
Another bill restricts teachers, faculty and students from using the pronouns of their choice in public schools — and another prohibits transgender people from using a bathroom that matches their gender identity while in government buildings.
The Democrat-led Illinois General Assembly is going in the opposite direction, as the state seeks to counteract anti-LGBTQ legislation passed in surrounding Republican-led states.
Pritzker plans to sign a measure that would help affirm LGBTQ youth in the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services system by replacing words such as“mother” with “person who gives birth” and “he or she” to “minor.” Another measure awaiting Pritzker’s signature would require state agencies to track employees who identify as non-binary or gender non-conforming.
* More Crain’s…
Illinois Democrats are “welcoming” likely GOP presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis to the state, and you might say the greetings are less than cordial. DeSantis allies are responding in kind.
In a press release headlined “Illinoisans reject the DeSantis blueprint,” the Democratic Party of Illinois said the Florida governor will bring “a dangerous agenda” when he speaks to Peoria and Tazewell counties’ Republicans on Friday. […]
“Of course, Illinois Democrats don’t want to talk about the impact of their extremist ‘progressive’ policies on Illinois residents,” [Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy] said in an email. “They don’t want to talk about the lawlessness and out-of-control crime in Chicago encouraged by their anti-police rhetoric, or that the state of Illinois is poised to spend more than $1 billion on health care for undocumented immigrants — more than we spend on caring for our own veterans.”
* Pantagraph…
“Governor Ron DeSantis is one of the preeminent conservative voices in our country, fighting back against the radical left,” U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, said last month, adding that he looked forward “to hearing him share his Florida Blueprint with Central Illinois conservatives.”
LaHood is a rainmaker of sorts for Peoria area Republicans, attracting several high-profile speakers to the dinner in recent years, making it one of the most preeminent annual events in Illinois Republican politics. […]
“He doesn’t seem to be much for freedom, Ron DeSantis,” Pritzker said. “He wants to take away people’s right to read the books that they want to read, wants to take away Black history in our schools, somebody who does not believe in a woman’s right to make decisions for herself about her own body. So, maybe he could learn something when he’s in Illinois (about) what freedom looks like.”
* Like the president, the governor has been using the word “freedom” a lot lately. Here he is yesterday talking about the assault weapons ban…
The purpose of that law is to save lives and we’ve seen just in the last two weeks that entire families have been killed by assault weapons. It is time to end this madness and to save our families’ lives. It is to the freedom of the people of Illinois that we are addressing this law, their freedom to be at the Highland Park parade without getting shot and killed.
* The Democrats and their allies are trying to use this visit to make some political points. Here’s DPI…
On Friday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will bring his regressive agenda to Illinois as a keynote speaker during the joint Peoria and Tazewell County Republicans’ 2023 Lincoln Day Dinner.
Illinoisans have rejected extremists like DeSantis repeatedly. In November, Democrats successfully won every statewide seat on the ballot, and won a record-breaking number of seats in the General Assembly. In school and library board races last month, over 73% of extremists that DPI communicated against lost their elections.
While DeSantis tries to distance himself from “MAGA” Republicans, make no mistake, his agenda follows the same brand of extremism that Illinois voters rejected from Donald Trump in 2020, Darren Bailey in 2022, and school and library board candidates across the state in April.
Ron DeSantis has signed excessively cruel policies that are an affront to Floridians’ freedoms, and his dangerous vision has no place in Illinois.
* Press release…
A rally and demonstration to protest the appearance in Peoria of Florida Governor Ron Desantis at the GOP Lincoln Dinner on Friday, May 12th, 2023 will take place that day from noon to dusk at the Federal Courthouse Plaza, 100 NE Monroe, Peoria.
Several organizations have united to organize this event, including the Peoria chapter of the National Organization for Women. Its co-president Nancy Long said “Governor Desantis’ use of political demagoguery against certain groups and women threatens a vibrant, inclusive representative American democracy. In solidarity with all against his anti-science and patriarchal authoritarian brand of hateful, divisive politics, we invite all people of goodwill to join us in registering opposition by using our constitutional rights of peaceable assembly and freedom of speech.”
The event begins at noon at the Federal Courthouse Plaza with an informational display from supporting groups on the sidewalk from noon-dusk. We encourage people to support the event outside the Civic Center beginning at 2pm, with Drag performances at 4:30pm. At 4:00, all people are invited to grab their rainbow umbrellas and stand with us in solidarity on the public sidewalk around the Peoria Civic Center to greet those attending the extremist Governor’s speech with signs. At 5:30 pm, we’ll finish at the federal courthouse with “Rally for American Democracy” including a labor-themed sing-along.
Those planning to speak include Laura Welch, President of Illinois NOW; Nancy Long, Co-Chair of Peoria IL NOW; Dr. Merrill Cole, Community Outreach, University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 and alumnus of New College of Florida; Rev. Jennifer Innis of the Peoria Universalist Unitarian Church; Zoie Roach-King, President, SHE Speaks and student at Bradley University; Labor Bard Musician Kathy McNeil and others.
* Pritzker…
Discuss.
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Pritzker: “There’s nobody going after anybody”
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square…
Illinois Republicans say Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration entrapped citizens who bought certain semi-automatic firearms during the six-day window when the state’s gun ban was blocked by a federal court.
State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, said when the Southern District of Illinois federal court enjoined the state from enforcing the law, the Pritzker administration didn’t put out any guidance.
Six days later, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the injunction. Illinois State Police said after consulting with the attorney general, certain semi-automatic firearms purchased during that time are illegal.
“If the purchase of a firearm or firearm attachment banned under PICA was initiated and completed between the date of the Southern District of Illinois’ Order on April 28, 2023, until the stay of such Order by the U.S. Appellate Court on May 4, 2023, the possession of such weapon will be unlawful beginning January 1, 2024, pursuant to 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9(c),” a public information officer for Illinois State Police told The Center Square in an email Friday.
Wednesday, Plummer decried that.
“This is, I believe, an intentional effort by the governor and the attorney general to entrap Illinoisans, law-abiding citizens, and turn them into felons and I think it’s punitive and egregious,” Plummer said during a news conference.
Ah, but here’s the rest of what the ISP said…
Persons who possess a banned firearm or firearm attachment are required to endorse an affidavit by January 1, 2024, stating that any banned firearm or firearm attachments were possessed prior to the enactment of PICA (January 10, 2023) pursuant to 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9(d).
So, if they file an affidavit like everyone else, then they’re in compliance, according to the governor…
“What the law says is that as of Jan. 1 of 2024, that people will need to fill out the affidavit that they have one of those guns,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event. “That’s really all it is. There’s nobody going after anybody, but that’s really what the law says.”
…Adding… From comments…
Ok but the affidavit is that those arms were owned prior to PICA being signed January 10, 2023. So to do what the Governor said would mean lying on the affidavit. Lying and since the purchase includes ATF 4073 forms a lie that can be followed up on.
Just my 2c but it would make more sense to modify the affidavit to include the injunction periods. I don’t think anyone is out to get anybody
It would definitely make sense to modify the affidavit just to be absolutely sure. But that would have to be done through the legislature. And there are a lot of twists and turns to go before January 1.
…Adding… Press release…
State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) is seeking to protect gun owners across Illinois, who recently made legal firearm purchases, from facing unjust criminal prosecution in the future. […]
To rectify the issue and to prevent law-abiding citizens from being turned into criminals, Sen. Plummer filed legislation, Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 1073, which updates the affidavit requirements to include firearms purchased during a period in which a court issued an injunction on the law. This would allow individuals who purchased “banned firearms” during this recent injunction or any future ones, to be able to legally keep and possess them.
* The press conference was mainly aimed at the attorney general…
“The attorney general had an opportunity to urge caution and express the consequences of what may or may not happen down the road to people that are exercising their constitutional right during that six-day period of time, but he neglected to do it,” GOP state Sen. Jason Plummer of Edwardsville said Wednesday during a statehouse news conference. “Now, today, the attorney general is saying that those transactions were illegal.”
Plummer accused Raoul and Pritzker of engaging in “an intentional effort … to entrap Illinoisans, law-abiding citizens, and turn them into felons.”
But this is from the AG’s spokesperson Annie Thompson…
Consistent with our handling of any rapidly-evolving litigation being handled by the Attorney General’s office, our office has not issued formal guidance related to the Protect Illinois Communities Act as the matter goes through the court system.
Any insinuation that the Attorney General’s office would intentionally mislead or “entrap” law-abiding Illinois residents is, at best, laughable. At worst, it is dangerous.
* Back to the Tribune…
Also on Wednesday, lawyers for Naperville gun shop owner Robert Bevis, who sued the city and the state over the gun restrictions, said in a U.S. Supreme Court filing that Raoul’s office is “spitting on the Constitution” in its arguments to uphold the law.
The attorney general’s response to the Supreme Court filing is here.
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Public health emergency ends today
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
As the state of Illinois and the nation reach a major milestone and end the COVID-related Public Health Emergency (PHE) declarations that have been in place since the beginning of the pandemic, Governor JB Pritzker today declared May 11 “Illinois Public Health & Health Care Hero Day.” The Governor formally issued the proclamation at a worker appreciation event at the Sangamon County Health Department in Springfield alongside the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Sameer Vohra and other leaders of the state’s public health and healthcare community.
“With the heroic efforts of our healthcare workers and institutions, the perseverance and grit of the people of Illinois, and with 26 million vaccine doses administered, I couldn’t be happier to announce today that all national and state COVID-19 related emergency declarations have finally come to an end,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Although today marks the official end of our state’s emergency declarations, we are taking this moment to ensure that we learn lessons from the pandemic experience so we can prepare for the future and save lives in the years ahead. And we are especially grateful to our healthcare heroes who made this milestone possible. We owe them our everlasting respect and gratitude, and so many of us owe them our lives.”
“Our public health and health care workers are first in our hearts for their dedication and the support that they provide to others while doing their job day in and day out,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, they sacrificed and served to keep Illinois residents safe. Healthcare is core to all our lives, and it is the people who provide it that work hard to ensure we can live and be well. They are truly our heroes.”
Governor Pritzker aligned the conclusion of the state’s disaster proclamation with the conclusion of the federal government’s COVID-19 public health emergency, to ensure enhanced federal benefits in SNAP and Medicaid remained in place for vulnerable families for as long as possible.
Since March of 2020, state and local partners benefitted from a disaster proclamation in the following ways:
• Federal reimbursement for state response costs.
• Illinois residents were able to collect additional SNAP benefits, more than 1.4 million children received Pandemic EBT (nutrition) support, and Medicaid expansion ensured access to telehealth options and the resources Illinoisans needed to stay healthy.
• Use of State Disaster Relief Fund, covering direct state costs and reimbursements to Illinois National Guard and mutual aid groups.
• Use of the state’s mutual aid network, groups of public safety response professionals — including hundreds of health care providers and management professionals, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians and disaster response professionals — that are available to deploy to areas of shortage.
• Authorizing the Governor to activate Illinois National Guard reservists, some of whom were doctors and nurses and served on the front lines of the pandemic response.
• Allowing expedited procurement should it be necessary.
• Authorizing additional executive actions as needed to protect public health and safety.
The Governor issued the initial emergency proclamation on March 9, 2020 as the state and nation were bracing for an unprecedented, global public health emergency. The pandemic went on to last more than three years, causing more than 4 million COVID-19 cases and 36,000 deaths in Illinois. With case rates remaining at low levels in recent months, including last week’s announcement that no Illinois counties are at an elevated community level for COVID-19, the tools provided by the PHE are no longer necessary to fight the virus.
“It is fitting today as we formally end the Public Health Emergency that we pause to reflect on the truly heroic efforts of the thousands of public health workers, including those at IDPH and in our local health departments, as well as the healthcare workers in our hospitals and clinics,” said Dr. Vohra. “Their bravery and fortitude in the face of this overwhelming public health crisis is a gift to cherish and appreciate. As we write the next chapters in the story of public health in Illinois, we look forward to their continued leadership and guidance to help address inequities and promote health throughout our great State.”
The proclamation, signed at the onset of the pandemic, leveraged federal funding and formalized emergency procedures by activating the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), bringing together decision-makers from every state agency and the state’s highly qualified mutual aid network to deploy critical resources for healthcare staffing, testing, vaccinations, and therapeutics as necessary during the public health threat.
Officials were able to mobilize resources to conduct millions of COVID-19 tests throughout the state at community testing sites as well as through Test to Stay programs in schools and colleges, allowing children to remain safely in school. When vaccines became widely available in late 2021, Illinois launched a massive vaccination program that spanned across the state and has to date delivered more than 26 million doses.
Maintaining the PHE allowed for federal mandates covering healthcare costs to remain in place, supporting testing and other services that were critical during the recent winter surge. Funding also allowed for thousands of healthcare staff to be deployed to hospitals during staffing crises through state contracts.
The end of the PHE means the federal government is expected to phase out providing tests, vaccines, and treatment directly to states. However, these efforts will not end immediately, but over the coming months. The state of Illinois is continuing to offer at-home rapid tests to households in economically disadvantaged communities through June 30, through a partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation’s Project ACT.
With the national and state Public Health Emergencies for COVID-19 expiring on May 11, there will also be changes to data collection and reporting on the virus. After May 11, the CDC has announced it will stop tracking and reporting COVID-19 cases at the community level, as it has been doing since April 2022. Hospitals will no longer be required to report the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital beds or in the ICU or on ventilators. However, data on COVID-19 and the flu in Illinois will continue to be reported via the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.
IDPH will continue to report general COVID-19 data and will also track a variety of other metrics to monitor disease spread and severity including lab data, genomic sequencing, and wastewater surveillance data.
Dr. Vohra stressed that even as the PHE is expiring, IDPH will remain focused on prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and will use lessons learned from the pandemic to address other public health challenges including chronic diseases, the opioid epidemic, and health disparities.
For those covered by the Medicaid program, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) has launched the Ready to Renew campaign to ensure that Illinoisans who are enrolled in Medicaid do not lose coverage due to the expiration of the automatic renewal provisions that were in place during the Public Health Emergency.
In Illinois, there will not be a “coverage cliff,” where everyone loses coverage at one time. Rather, redeterminations will happen on a rolling basis through mid-2024. HFS is reminding Medicaid customers to keep a close eye on their mailboxes for notices about when they need to take action to renew their coverage. For more information about Medicaid Renewals, click HERE.
The U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced it is launching the HHS Bridge Access Program For COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments for those who are uninsured. The program will create a $1.1 billion public-private partnership to help maintain uninsured individuals’ access to COVID-19 care at their local pharmacies, through existing public health infrastructure, and at their local health centers.
Finally, services such as telemedicine through the Test to Treat program offered through the SIU School of Medicine is expected to continue into Spring of 2024 and address the Covid-19 treatment needs for all Illinois residents during the next respiratory season.
IDPH is encouraging local health department partners around the state to mark the end of the PHE by hosting events to thank their employees and encourage local residents to show their appreciation for public health and health care heroes.
…Adding… Senate President Don Harmon…
I want to thank the entire public health and health care community for all the work you’ve done over the past few years.
As someone who’s had COVID, … not once, but twice, … been fully vaccinated and drooled countless times into SHIELD test tubes, I know that it is the public health and health care professionals on the front lines and behind the scenes all across this great state who worked to keep all of us safe.
I want to extend a sincere, heartfelt thank you to all of you for all that you have done.
· To the lab techs working around the clock to process samples …
· To the nurses and doctors caring for the infected …
· To the staff who set up and ran testing and vaccination sites …
· To the public health workers who tracked cases to help prevent disease spread …
You are the ones who sacrificed your time, your family, … your diets … in the name of public health and safety.
You ate pizza after pizza at the emergency command posts and testing tents.
You missed family events to staff clinics and care for patients.
You worked around the clock and calendar to try to stay ahead of the curve.
You saved lives.
And you can never be thanked or appreciated enough for what you have done.
And so I want to say: thank you.
Thank you on behalf of myself, my family, the Illinois Senate and the nearly 13 million people who call Illinois home.
Thank you for your sacrifices, your work and your commitment.
You are all true heroes.
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* SB2388 has been re-referred to Assignments. Chalkbeat…
A pandemic-era rise in youth joblessness and disconnection hit young Black women in Chicago especially hard, almost doubling their unemployment rate, according to a new report from the University of Illinois Chicago.
According to the study, about 45,800 16- to 24-year-olds were not in school, college, or the workforce in Chicago. Across the state, 177,000 were out of work and out of school in 2021. […]
The report was commissioned by the nonprofit Alternative Schools Network to help make the case for a bill to launch a $300 million statewide youth jobs program introduced in the Illinois Legislature this year. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Kam Buckner and state Sen. Robert Peters, both Chicago Democrats, would enlist community-based organizations across the state to help coordinate jobs for as many as 80,000 teens and young adults. […]
The issue of youth who are not in school, college, or the workforce has long bedeviled Chicago and other cities, despite research tying the problem to persistent poverty and violence rates. City leaders have argued that finding solutions is key to combating a rise in gun violence, and Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson has set a goal of doubling the number of youth summer jobs.
* WCIA…
A proposal to allow victims of doxing the right to a civil private right of action for damages to help deter bad actors on the Internet is making its way through the Illinois legislature. The bill passed the Senate Wednesday, and now heads to the governor’s desk. […]
Legislators say the state’s laws have lagged behind online technology. […]
“It is absolutely critical for our laws to evolve with the changing nature of the cyber world,” Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) said. “This legislation provides a necessary solution to the dangerous practice of doxing, by both helping victims and deterring future bad actors.” […]
The bill has received unanimous support in both chambers.
* Politico…
A bill that would prevent information from automated license plate readers from being used to track individuals seeking abortion care or criminalizing a person’s immigration status. It now goes to the Senate. […]
All for one: A House bill that would require vehicle manufacturers to establish a 24/7 hotline where police can contact the manufacturer in the event of a carjacking or kidnapping to get the real-time vehicle location data passed the Senate with all 59 senators — D’s and R’s — signing on as co-sponsors. The bill was carried by state Rep. Marty Moylan and state Sen. Michael Hastings.
* HB218 now moves to the Senate. WAND…
Illinois House Democrats hope to pass a plan in the final two weeks of session to hold gun manufacturers and others in the firearm industry accountable for gun violence.
Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) told the House Judiciary-Civil Committee Wednesday morning that gun manufacturers enjoy a special immunity under federal law as they can legally market firearms to anyone. Gong-Gershowitz and co-sponsors said every family devastated by gun violence should have an opportunity for justice through civil action.
The proposal could make it unlawful to knowingly create, maintain, or contribute to a condition in Illinois that endangers the safety or health of the public by failing to establish reasonable safeguards. […]
Still, the Illinois State Rifle Association and Illinois Federation of Outdoor Resources stressed the bill language is too vague and could lead to unintended consequences.
“There are trap shooting teams in downstate Illinois. There are out-of-state companies that engage in partnerships with them to provide discounted ammunition,” said lobbyist Josh Witkowski. “We are worried that these partnerships will dissolve because these companies are going to be worried about the language contained in this act.” […]
House Bill 218 passed out of the House Judiciary-Civil Committee on a partisan 8-4 vote. The legislation later passed out of the House hours later on a 71-40 vote with Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) voting present.
* HB1277 is still in the House Rules Committee. Illinois Radio Network…
House Bill 1277 aims to suspend a retired lawmaker’s pension if felony charges relate to their duties as a lawmaker.
The measure’s sponsor state Rep. Amy Elik, R-Fosterburg, said the effort is in response to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, being charged with 22 counts of corruption, including racketeering, bribery, and extortion.
According to previous reporting, Madigan receives $7,100 a month in pension payments from his decades as an Illinois legislator. Madigan was in the Illinois Legislature for 50 years. Most of that time he served as House Speaker.
State law allows for a retired legislator’s pension to be revoked if they are found guilty of a crime stemming from their work as an elected official.
* WAND…
The Illinois Senate approved a bill Wednesday to require Native American history for elementary and high school students.
This plan requires school districts to include Native American history curriculum in their social studies classes starting with the 2024-2025 school year.
House Bill 1633 requires students to learn about Native American contributions to the economic, cultural, social and political development of the United States. […]
House Bill 1633 passed out of the Senate on a 44-8 vote. The legislation now heads back to the House on concurrence. Representatives previously approved the plan on a 75-32-1 vote on March 23. If passed on concurrence, it will move to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.
* WICS…
EpiPens will soon cost a maximum of $60 for twin pack in Illinois.
House Bill 3639 passed the Senate on Wednesday and heads to Gov. JB Pritzker who’s expected to sign the new legislation.
A twin pack cost anywhere from $500-700 on average, and a single injector costs anywhere from $300-400. This has placed a significant financial burden on families who need to keep multiple EpiPens on hand for emergencies.
* Sierra Club and Illinois Environmental Council…
Environmental justice organizations and advocates from across the state will be joined by Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-11) and Rep. Sonya Harper (D-6) for a press conference calling on the Illinois General Assembly to prioritize environmental justice in Illinois by passing the Environmental Justice Act (HB2520) during this session.
The Environmental Justice Act (HB2520/SB1823) would help end the accumulation of pollution in vulnerable communities and reform the state’s industrial permitting processes to allow more community participation and transparency. The bill would also ensure the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency takes the amount of area pollution and health impacts into account as part of permit decision-making. The legislation comes in response to decades of environmental disasters and the legacy of toxic industry in Illinois’ communities of color. Chicago Southeast Side advocates point to state permitting laws that have allowed almost 200 industrial sites to accumulate in their communities and for permitting new polluters to set up operations across the state – often next to homes, schools and parks – with little scrutiny.
Thursday evening, over 100 activists will also participate in a “Free the Frontlines: Environmental Justice Power Hour” to demonstrate the grassroots support behind this legislation and to urge lawmakers to pass the Environmental Justice Act. To join the Power Hour, please register via bit.ly/ejpowerhour.
Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time
Where: via zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/81796442485
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Today’s quotable: Rep. Gregg Johnson
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Rep. Gregg Johnson (D-East Moline) received a sustained standing ovation last night after delivering this speech during debate on Senate Bill 1909, a bill to expand the Consumer Fraud Act to protect individuals from deceptive practices by crisis pregnancy centers…
Back in September of 2021, shortly after I announced my candidacy for the seat, I was approached by a local activist who asked if I’d be willing to tell the story at an upcoming women’s rights event of a 33-year-old mother from Rock Island that died six months prior to the Roe v. Wade decision due to preeclampsia.
I agreed, under the condition that all three of her kids would meet and allow me to give an accurate picture of the story. The oldest daughter was 11 at the time of her mother’s death, and was the only one of the kids with any memory of their mother’s story. The son, who was eight, had no memory of his mother, and the youngest daughter was only 15 months old at the time of the mother’s passing.
The mother’s name was Shirley Hunter. And with each pregnancy, she suffered through life-threatening preeclampsia. She gave birth to her third child, a baby girl, in April of 1971. She was told that she would not survive another pregnancy. In January of 1972, she found out that she was pregnant and began to contemplate just what would become of her kids were she to die.
The world was much, much different then. Earning money for a single mother was incredibly difficult. But she scrimped and she saved and she refused to take her medication to save on costs. But she was finally able to save enough money to go to New York. New York at that time was the only place where you could get a legal and safe abortion in our country. But by the time she got there, she was told she was too far along and nothing can be done.
She returned home to Rock Island with essentially a death sentence. The older sister talked about how her mother had spent her last Fourth of July with the kids watching the fireworks and eating ice cream, knowing that it would be her last. She died nine days later.
Kathy, the sister, talked about how she only found out a few days later at the funeral home that the man that she had called Dad for as early as she could remember and the father of the other two was actually not her biological father. And she was taken away from the funeral home kicking and screaming as she was torn away from her siblings and went to live with her father and a new family. She never lived with her siblings again.
The younger sister, Tracy, she talked about how she went through life. Always feeling like everyone viewed her as a little girl that lost her mom and never be at peace about knowing her past. The son had spent 49 years running from the past and was unwilling to confront it. He had absolutely no memory of his mother. And it bothers him to this day that he cannot remember the sound of her voice in times of crisis or even what she looked like the first eight years of his life are wiped clean.
But this story is about Shirley and the moments that she missed in her childrens’ lives. The fact that she was never given the opportunity to pick them up when they fell down or to give them praise when they succeeded. She wasn’t there when her oldest daughter graduated from nursing school and started a 40-year career in taking care of others or when she herself became a mother and grandmother. She wasn’t there when our youngest daughter became the best community organizer that I’ve ever seen, nor to see her become a parent.
She also wasn’t there to help her when the daughter herself became pregnant at an early age and attended one of these clinics and was surrounded by employees with a clinic that offered her nothing but group prayer and disturbing pictures.
Nor was she there to see her little boy win his first race or make his biggest first basket. Nor was she able to guide him along the nearly 40-year journey for him to find purpose in his life. Finally, she was not there in January of this year, when her son was sworn into the 103 General Assembly of this chamber.
Shirley Hunter was my mother and these girls were my sisters, and our lives were thrown into chaos, because our mother had no other option than to die and leave us. An increasingly activist Supreme Court has created a situation in which countless more families just like ours will be thrown into chaos and women and families all over the world will experience the same grief and trauma that ours did.
I am honored to serve along with 117 other members of this house. And I absolutely believe I would not be here had not the experience of my life form my social core. All that being said, I would trade every one, every day here and every day of the last 50 years if I’d had my mother to walk along me on my path through life.
I want to thank the sponsor for this bill.
Prior to last June, I was at least cognizant of the fact that this was never going to happen to any other little girls and the other eight-year-old boy and the other women. I can’t say that anymore. I now worry about our future going forward. And I will also tell you that it has been painful the last year and a half. Every single time I tell this story, it takes a chunk out me. It does. But this is important. It’s important work we do here. For just the rest of the day I’ll probably still feel like that eight-year-old lonely boy. But tomorrow, we go back to work, tonight we go back to work, and that work includes protecting women and their ability to make their own health care decisions. Thank you.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
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bp Is Investing In Illinois
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Open thread
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* I have to keep reminding myself that it isn’t Friday. Anyways, what’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Crain’s | Dems plot fundraiser to help cover 2024 DNC expenses: State Democrats have scheduled a fundraiser featuring Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson on Thursday that will raise money to help pay host expenses for next year’s Democratic National Convention here. The event had been set for Pritzker’s Gold Coast manse, but it moved to an unidentified new location because the guest list grew too large. Roughly 75 donors and prospective donors now are set to attend, including financier Michael Sacks, sources say, with the goal of getting commitments for $80 million to $100 million.
* Tribune | Uber warns Democrats, mayor-elect if tougher ride-share rules pass problems might arise, especially during next year’s DNC: But sponsors of the legislation were undaunted by Uber’s tactics. They said the measure is aimed at ensuring greater passenger safety by allowing those injured in an Uber or Lyft vehicle to file a liability claim against the company, rather than just the driver.
* Tribune | GOP lawmakers say lack of guidance from attorney general puts gun buyers in legal jeopardy: A spokeswoman for Raoul’s office pushed back, saying in a statement: “Any insinuation that the attorney general’s office would intentionally mislead or ‘entrap’ law-abiding Illinois residents is, at best, laughable. At worst, it is dangerous.”
* Capitol News Illinois | U.S. Supreme Court justice considering action on Illinois’ assault weapons ban: Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who hears applications from the Seventh Circuit, could decide on her own whether to issue an emergency injunction or she could refer the question to the full court for consideration.
* Sun-Times | Lawyers for 2 convicted in ComEd bribery trial ask for permission to speak to jurors: Attorneys for former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker filed a motion in U.S District Court, asking for an order granting them permission to speak to the panel of seven women and five men who last week found them guilty on every count.
* Sun-Times | Faster police response would not have saved slain Officer Areanah Preston, Johnson’s chief of staff says: Rich Guidice, who for 20 years ran the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, said “Chicago Police did the best they could to get to the scene of the incident as quickly as they did.”
* Sun-Times | Two mothers linked by tragedy: One lost her police officer daughter, the other’s 16-year-old son is accused of the murder: Her son Jaylen Frazier is still alive, but Walker said it feels like she has lost him as well. “It’s almost as if he’s dead because his life is over at such a young age,” Walker said. Each mother was left thinking of the other. Mhoon told reporters she “felt sorry” for those accused of killing her daughter.
* WAND | Crackdown on crisis pregnancy centers passed out of statehouse: Senate Bill 1909 passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives Wednesday night and is headed to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk for signature. The proposal is aimed at cracking down on crisis pregnancy centers that deceive patients. But some centers say their industry is being wrongly vilified.
* Scott Holland | Quinn’s ethics proposals are detailed, but don’t address punishment: Perpetually absent from debate about government ethics is the suggestion to place anything considered an abuse of public office and make it a felony punishable by a mandatory prison sentence. When politicians abuse privilege to line their wallets, if the only punishment is making them give back some of the money, is that a sufficient deterrent?
* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson meets Vice President Kamala Harris, works Capitol Hill: This was Johnson’s first time in the White House and the first time he met Harris, an experience that he told me left him “humbled” and “inspired.”
* Tribune | Barack Obama back in Chicago to tout initiatives for young men of color: ‘Fight cynicism’: Former President Barack Obama returned to Chicago this week to highlight cities across the country who will serve as “model communities” for his namesake My Brother’s Keeper initiative. Launched in 2014 after the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, while Obama was still in the White House, MBK sought to steer public, private and philanthropic dollars to programs that would help young boys and men of color succeed.
* Bloomberg | A $6 Billion Chicago Real Estate Project Seeks Funds After Delay: The third-biggest US city has been slow to issue permits for the 53-acre development on the banks of the Chicago River, set to become a life sciences hub, and developer Sterling Bay is now in the process of recapitalizing the whole project, said Chief Executive Officer Andy Gloor.
* WTTW | Chicago Museums’ Plans To Deal With NASCAR Race Range From ‘We’re Closed’ to ‘What Race?’: Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium have developed plans — including closings and altered hours — for the days leading up to, during and directly after the race. Some are standing their ground and some are taking evasive action.
* WGN | Migrants volunteer in community garden as they await placement at local shelters: For the last 15 days, Manuel Moreno and his wife, Laurimar, have been living out of the Chicago Police Department’s 22nd District police station in Morgan Park. While they wait for placement in a local shelter, Moreno and a group of men have been helping in the nearby Edna White Community Garden. […] Moreno said through a translator that he “doesn’t want to be a burden to the government of the US or Chicago. We want to be productive people for the country. We are here to help our families.”
* Daily Herald | Another Kennedy Expressway curveball as construction continues: Starting Monday, “the reversible express lanes exit at Diversey Avenue will be closed for approximately eight weeks,” IDOT planners said. “During that time, the express lanes will remain open in the inbound direction and motorists will not be able to exit them until Ohio Street.”
* WCIA | Elusive emu evades police on I-74 outside of Urbana: ISP said troopers chased the emu off the roadway. However, ISP said the emu ran into some heavy timber and the troopers lost sight of the emu. Jennifer Sigler shared a video on Facebook, and with WCIA, of Illinois State Police officers trying to apprehend the emu.
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Live coverage
Thursday, May 11, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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