Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday endorsed ethics legislation that aims to take on Illinois’ pervasive culture of political corruption, but used his amendatory veto power to return it to the legislature to correct what he said was a confusing “technical drafting error” that prevented him from signing it into law.
“Passing real, lasting ethics reform was a top priority of mine going into the 2020 legislative session, and I’m pleased to move forward with an ethics package that includes a number of meaningful changes,” Pritzker said of the measure. […]
But Pritzker said a small provision “confuses and interferes” with the “clear authority” of the executive inspector general’s office to conduct investigations into wrongful conduct. He rewrote the measure to delete the provision.
It will take a simple majority of lawmakers to approve of Pritzker’s change when they reconvene for the fall veto session in October. But his actions could spur greater efforts among groups opposing the package who had sought a total veto in favor of tougher legislation.
* The Question: Do you agree with the governor’s limited AV or do you think he should’ve vetoed out more provisions or vetoed the whole thing? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
…Adding… Keep in mind that the chambers changed their maps after posting their initial proposals on their respective websites. We could possibly see that happen again.
…Adding… You can find the earlier versions of the House maps here and the Senate maps here.
*** UPDATE 1 *** House press release…
The Illinois House Redistricting Committee has released an updated map of legislative boundaries and encourages the public to provide feedback before the General Assembly is scheduled to vote on the proposal this week.
The updated map reflects information from the 2020 U.S. Census that was recently released, as well as suggestions gathered during public hearings. The proposed changes can be viewed at www.ilhousedems.com/redistricting.
The map is designed to comply with federal and state law and ensure the broad racial and geographic diversity of Illinois is reflected in the General Assembly. Among the proposed adjustments is an effort to keep more communities whole, a frequent request from local officials throughout Illinois. The map also reflects testimony received at the public hearings, such as keeping more of the orthodox Jewish community together in one Senate and House district, as well as keeping the airports in Bloomington and Peoria in the district with the bulk of the respective city’s population.
“The changes proposed for the legislative boundaries better reflect the data we recently received from the U.S. Census and ensure communities are represented by the people of their choice, said Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Cicero, Chairperson of the House Redistricting Committee. “These changes reflect input gathered at public hearings across the state and I’m incredibly grateful to every person who participated to make sure their voices were heard.”
Additional public hearings will take place and will include a virtual component to ensure stakeholders from across Illinois can safely participate during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
· Monday, August 30 at 6 p.m. – Joint Senate and House Hearing (Virtual)
· Tuesday, August 31 at 10 a.m. – House Hearing (Hybrid)
Members of the public may request to provide testimony, submit electronic testimony or submit electronic witness slips in advance of the hearings via the General Assembly website www.ilga.gov or via email at redistrictingcommittee@hds.ilga.gov.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
Common Cause Illinois announced today that it is boycotting the hastily scheduled Joint Redistricting Committee hearing, scheduled for this Monday evening, in protest of yet another example of how mishandled and undemocratic the redistricting process has been in Illinois.
The organization, which has repeatedly testified at previous hearings and has mobilized its over 30,000 supporters to participate in the process, will not be engaging its network as lawmakers rush to revise maps in the shadows. The General Assembly is set to vote on revised maps on Tuesday, August 31st.
“Since the beginning, we’ve pleaded with lawmakers to keep the redistricting process open, transparent, and accessible to no avail,” said Jay Young, Executive Director of Common Cause Illinois. “This latest, last-minute hearing provides almost no notice to the public. The new maps have been released less than a day before lawmakers vote on them. It’s shameful, and our organization refuses to add any legitimacy to such an undemocratic process.”
“At each opportunity in this redistricting process, it’s as if lawmakers went out of their way to ensure the creation of these maps had as little public input as possible. Rejecting an independent bipartisan redistricting commission, politicians chose to draw maps themselves. They did so behind closed doors, with a series of hearings attempting to add a veneer of public access. Yet, these hearings were consistently hastily scheduled, poorly noticed to the general public, and sparsely attended. As a result, the maps to be voted on tomorrow will not be crafted of public input, but of pure politics.”
Common Cause Illinois will be continuing its work on the creation of an independent redistricting commission in Illinois to give residents a voice in future mapmaking.
Gov. JB Pritzker announced today a 46-member Urban Search and Rescue Team, and the required mission equipment, will deploy to Louisiana to aid with water rescues caused by life threatening flash flooding and dangerous storm surges caused by Hurricane Ida. These first responders hail from the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) IL-Task Force 1 from northern Illinois and are made up of members from various fire departments throughout the state. The team will be deployed to the affected area for 16 days.
The Urban Search and Rescue teams work alongside local rescuers to conduct search, rescue, and recovery missions for humans and animals in flooded environments. In addition, the team is capable of providing on-the-spot emergency medical care, emergency transportation for medical necessities and supports helicopter rescue operations in water environments.
“Illinois is ready to help our fellow Americans, and Hurricane Ida is doing untold damage in Louisiana,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This life-threatening storm is creating extremely dangerous conditions for residents who did not evacuate and Louisiana’s first responders. Illinois’ brave first responders are well-trained and will work alongside local rescue teams in the coming days to provide essential support for affected residents.”
Requests for assistance are coordinated through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a mutual aid agreement that allows states to request assistance from other states during emergencies. Officials from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) have been in regular contact with EMAC representative and are currently reviewing the anticipated needs drafted by the state of Louisiana and neighboring states.
The MABAS team will depart Monday morning from Wheeling after receiving event identification, mission and safety briefings and mobilization assistance. This process ensures the accountability and readiness of personnel and state assets prior to departure. All costs associated with these deployments will be paid for by Louisiana.
Illinois, and its public safety agencies, stand ready to provide assistance in response to further EMAC requests as the Gulf Coast and southern states responds to the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
* Related…
* We’re Hitting the Limits of Hurricane Preparedness: While Ida was a well-predicted storm, 60 hours of warning was too short for New Orleans officials to issue a mandatory evacuation order in the days before it landed. The limits of the city’s highways mean that the city must issue an evacuation order at least 72 hours before tropical-storm winds hit land. Officials said last year that the coronavirus pandemic means they may need 82 hours of warning, to account for the increased difficulty of moving and sheltering people.
Two “realities” seem to co-exist in Southern Illinois these days.
One is rooted in denial and full of birthday parties, packed concerts, crowded restaurants and even large, maskless funerals. In this reality, the black-and-white ink of a loved one’s obituary dare not mention the person died from COVID-19.
In this reality, the coronavirus is not a threat.
And then there’s another, more grim reality that health care workers like Darren Ackerman, a registered nurse and day shift supervisor in the intensive care unit at SIH Memorial in Carbondale, have been living in for the last year and a half.
Nurses are mentally, physically and emotionally drained — from picking up double shifts to pleading with the community to take this pandemic more seriously.
In a small town where sports are sacred, Anna-Jonesboro Community High School wants to use nearly half of its $1.9 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars to install artificial turf on the football field and to resurface the track.
A significant but smaller portion of the school’s COVID-19 dollars is also going toward a social worker’s salary and benefits for three years; 30 Jet Pack wifi hotspot subscriptions for three years; and a HVAC system for the lower gym and related upgrades, documents show.
The truth is, some balk at being forced to do anything new. Even in a crisis. Even to save lives A stance so selfish that some try a second approach. They wander into the realm of science, so unfamiliar to them, and cherry pick a shiny fact to decorate their infantile “I don’t wanna!” Like a bright ornament on a dead Christmas tree.
“Do the research,” demands one reader. “Find out how large the air openings are on any mask. The ‘smallest’ openings are 3 microns. Now, even Stevie Wonder could see this coming — please tell us how a 3000 nM opening can keep out a 50 nM virus?”
Tell you how? Happily, for all the good it will do. The same way a chain link fence keeps a dog’s teeth out of your ankle, even though the teeth are smaller than the fence links. Because the teeth are in the dog. The viruses are in much larger moisture droplets blasted out of your nose and mouth. Masks catch those.
This did not sway the reader one bit, of course. He immediately waved another deceptive fact. That’s why I try not to argue. What’s the use? That anyone could look at this national crisis — the extra contagious Delta variant surging across the country — and start clutching at himself and conjuring up imaginary harms, it’s just insane. “Those firemen! They’re breaking into my house! They’re pouring water on things!”
From my inbox…
Since you are using Jacobson vs. Mass to justify forced vaxxing, you should study up on the Nuremberg Code
Pop’s in Sauget is joining a growing list of venues that will require concertgoers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations or negative tests taken within 72 hours of show times.
The 40-year-old “dance and night club” posted its new COVID Safety Policy on Facebook last week. It took effect immediately.
“If you are opposed to this, you may have to sit out these shows until things get better. If you feel the need to attack us in the comments, we don’t check them. It may actually raise the rank of our Facebook page due to a high engagement…social media is a nightmare.
“We are just trying to stay open, keep our employees/artists safe and working. We are celebrating 40 years and would like to celebrate 50 in 2031.”
CHAMPAIGN — A case of COVID-19 came and went for Kate Maurer last November, or so she thought.
It was a mild case, with a fever and cold symptoms that went away on their own, Maurer said.
Then, a few weeks after she felt better, she was hit with crushing fatigue, dizziness and insomnia, plus a frightening feeling of motion sickness and being disoriented that seemed to be triggered by driving at higher speeds on interstates.
Nearly 10 months later, Maurer said she’s about 80 percent back to her pre-COVID-19 health, but recovery has taken time.
Illinois legislators are poised to return to the state capitol for a special session Tuesday to potentially approve new legislative boundaries for themselves, even as they face repeated criticism for a closed-door process and a lawsuit that has potential to upend the mapmaking system.
The rare one-day session comes amid fiercely partisan accusations from Republicans that Democrats are attempting to gerrymander state legislative districts in an effort to retain their supermajority status in both the House and Senate. Several community groups have also voiced concerns that the districts do not adequately represent minority populations, and that their criticisms have not been taken into account. […]
The federal government released more complete census data earlier this month, prompting Democrats to restart legislative hearings and call Tuesday’s session. But community advocates are continuing their criticisms of Democrats for seeking input from the public, but not actually releasing maps for the public to consider.
I’m also hearing complaints (including from my consultant Frank Calabrese) that the Democrats’ portal which members of the public can use to submit their own map ideas isn’t working properly and is using 2010 Census numbers. Oops.
Witness who testified didn't receive Zoom link until after hearing began. Her organization testified this spring yet stated they received no notice to testify at this weekend's hearings (contrary to what House Dems stated on record). 2/11
Saturday morning, both Senate and House Redistricting Committees held a joint hearing at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
The group is considering changing legislative boundaries after the 2020 Census data was released.
The current map splits Peoria between different districts. Ryan Spain, Republican State Representative for District 73 and half of the City of Peoria, said he felt the current maps will negatively affect people in Peoria.
“It’s a very curious decision, and I think one that will have very damaging and long-lasting impacts for representation here in the greater Peoria area,” said Spain.
* This was such a no-brainer bill and there was no good reason for it to be controversial except that Rep. Sonya Harper, whose family owns property in the township, tried to block it from passage. The whole thing was just so bizarre. Democratic Senator Mike Simmons said during floor debate against the bill that some of the poorest residents in Illinois had “learned to live in nature.” What? Press release…
To help give the residents of Pembroke Township the ability to heat their homes more affordably, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) championed a new law that will bring natural gas service to the area. The law was supported and advanced by a group of stakeholders including the Village of Hopkins Park, Pembroke Township, Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Senator Joyce, Representative Jackie Haas, Rainbow PUSH and Kankakee County.
“Pembroke residents have lived in a community that lacks the basic access to a natural gas service for far too long,” Joyce said. “I’m thrilled to see this transformative legislation signed into law so residents can have a reliable and affordable source of heat in their homes.”
The measure passed with bipartisan support.
“With the governor’s signature today, bringing safe, effective utilities to the people of Pembroke is now one step closer to becoming reality,” said State Representative Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee), the House sponsor of the measure. “This was a great bipartisan effort that had a lot of moving pieces but couldn’t have had a better result. I look forward to continuing to advocate for Pembroke until the job is done.” […]
“Bringing more robust infrastructure to Pembroke Township is an issue of equity for an area that has not seen enough investment,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly. “I will continue to work to see services brought to this area that improve quality of life and attract jobs for residents.”
For residents who choose natural gas service, Joyce secured $1 million in state funding last year to enable Pembroke Township residents to take advantage of these new service lines. Through the Pembroke Township Natural Gas Investment Fund, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will distribute grants to eligible residents to help cover the cost of converting appliances to be compatible with natural gas.
House Bill 3404 was signed into law Friday and takes effect immediately.
The township supervisor who strongly opposed the pipeline lost reelection to a pipeline supporter and the Hopkins Park mayor supports the pipeline, but some folks at the Statehouse just thought they knew better. This was one of the most paternalistic displays of legislative gamesmanship I have seen in a long time.
* And don’t even get me started about the environmentalists who opposed the bill right up to the end. Check out this Illinois Environmental Council call to action email from July…
A dangerous effort is afoot in Illinois–one that promises to jeopardize human health, skyrocket harmful methane emissions and lock in higher utility rates in under-resourced communities for years to come.
We can’t let gas companies win without a fight. Click here to oppose their dirty energy and even dirtier playbook.
Samuel Payton, Pembroke Township supervisor and a Kankakee County Board member, said this current effort started three years ago, but it’s been an off-and-on effort for a couple decades.
“I’ve been a person for the last 16 years who’s been saying Pembroke needs natural gas,” Payton said. “All the communities around us — Aroma Park, Momence and St. Anne — have got natural gas. They are all thriving communities. We want natural gas.”
Payton said now he pays $750 for propane that lasts a little more than a month.
“In the winter days, I have to spend approximately three times that, so if we had natural gas, I could be on the budget. If we had natural gas, I wouldn’t have to worry about my service getting turned off.”
The week of Governor’s Day and Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair is always packed with political events. And this year was no exception. It’s impossible to attend them all, so one has to pick and choose and go with the flow.
After Governor’s Day at the fairgrounds ended on Wednesday, Aug. 17, I worked for a bit in my air-conditioned pickup truck and then headed downtown to House Republican Leader Jim Durkin’s event at a popular tavern. The ceiling fans were on full blast, it wasn’t wall-to-wall people, so I stayed for a bit and then decided I should head home to let my dog Oscar out before returning to the fairgrounds to meet friends. And since Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy’s event was on my route home, I figured I’d stop by to see who was there.
Tracy has a huge, gorgeous home on a big plot of land by Lake Springfield, but it was so hot that day that his event was held indoors.
Those weren’t my first indoor State Fair events. Senate President Harmon’s caucus held a party downtown Tuesday that was both indoors and outdoors, but the party inside wasn’t crowded by the time I got there, doors were open for ventilation and at least some folks were wearing masks. I spent most of the time outside, but popped in for a few minutes to briefly chat with a couple of people for a story I was working on. I attended another event later that night inside and ended up having dinner with several (vaccinated and very pleasant) people on the premises.
Wednesday’s Republican event on the lake was mostly confined to a large room packed with people, including some (like GOP gubernatorial candidates Darren Bailey and Gary Rabine) who have publicly said they aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19. There were no ceiling fans, the doors were closed and the air conditioner was having real trouble keeping up. It was hot and close. And nobody, of course, was wearing masks.
I didn’t stay longer than 15 or 20 minutes. I talked to a few people about potential stories, said hello to others like Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie, then left. I called a close friend on my way home to say that I’d probably just made a mistake. I’m fully, vaccinated, but if I was going to get one of those “breakthrough” cases, that was going to be the place.
On Friday of that week, Leader McConchie, who is also fully vaccinated, announced that he had a mild breakthrough case. I received a text message later that evening from someone else who was at the lake party at the same time as me to tell me he had been exposed to the virus. He suggested that I get tested.
I never developed symptoms beyond a mild sore throat that I often get at the state fair because of dust, pollen and various, um, activities. I took a rapid test on Saturday and it came up negative. Those tests can have high false negatives, so I got a PCR test at Walgreen’s Sunday and was told the results could take as long as 3 to 5 business days. On Tuesday, tired of waiting, I took one of those University of Illinois saliva tests.
That may sound like overkill, and at times I thought I was paranoid, especially since I’m vaxed and probably won’t get very sick even if I do catch the virus. But I wanted to make extra sure that I was not at all contagious ahead of this week’s special legislative session to deal with redistricting and possibly a major bill on energy policy. If I couldn’t go, I needed to know as soon as possible so I could make other plans.
To be clear, I don’t blame Don Tracy or anyone else for being exposed. Not even one iota. I chose to walk into every one of those indoor events. That’s on me.
The State Fair is such an integral part of our state’s political culture that I think many of us desperately wanted to latch on to some sort of normalcy last week after a year and a half of nothingness. But this clearly ain’t over — though Illinois is doing much better than the southern states — and many of us should’ve known better.
My story has a happy ending, by the way. Three tests, three negative results. Bring on the special session. But lesson learned.
With the American auto industry now rushing toward an electric-powered future, the Pritzker administration is moving to embellish tax and other incentives in hopes of better competing in a once-in-a-generation opportunity to expand a key growth industry here.
Officials have begun talking to industry leaders and some lawmakers about putting together a package that could be presented to the Illinois General Assembly as soon as its October veto session. […]
Illinois appears to be out of the running for a second American Rivian plant—the company has told officials they want to diversify their labor pool—but is making a major bid for a Samsung battery factory, along with three or four other states, reliable sources said.
The Samsung winner “likely will come down to dollars and cents,” said one well-placed insider. In other words, the state with the best incentive package is the likely winner.
The governor’s office appears to be taking this idea seriously.
The head of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association is calling on lawmakers to get serious about the electric vehicle business.
Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the IMA, says there’s a chance right now for the state to position itself to compete in a growth industry.
“Auto manufacturers are having those discussions today, and they were having them a month ago, about where to locate and what facilities to retool,” Denzler said. “We have the opportunity to invest in some of these facilities in Illinois and be part of that movement toward electric vehicles.”
Denzler says a major hurdle in the efforts to attract the attention of auto manufacturers is the lack of tools available in the recruitment effort.
“Illinois’ incentives oftentimes lack what neighboring states do,” Denzler said. “We have the EDGE credit, which can be effective, but a number of other states provide cash up front, or land, or other types of incentives that we don’t have available in Illinois.”
He’s calling on state lawmakers to take steps during the fall veto session to remain competitive with surrounding states that might also be interested in these facilities.
“The fact is that other states have moved ahead of us and Illinois has not been doing anything to really attract them or change any incentive packages,” Denzler said. “We’re working hopefully to enhance some of the incentives, but we also have to address some of the longstanding concerns that the business community has.”
Taxpayers in the Illinois Quad-Cities may soon be borrowing some of the nearly $330 million they owe to retirement funds for public workers.
Moline taxpayers’ liability on pension promises to retired police officers and firefighters is about 10 times more than what they pay to current emergency responders.
Last year’s wages for the Moline police and fire departments were just shy of $11 million. But Moline’s unfunded obligation to police and fire retirees is more than $120 million.
And East Moline and Rock Island are in similar straits.
All three cities on the Illinois side of the river are considering borrowing money to get caught up on what they owe to public-employee retirement funds, mostly for police and firefighters.
So, the idea is they borrow money, invest it and use the returns to make the payments. The state did the same thing during Rod Blagojevich’s tenure, but they irresponsibly front-loaded the savings to “balance” the budget and it didn’t work nearly as well as advertised (although it wasn’t the disaster some predicted).
But the liberty secured by the Constitution of the United States to every person within its jurisdiction does not import an absolute right in each person to be, at all times and in all circumstances, wholly freed from restraint. There are manifold restraints to which every person is necessarily subject for the common good. On any other basis organized society could not exist with safety to its members. Society based on the rule that each one is a law unto himself would soon be confronted with disorder and anarchy. Real liberty for all could not exist under the operation of a principle which recognizes the right of each individual person to use his own, whether in respect of his person or his property, regardless of the injury that may be done to others.
The case was about a vaccine mandate. The decision was handed down in 1905. If you want to read a fascinating thread on the history of anti-vaxxer legal issues, click here. It’s the best I’ve seen.
…Adding… Text message…
I’ve always thought of that 1905 decision as the “your right to swing your arms stops at the other guy’s nose” rule
* My Aunt Marilyn died unexpectedly last Friday. She worked hard, played hard and loved her family and everyone loved her back. She was a rock, but so very human. Here she is several years ago on the left next to her brothers Denny (my uncle) and Richard (my dad) and her mom (my late grandmother)…
My dad and his family always called her Marilyn Rose. It was a fitting name.
Governor JB Pritzker advanced Senate Bill 539, an ethics reform package that passed the General Assembly this session. The legislation includes a variety of measures to restrict government officials from lobbying activities, tighten regulations on registered lobbyists and consultants, and expand economic interest disclosures.
To move forward with this important legislation, Gov. Pritzker issued an amendatory veto to correct a technical drafting error. The fix will ensure that the Executive Inspectors General are able to maintain current processes and procedures regarding investigations. The Governor looks forward to working with the legislature on concurrence and pledged to certify the bill once the amendatory veto passes the legislature. Gov. Pritzker is also committed to working on additional legislation thatreflects the continued urgency of ethics reform in Illinois – which was laid out as a key legislative priority in his 2020 State of the State Address. The full amendatory veto message is attached.
“Passing real, lasting ethics reform was a top priority of mine going into the 2020 legislative session, and I’m pleased to move forward with an ethics package that includes a number of meaningful changes,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We must restore the public’s trust in our government and this legislation is a necessary first step to achieve that goal. I remain committed to making further advancements so the well-connected and well-protected cannot work the system to the detriment of working families across Illinois.”
“While more work remains to be done to restore the faith Illinois citizens have in their government,” said State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr.(D-Chicago). “They demanded real ethics reform like those included in this bill, changes like stopping the practice of legislators using their influence to lobby other governments and working to enact pro-rated salaries for legislators who leave office before the end of their term. Many of the changes included in this bill place Illinois on the path to restoring the faith citizens must have to make our democracy successful.”
“This measure offers bipartisan solutions to target some of the worst abuses of power in our state’s history,” said State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights). “Our plan closes many of the loopholes that have allowed bad actors to game the system for decades. Our bipartisan team on the Senate Ethics Committee stands ready to continue this vital work to make our government work for everyone, not just a powerful few.
Senate Bill 539 includes the following provisions:
• Bans government officials from engaging in compensated lobbying, including:
o State level: Legislators, Executive branch constitutional officers
o County level: elected or appointed county executive or legislative officials
o Municipal level: elected or appointed municipal executive or legislative officials
o Township: elected or appointed township executive or legislative officials
• Strengthens the Lobbyist Registration Act by expanding the definition of ‘officials’ and adding ‘consultant’ to the definition of compensation that is regulated.
• Increases transparency of lobbying activities by expanding the persons required to register as a lobbyist and establishing a shorter, two-day deadline for registration.
• Requires lobbyists to complete ethics training before their registration or renewal is deemed complete (instead of within 30 days).
• Requires lobbyists to disclose consultants and clients no later than two days after a consultant is retained.
• Restricts appointees to certain offices from being an officer of a candidate political committee or a candidate with the support of such a committee. Members of the State Board of Elections are also restricted from contributing to candidate political committees.
• Expands and clarifies disclosures required in Statements of Economic Interest, including, among others, government units that benefit the filer, lobbyist registration, and the source of gifts.
• Bans political fundraising in Sangamon County during session or the day immediately prior to such day, with limited exceptions.
• Strengthens revolving door provisions in the executive branch and establishes such provisions in the legislative branch.
• Empowers the Legislative Inspector General to undertake investigations without obtaining advance approval from the Legislative Ethics Commission.
• Revokes the provision allowing General Assembly members to receive prorated compensation following a vacancy.
…Adding… Press release…
llinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s “no exit bonus/no signing bonus” reform was signed by Gov. JB Pritzker today as part of a broader package of legislative ethics reforms.
The measure ends the shady practice of legislators leaving the General Assembly in disgrace but dating their exit on the first day of the following month to claim an extra month’s pay for a day’s work.
“This is a matter of common sense and accountability,” Mendoza said. “Waitresses and factory workers don’t collect a month’s pay for a day’s work, and legislators don’t deserve that luxury either – especially on the backs of Illinois taxpayers.”
For years, legislators of both parties exploited a loophole in state law allowing them to resign on the first day of the month and collect the whole month’s pay or get sworn in at month’s end but claim a whole month’s pay.
Former State Rep. Luis Arroyo of Chicago, charged with bribery; the late former State Sen. Martin Sandoval of Chicago, who pleaded guilty to federal bribery and tax charges; and former State Rep. Nick Sauer of Lake Barrington, charged with online sex crimes, all took advantage of that loophole in state law in recent years.
In February, three legislators could all claim a month’s pay in the 22nd Legislative District following the retirement of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. To his credit, former State Rep. Edward Kodatt declined the month’s salary he was entitled to for his two days in office.
The comptroller’s original no exit/no signing bonus measure (House Bill 3104, Senate Bill 484) was incorporated into the legislature’s omnibus ethics legislation (Senate Bill 539), which had overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers and was sent to the governor for his signature in June.
If equity is a top priority in many districts, it is not apparent from the most recent round of state ESSA spending reports, an advocacy organization says.
Only one state, Illinois, provided enough transparent detail to allow advocates to analyze resource inequities and the action being taken to address them, according to “Going Beyond ESSA Compliance,” an interactive report and web tool produced by The Education Trust.
The 49 other states are missing an opportunity to help advocates better assess the fairness of school spending patterns, said Reetchel Presume, Ed Trust’s P-12 data and policy analyst.
“Transparency in school spending is crucial for identifying inequities in school funding that deny students of color and those from families with low incomes the resources they need to excel,” Presume said. “For advocates and policymakers alike, school spending reports could be a tool to see if school systems are shortchanging students.”
* More from the Illinois State Board of Education…
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) received recognition for making Illinois’ school-by-school spending data the most transparent and usable in the nation in a report released by the Education Trust. Illinois was the only state to earn a 100% rating for its development of comprehensive per-pupil school spending reports displayed in the Illinois Report Card, according to Going Beyond ESSA Compliance: A 50-State Scan of School Spending Reports. The Education Trust is a national nonprofit that works to close opportunity gaps that disproportionately affect students of color and students from low-income families. The Education Trust is a national nonprofit that works to close opportunity gaps that disproportionately affect students of color and students from low-income families.
“Data and transparency about school spending are essential to increasing equity and improving students’ opportunities and outcomes,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “Equity does not mean equality. Different schools within the same district may have different student needs. One school may serve more students with disabilities. One school may serve more English Learners. School size and grade band can also impact students’ needs and district spending. For a long time, people have talked about equitable spending across school districts. We are proud to be leading the nation in fostering dialogue about equitable spending within school districts as well.”
Public Health Officials Announce 25,636 New Cases of Coronavirus Disease Over the Past Week
Almost 78% of Illinois adults have received at least one vaccine dose and 61% are fully vaccinated
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 25,636 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 174 additional deaths since reporting last Friday, August 20, 2021. Almost 78% of Illinois adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 61% of Illinois adults are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,508,005 cases, including 23,889 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since reporting on Friday, August 20, 2021, laboratories have reported 495,608 specimens for a total of 28,568,305. As of last night, 2,240 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 500 patients were in the ICU and 253 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from August 20-26, 2021 is 5.2%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from August 20-26, 2021 is 5.7%. However, regional 7-day test positivity averages range from 4.1% to 10.6%. http://www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics?regionID=11.
A total of 13,914,213 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 24,056 doses. Since reporting on Friday, August 20, 2021, 168,391 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
* Comptroller Susana Mendoza held a press conference yesterday and was asked about the state’s bill backlog. She said her office’s oldest voucher is only “10 days old.” And continued…
So we’re well within a 30-day payment cycle. It’s literally, this is the fastest we’ve been paying our bills in the state of Illinois since before the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. So, over 20 years since we’ve been paying this quickly. … I keep saying we have to be fiscally disciplined and continue to experience positive news when it comes to our finances, but we are certainly way better than we were.
As I’ve told you many times before, Illinois’ fiscal decline has been almost continuous since the economic crisis caused by those terrorist attacks.
* Related…
* Press Release: Comptroller Susana Mendoza to resume payments to contractor fined for violating Illinois’ Prevailing Wage Act
* Background is here and here if you need it. Press release…
The following was released by SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Greg Kelley on Gov. Pritzker’s recent announcement of Vaccination Requirements for Healthcare and Educational Workers:
SEIU Healthcare Illinois continues to maintain our ongoing efforts to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of our 90,000 members. We are committed to promoting every measure available in protecting not only our members, but our entire community, from the life-threatening impacts of the COVID-19 virus. As a result, we are in support of Gov. Pritzker’s recent announcement of the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for healthcare and educational workers.
As a union of healthcare and childcare workers, we understand how critical it is to ensure that our members are working in safe environments, while also protecting our most vulnerable populations.
In addition to our support of vaccinations and scheduled testing, it is our expectation to partner with employers to foster a collaborative approach in providing resources that enable workers to be vaccinated without negative economic impacts. These resources would include comprehensive educational programs which include channels for employee communication regarding the implementation of the vaccination.
We are dedicated to working with employers to help respond to worker needs as we combat this devastating disease.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
The Illinois Pharmacists Association, Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists, and Illinois Association of Long-Term Care Pharmacy Providers support Governor Pritzker’s action of issuing Executive Order 2021-20 to protect the healthcare workforce, our communities, and patients that we serve.
Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare providers and provide patient care in a variety of settings: from intensive care units, to emergency rooms, to long-term care facilities, to the corner neighborhood pharmacy. As healthcare providers, pharmacists took an Oath to uphold “the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering” as our primary concerns and that we hold ourselves and our colleagues “to the highest principles of our profession’s moral, ethical, and legal conduct” as entrusted to us by the public.
Through these darkest hours of the pandemic, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have been there. We never closed; never stopped providing vital services for patients and continued to evolve our practices for safety, ensuring that needed medications, testing, and critical vaccines are accessible to the public. Despite these risks and dangers from the virus, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have put themselves directly in harm’s way to guarantee that our patient’s medication and healthcare needs are met.
As our pharmacy teams continue to deliver patient care and battle against the coronavirus and its deadly variants, we expect all healthcare providers and healthcare workers to protect ourselves and our patients by taking the COVID-19 vaccine and wearing a mask to decrease spread of disease.
Illinois is counting on us. Our communities are counting on us. Our patients are counting on us.
* As we’ve already discussed, Gov. JB Pritzker recently extended the eviction moratorium through September 18. But the US Supreme Court recently put a stop to the CDC eviction moratorium…
In a statement late Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “In light of the Supreme Court ruling and the continued risk of COVID-19 transmission, President Biden is once again calling on all entities that can prevent evictions - from cities and states to local courts, landlords, Cabinet Agencies - to urgently act to prevent evictions.”
Under Pritzker’s latest order, courts won’t start hearing cases related to unpaid rent again until Sept. 18. [Michael Robin, an organizer with Autonomous Tenants Union] cautioned that landlords can sometimes abuse the process by getting emergency hearings on the pretext of health and safety issues. There’s also an exception for tenants who already had a hearing scheduled. They must show up to court or risk receiving an eviction judgment against them.
Does the federal eviction moratorium apply in Cook County?
Not anymore.
On Thursday night, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s moratorium, blocking an order issued through the CDC in early August that had banned evictions in counties experiencing “substantial” or “high” Covid-19 transmission rates through Oct. 3, a description that fits every Illinois county, according to the CDC’s Covid Data Tracker.
But the federal order wasn’t very robust, to begin with, said Michelle Gilbert, legal director of the nonprofit Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, or LCBH. The order only shielded tenants from being physically removed from their homes — the final stage in the eviction process that is carried out in Cook County by the sheriff. That left a lot of gray areas for local courts and judges to interpret.
With Lightfoot this week announcing that all city employees will be required to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Oct. 15, Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara told the Sun-Times Wednesday that the mayor had “lit a bomb underneath the membership” and began comparing the order to actions by Nazi Germany.
“We’re in America, G-ddamn it. We don’t want to be forced to do anything. Period. This ain’t Nazi f—ing Germany, [where they say], ‘Step into the f—ing showers. The pills won’t hurt you.’ What the f–k?” he said. […]
“What he said is factually incorrect and deeply offensive to the millions of people and their families of people who were killed at the hands of the Nazis. Not only that, but it’s the latest in the FOP president’s incendiary, offensive, disgusting, racist, xenophobic comments that he’s made,” David Goldenberg, regional director of ADL’s Midwest office, told the Sun-Times. “He needs to apologize and he needs to end the continued use of such offensive and indefensible language.”
Another statement by Sarah van Loon, the director of the Chicago AJC, called Catanzara’s “offensive and categorically false comparison … an insult to every Holocaust survivor and to the memory of the millions of lives lost during one of the darkest periods in human history.”
* Press release…
Jewish Caucus Calls for Catanzara to Apologize, Resign
The Illinois Legislative Jewish Caucus released the following statement in response to FOP Lodge #7 President John Catanzara’s recent remarks:
In a long career of inappropriate comments, John Catanzara has truly outdone himself. Leave aside the fact that he’s wrong about vaccine mandates - they’re a vital public health instrument, especially for government workers with whom the public has no choice about interacting.
But the comparison of vaccine mandates to the Nazi genocide is despicable. While we don’t need to belabor the distinctions between poison gas and an FDA-approved vaccine, it bears saying: Vaccines are safe. They save lives. And the Holocaust is an unimaginable tragedy that happened to our people, not a flippant metaphor for the airing of ignorant, petty, aggrieved opinions.
Catanzara has shown once and for all that his voice does not belong in civil public discourse. We call upon him to resign immediately and to issue an apology for his intolerant and intolerable remarks to Jews everywhere.
* Members…
Illinois State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz
Illinois State Representative Denyse Wang Stoneback
Illinois State Senator Laura Fine
Illinois State Senator Ram Villvalam
Illinois State Representative Jonathan Carroll
Illinois State Representative Kelly Cassidy
Illinois State Representative Margaret Croke
Illinois State Representative Daniel Didech
Illinois State Representative Robyn Gabel
Illinois State Representative Will Guzzardi
Illinois State Representative Anna Moeller
Illinois State Representative Bob Morgan
Illinois State Representative Sam Yingling
Illinois State Senator Sara Feigenholtz
Illinois State Senator Julie Morrison
Next year’s primary in Illinois has been moved to June. Filing doesn’t start until January. Regardless, the Democratic supermajority at the state house is preparing to revise maps that community groups say need more time to review.
Maps determining legislative boundaries for the next ten years have been enacted, but they’re being challenged in federal court. With the final Census data out, the Democratic majority has called a special session.
Before the maps were approved, groups were demanding two weeks to review the drafts and provide input. They didn’t get that. It now appears likely that they’re not going to get that now, as the state is moving to pass revised maps for the Aug. 31 special session.
The first hearing on Thursday featured civic groups demanding more time to review maps.
Ami Gandhi with the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights said lawmakers are doing an injustice.
“We’re uncomfortable with this redistricting process, with this huge rush, with this lack of transparency,” Gandhi said. “People are not being assured that their rights are being respected.”
Jay Young with Common Cause said the process resembles the rushed maps in May.
It’s of their own making, of course, but Democrats are now under the gun of a federal judge who essentially paused those lawsuits until after the special session ends. There will be no delays.
The mapmaking process that lawmakers have used is already the subject of two federal lawsuits being heard by a three-judge panel in Chicago. One, filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, argues that the maps lawmakers passed in May dilute the voting power of the state’s Latino population. Another filed by Republican leaders in the General Assembly argues, among other things, that lawmakers failed to enact legal maps by the June 30 deadline set out in the Illinois Constitution and, therefore, should be thrown out and redrawn by a bipartisan legislative commission.
Republicans on the committees, meanwhile, alleged Thursday that Democrats who control the General Assembly have already started drawing new maps behind closed doors and that the public hearings now taking place are only for show.
“I literally witnessed with my own eyes a member of the General Assembly looking at the map, talking to staff about whether it was square enough or not, which is what I overheard,” said Rep. Tim Butler, a Springfield Republican. “There was many members of the majority in that room, looking at the maps. And I would ask you, the people who are going to testify today, have you been invited into those meetings so far to look at the maps? Are you having solid input on what these maps are going to be? No. They’re being drawn by the majority as we saw in the spring with partisan intent.”
Later, when asked what data was being used to draw the new maps, House committee chairwoman Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, said she didn’t know and that she hadn’t seen the maps that Butler was talking about. But she said Democrats were determined to draw new districts that would reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of Illinois.
Nobody knows anything when it comes to maps. Chasing that story involves a whole lot of brick walls. Even so, subscribers know a bit more.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Illinois House Redistricting Committee Spokesperson Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) released the following statement after this morning’s abysmal public hearing on redistricting:
“This morning’s House Redistricting Committee hearing was an abuse of a free and fair democratic process. Despite hearing testimony from countless advocacy groups yesterday asking for more time, the House Democrats, who had no members in attendance [in-person], held a hearing with little notice that resulted in NO public attendance in person or even on Zoom. This continued approach from the Illinois Democrats to jam through yet ANOTHER partisan map to retain control over the state is disgusting and offensive to all the residents of our state. Let’s hope that Governor Pritzker will not lie to voters twice and will veto whatever sham map the General Assembly passes next Tuesday.”
The flip side is that everyone who wanted to say something spoke yesterday and citizens aren’t all that riled up about this as much as the commentariat might have us believe.
Kraft Heinz’s expectations about how often employees will work in the office changed during the pandemic. So will the office itself.
While some employers are waiting to see how the return to the office goes before making significant changes to their spaces, others, like Kraft Heinz and United Airlines, are moving forward with renovations meant to adapt to new ways of working.
Kraft Heinz, which plans to transition from full-time office work to a hybrid model that will see employees spend three days in the office and two at home, recently began renovating its Chicago headquarters. Individual desks and cookie cutter conference rooms are out, in favor of a wider variety of spaces for workers to meet and work together.
“If the purpose of the office is really collaboration, we need to rethink the office,” said Melissa Werneck, Kraft Heinz’s global chief people officer.
I’ve worked from home (except for session, of course) for a very long time. I see no problem with it and I don’t think I could go back to an office environment. Your thoughts?
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Republican Mark Curran, who lost the U.S. Senate race in 2020 to Sen. Dick Durbin, says God wants him to run for the Illinois Supreme Court, so he’s following the call.
“We are taking on the Establishment, the Party Hacks, the Freemasons and those that could care less that Individual Liberty and Conscience Protection are no longer cherished or protected,” he told supporters in an email that was forwarded to Playbook.
Dude is kinda 19th Century. I suppose John Quincy Adams would approve, though.
*** UPDATE *** With thanks to a commenter, here’s video of then-Lake County Sheriff Mark C. Curran receiving a donation for “Shop with a Cop” from Barrington Masonic Lodge #522 in 2017…
…Adding… Great comment…
Did God say anything else to him? Since there was some sort of dialogue going on, it’d been nice of Mark Curran had asked for advice on how to get out of this pandemic. I think Mark Curran really missed an opportunity here.
* Rick Pearson, Lisa Schencker and Joe Mahr at the Tribune…
A Tribune analysis of state and federal data has found that the rate of hospitalization for the unvaccinated [in Illinois] has risen nearly sevenfold since the end of June. The weekly rate of hospital admittance for that group is now above 28 per 100,000 residents, approaching the peak of 35 last fall.
The vaccine doesn’t stop every bad case, but the analysis found that for those fully vaccinated, the weekly hospital admittance rate is far lower, barely 2 per 100,000 residents, albeit still about four times higher than it was at the end of June before the surge in delta cases. […]
When averaged over the past week, the southern region’s ICU availability was just 4% of all its staffed ICU beds — far lower than the 20% threshold that the state had previously set as one marker for considering mitigations. Half of the state’s other 10 regions also averaged lower ICU availability than that threshold, including Chicago (17%), suburban Cook (17%) and North Suburban (15%).
A little over half the population here is fully vaxed, so the surge isn’t putting the same pressure on hospitals as it was last fall, when nobody was vaccinated. But it’s really getting bad out there, particularly in the south. As we have seen time and time and time again, things can always get worse before they get better…
URBANA — As more of their beds fill up with COVID-19 patients, administrators at local hospitals are appealing to the thousands of unvaccinated people in their communities to get their shots.
“The hospital is filling up,” said Matthew Kolb, Carle Health’s chief operating officer.
