* Not much of a surprise…
…Adding… Rep. Morgan…
State Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, issued this statement after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals resumed enforcement of the Protect Illinois Communities Act, staying a previous lower court ruling:
“Today’s ruling by the Seventh Circuit once again ensures that the Protect Illinois Communities Act can continue to save lives in Illinois. We know the fight isn’t over– the gun lobby will continue to try and block any common sense efforts to keep assault weapons off our streets. But we aren’t backing down, and this ruling only strengthens our resolve and confidence. Assault weapons are killing machines that have caused carnage in too many of our communities, and this law is a powerful step forward on the path to ending the devastating scourge of gun violence in Illinois.
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bp Is Investing In Illinois
Thursday, May 4, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Afternoon roundup
Thursday, May 4, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is a tiny budget pressure, but it’s still an ask. From another publication…
With a May 19 deadline looming to wrap up state legislative work, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle drove to the state Capitol on Wednesday to make a direct ask of lawmakers to pick up the slack on paying for the health care costs of asylum seekers coming to Illinois.
What she wants: Preckwinkle says the county needs an additional $1.8 million a month to run the Cook County Health system that has been caring for the thousands of migrants who have landed in Chicago — either by bus or plane — since last year. That funding would be in addition to the $1.8 million that the county already kicks in.
Up until February, the state had been paying an estimated $1.6 million for medical care. Then it stopped, and the county took on paying it all. Preckwinkle now worries the task will be more difficult with the expected influx of migrants when Title 42 expires May 11. That’s the Covid-era rule that has allows U.S. officials to turn back thousands of asylum seekers.
I asked the governor’s office for a response…
The Governor’s focus remains on investing in priorities he outlined during his budget address. His administration is working closely with the General Assembly to ensure that additional priorities fit within a balanced budget framework.
Not exactly an endorsement, but it looks like they’re keeping an open mind.
* Press release…
In an effort to prevent yet another long, hot summer of violence, Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-7th) is hosting a prayer and peace breakfast Friday, May 5th, 7 a.m.-12 noon, at the St. Paul Church of God in Christ, 4526 S. Wabash, where clergy and community leaders will hammer out an anti-crime agenda they plan to give to Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.
The conference is a reaction to the recent teenage takeover of the Loop and the political fallout that pursued. However, the clergy want to present a holistic proposed solution to Johnson rather than focusing only on anti-crime suggestions.
“We are doing this to help create peace and forgiveness,” said Rev. Paul Jakes, pastor of the New Tabernacle of Faith Baptist Church. “We have other issues that may be the basis for the crime, like the long neglected communities of color, homelessness, the lack of jobs, mental illnesses, inadequate schools and a need for better public safety.
“We are taking a pro-active stance in helping Mayor-elect Johnson get a handle on a myriad of social and economic problems he is inheriting,” Rev. Jakes said. We are inviting the public and they are welcome to bring their suggestions.”
* This is always a big event…
The annual Illinois Peace Officers Memorial Service to honor law enforcement officers killed in Illinois in the line of duty, including 12 who died in late 2021 and during 2022, was held Thursday, May 4 at the Illinois Peace Officer Memorial sculpture on the Illinois State Capitol grounds in Springfield.
“This annual ceremony honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their communities,” said Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) State Lodge President Chris Southwood. “Every man and woman in this difficult and dangerous profession knows the risks they face every time they put on the badge. This memorial service is a testament to those risks and to the selfless courage of the officers who laid down their lives to keep us safe.”
The 12 officers killed during late 2021 and in 2022 include: Officer Nicholas Kozak, Forest Park Police Department, November 27, 2021; Officer James R. Svec, Chicago Police Department, December 8, 2021; CBP Canine Officer Jeffrey P. Dela Cruz, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, December 23, 2021; Officer Jose M. Huerta, Chicago Police Department, December 23, 2021; Detective Joseph A. Tripoli, Chicago Police Department, January 3, 2022; Deputy Sheriff Michael John Queeney, Will County Sheriff’s Office, January 8, 2022; Officer Brian Romel Shields, Aurora Police Department, January 11, 2022; Deputy Sheriff Joseph Robert Tinoco, Cook County Sheriff’s Department, January 13, 2022; Sergeant Kenneth John Thurman Sr., Aurora Police Department, January 19, 2022; Deputy Sheriff Brian J. Norton, Ford County Sheriff’s Office, February 5, 2022; Officer Brian Lee Sember, Ottawa Police Department, April 3, 2022; and Deputy Sheriff Nicholas Donald Weist, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, April 29, 2022.
In addition, five officers who were confirmed to have died in the line of duty in the past but who had not yet been officially included on the memorial were recognized. These include: Sergeant Claude E. Bowman, Cook County Highway Patrol, July 7, 1923; Sergeant Francis J. McGraw, Chicago Police Department, May 6, 1942; Officer Charles Hibsch, Chicago Police Department, November 9, 1947; Officer Dennis F. Collins, Chicago Police Department, July 3, 1953; and Deputy John Venton Donaldson Sr., Ogle County Sheriff’s
The day’s observance began with the lineup of squad cars from around the state at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The procession departed the fairgrounds and arrived at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for a memorial church service. The procession then traveled to the State Capitol for the 11 a.m. ceremony.
* Center Square…
Illinois generated about $562 million from marijuana in 2022, placing the state ahead of every of every other in the country in that department except California, according to data from the Marijuana Policy Project.
Overall, tax receipts grew by 10% in Illinois last year, with all the growth coming despite the state being slow to distribute new licenses after legalizing recreational marijuana sales in 2020. In addition, the state charges some of the highest taxes in the country at nearly 40% when local taxes are included, compared to just 10% for Michigan.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Immigrant Impact Task Force released a report examining various issues affecting immigrant, refugee, and limited English proficiency communities, sharing recommendations the state can take to improve services to immigrant communities. The Task Force identified thirteen issues in the legislation ranging from citizenship assistance, business development, education access, discrimination prevention, immigration detention, COVID-19 relief, language access programs, and more.
The report emphasizes the importance of programs and resources provided by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) in supporting immigrant communities. These programs include language assistance, referrals to community resources, and the Refugee and Immigrant Services Program, which offers various services to help refugees and immigrants integrate into their new communities.
The report also highlights Illinois serving as a welcoming state and IDHS’s efforts to address the unique challenges undocumented immigrants face. These efforts include the creation of a hotline for individuals to report fraudulent immigration services, as well as the provision of legal assistance to immigrants facing deportation.
The report is here.
* Press release…
In 2020, House Republican Representatives Ryan Spain, Jim Durkin, and Andrew Chesney launched a special investigation committee to examine then-Speaker Michael Madigan’s involvement in the ComEd bribery scandal. Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch served as chairman, called the process a sham and chose to abruptly end the investigation after hearing from just one witness. Welch now serves as Speaker of the House and was supported in this effort by Rep. Lisa Hernandez, who now serves as Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
“We convened and launched an important investigation with substantive work asking for follow-up and investigation into these matters we’ve heard about in detail in the prosecution and now the guilty verdicts which have been delivered this week,” said Rep. Ryan Spain. What was the response from the Democratic legislators that participated in that Investigating Committee? Coverup and sweeping the facts under the rug.”
This week, four of Mike Madigan’s ComEd allies were found guilty of bribery conspiracy in federal court because of their efforts to gain Madigan’s favor while he served as Speaker.
“For too long, we have allowed the poor ethical behavior of people like Mike Madigan, his associates, and others to become the way we do business in the State of Illinois, and unfortunately, the “Madigan Way” is still the way in which our government works here in Springfield. It has to stop now,” said Rep. Ryan Spain.
Nothing has changed since Madigan’s indictment to prevent this type of behavior and nothing will change until the majority party gets serious about ending corruption and reforming the Madigan Rules which govern the House of Representatives.
Emanuel “Chris” Welch is now Madigan’s handpicked successor as Speaker of the Illinois House. Lisa Hernandez is now Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “It’s time to throw out the Madigan playbook, pass robust ethics reform measures, and give Illinoisans an honest state government they can believe in,” concluded Spain.
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Tribune | Illinois’ property tax sale system on path to potential reform: A new Senate bill amendment backed by the Cook County treasurer’s office and the Chicago Community Trust seeks to reform Illinois’ property tax sale system. Backers such as state Rep. Kam Buckner, a Chicago Democrat, say the bill would cut the cost for homeowners trying to pay off property tax debt in half, close a loophole that critics said allowed private investors and hedge funds to profit off local governments and help get vacant or abandoned properties back on the tax rolls.
* WBEZ | Greater Ashburn residents want to revamp a program once designed to curb white flight: SWGHE is one of three such Chicago programs that were created under a 1988 Illinois law out of fear white homeowners would flee the city after the election of Harold Washington, Chicago’s first Black mayor. The programs on the Southwest and Northwest sides are funded by nominal property taxes collected from every homeowner in their respective districts. Those who enroll in the program by paying for an appraisal of their home are offered a guarantee: They won’t lose money if they hold on to their homes for at least five years before selling, even if property values fall. That’s unless the reason prices decline is an economic recession.
* Illinois Answers | Tax hikes to ebb for many north suburban businesses, leaving homeowners on the hook: Residential valuations in five north suburban townships are 15% higher for the 2022 tax year than they were in 2019, the last time north Cook County was reassessed, new data from the county Board of Review show. At the same time, combined commercial and industrial valuations edged downward by 1% compared to their last turn under the microscope.
* WBEZ | Cold hard floors, no privacy, asylum seekers make do at Chicago Police Stations: At several of Chicago Police Department Stations, you’ll find Little Caesar pizza boxes, Dunkin Donuts coffee cups and other items surrounding the migrants who lay sit or stand in the vestibule of these stations, with little to protect them from the blowing wind when the front doors open. The Diaz family arrived at one two weeks ago. Their journey began two years ago when they left their native Venezuela and found a temporary home in neighboring Colombia. Then they went to Mexico before arriving in Chicago. Joana Diaz says it’s been tough. She says they had to sleep on bare floors with no sheets, no food or access to showers and sometimes they aren’t made to feel welcome.
* AP | Proposed carbon dioxide pipeline that would end in Illinois hits legal road bump in Iowa: In his ruling Wednesday, District Judge John Sandy denied a pipeline company’s request for an injunction that would allow survey crews access to Martin’s Koenig’s farmland near Sioux Rapids in northwest Iowa. Sandy said a law giving crews that access violated the state constitution because it doesn’t provide just compensation for damages to landowners in exchange for the loss of their right to deny entry to their land, according to the Sioux City Journal.
* Tribune | From card dealers to seamstresses, Bally’s Chicago hiring more than 700 to open temporary casino at Medinah Temple: While Bally’s is staffing up, it remains to be seen whether the temporary casino will be licensed and ready to welcome gamblers by its planned opening in July. It is already slightly behind schedule, with the start date initially targeted for June.
* WTTW | A Faith Leader Was Convicted of Sexually Abusing a Student and Employee. He Still Lives Within Feet of the School: “It sounds like a very unusual and very specific allowance for somebody,” Rivette said. “If some sort of allowance like that was in place for somebody, there has to be a really big assurance that the person would not have access to children at all, or any vulnerable populations, because generally people that sexually offend have patterns of behavior that aren’t easily broken.”
* Sun-Times | Lincolnwood construction company owner charged with smuggling workers through Romanian ‘Godfather’ Luigi Cristinel Popescu: Tudor Deaconu, owner of TDA Construction Inc., arranged for Canadian smugglers from Romania to bring a married couple, their child and another adult to the United States without the proper visas, according to an indictment unsealed last month.
* WBEZ | Save A Lot officials face off with Englewood residents over plans for shuttered Whole Foods site: As a possible resolution for the months-long conflict, Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th) — whose ward is where the site is located — and community members are asking the Ohio-based company to break its lease at the Englewood site and focus on their other stores around Chicago.
* Crain’s | Metra gets a lift from Kennedy construction: The biggest increase came on the Union Pacific Northwest line, which runs from downtown through suburbs such as Arlington Heights. It recorded a post-pandemic high of 25,900 passenger trips on Wednesday, April 12, up 30% from the same-day average during the previous six weeks, according to Metra. Eight of the 10 best weekdays for ridership on the UP Northwest since the pandemic began have come since the Kennedy construction started.
* SJ-R | Chicago group closes on financing for Poplar Place redevelopment: Construction will be done in phases and is set to begin later this month, Mayor Jim Langfelder said. It will consist of 25 structures, or 50 duplex units and 50 structures that are single-family houses, lessening the density from its previous 125 structures.
* Crain’s | Chicago firm closes $300 million fund for opportunity zones, plans another: The Chicago-based real estate firm announced today that it has closed its second qualified opportunity zone fund at $300 million, adding to the nearly $265 million it raised for its first fund in 2021. The combined total ranks Origin among the top 2% of fund managers by equity raised for the federal opportunity zones program, according to data tracked by San Francisco-based tax advisory and consulting firm Novogradac.
* WCIA | Is it safe to eat fish from Illinois water? IDPH releases mercury, PCB advisory list: The IDPH released an updated map of affected waters on Wednesday, including many in Central Illinois. In that update, three lakes were added to the list of waters with methylmercury advisories while seven lakes and rivers saw advisories for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) removed.
* KWQC | Illinois Extension Outreach Center organizes storm clean-up at Chippiannock Cemetery: Crews in Rock Island are still working to clean up storm damage from April 4, after an EF1 tornado passed right through the Chippiannock Cemetery, uprooting historic trees and causing significant damage.
* Crain’s | State Street and Deerfield office buildings listed among state’s most endangered: The nonprofit advocacy group’s annual list of the most endangered historic places, released today, warns of imminent threats to nine sites around Illinois, including an affordable housing project at the state’s extreme southern end, in Cairo, and a neglected mid-1800s wooden bridge at its extreme northern end, in Richmond.
* Tribune | Violins from the Holocaust part of Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra’s season finale in Palos Heights: Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra closes its 45th anniversary season with violins from the Holocaust. May 13′s Dvořák & Beach at Trinity Christian College’s Ozinga Chapel in Palos Heights also features the world premiere of Jonathan Cziner’s strings-only composition “Nifrach,” which is dedicated to his grandparents Manfred and Linda Blum, the former who lost many family members in the Holocaust.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Question of the day
Thursday, May 4, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Describe what you think former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s official portrait will look like…
*** UPDATE *** Some of you will remember this infamous and hilarious Twitter account…
The Rauners obsessed over who was behind that account.
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* Press release…
Landmark legislation designed to prevent book banning passed the Illinois Senate, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced [yesterday].
HB 2789, which now awaits the Governor’s signature, sets a nationwide precedent in the fight against book bans, as libraries and librarians face unprecedented censorship of books and resources, including in Illinois. The bill passed the Illinois House in March.
Giannoulias, who also serves as the State Librarian, initiated HB 2789 after extremist groups – including the far-right nationalist group, the Proud Boys – targeted Illinois libraries, divided communities and harassed librarians, despite that the books are not required reading. […]
House Bill 2789, sponsored by State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (81st District – Downers Grove) and Sen. Laura Murphy (28th District – Elk Grove Village), allow Giannoulias’ office to authorize grant funding only to libraries that adhere to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights states that reading materials should not be removed or restricted because of partisan or personal disapproval, or that issue a statement prohibiting the practice of banning books or resources.
Currently, Illinois law does not contain language related to book banning or the eligibility for state grants if a library bans items from its collection. Last fiscal year, the Secretary of State’s office awarded 1,631 grants to Illinois libraries totaling more than $62 million. Of those, 97% of the grants were awarded to public and school libraries, with public libraries receiving 877 grants and school libraries securing 712 grants.
According to the Chicago-based American Library Association (ALA), there were 67 attempts to ban books in Illinois in 2022, increasing from 41 the previous year.
Nationally, the number of attempts to ban books has been surging. According to the ALA, last year more than 2,500 different books were objected to, compared to 1,858 in 2021 and just 566 in 2019. […]
If signed into law, HB 2789 would take effect on January 1, 2024.
* From Giannoulias’ press conference…
At the state’s librarian, we’ve traveled the state. We’ve spoken to librarians, and what we’ve heard unequivocally across the board is that librarians have never dealt with this level of intimidation, hatred. They’re scared, they’re quitting their jobs. It’s tougher to get new librarians for doing what they’ve always done … That, to me is absolutely unacceptable.
He went on to say that he was “blown away that this has become a partisan issue,” which, he said, “has been the most disheartening part of this whole process.”
* Sen. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport)…
“This is yet another example of extreme Democrats in the General Assembly taking rights away from parents and local communities and deciding what is best for people. This law, if signed by the Governor, installs a statewide doctrine that provides that all content will be equally available to minors and adults. Through its very nature, this legislation will subject minor children to inappropriate adult content.
“It is becoming commonplace at the Capitol for the majority party to push through legislation that tramples on the rights of people who don’t agree with them or don’t share their same liberal ideology. They’ve been pushing their agenda in our schools, and now they are forcing it upon our libraries. This isn’t about adults going to their library and viewing adult content. It’s about children having unfettered access to that same content, and that’s simply unacceptable.”
* Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville)…
This bill is another attempt by the super majority to make it easier to force their extreme ideology on communities across this state, by taking control away from locally elected library boards, and handing it to an outside national organization. It’s offensive to the ideals of good government to threaten to take public funding away from the very communities that generated that funding through their taxes. The members of locally elected library boards, who work to increase literacy in their communities, don’t need a book-ban agenda foisted on them by Chicago politicians who are just trying to get cheap publicity. I will continue to fight against these repeated attempts to take away local control from our communities, whether their target is schools, libraries, or other units of local government.
Sen. Plummer professed not to know what the American Library Association even is. He called it a “random organization” four times during floor debate. One excerpt…
A yes vote on this bill does two things that I think everyone in this chamber should really think about. One, it deprives local taxpayers of the very revenue that they spend to support their local schools and libraries. And it allows unelected and unidentified random people in some organization at the national level to ban books, to set local policy and to usurp the authority of the local elected officials that our constituents voted into their position to make decisions on their behalf. None of your constituents voted for this random organization. None of your constituents are funding this random organization. They’re funding their local libraries, they’re electing their local library boards, and you’re taking their powers away from them simply because you may not agree with their beliefs.
Yeah, no. First, the American Library Association was founded in 1876. It’s a pretty durable American institution. They published a Library Bill of Rights in 1939. It ain’t some rando.
Second, we covered this library board topic in March…
According to the Illinois Public Library Trustee Manual, issued by the secretary of state’s office, only library directors and their staff should be selecting library materials, not library boards.
And the comments by more moderate Senate Republicans during debate (including about drag shows) just confirms my belief that the party’s center is too willing to enable its far right wing to the point where the center (such as it remains) will soon disappear.
* More of that in Isabel’s roundup…
* Tribune | Bill aimed at deterring library book bans heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker after party-line vote in Senate: “The conversation has been based around book bans. This bill is about taking local control from your elected officials who are elected locally to decide for their libraries what’s best for their libraries,” said Rezin, a Republican from Morris. “Southern Illinois may be different than the suburbs. The suburbs may be different than Chicago.” …
* WCIA | Illinois bill preventing library book bans passes Senate: “This is just a layer of bureaucracy and a threat to these local districts, a bureaucratic threat of taking away their funding that they desperately need,” Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said.
* Capitol News Illinois | Bill blocking libraries from state funding if they ban books clears General Assembly: “I think what I heard is, regarding the Bill of Rights here, that if a library does not make its public space available for anyone who wants to use it, including, say, a drag show, because of what the local officials of that library feel is not appropriate for the library, that library can now potentially lose their state funding,” [Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris] said. Likewise, Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, said that prohibiting libraries from banning books for any reason would mean they could not reject the donation of books from the public, including books that are purely hate speech or books offering directions on how to build a bomb. … At his news conference, Giannoulias described those arguments as “ludicrous” and said the legislation does not deal with drag shows or dictate to librarians what materials they have to maintain. “We’re not telling you what books to buy or not buy,” he said. “What we’re saying is, if a book is in circulation as determined by the libraries and the librarians, that book cannot be banned because a group of individuals don’t like or want that book in their library. That’s what the legislation is all about.”
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, May 4, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Patrick Keck…
The Illinois House of Representatives moved House Bill 3957 to the Senate on Wednesday, a bill blocking drug price gouging on off-patent and generic drugs.
Consideration was postponed on the bill during a third reading frenzy before the legislature’s spring break last month. Democrats adjourned that April 18 without having enough members to move it forward despite having a super-majority in the chamber.
Wednesday’s vote proved to be much less dramatic and advanced on a 84-25 bipartisan vote. House Minority Leader Tony McCombie and Rep. Mike Coffey, R-Springfield, joined Democrats in supporting the legislation.
Specifically, the bill from Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, permits the Director of Healthcare and Family Services or Director of Central Management Services to inform the Attorney General when a price increase for a drug is merited as price gouging. From there, the AG’s office could request a drug manufacturer to explain why they have increased the medication and potentially file subpoenas to a circuit court.
* Illinois Times…
The Illinois House has passed a bill to make it possible for noncitizen residents to receive a standard driver’s license. Currently, such persons may only obtain a Temporary Visitor Driver’s License, which may not be used as identification. As of May 1 the bill was awaiting a final vote in the Senate. The legislation would prohibit state authorities from delivering personal information, including immigration status, to federal officials when individuals apply for a standard driver’s license.
The bill would also eliminate the current requirement that noncitizens either possess an unexpired passport or be able to prove residency in the state for a year before taking the driving exam. Instead, otherwise valid identification that has expired within the past two years would now be accepted. Noncitizens could only receive a standard driver’s license, not the REAL ID license, which remains available only to citizens.
Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, is opposed to the bill and says it improperly accommodates people who are in the country illegally. “The federal government is failing on the issue of immigration,” he said in an email to Illinois Times. “Meanwhile it’s costing the state of Illinois hundreds of millions of dollars in ‘free’ services for individuals who are here illegally.” Davidsmeyer says that the new license is an attempt to evade federal immigration laws. “I don’t believe that we should be rewarding individuals who are operating outside of [federal] law.” […]
Members of Springfield’s immigrant community expressed optimism about the new measure. They report that obtaining a Temporary Visitor Driver’s License under current law is so difficult that many do not take advantage of it. For instance, if an applicant does not have an unexpired passport, he must prove residency in Illinois for the past 12 months. Many recent arrivals live in shared accommodations where the lease and utilities are contracted in someone else’s name. This makes proving residency difficult. “I know a lot of people who would like to get a driver’s license, but they don’t have the right paperwork because nothing is in their name,” says Cristina.
* Press release…
A coalition of community developers, affordable housing advocates and tax policy experts led by The Chicago Community Trust today applauded the House Revenue Committee for passing legislation to reform Illinois’ delinquent property tax sale system that research shows will increase investment in historically disinvested communities across the state.
Senate Bill 1675 Amendment 1 reforms the Illinois Property Tax Sale system by closing loopholes that prevent blighted properties from redevelopment and allows local governments to intervene to save abandoned properties after only one failed delinquent tax sale rather than allow them to cycle through the tax sale system for years while the property deteriorates, requiring taxpayer-funded maintenance and eventually demolition. The measure is supported by cities with high concentrations of vacant properties across Illinois, including Chicago, Peoria, Rockford, Decatur and Kankakee.
These common-sense reforms would empower local governments to work with community developers and residents to restore vacant homes and return them to viable properties. In Cook County alone, an estimated 50,000 vacant or abandoned properties are concentrated in its Black and Latinx neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West sides and in the south suburbs. […]
Under the current Illinois Property Tax Code, county treasurers are required to conduct an Annual Tax Sale at which private tax buyers — typically institutional investors such as hedge funds or out-of-state private tax buyers — can purchase tax debt and seek repayment from the property owners including interest up to 18%. Tax buyers are given up to three years to pay off the tax lien if an owner fails to repay the taxes.
However, a loophole in state law known as a “Sale in Error” allows tax buyers to ask a court for a full refund — plus interest — paid by local governments if the tax buyers don’t want to possess the deed to the distressed property after that three-year period. Under current law, tax buyers can claim a “Sale in Error” for any number of trivial reasons — if the property has a $100 municipal mowing lien on it, for example. […]
Senate Bill 1675 Amendment 1 would limit reasons a “Sale an Error” can be granted, for example, when there is an actual error in the legal description causing a tax buyer to bid on a parcel that doesn’t exist.
Importantly, the legislation would also stop abandoned properties from continually passing through the tax sale cycle while sitting vacant. The measure would allow county governments to intervene more quickly after only one failed delinquent tax sale and then work with land banks, community developers and local residents to rehabilitate the properties before the property deteriorates beyond the point of rehabilitation.
* Fox Chicago…
There is new hope for a revival of the Hotel Florence, with House Bill 779 continuing to make its way through the Illinois General Assembly.
HB0779 would provide $21 million in state funding to restore the once-opulent structure back to its former glory. Hotel Florence — named after George Pullman’s daughter — was built in 1881 as a 50-room hotel at the corner of 111th and Forrestville, complete with reading room, billiards room, bar, and restaurant. It sits within the footprint of the Pullman National Historic Park. […]
Quiroz used to spend time as a boy playing in the front yard when his mother was Hotel Florence’s head housekeeper. That was in the 1940s. But decades later, the hotel’s heyday is a distant memory. The building was barely saved from the wrecking ball in the 1970s, and despite efforts by the State of Illinois — which has owned it since the 1990s — to preserve parts of the structure, it has sat mostly empty for decades. […]
HB0779 has passed the state House and is now making its way through the Senate.
* Press release…
Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford is leading a measure to require all schools in the state to provide an option of full-day kindergarten.
“Kindergarten is pivotal for children’s learning journey,” said Lightford (D-Maywood). “Full-day kindergarten classes across the state will ensure equal access to early learning opportunities for all our families.”
Currently, it is optional for school districts to offer full-day kindergarten. Parents who live in districts without the option of full-day kindergarten are often faced with additional barriers to preparing their children for early elementary school. These barriers include, but are not limited to, mid-day transportation, loss of income due to being home with the child or finding additional childcare, and ensuring developmentally appropriate activities are being provided throughout the day. […]
House Bill 2396 passed in the Senate Education Committee and heads to full Senate for further consideration.
* Illinois Senate Democrats…
Opioid overdoses in Illinois alone increased 33% between 2019 and 2020 – a jarring statistic that has led members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus to champion measures to tackle the epidemic.
“The ongoing opioid crisis deserves our full attention, and expanding access to overdose prevention supplies is a critical step in our efforts to prevent overdoses and save lives,” said State Senator Paul Faraci (D-Champaign).
Faraci is sponsoring a measure to expand access to overdose prevention supplies for providers enrolled in the Illinois Department of Human Service’s Substance Use Prevention and Recovery Division Drug Overdose Prevention Team. House Bill 1121 would increase access to fentanyl test strips and improve public health outcomes by preventing fatal overdose.
“All providers enrolled in the Drug Overdose Prevention Program must store testing supplies so that they are accessible only by authorized personnel, including other trained overdose responders,” said Faraci.
Fentanyl abuse is on the rise, leading State Senator Laura Ellman to sponsor House Bill 3924, which seeks to combat the risk of overdoses by requiring all high school students enrolled in a state-required health course to learn about the dangers of fentanyl and fentanyl contamination.
“I’m proud of the work my colleagues and I have done to increase access to naloxone and protect people seeking help for someone experiencing an overdose from being arrested, but our work to address this crisis is not over,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “Educating people of all ages on the dangers of potential overdose is an effective way to save lives and combat overdoses long-term.”
To increase patron safety at concert venues State Senator Karina Villa is championing House Bill 1557. The measure would require for-profit music venues that have an occupancy of 1,000 or more to have opioid-overdose antidotes, such as naloxone, on hand and have staff members who are sufficiently trained in administrating it.
“People go to a music festival or concert to enjoy themselves — one bad decision should not cost them their life,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “Whether someone consumes a harmful substance on purpose or accidentally, this bill will save lives by expanding first aid in concert halls to include treating overdose.”
The Senators will work over the weeks leading up to the May 19 adjournment to pass the measures.
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* Background is here if you need it. Press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul [yesterday] issued the following statement after sending a letter to the mayor of Danville about the ordinance the mayor signed that ignores the Illinois Reproductive Health Act, but is not in effect and will not take effect based on a last-minute amendment.
“After stepping up to the brink of open defiance of state law, I am relieved that the city of Danville heard the concerns I raised in the letter I sent earlier this week and those raised by fellow advocates. Ultimately, after a last-minute amendment, the City Council decided to pass an amended ordinance that, by its own terms, is not in effect and will not take effect.
“Even if the city’s ordinance is merely symbolic, I do not want it to instill fear and confusion. Let me be clear: all residents of Illinois continue to enjoy the fundamental rights guaranteed to them under state law, and my office will continue to ensure that all localities in the state understand that access to reproductive health care is a fundamental right in Illinois.
“Illinois law could not be clearer. Our state is a proud safe haven for access to reproductive health care that respects bodily autonomy and fundamental rights. The Reproductive Health Act states that units of local government cannot limit abortion rights, and Danville has no authority under Illinois law to enact a municipal abortion ban or to otherwise impose its own restrictions on access to abortion care.
“As I said in the letter I sent to the mayor of Danville [yesterday], any future attempt by the city of Danville to restrict the fundamental right to access abortion care would be a violation of Illinois law and will not go unchallenged.”
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* David Bonagura Jr., author of the book “Steadfast in Faith”, was invited to appear on WTTW’s news program to talk about Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s bill to allow people to have their dead bodies composted under state regulations…
Bonagura: Cremation is allowed, but not preferred in the Catholic tradition precisely because of the value we place on the body as a religious tradition. We think the body has been ennobled in such a great way through the incarnation that Jesus Christ became God and gave the body an incredible dignity, He divinised it. So even in cremation, we allow that, the church requires that the ashes and bones be kept together and not separated. To separate is really to denigrate the nature of the person.
One of the great tragic elements of September 11 was that so many of those bodies were not able to be recovered, and those people were lost into oblivion, just like people who are composted are. There’s no way to bring closure or peace.
Rep. Cassidy: I’m sorry. You’re comparing this to a terrorist attack? Please.
Bonagura: It’s what happened to the bodies of those poor people.
Rep. Cassidy: And let’s stay with the facts, man. C’mon.
Bonagura: Those were bodies that were lost to all eternity, just like…
Rep. Cassidy: And that has nothing to do with a person making a conscious choice to use a low-impact process to dispose of their remains in a way that is consistent with their belief system. I respect your belief system. I’m not asking Catholics to be cremated, or to be composted. I have no business telling a Catholic what to do with their body post-death. Just as the Catholic Church doesn’t have any business telling an environmentalist that they have to use an environmentally damaging process to handle their remains.
Bonagura: We make laws that reflect the values of our culture. And to allow human composting, to allow our bodies to be thrown into oblivion…
Rep. Cassidy: This is not a Catholic country. [Crosstalk]
Bonagura: If we can defend the body in death, we can do it in life as well.
Please pardon all transcription errors. More on the panel discussion (and there was quite a bit more) is here.
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* The Patch…
Steven Woletz, of the 100 block of Jason Court, called the Governor’s Office of Constituent Affairs April 15 and left a voicemail threatening both Pritzker and his mother, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Officials allege the 46-year-old man spewed threats and profanities on the voicemail, saying, “F— you and your f—ing mother” and “I’m going to f—ing kill you, you f—ing silly f—ing a–hole.”
The state’s attorney’s office announced the charge against Woletz Wednesday evening. He posted the necessary 10 percent of a $100,000 bond to be released from custody after Illinois State Police arrested him without incident Tuesday afternoon following an investigation.
Pritzker’s mother died more than 40 years ago. Ugh.
And, just saying, but the General Assembly updated the SAFE-T Act last December to include a long list of alleged offenses that are detainable pretrial. One of those was “threatening a public official.” Woletz may not have been allowed out of jail if several state’s attorneys hadn’t sued to block the law.
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* Crain’s…
The Chicago Bears filed paperwork to begin tearing down Arlington International Racecourse, another step toward the team’s plan to transform the massive northwest suburban site into what could be a $5 billion stadium-anchored campus. […]
Yet the Bears spokesman cautioned that the application doesn’t mean the team will begin developing the project anytime soon. Team officials have repeatedly said it will move ahead with the redevelopment only if it gets taxpayer help financing a mixed-use portion of the proposed campus.
Tearing down existing structures on the site, however, could help lower the cost of owning the property in the meantime. That could be more important now that Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi has dramatically hiked the assessed value of the property. As Crain’s reported yesterday, Kaegi’s new valuation of the property at the price the team paid for it would increase the property tax bill by $15 million per year.
* Tribune…
The team said the demolition was in the works for a while and that the timing had nothing to do with the reassessment — though demolishing the grandstand is likely to significantly lower the property value and resulting taxes. The “improved value” of the site, meaning structures like the grandstand, racetrack, offices, stables and jockey dorms, makes up $168 million of the assessed value.
Removing the building’s heating, air conditioning, electrical, water and other utilities would also reduce maintenance costs. It’s not clear when the structures would be torn down, but if approved by the village, it could happen this year.
The Bears shared the following statement on the tax issue: “Paying property taxes is part of being a member of the community. We want to pay our fair share. But the proposed assessment of the unoccupied property we purchased, and the taxes associated with it, would be more than five times what the property generated when it had an income-producing racetrack operating on it. Arlington Park would not be redeveloped by anyone at such an excessive property tax rate.”
* NBC5…
“The Cook County Assessor has increased the cost potentially of a Bears’ tax bill dramatically by reassessing the property way above what it was,” said Greg Hinz, of Crain’s Chicago Business, who first reported the news. He said the move could raise the bill from $2.75 million to an estimated $16.5 million.
“By my calculations, the owners of that property have to pay at least another $15 million a year in property taxes right away if his decision is upheld,” Hinz said. “Fifteen million is a lot for the Bears. Fifteen million dollars is probably what a couple of good players cost a year.” […]
“Whenever a taxpayer disagrees with that value, they have the opportunity to appeal,” said Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele. She noted that an area school district is also intervening in the appeal, presenting an appraisal of the property at $150 million. […]
“This is not a team that’s known, or family that’s known for throwing around money,” [Hinz] added. “They tend to keep it pretty close to the vest and in their wallet and if the vehemence of their reaction is any indication, they don’t like this at all.”
* And the Daily Herald has this golden nugget…
Clearing the property of structures also would be a key consideration amid the Bears’ proposed Payments in Lieu of Taxes financing mechanism that would help bankroll the redevelopment.
Under the proposal, the assessed value of the property would be frozen a year before the Illinois Department of Revenue certified the so-called “mega project.” Then, instead of paying more taxes as the property grows in value, the Bears would make annual payments to schools and other local taxing bodies that are negotiated with village officials.
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Open thread
Thursday, May 4, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric, please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, May 4, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | United to hire thousands in Chicago as the airline looks to continue adding employees: The Chicago-based carrier is looking to add 3,800 new hires in its home city, including roles at O’Hare International Airport and the corporate office.
* Capitol News Illinois | Latest state budget forecast puts brakes on previously predicted surplus: While the commission’s $51.2 million estimate is now 1.2 percent below its estimate from early March, the impact on Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget proposal is relatively small because the governor’s plan relied on a more conservative estimate.
* Chalkbeat | Advocates call on Illinois lawmakers to fund after-school programs after state error: After-school programs for 27,000 Illinois students may be in danger of running out of money after next year because of an accounting error made by the Illinois State Board of Education. The error has caused a projected $12.4 million shortfall for 2024, according to a spokesperson with the state board. State Superintendent Tony Sanders says the state will use emergency COVID-19 funding to fill in the gap this year, but will not have new funding available in the future.
* Tribune | After resounding ‘ComEd Four’ verdict, former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s legacy on the line: In closing arguments last week, federal prosecutors called the ComEd Four defendants the “grandmasters of corruption.” But it was Madigan who allegedly was at the beginning and end of virtually every move.
* Sun-Times | Back-channel search for Chicago’s top cop? Not this time, says president of civilian oversight panel: Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s transition team members “have not tried to influence our process. They have not tried to submit names,” said Anthony Driver, president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, which is conducting the search.
* WBEZ | A Chicago group aims to better track anti-Asian hate crimes in the Midwest: Abbey Eusebio, the center’s manager, said better tracking and more public awareness are needed in this region because Asian American communities are more spread out and isolated. “We’re not as concentrated in these different parts of the city as New York and parts of the West Coast,” Eusebio said. “That really contributes to the struggle” in data collection and connecting victims to resources.
* CBS Chicago | Aurora man charged with threatening Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker: An Aurora man was charged with leaving a threatening voicemail message for Gov. JB Pritzker. A judge set bond for Steven Woletz, 46, at $100,000.
* CBS Chicago | Organizers go to Springfield to call for new facility for St. Anthony Hospital: “There’s so many limitations because of the technology that we have these days, that we cannot implement fully in such an old building,” said Dr. Javier Fajardo, director of the OBGYN department at St. Anthony Hospital.
* The Telegraph | Committee balks at MCT appointment: A sometimes heated meeting of the Madison County Board’s Government Relations Committee resulted in the denial of another request by Chairman Kurt Prenzler to place former state Rep. Dwight Kay on the Madison County Transit (MCT) District Board, and ended in a three-way shouting match Tuesday between county board members who were not members of the committee.
* Daily Herald | Lake County considering $1,200 bonus for workers during early days of COVID: A special county board committee considering how to spend remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds has recommended the bonus to cover about 1,000 workers as “premium pay.”
* Tribune | Starbucks illegally fired Chicago barista, threatened workers during union drive: judge: The coffee giant also illegally threatened workers at the Hyde Park cafe and another location in Edgewater last year, administrative law judge Geoffrey Carter ruled. Managers at those stores threatened baristas that they could lose benefits or opportunities for raises as a result of the union campaign, Carter ruled.
* Evanston Now | More Ryan Field details expected soon: Northwestern University is expected to submit its planned development request to the City of Evanston to rebuild Ryan Field sometime this week. That was the word Wednesday from Ald. Eleanor Revelle, whose 7th Ward includes the stadium.
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Live coverage
Thursday, May 4, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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