* One of the comments I heard the most from working-class people in the San Francisco area during my vacation was how they couldn’t afford to live in the region without rent-controlled leases. Their comments were all unprompted, by the way. With that in mind…
Rent control initiatives in Springfield were stranded when the 2018 regular legislative session ended on May 31, but landlords and property managers in Illinois anticipate a more aggressive push when the General Assembly convenes in January 2019.
“Housing Action Illinois and the other groups pushing for this will continue to work hard all summer and into the fall in preparation for next year,” Paul Arena, legislative director for the Illinois Rental Property Owners Association, told Prairie State Wire.
Three of the four bills left hanging would have repealed the Rent Control Preemption Act of 1997, which prohibits municipalities in Illinois from enacting rent control ordinances. A fourth bill would have established rent control boards on the county level.
State Rep. William Guzzardi (D-Chicago), introduced the repeal act in the House (HB 2430), arguing that rapid gentrification of some Chicago neighborhoods has made them unaffordable for many long-time residents. A majority of voters in some Chicago wards likewise favor repealing the ban, according to the results of a non-binding question that appeared on the March 20 primary ballot in those wards. And Democratic gubernatorial nominee J.B. Pritzker, who leads incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner in the polls, has said he supports repealing the ban.
* The Question: Should the state’s anti-rent control law be abolished? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* The decision by the principal and the local state’ attorney to charge this kid with a felony is simply egregious…
Paul Boron is 13 years old. He’s facing a felony eavesdropping charge that could change the course of the rest of his life.
Boron’s story stands as another chapter of controversy surrounding an eavesdropping law ripe for abuse, and state lawmakers should take action to fix it.
On Feb. 16, 2018, Boron was called to the principal’s office at Manteno Middle School after failing to attend a number of detentions. Before meeting Principal David Conrad and Assistant Principal Nathan Short, he began recording audio on his cellphone.
Boron said he argued with Conrad and Short for approximately 10 minutes in the reception area of the school secretary’s office, with the door open to the hallway. When Boron told Conrad and Short he was recording, Conrad told Boron he was committing a felony and promptly ended the conversation, Boron says.
Two months later, in April, Boron was charged with one count of eavesdropping – a class 4 felony in Illinois.
Specifically, the new law made it a felony to surreptitiously record any “private conversation,” defined as “oral communication between [two] or more persons” where at least one person has a “reasonable expectation” of privacy.
But when does someone have a “reasonable” expectation of privacy? And is it fair to expect Illinoisans to know where to draw that line in their everyday lives? […]
Given the tenacity with which Illinois prosecutors have enforced the state’s eavesdropping law, reform from the Statehouse may be Boron’s best hope.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan, along with 10 other attorneys general, today announced she will file a lawsuit challenging the federal administration’s policy of forced family separation on the U.S. southern border. The lawsuit will be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
“The new federal executive order does not bring back together the thousands of families that were torn apart by the federal government’s policy, and it does not prevent families from being separated in the future,” Madigan said. “I will join with my colleagues across the country to bring action against the federal government for this inhumane and unAmerican policy.”
The lawsuit will allege that the administration’s family separation policy violates the fundamental due process rights of parents to be with their children, as well as other constitutional and statutory claims. The states will ask the court to order the federal administration to immediately comply with the law beginning with correcting the egregious flaws in his executive order and creating a process to reunify the thousands of families torn apart by his cruel and unconstitutional policy.
Following a close review of the President’s executive order, Madigan and the coalition of state attorneys general see two main problems. First, the order does nothing to reunify families already torn apart by the federal administration’s policy. Second, the order is riddled with so many caveats that it is rendered meaningless. Specifically, the order requires appropriations, although the total amount is unknown, and the timeline for when or if such an appropriation would happen. It also relies on a federal judge approving a plan to indefinitely detain children, which is an unlikely scenario, and, in any event, would also raise serious legal issues.
On April 6, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new so-called “zero tolerance” policy on the U.S. southern border. The federal administration has been clear that the purpose of the forced separation policy is not to protect children, but rather to deter potential immigrants from coming to the U.S. In practice, this meant that instead of making case-specific evaluations of individual cases, respecting due process rights and family integrity, the federal administration began prosecuting all possible immigration crimes, accusing and detaining all adults, even those with a legitimate asylum claim. The intended and acknowledged effect of this policy has been the separation of parents and children at the border.
Notably, there is no such “zero tolerance” policy at the northern border, and recent reporting indicates that the Border Patrol only tracks “family unit apprehensions” for immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
The effects of this policy have been stark. In March and April of 2018, the number of families from Latin America apprehended at the southern border increased dramatically, from 5,475 in February to 8,873 in March (a 62 percent increase) and 9,653 in April (a 76 percent increase from February). That’s nearly nine times as many compared to March 2017, and more than nine times as many compared to April 2017. Children have been brought to Illinois who were separated from their families under the current policy.
Joining Madigan in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.
A Chicago nonprofit said Friday it is housing 66 migrant children who have been separated from their parents under the “zero tolerance” policy in the last six weeks.
Evelyn Diaz, president of Heartland Alliance, welcomed Sen. Dick Durbin for a visit to one of the organization’s nine shelters that is accommodating the children — two-thirds of whom are younger than 13. Heartland provides housing and legal assistance to immigrants.
After the tour, Diaz and Durbin condemned the practice of separating children from their parents at the United States’ southern border.
“These children are scared when they arrive at our doors,” Diaz said at a news conference in Edgewater. “And I can tell you my staff —who are clinicians, teachers and family reunification specialists — are doing everything in their power to make a horrible situation less scary, to provide comfort and support to the children, and to reunite them with their families as quickly as possible.”
* I told subscribers about this before I left for vacation. Rep. Steve Andersson (R-Geneva) voted for the budget and tax hike and the veto overrides last year. He decided to retire from the House, but his district’s Senate seat became available when GOP Sen. Karen McConnaughay decided not to run again. McConnaughay’s retirement could very well put this district into play, particularly if the county party chairs appoint someone far to the right. The Kane County party chairman has the weighted vote to make the appointment on his own. Subscribers know more. From a press release…
Since announcing my intention to forego running for re-election after solving the 2015-2017 budget crisis, I have been overwhelmed by bipartisan support and the call for me to run again in another capacity.
After much consideration about how I can best serve the people in the great State of Illinois, I have put my name into consideration with the Kane County Republican organization for retiring Senator Karen McConnaughay’s position on the ballot for the 33rd Senate seat, because I believe that my voice represents a view that is being increasingly silenced in the Republican Party.
It was my intention not to overly publicize my application, because the appointment is decided on by two Republican party county chairs (McHenry and Kane) and not by a public participation process. Then, on Wednesday of this week, Steve Schmidt a longtime Republican Strategist (serving President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain and many others) announced via twitter that he was joining an increasingly long list of former Republicans and was leaving the Republican Party. Schmidt called out our party as “corrupt, indecent and immoral.” After reading that, I realized I could not stand and be silent.
I believe that departures, like Mr. Schmidt, George Will, and many others signal a fatal flaw that will lead to the destruction of the Republican Party. While some may think that the Republican Party is strong (controlling 67 of 99 state legislative chambers, 33 of 50 governorships, Congress and the Whitehouse), we have abandoned the majority and the middle of the political spectrum, in favor of focusing only on the angry shouts of the far-right base. This needs to stop. Now.
Our party can only survive with a return to the aspirational goals that until recently defined the Republican Party. We have always believed in fiscal conservatism and a more moderate social position that is reflective of the views of most Americans. This is a return to our Republican roots. We are a party of the big tent that welcomes instead of excludes, and reflects the values of giants like Lincoln, Reagan and Rockefeller. We must stop being the party of “no” and offer real solutions that reflect our Republican values to the complex problems we face.
This means rebuilding a party that reflects the social values of the 21st century, such as all people have rights - women, LGTBQ, the mentally ill, the poor, and the immigrant. Our party needs to recognize and embrace the fact of global climate change, science, and evolution. We need to embrace the views of the religious (in all varieties) but also recognize the non-religious. We must be engaged with the rest of our world as a partner and not as isolationists who think only we have the correct answer. We must encourage and support innovation and growth in business. We must control spending and find ways to improve how we spend our tax dollars. However, we also must acknowledge that government has and does bring value to our world. It’s not about big government or small government, it’s about right sized government. Government needs to exist to do the things that individuals and small groups can’t.
One of the things government can do well is addressing and rebalancing historical social wrongs. Schools need to educate against bias (explicit and implicit) and educate our children on all of our various community histories such as those of minorities and LGBTQ. As President Jefferson famously (and somewhat ironically given his status as slaveholder) said, we dream to build an “aristocracy of achievement by a democracy of opportunity.” This sentiment applies today to all of us. Without social change, there is no democracy of opportunity. We need to work to build that opportunity. You can’t pull yourself up by your own bootstraps when you don’t have boots. Poverty and crime filled communities simply do not have the same opportunities to achieve that wealthy communities do. Effective government programs can make that happen and are a necessary party to real change.
I am seeking this appointment to help turn my party away from becoming the “corrupt, indecent and immoral” party that Mr. Schmidt claims we have become. That is not who we are, but if we keep mindlessly following demagogues who live the Machiavellian motto of “the ends justify the means” without adhering to real principles, that is who we will be. In the end, I cannot sit silently by and allow that to happen.
I am proud to be a moderate Republican. I offer my services to the people of the 33rd Senate District of Illinois. Thank you.
* Her top deputies are further to the left than she is, so times will get interesting…
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis says she has submitted her retirement papers, effective today.
"I want my members to know first that I’m not abandoning them, I just will be an emerita," she said. "I will be around to help do things, I’m not disappearing anywhere."
* Meanwhile, this didn’t get covered much, but it’s CTU’s only response to the Tribune’s investigation of sexual predators in the Chicago Public Schools, many of whom were CTU members…
The following statement can be attributed to Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey.
“We support common sense changes to CPS’s policies, just as we support our members’ rights to due process. Student safety and due process are mutually affirming – because workers with due process rights and protections on the job are better empowered to advocate for and protect our students.”
“Our union has been advised of CPS’ plans to re-run background checks of our members, as part of their effort to respond to their appalling failures to protect students from child abuse. CPS has reported that about 30% of our members – those who were not fingerprinted by Accurate Biometrics – will need to be re-fingerprinted as part of this policy. CPS has assured us that this new round of background checks is designed explicitly to identify issues related to child safety concerns, and we will be on the alert for any effort to target members outside of the scope of this review.”
No word yet about how vigorously the union fought to keep some of those employees on the job.
* Gov. Rauner was asked on KMOX earlier this month about what he’s done so far as governor. Here’s an excerpt…
Number two, we’re transforming Medicaid in Illinois. Medicaid has been broken and corrupt. It has been ripping off taxpayers and not providing high quality health services. We’ve reduced enrollment dramatically and we’ve increased the efficiency in Medicaid and saved many hundreds of millions of dollars transforming Medicaid. That’s historic.
* Some additional background is here. From the Alliance for Community Services…
280,000 Medical cards being sent out, due to glitches, backlog
The Rauner administration is mass mailing as many as 280,000 notices of temporary medical cards to persons whose applications are stuck in a backlog due to computer glitches and understaffing. The notices are called HFS2350 “Notice of Possible Entitlement to Temporary Medical Assistance.”
The federal government fines states for taking more than 45 days to process Medicaid and SNAP applications.
Some Human Services caseworkers report they are currently processing Medicaid applications filed in January of 2018. Caseworkers report that they were told as many as 280,000 cases are overdue.
The Alliance for Community Services considers these temporary medical cards to be a helpful step for those languishing in the IES-caused backlog, but also a tacit admission that the expensive new IES computer system is failing.
The Rauner administration needs to admit there are continuing glitches and fix them. In addition, the attempt to get a computer program, IES, to make policy and eligibility decisions, rather than trained caseworkers, is misguided.
*** UPDATE 1 *** I should’ve checked the governor’s claims before posting. My bad. According to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, there were 3,247,722 full and partial enrollees during Fiscal Year 2015, when Rauner took office. At the end of FY2017, there were 3,159,553. That’s a 2.7 percent decrease. Hardly dramatic and maybe even temporary if they were wrongly kicked off.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Heating up…
If by "dramatic" you mean audit findings that you can't account for $7 billion, or an enrollment backlog of 280,000 people caused by the failure of your $300 million new IT system, or losing 14,000 nursing home resident claims? Yep that's "Historic" failure #twill#ilgovhttps://t.co/PxmzaKG5aU
A decision last week by the Illinois Labor Relations Board (ILRB) could open up a $400 million hole in Illinois’ fiscal 2019 budget, highlighting the implementation risks in a budget reliant on one-time items and policy measures with uncertain fiscal benefits, according to Fitch Ratings. While the state avoided immediate political stalemate, the on-time budget fails to make material progress in addressing the state’s sizable accounts payable backlog. Given the potential that budget performance will fall short of expectations, Fitch anticipates the governor and legislature may need to revisit the 2019 plan as soon as this fall.
For the first time in four years, Illinois enacted an on-time budget for the coming fiscal year when the governor signed the $38.5 billion (general funds) budget and accompanying legislation into law on June 4th. Despite the implementation risks, enacting an on-time budget with bipartisan support allowed the state to enter the new year with a clear fiscal plan, and provided clarity for the state’s key fiscal partners, including municipal governments, school districts, and public higher education institutions.
Illinois’ ‘BBB’ Issuer Default Rating (IDR) reflects many years of weak operating performance and fiscal decision making. The state continues to benefit from a solid economic base and still substantial independent legal ability to control its budget. The Negative Outlook reflects Fitch’s assessment that fiscal pressures may accelerate in the near term. The state avoided a budget impasse, but the enacted budget entails significant implementation risk. Fitch’s rating on the state will be lowered if the state returns to a pattern of deferring payments for near-term budget balancing and materially increases the accounts payable balance; while stabilization of the rating is contingent on the state’s ability to maintain budgetary balance over multiple years, indicating more sustainable fiscal management. Upward rating momentum is unlikely until the state more comprehensively addresses its accumulated liabilities.
STEP PAY DECISION ADDS TO BUDGETARY UNCERTAINTY
The state could face an unbudgeted spending increase of roughly 1% in fiscal 2019 due to the recent litigation and ILRB’s resulting actions. In 2015, the governor halted step pay increases under an expired labor contract. The AFSCME union challenged the suspension on the grounds that state law required current work conditions to continue in the event of contract expiration. Illinois’ Supreme Court ruled in March 2018 in favour of AFSCME. Last week, the ILRB rejected the governor’s request to send the issue to an administrative law judge for a hearing. Fitch anticipates a final remedy to be determined as soon as early this fall by the ILRB. Based on the Supreme Court ruling, it will likely require the state to provide for unpaid step-pay increases going back to 2015. Based on estimates provided by the administration to the ILRB, the state could face an additional $412 million in expenses in fiscal 2019 if AFSCME’s recommended ‘make-whole’ remedy is implemented immediately.
ONE-TIME MEASURES AND UNADDRESSED ISSUES
The fiscal 2019 budget relies on $800 million in interfund borrowings, which under current law must eventually be repaid. This is more than, and in addition to, the approximately $400 million in interfund borrowings included in the budget for the current fiscal year (ending June 30) that are still outstanding.
Illinois also did not make material progress in addressing its sizable accounts payable backlog with the enacted fiscal 2019 budget. As of April 30, the state comptroller reported a general funds bill backlog of $7.2 billion, or nearly 20% of the fiscal 2019 enacted general funds budget. With only a very narrow budgeted $14 million general funds surplus for fiscal 2019, Fitch anticipates no material progress in reducing the backlog, absent robust and unanticipated revenue growth. The recent favourable decision in Wayfair v. South Dakota provides some potential upside for state revenues in Illinois and elsewhere. But the state reports that its enacted budget already assumes benefits from a favorable Wayfair decision.
The bills backlog and interfund borrowings could total between $8 billion to $9 billion by the end of fiscal 2019. These liabilities are in addition to the state’s approximately $200 billion long-term liability burden for debt and unfunded pension obligations as estimated by Fitch (roughly 30% of state personal income).
BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS CREATE RISK
Fitch remains concerned that several elements of the enacted fiscal 2019 budget may be delayed beyond the fiscal year or could fall short of estimates. For the second year in a row, the budget assumes approximately $300 million in one-time revenues from the sale of the Thompson Center office building in downtown Chicago - the governor also included the sale as part of his fiscal 2017 executive budget. The facility sits atop several lines of the Chicago Transit Authority’s subway system and a final sale requires close negotiation and coordination with the city of Chicago. The administration notes that the timing of a sale is also somewhat contingent on legislative approval of a change in the state’s procedures around surplus property sales; absent that approval the sale process would likely extend beyond the fiscal year.
Uncertain pension savings are also a key component of the enacted budget, accounting for approximately $400 million in expenditure reductions or 1% of the enacted general funds budget. The budget includes three pension proposals; two to buy out some portion of current members’ future benefits at a reduced long-term cost, and one to shift a limited amount of costs to school districts and public universities. The buyout proposals account for the bulk of the savings.
The two buyout proposals will require significant administrative work by the pension systems. Based on initial reports from the state and the systems, the buyouts may not be fully implemented for several months and potentially well into the new fiscal year which could limit the savings the state is able to accrue. The savings estimates also rely on assumptions of the portion of eligible members that will opt into the buyouts which adds to the unpredictability of actual savings. While the state intends to use general obligation bonds to fund the buyouts, Fitch does not consider that a material concern as the new debt will essentially replace reduced net pension liabilities.
The third pension change will require employers in the state university retirement system and teachers retirement system (public universities and school districts, respectively) to assume a portion of the pension contribution for retiring employees if they grant salary increases in excess of 3% during the period used to determine the employee’s final average salary in pension benefit calculations. This anti-spiking measure is expected to generate a modest $20 million in savings in fiscal 2019.
IMPROVEMENTS IN STATE AID
State aid for school districts will increase roughly 5% year-over-year, with a $350 million increase tied to the state’s evidence-based funding formula that was first implemented last year. K-12 spending overall is up nearly 6% with a sizable $300 million increase in state pension payments to the Teachers Retirement System. For municipal governments, the enacted budget rolls back a portion of cuts to various shared tax revenues that were first implemented in fiscal 2018. The budget reduces the state’s withholding of the local share of income and sales tax revenues to 5% from 10%, providing an additional $66 million and $31 million respectively for municipalities. The state also reduced its administrative fee for collections to 1.5% from 2% on various local taxes, providing an additional $15 million for local governments.
Higher education appropriations increase as well, by 2%, or roughly $60 million in fiscal 2019. The pension cost shift noted above will somewhat reduce the benefits of these aid increases for school districts and public universities. The estimated $20 million in savings are well short of the nearly $600 million in pension cost shifts that were proposed in the governor’s executive budget.
* Background is here. Joey McLaughlin of WTAX talked with Gov. Bruce Rauner today…
Governor Rauner fires back at black lawmakers. “The black legislators really have not been serving their community very well, they’ve been too loyal to Mike Madigan,” Rauner tells radio show. https://t.co/FVAenvY2fs
McLaughlin: You recently did an interview on WVON in Chicago and you said no one’s done more for the black community than you have. Some members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus have taken issue. What are your thoughts there?
Rauner: [Laughs] Not surprised they’re sensitive because the black legislators really have not been serving their community very well. They’ve been too loyal to Mike Madigan and his machine. The reality that the black community has been suffering in Illinois under the policies of Madigan’s majority for decades. High unemployment, high taxes, lack of economic opportunity and lack of educational opportunity. And in my administration, I’ve tried to blow up that system and transform it. We’ve created more academic educational equality and excellence than any other governor and we’ve achieved it with our new education funding formula. More equity, more money from low income schools and poor school districts to increase their school quality. Historic change there and record funding for K-12 schools. We’ve also transformed the criminal justice system that too often has been biased against African-Americans. We’ve increased criminal justice and brought fairness back into the system. Historic change, Illinois is a national leader thanks to our administration. And then on economic opportunity, we’ve done more to grow the economy by cuttin’ red tape, cutting regulations, reducing LLC fees, and making sure that state contracting has a level playing field and African-American businesses have a real shot to get state contracts. We haven’t just talked about it, we’ve done it. So, I’m very proud of what our administration has accomplished.
…Adding… So, why is the governor so intent on bashing black lawmakers this week? Well, he doesn’t have very thick skin, and he may truly believe he’s done some good things for black people (and he has). But he also has a real problem with his Republican base since barely winning the primary. And one sure-fire way of uniting the hardcore GOP base is to bash minorities. Just sayin…
*** UPDATE 1 *** Media advisory…
Juliana Stratton Responds to Rauner’s Racist Comments
Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton and members of the Black Caucus to hold press conference in response to Bruce Rauner’s racist comments today, where he stated that he’s “not surprised they’re sensitive because the black legislators really have not been serving their community very well.”
Let’s not be overly harsh. Mayhaps Governor Kipling is just reminding us to “take up the white man’s burden” - we dare not stoop to less. Clearly the failed governor rated worst in the US knows better than black lawmakers what’s best for black folks. #twill#checktherecordhttps://t.co/a2QaDtq7dA
Tune in as we respond to Bruce Rauner’s comments today that he’s “not surprised they’re sensitive because the black legislators really have not been serving their community very well.”
* Juliana Stratton: Black community wants more than just proclamations from leaders: Together, we’re putting forward real plans to reverse the divestment in our communities. J.B. and I will increase funding for our schools, especially the ones our governor once called “prisons.” We’ll support our small businesses by making sure entrepreneurs of color have equal opportunity to compete. And we will be steadfast advocates for a criminal justice system that recognizes the potential of every person in all of our communities. The Rauner playbook pits one community against another. It qualifies lip service as leadership. It accepts the status quo as good enough. So while I’m outraged that Bruce Rauner thinks he’s doing enough for the black community, I’m sadly not surprised. Three years of inaction suggests he is unable or unwilling to recognize reality.
* I really hate to lose this guy. But he was retiring anyway and he apparently got a new job, so good for him…
State Representative Chad Hays (R-Catlin) announced today that he will be stepping down from his seat in the Illinois House of Representatives early so he can take a job in the private sector.
Hays, who has served in the General Assembly since December of 2010 and as Assistant Minority Leader since 2013, said he will leave his post in late August or early September, to become the Executive Director of Crosspoint Human Services in Danville. “While my service in the Illinois General Assembly has been the honor of a lifetime and a tremendous privilege, I have decided the timing is right to return to the private sector where my background and expertise in healthcare administration can be put to good use,” said Hays. “I look forward to this next chapter, but will always look back fondly on my time as the legislative voice of the 104th District.”
Prior to taking his seat in in the Illinois House, Hays served as the Vice President of Provena United Samaritan Medical Center in Danville, as the administrator for the Family Medical Center in Paris, and as the Director of Planning & Development at the Danville Polyclinic. Hays also served as the Mayor of his hometown of Catlin for two terms and as a member of the Board of Directors for many community based organizations including Danville Area Economic Development Corporation (Vermilion Advantage), Danville Rotary Club, and the Vermilion Area Community Health Center.
During his tenure in the General Assembly, Hays has been a leader in supporting job creation and economic growth, not just in Central Illinois, but across the state. As Assistant Minority Leader under House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), Hays has also had a key role in helping to set the Republican agenda for each session year. Since 2015, Hays has also served on the powerful House Executive Committee, which considers the State’s most important and often contentious bills. Hays is known for his unrelenting advocacy on behalf of the East Central Illinois region and his no-nonsense approach to problem solving.
While Hays has passed dozens of bills during his time in the General Assembly, he points to landmark insurance network adequacy legislation from last year as one of his greatest achievements as a lawmaker. Hays was the leading Republican sponsor of Public Act 100-0502, which offers significant protections and remedies for Illinoisans who rely on increasingly-narrow preferred provider networks for their health insurance.
Hays said the details for his transition back to the private sector are being finalized, and he anticipates leaving the General Assembly in early September.
Gov. Bruce Rauner said Thursday it is time to invest more in maintaining and creating “world-class facilities” at the state’s universities.
His comments came at Illinois State University, where he met with school President Larry Dietz and other top administrators and toured three buildings scheduled to be torn down or extensively renovated as part of a fine arts complex included in the recently passed state budget.
Speaking to a group of faculty and students in the ISU Center for the Performing Arts, Rauner said, “I want significant new investment” in higher education facilities and “updating our technologies.”
I’ve pledged, and I’m gonna work my tail off, sometime within the next six to nine months, I’m giving myself nine months, I want a massive new capital bill, new capital program for the state of Illinois. And I want significant new investments all in our education, higher education institutions. And I want world-class facilities, world-class support for our programs and capital bills will be very heavily focused. We’re gonna do a lot of transportation, roads, bridges, locks, dams, canals, railroads. But it’s gonna be very focused on higher education, world-class facilities, updating our technology so we can have the best education for our young people anywhere in America, anywhere in the world here in our institutions of higher education led by ISU. Go Redbirds!
Dude just finally learned how to crawl by signing his first budget after three and a half years and now he thinks he can leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Also… Canals? Wut?
* And he’s gonna pay for these new canals how, exactly? He’s been promising a massive capital plan since the 2014 campaign and never said how he’d pay for it. Reporters don’t even ask him about it any longer.
A massive capital plan costs money. Lots of money. And Illinois’ government doesn’t have that kind of money on hand, so it’ll have to be new money. Until the governor finally identifies a revenue source, you can completely dismiss this grandiose verbosity.
Also, the inclusion of obsolete 19th Century transportation technology in the governor’s list may be an accidental “tell” that there was no real thought put into this concept. He looks to me like he’s just pulling stuff out of thin (and very old) air and flinging it at the locals for applause lines and fluffy headlines.
Also too, nine months from yesterday is March 21, 2019. Just to be on the safe side, he might wanna give himself less than nine months to pass a capital bill. Maybe focus on the fall veto session, which begins November 13th.
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed House Bill 1910 on Thursday, permitting the town of Normal to extend its uptown tax increment financing district for 12 more years.
A TIF district allows officials to divert increases in property tax revenue generated by improvements within the district from taxing bodies to a fund for development incentives and infrastructure improvements. The uptown TIF was set to expire in 2026 and couldn’t be extended without legislative approval.
“You have a great tax increment financing district here,” Rauner said. “We don’t want it to expire.”
* Last August, the governor amendatorially vetoed the education funding reform bill (SB1) to, among other things, take out this provision…
Eliminates the PTELL and TIF equalized assessed value subsidies that allow districts to continue under-reporting property wealth.
And Rauner justified calling TIF districts “slush funds” this way…
Rauner spokeswoman Laurel Patrick pretty much said the governor has made up his mind.
“While TIFs stimulate economic growth in some areas, they do so by depriving economic growth in other areas. They also put government in the position of choosing winners and losers,” she said in an email.
Many, many thanks to Barton Lorimor and Hannah Meisel for filling in while I was away. You can use this post to express your appreciation, too, if you’d like.
For years, Illinois lawmakers have tried to pass legislation that would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp as an alternative crop, but those efforts failed to earn enough support in the legislature. But this push might finally be bringing the issue near a finish line. This spring, legislation passed through both chambers with overwhelming support and will soon head to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk. However, the measure still has critics. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police opposes legislation.
“We’re opposed to the legalization of recreational marijuana,” said Executive Director Ed Wojcicki. “We just see this bill as creeping into that issue so we’ve decided we’re taking a firm position against any bills that would move the needle toward the legalization of marijuana.”
Is the drug-related property seizure business really that lucrative for cop shops?
OK, maybe I’m being too cynical. But I was just in the San Francisco area and I didn’t notice it was collapsing from the perils of legalized pot. Just the opposite.
Indeed, during a fact-finding visit to a local dispensary, I asked the “bud-tender” what the consequences were for smoking the vile weed in public. The bud-tender noted that even though he is an African-American, he is never hassled by the cops for puffing the green stuff.
The Pritzker campaign… released a new TV ad today called “Thank You,” highlighting the residents of neighboring states thanking Rauner for igniting their job markets by driving Illinois into the ground. Under Rauner’s failed leadership, Illinois has higher unemployment.
“Under Bruce Rauner, Illinois has higher unemployment than nearby states, and residents of neighboring states are benefiting from this governor’s failed leadership,” said JB Pritzker. “Enough with the bad mouthing — it’s time Illinois had a governor that creates jobs right here in our state, and works tirelessly to help businesses thrive. When I’m governor, I’ll put our economy back on track and put Springfield back on the side of working families.”
* The ad is an obvious play on Rauner’s “Thanks Mike” TV ad which featured Republican governors thanking Speaker Madigan for sending jobs to their states. That ad is no longer around because Missouri’s governor resigned under pressure after a sex scandal. Anyway, rate it…
* Transcript…
We want to say thank you. Thank you Bruce Rauner. Thanks governor. For helping create jobs here, in Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana. Because when Bruce Rauner calls Illinois a horrible place to do business, guess where the jobs go… to us… and what governor talks trash about his own state…We all have lower unemployment than Illinois. Thanks to Bruce Rauner. Hoosiers love you Bruce! Big fans here in Missouri! Cheeseheads too. Thanks Bruce Rauner. Thanks governor. Thanks gov.
*** UPDATE *** Rauner campaign…
Pritzker won’t admit the damage that’s been done to Illinois by decades of corrupt politicians because he’s used his wealth and influence to benefit from a broken political system. Governor Rauner is working every day to clean up state government and build a better future for the hardworking people of this state.
Gov. Bruce Rauner today announced that the federal government has approved the state’s plan to protect safety net and rural hospitals while ensuring continued federal support for quality healthcare to more than three million Illinoisans.
“This is a critical step in the making sure our safety net and rural hospitals can keep their doors open in underserved communities,” Rauner said. “Our teams worked hard to build a more equitable model while making sure hospitals can offer more urgent and outpatient care in their communities.”
The plan was created with Senate Bill 1773, bipartisan legislation that Rauner signed in March. It ensures the state will continue to receive federal matching funds to offer services for Medicaid beneficiaries through the Hospital Assessment Program, which brings in $3.5 billion annually. The new program takes effect July 1.
A bipartisan group of legislators worked with the Illinois Health and Hospital Association and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) to redesign the program, create a more equitable reimbursement process, and ensure more efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
“The Department is pleased that the federal government has approved this plan, which will mean that dollars follow services for Medicaid patients more closely,” said Teresa Hursey, Interim Director of HFS. “The new program reflects the reality that healthcare delivery has changed dramatically over the last ten years, and it draws down as much federal revenue as we believe is permissible.”
Prior to the new program, the state used old data sets, which were sometimes based on care that was provided as far back as 2005, to reimburse hospitals for Medicaid services. The new model applies updated data and also ensures that more of the reimbursements are based on actual services hospitals provide.
It also dedicates more than $260 million to help hospitals transform their operations to better serve their communities, such as offering more urgent and outpatient care.
* SIU President Randy Dunn survived today’s vote to place him on administrative leave while an investigation of his conduct is performed, but the Board did vote to publicly disclose the content of these mysterious documents that supposedly reveal what would have prompted such a probe in the first place.
“I challenge this board to envision not what we once were, but what we are becoming: a premier institution in the Midwest. I challenge this board to augment our innovation and success with an appropriate funding structure that distinguishes our environment and needs from that of Carbondale,” Price-Williams said.
Kathleen Chwalisz, the SIUC faculty member who discovered the internal emails that led to the controversy, said Dunn has been “purposefully undermining” the Carbondale campus.
“At this time, it is difficult, if not impossible, for the Carbondale campus community to trust Dr. Dunn and his leadership,” Chwalisz said.
Anne Hunter, incoming president of the SIUE Staff Senate, said she has frequently seen SIUE painted as less important than Carbondale. She said Dunn simply stated the obvious by pointing out that SIUC receives a disproportionate share of appropriations.
The Trustees pushing Dunn’s leave knew going into today’s meeting they did not have the votes but called for it anyway. Weird.
We’re talkin’ with all the school leaders around the state. I am in strong favor of our teachers makin’ more money, and I support that very much. But havin’ a mandate where every school district has to do a minimum like that is very tough because there are a lot of school districts that don’t have the money and can’t afford it. We’ve gotta come up with some creative solutions. We’re workin’ on that right now. You know, the real answer is to get the mandates off from Springfield so teachers can teach and principals can lead without costly regulations and restrictions on what they do.
He went on to say money could be saved for teacher salary increases if local governments and school districts were allowed to contract services and consolidate.
The bill cleared the veto-proof majority in the Senate, and had 65 yays in the House. It has not been sent to the Governor as of yet, according to records.
Coupled with the recently enacted law requiring schools boards to contribute the normal pension costs for any salary increase above 3% (PA 100-0587), enactment of this proposal would require local school districts to increase pay above 3%, then require the local school district to pay the normal pension cost because of the increase!
Illinois has a collective bargaining law that empowers local school boards, together with their teachers and support staff, to set salaries in consideration of the revenues available to run their schools. School leaders and staff must take into consideration all aspects of its budget and make very difficult decisions to provide an effective education program that meets the needs of all students, while considering the will and ability of their local taxpayers to pay these mandated increases. often bargaining sessions include items other than salary, such as health insurance costs and pension contributions.
Chris Roegge said the legislative fixes are a good solution for the short-term, but they don’t address long-term needs. Roegge serves as the director of the University of Illinois’s Council on Teacher Education, and he’s seen a decline in the number of students enrolling in teacher preparation programs. A report from the non-profit Learning Policy Institute cites a 35 percent decrease nation-wide in teacher education enrollments between 2009 and 2014. Roegge attributes that in part to the narrative around the field.
“There’s been this swirl of negative press going back for more than five years around teaching, the conditions of teaching, the status of the job, the difficulty of the job – all of these things,” he said. “I think we’re starting to reap what’s been sown by that.”
Roegge points to the report from the Learning Policy Institute that identifies what attracts people to the field and what improves retention once they’re there. He said the four key ingredients are: compensation, preparation, induction and mentoring, and teaching conditions.
In many cases, improving these four areas requires more resources – whether that’s more money for teacher salaries and classroom materials or grants and scholarships for college students interested in the field.
The measures that have passed both chambers in the state’s General Assembly to specifically address the teacher shortage have revolved largely around decreasing bureaucratic hurdles instead of sending more money to local districts.
Illinois lawmakers are considering a proposed amendment to the state’s school code that would establish a minimum salary of $40,000 for full-time teachers. Is that salary threshold enough to attract more people to the profession despite the many other challenges teaches face, such as underresourced schools and standardized testing mandates?
I think the salary increase helps, in terms of perception as well as practice, especially given that the current minimum is $9,000.
I read a quote recently that sums up the situation pretty well, which said that it was generally acknowledged in the past that teachers and prospective teachers were willing to trade off low pay for job security, status – because it was a fairly high-status job – and pensions. Now, we’ve reached a situation where the salaries are still comparatively low, the status has decreased substantially and the benefits are under assault, too, so the two positives that outweighed the one negative are not so positive anymore.
But there are other factors also. I was at a statewide meeting of college of education leaders a few weeks ago and a colleague from another public institution in the state had just come from fact-finding sessions with school personnel in their area. They’d had several conversations about the teacher shortage and why more people aren’t entering the profession.
The audience came up with five p’s – pay, pressure, pensions, parents and policies – that discourage people from choosing teaching. Those issues speak to the educators’ interpretations of the context right now surrounding teaching as a profession.
What educational barriers discourage prospective students from entering teacher preparation programs?
The one that garners the most attention currently is the basic skills test requirement. Students can satisfy that requirement by either taking the actual test or by having a composite score of at least 22 on the ACT and the English/writing portion of the ACT, or by achieving a certain score on the SAT. Statewide, this is a significant hurdle for many prospective teacher education students.
This is a fraught issue because it speaks to perceptions of academic rigor, or lack thereof. But, there is little to no correlation between “basic skills proficiency” and success in teaching. So the question is how teacher education programs should ensure the academic quality of their students without unduly constricting the applicant pool.
Right now there is considerable discussion around this issue, and I believe that a reasonable alternative to the current requirement will be adopted sooner rather than later.
Student debt is a big issue in general, but especially so for graduates entering comparatively low-paying jobs. Institutions and state government need to work together on strategies to address the costs of entering teaching, including general college costs and those specifically associated with teacher preparation.
The new evidence-based funding model draws upon research findings that show, for example, a 15-1 teacher-student ratio in third grade is optimal for best outcomes. If a district lacks money for such a ratio, that is figured into how much state support the school will receive.
If a district spends more for administrators than is considered best practice, the district is not rewarded for that spending with additional state money. And so on, across scores of indicators.
Since best practices generally cost more money, the formula will still, as before, attempt to provide increased money for property poor districts. Yet the funding will be based on what a model school district would look like.
In the past, state money has been allocated by Byzantine education politics into transportation, special education and other narrow buckets, unrelated to best practices.
To fund the formula fully will require about $7 billion annually in new money (above the present $70 billion in annual state “all funds” revenue). I estimate about two-thirds of that money will benefit Downstate school districts, where property wealth is low overall.
* In a highly unusual move, Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) is launching a 10-day ad buy on CNN, MSNBC and FOX, urging viewers to call Gov. Rauner to pressure him to sign SB2544, Yingling’s bill that puts a referendum question on the Lake County ballot asking whether the Lake County Assessor should be elected.
The ad plays on last year’s revelations from a Tribune investigation that Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios had been unfairly assessing properties — either too high for low-income, minority neighborhoods or too low for whiter, higher-income areas. Berrios, of course, lost his primary in March.
* Transcript…
A corrupt Assessor. Pay to play politics.
Voters in Cook County took action to restore fairness.
But in Lake County where property taxes are the highest, we don’t have that power.
The Lake County Assessor is not popularly elected. Nor is the County Chairman who appoints them.
A bipartisan coalition of legislators voted to empower you, the voter, to elect our assessor.
But political insiders are pressuring the governor to veto your right to vote.
Call the governor and tell him to sign Senate Bill 2544.
* The $25,000 ad buy is paired with a $25,000 “patch-through” call campaign that I’m told is on pace to send over 3,000 calls to the Governor’s office before June 29, the same day the Senate is supposed to send the bill to Rauner.
Additionally, Yingling and interns will deliver a petition to Rauner on the same day the bill is released, which is expected to garner 1,000 signatures. He got 200 just yesterday, and I’m told that those who answered doors or encountered Yingling or petitioners said they had already gotten his letter or called the Governor’s office.
For those unfamiliar with the issue, Yingling has been pushing this for a while, as Lake County’s assessor is appointed by Lake County’s board chair, who is elected internally by the board and not by popular vote.
In November, local township assessors sued the Lake County assessor, but it was ultimately thrown out for lack of standing.
According to a recent Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll, Democrat J.B. Pritzker leads Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner by nine points, 36-27, with 26 percent choosing an unnamed third-party candidate and 11 percent undecided. In other words, slightly more people said they preferred third party and/or were undecided than supported the frontrunner, Pritzker.
The partisan breakdown of respondents was 41 percent Democratic, 34 percent Republican and 25 percent saying they were independent. So, the two candidates have a ways to go to even convince members of their own parties to stand with them.
A full 36 percent of Republicans were still either undecided (9 percent) or chose a third-party candidate (27 percent), while 27 percent of Democrats were either undecided (6) or say they are backing a third-party candidate (21).
It’s seems unlikely that a quarter of voters will wind up going third party on Election Day, but, hey, one never knows. Respondents who say they’re with an unnamed third-party candidate might be just temporarily parking themselves there before “coming home” in November. But these results also show deep dissatisfaction with both candidates, and that can’t be great news for the frontrunner Pritzker. Then again, I’d take his results over Rauner’s any day.
If you take a look at the attorney general candidates, you’ll see the exact same nine-point spread between the two. Sen. Kwame Raoul leads Republican Erika Harold 44-35. Pollster Gregg Durham said he considers these to be a generic ballot test. We didn’t poll a third-party candidate in that race.
According to the poll of 600 likely voters, 56 percent have an unfavorable opinion of President Donald Trump while 39 percent have a favorable view. That’s the exact same 56-39 split from the 2016 presidential results here.
So, why do these top of the ballot races have single-digit margins in a “wave” year like this? Do Rauner and Harold have a shot?
Pritzker has spent an absolute fortune, but it’s only June and he’s been hit with a lot of negatives since January. And keep in mind that a hobbled, unpopular Gov. Rod Blagojevich won by about 10 points during the last off-year “blue wave” in 2006 – which is right about where these races are.
One important Illinois-centric variable could be House Speaker Michael Madigan, who, it turns out, is just as or even more unpopular in Illinois as Trump. A very high 60 percent of likely Illinois voters have an unfavorable view of Madigan, while 39 percent have a favorable view.
A whopping 63 percent of independents or third-party voters have an unfavorable view of Madigan, which is higher than the 59 percent who had the same view of Trump. 56 percent of women and 62 percent of men have an unfavorable view of the House Speaker (Trump’s split was 60/51).
Back to the governor’s race, where 37 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Gov. Rauner, while a solid majority of 55 percent had an unfavorable view.
The poll taken June 9-11 with a margin of error of +/-3.99 percent found that 43 percent had a favorable opinion of J.B. Pritzker while 39 percent had an unfavorable view.
64 percent of Republicans had a favorable view of Rauner, but 29 percent still have an unfavorable opinion of him and 8 percent were undecided, so the governor still has a ways to go after barely winning the March GOP primary.
The poll found that 67 percent of Democrats have a favorable opinion of Pritzker, while 17 percent had an unfavorable view. Pritzker has a bit of catching up to do on his side.
Rauner is underwater with just about every demographic. 57 percent of collar county voters and 59 percent of suburban Cook County voters have an unfavorable opinion of the governor. It’s closer Downstate, where he’s underwater by two points, 44 to 46.
Pritzker leads Rauner everywhere except Downstate. Pritzker’s ahead 53-13 in Chicago (that’s actually not a horrible number for Rauner), he has about a 10-point lead in suburban Cook, and he’s up 33-28 in the collars. Rauner has just a three-point 33-30 lead Downstate, which is not great for him.
Rauner leads Pritzker by 2 points among the 65+ crowd, but Pritzker leads in all other age groups. Whites are with Pritzker 33-31 and men lean Pritzker 34-28, which is surprisingly good news for the Democrat.
Again, I’d much rather have Pritzker’s numbers than Rauner’s, but the governor is not totally out of it yet. Democrats have been spiking the ball ever since the primary. They need to get to work.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said the Department of Corrections was following the law when it kept prisoners with disabilities in prison even after their release dates. But the governor has also indicated an openness to changing the law.
A WBEZ investigation found the Department of Corrections often struggles to house inmates leaving prison with disabilities. Instead of being released to halfway houses where they can serve out parole, or mandatory supervised release as it’s officially called, inmates with disabilities can end up spending extra time in prison.
“If these laws need to be changed, we’re open to having that conversation with the General Assembly as we continue to build on our efforts to reform the criminal justice system in Illinois,” Rauner said in a written statement.
The Illinois Department of Corrections admits it keeps inmates with disabilities locked up beyond their release dates, but the agency doesn’t know how often it happens and has refused months of requests to sit down for an interview with WBEZ that could shed light on the otherwise invisible problem — one that advocates say could be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The governor would not comment on IDOC’s admission that it does not track how often someone’s disability keeps them behind bars or IDOC’s refusal to grant an interview.
Ellis, who was convicted of theft, served almost two years in prison and was eligible to serve the rest of his sentence in the community on mandatory supervised release. But that didn’t happen.
Ellis said prison staff told him halfway houses would not take him because he had been diagnosed with major depressive order. So he served all his time, including the supposed supervised release, in prison. When he finally got out, he was immediately thrust into homelessness.
WBEZ obtained IDOC’s housing directory through the state’s open records laws. Most facilities on the list said they would not accept a person coming from prison who was deaf, blind, or had a psychiatric disability. After calling all 75 places, WBEZ was able to identify only 13 that would accommodate someone who used a wheelchair coming from prison — one of those facilities said they had only one wheelchair accessible room and another told us that their waiting list for an accessible bed was months long.
When I spoke with Rep. Ford earlier today he told me he hopes to bring leaders from some groups that provide re-entry services into the discussion with IDOC to find a solution with IDOC that does not involve legislation. If they can’t find a solution, he intends to sponsor a legislative fix during veto.
I guess those citizens who have paid their debt to society will have to pay a little more because they happen to have special characteristics beyond their control.
An experimental court on Chicago’s West Side resolves cases with peace circles instead of judges and juries — and officials say it could expand into other communities.
…
The participant, victim, community members, and court staff come together for a confidential conversation in a peace circle to talk about the crime. The community members — not the judge — then work out a legal agreement called a “repair of harm agreement.” For example, the victim may ask the participant to paint over graffiti or volunteer at a neighborhood food drive to make amends for a crime.
The participant is connected with social service agencies to help them take GED classes or find a job, and stay crime free. The repair of harm agreement usually takes six months to a year to complete, at which point the participant’s charges are formally dropped with the potential to have their record expunged.
* Still no decision in Janus v. AFSCME today (though the justices will be back with more opinions tomorrow), but the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair opens the door for Illinois to collect sales taxes from more out-of-state online retailers.
Luckily, the General Assembly doesn’t have to wait for Veto Session to implement a law to capture the revenue; the language was already in the Budget Implementation bill that passed with overwhelming majorities and was already signed by Gov. Rauner earlier this month.
COGFA estimates the tax could bring in $150 million in FY19 — not an enormous windfall, but nothing to sniff at either.
The language in the BIMP expands the state’s 6.25 sales tax to out-of-state retailers who do $100,000 or more worth of business annually in Illinois (or 200 or more annual transactions here). If businesses reach that threshold, they are considered to be “maintaining a place of business in this State” and required to collect and remit the taxes.
A standalone bill aimed at capturing the revenue, SB 2577, passed the Senate 39-10 on April 17 — 2018’s Tax Day — but never got past First Reading in the House.
It’s important to note that about 80 percent of out-of-state retailers are already paying sales taxes here. But proponents say the BIMP bill language and the Wayfair decision will help Illinois capture the remaining 20 percent.
In 2011, lawmakers approved what became known as the “Amazon tax,” which taxed online retailers if they had marketing affiliates in Illinois that generated more than $10,000 in business annually in “click-through agreements.” But the law also forced retailers like Amazon to collect Illinois sales taxes even if the customer wasn’t an Illinois resident or if the affiliates site was not hosted on a server based in Illinois.
The Illinois Supreme Court struck down the law in 2013, finding it unfairly discriminated against electronic businesses under the federal Internet Tax Freedom Law because entities like newspapers or radio broadcasts were not likewise taxed.
* From today’s opinion, striking down a 1992 Supreme Court ruling in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota…
The Internet revolution has made Quill’s original error all the more egregious and harmful. The Quill Court did not have before it the present realities of the interstate marketplace, where the Internet’s prevalence and power have changed the dynamics of the national economy. The expansion of e-commerce has also increased the revenue shortfall faced by States seeking to collect their sales and use taxes, leading the South Dakota Legislature to declare an emergency. The argument, moreover, that the physical presence rule is clear and easy to apply is unsound, as attempts to apply the physical presence rule to online retail sales have proved unworkable.
* Reaction from the Illinois Retail Merchants Association CEO Rob Karr…
“We are very pleased with the Supreme Court’s ruling to allow states to collect internet sales tax. This ruling replaces the pre-Internet ruling that was determined by lower courts to prohibit states from requiring internet retailers to collect sales tax. As IRMA has long argued, regardless of where a sale occurs, a sale is a sale and sales tax should be applied. This ruling will ensure that main street retailers – who employ your neighbors, pay property tax and support local programs – are able to compete on a level playing field with out-of-state retailers that use our roadways and other services, but up until now, did not contribute anything to Illinois’ economy. This decision also protects Illinois consumers who have been liable for the sales taxes remote sellers refused to collect.”
* In the days after signing the budget, Gov. Rauner repeatedly touted the fact that the FY19 budget had “no new taxes.” I asked the Governor’s office whether the Wayfair ruling’s activation of the BIMP language throws a kink in that narrative.
*** UPDATE 1 ***
* Statement from Rep. Dave McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills), one of a handful of lawmakers from both Chambers who didn’t vote for the budget.
“It’s bad enough that the Madigan-Rauner budget includes the revenues from the 32% tax increase in the income tax rate. We now find out that the budget includes a tax increase on Illinois citizens made possible by the Supreme Court online sales tax ruling. I’m glad that I voted against this unbalanced ‘budget’ that contains the status quo of high tax policies in Illinois.”
*** UPDATE 2 ***
* Heard back from the Governor’s office. They do not consider the BIMP bill language activated by the Wayfair ruling a “new tax,” as the sales tax has been on the books for years.
*** UPDATE 3 (by Barton) ***
From the Dept. of Revenue…
Director Beard is very pleased that the United States Supreme Court overturned the 1992 decision in Quill and recognized that the physical presence requirement of Quill does not reflect the 21st century marketplace. To be clear, this is not a new tax. Illinois residents are already obligated to pay a Use Tax on out-of-state purchases and this prudent decision will allow states the ability to enforce Use Tax laws that are already in existence, bringing in an estimated $200 million in new State revenue for Illinois annually. With this decision, we level the playing field for Illinois brick and mortar retailers.
Public Act 100-0587 Background:
Illinois Public Act 100-0587 adopts the same standards as South Dakota for out-of-state-retailers to collect Use Tax on sales to state purchasers. The Act provides that, beginning October 1, 2018, an out-of-state retailer making sales of tangible personal property to purchasers in Illinois will be required to collect Use Tax if its cumulative gross receipts to purchasers in Illinois are $100,000 or more; or the retailer enters into 200 or more separate transactions to purchasers in Illinois. This law is not retroactive.
The State of Illinois estimates this Public Act will bring in an additional $200 million annually ($140 million for FY19) from the 6.25% Use Tax that will be collected. Locals will receive their share of Use Tax collected.
The Illinois Department of Revenue is available to assist any out-of-state retailers in registering their business to ensure compliance with the new Public Act.
Current Law Background:
Currently, Illinois law requires an out-of-state retailer to have a physical presence in this State to establish nexus. The following activities establish nexus:
• Physical presence. This type of nexus is established when an out-of-state retailer has more than the slightest physical presence in Illinois. This could be an employee, an agent, an office, or other physical location.
• Click-thru nexus. This type of nexus is established when an out-of-state retailer contracts with a person in this State to refer potential customers to that retailer. The retailer tracks those referrals using a promotional code or other mechanism, pays a commission or other consideration based on sales to purchasers through such referrals, and meets a $10,000 threshold.
• Affiliate nexus. This type of nexus occurs when an out-of-state retailer sells the same or similar product as a person located in this State and does so using a similar name or trademark. In these arrangements, the out-of-state retailer provides a commission or other consideration based on sales of tangible personal property to purchasers in this State. A $10,000 threshold must be met.
…Adding…
* Fun *nougat* of information (hat tip Andy Maloney for that joke) from my former colleague at Law360. She says it’s from Chief Justice Roberts’ dissent today.
*** UPDATE 4 (by Barton) ***
Jack Lavin and the Chicagoland Chamber…
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is welcomed news for brick-and-mortar retailers along with state and local government. As one of the anchors of the Chicagoland economy, retail drives economic development, which supports infrastructure, job creating efforts and creates much needed sales tax revenue. Although some online retailers already collect and pay sales taxes, this ruling now places all retailers on equal footing,” Jack Lavin, president & CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.
Things you learn following tax policy: Illinois considers Twix food because it contains flour and Snickers, which doesn't, is considered candy. #Quill#Wayfair#SCOTUS
* Following a statewide, seven-figure ad buy that hits Pritzker for removing toilets from a property in the Gold Coast to take advantage of a property tax loophole, the Rauner cammpaign has announced it’s placing billboards for a dummy plumbing company bearing the Democratic candidate’s name and likeness…
A phone call placed to the “number” of “Pritzker Plumbing Inc.” answers with a recorded jingle that includes: “Pritzker Plumbing. Disconnect your toilets. Dodge your taxes,” followed by a toilet flush.
A narrator then says, “Thank you for calling Pritzker Plumbing. Our record of success dodging taxes in 2012” and goes on to recount the 2012 property tax break.
“This isn’t the first time that Pritzker has used his corrupt political connections for personal gain. Please leave a message or visit pritzkerplumbing.com to learn more,” the narrator says.
Pritzker has not directly denied engaging in the practice, and has responded in the past to the issue by bringing up property tax appeals the Governor has filed on his properties.
*** UPDATE 1 ***From Galia Slayen of the Pritzker campaign…
“The Rauner team sticking a poster on a van and calling it campaigning is the equivilant of this governor sticking his name on a budget he had nothing to do with and calling it governing. It’s lazy, desperate, and a last resort play from a failed leader who has nothing better to run on.”
That still does not address the substance of the hit. End of update.
* The mansion that served as the backdrop for Rauner’s ad was also the subject of a “sizable reduction” in its Lake County property tax assessment, per Pearson…
Lake County records show that for the 2017 property tax year, the mansion used in the ad was appraised at more than $1.7 million for property tax purposes. But on appeal, the Lake County Board of Review lowered the assessment by nearly $188,000 to $1.5 million.
Another nearby mansion owned by the Brincats but not featured in the ad also received a lowered assessment on appeal, from $1.27 million to nearly $1.21 million, records showed.
Brincat did not respond to a request for comment at his Waukegan business.
Alex Browning, a spokesman for the Rauner campaign, contended the Brincats’ action was different than Pritzker’s.
“Mr. Brincat’s property tax reassessment is a standard appeal that many homeowners in Illinois file annually. Pritzker altered the structure and function of a home, made the argument that it was ‘uninhabitable,’ and used insider connections with (Cook County Assessor Joe) Berrios’ office to save $230,000 in taxes.”
Average tax bills for single-family homes in the south suburbs were $247.39 higher in 2016 than in 2017 — an increase of about 5 percent — while those in the north suburbs went up around $213, or 3 percent, during that period, according to the Cook County clerk.
…
Cook County Clerk David Orr said the amount that municipalities asked for in property taxes increased by 16 percent over the last three years, and it’s a “trend that I’m concerned about.”
“If you want to look to the future, this is something we as a society — at the federal, state and county levels — could do something about,” Orr said.
The varying rates may be explained by inequity and “historic racial issues,” Orr said.
The wealthier areas, which have more industry and more commercial properties to levy taxes on, don’t have to ask for more in property taxes. But lower income areas, which may have fewer commercial spaces or other industries, ask for more in property taxes because they still need to govern, Orr said.
That isn’t confined to Cook County, of course. There are TIFs here in Springfield that have more EAV to work with than whole counties in the southernmost part of the state. it boggles my mind how those officials can govern and offer comparable services, like quality education, given those circumstances. Imagine in Cook, the kids in the poorer neighborhoods and subs are relying on those lesser funded systems to prepare them for the same opportunities those from the wealthier areas are also vying.
Money doesn’t guarantee success, but it sure doesn’t hurt your chances.
* It feels like just yesterday we were talking about what will happen when migrant children separated from their families at the Mexico-U.S. border arrive in Illinois. And whaddya know…
Some of the children separated at the boarder have been sent to shelters run by non- profits in Chicago. However, the government refuses to say how many.
In a statement, Heartland Alliance confirmed that it has “recently” provided “safe shelter and care for” children who have been separated from their families at the border in recent months. The statement goes on to read that Heartland Alliance’s “first priority is the safety and welfare of the children” in their care. Part of that mission involves “keeping their identities and details of their circumstances confidential.”
Heartland Alliance has not provided the total number of children separated from their families at the border currently held in its facilities.
Unaccompanied child migrants must stay in shelter care until they are released to an approved sponsor, such as a relative or family friend. According to Heartland Alliance, children remain in their custody for an average of 34 days and are almost always placed with a close family member.
I’m hoping to get a call back from Heartland’s media spokesperson to have more information. For that matter, I’m still waiting to hear back from the Governor and state agencies on what services they foresee being able to offer these children.
From the DGA…
“It’s been two days – has Bruce Rauner given any thought to deploying the Illinois’ National Guard on the border?” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Rauner has done everything he can to avoid criticizing President Trump instead of fighting for Illinois families. Will Rauner finally take action or will his failed leadership continue?”
* Ounce of Prevention, of which the First Lady is President, took to the Twitter waves yesterday to express its concern over the child separation policy…
The Ounce is deeply concerned about the "Zero-Tolerance" immigration policy. This traumatic separation of child from parent has a devastating & lasting impact on our youngest & most vulnerable - Diana Mendley Rauner @theounce President. Letter to @DHSGov: https://t.co/H6H1jcRn1g
The letter, dated June 7, is addressed to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and is signed by hundreds of national and state organizations. Ounce is one of them. Responses are directed to the policy director at the National Defense Fund. It called on the administration to abandon its child separation policy. As far as we know, that’s as far as the Governor has gone as well, for all we know.
…adding…This. is not. going. away.
The Department of Health and Human Services said the children who have already been separated will not be reunited with their parents.
"For the minors currently in the unaccompanied alien children program, the sponsorship process will proceed as usual."
* Chicago activists decry Trump move that will keep families together but still in detention: “Make no mistake: the President is doubling down on his ‘zero tolerance’ policy,” Durbin said in a statement Wednesday. “His new Executive Order criminalizes asylum-seekers and seeks to indefinitely detain their children. Locking up whole families is no solution at all — the Trump Administration must reverse its policy of prosecuting vulnerable people fleeing three of the most dangerous countries on earth, who are attempting to seek safe haven in America.”
* Kadner: Stand up to people who would make us jailers of children
* The Senate Education committee just wrapped up a marathon hearing on the sexual abuse students suffered from faculty and staff at dozens of schools for years. The hearing was called in response to a bombshell Tribune investigation published earlier this month that found hundreds of incidents, either kept under wraps or quietly dealt with.
Six+ hours of testimony yielded both gut-wrenching accounts from former students and angry exchanges between lawmakers and school officials.
Speaking to an audience of at least 20 legislators and dozens of observers, former Walter Payton College Prep student Morgan Aranda said she lost her “sense of wonder and excitement” about school after she reported being groped and kissed at age 14 by one of her teachers. School and district officials repeatedly questioned her about the alleged abuse.
“I’m here to shed light on the re-traumatizing, intimidating interrogations, the questions of my dignity, of my intent, of my character” after reporting abuse, Aranda said, pausing at times to wipe tears away. Payton administrators and Chicago Public Schools investigators, she said, subjected her to a humiliating investigation that undermined her story.
“I was pulled from class to sit alone in a room with an old man who asked not how I felt or what they could do to make me feel safe in my school again — but what I was wearing when I had been assaulted,” said Aranda, now 22. “Do you know what it’s like to be made to feel like a criminal, when you are in fact the victim?”
Tamara Reed, who was an eighth-grader at Black Magnet Elementary when a substitute teacher sent her sexually explicit texts and solicited sex from her, spoke about the way school administrators suggested she was at fault for the abuse and the lasting pain the experience has caused.
“I will never be the same again because of what has been done to me. I struggle to connect with people and to trust them. I constantly wonder if the people around me mean well or mean me harm,” said Reed, also faltering at times as she became emotional.
* Moments from Twitter…
New CPS changes in light of sex abuse investigation: If there's an allegation against an adult, whether it be a staff member, volunteer, or coach, they will be removed from the classroom and restricted from having any access to students.
.@ISBEnews testified it has been waiting for "months" to get information from CPS so it can determine whether 163 situations it learned about from @ChicagoTribune, where educators on CPS "do not hire" list went on to work at charters, warrant state “educator misconduct” cases
4: Radical change needs to occur at CPS, and it needs to happen now. Those employees who sexually abused these students must face the laws of justice and leadership at CPS must be held accountable.
So, an interesting line of questioning, where legislators are realizing that there IS annual training on mandated reporter laws. But CTU is saying, sure, it's amid an "information dump" and gets lost. Training needs to be more frequent, CTU says.
— Jen Smith Richards (@jsmithrichards) June 20, 2018
There's a chair marked for Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson at this morning's legislative hearing on the district's response to sexual abuse — but a spokeswoman says she will not be attending. pic.twitter.com/0G5bPApJhI
* It took a while (large file) to get the video from today’s Black Caucus presser responding to Gov. Rauner’s claims yesterday on WVON that he has done more for the African American community in Illinois than any other governor. Here are a couple comments. The presser videos are linked here and here.
Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) pointed out the ripple effects that cuts to the Childcare Assistance Program had on economic opportunities for parents, and the community as a whole.
“So whenever we see working class people across the city and across the state, many of them working class folks that are inclusive of who we represent, losing their access to services, losing their access to contracting opportunities, losing their access to higher education, and then hear with a straight face and a little laugh that, ‘I’ve been better than anybody else in the history of the state’ — I said at first that I didn’t have words for that. Unfortunately, we do have words for that because the Black Caucus has been working diligently.”
Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Chicago) disputed Rauner’s claims, citing the closures of health facilities, including mental and behavioral health centers that treat addiction.
“It is not correct that he has done things, particularly in the district that I represent, to help the African American community. He has hurt it. When you remove resources that address the healthcare needs, you have hurt their opportunity to be viable citizens here in the state.”
* Gov. Rauner’s state account this afternoon did an eight-part tweet thread this afternoon under the hashtag #checktherecord, listing progress his administration made for African Americans.
On jobs and opportunity for African Americans. We veto business-banishing tax hikes. We propose reforms to end job-killer property taxes. We cut red tape so government doesn’t get in the way of job creators. #checktherecord
At the Tollway, total payments to African American owned professional services firms has increased by 142% since 2015. At CMS, African American businesses have seen $32.7 million in growth under the Business Enterprise Program. #checktherecord
And isn’t this interesting? Where Cook Co Machine controls government is where black families experience the highest crime, highest taxes, highest outmigration, and lowest employment rates. #checktherecord
* In response, Rep. Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago) and Rep. Chris Welch (D-Chicago) had their own Twitter threads.
Wow, .@GovRauner: I don't even know where to start. I understand that lying about your record of destroying the quality of life of working people generally and black folks specifically is like breathing; but that took effort! So lets #checktherecord *THREAD*
3)@GovRauner From 2015-2016, Illinois universities faced significant decreases in freshman class enrollment. Eastern, Western, Northern, SIU, UIC and CSU. Who was Governor? Oops! You!#checktherecord#failedgovernor
— Emanuel Chris Welch (@RepChrisWelch) June 20, 2018
In addition to the executive order, Gov. Rauner has appointed Philip Dalmage as the new Executive Director of the Illinois Human Rights Commission to oversee the commission’s coordination efforts.
…
The newly appointed executive director is a former Chief Administrative Law Judge at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS), and served as the Director of the Business Enterprise Program at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). Most recently, Dalmage worked as a practicing attorney dealing with civil and family cases, specifically working with IDCFS abuse and neglect cases. He holds a B.A. from Marquette University and a J.D. from the John Marshall Law School.
“It is an incredible honor to be appointed Executive Director of the Illinois Human Rights Commission,” Dalmage said. “I am aware of the long and storied history of the Illinois Human Rights Act in Illinois and look forward to using this role to adjudicate civil rights violations in as fair, just, and expeditious a manner as possible. I thank Governor Rauner for giving me this great opportunity.”
The appointment was announced in conjunction with an executive order issued today that “mandates coordination between the Bureau of Administrative Hearings, IHRC, and IDHR to eliminate backlog and improve due process.” The full text is here.
“I’m not giving that any thought whatsoever,” Rauner said.
Because you made your decision and you are satisfied with what you said in April? Because there are more significant issues to think about than what has become an international black mark for our country?
“We’ve been in communication with the White House. We’ve been in communication with members of Congress,” Rauner said at an event announcing a university partnership and a $500 million corporate sponsor for the proposed Discovery Partners Institute in the South Loop.
Rauner, too, reiterated that he believes the zero-tolerance immigration policy is “bad policy,” “wrong,” “heartbreaking” and “not the moral thing to do.”
He did not specify who is to blame for the policy, or name President Donald Trump or any congressional leaders in his answers to questions.
Asked about the communications with the federal government — whom Rauner spoke with and what he requested — the governor’s office released a statement saying there is “constant communication with our congressional delegation and the White House.”
“By maintaining these relationships we are able to discuss important issues, like ending this bad policy,” Rauner spokeswoman Rachel Bold said in a statement.
If it’s “bad policy” and “not the moral thing to do,” why has he not given any thought to rescinding his National Guard offer?
Look at the language in Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s announcement that he will recall his state’s National Guard…
Until this policy of separating children from their families has been rescinded, Maryland will not deploy any National Guard resources to the border. Earlier this morning, I ordered our 4 crewmembers & helicopter to immediately return from where they were stationed in New Mexico. https://t.co/TEfkUXF7ZN
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) June 19, 2018
He does not name Trump other than to say he should be a part of the solution, he does not assign blame to Democrats, and yet, although he does not specify what the solution is, he backs up his condemnation with action instead of letting us imagine what phrases like “in constant communication with the White House” means.
* What is happening at the border is not going away, and it is not confined to whatever ends up happening with the National Guard. The kids we see being mocked as they cry for Mommy and Daddy lying on floor mats under foil blankets are not staying behind the fences in a warehouse in the middle of the desert. How will the Governor react when these kids make it to Illinois? Very soon, this will be about how we as a society provide for these kids that we put in a situation where they are reliant on us for the most basic human necessities like food, shelter, health care, and education.
“While the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, along with people all over the nation, decry the forced separation of children from their parents taking place on our southern border, the policy is a federal issue and beyond the scope of this department’s responsibilities under law. But for those children who have been separated from their parents and brought to Michigan, the Department of Civil Rights has a duty to make sure their civil rights are protected.”
“This week, I have been in touch with various agencies and organizations working with these vulnerable children. We have received reports and are very concerned that the children arriving here are much younger than those who have been transported here in the past. Some of the children are infants as young as three months of age and are completely unable to advocate for themselves. While we commend the work of resettlement agencies in Michigan attempting to serve these children with dignity and compassion, nothing can replace the love, sense of security and care of a parent.”
“I take very seriously our responsibility under state law to see to it that the civil rights of every person in this state, especially these vulnerable children in crisis, are protected. We will continue to monitor this situation closely to ensure the rights of these children are protected to the fullest extent.”
I asked the Governor’s Office and a few of the executive agencies if they know if any of the children directly affected by this zero-tolerance policy are already in Illinois, what programs and services they might be able to partake in and if they are confident they can provide those services. No response as of yet.
Today, Congressman Krishnamoorthi released the following statement urging Governor Rauner to refuse to deploy the Illinois National Guard to the US Border:
“The policies and procedures that the Trump Administration have taken with regards to separating children from their families when entering this country are immoral and inhumane. This is a moment for every public official to decide if they will be complicit in their detention of children for the sole purposes of extracting pain on their parents. So far, the Governors of Maryland, Massachusetts, and other states have taken the moral stance that they will not allow their National Guard troops to participate in any activities on the border until the situation changes. Today I am formally calling on Governor Rauner not to deploy any Illinois National Guard troops to the southern border until the Administration changes its policy of child detention and family separation.”
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would sign an executive order on immigration on Wednesday to end the immediate separation of immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border, which has sparked outrage in the United States and abroad.
An administration official said Trump would sign an order that would require immigrant families to be detained together if they are caught crossing the border illegally. Trump previously had insisted his hands were tied on the separation policy.
The order also would move parents with children to the front of the line for immigration proceedings but would not end a “zero tolerance” policy that urges criminal prosecution of immigrants crossing the border illegally, the official said.
* For Migrant Families in Mexico, Threat of Separation Puts Plans in Doubt: And an increasing number, migrants’ advocates say, will heed the siren call of human smugglers, who will try to use the separation policy to sell their services, arguing that they are the migrants’ best hope for getting across the border and holding onto their children. The smugglers will even be able to increase their prices for the work as a result of the Trump administration’s policy, advocates predict. “Any restrictive measure in terms of migration and refuge is going to favor the business of the transnational criminal networks,” said Ramón Márquez, director of La 72, a migrant shelter in Tenosique, Mexico.
Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti appeared on WOC AM Quad Cities this morning, as she’s in the area promoting work done by the Illinois Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force. Late in the interview, the host asked Sanguinetti whether she’d be at the top of the ticket in 2022.
Host: Once Rauner’s done being governor, when are you going to put your hat in the ring, how does that work?
Sanguinetti: Well, we’ve term limited ourselves. So I won’t be running for Lt. Gov. again.
Host: I think you know what question I’m asking, Lt. Gov. Are you going to be the governor after Bruce Rauner’s done?
Sanguinetti: Well I don’t know, but the fact is if I want to —
Host: Can I just say this? If not you then who? ¿Si no tú, entonces quién? [note: this is a hearkening back from an earlier part of the interview in which Sanguinetti says her mother used to tell her in Spanish, “if not you, then who?”]
Sanguinetti: But I’m not ruling it out. And you know what, I’ve been working with Bruce Rauner for the last four years and when we win this election, we’ll be together for another four years. So I should decide that I want to be governor, nothing should preclude me from that.
* Lost yesterday in a flurry of other news (about whether Gov. Rauner would rescind his offer to send Illinois National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and his claim that he’d done more for African Americans than any other governor) was a pretty major announcement involving ~1.3 percent of the state’s overall FY19 budget (yes, did the math).
The Discovery Partners Institute is getting off the ground with $500 million in state support and a $6 million pledge from the University of Illinois over four years. DPI is imagined to be an innovation hub for research and tech, which would help Illinois compete with other hot tech areas like Silicon Valley.
Yesterday’s event was the announcement of the site, “in a large swath of undeveloped land just south of Roosevelt Road near downtown Chicago,” according to the News-Gazette, and an announcement that a DPI office has opened and has planned its first classes for the fall.
More info from the governor’s office…
The anchor project in the plan is the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), an innovation center led by the U of I System intended to be located within The 78, Related Midwest’s 62-acre planned development in downtown Chicago. Bordered by the South Loop, Chinatown, Bronzeville and Pilsen, DPI will be the centerpiece of the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN), a system of research centers across the state tailored to meet the needs of individual regions and lift their economies.
* The governor’s official account was also tweeting artist renderings of the project yesterday…
The 78 will be home to the Institute, projected eventually to cover 1 million sq. ft. on Related Midwest’s 62-acre planned development in downtown Chicago bordered by the South Loop, Chinatown, Bronzeville and Pilsen. pic.twitter.com/zMJI1OZyYy
* Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel were on hand at the event, even complimentingeach other on making the DPI a reality. Rauner has long pushed for the project, even before running for office. Also present: Senate President John Cullerton and Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady.
[UI President Timothy] Killeen said the university wants to recruit 90 new faculty members and up to 1,800 students to the center, whose total cost has not been finalized but potentially would attract hundreds of millions in investment. No opening date has been set, but a location has emerged in the South Loop on highly coveted land to be donated by the development company Related Midwest.
“It’s an attempt to really take advantage of the assets that the state and the city have to accelerate economic development and to provide opportunities for our students to stay in the state and for innovations to flow into our economy,” Killeen said.
* I’m personally running behind schedule after my browser closed all of my new post tabs a few hours after I started working on them. Fortunately, the kids were not present when that went down. Keep checking back with us throughout the day, and follow along…
The story focuses on Clark’s campaign ad, which I cannot find (his other two campaign ads on his website are “unlisted,” an interesting YouTube feature, by the way) *update*click here for the video hosted on Facebook — but footage of the ad in Maxwell’s story shows repeated shots of the Litchfield Fire Department interposed with shots of Clark standing both next to a fire truck and in the driver’s seat.
“As a volunteer fireman, I watched as the budget crisis tore apart our small towns,” Clark says in a narrated video, which shows him climbing into a Litchfield Fire Department Truck, wearing the Chief’s hat, and sitting in the driver’s seat of the fire engine.
However, Clark never served as a volunteer firefighter for Litchfield, or any other fire department in Illinois.
When asked about his campaign costume, Clark confessed that while he wore the chief’s helmet, “I am not a fire chief. The chief let me wear his helmet on that day. But I was a volunteer fire man back in the day and I really enjoyed that. It taught me a lot.”
Clark stated that his stint as a volunteer fireman in Bolivar, Missouri, lasted “one point two years.” Asked to clarify what exactly that meant, he repeated, “One point two years,” which apparently was intended to mean something between 14 and 15 months.
However, the fire chief at the Bolivar Department disputed Clark’s claim, writing in an email that their records show Clark was only on the volunteer roster for seven weeks in the fall of 2010, “during which time he attended one training event and responded to one emergency incident.”
* Clark did not like the WCIA story, and alleged on Twitter overnight that it wasn’t factual.
Just watched an unfounded video saying I embellished my record of being a volunteer fireman. Which is wrong and DEFINITELY a misrepresentation of what actually happened. FULL STATEMENT AND STORY HERE: https://t.co/qSDQVQxFwY…#BoughtBourne#RaunerRobot#Clarkforthe95th
* Another tidbit from Maxwell’s story that didn’t make it to air…
Reporter: Would you vote for Speaker Madigan to retain his title as House Speaker?
Clark: I will say this: I do not care who is the head of Chicago, who is in Chicago, who is the head of Springfield or anything like that.
Reporter: But you’re running to be a House Democrat.
Clark: Yes.
Reporter: As a House Democrat, you get a vote. Would you vote for or against Speaker Madigan to remain Speaker?
Clark: Again, I just want to represent my district. I am solely going to represent my district. I don’t care who’s in charge.
Reporter: But why dodge that question?
Clark: Again, I just want to represent my district.
*** UPDATE 1 ***
* Statement from Avery Bourne…
“Our volunteer firefighters sacrifice so much to serve our communities. It is shameful for my opponent to lie about his experience as a volunteer firefighter for political gain. He should take down the false campaign ad, give us the whole truth, and apologize to our first responders and their families.”
*** UPDATE 2 ***
* Statement from ILGOP Executive Director Andrew Collins…
“Dillon Clark will need to attend more than one training to put this big fire out. Clark shamefully exaggerated his time served as a volunteer firefighter for political gain, doubled down on his false claims, and then blocked a reporter on Twitter who called him out for it. To make matters worse, Clark disagreed with a Missouri fire chief’s assessment of his time served in college. What else is Dillon Clark not telling us?”
*** UPDATE 3 ***
* Earlier this morning I called Clark to ask where he got the “150+ present votes” number he claims about Bourne in his statement. Here’s what he told me late morning:
Our team gathered this information from Ilga.gov by looking through Bourne’s Rauner inspired tenure.
* Also, looks like Clark unblocked Maxwell on Twitter, but also unearthed the fact that Clark was on the Rauner campaign payroll in 2014.
Mark was kind enough to point me toward the Board of Elections website, which indicates Dillon was paid a total of $5,833.33 for “grassroots consulting” and “field consulting” for Citizens for Rauner Inc. between July and November of 2014.
A 2014 campaign source told me that both Clark and Bourne were paid walkers for Rauner.
*** UPDATE 4 ***
* Sen. Andy Manar, who is supporting Clark and even has a campaign event scheduled with him (and Betsy Londrigan) for Monday, told me today that Clark is “one of the hardest working candidates I’ve ever seen.”
“He won incredibly challenging county board race in 2016 in Montgomery County because of hard work and connecting with voters,” Manar said. “[The ad] maybe perhaps insinuated something that wasn’t the case but the fact is he was a volunteer firefighter, and because he lives in a small community he has seen the devastation of Rauner’s cuts. He’s doing one heck of a job knocking on doors. If he were to ask me for advice, I would encourage him to continue to do that.”
*** UPDATE 5 ***
* Clark provided this statement mid-afternoon, and also called me to confirm that yes, he had worked for the Rauner campaign, but had quit in September of 2014 due to Rauner’s position on public employee unions…
As I was just getting into politics, a local state representative I was interning for encouraged me to join the Rauner campaign. He said it would provide me with solid work experience and be a great way to figure out whether I wanted to keep working in politics. I worked on his campaign through September, when I finally decided he wasn’t someone I could continue to support. We disagreed on a lot, but it was his attacks on union workers that drove me to leave his campaign and his new brand of Illinois Republican Party. Families like my granddad’s depended on hard work and a union wage to get by, and here, in one of the most union-member-filled districts in Illinois, Bruce Rauner and Avery Bourne’s anti-union agenda has been awful on our district.
In response I joined the Democratic party and worked hard every day, knocking door after door to defeat the Republican Vice Chairman of the Montgomery County Board.
Today, I’m running just as hard to be State Representative in the 95th, because representing people here needs to be about making sure hard workers have jobs and the money to provide for their families, not about which Chicago millionaire is backing you.
