* I tipped subscribers to the possibility of some of this happening earlier today, but I’m told it came down to the wire…
The House and Senate Redistricting Committees today released updated Cook County Judicial Subcircuit boundaries that reflect suggestions gathered during the public hearing in December. Additionally, the Committees released proposed redrawn subcircuits for the 16th and 19th Circuits, as well as the proposed creation of subcircuits in the 3rd, 7th, 17th and 18th Circuits to allow for greater opportunities for diversity on the bench. Redrawn subcircuits for the 12th and 22nd Circuits will be forthcoming.
Noteworthy revisions to the Cook County boundaries include consolidating Niles Township and extending greater Chinatown further south down to Pershing Road. These improvements, offered through public testimony, will better reflect the population and demographics in these communities.
The creation of new subcircuits in DuPage, Sangamon and Madison counties will give minority communities a better opportunity to elect candidates of their choice and influence elections. These new subcircuits will help improve the diversity of opinion and background of judges, while giving everyone a voice in electing a bench of judges they feel best represent their communities.
The proposed drawing of subcircuits will not impact the tenure of current circuit court judges.
Members of the public may provide testimony or offer suggestions through email at redistrictingcommittee@hds.ilga.gov and redistrictingcommittee@senatedem.ilga.gov. If anyone wishes to submit their own proposals, they may do so through the online map portal located on the House and Senate redistricting websites. For that tool and to view the proposed maps, visit www.ilhousedems.com/redistricting or www.ilsenateredistricting.com.
The 3rd includes Madison (click here and here to see how they’ve divvied it up), 7th includes Sangamon (click here and here, 17th includes Winnebago (here and here) and the 18th is Dupage (here and here). There was a push for Champaign and Peoria as well, but those apparently didn’t make the cut
Legislative Democrats have released proposed maps that would carve the Seventh Judicial Circuit, which includes Sangamon and several neighboring counties, into three subcircuits… one made up of Springfield’s inner city, the second comprised of the rest of Sangamon County, and the third that consists of the remaining counties in the circuit. Democrats say the creation of an urban subcircuit will improve chances for minority representation on the bench.
But GOP Representative Tim Butler thinks it’s a move to “pack the courts” with Democratic judges, and wants more details on the plan, including how much extra it would cost to implement.
Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., the former Black Panther, ex-Chicago alderman, member of Congress and a minister, told the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday that he will not seek another term.
Rush, first elected to Congress in 1992, said in an interview he intends to stay active in his ministry and find ways to use his remarkable life story — a trajectory from a 1960s radical to House member — to inspire younger generations. […]
Rush told me he finalized his decision not to seek another term in the last several weeks and it came after a conversation with a grandson, Jonathan, 19, who said he wanted to hear more about his grandfather.
“I don’t want my grandchildren . . . to know me from a television news clip or something they read in a newspaper,” Rush said.
…Adding… Also, as I told subscribers this morning, be wary of stories like this one which float endless names of people who may or may not actually be interested. It’s not news. It’s pure speculation, particularly about those who would have to give up their gigs to run in a potentially crowded primary.
Illinois State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago), who shares his district with U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Chicago), released the following statement in response to Congressman Rush’s announcement today that he will not seek re-election:
“As a kid on Chicago’s South Side, I had the privilege of growing up with Bobby Rush as an example of a fearless and righteous leader who helped make our city and our country a better place for everyone.
“Congressman Rush – and his impact on advancing racial justice – will endure far beyond his nearly 40 years in public office. He helped found the movement that’s made a half century of progress toward civil rights possible – a movement that has grown across communities, at all levels of government, and continues today.
“With this news, we can all benefit from starting the new year by taking a step back to reflect on – and find inspiration from – Congressman Rush’s lifetime of work toward fairness, and equity. We know the work isn’t done, but Bobby Rush has shown us there’s nothing that we collectively cannot do.”
…Adding… DPI…
Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Rep. Robin Kelly released the following statement regarding the announcement that Rep. Bobby Rush will not run for re-election:
“Bobby Rush has dedicated his entire life to serving his community. An instrumental figure in the civil rights movement, his passion and determination in the fight for justice serves as an inspiration to us all. As a 15-term congressman, Rep. Rush has worked selflessly for the people of the South Side of Chicago and beyond, passing numerous pieces of critical legislation to strengthen public safety and promote equality in American society. On behalf of all Democrats in Illinois, I thank him for his years of service and wish him well as he begins his next chapter later this year.”
Illinois state Sen. Kimberly Lightford and her husband were carjacked Tuesday night in suburban Broadview, police said.
No one was hurt, but at least one of the suspects fired gunshots at Lightford’s husband, according to police.
Lightford, a Democrat from Maywood, and her husband were in a black Mercedes SUV and were in the near west suburb to drop off a friend, according to Broadview police Chief Thomas Mills.
Three masked individuals in a Dodge Durango SUV blocked the couple’s Mercedes in the 2000 block of South 20th Avenue about 9:45 p.m. The suspects ordered Lightford and her husband, who was driving, out of the Mercedes, said Mills.
“I begged them not to shoot my husband, not to shoot me,” Lightford told reporters Thursday morning at a Christmas present giveaway for children in Proviso Township. “They took everything off me that I had of value.”
Lightford said her husband gave the carjackers the keys to the car.
“They had separated me and my husband,” she said on WGN-TV. “After they got the guns off of us, my husband told me to run. I ran, reluctantly, because I didn’t want to leave him there. And it was a scary run because now shots are being fired. I thought for sure they were going to shoot me.”
Lightford said her husband is a concealed-carry permit holder. He fired at the carjackers, she said.
At an event on Thursday, Lightford, a Maywood Democrat who has been in the state legislature since 1998, said she was “doing much better today” and that she “didn’t realize what a traumatic event could do in an adult.”
* Meanwhile, Sun-Times crime reporter Frank Main recently interviewed a West Side, 30-something carjacker…
Q. To your knowledge, is this generally a random crime? Or is there a lot of planning that goes into this?
A. Mostly a random crime.
Q. Is there somebody that everybody knows in a particular neighborhood that you can sell [stolen car parts to]?
A. Through social media, you’ll hear where people want car parts. People know that’s where to take the cars.
Q. What’s your impression of [Cook County State’s Attorney] Kim Foxx and whether [prosecutors] are lenient or tough on this crime?
A. They’re not playing on carjackings. They are not being lenient on this crime.
Q. So it sounds to me that you’re saying you don’t believe that this giant increase in carjackings has to do [with] prosecutors or police going easy on carjackers or that the criminal justice system is going easy on people who commit these crimes. Is that right?
A. True.
* Maya Dukmasova at the Chicago Reader pointed to her own research earlier this year to back up this claim…
When it comes to the felony carjacking charges—for which, according to [Chief of Detectives Brendan] Deenihan’s presentation, only 178 people were arrested [in 2020] —the State’s Attorney’s Office seems to be functioning as expected. In 2020, according to the office, felony carjacking charges for adults were approved 97 percent of the time, and resulted in convictions 93 percent of the time. For juveniles, the State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges 89 percent of the time and convictions resulted in 90 percent of cases.
* But while the carjacker claims that fast, expensive vehicles are mainly targeted, Dukmasova found that the numbers show otherwise…
Though there’s been much speculation about the types of cars being targeted—in particular popular Dodge Chargers and Challengers because of anecdotal reports that they can be hacked—CPD’s data showed that most often carjacked cars are the most common economy vehicle makes: Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Honda, and Chevrolet.
A Cook County judge was carjacked at gunpoint along with her 3-year-old son late Thursday in Humboldt Park.
Judge Anna Loftus was robbed of her 2018 Subaru Crosstrek, her purse and a cellphone, according to a memo shared with 14th District Chicago police officers. No one was physically hurt.
The toddler was in the back seat as the 52-year-old pulled the vehicle into a residential garage about 11:30 p.m., according to police news affairs.
That’s when two males walked up, and one of them, carrying a gun, ordered her and the boy out of the car.
As much as people may complain about lawlessness today, 1974 remains Chicago’s official benchmark for the most murders in an annual period.
This is not to be confused with “murder rate,” a calculation comparing crime data with a city’s population. Chicago’s worst “per capita” homicide year was 1992, when 940 people were slain but when the city had 600,000 fewer residents. The murder rate then was 34 victims per 100,000 people.
If you are talking about sheer volume of homicides, 1974 is it.
“More killings here than Belfast,” a pessimistic Sun-Times editorial headline read in late December, after police officer Harl Gene Meister was killed in a robbery attempt that left his 8-year-old son seriously wounded. Meister was off-duty and doing some last-minute Christmas shopping when he and the boy were confronted by a group of juveniles in a store parking lot on the Southwest Side. […]
Officials of the day blamed the usual suspects for so many killings: easy access to firearms, including the cheap but lethal “Saturday Night Special,” and a court system that critics said treated offenders too leniently.
James Rochford, Chicago’s $34,500-a-year police superintendent, complained that thousands of suspects his officers arrested in the past year were out on bond for similar crimes. He said the average hardened offender was wise to this revolving-door system.
* I was exposed to covid twice over the two-week break. I had mild symptoms that went away quickly both times. I’ve been tested three times so far (both rapid and PCR) and all came back negative. That was great news for me, but the experiences gave me an up close and personal look at the national testing shortage and it’s bad. Really, really bad. I was also kinda grumpy because I had to isolate Christmas eve and New Year’s eve.
The whole world saw how fast this omicron variant was spreading. “Everybody has it,” was a constant refrain I heard from friends all over the state last month - and these are people who generally try to be careful about their behavior.
And since so many people seem to have it, even more are getting tested far more often as they either feel symptoms or learn that someone they’ve been in contact with has tested positive.
So, basic arithmetic dictates that as this virus inevitably spreads ever wider, many more tests are going to be needed. The 500 million tests promised by President Biden will be too little and very likely way too late to deal with this need. To say the feds dropped the ball bigtime would be a massive understatement. I ordered four rapid tests through the mail early on, used two, gave one to a friend and have just one left. I’m hoarding that one.
* I happen to believe that fully vaccinated and boosted people (like myself) should not have to suffer consequences for following the rules. Unfortunately, a small and stubborn and ignorant minority is jamming up our local hospitals to the breaking point. From the governor’s office…
From the end of November to end of December about 91 percent of hospital admissions for COVID were those who are not fully vaccinated.
"Hospitals cannot end this pandemic on their own. They need the continuing help and support of the public. The best way to support your hospitals is to get vaccinated." AJ Wilhelmi, IHA President & CEO. https://t.co/SEWikto586
* And while we’re on the topic of those who “reject all of the measures to reduce this disease,” here’s a Champaign News-Gazette editorial…
State Sen. Darren Bailey, a leading Republican candidate for governor of Illinois, thinks Gov. J.B. Pritzker should stop haranguing Illinoisans to get vaccinated.
State Sen. Darren Bailey, a Republican candidate for governor from Clay County, thinks Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “rhetoric is abhorrent and has no place in any civil discussion.”
Pritzker’s sin? He urged Illinoisans who are unvaccinated to get the COVID-19 vaccine so that they don’t take up a hospital bed that could be used by a cancer or heart attack patient.
“The role of government is not to coerce and control residents, but to educate them and provide them with resources to make the best decisions for themselves and their families,” Bailey charged.
Which is exactly what Pritzker, health care professionals and even other Republican governors are doing.
Thousands of COVID tests for Chicago Public Schools students and staff members have been deemed “invalid” as the district prepares for a return to classrooms following the winter break.
With cases across the state and within the district surging, CPS reported 35,590 tests were completed between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1, but 24,843 were ruled “invalid,” according to data posted on the district’s website.
According to the Chicago Teachers Union, many parents received emails from the company handling the tests saying some samples were deemed “unsatisfactory” after being delayed in transit to the lab because of holiday shipping issues and weather.
“Delays between sampling and actually processing those samples ended up spoiling test results,” the union said in a release.
* Some of us talked about this on Twitter over the weekend…
* Mary Miller then announced that she’ll run against fellow Republican Rodney Davis in the 15th Congressional District…
“President Donald Trump inspired me to run in 2020 because our country needs principled conservatives in Congress who always put America First,” said Congresswoman Miller.
“Today, President Trump is endorsing me because I am a conservative fighter who is not afraid to take on the DC swamp.”
“I am not a career politician, and running for office is not my life’s ambition,” said Miller. “My life is spent in the real world, on my small family farm with my husband Chris, where we were blessed to raise our seven children and welcome our seventeen grandchildren. I bring those values to Washington, not the other way around.”
Elected in 2020 with President Trump’s support as an America First conservative, Congresswoman Mary Miller received 73.4% of the vote in the 15th District. She has been a strong supporter of President Trump and opposed efforts by Nancy Pelosi, Adam Kinzinger, and Liz Cheney to attack President Trump through the political “witch hunt” January 6th Commission.
“I voted against Joe Biden’s red-flag gun confiscation efforts, which violate the Second Amendment rights of American citizens,” said Miller, who has the most conservative voting record of any member from Illinois. “I was endorsed by the NRA in 2020 and I’m the only member from Illinois with an A rating from the Gun Owners of America for always supporting the Second Amendment.”
“I’m proud to be the only member of Congress from Illinois who is fighting to impeach Joe Biden and the lawless Biden Cabinet for leaving our border exposed to an invasion of illegal immigration,” said Miller. “I am the only member from Illinois who has fought every effort by Joe Biden to use COVID vaccine mandates to fire Americans from their jobs and I opposed funding COVID vaccine databases that share information with the federal government.”
As a Pro-Life mother and grandmother, Congresswoman Miller serves as an advocate for the unborn, giving a voice to the voiceless in the womb. “When Democrats pushed for taxpayer-funded chemical abortion, I led the fight to ban taxpayer-funded chemical abortion with the Protecting Life on College Campus Act,” said Miller.
Congresswoman Miller is in a strong position to win re-election in the new 15th Congressional District, which gave President Trump 68 percent of the vote in 2020.
“I won’t allow corrupt Democrats like JB Pritzker to cut backroom deals to draw me out of the district I represent, because conservative voters who stand with President Trump deserve a Pro-Second Amendment, Pro-Life, America First voice in Congress,” said Miller.
“With hard work, prayer, and faith in our country, conservatives will take back the House and Make America Great Again.”
* There were some problems with some of her claims. For instance…
Mary Miller is claiming she's the "only Republican from Illinois" to vote against red flag laws for military members. Except even the NRA says that never became law, and the bill Reps. Davis, Bost, LaHood, and Kinzinger voted for on 12/7 did not include it. https://t.co/ozqagryrNa
* Anyway, Rep. Davis seemed to be ready for this and fired off a blistering response…
Rodney Davis’ campaign for Congress released the following statement after Mary Miller announced she’s running for Congress in the 15th District. The statement is attributed to Davis campaign spokesperson Aaron DeGroot:
“Mary Miller is only an outsider in the sense that she doesn’t live in the 15th District. She’s a carpetbagger and Chicagoland native. Miller is so desperate to stay in Congress she’s running in a district she doesn’t live in, just like her husband. The Millers are taking a page out of the Springfield political insider playbook. Politics is their family business.
“Even worse, Miller supports the Never Trump ticket for Illinois Governor and refused to vote against Nancy Pelosi’s sham, partisan 1/6 Select Committee. All Mary Miller has to show for her time in Congress is quoting Hitler and voting with Democrats like AOC and the far left squad to defund our military and block a pay raise for our troops. That’s shameful. It’s clear that Mary Miller is all talk, no action.
“Rodney Davis is a conservative who gets things done. He’s already been hard at work highlighting his conservative accomplishments and work with President Trump during his time in office. That’s why he’s earned support from countless grassroots Republican leaders in the district. Our campaign looks forward to educating voters on how Rodney is an effective conservative member of Congress and Mary is not.”
Um, Rodney has been involved in Illinois/US politics most of his adult life. Politics is definitely his business. And what’s he gonna do in the fall if the “Never Trump ticket” of Darren Bailey and Stephanie Trussell wins the primary? One campaign at a time, I suppose.
A “conservative who gets things done” with the endorsement of almost every major elected official in his new district means he’s going to run a traditional Illinois Republican race. He’ll work it hard. She has Trump. Should be interesting to watch.
* News media roundup…
* Controversial Downstate freshman GOP Rep. Mary Miller to primary veteran Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis after Trump endorsement: Davis has already been endorsed by 32 of the 35 GOP county chairmen in the new 15th District, as well as by two of his neighboring Illinois Republican congressional colleagues, Darin LaHood of Peoria and Bost, and more than a dozen GOP state lawmakers in the new district. Davis also has been a strong supporter of Trump and co-chaired his 2020 reelection campaign in Illinois. Davis also has backed House Republican leadership under Kevin McCarthy of California.
* Trump endorses Rep. Mary Miller against Rep. Rodney Davis despite pleas from leadership not to get involved in primary: Miller, a member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, recently caused a stir within the Republican conference for spreading misinformation about a vaccine records bill and an annual defense policy bill that many House Republicans voted for. As CNN first reported last month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — another controversial firebrand who is close with Miller — had been lobbying Trump to throw his weight behind Miller, while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had urged Trump not to get involved, concerned it could make things even messier for party leaders.
* Trump endorses Illinois Rep. Mary Miller over Rep. Rodney Davis: Trump’s move comes as he is looking to spark intra-party primaries in order to increase the numbers of Trump-loyal MAGA Republicans in the House in advance of his anticipated 2024 White House comeback bid.
Matt Chapman, a self-described data nerd who runs a not-for-profit group called “Free Our Data,” recently filed Freedom of Information Act requests with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office. He wanted everything received by the Chicago Tribune this year via their FOIA requests.
Chapman’s trove included text messages sent back and forth between Lightfoot and state leaders, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Most of the conversations were innocuous or polite. The governor thanked the mayor for sending him a bottle of tequila, for example.
But some of the conversations are revealing. On July 14 of last year, Lightfoot informed the governor that the city was “toying with a mandatory mask order for Chicago.”
The governor responded: “Just want you to know we already have a statewide mandatory mask order. It is the law right now during the emergency.”
Pritzker had, indeed, issued a mask order more than two months before Lightfoot was kicking the idea around.
I thought that was weird, but then last week Lightfoot introduced a city ordinance that was basically a copy-and-paste of a bill Pritzker had recently signed into law. Oops.
In August of 2020, during violence and looting, Pritzker sent Lightfoot a text message saying the two should talk about the situation. An hour later, Pritzker sent her another text saying, “I’m hearing reports of activity downtown and want to reiterate my offer of assistance of state police tonight.”
There was no reply. Billionaire Ken Griffin has heaped scorn on Pritzker for not intervening in the city’s violence, but that message shows he was at least trying to convince the mayor to accept state help on one occasion.
In late September, Pritzker told Lightfoot that the state police and the National Guard were “coordinating closely” with the Chicago Police Department through the weekend. “Hopefully we are all over-prepared,” he wrote. “Thanks so much for your leadership,” she told the governor. “I hear from lots of folks that they like to see us working together. Gives them confidence.”
“Agree and also I like working on the same page with you. So there’s that.” Pritzker wrote.
In January of this year, before vaccinations became widespread, Chicago resident Pritzker sent the mayor a Block Club Chicago story about a massive indoor party in the Old Town neighborhood. “How brazen?” he wrote. “This looks ripe for a visit by CPD. !!!”
“On it,” Lightfoot replied.
But there were clearly moments of tension. “Just hearing from one of my city council chairmen that your team is trying to move something on [the sale of the] Thompson Center without presenting a plan to me and my team,” Lightfoot told Pritzker. “We should discuss because that will not happen.”
Instead of replying to Lightfoot’s text, Pritzker sent a link to an online opinion piece written by a political enemy that trashed both him and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike. The piece was believed at the time to have been generated by Lightfoot or her allies because it also heaped praise on Lightfoot’s public health director.
“Thank you,” was all Pritzker wrote. There was no reply.
Organized labor worked last spring to kill a proposal by Pritzker and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association for a statewide mandated paid sick leave law. Lightfoot was also opposed, and she made that known in a text to the governor in late May. “I would like to talk about the paid sick leave bill. We strongly oppose. Let me know when you can talk.” There was no recorded reply.
Senate President Don Harmon often didn’t reply to the mayor’s texts, although that doesn’t mean he didn’t pick up the phone or talk to others.
Lightfoot sent several terse but one-way text messages to Harmon this year, including these in January of 2021: “Don, my folks are bringing me comments that are concerning. If there is no personal issue, you want to address, then let’s have the discussion. … Correction: if there is a personal issue that is of concern, let’s put it on the table.”
A few days later: “A courtesy call regarding the fire pension bill would have been helpful, particularly since there is no funding for it. When that pension fund collapses, I will be talking a lot about this vote.”
And then in May: “It is important that we talk early. The direction things are going is totally inconsistent with what you committed to.”
All of Lightfoot’s texts with House Speaker Chris Welch were cordial. Former House Speaker Michael Madigan didn’t do texts.
In spring 2020, for instance, Lightfoot texted Pritzker a news report analyzing tensions between their administrations as the city was negotiating for a Chicago casino and criticized his employees.
“Gov, this is petty and unnecessary and why we have serious issues with your staff,” Lightfoot texted. “Not smart.”
The next morning, Pritzker responded, “I woke up and saw your text. Texting probably not the best way to communicate. You should call me when you can.”
A day later, Lightfoot texted Pritzker a Sun-Times opinion piece with the headline, “Mayor’s gaffes won’t help Chicago get a lift from Pritzker and Springfield.”
“Super helpful,” she wrote.
Pritzker responded: “Mayor. I didn’t write this nor did I foster it. I get bad press too. Call when you would like.”
* Dan Petrella and Jeremy Gorner at the Tribune have a very comprehensive and well-researched preview of the coming legislative session…
With elections looming and another coronavirus surge underway, Illinois lawmakers are due to return to Springfield Wednesday with the goal of crafting next year’s state budget and wrapping up much of their other work for the year by early April — nearly two months ahead of the usual schedule.
Whether the Democratic-controlled legislature will be able to meet that deadline remains to be seen, as the skyrocketing number of COVID-19 cases forced the General Assembly to cancel the other session days during the first week of the new year and likely the entire second week. But with primaries set for June 28 and all 177 seats in the Illinois House and Senate up for election in 2022, lawmakers will be eager to avoid controversial issues and get back home to campaign. […]
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside, who along with Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park controls the legislative calendar, says the schedule for the upcoming spring session is not shortened but condensed. Lawmakers were originally slated to be at the Capitol for roughly the same number of days as in a typical year, but it’s unclear if that will happen with the big surge in COVID-19 cases. […]
Senate GOP leader Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods expressed similar frustrations with his caucus’s superminority role, noting that members introduced several anti-crime proposals in the fall that were ignored by Democrats.
“At the end of the day, the biggest question is whether we’re going to have robust debate in an election year on key issues that the public seems concerned about,” McConchie said.
There will likely be a very robust debate about that issue, but it’ll likely be confined to private Democratic caucus meetings.
Anyway, go read the rest. They clearly put a lot of work into it.
* From Politico, but with a big caveat that the petition filing deadline was already shortened to March 14 last May…
“We’ve proven an ability to use remote hearings in particular for committees, which much of the front end of the session will likely be,” Senate President Don Harmon told Playbook. “I’m confident we’ll be able to get our work done. But I would not be at all surprised if much of the committee work happens virtually.”
On Wednesday, lawmakers are expected to adjust language on legislation that would change the deadline for getting petitions signed for the state’s June primary. Democratic lawmakers who control both houses and the governor’s office want to allow for 60 days to acquire signatures instead of 90 days. The filing deadline would be March 14. […]
For Gov. JB Pritzker, the “No. 1 priority” of the session “is balancing our budget, making sure that we’re doing the right thing to put our state on firm fiscal footing, to continue to get credit upgrades as we have, and to make sure that we’re providing the services that people need,” he told reporters at last week.
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch echoed that in an interview with Playbook, saying, “We want to build on last year’s success.” Lawmakers this year will also weigh how best to spend another portion of federal American Rescue Plan dollars “to help people deal with the everyday issues that they’re facing, like paying rent, paying mortgages and keeping a roof over their heads or saving their businesses,” he said.
The goal is to avoid creating new programs that will then be unfunded after the federal money runs out. Instead, Democrats want to see federal monies available over the next three years to be spent on “one-time expenditures that can help bend the curve on a complicated, difficult issue or bolster our economic fundamentals,” Harmon said.
Building on efforts to protect state employees and people in the State’s care or custody from the threat of COVID-19, Governor JB Pritzker today announced that the Arbitrator in the State’s Vaccine Mandate Interest Arbitration determined that the State can and should require vaccinations for Illinois Department of Correction (IDOC) guards and Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) staff
This decision will ensure employees in State Correctional Centers and Juvenile Justice facilities are protected with the COVID-19 vaccines. Employees subject to this decision will be required to get their first shot by January 31, 2022 unless they are approved for a religious or medical exemption.
“The recent surge of cases brought on by the Omicron variant has brought a serious threat to our state, and I’m glad that this ruling will protect nearly 10,000 state workers and all of the people at these facilities,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Protecting the health and safety of workers and residents across the state remains a top priority for my administration and I look forward to continued discussions with our labor partners as we move forward with the task of keeping our employees and residents of our congregate facilities safe.””
Vaccination is the key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. All Illinois residents over the age of 5 are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost and proof of immigration status is not required to receive the vaccine.
The administration has taken extensive measures to make the COVID-19 vaccine equitable and accessible. Governor JB Pritzker recently directed the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) to enhance its partnerships with local health department mass vaccination operations throughout the state to help meet the growing demand for the COVID-19 vaccine booster.
Individuals can visit http://www.vaccines.gov to find a nearby location to receive a vaccine or booster dose. Testing locations can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/testing.html, including information on the days and hours for free Community-based Testing Sites.
* Meanwhile…
To prepare for a likely surge of post-holiday Omicron COVID-19 cases and to prepare for a potential shortage of staffed ICU beds, Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association are urging hospitals to take every possible measure to maintain and expand bed capacity, including postponing non-emergency surgeries and other procedures as needed and without risking patient harm.
The state and hospitals throughout Illinois are continuing to work in concert to prevent the state’s healthcare infrastructure from being overwhelmed by the ongoing Omicron variant surge of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. By working closely together over the course of this pandemic, this partnership has prevented Illinois from exceeding capacity, unlike other states.
Throughout Illinois, hospital admissions are rapidly increasing, further diminishing ICU bed capacity. Holiday gatherings are anticipated to drive an increase in the coming weeks, placing an additional strain on Illinois’ hospitals and healthcare workers.
In particular, hospitals should continue to follow the Illinois Department of Public Health’s guidance on when to consider postponing elective surgeries and procedures that physicians believe can be rescheduled without risking patient harm. Some hospitals have already delayed non-emergent procedures to increase capacity, and the Governor and hospital leaders urge all hospitals to take needed steps to ensure sufficient capacity in the coming weeks.
“We are preparing for a continuing post-holiday surge, and with hospital staff already working so hard, I appreciate the work hospital leadership is doing to assure capacity, including postponing non-emergency surgeries and procedures to ensure their ability to handle serious COVID cases and other emergencies without putting patients at risk,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “To all Illinoisans: please understand that the nation is experiencing high COVID transmission rates, and some surgeries in Illinois will be postponed. We’re asking our residents to temporarily hold off on important medical care like tonsillectomies, bariatric surgeries and hernia repair. As we work to keep ICU beds open, I continue to applaud the efforts of our hospitals and healthcare workers across the state, who have been heroes for us all.”
“We are currently seeing approximately 500 new admissions a day to Illinois hospitals due to COVID-19, and approximately 90% of those are unvaccinated,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “There is a health care worker shortage in Illinois, in the U.S., and across the world. We’re seeing health care workers leave the profession because they are burnt out after watching people suffer severe illness and even death for almost two years now. We want to make sure that there is a hospital bed available for anyone for any reason - cancer complications, appendicitis, stroke, heart attack, car crash, or COVID-19. Please get vaccinated and get boosted, for all of us.”
With the Governor’s encouragement, hospital leaders continue implementing other strategies to further free up availability in Illinois hospitals. This includes utilizing telehealth technology, reallocating staff resources, and expanding ICU capacity. In an effort to increase staffing to ensure care is available, the Governor has already extended state waivers to allow out-of-state healthcare professionals to work in Illinois. The State of Illinois has invited hospitals to participate in its staffing contract so that they can bring in additional available staff when needed to ensure capacity to treat COVID-19 patients. The Governor also supports hospitals and healthcare facilities that choose to implement new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance accelerating return-to-work timeframes. The Pritzker administration is also working with Illinois’ federal partners, seeking federal assistance to address healthcare staffing shortages.
However, healthcare experts emphasize that getting vaccinated, boosted and following recommended social distancing and masking guidelines remains critical.
“Hospitals continue to be on the front line of this fight, and are doing everything in their power to maintain access to healthcare for all patients. But we need your help. Wear a mask. Social distance. Avoid large gatherings. And please get vaccinated and boosted. Vaccination remains the best way to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death,” said Karen Teitelbaum, President and CEO of Sinai Chicago Health System and Chair of the IHA Board of Trustees.
“I want to thank Governor Pritzker for his continued partnership and collaboration with the hospital community during this pandemic. The overwhelming majority of the 5,000 COVID patients currently in our hospitals are unvaccinated. Hospitals cannot end this pandemic on their own. They need the continuing help and support of the public,” said AJ Wilhelmi, President and CEO of the IHA. “The best way to support your hospitals is to get vaccinated.”
Ted Rogalski, Administrator at Genesis Medical Center in Aledo and incoming 2022 Chair of IHA’s Board of Trustees, appealed to the public.
“Healthcare workers need your help,” Rogalski said. “This pandemic has taken a mental and physical toll on those who see the worst side of this virus every day. They are exhausted, but still standing tall. Please support your community healthcare workers and all frontline responders by taking all precautions to prevent sickness.”
On December 29 Arbitrator Edwin Benn ruled against AFSCME members in the interest arbitration regarding the State’s plan to require COVID vaccinations for employees in IDOC and IDJJ (see below). AFSCME had invoked the right of security employees to interest arbitration when the State broke off negotiations with the Union over the mandate and was prepared to unilaterally implement its terms.
In the arbitration, as at the bargaining table, AFSCME opposed the State’s rigid vaccine mandate, arguing that employees who do not wish to be vaccinated should have the option of testing weekly for COVID—a protocol in place for all school districts in the state. Benn did not agree and instead affirmed the State’s position that a crisis exists that requires the most robust possible response. He set January 31 as the date by which employees must receive a first vaccination shot.
Interest arbitration relies on a tripartite panel which in this instance includes the neutral arbitrator (Edwin Benn) who serves as chair; a union representative (Ed Caumiant, AFSCME Council 31 Regional Director) and an employer representative (Ed Jackson, DHS Labor Relations). The panel effectively functions as a sole arbitrator, since the employer and the union panel members invariably vote in opposition to each other, leaving the neutral arbitrator to be the deciding vote. The AFSCME representative on the panel has filed a formal dissent from the decision at the Labor Board (see below).
The arbitrator’s initial ruling only pertained to the core question of whether the mandate could proceed. He remanded all related issues—e.g. time off for COVID-related quarantines—to the parties to resolve by January 7. He retained jurisdiction to rule on any outstanding issues that cannot be resolved within that timeframe.
* In November of 2020, Illinois hit its all time peak of 6,175 covid hospitalizations. If you’re keeping track, we’re only 486 away from that number right now…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 128,246 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 386 deaths since December 23, 2021.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 2,149,548 cases, including 27,821 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since Thursday, December 23, 2021, laboratories have reported 1,260,179 specimens for a total of 44,469,630. As of last night, 5,689 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,010 patients were in the ICU and 565 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from December 23-29, 2021 is 10.2%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from December 23-29, 2021 is 14.4%.
A total of 19,176,277 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 46,046 doses. Since Thursday, December 23, 2021, 322,324 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 72% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and more than 64% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
Also in November of 2020, ICU usaged peaked at 1,224, so we’re not too far away from that, either.
Plaintiffs in these three consolidated cases, McConchie, Contreras, and East St. Louis NAACP, challenge Illinois’ legislative redistricting map1 and ask this Court to order alterations that would create additional districts featuring majorities of either Latino or Black voters. All Plaintiffs bring statutory claims, arguing that the redistricting map impermissibly dilutes minority votes in violation of § 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 52 U.S.C. § 10301, et seq. Contreras and East St. Louis NAACP Plaintiffs also present constitutional claims, contending that several legislative districts were racially gerrymandered in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
On § 2 Voting Rights Act claims, the Supreme Court has admonished that “[f]ailure to maximize cannot be the measure of § 2” because “reading § 2 to define dilution as any failure to maximize tends to obscure the very object of the statute and to run counter to its textually stated purpose.” Johnson v. De Grandy, 512 U.S. 997, 1016–17 (1994). Nearly three decades later, those principles animate this Court’s analysis of these three challenges to Illinois’ legislative redistricting map. Many of Plaintiffs’ proposed districts barely surpass the 50% mark. For all but one of the districts in SB 927, Latino voters maintain a census voting age population of 42.7% or higher, which Legislative Defendants insist allow for additional opportunities to form coalitions with voters of other races to elect their candidate of choice, enhancing the overall political power of Latinos in Illinois.
In light of these figures, these three cases are not about “the chance for some electoral success in place of none.” Johnson, 512 U.S. at 1012–13. Rather, for many of the challenged districts, these cases are about “the chance for more success in place of some.” Id. at 1013. This disagreement also reflects competing views about how to guarantee Latino and Black voters, in their respective districts, equal opportunity to elect their candidate of choice when minority voters could form different permutations of majority-minority, coalition, and opportunity districts.
Although there is debate about how to achieve the guarantees of the Voting Rights Act, one thing is clear: A federal court is not the arbiter of that dispute unless Plaintiffs carry their burden to prove that an elected legislature’s approach violates the law. […]
As to the constitutional claims, Contreras Plaintiffs allege that House District (“HD” or “House District”) 21 and Senate District (“SD” or “Senate District”) 11 constitute racial gerrymanders, and East St. Louis NAACP Plaintiffs allege the same for HD 114. But neither set of Plaintiffs has proved that race predominated in the configuration of any of the challenged districts. Indeed, the record could not be more clear that partisan politics—a legally acceptable criterion—controlled that decision. The second part of this opinion lays out our evaluation of those constitutional claims.
For the reasons that follow, we uphold the General Assembly’s redistricting map under SB 927 and reject in full all three Plaintiffs’ remedial proposals, denying Plaintiffs any further injunctive or declaratory relief.
…Adding… Press release…
House Speaker and Senate President Statement on Federal Court Decision to Uphold Fair Map
“From the beginning we have been guided by the goal of creating a fair map that recognizes the true diversity of the people of this great state. We appreciate that the court recognized and affirmed our efforts to ensure all communities across Illinois receive equal representation,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon.
We would like to thank Chairs Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez and Sen. Omar Aquino, Vice Chairs Rep. Curtis Tarver and Sen. Elgie Sims and the bipartisan Redistricting Committees for their work, as well as members of the public who offered testimony and insight throughout this redistricting process.”
* And…
Leader Hernandez’s Statement Regarding Federal Court Decision on Legislative Map
“From the beginning of this redistricting process, we have sought to reflect the diversity of this great state. Today’s ruling confirms that our map is constitutional, adheres to the Voting Rights Act and preserves Illinois’ reputation as a model for the nation when it comes to minority representation,” said Rep. Lisa Hernandez, Chair of the House Redistricting Committee. “I want to thank our bipartisan Redistricting Committee, community organizers, advocacy groups and the general public for their participation in this long but important process.”
…Adding… From the plaintiffs…
“This ruling is a disappointment, but that does not mean we will ever stop fighting for independent maps in Illinois,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods). “While we didn’t get the outcome we believe the people of Illinois deserve, the fact remains that Gov. Pritzker and his cronies broke their promises and failed Illinois families.
“It didn’t have to be this way. Gov. Pritzker could have kept his promise to support independent redistricting, but instead signed a map that was ruled unconstitutional and another that was opposed by voting rights groups throughout Illinois. Gov. Pritzker and his Democratic allies have made their allegiance clear: they are more committed to protecting the same political insiders who have been wrecking our state for decades than defending voting rights in Illinois.”
“We are disappointed at the three-judge court’s decision today,” MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz said in a statement. “In particular, we believe that the court reached conclusions about the extent of crossover voting by non-Latinos to support Latino-supported candidates that are not accurate under the law. Nonetheless, the legislatively-drawn districts will be in effect as a result of today’s decision, and MALDEF will be carefully monitoring electoral outcomes in the districts we have challenged.” […]
MALDEF staff attorney Ernest Herrera said the decision means Latino voters will continue to be underrepresented in Springfield.
“The Court unfortunately agreed with Illinois’s legislative leaders that their map was just good enough for Latino voters for technical reasons, despite the facts that Latinos remain underrepresented in the General Assembly and continue to be left behind in education, housing access, healthcare, and income,” Herrera said in a statement. “Rather than provide Latinos equal opportunity to choose candidates who best represents their interests, today’s decision signals to the Latinos of Illinois that they remain significantly dependent on the purported munificence of the current majority political party.”
* From House Speaker Chris Welch’s chief of staff Tiffany Moy…
Members,
I hope everyone is having a nice holiday break and that you and your families are healthy and well. This email contains several important announcements relating to session activity over the next few weeks:
1) The House and Senate will convene on Wednesday, Jan. 5. Session will be canceled on Tuesday, Jan. 4 and Thursday, Jan 6. We will continue to monitor the public health emergency and will make a final decision on the week of January 11-13 in the very near future. The attached joint release will be sent to the media shortly.
2) Please hold Tuesday, Jan. 4 at noon for a virtual caucus. Additional information will follow.
3) SHIELD Illinois testing will be available in the Stratton Building on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning next week. The available dates/times and the registration information for those who have not previously registered for testing is below: [Redacted]
House Members will not be required to test, but I very strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of the SHIELD testing upon arrival to/departure from Springfield during session weeks. If testing upon arrival is not feasible, I strongly encourage obtaining a PCR or rapid test before coming to Springfield.
Additional information on testing and protocols are in the attached memo, and will also be reviewed in Tuesday’s caucus.
4) There is no intention to extend any of the existing deadlines. As a reminder, the deadline to submit legislation for drafting is Friday, January 14. The deadline to file legislation is Friday, January 28. Your Issues/Legislative staffer will be following up to ensure your drafting requests are submitted and processed before the deadline.
Thank you all for your patience as we work through this, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
For the week of January 3rd ONLY, evening testing on Monday will be canceled and instead take place on Tuesday, January 4th from 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
* Press release…
The Illinois General Assembly will be in session Wednesday, Jan. 5, but the Tuesday (Jan. 4) and Thursday (Jan. 6) session days are being canceled, legislative leaders announced.
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon also said the following session week (Jan. 11-13) is likely to be canceled amid the ongoing global pandemic.
“In the past 2 weeks, Illinois’ daily average of COVID-19 cases increased 130% and hospitalizations have risen 50%. This pandemic is not over,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. “We must take necessary precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus, reduce the burden on our health care systems and keep each other as safe as possible. We know how important the people’s work is and we are committed to getting that work done in a safe way. Please take advantage of the free and widely available vaccines and boosters because we know it is our best tool in this fight.”
“We continue to monitor the situation in an effort to protect our colleagues, our staffs and everyone else who is part of a legislative session day,” said Illinois Senate President Don Harmon. “We have work to do, and we’ve proven that we can do it, minimize exposure and keep people healthy and safe. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the vaccines and booster shots available to protect themselves and those around them.”
* Meanwhile…
Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases statewide, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is announcing that all Secretary of State departments will not conduct in-person transactions – including Driver Services facilities – from Jan. 3, 2022, through Jan. 17, 2022. All departments and Driver Services facilities will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 18. White is encouraging the public to visit ilsos.gov for online services. Online transactions will remain open for all departments to conduct office services, including, but not limited to the following:
• Renewing a license plate sticker.
• Renewing a driver’s license or ID card for those who qualify (individuals may call 217-785-1424 to confirm their eligibility or to obtain their PIN).
• Obtaining a duplicate driver’s license or ID card.
• Obtaining a driver record abstract.
• Filing Business Services documents, such as incorporations and annual reports.
In addition, the Drivers and Vehicles Services hotline phone number will remain open at 800-252-8980. Customers with issues involving administrative hearings may email adminhearings@ilsos.gov or call 312-793-3722 or 217-782-7065.
…Adding… It’s pretty widespread, but mostly mild for those who are vaccinated and boosted…
I have tested positive for COVID-19. I have mild symptoms and will isolate as I recover.
I’m so relieved to be fully vaccinated and boosted. If you have yet to do so, please get vaccinated, your booster and wear a mask.
