The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is temporarily pausing intakes from county jails as it responds to COVID-19 outbreaks at correctional facilities. These facilities include the Graham, Logan, Menard and Northern Reception and Classification Centers where county jails transport new admissions. County sheriffs were notified Tuesday afternoon as part of IDOC’s continued commitment to provide them with frequent, transparent communication.
IDOC is utilizing space normally reserved for new admissions to safely quarantine and isolate incarcerated individuals who have been exposed or tested positive for COVID-19. The Department will continue accepting individuals from county jails who are scheduled to be released from custody the same day they are transferred. Individual requests for intakes due to special circumstances, such as medical or safety concerns, will be considered. When COVID-19 cases decline, IDOC expects space to become available for county jail intakes.
“Congregate living facilities present unique infection control challenges due to the lack of quarantine and isolation space,” said IDOC Director Rob Jeffreys. “The Department recognizes the hardships county jails face when we cannot accept admissions, but we must take aggressive action to keep the community and everyone who lives and works in our facilities safe and healthy,” said IDOC Director Rob Jeffreys.
IDOC is continuing its aggressive response to COVID-19 across facilities. All staff and individuals in custody are temperature checked, masked, symptom screened and routinely tested. 75% of the incarcerated population and 66% of staff are vaccinated against COVID-19. Additionally, thousands of individuals in custody and staff have taken advantage of multiple on-site opportunities to receive a booster shot. IDOC continues to work closely with the Illinois Department of Public Health, infectious disease consultants, and correctional agencies across the nation to ensure best practices and protect the health and safety of those inside its facilities.
Five inmates at the DeWitt County Jail are being treated for Covid-19, said DeWitt County Sheriff Mike Walker. […]
The DeWitt County Jail has been housing Champaign County inmates since last August when Covid numbers were lower, Walker said, And, he suspects transporting the inmates back and forth for court hearings may be how the most recent infections originated.
DeWitt County is paid as much as $40,000 per month to house the neighboring inmates, however, due to this most recent outbreak, Walker is making arrangements to return them to Champaign County.
“The money is nice but we are doing what we need to do to keep our people safe.”
* One of those stories that I was going to post and then completely forgot about. Argh! But this might harm Democrats in November if the SoS election is a really close race. Here’s Andrew Adams at the State Journal-Register…
The Libertarian Party of Illinois, a party with eight elected officials across Illinois, is running a candidate for secretary of state.
His name is Jesse White.
If that rings a bell, it’s the same name as current Secretary of State Jesse White, a Democrat. […]
Why are the Libertarians putting forward a candidate with the same name as the current secretary of state?
“Total coincidence,” said Steve Suess, the chair of the Libertarian Party of Illinois.
Earlier today, I tested positive for COVID-19. I am experiencing cold-like symptoms but otherwise feel fine which I credit to being vaccinated and boosted. I will continue to work from home while following the CDC guidelines for isolation. This is an urgent reminder for folks to get vaccinated and boosted as it’s the only way to beat this pandemic.
* Dave Dahl interviewed Speaker Chris Welch this week and asked about the upcoming campaign season…
I think it’s going well, we put together a pretty solid political operation, we made some tweaks to what we’ve been accustomed to. I think you’re going to see in a couple of days that we’re going to post almost $12 million on hand - over $7 million in my personal campaign account, over $4 million in our caucus campaign account.
I was going to tell that to subscribers tomorrow because Welch told me the same thing, but apparently he told more than one interviewer.
* Dave then asked Speaker Welch if there was room to expand the super-majority…
I think 2022 is going to be a tough year for Democrats in general. But I definitely think that if we do what we have to do, and get out there and talk to voters about the kitchen-table issues, the things that we have done to help make their lives better, there’s a lot of opportunity for Democrats. And we’re gonna get out there and do the work. Winners do the work.
Welch: As you know, before I became Speaker, corporate board diversity was near and dear to me. I think diversity and equity inclusion is something that I’ve always fought for, and I wouldn’t be in this position without it. So I certainly would like to take the opportunity to talk about what I’m in the midst of.
[Monday], I had a meeting with university presidents, tomorrow, I’m meeting with managed care organization CEOs to follow up on our efforts for diversity, equity and inclusion. I held a meeting today where I got to see on full display how the priorities that we care about are changing lives. The diversity that exists right there in the president ranks was just awesome to look at. And when I joined the General Assembly in 2013, it was not that diverse. And so our work is changing lives and making a big difference already. And so I’m going to continue working closely with Chairman Ford, who chairs Higher Ed Approp and Chair Stuart, who chairs Higher Ed. We plan to make this a year where we truly plant the diversity flag in Illinois, especially in higher education.
Dahl: Is that something that can or should be legislated?
Welch: Well, as you know, a couple years ago I passed House Bill 3394, with regard to corporate board diversity that was legislated and it was signed into law by the governor.
With regard to higher education, they come before the legislature seeking billions of dollars every year. And, if you’re going to look for taxpayer dollars, you should make sure that you’re spending your dollars on everyone in the state. Diversity of this country and this state, and that should be reflected in how you spend your dollars.
Welch: I certainly don’t see myself as anyone’s boss. As a former baseball player athlete in high school and college, I like to see myself more analogous to the captain on a team. We don’t get anything together unless we’re working together. And it takes all parts of the team working together to be a championship team. And I certainly think we showed in 2021 that we worked collectively together, that we are a team. And that because we work together in that fashion, we had a championship year. So I’m more analogous to a teammate, captain on the team that just keeps us all focused.
Dahl: I want to ask if you got any kind of a ring for that, or a participation trophy.
Dahl: Not all of us can say that. How do you get the most out of the members of the team? How do you encourage the Democrats under you to do what they’re supposed to do, do their best?
Welch: I think every day you have to find ways to lift up each member. Every member is different. You have to find out what their strengths are and tap into their strengths and shine a light on them. I think that it’s important to not miss an opportunity to lift them up, to inspire them. to keep them engaged and empowered. And when you do that, you find people really passionate about being a part of the process. And I think we saw that in 2021. We’re going to continue to build on that in 2022. I think energy bill was a perfect example of that. I think the budget was a perfect example of that. The redistricting process was a perfect example of that. You get so much done when you’re working together and inspiring each and every one of our members to step up and be a part of the process.
* Hospitalizations jumped from 7,114 reported yesterday to 7,353 reported today, a one-day increase of 3 percent.
However, the 7-day rolling average for daily hospitalization increases is now 1.1 percent, which is considerable lower than the 5.1 percent growth average during the last seven days of December.
* Good friend of mine…
As of yesterday, a reported 86% of U.S. adults had received at least one vaccination. Instead of focusing our efforts on the 14% who remain holdouts, why don't we figure out what we can do to get everybody else fully vaxxed and boosted?
— Elizabeth Austin, Mistress of Public Policy (@elizabethaustin) January 11, 2022
For Illinois, the age 5+ gap between the fully vaccinated and those who have received just one dose is about a million people. For those 65 and older, who are most at risk, the gap is about 176,000. That’s a good place to start.
Some of those folks got the single-dose J&J shot, but they do need a booster right away.
The “incompletes” may have had an adverse reaction to their first or second shot and are reluctant to move forward. That was the case in my own circle. A close family member got sick after her second shot (it could’ve just been something else) and didn’t want to take a booster. But then her spouse got sick with what we thought was covid (it wasn’t) and that convinced her to get boosted. She had zero negative reaction to the booster, by the way.
The governor’s office says they’re not just focusing on the holdouts and outlined some of what they were doing to get people boosted and to take the second shot. They have booster clinics where people can also get a first or second dose. They’re doing paid messaging on boosters, etc.
* Even so, the administration sent out this press release today…
With the current surge of COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious Omicron variant, the State of Illinois launched a new vaccine awareness campaign to explain the power of the life-saving vaccine. The ‘On the Fence’ campaign features 18 meaningful stories from Illinoisans who were initially hesitant but are now fully vaccinated.
As health experts continue to advise unvaccinated individuals to get their life-saving shot, the campaign is directed to residents who are reluctant to get vaccinated. The campaign will roll out over the coming months, including stories from people who reflect the racial and socioeconomic diversity of the state. […]
The initial rollout of the campaign will feature the following videos:
Shannon is a nurse in Quincy, a hotbed of vocal and organized anti-vaxers.
I think Elizabeth makes a great point that the state should focus more attention on those who have only taken one dose. Get those second shots moving and close the gap. I mean, if the unvaxed won’t listen to stuff like this, then what’s it gonna take?…
There are only two ICU beds currently available in Rockford which has forced hospitals to alter routine procedures.
“So if you think you’ve been boosted or you don’t need the vaccine, let’s just hope that you’re not in an accident. Let’s just hope a loved one doesn’t have a heart procedure that’s needed immediately,” Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said.
[Winnebago County Public Health Administrator Sandra Martell] said about 90% of hospitalizations can be attributed to the unvaccinated.
Regardless of your theories on Covid one thing is clear: The hospitals are at/near capacity and health care workers are overworked. Everyone seems to be getting Omicron. If we hadn't blown it last time, this would be the time to actually "Take two weeks to flatten the curve."
The state’s new subcircuit judicial redistricting maps have “many, many issues that are in need of attention,” according to an internal memo that went out to the Chief Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court on Friday morning.
The subcircuit judicial maps, which Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law on Friday, convert a total of 33 “at-large” judgeships into “resident” judgeships. The General Assembly’s reorganization of the judiciary would shrink the numbers of Illinois’ 200 at-large judgeships down to 167, and would expand the state’s 245 resident judgeships up to 278. […]
Marcia Meis, the Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, vented about her frustrations to the Supreme Court justices in an email at 10:28 a.m., two days after Democrats who hold supermajorities in the General Assembly rammed their new court map proposals through both chambers without any Republican support.
Meis could not be reached directly to expand on her memo, but Christopher Bonjean, a spokesman for the Illinois Supreme Court, said, “The Director was in no way referring to the intent or substance of the law, merely the capacity to implement immediately. As we learned with judicial redistricting, implementation is something that takes time.”
The courts would not directly answer questions asking which specific legislators offered assurances to court staff about the bill’s language prior to its passage, nor would a spokesperson explain how the changes in the new redistricting law were different than what they expected. Sources familiar with the process said last minute negotiations stemming around Lake County’s 19th circuit court system, which sometimes supplies judges to hear cases in other circuits across the state, held up the legislative debate last week in the Senate until a deal was finally reached.
* Related…
* HB3138 is now law — what will that mean for Cook County judicial hopefuls?: Through an accident of drafting, Cook County’s existing countywide judicial vacancies appear not likely to be filled in the 2022 election. Maybe this will be fixed. Maybe I’ve got it wrong. If someone explains why I’m wrong to me, I’ll try and explain it to you, too.
*** UPDATE *** I just received this email…
Please see attached an order from the Supreme Court re-certifying the Lake and Madison County vacancies to subcircuits for the 2022 election.
Click here. Looks like they dealt with the “unmitigated disaster.” And there are no other implementation requirements.
— State Rep. Deb Conroy is making it official: She won’t seek reelection to the state House and instead is throwing her hat in the ring to run for chair of the DuPage County Board. “I think I have the ability to bring people together and work bipartisanly. That’s what’s missing out here right now,” she told Playbook. Conroy, now in her fifth term, serves as Women’s Caucus Whip and is an advocate on mental health legislation.
— Greg Hart, a Republican running for the DuPage County Board chairman seat, says he has raised $600,000 in the race.
* He’s had a political target on his back for a while…
The following is a statement from State Representative Tom Morrison:
“It is a distinct honor and privilege to represent and serve the 54th district in the Illinois House. I’m very grateful to our residents for entrusting me with this position over these past 12 years. In 2022, however, I have decided not to seek re-election.
Illinois is a great state of individuals, families, businesses, and institutions. It’s had some difficult times—mostly self-inflicted—over these past several years. Another 54th district resident must now step up to the challenge and continue the fight for the long-overdue fiscal, ethical, and moral sanity that is critical to the state’s recovery.
My staff, volunteers, and family have all greatly assisted me in Springfield and back in our community through the highs and lows of these momentous times. I sincerely appreciate their dedication and partnership.
Once again, I offer a deeply heartfelt thank you to all who’ve worked with me in this position to make a positive difference for our state and local community.”
* Schofield ran twice against former Rep. Allen Skillicorn. She has moderate bonafides and Skillicorn hated her, so she has that going for her…
Today, Paul Schimpf, Republican candidate for Illinois Governor, announced Carolyn Schofield as his Lieutenant Governor and running mate. After Schimpf’s announcement, Schofield shared her enthusiasm about the ticket:
“I am honored and excited to be running with Paul as his Lieutenant Governor candidate. As a parent, I can no longer sit back and watch Illinois families face corruption in our government and danger on our streets. I’m running because Paul and I can make a difference.”
Schimpf and Schofield will clean up corruption in Illinois, keep our veterans, families, and communities safe, and grow our economy for working families. Their shared vision represents a sharp contrast from the failed policies of the Pritzker Administration, which has punished everyday Illinoisans with unaffordable taxes, surging crime, and corruption.
In the wake of J.B. Pritzker’s failures, the state needs leaders who will take responsibility, hold themselves and others accountable, and stand up to special interests. Paul Schimpf and Carolyn Schofield will provide the leadership Illinoisans deserve. They will provide common-sense conservative leadership families can trust to fix Illinois.
“Carolyn is the ideal choice to run on my ticket because she cares about all the important issues facing Illinoisians. Her priorities align with mine, and we will continue to push our Parent’s Bill of Rights to give back to parents the autonomy and respect that they never should have lost in the first place,” Schimpf said.
* Rep. McCombie had considered running for the Illinois Senate, but almost the entire SGOP caucus mobilized against her, so she’s running in an open House district…
Today, State Representative Tony McCombie officially launched her re-election bid for the Illinois House. McCombie will run in the new 89th Illinois House District, which is where her home in Savanna, IL is located.
“During my time in the House, I have challenged leaders in both parties to ensure Illinois taxpayers are protected and hard-working families in Illinois have safe neighborhoods, strong schools, economic opportunities and more freedom. Still there is more work to do to drive success for our region and achieve the ethics and state government reforms needed to promote growth and get Illinois back on track,” said McCombie, who is seeking the Republican party’s nomination in the June 28 Primary Election.
“I look forward to introducing myself, listening and earning the support of all voters who crave a better direction for Illinois. I’m guided by conservative principles, common sense and am committed to delivering results,” continued McCombie.
“Despite the challenges we face because of liberals’ heavy hand in Springfield, the good news is we change Illinois for the better if we stand strong and together. We deserve leaders who are transparent, ethical and focused on protecting Illinois families and our most vulnerable citizens. I’d be honored to continue serving the people of Illinois,” concluded McCombie.
* This unsurprising news was supposed to be embargoed until today at noon, but somebody broke the embargo this morning, so here you go…
Today, Indivisible announced its endorsement of Rep. Marie Newman in the race for Illinois’ 6th Congressional District.
“Through her first term, Marie has been a reliable and consistent progressive voice, organizing her colleagues as a part of Congressional Progressive Caucus leadership and helping shape the Democratic agenda in 2021. She’s pushed for an inclusive recovery that delivers for working families and fought for President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda,” said Indivisible’s Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director Leah Greenberg. “Marie is a fighter for her constituents in Chicago’s suburbs and attempts to silence her through backroom redistricting deals will only make her fight harder. Marie is no stranger to taking on and beating political machines with the help of the grassroots. She’s the clear progressive choice and we’re proud to endorse her again.”
* The governor’s most recent cable TV buy is here. And here’s Politico with another sensational Alexi scoop…
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Alexi Giannoulias picked up endorsements from Chicago Ald. Matt O’Shea and his 19th Ward Democratic Organization and the Proviso Township Democratic Organization in the Illinois secretary of state’s race. Both organizations had backed Ald. Pat Dowell before she switched gears to run for Congress. Proviso Townships Democrats are led by Cook County Clerk and committeewoman Karen Yarbrough, who said Giannoulias “will enhance our chances for victory.”
* More…
* Former La Salle County state’s attorney Karen Donnelly will run for state rep: Donnelly will vie for the Republican nomination in the district. Mike Kirkton, a Livingston County board member, who lives in Gridley, also is running for the Republican nomination. The seat was held by Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, since 2001. The restructured district no longer includes Brady’s home. Brady announced he would not run for re-election, but will instead seek the Secretary of State post.
Former Illinois Secretary of State candidate and Alderman Pat Dowell announced today that she is endorsing former Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias for the Democratic nomination.
Dowell is now running for the open congressional seat in the 1st District after U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush announced that he would not seek re-election later this year.
“Alexi is running a strong, forward-thinking campaign built on bold ideas and sound policy initiatives while assembling an impressive broad-based coalition of progressive and moderate Democrats across the state to establish him as the clear front-runner to win the party’s nomination,” she said. “He has the experience, energy, and know-how to build on Jesse White’s legacy and to beat the Republicans in November.”
In making the endorsement, Dowell applauded Giannoulias’ policy initiatives aimed at protecting voter rights and adding more Illinoisans to the voter rolls; modernizing the office to eliminate wait times and obtain more services remotely; offering more access and programs to public libraries throughout the state; and strengthening the state’s ethics laws to prevent corruption.
Dowell said she will urge her supporters to cast ballots for him in the primary and general elections. As a Democratic Ward Committeeman and member of the Executive Committee of the Cook County Democratic Party, she feels that Democrats should work hard to elect all Democrats on the party slate. Dowell is the second former Secretary of State candidate to throw her support to Giannoulias. State Sen. Mike Hastings, who withdrew from the race in the fall, announced last month that he is supporting Giannoulias as well.
Dowell’s endorsement comes after Congressman Rush pledged his support for Giannoulias last week along with several other African-American leaders who had previously backed Dowellfor Secretary of State, including:
*** UPDATE 2 *** Anna Valencia campaign response…
Pat Dowell’s endorsement of Alexi Giannoulias is baffling considering she referred to him as “a flawed candidate” and “a drag” on the Democratic ticket just two weeks ago. This is the second time in less than two weeks that Pat has flip-flopped on her position. While she backtracks on her stance of supporting women and women of color, our campaign remains more committed than ever to electing Anna Valencia as the first woman as Illinois Secretary of State.
* The far right is making a big deal out of this. The headline above this Fox News story was “Almost half of reported NY COVID-19 hospitalizations are not due to COVID-19″…
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul released data Friday breaking down COVID-19 hospitalizations by those who were admitted due to the virus and those who were admitted for other reasons but were found to have the illness.
Included in the data was a chart showing “how many hospitalized individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 were admitted for COVID-19/COVID-19 complications and how many were admitted for non-COVID-19 conditions.”
* And, of course, one of the state’s most vocal anti-anti-covid legislators says Illinois ought to break out those numbers, too and an outlet which provides free content to Illinois newspapers jumped right in…
Illinois state Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, said Illinois public health officials must follow suit.
“It’s so important and without factual, real data, it’s very difficult to put an actionable plan in place,” Niemerg told WMAY. […]
Niemerg said such context should help inform public policy. He wants more emphasis on what kinds of therapies are available for those that are unvaccinated who get COVID-19 and those who are vaccinated and get a breakthrough COVID-19 positive.
So, he thinks he’s running a hospital now? Look, legislating is a slow process. By the time they pass a bill, a different variant will be upon us. In the meantime, maybe he could volunteer at a hospital to help ease the burden…
Especially hard hit is southern Illinois, where just two of its 80 intensive care unit beds were available Sunday night.
“We have a lot of chronically ill people in the U.S., and it’s like all of those people are now coming into the hospital at the same time,” said Vineet Arora, [Dean for Medical Education of the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division]. “Some of it is for COVID, and some is with COVID, but it’s all COVID. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter.” (COVID patients also need to be isolated, which increases the burden on hospitals regardless of the severity of patients’ symptoms.)
NorthShore University Health System told WGN Investigates only 19 of their 141 COVID-19 positive patients at four north suburban hospitals last week were being treated for an ailment other than COVID-19.
Rush University Health System does not differentiate patients being treated “with” COVID-19 or “because” of COVID-19 because it can be difficult to classify the root cause of a patient’s ailment – or a virus that may complicate their recovery.
“Many patients have several serious conditions –a co-morbidity – that exacerbate the other so it’s hard to say which one is the reason they need to be hospitalized,” said Rush spokesperson Charles Jolie.
IDPH reports 43% of in-use intensive care beds are occupied by a patient with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19. Regardless of the reason a person was initially hospitalized, medical experts have said COVID-19 is particularly dangerous for people with weakened immune systems and those battling other ailments.
* I asked the administration to respond to Rep. Niemurg…
In the middle of a surge that is pushing hospital staff to the brink it would not serve a useful purpose to require hospitals to report distinctions in their data that do not impact day to day management of the pandemic. The important metric public health experts watch is hospital capacity, and right now hospital beds are in short supply regardless of what illness sends a patient to the hospital. We need to focus on proven strategies that prevent the spread of the virus, therefore reducing the number of patients who end up in hospitals across the state.
* Related…
* As an E.R. Doctor, I Fear Health Care Collapse More Than Omicron: Collective actions over the coming weeks — the distribution and use of high-quality masks, staying home if not feeling well and getting vaccinated or a booster if eligible — could help prevent hospitals and health care workers from sliding into crisis. It’s not March 2020. But it shouldn’t have to be for us to take this seriously.
Tom Demmer launched his campaign for State Treasurer today pledging to be a fiscal watchdog for Illinois taxpayers by opposing tax increases and bringing greater transparency to state spending. Demmer, a State Representative, helped lead the State House investigation into former House Speaker Mike Madigan and has spearheaded initiatives to strengthen ethics laws and bring transparency to the state budget.
“Unfortunately, in Springfield right now, the politicians’ answer to every problem is higher taxes and more spending. We know Springfield politicians won’t change overnight, but we can take an important first step by electing a proven fiscal watchdog as state treasurer,” said Demmer. “As Treasurer, I’ll be on the side of Illinois families working to protect their hard-earned dollars and shining a light on how our tax-dollars are spent.”
Demmer has served as State Representative since 2013, rising through the ranks to serve as Deputy Minority Leader and serving as the Republican point-person for state fiscal issues where he took on Democrat maneuvers that hid billions in pork-barrel spending. Demmer has won awards from groups across Illinois for his efforts to innovate and transform Illinois, including the Technet Champion of Innovation Award, the Metropolitan Planning Council “Transform Illinois” Award Winner and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Champion of Free Enterprise.
“Growing up, and now raising my family in Illinois, I’ve seen too many friends and neighbors leave for better opportunities and lower taxes in other states. And when Illinois families leave, it’s our communities that pay the price, as corruption and bloated government drain taxpayer dollars away from schools, public safety, and community services,” said Demmer. “Now more than ever, we need a Treasurer who will be a fiscal watchdog for Illinois taxpayers and willing to take on the corrupt Springfield machine.”
Demmer’s Democrat opponent, Treasurer Mike Frerichs, has continually supported income tax increases on Illinois families during his 15-years as a Springfield politician and most recently advocated for Governor Pritzker’s tax hike amendment that Frerichs said could ultimately tax retirement income.
“The vast majority of Illinoisans have not heard of Mike Frerichs but he stands tall among the tax and spend Springfield crowd. Throughout his 15 years as a Springfield politician, Mike Frerichs continually voted to raise taxes. And now, he even wants to tax retirement,” said Demmer. “I’m running for State Treasurer because Illinois families deserve someone on their side.”
Tom was the Director of Innovation & Strategy at KSB Hospital, a not-for-profit community hospital with locations in Lee and Ogle Counties. He graduated from the University of Dayton, and was a White House Intern in the Office of the Vice President of the United States. Prior to the General Assembly, Tom served on the Lee County Board. Tom resides in Dixon with his wife Becca, daughter Katie and son John.
Bringing up that Frerichs gaffe about taxing retirement income. Some gifts never stop giving. Also, the video clearly shows that they believe Madigan is still a viable issue.
…Adding… Frerichs…
Michael Frerichs today welcomed Rep. Tom Demmer to the race for Illinois State Treasurer – while cautioning that he would unravel years of progress in Illinois and prioritize the interests of Wall Street.
“Tom Demmer opposed every reform I have championed as Treasurer, even when other Republicans were on our side,” said Frerichs, who has held the office since 2015. “He does not have the conviction to fight for Illinois families, and he does not have the backbone to stand up to special interests.”
Demmer’s record on issues surrounding the State Treasurer’s office “proves he will side with Wall Street and big business and against working families,” Frerichs said.
“When I fought life insurance companies that chose not to pay death benefits, Tom Demmer stood with the life insurance special interests and – literally – against widows and orphans,” he said.
Demmer voted four times against Frerichs’ legislation that required life insurance companies to pay death benefits. (HB 4633 in 2016 and HB 302 in 2017.) State Board of Elections records show that Demmer has taken tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from insurance industry PACs.
“When I fought McKesson Corp. and other drug companies and demanded they take responsibility for peddling their deadly opioids in our communities, Tom Demmer was taking tens of thousands of dollars from Big Pharma,” Frerichs added.
Demmer, a hospital executive who serves as a Republican in the Illinois House, announced today that he will challenge Frerichs to be State Treasurer. Demmer has been a State Representative since 2013 and previously served on the Lee County Board.
As State Treasurer, Frerichs has:
• Created one of the best college savings plans in the country, according to independent analyst Morningstar. Doing so has helped increase college savings from $7 billion to $17 billion and saved families more than $100 million in fees.
• Created a retirement savings program that travels with the worker. The result: more than 99,000 workers who previously did not have a retirement plan now have saved $84 million with Secure Choice.
• Returned a record $1.3 billion in unclaimed property and tripled the number of claims paid per year. Changes in technology, efficiency, and state law streamlined the process to the point that some residents do not even have to file a claim in order to be paid.
“As the product of a small town in Downstate Illinois, I know we can have safe streets, good schools, and local control when we respect each other,” Frerichs said. “Demmer’s record shows he does not respect working families and will not work to bring us together.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** DPI…
Democratic Party of Illinois Deputy Director Jake Lewis released the following statement regarding the news that State Rep. Tom Demmer is running for Illinois State Treasurer:
“Today, another Republican pawn joined billionaire Ken Griffin’s ongoing fantasy to bring back the Bruce Rauner days: Tom Demmer. Demmer’s radical views make him unfit to serve in statewide office. He has voted against increasing the minimum wage, against increasing education funding, against ending the Rauner budget impasse, against the Equal Rights Amendment, and against holding life insurance companies accountable.
“But Demmer’s extremist record doesn’t seem to bother Ken Griffin, apparently the only Republican whose opinion matters in 2022. Griffin has set out to rig the entire Republican primary for his Rauner Reboot slate and he appears to have found willing puppets in Demmer, Secretary of State candidate John Milhiser, and rumored gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin. Unfortunately for Griffin and his pawns, Illinois voters remember that the original Rauner experiment ended in disaster, and they have no interest in the sequel.”
After State Treasurer Mike Frerichs emerged from hiding today to tout his “accomplishments,” ILGOP Spokesman Joe Hackler released the following statement:
“Throughout his 15 years in Springfield, Mike Frerichs has been amazingly consistent in one thing: raising taxes on Illinois families. Frerichs voted to raise taxes on middle class families, seniors, businesses, supported JB Pritzker’s effort to institute the largest tax hike in Illinois history and even wanted to create a new tax on retirement income. After 15 years, Illinois taxpayers simply cannot afford Frerichs anymore.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Treasurer Frerichs himself just called. I’m expecting a written statement soon explaining the issue in more detail, but Frerichs pointed out that while Demmer did vote for the bill once, he voted against the legislation and with the insurance industry four other times. And that’s correct.
*** UPDATE 4 *** From Treasurer Frerichs…
Tom Demmer voted four times against Treasurer Frerichs’ legislation that required life insurance companies to check their records and pay death benefits to widows and orphans. He voted “NO” on: • HB4633 on Apr 13, 2016 • HB302 on Apr 25, 2017 • HB302 concurrence on May 31, 2017 • HB302 veto override on Oct 25, 2017
The only time Tom Demmer voted “YES” was to concur in an amendment to HB4633 that weakened the legislation enough that the life insurance industry removed its opposition (Illinois Life Insurance Council and Illinois Chamber of Commerce removed opposition to HB4633 after the amendment). On all five votes concerning unclaimed life insurance benefits Tom Demmer voted exactly the way the life insurance industry wanted him to vote.
Frerichs did, however, praise the bill when it was finally passed and signed into law. Click here.
…Adding… From comments…
Demmer and the insurance industry won round one. The insurance industry got tough regulations removed from House Bill 4633, and Demmer voted in favor of the amendment that removed them.
The following year however, Frerichs took another stab at it, and Demmer voted three times with the insurance industry … but the bill did pass.
I’d say Frerichs won in the end and that’s what counts, but you do have to give credit where credit is due to Demmer and the insurance industry for forcing widows and orphans to wait another year before getting their money.
A proposal for Chicago Public Schools to resume in-person classes Wednesday has been approved by the Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates following a contentious weeklong standoff.
The delegates also voted Monday night to suspend the union’s work action that saw teachers refuse to give their lessons in person, prompting the cancellation of the last four school days. There will be no Tuesday classes though teachers will report to schools for planning.
In addition to a return to in-person teaching Wednesday, the plan the House of Delegates approved will set conditions by which an individual school would return to remote learning, determined by the rate of staff absences and students in quarantine or isolation, as well as whether it’s during a period of high community COVID-19 transmission, where a lower threshold would apply.
CPS didn’t offer to reinstate a threshold for district-wide school closures and didn’t agree to an opt-out testing program, two of the union’s most prominent demands. The district also didn’t agree to return to classrooms Jan. 18 as the union had planned.
But officials did offer to increase testing at all schools to at least 10% of their student population. Students registered for testing would be randomly selected each week. All staff would be offered testing this week.
Though the district stuck with an opt-in testing program, it committed to working with the CTU to increase student testing and vaccination to 100% by Feb. 1. CPS would establish phone banks where staff would help call parents. About 20% of students are signed up for testing.
When it came to individual school closures, CPS compromised with the CTU and agreed to shut down a building for at least five days if 30% or more of its teachers are absent for two consecutive days because of positive cases or quarantines, and if substitutes can’t get the absences under 25%. A school would also close if 40% of its students were quarantining.
The two sides have been meeting regularly since the last safety agreement expired this summer. Lightfoot said this week that those meetings show her team was intent on reaching an agreement, but that the union was not being responsive.
However, even CPS CEO Pedro Martinez admitted that it only became clear a safety agreement was needed as COVID-19 cases surged.
* The outside pressure was also increasing, including from the national union leader…
President Joe Biden’s administration urged Chicago’s mayor and teachers union to strike a deal to return children to classrooms as the high-profile dispute undercuts his push to keep schools open across the nation.
“The president’s been very clear, as we have been clear: We are on the side of schools being open,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, asked about the standoff in Chicago. “We will continue to be in touch with local leaders in Chicago to work to get their schools open.” […]
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the umbrella union for Chicago teachers, has been urging schools to safely reopen and said this weekend she was “frustrated” by the situation in Chicago.
Referring to Lightfoot, Weingarten said on MSNBC Sunday: “You know how to run this city, get us the testing, the governor has given us that testing, get it into schools on Monday and I bet if you get that into schools on Monday, we’re going to have schools open this week.”
“Last year at this time, you had 40 percent of the schools opened during that surge,” Weingarten told me on Sunday. “This year at this time you have 96 percent.”
Chicago, Weingarten insists, is an anomaly. The city “looms very large, as it always does, but it is one district in which there was a teacher-union-called job action,” she said. “There are plenty of places where teachers are concerned and where there’s groups within school districts that are calling for sickouts. But in terms of my union, there’s no organized effort to do that. In fact it’s quite the opposite.”
* IL GOP condemn Pritzker, Democratic party amid CPS battle with CTU: Gary Rabine, an entrepreneur, says if he were governor, he would take on the CTU. “I believe JB is afraid of the consequences of maybe upsetting these unions for political reasons,” Rabine said. “For the sake of our kids, for the sake of the mental and emotional health of our kids, you’ve got to step up as a leader.”
The respiratory therapist is in one of 19 small rooms ringing Roseland Community Hospital’s busy emergency department, each occupied by a COVID case, each room’s air negative-pressurized to keep droplets of infection from wafting back into the ER. Joseph is trying to draw blood from the man’s right wrist to get a reading of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.
But the 79-year old twists and writhes.
“He was fighting with me,” said Joseph, coming out, peeling off a yellow plastic protective gown. “When you get COVID, you cannot function. The carbon dioxide makes you lethargic and confused.”
“Cannot function,” “lethargic” and “confused” are apt terms to describe our national response to COVID, a roiling, contradictory crisis: medical disaster intermixed with scientific triumph. The selfless, exhausted labors of skilled doctors and nurses here, butting up against selfish, stubborn public resistance and ignorance there. A roller coaster disaster of peaks and valleys, with no end in sight as our nation finishes its second year fighting COVID-19.
* Hospitalizations still look like they might possibly be plateauing. Thursday’s hospitalizations were 7,096, down two from last Wednesday. They edged up just a little bit over the weekend and now they’re at 7,114, which is essentially back to where they were on Wednesday. But that’s still basically a record number of people in the hospital. Much the same is happening with ICU beds and ventilators. Hopefully, the trend starts moving the other way soon. Here’s Marni Pyke at the Daily Herald…
New cases of COVID-19 reached 77,833 over the weekend with 207 more people dying from the respiratory disease, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported.
Illinois hospitals were treating 7,114 COVID-19 patients Sunday night. The highest tally in Illinois since the pandemic began was 7,170, recorded on Saturday night, coming amid a surge in patients contracting the highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19.
The state’s seven-day case positivity rate decreased to 13.4% compared to 15.2% Friday. The dip reflects in part a record number of COVID-19 tests processed Saturday totaling 488,873.
The IDPH reported 29,011 new cases on Saturday, 29,585 on Sunday and 19,237 on Monday. Deaths came to 98 on Saturday, 75 on Sunday, and 34 on Monday. The state does not update data on weekends.
…Adding… Hannah Meisel digs into the numbers here.
Don’t be surprised if Irvin, who is Black, announces his entry in a symbolic way. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a week from today.
Gary Rabine, who’s already entered the GOP race for governor, has picked his lieutenant governor: Aaron Del Mar, a businessman and Palatine Township Republican committeeman.
Who won’t be gathering petitions (at least this time around): Todd Ricketts, the Cubs co-owner and former national GOP finance chairman. “Todd has no current plans to run for office but is certainly interested in the future of his community, his state and his country,” spokesman Brian Baker said.
From what I was told, Griffin wanted to show respect for Ricketts and wait until he came to a decision before acting. Irvin is back at the top of the list. Published reports have indicated that Rep. Avery Bourne will likely be the lt. governor pairing.
* Press release…
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky today announced her endorsement of Nancy Rotering for the Illinois Supreme Court, 2nd District.
“I am happy to join nearly 100 elected officials and leaders in Illinois’ legal community who have made an early endorsement of Nancy Rotering because we know she is the best candidate for Illinois Supreme Court Justice in the 2nd District. Nancy’s lifetime commitment to advocacy and justice and her broad range of legal experience make her the most qualified candidate in the race,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “With the balance of the Illinois Supreme Court to be decided in 2022, and so many critical issues at stake, we must nominate the strongest candidate for the general election to ensure the Justice from the 2nd District shares our Democratic values - and that candidate is Nancy Rotering.”
* Press release…
On Sunday, the campaign of Nabeela Syed, candidate for State Representative in Illinois’s 51st House District, announced the endorsement of neighboring State Representative Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights), also the Wheeling Township Democratic Committeeman.
“We need leaders in Springfield like Nabeela – she’s smart, energetic, passionate about her community, and understands the struggles families face daily,” said Walker. “I look forward to creating new solutions addressing property taxes, restoring trust in government, and recovering from the pandemic with a new generation of leaders like Nabeela.” […]
Nabeela Syed has also been endorsed by State Senator Ram Villivalam and State Representative Theresa Mah – an indication that Democrats are eyeing the district, currently held by a Republican.
* Press release…
This morning, State Representative Tim Butler announced his plans to run as a Republican in the newly drawn 95th House District, which includes Sangamon, Christian, and Macon Counties as well as communities of Springfield, Rochester, Chatham, Edinburg, Kincaid, and Boody. […]
Butler is also pleased to announce that his campaign for re-election is endorsed by the three local Republican County Chairmen in the district. “We enthusiastically endorse Tim Butler for re-election in the new 95th house district. Tim is a fighter for our conservative values and beliefs. After working with him for many years, we know he will be an asset to our county parties to help Republican candidates win up and down the ballot next fall.” said Dianne Barghouti Hardwick (Sangamon), Seth McMillan (Christian), and Bruce Pillsbury (Macon).
* Sunday…
Today, Democrat Karin Norington-Reaves announced her bid for Illinois’ First Congressional District. She would be the district’s first woman and woman of color to hold the position. For the past decade, Karin has served as the CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, the nation’s most extensive and effective publicly-funded workforce development system.
“Our district needs a representative that uplifts all of its people, listens to their voices, and is a tireless advocate for their needs. Today I’m announcing my candidacy to serve our community as that representative,” said Norington-Reaves. “As a job creator and workforce development expert, I’ve witnessed firsthand how investments in people transform lives. But we must do more. As our next representative, I’ll fight for systemic change to create quality jobs, improve public education, and make our communities safer.”
…Adding… Press release…
Since announcing his campaign for the Illinois’ 14th Congressional District on November 15th 2021—a mere eight weeks ago—Koolidge for Congress has raised over $100,000 via over 150 donations. This impressive and enthusiastic support sends a clear message that Mike Koolidge is the frontrunner in the race to defeat Lauren Underwood.
“I am tremendously grateful and humbled for the support I’ve received since announcing my run for Congress,” said Koolidge. “With equal parts rural, suburban and urban, there are few districts in America as representative of the country as the 14th District of Illinois. This is the race to watch in November. The road to Republicans retaking the House and removing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker runs through our pivotal district.”
Making Koolidge’s fundraising milestone all-the-more impressive is that he’s a first-time congressional candidate who has only been fundraising for half a quarter. Not only that, but this fundraising occurred during the holiday season, historically a more difficult time for candidates to fundraise. By comparison, Underwood raised only $75,379 in her first-ever (full) fundraising quarter in 2017.
…Adding… Media advisory…
Tomorrow, Paul Schimpf, Republican candidate for Illinois Governor, plans to announce his 2022 running mate in Crystal Lake, followed by a statewide announcement tour.
Who: Paul Schimpf and 2022 Running Mate
What: Official Press Announcement of 2022 running mate in Crystal Lake followed by a three-day statewide announcement tour to share the campaign’s plan to fire Pritzker and renew Illinois.
When & Where:
January 11th
Official Running Mate Announcement: 10am—Raue Center for the Arts (26 N. Williams St), Crystal Lake, IL
Bigfoot has apparently been spotted near what’s being called a “hot spot” for Sasquatch activity in Illinois.
A group called Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization reports a sighting on November 27, 2021 in Cass County. The expert spoke to the witness and calls it a ‘very reliable’ sighting. […]
The witness reported he saw a large animal jump into the road about 40 yards ahead of his vehicle. He says when the animal hit the road he could see very large legs spread wide with large swinging hair arms. He said it lept across the road in two jumps. […]
A YouTube Documentary called the “Sasquatch Theory” recently released a video about a possible sighting near the Mark Twain Forest in Missouri. This is quite some distance from central Illinois but some wondered if the two incidents could be related.
Some have wondered!
I suppose they could be promoting anti-vax propaganda instead. But that’s a pretty low bar.
…Adding… Oh my goodness, the Tribune did a story on this last month. A bit less credulous, though.
The evidence to date suggests that staff-to-student and student-to-student transmission are not the primary means of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 among infected children. Several studies have also concluded that students are not the primary sources of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 among adults in school setting.
Adults get it mainly from other adults at the schools, but the vast majority of staff are now vaccinated, particularly at CPS.
[CPS] said it didn’t choose the saliva tests in part because many of its students eat breakfast and lunch at schools, and the SHIELD system requires students not to eat or drink for at least an hour before giving a sample.
They… can’t do it before or wait an hour after? Also, what about the state’s offers of masks and vaccine clinics?
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey on Monday accused Mayor Lori Lightfoot of being “relentlessly stupid” in her dealings with the union and in trying to reach a deal to restart schools.
The teachers union unveiled a new proposal for a school safety agreement on Saturday but it included key elements the mayor and schools CEO had already rejected. Those measures were again swiftly rejected. Negotiations continued into Sunday evening, but no deal has been reached.
A group of Chicago Public Schools parents are suing the Chicago Teachers Union, seeking an immediate return to in-person learning after classes have been repeatedly canceled this week during the union’s COVID-19 standoff with the city. […]
In the lawsuit, which was filed in Cook County Chancery Court, the parents claim the union’s action is actually an “illegal strike” — language that’s also been used by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. They want a judge to immediately order teachers to return to their schools and resume in-person learning.
• Majority Black high schools had an average vaccination rate of 28%, compared to majority Latino high schools, which averaged 57%.
• Opt-in rates for school-based testing, like vaccine rates, vary widely by school, with some South and West Side campuses having fewer than five students opting in.
• At more than 200 schools, the opt-in COVID testing rates fall short of the city’s 10% threshold goal. At 70 schools, 10 or fewer students are enrolled in the school-based testing program.
• Vaccination and opt-in rates don’t always correlate. Some schools with high vaccination rates have lower than average COVID opt-in rates for testing.
* House GOP Leader Jim Durkin told Craig Dellimore the other day that he wants the governor to negotiate an end to the CPS work stoppage…
I want him to get involved and do what other governors have done traditionally over years and decades. They take control and they are the ones who because of their position as governor get in and negotiate.
I guess this means he’s lost faith in Mayor Lightfoot.
* I checked with Comcast and no cable order has been placed for this spot as of yet. Bailey’s campaign has not responded to an inquiry about where the video is running…
* Script…
TV News Reader: Chicago public school parents and students are in limbo once again.
Voiceover: The corrupt Chicago liberals are at it again. Closing down schools, ignoring parents, hurting our kids. Haven’t we suffered enough? Darren Bailey is the change we need. He’s fought Governor Pritzker to protect our freedoms. As governor, he’ll keep our schools open, stop the corruption, turn Illinois around. Darren Bailey, the proven conservative for governor.
In a stunning move, a Cook County Juvenile Court judge issued two contempt of court orders against Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Director Marc Smith for violating the rights of two children left languishing in facilities for months. DCFS could soon be fined as much as $2,000 a day until those children are properly placed. […]
The court order describes how a 9-year-old girl suffered years of physical and sexual abuse at home. Then after entering DCFS care, she was put into a psychiatric hospital. She was medically ready to be discharged back in June 2021, but she’s still hospitalized.
A judge wrote DCFS disobeyed numerous court orders to get the child out of the hospital in October and November. This is why DCFS Director Smith is being held in contempt.
The girl has been confined in the psychiatric hospital for 221 days since the date she was supposed to be discharged.
“I’ve seen judges threaten to hold DCFS in contempt of court many times,” said [Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert]. “I’ve been working in juvenile court for more than 30 years. I cannot recall a single case where a judge actually held the DCFS director in contempt of court.”
One of the children awaiting placement is a 9-year-old girl who was malnourished as an infant and physically and sexually abused by family, records show. The girl, who’s been a DCFS ward for two years, was put into psychiatric care in April and has been ready to be discharged since June. Seven months later, she’s still there.
The other case involves a 13-year-old boy with “severe mental health issues” who was forced to sleep in a utility room before he was placed in a temporary housing shelter in Mount Vernon, about five hours away from Chicago. The shelter was supposed to be a “temporary” placement of no more than 30 days, but he’s been there now for more than 145 days. […]
Golbert offered some short- and long-term solutions for DCFS, including having existing partners expand capacity, and finding more partners to offer housing.
“I know what they’re gonna say, they’re gonna say, ‘Oh, this is so expensive. Oh, this is so hard.’ No. 1, these are children and DCFS is responsible for these children, and these children are our future, and it’s not acceptable for them to be locked up in psych wards for seven months like this little girl was,” he said. “No. 2, DCFS would actually save the taxpayers a lot of money by doing right by these kids,” Golbert said, adding that psychiatric hospitalization is “far more expensive than even the most expensive other types of placements.”
Lauren Williams, an associate Deputy Director, testified that DCFS has closed 460 residential beds in Illinois since 2015. According to her testimony the agency planned to replace these residential beds’ with “therapeutic foster homes.” However, the agency has, to date, opened less than 30 of these therapeutic homes and only 10 in Cook County. In that same case, a DCFS expert, Dr. Marc Friedman who is board-certified in both child and adult psychiatry, testified that he did not understand why the Department took away these necessary residential beds. He stated that shuttering these facilities caused a “crisis.”
The testimony of these two individuals along with others was that DCFS intended to change its philosophy from residential to “highly structured therapeutic” foster homes. These witnesses implied that in hindsight this was a mistake. The highly structured therapeutic homes were never opened and the residential beds never replaced. Instead, all judges in this division consistently are told by DCFS agents to be patient while they try to place an increasingly number of disturbed children into a decreasing number of residential placements and appropriate “specialized” homes. Several years ago this argument had some merit. But after years of children deteriorating in inappropriate and dangerous placements the courts must act.
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Westchester) called for hearings and an investigation after state Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith was held in contempt of court for violating the rights of children. […]
Durkin on Monday issued a letter to state Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Oak Park), chairperson of the Human Services Appropriations Committee. Durkin noted in the letter that the DCFS receives more than $1 billion in state support per year, and is “tasked with protecting the state’s most vulnerable residents, a mission both Republicans and Democrats can agree is essential to the state.
“That is why it is so heartbreaking to see that DCFS Director Marc Smith is being held in contempt of court for failing to do his job,” Durkin wrote.
Before COVID-19 vaccines became available in late 2020, the virus had claimed 145 of every 100,000 Illinois residents.
That was the 11th highest mortality rate for COVID-19 among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in 2020.
In 2021, after the vaccines had been introduced and made widely available, Illinois recorded the 17th lowest per capita mortality rate in the country, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus killed 102 of every 100,000 residents here.
In fact, CDC data show states with higher rates of fully vaccinated residents have significantly lower COVID-19 per capita mortality rates. […]
Only one of the 14 states with the highest COVID-19 per capita mortality rate in 2021 has a vaccination rate above 58%, according to CDC data.
The Illinois Department of Labor filed new rules on Friday to officially adopt the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for public and private sector employers with more than 100 workers.
According to the federal guidelines, employers must require their workers to show proof of vaccination or wear a mask and submit to testing to enter the workplace. The rules would also order employers to bar workers from the premises if they test positive for COVID-19. […]
While the Supreme Court suggested states could have more legal authority to implement a vaccine mandate over private business than the federal government, a spokesperson for Governor Pritzker said this new OSHA and Department of Labor rule would not be the mechanism to implement that kind of state-led mandate.
“If the court reversed the federal mandate, then our rule will also be rescinded,” Pritzker spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh said. “We just have to match the feds with whatever happens and filing the rule gives people time to plan if it’s upheld.”
The state was facing a deadline to update the Illinois Department of Labor rule on Friday, which coincided with the Supreme Court’s arguments over the matter.
Justice Clarence Thomas asked [Ohio Solicitor General Ben Flowers], who is arguing against the OSHA mandate on behalf of the state of Ohio, “Would the state of Ohio, and I’m not saying this would be an approach that you would take, but you had earlier a discussion about whether or not the federal government had police powers in the workforce and you suggested that the state has these police powers. Could the state of Ohio do what you say OSHA cannot do?”
“My position,” stated Flowers, who clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, “is that the state of Ohio could mandate vaccinations not only for workers but for all individuals. I think that’s an important point to stress as we’re talking as though OHSA is the only entity that can regulate this.”
Emphasis added.
…Adding… Hmm…
First-dose vaccinations quadruple in Quebec ahead of restrictions at liquor and cannabis storeshttps://t.co/DRk3iyBjq9
The Illinois Senate’s COVID mitigation protocols (testing, masks and limited remote voting) didn’t anticipate a partisan attempt to use a record-breaking virus surge to shut the chamber down, but that’s what almost happened last week.
The Senate Republicans were rightfully outraged the Democratic supermajority geared up to jam through a redistricting bill of several judicial circuits without so much as a proper hearing. So, they counted heads and determined they just might be able to force an adjournment without action if they stayed off the floor, thereby denying the Democrats a quorum. And since the Democrats weren’t planning to come back to town before petition circulation started, any delay could mean the end of the attempted court gerrymandering.
Two Senate Democrats had reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus after taking the mandated SHIELD test the evening before. Another Democrat had already announced he’d tested positive for the virus and was experiencing mild symptoms. Yet another was running late and couldn’t be there for the scheduled 11 o’clock start time.
A slew of others had various excuses for not being in Springfield, including one whose staff had tested positive and was quarantining to be on the safe side.
The Senate’s pandemic-era remote voting rule still requires a quorum to be physically present at the Capitol. The Democrats needed 29 members at the Statehouse to ensure there was an official quorum of 30. They didn’t need all 30 because a Republican would have to be on the floor to question the existence of a quorum. The Democrats have 41 members, but they couldn’t produce 29 bodies. Rank-and-file Democrats fumed at the bungling of the headcount and the Republican games.
So, top Democrats came up with a plan. The member who was running late was told to hurry up. Two members who tested positive were asked to sit in their cars in their Statehouse parking spots and participate from there. Another participated from her Statehouse office. Those three were deemed “present” even though they weren’t on the floor.
Voting while on the Capitol grounds but not in the chamber does have precedent. Former Sen. Bill Haine was very ill and couldn’t risk infection when the chamber overrode Bruce Rauner’s veto of the income tax hike in 2017. Haine voted from his Statehouse office, and the override motion prevailed with the bare minimum of 36.
But it turns out there was no rush to get people to town because a group of House Democratic lawmakers from Lake County banded together to stop the judicial remap bill until they got what they wanted. Some accommodations were eventually made, but it took a good long while.
The House Republicans later tried their own quorum stunt to block the remap bill, but the Democrats had 62 members on hand (three more than required) and the plot fizzled.
During debate on the House’s rules change to again allow remote voting earlier in the day, Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) asked the chamber consider imposing some conditions on remote participation, since some members appeared to be abusing the rule (leaving session early and voting while driving home, for instance). Butler represents the Capital City, so he has an interest in protecting the livelihoods of the town’s businesses. Session injects a large amount of money into Springfield every year.
Rep. Butler is right. Some of these excuses are just ridiculous. Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) infamously voted remotely last year from a helicopter during a gubernatorial campaign tour. Some basic rules really ought to be put in place. And ditching session for campaigns should be at the top of the list (Sen. Bailey could be seen last week voting remotely while apparently driving his car).
But what Rep. Butler and others may not appreciate is that Democrats were furious at the parliamentary gamesmanship. There’s currently no desire to hurry back to town for floor action if they’re just going to sit around in potentially COVID-infested spaces for hours on end while one chamber or the other attempts to secure a quorum because of a lack of Republican cooperation.
This was an unusual case. I get it. The judicial subcircuit remap bill shouldn’t have been blatantly shoved through like that. It was an abuse of authority to rush through a bill to put more Democrats on local courts, and the Republicans were right to protest.
But I also don’t blame the Democrats for wanting to just stay in remote committee mode and not return to Springfield during the coming weeks while this surge blows over if this gamesmanship is going to be a habit.
