* This new lawsuit sounds interesting…
According to the Centers for Disease Control, construction workers have the highest rate of opioid-related overdoses compared to any other occupation in the country. The Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters lost two of its members in the last couple months. [Gary Perinar], who heads the union, said the problems are also costing their union health fund millions of dollars as more and more carpenters struggle with opioid addictions.
“It affects their ability to perform on a job site, it hurts our contractors with respect to productivity, it’s a downward spiral in moving forward in a carpentry career,” he said.
The carpenters union teamed up with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 to file a groundbreaking lawsuit in hopes of holding drug manufacturers, distributors and doctors accountable. They are the first unions in Illinois to take legal action against several pharmaceutical companies, and others.
“The suit accuses the drug companies of fraud, unjust enrichment and conspiracy for the way they falsified research and misled people into believing their opioids were not addictive,” said Ari Scharg, attorney with Edelson PC.
Union attorneys said they are not looking for a settlement. They would rather have the case go to trial to force companies to release information about their drugs.
*** UPDATE *** The complaint is here.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Should the House amend the Senate-approved minimum wage bill? If so, how?
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Illinois’ best political cartoons in your inbox
Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Sometimes Springfield can seem stranger than fiction. Let one of the nation’s top political cartoonists set the scene in your inbox every week. Click on Rich to subscribe to Eric Allie’s cartoons today.
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Stand for Children Illinois, a non-partisan, equity-focused education advocacy non-profit, announced the filing of legislation with the intent of reversing Illinois’ brain drain and boosting opportunities for high school students. The legislation is the outgrowth of recommendations from the organization’s recent report, “STOP ILLINOIS BRAIN DRAIN: Building Pathways to Prosperity for High School Students.” Together, the bills aim to improve opportunities in the areas of course equity, career and technical education, freshman-on-track early warning systems, and other high school success budget priorities.
“Strengthening Illinois high schools and offering more avenues to college and career have been guiding principles for our work, especially in the wake of our Stop Illinois Brain Drain report. The bills we announced today go a long way to improving the opportunities available to high school students and stopping Illinois’ terrible brain drain problem,” said Mimi Rodman, Executive Director of Stand for Children Illinois. “Our state faces two kinds of brain drain: one, with our high school graduates leaving for out-of-state colleges, and the other by how our state badly under-taps the potential of the graduates who remain in Illinois.”
The bills announced today include:
* The Course Equity Act of 2019, SB 1212 (Lightford), would improve access to advanced coursework by making courses more affordable for low-income schools and students, allowing students to opt-in to courses that are recommended for college admission but not offered in their home district, and opening doors to dual credit and transitional math opportunities.
* HB 2093 (Crespo/Bertino-Tarrant) would align CTE courses with job trends. The bill requires the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to rework its process for funding CTE courses to provide higher reimbursement rates for completion of high-demand, high-wage career area courses. It would also differentiate reimbursement rates by course sequence. Finally, the bill would establish a grants program to support local partnerships that can facilitate the creation of locally relevant pathway endorsements and programs of study.
* Freshman-on-Track Early Warning System Grants, SB 1303 (Manar). Students who are “on-track” to graduate after freshman year are three times more likely to graduate high school. Dedicated freshman-on-track grants will jumpstart systems in high schools with low rates to focus on intervention before freshmen fall behind. Grant funding could be used to hire dedicated staff to support freshman year students, provide professional development to current staff to integrate practices that boost freshman attendance, increase tutoring and other supports for ninth graders who are failing core courses, providing in-school mentoring opportunities to freshmen, and other practices likely to lead to improved success.
* Stand budget priorities include $450 million in new Evidence-Based Formula funding; a $100 million increase for Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants; $12.6 million increase for career and technical education, an allocation that has largely been flat since 2004; a new $5 million appropriation for freshman success grants; and, a new $1.2 million appropriation for CTE infrastructure that can go a long way to ensuring all regions have the support they need to create and maintain critical regional partnerships.
“Illinois high school students cannot wait any longer for more equitable access to opportunities for prosperity,” said Rodman. “We are proud to partner with Reps. Crespo and Batinick and Sens. Lightford, Bertino-Tarrant, and Weaver, and we urge all legislators to support these bills. Illinois students should be immersed in career possibilities and supported to understand how to achieve their career goals, and these bills help them do just that,” said Rodman.
* WTTW…
A Chicago-area legislator plans to introduce a bill this week that aims to help Illinois expand its capacity of wind and solar energy, with an eventual goal of procuring 100 percent of the state’s energy from renewable sources.
State Rep. Will Davis, D-Hazel Crest, announced Wednesday his intention to file the Path to 100 Act, which he says will expand the state’s share of renewable energy to 40 percent of total energy sources by 2030. Current requirements under Illinois’ Renewable Portfolio Standard, or RPS, established a requirement of 25 percent renewable energy sources by 2025.
Davis said the legislation would help Illinois build on progress made as a result of the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act, which has been hailed as one of the most significant pieces of state energy legislation passed in the U.S. in decades.
* SJ-R…
Pharmacies in Illinois would have less time to report dispensing opioid medications and other controlled substances under a bill making its way through the General Assembly.
The House Human Services Committee on Wednesday advanced a bill that would require pharmacies to file those reports by the end of the business day on which controlled substances are dispensed. Current law gives them until the end of the following business day.
“It ensures that medical providers have a complete picture of what their patients are taking so that they’re not over-prescribing opioids to patients who misuse or, actually, frequently then sell the fraudulent medication,” Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee during testimony.
* Other bills…
* Rent Control Measures Move Forward In Uncertain Political Environment: The first bill, sponsored by state Rep. Will Guzzardi, a Chicago Democrat, is just one line of text that repeals the 1997 Rent Control Preemption Act, a law that bans municipalities from imposing restrictions on rental rates. It was first introduced a year ago and sent back to the rules committee, but he just reintroduced the measure, now known as House Bill 255, and is seeking co-sponsors.
* Jim Dey: Who signs bill? Legislative maneuver raises question: The Illinois Constitution requires that bills passed by the General Assembly be sent to the governor within 30 days of passing. The procedural hold — known formally as a motion to reconsider — is a mechanism designed to evade the 30-day mandate. But can it skip time constraints to the extent of jumping from one governor to the next? It’s happened before. In 2015, Rauner signed utility legislation that was passed by the previous General Assembly after legislative leaders put a hold on it until after former Gov. Pat Quinn left office.
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J.B. vs. JB
Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This isn’t a major story or anything, but I never noticed before that JB Pritzker changed the way he punctuated his name when he ran for governor. From Vince Gerasole…
When Pritzker introduced himself to voters ahead of the 2018 election, he invited them to call him by name. He even spelled it out in campaign materials, and on social media accounts, as JB; forget the Jay Robert, and the periods. […]
But check out the other worlds JB Pritzker inhabited before getting to know voters. From his venture capital firm to his charitable foundation, his was a presence where J.B. was punctuated by periods. […]
A spokesperson for the governor said they “don’t think there was any specific reason, it’s just easier” to spell JB without the punctuation.
There’s also historical precedent, such as presidents known as JFK and LBJ. […]
Illinois’ first lady also goes by her initials, M.K. Pritzker, periods included.
The Pritzker Group spelling is here, the family foundation is here, the governor’s state website is here.
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* Press release…
Yesterday, the Legislative Ethics Commission (LEC) held its monthly meeting and took the final steps to recommend the appointment of Judge Carol Pope to the position of Legislative Inspector General (LIG), effective March 1, 2019. Following the selection of Judge Pope in December, Acting Legislative Inspector General Porter, Judge Pope and the LEC agreed on an extension of current LIG Porter’s term by two months to allow time for her to complete open cases. This also allows for an important transition period.
Following the Commission’s meeting, Senate Joint Resolution 17 was filed. This resolution must be adopted by both chambers to appoint Judge Pope to the position. As members of the LEC, we look forward to working for the passage of this resolution to fill the position of LIG. Currently, LIG Porter retains the ability to hear complaints and launch any investigation she deems necessary.
That monthly meeting was scheduled in January, according to a spokesperson for Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Raymond). The Senate’s joint resolution couldn’t be filed until after the Ethics Commission took that final step yesterday.
* But that didn’t stop Denise Rotheimer from claiming credit for the timing. Here’s Hannah Meisel…
Even so, victims’ rights advocate Denise Rotheimer appeared in Springfield Wednesday, telling reporters at a Capitol press conference that she didn’t believe the new system was transparent enough.
“I would rather [the LIG] be chosen by the voice of the people of the state of Illinois,” she said. […]
Rotheimer told reporters that she couldn’t understand why a joint resolution to appoint Pope had not yet been filed. But when told that State Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan) had filed SJR 17 — the resolution to officially appoint Pope — on Wednesday, Rotheimer claimed credit.
“Well that’s because I’m here,” she said. “Isn’t that so ironic?”
Rotheimer told reporters that Wednesday would be her last time coming to Springfield, and presented her bill for expanding victims’ rights when a victim accuses a lawmaker of unethical behavior.
SJR17 was adopted by the Senate at about 11:30 this morning. It now goes to the House.
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* Pantagraph…
The Dwight Planning Commission will consider an annexation agreement later this month that could be the first step in bringing a federal detention center for illegal immigrants to the Livingston County village. […]
Immigration Centers of America, headquartered in Richmond, Va., has contacted village officials about an 88-acre parcel of land near Interstate 55 and Illinois 17 for a federal center to house 1,200 men awaiting immigration hearings.
The facility would be managed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). […]
If the detention center is built, Anderson said, the estimated $20 million facility would employ about 280 people.
* I asked the governor’s press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh for a response…
Governor Pritzker strongly opposes any action that would allow President Trump to advance his anti-immigrant agenda. The administration will closely monitor and oppose this effort going forward.
*** UPDATE *** From Fred Tsao at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights…
The for-profit immigration prison being proposed in Dwight has already been rejected throughout northern Illinois and Indiana, from Crete, Joliet, and Hopkins Park in Illinois to Hobart, Gary, Roselawn, and Elkhart County in Indiana. Several of these communities could use an economic boost. Yet the people and elected leaders in these communities recognized that these prisons are wrong on so many levels, including economically and morally. They realize that private prisons leave a trail of devastation as the promises of economic benefit do not materialize. They realize that private prison companies are only interested in making profits, and are all too eager to cut corners to do so, even if it hurts their host community. And they realize that the facility would be used for jailing people torn from their families, workplaces, and communities, people who have no business being locked away, especially for someone else’s profit. We hope that the leaders of Dwight will come to the same realization and reject this proposal.
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Sterigenics meeting today
Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following joint statement about ongoing efforts to address the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook, Illinois.
“Recent media reports of alleged improper handling of dangerous chemicals at the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook and reports of elevated EtO levels within the Willowbrook community are deeply disturbing, and we urge the U.S. EPA to take swift and effective action to protect the health and safety of families living near the facility. The Illinois EPA will meet with the U.S. EPA and Sterigenics today. After this meeting, we will evaluate any outcomes and exercise all available legal authority to protect the community from this exposure.”
An opinion I’m hearing more and more is that the state ought to just shut the place down and let the courts sort it out.
Your own thoughts?
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Pro-biz groups split on state budget
Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* And neither one of them is in favor with the governing party…
Two policy groups are putting forth solutions to solve the state’s money woes ahead of Gov. Pritzker’s first budget address.
Pritzker is due to present his budget on Feb. 20. He faces a $2.8 billion budget deficit, nearly $8 billion in backlogged bills and upward of $130 billion in underfunded pension and health care costs.
With more than a quarter of the state’s budget going to pension costs, the Illinois Policy Institute and the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago’s proposals would address that burden in different ways.
In the policy institute’s proposal, state lawmakers would set in motion a change to the state constitution to allow for a restructuring of future pensions of current workers, consolidate school districts, switch out automatic pay raises for state workers with merit-based pay hikes, and other pro-growth reforms.
State workers would still be some of the best paid in the country after the proposed changes, IPI Research Director Adam Schuster said.
“Government worker health insurance and pension benefits are growing far faster than everything else in the budget,” he said. “Those are the cost drivers, so we should let the math speak for itself and tell us where we need to look for savings.”
In previous budget solution proposals, the Illinois Policy Institute has advocated for a reduction in the Local Government Distributive Fund. The measure was criticized for potentially pushing property taxes higher. Illinois has among the highest property taxes in the nation. Schuster said the new proposal doesn’t include that shift, but does include a proposed shift of future pension obligations to the local governments, something that was supported by former Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan alike.
In all, the policy institute predicts that its proposal would lead to a $2 billion budget surplus in five years. Schuster said that could either be invested in a rainy-day fund or given back to taxpayers in the form of a tax cut.
In contrast, the Civic Committee’s “2+2” pension funding proposal cuts $2 billion in costs and then raises personal and corporate income taxes to 6 percent and 8 percent, respectively. It also calls for taxing retirement income and expanding the sales tax to include some services. The Civic Committee predicts those changes would raise $6 billion.
“Illinois possesses great assets, including a diversified economy, an educated workforce, outstanding educational and research institutions, natural resources, and a great transportation infrastructure, but the uncertainty surrounding the fiscal health of our State has held Illinois back for too long,” said Kelly Welsh, president of the Civic Committee. “We are confident that implementation of the framework will build a foundation for growth and job creation.”
Taxing retirement income is seen as somewhat of a third rail of state taxation because retirees make up a large portion of the voting bloc. Even talk of treating pension and retirement dividends as income has resulted in resolutions opposing it.
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*** UPDATED x4 *** Minimum wage roundup
Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
*** UPDATE 1 *** Gov. Pritzker met with the Senate Democrats earlier today and I’m hearing it went well. The Senate Democrats’ spokesman just told reporters he believes the minimum wge bill, SB1, will be run on the floor shortly. Looks like the holdouts weren’t able to stop a roll call. Click here for an analysis of the bill.
…Adding… The bill, as amended in committee yesterday, is now up for debate. Click here to watch.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The bill passed with 39 votes. For some odd reason, the Senate President did not vote.
…Adding… I’m told President Cullerton was “watching the roll call” and didn’t vote. Oops. He’s filing a letter now to reflect his intention to vote “Yes.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** IRMA…
“We are disappointed the Senate did not take the time to address ways to lessen the impact of an unprecedented wage hike, particularly on suburban and downstate employers. We will continue to seek a compromise in the House, and we urge legislators to not rush this issue as they consider the implications this will have on employers and employees in their communities,” said Rob Karr, president & CEO, Illinois Retail Merchants Association.
*** UPDATE 4 *** ILGOP…
Did Governor Pritzker have any intention to return to the ‘agreed-bill’ process? On his first major legislative initiative, that answer is a hard no. This is the same failed form of governing that put Illinois in the poor fiscal condition it’s in. Pritzker is ignoring the concerns of Republican lawmakers and business leaders as he attempts to ram through legislation that would nearly double the state’s minimum wage just so he can chalk up a ‘win’ before his budget address, but at what cost?
Pritzker’s minimum wage hike will crush small businesses and will cost taxpayers at least a billion dollars a year once the plan is fully implemented, and that’s not even a complete estimate. Pritzker’s administration has not disclosed the full amount of increased spending his wage hike would require. Pritzker’s reckless budgeting will cost taxpayers and small businesses dearly. It is yet another Pritzker proposal that will bankrupt Illinois.
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* Last night on Illinois Public Radio…
llinois lawmakers may be slowing the process to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. The proposal was expected to be called for a vote and passed out of the Senate as soon as Thursday.
State Sen. Kim Lightford (D-Maywood), sponsor of the plan, said Gov. J.B. Pritzker wanted the bill approved in time for his budget address on Feb. 20. […]
For that to happen, the Senate would need to approve the plan before they leave Springfield this week. With ongoing negotiations, Lightford is not sure that will happen.
“I think anything can still happen around here,” said Lightford. “I think there is some conversations that are definitely going to happen this evening. I don’t know if they’ll yield returns enough for me to move this bill forward tomorrow.”
* Capital News Illinois…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he would like the minimum wage bill, his first major policy push, approved by the time he gives his budget address on Feb. 20. But Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, a Maywood Democrat and the bill’s lead sponsor, exhibited a more cautious tone after a near two-hour private caucus of Senate Democrats which preceded the Executive Committee hearing.
“If we move the needle (in negotiations) tonight and it’s something that we can take back to the caucus and have a conversation and caucus is comfortable with it, then possibly (it could be voted on Thursday),” Lightford said. […]
The Illinois Restaurant Association, which represents 27,000 restaurants employing 577,000 people across the state according to its president Sam Toia, testified as a proponent of the bill while noting it’s a “tough pill to swallow.”
Toia said the inclusion of a tip credit, which requires employers to pay only 60 percent of the minimum wage to tipped workers, allowed the IRA to support the wage increase.
Subscribers know more.
* IRMA…
“[Yesterday’s Senate Executive Committee] vote was carried out without the concerns of the business community in mind, particularly retailers in downstate and suburban communities who are less able to absorb such a dramatic increase in labor costs compared to their counterparts in the city of Chicago. As we try to strike a balance that will benefit workers and employers across the state, the business community has proposed a regional plan to increase the state’s minimum wage based on the economic realities in different parts of the state. We urge lawmakers to pause and think about the local employers in their districts while working toward a solution that will benefit everyone,” said Rob Karr, president & CEO, Illinois Retail Merchants Association.
* IMA…
“Increasing the minimum wage for Illinois businesses by 82 percent will have a detrimental impact on employers across the state,” said Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “The IMA and the business community have offered real alternatives to help mitigate the negative impact on job creators in Illinois. This includes a minimum wage based on geography, because the cost of living in downstate Illinois is significantly less than it is in the city of Chicago. We’ve also asked for a longer implementation of the minimum wage increase and more robust tax credits for small employers. Lawmakers should give serious consideration to these ideas instead of rushing through legislation that makes it harder for manufacturers to operate.”
* One Illinois…
A statewide hike in the minimum wage to $15 an hour would have the greatest impact on earnings outside Chicago, according to a new study released Tuesday.
In some ways, that’s not surprising, as Chicago has already moved to raise its minimum wage to $13 over a five-year span set to be completed this summer. But according to “The Regional Impacts of a $15 Minimum Wage in Illinois,” released Tuesday by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a $15 minimum wage would still raise annual earnings by $5,000 for low-income workers in the Chicago area, and would have an even greater impact on other metropolitan areas including central Illinois, Rockford, and the so-called Metro East area near St. Louis.
The study projects that a $15 minimum wage would hike annual earnings $8,000 in central Illinois around Springfield, and $7,000 in east-central Illinois including Champaign-Urbana and around Rockford. Wages would rise $6,000 in Metro East.
The study suggests: “These higher incomes … would boost consumer spending at local retail stores, restaurants, and small businesses — offsetting any initial drop in employment or hours.”
It cites how four states have already adopted a $15-an-hour minimum wage, including New Jersey just last week, while 19 states overall moved to increase their minimum wages in some way with the new year. Illinois residents already voted in a 2014 advisory referendum to support a hike in the minimum wage, with 83 of the state’s 102 counties voting in favor.
“Working-class families in Illinois are falling behind their peers in other states,” said study co-author and ILEPI Policy Director Frank Manzo IV. “A $15 minimum wage would boost earnings for more than 1.4 million adult workers across Illinois.
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Mendoza turns sights on MCOs
Thursday, Feb 7, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Pantagraph…
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is backing legislation that would require insurance companies that manage much of the state’s Medicaid program to publish more information about how promptly they are reimbursing claims.
The insurance companies, known as managed care organizations, or MCOs, contract with the state to manage the care of individuals enrolled in Medicaid. Among other things, that involves working with patients to make sure they receive routine exams and preventive care, and coordinating services provided by their primary physicians and other specialists.
The goal of a managed care system is to reduce costs and improve health outcomes by preventing the need for many emergency room visits and the complications that can result when patients don’t receive follow-up care.
Last year, Illinois greatly expanded the managed care system to make it available in all counties. But in a statement Wednesday, Mendoza said it is difficult for her office to know what happens to the roughly $63 billion a year the state now spends on managed care after the money is handed over to the MCOs.
…Adding… The article is in error. That $63 billion is the total number from the procurement. The annual spending is far lower.
…Adding… The comptroller’s office says current fiscal year is roughly $14 billion all funds for MCOs.
* From Mendoza’s press release…
“South Shore Hospital has been devastated by delayed and denied payments from the MCOs, and it threatens our ability to keep the doors open,” South Shore Hospital Chief Executive Officer Tim Caveney said. “South Shore cares for the state’s most vulnerable patients. MCOs, as for-profit companies, deny and delay payments to maximize their profits. Today, we are still owed millions by the MCOs and seeing more than 20 percent of our cases denied by the MCOs, for no legitimate reasons. This cannot continue.”
Caveney said he commends Comptroller Mendoza and the sponsors of this legislation for working to bring transparency to the process. “It is only through the good work of Comptroller Mendoza and other policymakers that we can advocate for Illinois’ most vulnerable residents and protect the fragile health care safety net that is the only option for so many,” he said.
House Bill 2117 /Senate Bill 1238 would require MCOs to publish provider payment information on their websites every quarter. The information posted would include:
* Total number of claims received by the MCO for that quarter
* The number and amounts paid to providers
* When the payments were made
* When the claims for those payments were received
* When the service the payment is for was rendered
“The Medicaid program represents a massive area of state spending. This basic level of transparency is needed to protect taxpayer dollars and to ensure MCOs are paying what is owed to providers who serve Medicaid patients,” Representative McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, said.
“Providers offering care to sick children and others in need are struggling because of payment delays, and they have no reliable way of knowing when their next payment is coming.” Senator Fine, D-Glenview, said. “As more and more state dollars are filtering through MCOs, it just makes sense to require transparency and give some predictability to our health care providers.”
The MCO Transparency Act is a natural outgrowth of Comptroller Mendoza’s Debt Transparency Act that opened the windows on unpaid bills held by state agencies and her other transparency reforms that shed light on the off-shoring of the Governor’s staff; the Vendor Payment Program and the state’s obligations to pay Late Payment Interest Penalties.
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Vaccinate your kids!
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sheesh…
A second case of measles has been reported in Champaign-Urbana. Like the first case announced in January, this second case involves a member of the University of Illinois campus community.
“What we have right now are two college-age unvaccinated persons, who are infected with measles,” said Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Administrator Julie Pryde. “And we know that right now that it’s not into the school-age population, the K-through-12 or the younger children.”
Measles is more likely to result in potentially life-threatening complications among children under 5 and adults over 20, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. Complications can include pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
Campus Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Andreas Cangellaris says the university is working with its own McKinley Health Center and the Public Health District to try to identify and warn anyone susceptible to measles about the local presence of the highly infectious disease. That includes anyone who has never had measles and who has never been vaccinated for it.
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Minimum wage bill surfaces in Senate
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The minimum wage bill has popped in the Senate and will be heard during an Executive Committee committee meeting at 2 o’clock this afternoon. Click here to read the bill. The Trib has some deets…
Lightford’s bill also proposes a tax credit that would help employers with 50 or fewer full-time employees offset some of the cost of raising wages. Employers would be able to deduct 25 percent of the cost in 2020, and the credit would then scale back annually until hitting 5 percent in 2025. It would phase out entirely for employers with more than five employees in 2028.
The credits wouldn’t be available to franchise owners whose businesses belong to chains with more than 50 workers.
Employers would be able to continue paying a lower wage to workers under 18 if they work fewer than 650 hours in a year.
The minimum wage for younger employees — currently $7.75 per hour — would increase to $8 on Jan. 1 and peak at $13 per hour in 2025.
…Adding… As a commenter points out, the Trib’s language is a bit sloppy. This isn’t a tax deduction. It’s a tax credit on wages paid above the current minimum wage.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If you could ask a freshman Illinois state legislator a question right now, what would it be? Explain. And no snark, please.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Illinois lawmakers have renewed bipartisan efforts to address the Chicago Public Schools sexual abuse scandal, filing bills designed to protect students by making sweeping changes to state laws.
Legislators last year proposed 12 bills that would allow state officials to swiftly revoke the licenses of educators found to have sexually abused children, lift the intense secrecy around disciplined teachers and make it a crime for a school employee to have sexual contact with a student regardless of age, among other fixes.
None of those proposals, which were filed late in the legislative session, made it to a floor vote last year. But state Sen. Thomas Cullerton, D-Villa Park, said he now plans “to move forward as fast as possible” with twin bills he crafted with Barrington Hills Republican Rep. David McSweeney.
“It is up to us to get some accountability here,” Cullerton said. “You can’t just leave this on the shelf. It is too important for our kids.”
* Madison County Record…
An Illinois lawmaker has made some tweaks to his “parental bullying” legislation, but an opponent says it still goes too far.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat, in December filed House Bill 181, which would have created the offense of parental bullying. The bill’s synopsis stated that a parent or legal guardian of a child would commit the petty offense, punishable by a fine, “when he or she knowingly and with the intent to discipline, embarrass, or alter the behavior of the minor, transmits any verbal or visual message that the parent or legal guardian reasonably believes would coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to the minor.”
The bill also stated that, if convicted, “a portion of any fine imposed, as determined by the court, be placed in escrow for the purchase of a certificate of deposit for use by the victim when he or she attains 18 years of age.”
More than 70 people filled out witness slips with the House’s Judiciary Committee, in opposition to the bill. […]
“We don’t like government getting in between parents and raising their children,” said Ralph Rivera, a lobbyist for the [Illinois Family Institute]. “Obviously, abuse and neglect are a different matter. But we have to be careful when we infringe on the rights of parents to discipline and raise their children.”
* The Southern…
Legislation that would raise the minimum age to purchase cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, chewing tobacco and other products in Illinois to 21 made it past its first legislative hurdle Tuesday.
The Senate bill sponsored by Julie Morrison, a Democrat from Deerfield, won the approval of the chamber’s Public Health Committee along party lines, by a vote of 8 to 4.
But the Republican members did not focus on the main issues the tobacco 21 initiative faced in previous legislative sessions. Instead, they took issue with the removal of language from current state law establishing penalties for minors in possession of tobacco. […]
Morrison said her bill removes that language in an effort to “refocus the responsibility” onto the retailers who sell the tobacco product, as opposed to placing it on the minors who purchase the product.
* Illinois News Network…
The Senate will take another crack at raising the minimum pay for Illinois teachers. Senate Bill 10 from state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hills, is similar to the bill that passed last year, but was vetoed by Gov. Bruce Rauner. Rauner said pay practices should be left to locally elected school boards.
“[That] approach to teacher compensation both limits a school district’s local control and imposes a significant unfunded mandate on school districts,” Rauner wrote in his veto message last year.
With a new governor and Democratic supermajorities in both chambers, Manar got his bill through the Senate education committee Tuesday. He said it won’t increase how much the state gives school districts under the recently passed school funding formula, but it will have a local impact with the initial year of the five-year phase into $40,000 being just over $32,000.
“[The first year is] $32,076,” Manar said. “And I don’t hide behind that. This has a budgetary impact on local school districts.”
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* As we’ve discussed before, the Belleville News-Democrat has been shedding experienced staff over the past several months. The BN-D is owned by McClatchy.
From the Columbia Journalism Review….
On Friday morning, McClatchy President and CEO Craig Forman emailed employees to let them know 450 staffers across the enterprise, all aged 55 and over, would be offered early retirement.
In his email on Friday, Forman attributed this latest reduction in staff to “the culmination of the enormous progress McClatchy has already made in our transition to a digital future,” but the response among reporters didn’t match his optimism. “McClatchy laid off a bunch of folks including me back in 2018,” reporter Christian Boschult tweeted as the news broke. “Hopefully the folks who don’t take buyouts aren’t let go.” […]
In 2017, Forman’s take-home pay from McClatchy was $1.7 million, excluding restricted stock. His newest contract with the company, dated January 25, 2019, includes a base pay of $1 million, a bonus of $1 million, and an additional $35,000 monthly stipend. According to Segal, this stipend will be used to pay for Forman’s travel, housing, office, and security expenses. This monthly stipend alone, which is up from $5,000 in his previous contract, could fund several reporters’ salaries every year.
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Today’s quotable
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* SJ-R…
It’s unclear whether Monday’s statement by the state’s six Roman Catholic bishops opposing recreational use of marijuana will make it harder to pass legislation allowing the practice in Illinois, a key lawmaker advocating legalization says.
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, said it was no shock that the six bishops — including Thomas John Paprocki of the Springfield Diocese, Daniel Jenky of the Peoria Diocese and David Malloy of the Rockford Diocese — oppose legalization. […]
“Prohibitionists are going to prohibit,” she said. “It just doesn’t surprise me that they want to cling to the old ways. I don’t know that anybody’s going to be surprised by this.”
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Hey, governor! Remember Sterigenics?
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WGN…
New data from the EPA released Tuesday reveals higher levels of the cancer-causing agent ethylene oxide near Sterigenics’ facility in suburban Willowbrook than earlier studies, prompting calls for its closure from officials and residents who feel the plant is responsible for a litany of medical problems in the community.
A protest outside Gower West School Tuesday is the latest involving residents of this community against Sterigenics, which has been operating in the area since 1984. These folks say the data is irrefutable: the levels of emissions is to a point that people have been getting sick - and some dying - for years.
Sterigenics produces ethylene oxide, which is odorless and is used to make other chemicals like anti-freeze, adhesives, detergents, pesticides and sterilizers for medical equipment.
* Tribune…
William Wehrum, the administration’s top air official, said the EPA is sticking to its plan to re-evaluate cancer risks in the Willowbrook area after collecting more air samples during the next month and combining the results with computer modeling of pollution emitted by Sterigenics.
Samples analyzed so far suggest that on some days the air monitors are registering other, unknown sources of ethylene oxide, Wehrum said, meaning the agency needs more time to assess the dangers, determine the extent Sterigenics is responsible and figure out how to limit future emissions.
“Does this somehow exonerate Sterigenics? The answer is no,” Wehrum said on a conference call dominated by residents urging the EPA to shut down the facility and questioning if the Trump administration is backing away from promises made before the November elections. “We think it’s really important to gather enough information so we can make valid and supportable decisions.” […]
Based on wind patterns during days when the EPA collected air samples in late November and December, there is no doubt Sterigenics is exposing residents to higher-than-normal levels of ethylene oxide, Wehrum and other agency officials said.
The Sterigenics response is here.
Press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul and DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin today issued the following statement regarding the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook.
“We are very deeply troubled by recent media reports showing improper operations at the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook. We have also since learned just this afternoon from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that 12 more days of EtO sampling results from November and December 2018 show a clear link between EtO emissions from the Sterigenics facilities and elevated EtO levels within the Willowbrook community. The citizens of DuPage County should not have to endure this exposure to a known human carcinogen. We are coordinating our review of the data released this afternoon with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Willowbrook EtO Task Force, which includes retained environmental professionals, including toxicologists. We will exercise all available legal authority to protect the community from this exposure.”
And…
State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) today released the following statement on the latest allegations made against the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook:
“The latest allegations against Sterigenics are beyond troubling and once again call into question their commitment to the safety of our communities and their employees. I am not convinced, nor are many of the families that I represent, that Sterigenics is willing to make the changes necessary to ensure our health and safety. So I am calling on Sterigenics to immediately shut their doors and leave our community.”
* Meanwhile…
Former workers, who do not want to be identified, accused the company of improperly dumping ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol.
One former Sterigenics worker said the chemical would be washed directly into the factory drains.
“The people in the back would call it chamber scum,” said one former worker. “It was really nasty. They would have us scrub it out, hose it down and squeegee it right into the drainage pits.”
Workers say plant supervisors would dump ethylene oxide’s byproduct– ethylene glycol–down the public sewer drains to avoid the cost of shutting down operations. Ethylene glycol is found in anti-freeze.
To avoid plant shutdowns, former workers say, the company manipulated alarm systems meant to warn workers when they were over-exposed to chemicals.
* From the campaign…
Well, governor? Whatcha gonna do?
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“People and Planet First Agenda” announced
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
House Majority Leader Greg Harris, Chair of the Appropriations I Committee State Senator Heather Steans, State Representative Will Guzzardi and Latino Caucus Chair State Senator Omar Aquino joined leaders with Fair Economy Illinois in Springfield to announce a People and Planet First Agenda for the new legislative session. A trio of bills will bring transparency in use of fracking chemicals and raise $433 million in new revenue by closing corporate tax loopholes.
“Today we are focused on bringing adequate revenue to fund education, human services, capital investment and good public safety across the state,” said Majority Leader Greg Harris. “While we are all working towards a fair tax along with Governor JB Pritzker, the needs in education, public safety, new roads and bridges, support for seniors and childcare are immediate and they need funding now.”
“Although there is a new landscape in Springfield, Illinois is still in crisis. The social service sector, public education and environmental enforcement need urgent attention and investment in this legislative session,” says Bea Westrate, a leader with Fair Economy Illinois and a resident in Harris’ district. “Passage of these environmental and revenue bills would be an important downpayment on the governor’s promise to make our state safer and our tax system fairer.” […]
HB282 is a transparency bill giving Illinois residents the right to know whether an oil or gas well transects their property, possibly polluting drinking water. State Senator David Koehler (46) and State Rep. Robyn Gabel (18) are the primary sponsors in their respective chambers.
HB2085/SB1115 reigns in offshore tax sheltering and would generate $318 million annually in revenue for the Illinois General Fund. Majority Leader Rep. Greg Harris (13) and State Senator Heather Steans (7) are the primary sponsors in their respective chambers.
HB2079/SB1132 amends the “Retailers’ Discount” tax break, to claw back $115 million in consumer-paid sales taxes kept by big corporations. Corporate giant Walmart keeps over $8 million each year through this tax break. State Rep. Will Guzzardi (39) and State Senator Omar Aquino (2) are the primary sponsors in their respective chambers.
Discuss.
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We’re all gonna die!
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune with its usual schtick…
Illinois residents are fleeing for more economically hospitable states. They go to Texas, Florida and other Sun Belt states because job prospects are better, tax burdens are lower and the weather is more temperate. The Exodus is real. It’s damaging Illinois. And it may be getting worse.
The warning comes from a fellow sufferer, otherwise known as the governor of New York. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo reports that New York state income tax revenue last year came up short by a projected $2.3 billion. Cuomo partially blames the departure of wealthy residents from his high-tax state in the wake of federal tax reform, which put a limit on the amount of state and local taxes that can be deducted on federal income tax forms.
When New York, already expensive, put an even higher tax burden on residents, some New Yorkers who could afford to leave did so. In Cuomo’s memorable phrase on Monday: “Tax the rich. Tax the rich. Tax the rich. We did that. God forbid the rich leave.”
As of Tuesday we hadn’t seen an estimated 2018 tax revenue figure from Springfield, but a trend’s a trend. There’s reason to anticipate that some affluent, mobile residents of Illinois will reach the same conclusions as their brethren from New York that they’d be better off financially in a different locale. The Wall Street Journal reports that growing numbers of wealthy tax refugees from New York, New Jersey and Illinois are showing up in Miami to buy condos.
* Crain’s New York Business talked to the NY budget office…
In expectation of the [federal tax] change, an untold number of New York taxpayers accelerated income and deductions in the final days of 2017, paying more taxes than the state anticipated so that they could pay less in 2018. Absent that timing-related shift, personal income tax revenue would have risen 4.3% rather than declined, a state budget spokesman said. That suggests the state economy grew stronger last year.
Emphasis added.
Gov. Cuomo was basically just making a political argument against the Republican tax plan and everyone focused on that, rather than what actually happened.
…Adding… The Tribune claims “As of Tuesday we hadn’t seen an estimated 2018 tax revenue figure from Springfield.” The editorial board should’ve pulled up the latest monthly revenue briefing from COGFA. Here it is…
In January, base monthly receipts decreased $379 million. Regular readers of the Commission’s monthly briefing will recall that last January net income tax revenues spiked $925 million not only due to higher income tax rates, but also to taxpayer behavior related to the federal tax reform package. In essence, taxpayers were incentivized to pay their tax liabilities within tax year 2017 to take advantage of the last year of the SALT deductions—prior to new federal limitations. The timing of those accelerated payments caused a jump in estimated payments collected in January. As a consequence, the comparative decline in this month’s income tax performance is not surprising and was quite solid when viewed through the proper lens. This month had the same number of receipting days as the same prior year period.
While monthly gross personal income taxes fell $393 million, or $340 million on a net basis, that decline needs to be put in context given last year’s record January levels.
* From the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability…
In Illinois, each of the income categories we examined saw net domestic out-migration, meaning more people left Illinois for elsewhere in the US than arrived here from other states. On its own, that’s not surprising: Illinois has had negative overall net domestic migration for nearly a century, even when its population was booming, as we explained in our previous post. (One big reason is that Illinois has long relied on international immigration and new births for its population growth.)
But Illinois’ greatest losses aren’t among those making over $100,000 — not even close. From 2012 to 2016, on average, for every 1,000 people making six figures or more, Illinois lost 4.6 of them to domestic migration each year. In contrast, that figure was more than doubled for people making under $25,000, at 10.6 per 1,000, and hit a substantially higher 9.1 per 1,000 for people making between $25,000 and $50,000.
Indeed, Illinois’ migration losses are least severe in what we might think of as the “middle class” categories, between $50,000 and $100,000.
In other words, most people generally leave when they can’t afford to stay.
* And where have the wealthy Illinoisans been moving to? Well, New York, for one…
The top destination for households making over $100,000 is actually the New York City metropolitan area — hardly a low-tax oasis. Houston is second, with the top six rounded out by Los Angeles (where the top state income tax bracket is 13.3 percent, versus 4.95 percent in Illinois); Minneapolis-St. Paul (where it’s 9.85 percent); Denver (4.63 percent) and Washington, DC (8.95 percent). Only then do we reach northwest Indiana, in seventh place.
Overall, high-income Illinoisans’ top out-of-state destinations are a mix of low-tax usual suspects in the Sun Belt (Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville) and places you’d probably steer clear of if you were moving to find low taxes (four metropolitan areas in California, New York, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Washington). This makes sense: As we wrote in our last post, migration experts generally say that taxes rank low on the list of reasons that people move, far below things like job opportunities, being close to friends and family, or overall cost of living, which is often more affected by housing costs than state and local taxes.
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* Illinois Municipal League press release…
As local pension costs continue to skyrocket across Illinois, mayors are pursuing legislation to reform and consolidate the state’s more than 650 public safety pension funds. Consolidating these funds could streamline investments and benefit decisions and eliminate unnecessary, redundant administrative costs, ensuring more money is available to fund pension benefits without reducing benefits.
Bipartisan legislation has been introduced by Sen. Steven Landek, a Democrat who currently serves as the mayor of Bridgeview, and Rep. Ryan Spain, a Republican who previously served as a member of the Peoria City Council. The package of legislation proposes varying degrees of reform and consolidation for local public safety pension funds in order to deliver on promises made to those who have dedicated their lives to serving their communities.
The Illinois Municipal League’s (IML) Pension Reform Working Group made the recommendation to consolidate the individual public safety funds after examining the best ways to stabilize pension benefits for hardworking public servants. Smaller local pension funds have experienced lower returns on investments than larger consolidated funds. As a result, many communities across Illinois are forced to choose between funding basic municipal services, including police and fire services, or making pension contributions. […]
“Consolidating smaller pension funds into larger funds has been shown to generate greater investment returns. Additionally, consolidation will relieve some of the burden placed on taxpayers. This is a win-win for both retirees and our communities as a whole,” said Michael J. Inman, mayor of the City of Macomb and president of the IML Board of Directors.
One proposal recommends a single downstate fund modeled on the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), which remains the second largest and best-funded pension system in the state. Consolidating funds would enact efficiencies and streamline services to ensure financial contributions from both taxpayers and employees go towards pensions, and not unnecessary overhead or administrative expenses.
* The bill list…
SB 1106/HB 1566: Consolidation into IMRF, with IMRF Formula for New Hires
Consolidates all downstate public safety pension funds into the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) and requires the regular IMRF pension formula to apply to all newly hired public safety employees after a certain date. Local pension boards would be abolished following consolidation.
SB 1107/HB 1567: Consolidation into IMRF, with Retained Police and Firefighter Formulas
Consolidates all downstate public safety pension funds into IMRF. This proposal would allow the benefit characteristics of these funds to stay the same, but be under the management and administration of IMRF. Local pension boards would be abolished following consolidation.
SB 1108/HB 1568: Consolidation with IMRF, for Investment Funds Only
Consolidates the investments (only) of all local pension funds by the transfer of assets and investment authority into IMRF and maintains local pension boards for each fund to administer pension determinations.
SB 1109/HB 1569: Consolidation Creating a Single Downstate Police Pension Fund
Consolidates all downstate police pension funds into a single downstate police pension fund. The fund would have one statewide board that would carry out all aspects of the fund’s management, thereby eliminating the local pension boards.
SB 1110/HB 1570: Consolidation Creating a Single Downstate Firefighter Pension Fund
Consolidates all downstate firefighters pension funds into a single downstate firefighter pension fund. The fund would have one statewide board that would carry out all aspects of the fund’s management, thereby eliminating the local pension boards.
SB 1111/HB 1571: Consolidation with IMRF, for Investment Funds Only, By City Council Action, Maintaining Local Pension Boards
Allows municipal officials to direct the local pension fund board to transfer and consolidate its investment funds into a single statewide fund. Allows local pension boards to maintain all other authority, such as pension awards and disability determinations. Participating communities would see their property tax levies for pensions be exempted from the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL).
SB 1112/HB 1572: Extend the Amortization Period and Reduce the Funded Ratio Target
Maintains all characteristics of each local pension fund (i.e., no consolidation), extends the amortization period from 2040 to 2050 and reduces the required funding ratio target from 90% to 80%, and directs a comprehensive study be done to examine the costs and benefits of full consolidation.
Thoughts?
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* Daily Herald…
Several council members and public speakers in Naperville rose in defense of their hometown Tuesday after state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray described Naperville as a city with a “history of white supremacist policies.”
Council member Kevin Coyne called for Stava-Murray to step down from her seat representing the 81st District, which includes parts of Naperville, saying she “has a fundamental misunderstanding of both the Naperville community and what it means to represent a constituency.” […]
These public statements came more than a month after Stava-Murray, a 32-year-old Democrat, responded to a woman’s post on Facebook with a message that said she is working to change what she sees as the city’s “history of white supremacist policies.”
She later pointed to what she calls racial profiling during traffic stops, questionable police hiring, discrimination in housing and home showings, largely white teacher populations, high rates of black student suspensions and low rates of black student enrollment in advanced placement courses as evidence of “white ignorance” in Naperville policies.
Stava-Murray said she has no plans to step down after what she described as Coyne’s attempt to cause further division by revisiting her comments. She said he “has no genuine intention” behind “his continued escalation of the situation.”
* Naperville Sun…
City Councilman Benny White, the first African-American resident elected to the Naperville council, also rebuked Stava-Murray’s comments. […]
“As a parent of black children, when my kids became of age, like many other black parents, we actually had to sit down with our kids and tell them what to do and what not to do if they’re stopped by the police,” White said. “It’s just a different perspective that many of us probably just don’t get or quite understand.
“I have a story and my wife has a story and sadly our kids have a story since moving here,” White said. “Our kids both felt the sting of racism in schools in Naperville.” […]
“To be clear, I do not believe Naperville is a community with white supremacist policies,” White said. “However, that does not mean Naperville is immune to the ills and bias of discrimination. To believe so would be a fallacy.”
Elected officials need to understand their voices are louder than most, and that their words matter, White said.
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* Illinois Public Radio…
Robert Bruno, a professor at the UIUC School of Labor and Employment Relations and director of the Project for Middle Class Renewal, said 10 states have already legalized sports gambling in the last year, but none are in the Midwest. “There is some advantage to be the first mover, so Illinois may want to be out of the box first. Obviously that incentivizes taking action,” he said.
But there is still debate on how it could impact gambling addiction.
Frank Manzo, policy director for the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, said sports betting already exists in the black market, and regulating it could help with those concerns. “People are doing it anyway, and legalizing sports betting, which is an economic activity that has been approved by the U.S. Supreme Court, would bring those bettors into a safe and regulated marketplace.”
Bruno said their analysis estimates up to $100 million annually in state tax revenue, which could not only go toward infrastructure or public education, but also toward funding gambling addiction programs. […]
According to the report, legalization could also help create up to 2,500 jobs.
The Illinois Economic Policy Institute’s full report is here.
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Durbin falls for junk science
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bernie…
U.S. Sen. DICK DURBIN, D-Illinois, says he doesn’t think Illinois should rush into making recreational use of marijuana legal.
Durbin, of Springfield, was asked about the issue when appearing on another topic last week at the Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation.
“I can remember the worst times, when it came to marijuana, and when I was a lawyer in this town, and somebody with a 17-year-old son would come in and say, ‘My kid just got busted for smoking pot,’” Durbin said. “They wanted to know … whether or not there was any way to spare their son from the embarrassment and possibly life-changing results of being prosecuted for smoking a joint.” […]
Durbin said he recommends a recent article by MALCOLM GLADWELL in The New Yorker. The headline of the online version is: “Is Marijuana as Safe as We Think?”
He said it discusses “the impact of legalizing marijuana in many states … and what they have seen as a result of it: the increase in traffic accidents; certain mental health conditions seem to be more prevalent in those states. These are all legitimate clinical questions that should be asked and tested.”
* From that thoroughly debunked article, which is based on an even worse book…
Berenson looks, too, at the early results from the state of Washington, which, in 2014, became the first U.S. jurisdiction to legalize recreational marijuana. Between 2013 and 2017, the state’s murder and aggravated-assault rates rose forty per cent—twice the national homicide increase and four times the national aggravated-assault increase. We don’t know that an increase in cannabis use was responsible for that surge in violence. Berenson, though, finds it strange that, at a time when Washington may have exposed its population to higher levels of what is widely assumed to be a calming substance, its citizens began turning on one another with increased aggression.
* James Hamblin in the Atlantic…
We don’t know—that’s true. Science can’t prove a negative. But this is innuendo, the public-intellectual equivalent of just sayin’. Innumerable factors go into homicide rates. One of the strongest predictors is income inequality, for example, which was increasing in Washington during that period; the state now has the 10th-biggest gap in the country. If marijuana legalization accounted for increased murder rates, Amsterdam would be a much deadlier place to live. As it is, the homicide rate in the Netherlands is one-fifth as high as it is in the United States.
* Also…
It’s not a presentation of evidence as much as a dire hypothetical that ignores literally all other possible factors for a fluctuation in assault and homicide rates.
* And…
When it comes to violence, Beatriz Carlini, a senior research scientist at the University of Washington’s Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute, notes Gladwell says there was an increase in violent crime after marijuana legalization began in Washington. But what he fails to note, according to Carlini, is there was a decrease in violence the two years prior, and therefore crime levels have simply reached the point they were at in the years before legalization. And Benjamin Hansen, an economics professor at the University of Oregon, who showed that crime rates in Washington and Colorado have actually decreased since legalization.
Another thing Gladwell focuses on is a report by the National Academy of Medicine that showed a link between schizophrenia and marijuana use. But Ziva Cooper, a research director at UCLA’s Cannabis Research Initiative and one of the authors of the report cited by Gladwell, came out and publicly affirmed that the report does not mean that marijuana use causes schizophrenia.
You got had, Dick.
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* Gov. Pritzker’s office reacts to the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club’s plan unveiled yesterday to raise the income tax rate, expand the tax to retirement income and tax some services…
Despite what the Civic Committee folks say, Gov. Pritzker does not seem enamored of the plan.
The official response: “We appreciate the recommendations the Civic Committee is making as we begin this journey, and we will continue to listen to and work with all stakeholders as we move forward.”
The unofficial background response from an administration source: “The governor ruled out some of these recommendations during the campaign, including taxing retirement income. He opposes an increase in the flat tax and believes that a graduated income tax is the appropriate path forward for income taxes, so that the vast majority of Illinois families receive a tax break while the wealthiest pay more.”
The only way this plan looks even a little viable (aside from the retirement income tax, which is almost undoubtedly out of the question) is if the progressive tax proposal fails to pass.
Kennedy summed it up…
* There’s also this aspect…
At the same time, the [Civic Committee] plan calls for elimination of the estate tax and the franchise tax at a cost of about $500 million. The organization said it would make Illinois more competitive and combat its “outlier status.”
Yeah, I’m thinking the Democrats are in zero mood to eliminate the estate tax these days.
* Illinois Policy Institute…
“The people of Illinois pay among the highest state-and-local tax burdens in the nation, and yet Illinois has been in a perpetual budget crisis for years,” it says. “Taxes are the No. 1 reason people consider leaving Illinois, as residents face constant uncertainty about future tax rates. We support some of the reforms the Civic Committee includes in its proposal, including rightsizing government-worker health insurance costs so they more closely match what their peers in the private sector pay. But a $6 billion tax hike with little reform or shared sacrifice is likely to make our problems worse and would require Gov. J.B. Pritzker to break his promise not to raise taxes for his first two budget years.”
* Meanwhile…
Also on Tuesday, bond ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service in a report pointed to many of the same issues the Civic Committee highlights: “massive unfunded pension liabilities, chronic budget deficits causing bill payment delays, and subpar economic and demographic trends.” It also says new money likely will be required to balance the budget.
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Alderman behaving badly
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* To get the full flavor, you really should watch the video…
Chicago Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno said his car was stolen. In fact, he filed a police report last month declaring the alleged theft.
Now, Moreno says it was all just a big misunderstanding.
WGN’s Meghan Dwyer spoke to the woman behind the wheel — a single mother who said she was shocked to be arrested after Moreno loaned her the car.
* More…
Moreno chalked it all up to a misunderstanding.
“The car is not crashed. The car is in perfect condition,” Moreno said. “She’s a friend of mine. We dated for a while. She’s a single mom. I was trying to help out. She was down on her luck and needed a car. That’s end of conversation.”
Moreno was asked if he was trying to falsify a police report.
“It’s political season. I get it. You throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. This is something that is absolutely, 100 percent false,” Moreno said. “Absolutely not. I did exactly what I was supposed to do.”
* Uh-oh…
Man, Chicago is truly crazy-town these days.
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* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker addressed hundreds of attendees at the Illinois Excellence in Tourism Awards Dinner [yesterday] evening, promoting the state’s strengths and celebrating our booming travel and tourism industry.
The following is an excerpt of the governor’s remarks:
It’s so wonderful to join you all here to celebrate Illinois.
After all, we attracted 114 million visitors in 2017 for a reason.
Illinois is home to some of the greatest cities in the world. Chicago truly has it all, from an abundance of arts and culture to Millennium Park to Wrigley Field to a shopping and dining scene like no other.
Illinois is home to small towns, rich in history and filled with charm. From Galena to Alton and Ottawa to Peoria, our magnificent rivers connect scenic regional communities.
And we’re home to natural wonders like the Shawnee National Forest and Starved Rock State Park, where families can make the outdoors their playground with hiking and biking, sledding and skiing, hunting and fishing.
Most importantly, we’re home to the greatest people in the world.
Entrepreneurs building shops and restaurants and hotels in every corner of our state.
Chefs and wait staff, hotel managers and clerks, designers and shopkeepers, welcoming people from across the world to our state and showing them everything that is good about Illinois.
We’re powered by some of the most decent, hard working, dedicated and kind people in the world.
I’ve often told people that in the summer you’ll often see a family from out of town walking together on Michigan Avenue looking at a map maybe a little confused. And every time, you’ll see one of our great Chicagoans ask “can I help you find something?” And inevitably a smile and a wave and “thanks” and “have a good time” are exchanged. That’s Illinois in a nutshell.
Our people are our strength. It’s all of you in this room and working families statewide who help make Illinois a great place to live and a great place to visit.
It’s no wonder Illinois is one of the top tourist destinations in the country!
And let’s not understate how much that helps our bottom line.
In 2017, the tourism industry generated $40 billion in economic activity.
That amounted to $3 billion in revenue for state and local governments.
And that saved the average Illinois household more than $1,300 in taxes.
Those tourism dollars supported over 337,000 jobs, providing wages and a decent living to so many working families.
The fact is, Illinois is the fifth largest economy in the United States and our travel and tourism plays a huge role in making that possible.
I want you to know I don’t take that for granted, and I’m going to stand with you to make your footprint in our state even larger.
As I said in my inaugural address, I am going to be our state’s best Chief Marketing Officer.
When people from other states and other countries are deciding where to visit, I will tell them about our natural beauty, our terrific historic sites, our awesome restaurants, and our amazing people.
When entrepreneurs are deciding where to build and grow their business, I’m going to tell them why Illinois is second to none in its supply of talented workers that come from our great higher education institutions.
And when families are deciding where to move and raise their children, I will make it clear that we are the most livable and affordable big state in the U.S.
And I’ll follow your lead too. You all know what it takes to promote our state’s potential.
With the help of everybody in this room, we’re going to attract even more people to visit. We’re going to promote all our state has to offer. We’re going to welcome even more people from all over the world. And together we’re going to build a better future for everyone that calls Illinois home. Thank you for all that you do!
Thoughts?
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* Greg Hinz…
Under the proposal from the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, the state would increase personal and corporate income taxes by one percentage point across the board, pulling in $4 billion. The group would net another $1.9 billion by beginning to tax retirement income, and $500 million by extending the sales tax to cover more consumer services.
That $6 billion a year in higher taxes would be matched by $2 billion in spending cuts, half in general state spending and half in trims to health insurance for state workers and retirees. But the plan notably does not include any projected savings from cuts in pensions by requiring workers to pay more, accept reduced benefits, or both.
The full report is here.
* OK, first of all, Pritzker ran on an oft-repeated promise to implement a progressive income tax and said he wouldn’t raise taxes on regular folks. He’d have to break that promise. The only way I see him doing that is if he can’t get a graduated tax proposal through the General Assembly and approved by the voters.
Secondly, Pritzker ran hard against a tax on retirement income. So, following the Civic Committee’s plan would require a gigantic flip-flop in order to implement a horribly unpopular tax. Paul Simon Institute..
A recurring idea is for the state to tax retirement income, such as pensions and social security. This idea is widely unpopular, with 74 percent opposing and only 22 percent in favor.
Proposing such a thing is infinitely easier said (from Chicago) than done (under the Dome).
Also, the Illinois Supreme Court decided in Kanerva v. Weems that retiree health care costs are to be treated the same as pension benefits. So, the Civic Committee has a work-around…
However, the ruling does not apply to new employees, and the State could create a separate retiree healthcare plan for new employees with a reduced premium subsidy structure that would be applied going forward. It is unclear how much the State could save from reducing the premium subsidy for new employees, but the State should pursue the implementation of a separate retiree healthcare plan for new employees.
* And their billion dollars in other budget cuts comes from this…
Reduce State spending through operational improvements
Magic wand.
* But, overall, the numbers make some real fiscal sense…
Specifically, it wants to take the current funding plan in which the state pays about $8.5 billion a year and add an extra $2 billion a year. Doing so would get the state to the actuarial level in just four years, and result in 93 percent funding of the pension plans by 2045. By paying earlier, the state would save at least $46 million in interest costs on pension debt over the next three decades—not counting the potential upgrade of the state’s bond rating and more economic growth, the report asserts.
Such “front funding” of pension debt indeed has been recommended by numerous officials lately including Pritzker. But there has been no agreement on where to find the needed revenue.
Of the $8 billion in new revenue and spending cuts, roughly $3 billion will be needed each year to cover the state’s growing structural deficit, according to the committee’s math. Another $1.5 billion would go to pay short-term, non-pension debt; $1 billion into a new reserve fund; and $2 billion into the extra pension payment.
…Adding… From a pal…
Remember when Fahner and the Civic Committee were personally meeting with the ratings agencies to get the state downgraded? Hard to have imagined this day coming. Welcome to reality, boys and girls
Yep.
…Adding… Wordslinger is probably spot-on…
I always thought the civvies obsession with pensions was really about heading off a call for a progressive income tax.
I think this particular tax increase proposal is the same.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Targeting campaign fund corruption between lobbyists and state legislators, State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) has sponsored legislation to prohibit lobbyists with political campaign accounts from donating to members from that account.
“Senate Bill 128 is a measure to prevent retired legislators-turned-lobbyists—and new lobbyists involved with a PAC—from misusing their campaign funds to benefit their lobbying career,” said Tracy. “It is a good government bill that prevents the corrupt flow of campaign money in the State Capitol, and I hope my Senate colleagues will join me in implementing this responsible lobbying regulation.”
The concerning oversight in the lobbying ethics policy was brought to the Senator’s attention by members of the public who inquired about former legislators’ use of campaign funds. Under current law, there are no regulations to prevent newly registered lobbyists who have access to a campaign account from donating campaign funds to members of the Illinois General Assembly. Senate Bill 128 would specify that donations to members from campaign accounts are strictly prohibited and will remain forbidden for two years after the individual’s lobbyist registration expires.
“While I am not aware of any lobbyists engaging in this activity, I was surprised to uncover there is a loophole allowing for it,” said Tracy. “Campaign contributions exist to support the candidate’s run for office, and this is purely a preventative and precautionary measure to ensure those contributions are not abused.”
* The Question: Agree or disagree with this concept? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
survey tools
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Skillicorn mulls Underwood challenge
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told you about this last month, but here’s the Northwest Herald…
Addressing speculation on a bid for the U.S. 14th Congressional District, State Rep. Allen Skillicorn said in a statement if it means running for another position for Illinois families to have a voice and not a special interest to represent them, so be it.
The 14th district is currently represented by Democrat Lauren Underwood, who unseated Republican Randy Hultgren in November.
“I am 100 percent focused on saving Illinois from high taxes, a restrictive economic policies and Obamacare’s high costs that hurt all Illinoisans,” Skillicorn, R-East Dundee, said. “I will fight for Illinoisans in the state Capitol, Main Street, on farms and even Washington D.C.”
Skillicorn, who said the statement was something he wanted to make for any future releases, said he is listening to Illinois families in the counties of Lake, McHenry, Kane, DeKalb, Kendall, DuPage and Will – all of which make up the 14th Congressional District.
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport)…
We’ve all felt it. We’ve all had conversations, discussions and disagreements with friends from different parts of the state that have only bolstered our feelings. We see it in the news on a daily basis. It’s hard to avoid the sense that we have two different states of Illinois — one that those in Chicago and the suburbs experience and another distinct Illinois embodied by those living outside Cook and the collar counties.
Over the past year, I spent a lot of time going door to door and talking with residents and voters in our region. If you live in Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Winnebago, Carroll, Ogle or Whiteside counties, you likely not only know this to be true but may have even talked with me when I came to your door. In those discussions, many important topics came up — property taxes, jobs, children and grandchildren moving out of Illinois for work and starting their families elsewhere. All common and expected topics. All topics our elected officials should held accountable to address during their time in public service.
Nonetheless, I never once had a person at their doorstep tell me that their top priority is tasking the Illinois State Police with the role of reviewing and systematically analyzing social media accounts like Facebook or Twitter to issue a Firearm Owners Identification card. This is to look for reasons to restrict access to an otherwise law-abiding citizens’ Constitutional rights — in this case, the Second Amendment. Nobody suggested that as a way to bring jobs back to Illinois, to keep our kids and grandkids here or to protect our biggest investments, our homes and families, or that this is in line with the priorities pressing our state.
However, now that legislators are filing their bills in Springfield, I see one of my Democratic colleagues must have heard a whole different message when he went door to door in Buffalo Grove, a suburb of Chicago on the edge of Cook County. That is the only explanation as to why Rep. Daniel Didech could have filed a bill requiring the Illinois State Police to do just that.
Surely, he must know that the processing time for a citizen seeking a FOID card is already delayed and is often in violation of state law. Surely, he must understand before each firearm purchase that background checks are performed. Surely, he must know that criminals do not follow laws passed by government bodies. If they did, they would not be criminals in the first place. Surely, most would conclude that the type of laws like Rep. Didech proposed in House Bill 888 create unnecessary bureaucracy, unacceptable delays and is an outrageous infringement on law-abiding citizens exercising both their Second and First Amendment rights. Right?!
* Rep. Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) responds…
When I decided to run to represent my hometown of Buffalo Grove in the Illinois House of Representatives, I promised that I would reach across the aisle and work in good faith with my colleagues throughout the state to move us forward in a cooperative manner. That’s why I accepted an invitation earlier this year to participate in the Jo Daviess County Farm Bureau’s “adopt-a-legislator” program. Even though I live in a suburban community with little farmland, I respect the critical role that farmers and the agriculture industry serve for Illinois’ economy, and I recognize the importance of listening to people whose life experiences may not perfectly align with those of my own.
After my community overwhelmingly chose to send me to Springfield, my mandate was clear: cut taxes for middle-class families, keep our schools safe, and work across the aisle to solve problems caused by years of fiscal mismanagement in Illinois. To that end, in addition to introducing legislation that would make our tax system fairer to low-income families, I introduced HB 888 to advance a conversation about the actionable steps we can take to improve public safety.
In an increasingly online world, we must have an open discussion about the tools law enforcement may use to keep our communities safe, and my intention is to continue that discussion so we can find the right balance that respects the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners while at the same time keeping our children safe from gun violence.
The first time I met Rep. Andrew Chesney, we had a productive dialogue about how we could partner to address many issues facing local governments. We discussed how my success consolidating redundant units of local government in Lake County could serve as a model for his prudent plan to eliminate Freeport Township. I was hopeful that this productive dialogue would also include our shared desire to keep our community, schools and places of worship free from violence.
However, I was disappointed to learn that instead of continuing our productive dialogue about how we could work together, Rep. Chesney quickly retreated to Bruce Rauner’s failed strategy of dividing and conquering our state. There is a reason why this tactic of pitting Chicago and its nearby villages against the rest of Illinois was so resoundingly rejected by the voters in last year’s election. When legislators focus on who can score the most political points instead of achieving our common goals, they lose sight of how our most vulnerable neighbors – children, senior citizens, people with disabilities – are the ones who pay the price.
I agreed to partner with the Jo Daviess County Farm Bureau because I am committed to working across the aisle with my colleagues to address the very serious problems that Illinois faces after four years of relentless partisan bickering. In that same spirit, I would like to invite Rep. Chesney to join me in Buffalo Grove to attend a meeting of our local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an organization that believes in both the Second Amendment and reducing the risk of gun violence.
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Gun Dealer Licensing Act consequences?
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois News Network…
Several gun dealers in Central and Southern Illinois are closing their businesses rather than pay what they’re saying is thousands of dollars in costs to comply with a law enacted last month.
When he signed the bill into law last month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the Gun Dealer Licensing Act was about stopping straw buyers.
“The reason for it is to deter straw purchases so that we can prevent someone from buying a gun for someone else who is not legally allowed to own a gun,” he said at the signing ceremony in Chicago.
* “Several”? I dunno about that, but INN does identify two. Here’s one…
Mick Moore made the same decision for Walnut Creek Shooters Supply in Brownstown after seeing not only the cost of the license and the camera system. but also the uncertainty additional regulations and more fees.
“It’s just not worth it,” he said. “I’ve fought it and fought it but I’m just not up to the fight much longer.”
Mr. Moore explained his reasoning on his Facebook page…
I’ve worked 8 to 12 hrs a day for the last 8 years building my business as an honest and legal gun shop and put all the money back into inventory so i could provide what my loyal customers want. Never drawn a paycheck for my time. I send a nice check to the state of Illinois for sales tax every month. Now they want to add more hardships on all of the small local gun shops. There’s no way we can comply and stay in business. We have allowed a few square miles in the north east corner of our state completely ruin the rest of the state. I will be selling off my inventory of firearms and ammo and not replace them and discontinue those sales. Then i won’t need their firearm license to sell all the rest of the accessories and supplies i have in stock. Time to go hunting and fishing and enjoy my retirement. A very heart felt thank you to all my loyal customers and friends.
If a business is operating on such a thin margin that the owner can’t even draw a paycheck for eight years, then almost any additional regulation and fees would put that person out of business.
That being said, it sucks when people have to give up something they’ve built.
Your thoughts?
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Stop the wind NIMBYs
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We desperately need statewide rules for wind farm siting, as this Douglas County case clearly shows…
Harvest Ridge would create up to 250 full-time equivalent jobs during construction and eight to 10 permanent jobs to operate and maintain the turbines once they’re up and running, according to EDP. […]
Wal-Mart has signed on to buy 233 megawatts of electricity from EDP’s various wind farms, including 50 megawatts specifically from Harvest Ridge. A local cooperative, the Wabash Valley Power Association, has plans to purchase 100 megawatts for 20 years and a second unidentified private purchaser will buy 50 megawatts for an undisclosed number of years.
But a zoning battle that has spilled into court could jeopardize all of that.
EDP recently filed a lawsuit against Murdock Township, which last fall created and enacted its own zoning requirements for wind, separate and more restrictive than the Douglas County ordinance that was intended to be countywide.
In the lawsuit, EDP attorneys argue that the township ordinances are designed “in a manner in which it would be effectively impossible to develop and permit the project.” The company’s complaint states that Murdock Township’s actions are prejudicial to the project, contrary to zoning authority granted to townships by the Illinois General Assembly and an improper attempt to override the county’s wind-farm ordinance.
The governor committed Illinois to the US Climate Alliance just the other day. We’re not going to get there if rural township NIMBYs are setting up arbitrary roadblocks to wind (and solar) power.
The state needs reasonable, uniform siting and operational guidelines. As I’ve mentioned before, the Farm Bureau and the alternative energy folks have been butting heads for years. It’s going to take an involved governor to resolve this disagreement.
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Dancing around the edges
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Daily Herald…
Elgin schools officials say they are disappointed unit districts that applied for a portion of $50 million in property tax relief grants from the state this year were sidelined due to the criteria used for calculating eligibility.
Elgin Area School District U-46 sought roughly $43 million — the maximum for which it was eligible — for fiscal year 2019.
Tax relief grants are a provision of the state’s new evidence-based school funding law. A school district’s eligibility is based on whether it has the highest unit equivalent tax rate compared to all the districts that applied. Approved districts must agree to abate a portion of taxes in the coming tax year.
“The way the state evaluated which districts were eligible really favored high school districts,” school board member Sue Kerr said during Monday night’s school board meeting. “Not a single unit district in the state received any property tax relief, and I believe 75 percent of the schools that got it were high school districts. It’s a problem.”
Those grants are a paltry sum in comparison to the actual need. A good explainer about the state law is here.
* Capitol News Illinois…
“I’m from Metropolis, right across the river from Paducah, Kentucky,” [Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis] said. “Young families are just picking up and moving to Paducah because they pay less in property taxes. They feel like they have more opportunity, better life quality, and it’s causing a huge problem in Southern Illinois. People are leaving and they’re not coming back.”
And yet, this is one of the first bills he introduced…
Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that the homestead exemption for veterans with disabilities carries over to the benefit of the veteran’s surviving spouse if the veteran resided outside of the State but otherwise qualified for the exemption at the time of his or her death and the surviving spouse relocates to Illinois after the death of the veteran.
No disrespect for out-of-state surviving spouses of veterans, but if you want to help young families with their property taxes, the first thing to do is stop narrowing the property tax base. Somebody always has to pick up the tab.
* Meanwhile…
State Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) has introduced legislation to provide Illinois residents with some much-needed property tax relief.
“We have to do more than just stop property taxes from increasing– we must find ways to lower the property tax burden in Illinois,” McSweeney said. “To that end, I have filed a measure to reduce all property tax levies by 10 percent.”
House Bill 320 reduces property tax levies by 10% total (5% each year for two years) for all local governments, even home rule units of government. The net effect of the measure will be a permanent 10% reduction in property taxes in Illinois in the next two years. Property taxes would be permanently frozen after the 10% reduction and could only be raised if local voters approve an increase by referendum.
According to the most recent data available, Illinois has the second highest property tax rates in the country.
“We know property taxes in Illinois are too high,” McSweeney said. “We know that people are leaving Illinois in droves in large part because the taxes are too high. Illinois lost nearly 45,000 people net last year alone. The longer we delay action on solving the property tax issue in Illinois, the more people are going to leave. We need to reverse this out-migration. It is time to lower property taxes permanently in Illinois.”
House Bill 320 has been introduced and awaits assignment to a House Committee.
Property taxes are a very real problem here. But ordering locals to lower their levies by 10 percent and then freezing them in place forever doesn’t seem like a doable idea without some sort of state help, particularly for schools.
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* You may recall this story from last month…
Hundreds of state jobs that once were exempt from Rutan anti-patronage protections have been reclassified to remove them from political influence during the four years of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration. […]
[Joe Hartzler, who was special counsel to Rauner] said that “we knocked out like 2,500 patronage positions.” […]
At one point, several thousand state jobs were considered Rutan-exempt and subject to patronage considerations. Hartzler said the number is now below 1,500.
Well, the Office of Executive Inspector General just released a list of exempt positions. It currently totals just 953 positions. Click here to see the list.
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* Background is here if you need it. From WBEZ…
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Special Prosecutor Joseph McMahon had what they say was a “productive” phone call on Monday about possibilities for challenging the sentence of Jason Van Dyke, the former Chicago police officer convicted of murder in Laquan McDonald’s killing.
The sentence, handed down last month, would allow Van Dyke’s release from prison in as few as three years. Police accountability advocates have characterized that penalty as far too lenient.
Raoul and McMahon “are both continuing their review and will make a decision on next steps once they have finished their review,” the attorney general’s spokeswoman Annie Thompson said after the call.
Chris Nelson, a McMahon spokesman, said the call lasted 45 minutes and was the first conversation about the case between the attorney general and special prosecutor.
An option previously raised by McMahon is asking the Illinois Supreme Court to overturn the sentencing.
* Sun-Times…
“This is part of the process to decide whether to go forward with a challenge to the sentence,” [McMahon’s spokesman] Christopher Nelson said.
McMahon has said he plans to decide by March 1 on whether to petition the state Supreme Court to file a writ of mandamus, which is an order that would send the case back to Gaughan for a new, likely longer, prison sentence.
Civil rights activists and Laquan McDonald’s family have called for a harsher sentence for Van Dyke, who was convicted in the teen’s death in early October. Van Dyke could be released in fewer than four years with credit for good behavior. Raoul, a former state senator from Chicago who was sworn in days before the sentencing hearing, had said his office was reviewing whether state law mandated a stiffer sentence for Van Dyke.
Nelson said McMahon, who is the state’s attorney for Kane County, had called for Monday’s conference call.
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* Subscribers know more details. Here’s the Tribune’s take on the minimum wage push…
Now, with Democrats in control of the governor’s mansion and both the Illinois House and Senate, they are charging ahead on an issue that’s popular with many of their supporters. But Pritzker could risk alienating business interests and Republican lawmakers in his first big legislative effort, shortly after sounding bipartisan tones when he was sworn in last month.
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Maywood Democrat who has tried to raise the minimum wage before, said she hopes to introduce her new proposal as early as Tuesday. That timetable could give Pritzker a chance to sign a minimum wage increase into law before delivering his first budget proposal to lawmakers on Feb. 20, she said. […]
Her goal is to get the state’s minimum wage to $15, more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25 and equal to the level it will reach in California in 2022 and in Massachusetts the following year. As of Monday, specifics were still being worked out, and debate among lawmakers could further change any proposal. Up for discussion is how many years it should take to boost the wage to $15, whether employers should continue being allowed to pay some teenage workers less and how to structure tax credits to help small businesses offset rising payroll costs. […]
Other business groups are asking for bigger changes. Retail leaders want Illinois to take into account the fact that it costs more to live in the Chicago area than it does Downstate. For example, the rate could be $15 in Chicago and Cook County, $13 in the collar counties and $11 in the rest of the state, Illinois Retail Merchants Association President and CEO Rob Karr said. […]
“There is a difference between being heard and being listened to,” Karr said.
* Crain’s…
Groups representing retailers, manufacturers, gas stations and others have accepted that there will be an increase from the current minimum of $8.25, said Mark Grant, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. They’re now lobbying to prolong the phase-in and limit the $15 amount to Chicago and perhaps the collar counties, arguing that the cost of living is lower downstate.
New York and Oregon have higher minimum wages for employers in major cities. In California and Massachusetts, the $15 minimum wage applies across the state, as it will in New Jersey, which last week passed legislation guaranteeing a $15 minimum wage.
SEIU Healthcare Political Director Erica Bland-Durosinmi wants the $15 amount to take effect across the state, and quickly, saying it will help workers from Chicago to Danville pay for rent and groceries.
“This fight is a fight we have been fighting for years,” she said. “We want money in folks’ pockets as soon as possible.”
* Related…
* How has minimum wage hike worked out elsewhere?: Andrew Farnitano helped lead the campaign to raise Massachusetts’ minimum wage — twice. The first time was in 2014, when his organization, RaiseUp Massachusetts, found success in legislation that increased the wage from $8 to $11 within three years. Immediately after, Farnitano’s organization began campaigning for an increase to $15 an hour, succeeding in June 2018. Farnitano says what happened after the first round of raises was the opposite of what many people and groups, especially business associations, expected. “As the minimum wage went up, we saw massive job growth, a stronger economy, and the biggest drops in unemployment in the communities where the most people, some 30 or 40 percent of workers, benefited from the increase,” Farnitano said.
* Q-C Chamber opposes minimum wage hike in Illinois: According to Rumler, the negative impact would be exacerbated in regions like the Quad Cities that share state borders where businesses could easily move a few miles and not be subject to Illinois’ proposed $15 minimum wage.
* New Jersey becomes 4th state to approve $15 hourly wage
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“God put it on this planet for a reason”
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Background is here if you need it. From Illinois Public Radio…
As Illinois explores the possibility of legalizing cannabis for recreational use, the state’s six Catholic bishops say they’re urging lawmakers to say “no.” […]
Advocates for legalization argue, hundreds of thousands of people already use cannabis and a state-run program will make the products safer and shrink the black market. They also propose using some of the tax dollars for education campaigns to let the public, and especially youth, aware of the potential dangers of the drug.
But [Bob Gilligan, the executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois] asked, if this is the case, then why legalize?
“If the legislature has to use revenue to support programs to urge people not to use marijuana, or if they use it, how to get off it, it begs the question as to why are we doing this at all.”
So, he doesn’t want to fund programs to help people avoid drug abuse? I don’t get it.
* Pritzker response…
Pritzker’s press secretary, Jordan Abudayyeh, said in an email statement that the governor remains committed to legalization.
“Governor Pritzker supports legalizing and taxing the recreational use of marijuana and is confident we are ready to do this in a safe and economically beneficial way in Illinois,” Abudayyeh said. “He is committed to working with leaders in the General Assembly, listening to experts and community leaders, and drawing lessons and best practices from other states to move this forward.”
* By far the best comeback is in Robert McCoppin’s Tribune story…
Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference, noted that cannabis impairs memory, coordination and judgment, and that the state will be profiting off an addictive substance.
The bishops only occasionally take stands on public issues, such as against abortion and the death penalty. In this case, Gilligan will be speaking out against legalization at upcoming public hearings in Springfield. […]
Dan Linn, executive director of the Illinois chapter of the pro-cannabis group NORML, and general manager of Maribis medical marijuana dispensaries in Chicago and Springfield, said marijuana has proved safer than alcohol, and that prohibition simply doesn’t work. By overseeing legal marijuana sales, he said, the state will have a much greater ability to regulate it.
“Cannabis is a natural substance,” he said. “God put it on this planet for a reason. I don’t know why the bishops are concerned about undermining God’s credibility.”
Good point.
* Related…
* Lawmakers address hot topics at town hall: “I’m going to vote no on recreational marijuana and it doesn’t matter what the legislation looks like,” Bryant said.
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Anybody want to buy a giant slide?
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WICS…
The giant slide on the Illinois State Fairgrounds is now up for sale.
According to Amy Raftis with Prairie State Bank & Trust, the bank now owns the slide. The bank is not interested in owning the slide and hopes to sell it as soon as possible.
Anyone interested can purchase the Pittroff Giant Slide for $135,000. […]
The slide is privately owned, but it does operate as a vendor of the Department of Agriculture during the fair. This means it is under lease with the Illinois Department of Agriculture which calls for a single lease payment plus a percentage of income to the fair.
Click here to buy it. Click here for some background on the former owner. He tried to sell it for $175K and now the bank has it.
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Question of the day
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Amanda Vinicky’s “13 Revelations from House Speaker Michael Madigan’s Deposition”…
Anyone seeking Madigan’s help getting a job needs to pass a test.
“You can understand that many people come to me asking for recommendations for employment, and I render recommendations for employment in both the private and the public sector, I do it in both. But there’s a test that people have to meet. They have to be, to my knowledge, they have to be honest hard-working people with integrity. And if they are, I’ll recommend to a potential employer the best of my knowledge and my experience with this person, this would be a good worker for your office, a good worker for your business whatever it may be,” Madigan said.
Peraica followed up to ask whether it’s a function Madigan enjoys.
“No,” Madigan said. […]
Peraica asked directly, “Does that test ever involve doing political work for you or any of your political committee?”
“The answer is no,” Madigan said.
Peraica followed up. “Do you condition job recommendations upon doing political work for you or your political committees?”
Again, Madigan was direct with his response.
“The answer is no,” he said.
* The Question: Do you believe Madigan’s last assertion? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
web polls
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* So, how did the Sun-Times obtain the explosive 2016 FBI affidavit that was used to obtain a federal search warrant on Chicago Ald. Danny Solis? Greg Hinz has the deets…
But somehow, the [affidavit] was openly posted on the court’s document website, known as Pacer. In other words, the entire document was inadvertently made public for the world to read. And either because of smart reporting or a tip from someone—or both—the Sun-Times quickly downloaded the search warrant, and proceeded to go to town on what would become one of the best stories in Chicago media in years.
None of that sat well with Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim, who court records indicate has been presiding over the Solis matter.
According to my sources, Kim re-closed the affidavit, and ordered the Sun-Times not to print what was in it, presumably on grounds that premature publicity could undermine what appears to be an extremely wide-ranging federal probe into City Hall that has been underway for four years or longer.
Knowledgeable sources also say that Kim’s order came despite sentiment within the U.S. attorney’s office here that a ban on publication, known as prior restraint, would be on shaky legal ground and likely inconsistent with past U.S. Supreme Court decisions in the famed Pentagon Papers and other cases.
But the Sun-Times went ahead. Whether Kim will take further action is not known.
Nobody is responding to requests for comment. I asked a couple of top people at the Sun-Times about this last week and they either didn’t respond or said they weren’t aware of the issue.
Either way, good for the Sun-Times to not let a federal judge push it around.
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The limits of oppo
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Lots of people have wondered aloud why opposition researchers never found Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s racist yearbook photos. Chicago-based Democratic opposition researcher Will Caskey offers some insights in Campaigns & Elections. His conclusion…
The price most (Democratic) statewide campaigns will pay for an opposition research report comes to about $10,000-$12,000 (less for down-ballot statewides). At that rate, an opposition researcher can spend about five weeks per report. The more time we spend on one report, the less time we have for new clients and more money. Firms who hire staff don’t have it much better, and in some cases, they have it worse: they have to pay for staff regardless of whether their clients are paying their bills.
The reality is that it takes a lot more time than five weeks to look at more obscure records like yearbooks, student newspapers, multiple courthouses, and microfilm.
In case you think my clients would be shocked to see this: no, they love it. Most of my clients actually ask me to look at fewer things in exchange for a lower fee. And they may be right: just because I look at more things doesn’t mean I’ll find better attacks. Either way, as media budgets rise, research budgets fall, and as research budgets fall, total information gathered falls as well.
So if you’re a candidate looking to avoid becoming the next Ralph Northam, don’t ask what your opposition researcher has found. Ask yourself if you’ve paid your researcher enough to find everything you need.
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UIUC facing racial harassment lawsuit
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Coming a little late to this, but here’s WILL…
A lawsuit filed Monday in federal court includes numerous allegations of racial harassment of black employees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The plaintiffs allege in court documents racial harassment is U of I’s “standard operating procedure.”
Black employees at the U of I were “exposed to threats of racial violence, such as nooses, swastikas, KKK garb, racist graffiti, and confederate flags,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges staff members used racial slurs and other racially charged language against black workers:
“UIUC supervisors and other employees frequently use racial slurs and offensive stereotypes, calling black employees ‘n*ggers,’ ‘boy,’ ‘monkey,’ ‘lazy,’ ‘angry,’ ‘rowdy,’ and ‘Aunt Jemima,’ and using other offensive racial language.”
Attorney Joshua Friedman, who represents the plaintiffs, said the U of I’s non-discrimination policy allows this kind of harassment because the campus considers these incidents not severe or pervasive enough to violate the policy.
The lawsuit also claims the U of I’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Access (now known as the Office For Access and Equity or OAE) — the department in charge of investigating discrimination claims — is itself “rife with internal racial harassment.”
* WBBM…
“It’s like stepping into a wormhole, to a time before the Civil Rights Act,” said attorney Joshua Friedman, who represents the black plaintiffs suing U of I. “We’re talking about racial slurs, including the N-word, racial symbols, symbols of the Confederacy – nooses, which are violent threats to kill African Americans because of the color of their skin. KKK garb. Swastikas.”
Friedman said his firm sees harassment cases, but this is different.
“We’re usually talking about shipyards or industrial employers. I’ve never seen anything on this scope before at a university.”
It was three years ago when a noose and swastikas were found at U of I. A groundskeeper was fired, but some African American employees like Atiba Flemons said employees are still harassed because of their race. And he said the university lets it happen.
The full lawsuit is here.
* Related…
* U of Illinois still in search of new chief diversity officer: The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports that Chancellor Robert Jones told search committee members last month that the goal is to make a decision by the end of the academic year in May. Jones originally hoped to hire someone for the job early this semester.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Oppo dump!
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Chicago Tribune on Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia’s personal finances…
Enyia did not report to the IRS $21,000 paid to her by Chris Kennedy’s governor campaign, where she worked as a consultant for several months. […]
Enyia acknowledged she has underpaid her taxes in the past. In March 2017, the IRS placed a $9,668 lien against her for unpaid taxes between 2011 and 2015, according to public records. The tax lien filed with the Cook County recorder of deeds lists unpaid tax balances associated with Enyia’s Form 1040 tax return filings for four years — $3,311 in 2011, $1,288 in 2012, $350 in 2013 and $4,718 in 2015. […]
Also in August 2017, one of Enyia’s student lenders filed a lawsuit against her in Cook County Circuit Court for $17,800 in what it said were unpaid loans from the 2005 school year, when she was an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. […]
The fines from her first mayoral campaign were not Enyia’s only financial difficulty from 2015. She also faced an eviction lawsuit from the landlord of her Garfield Park apartment in 2015, alleging she had failed to pay her rent. The landlord later dropped the legal action and now says filing the suit was “his error.” […]
Enyia also lists Blue1647 on her resume, stating she has been a “senior advisor” to the organization since 2013, and served as its president in 2017.
The Tribune asked Cambry if Enyia has had a role or title with his organization. “No,” he said.
*** UPDATE *** Response…
At a time when the next mayor of Chicago will face a $1 billion spike in pension payments, those personal financial troubles might seem disqualifying.
But Enyia argued otherwise. She wears those struggles as a badge of honor — not because getting through it was easy, but because her “lived experience informs the values” of equity and justice she brings to a campaign that aims to change the direction of a City Hall she claims is “disconnected from the lived reality” of everyday Chicagoans.
“I’m standing here as a candidate for mayor — not because I’m well off or have lived a perfect life. I’m standing here as a real person who understands financial hardship because I have lived through it myself. I’ve gone to bed having to make decisions about paying a bill or getting a vehicle or paying a ticket or putting food on the table,” she said, surrounded by cheering and finger-snapping supporters.
“When I talk about policies that create generational wealth, it’s because I don’t want generations of Chicagoans to have to experience what I experienced trying to make their way in this city. When I talk about punitive fines and fees and banning the boot, it’s because I know how an unjust government punishes people because they are poor.”
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Unclear on the concept
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois News Network…
Assistant Majority Leader Don Harmon has filed legislation to ask voters to change the state’s constitution to allow for a progressive tax system, but the bill provides no details about what that structure would look like.
Harmon’s bill would allow for the state to impose higher income tax rates on those who earn more, but is devoid of detail. It “provides that the income tax may be a fair tax where lower rates apply to lower income levels and higher rates apply to higher income levels,” according to a synopsis of the legislation.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has pledged to change the state’s flat income tax to a graduated one, but he has avoided talking about specifics such as tax rates. He’s said that the rates would be negotiated with the legislature.
Harmon’s proposal is actually a constitutional amendment. I don’t know very many people who want to lock tax rates into the Constitution.
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It’s just a bill
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Senators in both parties who demand budget cuts now have a clear way of expressing themselves…
While the rules for the Illinois House’s 101st General Assembly were contested then approved on partisan lines, things went more smoothly in the Senate on Thursday, Jan. 31.
The upper chamber added a provision in its rules to allow any senator to file a committee amendment to a bill that provides appropriations for state spending. Previously, only the bill’s sponsor or a member of the committee considering the bill could file such an amendment.
State Sen. Dale Righter, a Mattoon Republican, said he was thankful for the amendment, which he said should make things “interesting.”
Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, said he wanted to “highlight the fact that we handle things differently in the Senate” than in the House.
Aside from the merits of the proposal itself, I wonder how long the fledgling Capitol News Illinois service will refer to the Senate as the “upper chamber.”
* Maybe legislators should take this class, too…
As other states look at upping financial literacy requirements, should Illinois high schools require students to learn basic budgeting before getting a diploma?
Just this month, lawmakers in Florida introduced a bill that would require all students to take a class on basic skills, like how to save money and apply for loans. A new bill in South Carolina would make passing a financial literacy test a graduation requirement.
Starting in 2017, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ office has partnered with Econ Illinois, a nonprofit affiliated with Northern Illinois University, to create the first ever standards-based financial literacy curriculum for grades 1-8 in Illinois. According to spokesman Greg Rivara, grades 1-3 currently are online at the treasury’s website. Grades 4-8 will be available shortly.
The state does not require standardized testing on the topic.
* Other stuff…
* Illinois not doing enough to cut down tobacco, e-cigarette use: American Lung Association: The association gave Illinois failing grades in funding for smoking cessation and prevention programs, tobacco taxation and access to existing quit-smoking services.
* Schimpf talks gun laws and minimum wage: “It’s difficult for people who are in different part of the state, particularly those who are in a more urban area, to understand the complexity of a rural area when you have to protect yourself,” Bryant said.
* State Senator pushes back as gun control measures gain traction in Springfield: “There are an awful lot of bills filed by Second Amendment advocates that aren’t going to move either,” Harmon said. “So everyone should just calm down.”
* Should boat sizes be limited on the Chain, Fox? Owners, waterway agency disagree with state senator’s plan for a cap
* With first full term ahead, Bristow looks to get comfortable in House seat
* Rep. Weber optimistic about changes with new Illinois Legislature
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* From Illinois’ six Catholic bishops…
Legislation that would legalize marijuana for recreational use will be considered in the Illinois General Assembly. The Catholic bishops of Illinois are committed to the common good, and therefore advise against legalization.
Data collected by government agencies and public-interest groups document that drug use is rampant in modern society. Just a few years ago, we heard too many stories of children turned into orphans after their parents overdosed on heroin. Today, we hear of the opioid crisis and the lives it claims. If marijuana is legalized, it will only add to the problem.
Proponents of legalization say marijuana is not addictive, yet peer-reviewed research concludes that it is. Proponents also say that most people who use marijuana will not move on to harder drugs, yet other studies note that most people who are addicted to other drugs started with alcohol and marijuana.
Advocates of legalization rightly point to the racial disparity of our jail and prison populations, noting that marijuana infractions often lead to lives trapped in the criminal justice system. We recognize the truth of that premise, while observing that recent sentencing reforms should soon reverse that trend, since possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana now results in a ticket of up to $200 and no jail time.
Medical marijuana dispensaries already exist across Illinois, ready to be converted into retail stores for customers 21 and older, leading proponents to predict that legalization will eradicate the black market. Will that actually happen, or will the black market simply sell marijuana at a lower price and to those under age?
As lawmakers consider this issue, it is important to remember they are not only debating legalization of marijuana, but also commercialization of a drug into an industry the state will profit from. In seeking the common good, the state should protect its citizens.
We ask lawmakers to say “no” to legalization of marijuana, as Pope Francis explained in 2014 when speaking about marijuana and other recreational drugs: “… To say this ‘no,’ one has to say ‘yes’ to life, ‘yes’ to love, ‘yes’ to others, ‘yes’ to education, ‘yes’ to greater job opportunities. If we say ‘yes’ to all these things, there will be no room for illicit drugs, for alcohol abuse, for other forms of addiction.”
This whole argument of “Keep it decriminalized” just blows my mind. Status quo proponents never seem to understand that their stance directly and materially benefits often violent crime syndicates.
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“How about anything, Danny?”
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Fran Spielman…
Ald. Danny Solis wanted lawyer and political power broker Victor Reyes to help raise money for him, but Reyes had a complaint, according to a transcript of an August 2015 cellphone call between the men secretly recorded by the FBI.
Reyes said four other aldermen — George Cardenas (12th), Roberto Maldonado (26th), Proco Joe Moreno (1st) and Rick Munoz (22nd) — had referred him business. But Reyes griped that Solis, then the powerful chairman of the City Council’s Zoning Committee, had given him nothing.
“How about anything? How about anything, Danny?” Reyes is quoted as saying in the transcript in the explosive federal affidavit obtained by the Sun-Times. “How about anything. Not just the big one. How ’bout one f—ing thing … Maldonado sends me business. Moreno sends me business.”
“I will. I will,” Solis said.
“Rick Munoz sends me business,” Reyes continued.
“I will send you business this month,” Solis said.
“You haven’t sent me any. I don’t know why,” Reyes said.
Go read the whole thing.
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* My Crain’s Chicago Business column…
What can we expect out of freshman Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s first legislative session? Let’s look at a few issues.
Minimum wage: Pritzker campaigned on raising the state’s minimum wage from $8.25 an hour to $15 an hour over a period of years. But getting to $15 an hour for the entire state on the same time schedule could prove politically difficult. The downstate cost of living is much lower than in Chicago or the suburbs, after all.
Pritzker sincerely wants to honor his campaign promise, but he is under pressure to extend the time period for downstate areas to reach his goal. He’s also promised to lessen the sting on small businesses with tax credits, but the credits currently being discussed may not be adequate.
Pritzker has decided to make this his first big test as governor, so I think we will learn a lot about the future from how he performs now. Does he alienate people he will need down the road by ramming something through, or does he listen to the other side and make some compromises to show he can be reasonable?
Click here to read the rest before commenting, please. Thanks.
* Related…
* Finke: The bill’s pretty much going to have to pass the Senate this coming week if it is going to get to Pritzker on time. The Senate is taking off the following week and then will be in session one more day before Pritzker does the budget address. Supporters may say the bill isn’t being rushed through, but that’s a pretty quick turnaround for lawmakers this early in the session.
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Patience, please
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
We’ve known for weeks now that the FBI recorded Chicago Ald. Ed Burke’s mobile phone conversations over a period of eight months, listening in on 9,475 calls. And then we discovered that the feds had wired up Chicago Ald. Danny Solis during his own conversations with Burke.
Ald. Burke has a rather, um, “earthy” way of talking when he’s among friends and close allies. Race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexuality, whatever. You name it, if there’s a socially unacceptable word to describe it, his pals say, he’s probably used it.
I’m not saying for sure that the feds have him on tape saying stuff like that, but if they do, there’s no way in heck that Burke wants a Chicago-area jury hearing it. Those words could destroy a defendant. And, of course, few on the other end of any of those conversations want that stuff to come out, either. People might bend over backwards to be helpful if the feds play them those tapes.
The feds, in other words, might very well possess some embarrassing leverage on Burke aside from the alleged illegalities. And the feds love leverage.
They most certainly used leverage against Ald. Solis. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the feds recorded almost twice as many of Solis’ calls as Burke’s — 18,000 in all. Some of those calls centered around asking a political operative to set up trips to massage parlors, allegedly in exchange for official government acts. Ald. Solis agreed to flip on Burke when confronted with the evidence in 2016.
Being caught on an FBI wiretap doesn’t automatically mean somebody did something wrong. Back in 2017 and then again in 2018, the mere presence of J.B. Pritzker on old FBI wiretaps of Gov. Rod Blagojevich was enough to rattle his gubernatorial campaign to the very bone, even though there was no evidence then or since that he was ever under any sort of investigation.
Pritzker simply called the wrong guy at the wrong time and said some stupid things that wound up being memorialized on a government recording device. But lots of folks jumped to an immediate conclusion that the hint of federal smoke somehow meant the existence of a raging corruption fire. Nothing like that has ever emerged.
We don’t yet know for sure, but the same might be said of what’s being treated by the media as an explosive revelation that an FBI mole recorded a 2014 meeting with Ald. Solis, a Chinatown real estate developer and House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Madigan didn’t say anything illegal on the recording. He was at his law firm’s office and Ald. Solis had brought the developer in to talk about perhaps retaining Madigan’s property tax assessment firm for a hotel the businessman was trying to build. The developer never hired Madigan’s firm and never built the hotel. And all this happened almost five years ago and we haven’t heard anything else since then.
The story does give us an inside peek into how things work in Chicago, however. Madigan’s law office can apparently be an important stop on the path toward getting things done. And while Madigan himself can avoid doing anything overt to help his law firm’s clients outside of property tax appeals, just meeting with Madigan could help those clients check a very important box with other important people like Solis.
Madigan himself could be completely ignorant of why a potential client is in his office. Indeed, it’s almost 100 percent certain he wants it that way. You’d have to be insanely greedy to risk prison over a $3,000 annual property tax retainer.
But Madigan is so powerful that people like Solis want to do whatever they can to get into and remain in his good graces. So, it’s not at all inconceivable that part of an alderman’s process of approving a development could include a meeting at Madigan’s firm to show fealty and offer tribute.
The big question: If Solis wired up on Burke, did he also wire up on Madigan? The House Speaker issued a statement through his attorney admitting he “recalls attending several meetings with Ald. Solis over the past five years, including meetings with individuals in need of legal representation.”
Despite the frothing at the mouth from the usual Madigan haters, we simply have no way of knowing if the feds have any leverage on the guy. Be patient. If they’ve got him, they’ve got him. If they don’t, well, it wouldn’t surprise me.
* Related…
* Madigan under the microscope: Did cautious speaker finally slip on trip wire?: “If people believe this is how powerful he is, people will steer business his way just in the belief that he’ll help them. He doesn’t have to help them there. No quid pro,” Gaines said. “That probably doesn’t really hurt him. That doesn’t really alter his legacy. That’s sort of already common wisdom about him.”
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