The city of Chicago plans to release the police video of the Laquan McDonald shooting Tuesday afternoon, coinciding with a 4:30 p.m. news conference at Chicago Police Department headquarters, according to sources familiar with the decision.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy will hold the news conference but the video is expected to be released after their remarks.
I’m figuring that WGN will be carrying it live, so click here at the appropriate time.
The Chicago Police Department has ordered most of its force into uniform and warned them of potentially longer hours and canceled days off as the city prepares to release a video of Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
The plan is not unprecedented, and similar plans have been made in the past when the department expects massive protests or potential for civil unrest.
The Pillar of Law Institute has filed a lawsuit against the State of Illinois on behalf of Libertarian Candidates Claire Ball and Scott Schluter which, if successful, would allow them to accept contributions from medical marijuana organizations. As Libertarians, they are supporters of medical marijuana and reforming United States drug law.
As the law stands, Ball and Schluter cannot accept contributions from the medical marijuana industry and medical marijuana companies can be fined up to 150% of the value of any contribution that they make to these candidates or any other along with other fines that can amount to thousands of dollars.
Campaign contributions are a vital way for individuals and companies to coalesce around candidates that share their beliefs and help propel them into office. “A liquor company can donate up to $10,800 to a candidate and so could a tobacco company. Only marijuana dispensaries and cultivation centers are censored,” said Lead Counsel for the Pillar Institute Benjamin Barr. The case is assigned to an Obama Appointee, U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee.
* The Question: Should medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation centers be allowed to make campaign contributions? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* Jim Dey interviews Kevin Artl of the Mark Kirk campaign…
Artl said he anticipates the turnout in Illinois to be “more similar to 2004,” when Democratic U.S. Sen. John Kerry was his party’s presidential candidate.
Although he lost the national election, Kerry handily carried Illinois, collecting almost 2.9 million votes against President George W. Bush.
That number, however, pales in comparison to Obama’s numbers four years later.
Obama collected 3.4 million votes in the 2008 presidential race, compared to 2 million for GOP candidate John McCain, boosting other Democrats on the ticket.
It’s hard to imagine any of the 2016 Democratic presidential candidates — Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders or Martin O’Malley — having that kind of emotional appeal to Illinois voters. […]
When Kerry carried 54 percent of the vote in 2004, then-U.S. Rep. Kirk attracted 64 percent of the vote in Illinois’ evenly balanced 10th congressional district.
When Obama carried 60 percent of the Illinois vote in 2008, Kirk carried nearly 53 percent in his district.
Do you know what else happened in 2004? The Republicans had to import Alan Keyes from Maryland because they had nobody else to run against state Sen. Barack Obama for US Senate.
So, 2004 wasn’t so great for the GOP, either.
And President Obama’s numbers were pretty Kerryish in 2012, when he ran for reelection.
Illinois is a tough nut to crack for Republicans in a presidential year. The last Republican to win a statewide office in a presidential year was… ?
* But, Kirk is very good at this sort of thing, as his congressional campaigns showed. And Morning Consult has a new poll out which shows he’s not doing too badly…
David Applegate, a staff member for Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s (D-Ill.) Senate campaign, was walking around at the Columbus Day parade in Chicago when he was approached by a woman with a clipboard.
She asked him if he wanted to sign a petition. That was odd in itself, since Applegate was wearing a Duckworth campaign shirt, and the woman was wearing a campaign shirt for Sen. Mark Kirk (R), whom Duckworth is trying to unseat. It got weirder when she said the petition was about raising the minimum wage, an issue Kirk doesn’t even support.
Applegate, confused, said he worked for Duckworth, and the woman walked away. He saw her again later, standing with another woman who was also wearing a Kirk shirt and holding a clipboard. He got closer and looked over one of their shoulders. There were “raise the wage” stickers covering the tops of their petitions, but peeking out from underneath them was Mark Kirk’s printed name.
They weren’t collecting signatures for a wage campaign; there isn’t even an active wage campaign in Illinois right now. They were collecting signatures to put Kirk on the ballot for the March primary election.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration said Monday it’s preparing to make loans to communities and state vendors after legislation to send communities a long-delayed share of gasoline and gambling tax money stalled. […]
Republicans in recent weeks agreed to a Democratic plan to approve legislation to free up money for local communities, lottery winners and others after Rauner said he’d be OK with the move.
The governor suggested additions to the proposals that Democrats didn’t add, and a lieutenant of Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan put a hold on the legislation from state Rep. Marty Moylan, a Des Plaines Democrat, blocking it from moving forward even though the House voted to approve. And the Senate has no plans to reconvene in Springfield to consider it soon if Democrats allowed it to advance.
Moylan called the loan idea “completely ridiculous.”
“We’ll continue to push this bill,” he said.
Um, Marty? You do realize, right, that the Speaker put a brick on your bill? Yes, that very same bill you say you’ll “continue to push”? You already passed the thing.
Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said the Senate has not been given any indication when the House bill might be sent to the Senate for its action. If the bill does get sent to the Senate, she said, the chamber will schedule additional days in order to deal with it. As of now, the Senate is not scheduled to return to Springfield until January.
If there was no brick, the Senate would’ve very likely come back to town next week.
In a letter sent to state lawmakers Monday, a Rauner administration official accused House Democrats of holding hostage a bill that would provide funds to local governments.
This from the same administration which slashed child care funding for months in a failed bid to pry loose a Turnaround Agenda deal.
Yet, now they’re all verklempt about local governments and lottery winners.
In a move so emblematic of this state’s government it makes my eye twitch, the Illinois Lottery bought newspaper ads to thank its players and apologize for its inability to pay its big prizes until the budget crisis is resolved in Springfield.
On behalf of the newspaper industry, let me say thank you to lottery officials.
On behalf of people who live and work in Illinois, however, let me say I can’t say what I want to say because there may be young children around who should learn this sort of language from their own irate parents.
Deep breath. Exhale.
Spending money to say you’re sorry you don’t have access to your prize money? The optics are not good.
The Illinois Lottery is lucky no one has tried to break its thumbs.
Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy will recommend the Chicago Police Board fire Dante Servin, the officer acquitted in the 2012 shooting death of Rekia Boyd, less than a year after Chicago’s top cop said the officer should never have been charged in the 22-year-old’s death.
“After considerable deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that Officer Dante Servin showed incredibly poor judgement in his efforts to intervene in a low-level dispute while off-duty,” McCarthy said in a prepared statement. […]
In April, McCarthy said the charge brought against Servin — involuntary manslaughter — should never have been filed.
“Because of the way that played out, what you didn’t know is the defense and all the intricate details of that particular event. . . . If the details of that case were known, I think it would be a lot clearer” why no charges were warranted, McCarthy said.
Cook County prosecutors say a veteran Chicago police officer has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times in an on-duty incident on the Southwest Side in October 2014.
Officer Jason Van Dyke turned himself in to authorities Tuesday morning and is scheduled to appear in bond court at noon at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. […]
The charges would come less than a week after a Cook County judge ordered the release of the video, which Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration had long sought to keep out of public view. As Emanuel urged prosecutors to conclude their investigation Monday, he met with community leaders and aldermen to defend his handling of the controversy amid criticism that City Hall has not done enough to address police misconduct.
Ordered to release the video no later than Wednesday, the mayor called on religious leaders and activists to encourage peaceful demonstrations even as staff prepared for the public fallout and discussed the best way to unveil the video.
The charges is believed to be the first time in Chicago history an on-duty police officer is charged with such a crime.
And now you know why some cops allegedly erased private video of the shooting. If that had been made public last year in the aftermath of Ferguson… whew.
* Sen. Kwame Raoul…
When I learned that a video of Laquan McDonald’s final moments was to be released to the public, I knew that many would fear its impact, remembering the self-destruction oppressed communities elsewhere have experienced following acts of police brutality and excessive force.
I believe we can do better in Chicago. But I am not calling for calm. There’s nothing to be calm about. Instead, I’m calling for sustained, focused, constructive outrage that demands full accountability but doesn’t destroy community.
Because of legislation I advanced earlier this year, we now have legal protocols in place that mandate independent investigations of police-involved deaths, expose the misdeeds of rogue cops so they don’t quietly move from one department to another, require improved officer training on bias and the use of force and establish funding and protocols for the use of body cameras.
But I know it’s not enough.
Everyone responsible in this atrocity – not only Officer Van Dyke, but any individual who participated in a cover-up that delayed justice for Laquan McDonald and his family – must be held accountable. We should direct our outrage toward asking our local prosecutor whether it would have taken 13 months to resolve this case if the video had shown a civilian committing the same act. We should ask why Office Van Dyke was still on the beat after 17 public complaints were filed against him and the City paid half a million dollars to settle allegations that he had used excessive force. We should question the ability of Chicago’s independent police review authority, which has recent come under scrutiny from the Better Government Association, to do its job with integrity. And as we call on our neighbors to abandon the no-snitch code, in our outrage we demand the same of law enforcement.
Watch the video. Don’t be destructive. But don’t be calm.
* Meanwhile, Northwestern University law professor Max Schanzenbach has some ideas…
Give the police superintendent and the mayor the power to fire any officer for any reason that does not otherwise violate a general employment statute. Problem officers could not escape attention, and city executives could not pass the buck on discipline by pointing to an arbitrator or regulation. Internal human resources departments could monitor and discipline, free from constraining regulations and collective bargaining agreements. […]
A less dramatic reform would be to prohibit local governments from paying for officers’ settlements in civil rights cases. Instead, require officers to buy professional liability insurance, just as we require doctors to carry medical malpractice insurance. Officers with multiple complaints would see their premiums dramatically increase and would be priced out of employment. Liability may also reduce police resistance to cameras and other monitoring devices, which could help protect police officers from frivolous litigation.
Right now, the taxpayers are the insurer, paying for settlements and for lawyers.
More limited reforms would prohibit unions from bargaining over the monitoring of police behavior and would make arbitration subject to judicial review.
Our current system ensures that victims and taxpayers bear all the costs of police misconduct, while the vast majority of hardworking police officers have their reputations stained by the terrible, undisciplined actions of a few.
Gov. Bruce Rauner says Illinois State Police are working with Chicago officials to ensure people remain safe following the release of a video that shows a white police officer shooting a black teen 16 times.
Rauner said Tuesday his office has been briefed on the contents of the video that shows 17-year-old Laquan McDonald’s death in 2014. […]
Rauner says the video is “very troubling” and that he expects public reaction to be “strong.” But he says he hopes and believes the response will be “thoughtful and peaceful.”
The Republican declined to say whether he’s deployed additional troopers to Chicago or put the Illinois National Guard on standby.
*** UPDATE 2 *** And yet it took her a year to bring charges…
Cook County prosecutors said in court Tuesday that a Chicago police officer charged with first-degree murder opened fire six seconds after exiting his squad car as 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was walking away from him.
Officer Jason Van Dyke fired 16 rounds at McDonald in about 14 seconds and was reloading when another officer told him to hold his fire, prosecutors said during bond court.
Judge Donald Panarese Jr. ordered Van Dyke held without bail until the judge can personally view on Monday a police dash-cam video of the shooting from October 2014.
* I could be wrong (again), but I think we may be seeing the same sort of wildly exuberant union overreach in Chicago that we saw in Wisconsin a while back. You’ll recall that the unions managed to recall some Wisconsin state legislators, then failed to recall the governor.
CTU’s success at winning its 2012 strike has it thumping its collective chest during contract negotiations this year. The union held a big rally in Grant Park last night…
Chicago Teachers Union leaders exhorted thousands of members gathered for a rally in Grant Park on Monday to confront the city with the threat of a strike in the face of contract talks that have dragged on for more than a year.
“Now it’s time for us to act. We’ve been here before,” CTU President Karen Lewis, who led a seven-day strike in 2012, told the crowd at Petrillo Music Shell. “No teacher wants to go on strike. We prefer to be in front of our students. But we know that when we must, we will withhold our labor.”
While the union has yet to announce a strike authorization vote, a required step before a walkout can occur, organizers urged members to give them additional leverage.
“We want to remind people in this crowd about sometimes what it takes,” CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey said in his speech to the red-clad crowd. “You will have a chance very soon to answer the question of how much resolve you have. And when you do, the answer will be ‘Yes.’”
In front of a screaming crowd of thousands who braved a frigid night to show their strength, and joined by legislators, pastors and other labor leaders, Lewis said, “It is time for us to act.”
“We must show the city, the mayor’s handpicked Board of Education and even our students and parents that Chicago’s public school educators will stand up for what is just and fair, and together we will fight to protect our professions and our classrooms,” Lewis said.
Despite its phony “practice strike vote” earlier this month, I don’t doubt that the union can convince at least 75 percent of its members to hit the bricks.
* What I’m not so confident of is whether the public will support the teachers like it did in 2012.
Chicagoans are being hit with record property tax hikes, with more likely on the way. The CTU has refused to support a bill sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton that would help alleviate the disaster…
“I don’t know the logic of the teachers’ union being opposed to the bill,” Cullerton said. “I think it’s maybe because, you know, the Board of Ed is for it and, therefore they have to be against it. That’s all I can figure, you know? The mayor’s for it, they’re against it because they had a fight with him in the past.”
Remember the 2012 teachers’ strike? That’s the fight Cullerton is referring to. And there’s been talk of a second teachers strike under Emanuel over the district’s current finances.
“Of course this would avoid a strike,” Cullerton said. “There wouldn’t be any need for them to lose their pension pick-up in their contract negotiations. There wouldn’t be any layoffs. I don’t know what else they’re striking about.”
“Three-eighteen is not about stopping a strike. Three-eighteen is about destroying our school system,” said Stacy Davis Gates, the legislative coordinator for the Chicago Teachers Union.
* And the union is resisting all give-backs on pay and benefits…
Negotiations are stuck because the Board of Education is broke and is asking teachers to pay more for health insurance and pensions. That would mean lower take-home pay.
“$653 million dollars of cuts coming out of the pay, coming out of the pockets of people who make the schools go,” said CTU VP Jesse Sharkey.
Chicagoans may be looking for a bit more equity these days. We’ll know soon enough, but the CTU can easily be painted as obstructionists and the real problem now.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Andrea Zopp yesterday zeroed in on an obscure bill moving through Congress as a vehicle to whack her top primary opponent.
ZOPP DINGS DUCKWORTH ON LENDING BILL… Zopp yesterday called on Congress to defeat HR 1737, a bill that she says would make it harder for the Consumer Financial Protection Board to protect American consumers from discriminatory lenders.
“We’ve known for decades that borrowers of color are nearly twice as likely to have higher interest rates than white borrowers with similar credit scores,” Zopp said in a statement. Yet, Congress is attempting to make it worse. HR 1737 undermines the authority of the CFPB to protect minority consumers seeking auto loans.”
Zopp’s real aim was not to rush to defend the federal board, but to undermine her Democratic primary opponent, U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), among heavily Democratic minority voters.
“I find it interesting that while Congresswoman Duckworth has not co-sponsored bills that would address racial profiling or amend the Voting Rights Act, she decided to co-sponsor and vote for a bill that would enable big business to racially discriminate. This seems to be another example of her ignoring the needs of communities of color.”
Bam.
* Maybe not. The Duckworth response…
“Once again Andrea Zopp didn’t do her homework, just like when she rubber-stamped an illegal $21 million no-bid contract that has former Chicago schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett facing jail time. The reality is that 16 members of the Congressional Black Caucus or Congressional Hispanic Caucus also cosponsored this bipartisan bill, and the Congressional Budget Office has stated it will not hurt enforcement of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. Zopp can keep cherry-picking legislation to try and score cheap political points all she likes, but it won’t change the fact that Tammy has a proven record of fighting for Illinois families and small businesses.” - Matt McGrath, campaign spokesman
H.R. 1737 Was Supported By Members Of Both The Congressional Black Caucus And The Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Sixteen Members Of The Congressional Black Caucus Or The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Cosponsored H.R. 1737. Cosponsors of H.R. 1737 included: Reps. David Scott, Sanford Bishop, Alcee Hasting, Sheila Jackson Lee, Frederica Wilson, Corrine Brown, Marc Veasey, Pete Aguilar, Ruben Hinojosa, Jim Costa, Henry Cuellar, Loretta Sanchez, Albio Sires, Norma Torres, Juan Vargas, and Filemon Vela. [H.R. 1737, 11/3/15]
Congressional Budget Office Said Bill Would Not Hurt Enforcement Of Equal Credit Opportunity Act
Congressional Budget Office Found H.R. 1737 Would Not Prevent Enforcement Of The Equal Credit Opportunity Act. “Based on information from the CFPB, CBO expects the agency would not prepare a replacement bulletin if H.R. 1737 were enacted. Because the bill would not affect the underlying statue or regulations to implement it, the Bureau can continue to enforce the Equal Credit Opportunity Act without the bulletin.” [Congressional Budget Office, H.R. 1737, 10/14/15]
* The jaded might say that some legislative Republicans are looking for political cover. But, hey, at least they’re making some sort of stand…
Nearly 50 current and former Republican state lawmakers from across the nation recently filed a friend of the court brief, asking the U.S. Supreme Court not to interfere with the role states have in determining whether “fair share” fees have to be paid to unions by non-union members.
It’s a high profile labor case—known as Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association—and one closely watched in Illinois, where GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner opposes “fair share” fees, thinks they’re unconstitutional and has filed his own controversial “amicus brief” with justices.[…]
They include GOP Reps. Rep. Terri Bryant of Murphysboro, C.D. Davidsmeyer of Jacksonville, Norine Hammond of Macomb, Dwight Kay of Glen Carbon, Bill Mitchell of Forsyth and Sen. Sam McCann of Carlinville. Former Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano, now mayor of Elmwood Park and a strong union ally in the GOP, also signed the brief.
The lawmakers’ brief asks the court to stay away from the role that “states have long played in determining the content of their own labor laws.”
The lawmakers also believe that “nothing in the Constitution prohibits the agency fee (fair share) arrangements at issue in this case and that whether these arrangements are good policy is a decision that belongs to the relevant state and local governments.”
Reps. Bryant and Kay are looking at big Democratic opposition. McCann has his primary to deal with and Mitchell has drawn a Democratic opponent.
* Can you imagine the uproar from the Tribune and others if Gov. Pat Quinn had stuck his nose this far into Illinois Gaming Board regulations? Wow…
In a move loaded with political implications, Gov. Bruce Rauner is trying to put a brick on efforts to regulate and potentially block fantasy sports sites such as Draft Kings and Fan Duel from accepting bets in the state.
The action appears at least partially linked to poor relations among Rauner, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and her father, Rauner’s arch foe, Mike Madigan, the speaker of the Illinois House. But it also comes after the sports sites retained lobbyist Eric Elk, who hired or supervised several senior Rauner aides when they all worked in U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk’s office.
The Illinois Gaming Board this fall had publicly expressed its intention to seek a legal opinion from Lisa Madigan, the state’s chief legal officer, on whether the sites can legally operate here. AGs in Massachusetts and New York have recently argued that major consumer protections are needed.
But at a meeting two weeks ago, the gaming board abruptly backed away from its request, with its spokesman saying the fantasy sports operations are “currently under review.”
The reason is Rauner. “We suggested to the Gaming Board that they should gather more information and complete a review before seeking an opinion from the AG, just as a matter of good practice,” Rauner Communications Director Lance Trover told me in an email. Rauner appoints the members of the gaming board.
“The administration believes there are laws on the books to deal with this issue,” Trover added. “As to requesting an opinion from the attorney general, that’s up to the IGB once they complete their review.”
I’m sure there’s zero coincidence that Eric signed up as a lobbyist for Draft Kings and Fan Duel earlier this month.
Elk said he had nothing to do with it, but again, this is a highly unusual move by a governor.
…Adding… As pointed out in comments, it probably doesn’t help Rauner’s position that he’s a part owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL has been a player in those fan sites.
States do not have the authority to turn away refugees, whose resettlement to the U.S. is overseen by the federal government. But Rauner was among a wave of mostly Republican governors who declared the program suspended in their states anyway, citing concerns about the government’s ability to adequately screen applicants. Rauner said he would “consider all of our legal options pending a full review of our country’s acceptance and security processes by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”
Left unclear was what exactly Rauner wanted from federal officials, and how his administration planned to suspend the program in Illinois. By the end of last week, even refugee advocates who opposed Rauner’s decision couldn’t point to any services that had been cut off as a result.
A set of email statements on Monday indicates the political fight is still going, even as it’s unclear what will be the practical effect, if any.
Emphasis added for obvious reasons.
Refugee advocates caved in Indiana when that state’s governor demanded that they not resettle refugees, but no such order has so far been issued by Gov. Rauner that we know of.
In a way, that’s a hopeful sign because the governor is apparently all about the politics here. On the other hand, he’s helping to needlessly gin up paranoia and angst about the refugees, so that’s all on him.
Pick a lane, dude.
* From US Sen. Dick Durbin…
The Honorable Bruce Rauner
Office of the Governor
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Dear Governor Rauner:
I urge you to end your opposition to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Illinois and instead join me in working to close loopholes in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and federal gun laws that truly endanger the safety of Illinoisans.
The conflict in Syria is the epicenter of the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. More than half of Syria’s 23 million people have been forced from their homes, and more than four million are registered as refugees, including approximately two million Syrian children. This tragedy was seared in our memory by the heartbreaking image of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean.
The United States has a long tradition of providing safe haven to refugees, and Illinois has played an important role in this proud history. Since the international community’s tragic failure to shelter Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi genocide, the American people have welcomed millions of refugees fleeing war and totalitarian regimes. We should not abandon the good work of generations of Americans who came before us.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson sent you the attached letter responding to your concerns about the security vetting of Syrian refugees. The facts are clear. Refugees are the most carefully vetted of all travelers to the United States, with in-person interviews and extensive biometric, biographic, and intelligence checks involving numerous agencies, including the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and the Department of Defense. No refugees are admitted to the United States until after successful completion of this stringent security screening regime, which can take 18-24 months. Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, the United States has admitted more than 2,000 Syrian refugees. None have been charged with involvement in terrorism, and only two percent are single men of military age.
Please during this holiday season take the time to meet the Syrian refugees living in Illinois and personally learn their plights. You will learn that the careless and mean-spirited rhetoric from many political leaders does not reflect the reality of their sad lives.
Our shared highest priority is the safety of the people of Illinois, but let’s be clear about where the greatest terrorism threat lies: not with children and families fleeing ISIS, but in glaring loopholes in the law that could allow what happened in Paris to happen somewhere in America. One significant concern is the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which allows about 20 million foreign nationals, more than one-third of all foreign visitors, to travel to the United States before checking biometrics like fingerprints. Chicago, which hosts about 1.4 million foreign visitors every year and is home to the busiest airport in the world, is at particular risk. Every participant in the Paris attacks who has been publicly identified held a passport from a VWP country. Terrorists such as Richard Reid, the “shoe bomber,” and Zacarias Moussaoui, a 9/11 co-conspirator, have sought to enter the United States through the VWP.
Only biographic (name-based) checks are conducted before VWP travelers are allowed to board airplanes and travel to the United States. Prior to departure, there are no checks against databases that use biometrics such as fingerprints. Fingerprint checks are conducted upon arrival in the United States, which is too late for a terrorist who might try to detonate an explosive on a plane. As U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) said:
“I would tell you, from a threat standpoint, I’m probably more concerned with the visa waiver program today. Were I in Europe already, and I wanted to go the United States, and were I not on a watch list or a no-fly list and I wanted to get there, the likelihood is I would use the visa waiver program before I would try to pawn myself off as a refugee.”
Vulnerabilities in the VWP are aggravated by a loophole in federal law that permits VWP travelers to buy firearms. Current law prohibits visa holders from other countries from purchasing guns, but excludes travelers from the 38 VWP countries. In 1998, I authored a federal law that prohibits visiting foreign nationals from buying or possessing a firearm in the United States if the foreigner “has been admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa.” In 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel determined that under the statute VWP travelers can legally purchase firearms because they have not technically “been admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa.”
Last week, I introduced S. 2323, the Visa Waiver Program Firearms Clarification Act, legislation that would close this loophole and clarify that the prohibition on buying firearms applies to foreign visitors whether they enter with a visa or not.
Congress also must address another critical gap in our gun laws. Current federal law prohibits nine categories of dangerous people from possessing firearms (e.g., felons, the mentally unstable, fugitives, etc.) but not suspected terrorists. The Government Accountability Office found that from 2004-2014, people who were on the FBI’s Terrorist Watchlist tried to buy guns from American gun dealers at least 2,233 times. In 2,043 of those cases – 91 percent of the time – these suspected terrorists were able to successfully buy the gun. I am an original cosponsor of S. 551, the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015, which would close this “terror gap” in our federal gun laws.
In conclusion, I respectfully request that you support the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Illinois and encourage your Republican allies in Congress to work with Democrats to address the critical gaps in our security infrastructure outlined above. Rather than targeting a few thousand refugees who are themselves fleeing from terrorism and are the most thoroughly vetted travelers to the United States, you should focus on 20 million VWP travelers who travel to our country and our state every year without adequate security checks, as well as an unknown number of suspected terrorists who are able to legally purchase firearms and dangerous explosives.
Bryce Benton, a state trooper and member of the Prairie Capital Convention Center’s board who sought last week to fill a vacancy in the Illinois House, said Monday he’s circulating petitions to run against state Sen. Sam McCann in the March Republican primary.
“The thing that I’ve been hearing … is the senator’s put himself in a position with the governor and the members of his own party and the legislature in general that he’s going to have a tough time advancing the interests of the people of central Illinois,” Benton said. […]
McCann also said he’d heard Benton was claiming Rauner’s support, but Benton denied having such support at this time. […]
McCann was the lone Republican in the Senate to vote with Democrats, and against Rauner’s position, when there was a 38-15 vote to override a Rauner veto of a bill that could have sent labor talks with state employee unions to arbitration.
Benton said he would have voted against the override – which ultimately failed in the House.
There will be a tendency for commenters to get all riled up and dismiss Benton today. But you should keep in mind that there is a ton of oppo on Sen. McCann out there. And that ain’t gonna look good in mailers.
He’s done a decent job of raising money this year, but McCann is gonna need lots more to make sure he can overcome the substantial negatives from that oppo if Benton taps into the Rauner bank account. There’s more to that district than state workers, so McCann has his job cut out for him.
* After a brief flirtation with moderate rhetoric, our old buddy Richard Goldberg reverts to form. All emphasis in original…
From: Richard Goldberg, Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs To: Members of the General Assembly
Date: November 23, 2015
Subj: Contingency Planning for HDEM Refusal to Compromise
On November 6, 2015, in response to a request from the Speaker’s Office, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) sent the Speaker’s Office a list of Fiscal Year 2016 “Other State Funds” appropriation items that the Governor would support as an amendment to HB 4305 in order to protect public safety and avoid the first state debt default since 1842.
On November 8, 2015, GOMB followed up with specific appropriations language to support that objective. Had the General Assembly enacted HB 4305 with our compromise proposal, a wide range of “Other State Funds” and federal pass-through funds would already be available, including funds to:
* feed our veterans;
* feed state prisoners;
* feed individuals with mental health issues;
* feed individuals with developmental disabilities;
* keep state troopers on the road;
* salt state roads and plow the snow;
* support community college programs;
* avoid defaulting on the state’s civic center bond debt;
* distribute Motor Fuel Tax, video gaming and 9-1-1 money to local governments; and
* pay lottery winners.
Notably all of these line-items come from “Other State Funds” or federal pass-through accounts – and most must be paid regardless of the final budget outcome.
Unfortunately, House Democrats decided not to consider our compromise proposal when the House convened on November 10, 2015. Moreover, rather than moving HB 4305 as an amendment to a Senate vehicle bill (to expedite enactment of funding for local governments and the lottery), House Democrats passed a brand new House bill that would constitutionally require three days of readings in the Senate – and then immediately placed a procedural hold to stop the bill from even going to the Senate. In short, not only did House Democrats reject a compromise to fund key public safety concerns, they decided to hold hostage all other funds for local governments as well.
Now with the first snow storm of the season behind us and a debt payment looming, we cannot assume House Democrats will return to Springfield in December to consider a compromise “Other State Funds” and federal pass-through funds bill that helps local governments, protects public safety and avoids a debt default without adding General Revenue Funds that would lock in a $5 billion budget deficit. Indeed, if past is prologue, we might expect more shenanigans that put politics over the needs of our citizens. Therefore, our administration will move forward with contingency financing options to protect the citizens of Illinois.
As always, our administration stands ready to compromise with any member of the General Assembly to enact structural reforms that turnaround Illinois alongside a balanced budget. We urge House Democrats to embrace the compromise we have offered on HB 4305 – a compromise that will defend the safety and security of our citizens without impacting the larger budget debate.
The teenager was killed in a tumultuous time. Ferguson, Missouri, had recently jumped off in riots after a police shooting of a young man, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel was entering a tougher-than-expected re-election battle.
The police department and the police union both quickly put out stories about how McDonald continued to approach the officer and therefore was shot. The story would have disappeared had it not been for an anonymous city employee telling freelance journalist Jamie Kalven and University of Chicago civil rights attorney Craig Futterman that video would tell a very different story.
But it took until five days after Emanuel’s April election victory for the City Council to learn about the incident, when it was asked to give the McDonald family $5 million without the family ever filing a lawsuit.
Chicago police officers deleted footage from a security camera at a Burger King restaurant located fewer than 100 yards from where 17-year old Laquan McDonald was shot and killed, according to a Chicago-area district manager for the food chain. […]
The 86-minutes of missing video runs from 9:13 p.m. to 10:39 p.m., according to the lawyers for McDonald’s family. He was shot at approximately 9:50 p.m.
The Burger King sits at 40th and Pulaski and has a series of outside security cameras. On the night of the shooting, McDonald was trailed by Chicago police officers through the Burger King parking lot after a call about a man with a knife, according to attorneys for the McDonald family. […]
After the shooting, according to Jay Darshane, the District Manager for Burger King, four to five police officers wearing blue and white shirts entered the restaurant and asked to view the video and were given the password to the equipment. Three hours later they left, he said.
The next day, when an investigator from the Independent Police Review Authority asked to view the security footage, it was discovered that the 86 minutes of video was missing.
Video captured by an in-camera squad car on the night a Chicago Police officer shot and killed 17-year-old LaQuan McDonald does not contain audio, according to attorneys for the McDonald family, who have viewed the tape. […]
“There’s no audio so we can’t hear the number of shots,” Neslund said. “My understanding is that there are two audio microphones in every CPD Tahoe that are supposed to be charged up, in fact the officers are supposed to be wearing them clipped to their uniform. But there is no audio from any of these vehicles as far as we know.”
A “preliminary statement” from the police News Affairs division, sent to the media early the next morning, said that after he had refused orders to drop the knife, McDonald “continued to approach the officers” and that as a result “the officer discharged his weapon, striking the offender.”
The McDonald story begins on Oct. 20 when police were called to an industrial area in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. There, the teen was reported by police to have been behaving erratically. Officers requested back up because they weren’t equipped with the Tasers they should have used to take McDonald down and arrest him.
McDonald was put down without the Tasers, anyway.
Van Dyke and four officers followed McDonald in their squad cars as he wandered, high on the PCP that was later found in an autopsy, waving a four-inch blade. The teen eventually teetered into the street from the side, prompting the need for officers to react, the police union spokesman Camden said. Van Dyke and other officers reportedly ordered McDonald to drop the knife.
When he didn’t comply, Van Dyke and his fellow officers tried to box McDonald in with their squad cars. McDonald responded by puncturing a tire.
What came next depends on who you believe, which is why so many have called for the release of the video that may answer the questions that have persisted since Oct. 20
Attorney Jeffrey Neslund is barred from releasing the dash-cam video he obtained from the city under conditions of a $5 million settlement expected to be approved Wednesday by the Chicago City Council.
But Neslund described the images to me.
Laquan McDonald, 17, is walking west in the middle of Pulaski Road at 40th Street. He has a knife in his right hand.
He is not running.
He is not lunging.
He is walking.
Two Chicago Police officers jump out of a Tahoe with their guns drawn.
McDonald is still walking west toward the sidewalk with a full lane of traffic separating him from one of the officers.
When the officer begins shooting, the first shots spin McDonald around. The officer continues to fire from a distance of between 12 and 15 feet.
McDonald falls.
The only movement is the puffs of smoke coming from the teen’s torso and his head.
The police officer comes into view and kicks the knife out of the boy’s right hand.
Van Dyke’s attorney, Daniel Herbert, reiterated Friday that the officer feared for his life and the lives of other officers at the scene. He said the video doesn’t capture the entire incident.
“I can’t speak why the (other) officers didn’t shoot,” Herbert told reporters. “But I certainly can speak to why my client shot, and it is he believed in his heart of hearts that he was in fear for his life and that he was concerned about the lives of (other) police officers.”
* The officer who was alleged to have fired his weapon 16 times into the teenager had been hit with 15 citizen complaints about his work, but was never disciplined.
A Chicago investigator who determined that several civilian shootings by police officers were unjustified was fired after resisting orders to reverse those findings, according to internal records of his agency obtained by WBEZ.
In 18 years with the Chicago Police Department, the nation’s second-largest, Jerome Finnigan had never been disciplined — although 68 citizen complaints had been lodged against him, including accusations that he used excessive force and regularly conducted illegal searches.
Then, in 2011, he admitted to robbing criminal suspects while serving in an elite police unit and ordering a hit on a fellow police officer he thought intended to turn him in. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. “My bosses knew what I was doing out there, and it went on and on,” he said in court when he pleaded guilty. “And this wasn’t the exception to the rule. This was the rule.”
Mr. Finnigan is one of thousands of Chicago police officers who have been the subject of citizen complaints over the years but have not been disciplined by the department, according to data released this month by the Invisible Institute, a nonprofit journalism organization, and the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic of the University of Chicago Law School. Such information is rarely made public and has come to light in Chicago only after a decade-long legal battle by the institute and the clinic.
Chicago Police officers were disciplined in only 3 percent of more than 56,000 misconduct complaints filed over a 12-year period, according to a new analysis. […]
Only 10 percent of the officers were accused of misconduct 10 or more times, but they accounted for 30 percent of the complaints.
And those “repeater” officers saw fewer of their complaints sustained than other officers. […]
Black Chicagoans accounted for 60 percent of the complaints, but less than 25 percent of the sustained complaints. Black cops were found guilty of a higher percentage of offenses than white cops and they were punished twice as often.
A source close to the investigation believes a Chicago police officer who fatally shot a teenager last year will be indicted on Tuesday.
The exact nature of the charges from State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez were not immediately known.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports that Mayor Rahm Emanuel held a conference call on Monday with key civic leaders, urging calm once a video of the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald is released.
In the call, the mayor called the shooting “hideous.”
Readout of Governor Rauner Calls with WH Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
CHICAGO – The following is a statement attributed to Lance Trover, Director of Communications:
“Governor Rauner and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough spoke by phone late Friday about the governor’s unanswered requests for information related to the Syrian refugee program. The Governor affirmed his commitment to be a partner with the federal government on the resettlement of refugees and noted a growing frustration over the federal government’s refusal to address specific security concerns and requests for information. Mr. McDonough offered to have Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas call the Governor to address his specific concerns. Governor Rauner and Deputy Secretary Mayorkas late Friday spoke by phone in follow-up to the Governor’s discussion with the White House Chief of Staff. Deputy Secretary Mayorkas expressed his interest in helping address the Governor’s requests for information about Syrian refugees coming to Illinois but said privacy concerns may preclude the federal government from sharing such information. Deputy Secretary Mayorkas agreed to assemble a team to address the Governor’s questions and would follow-up with the Governor’s Office to schedule a briefing time.”
Additional Background:
The Governor’s requests for information are as basic as it gets: who’s coming and when? As of today, the federal government refuses to provide prior notification to state officials before resettling Syrian refugees in that state and refuses to share the security background check vetting information conducted by federal intelligence agencies with that state’s law enforcement officials. While federal and state law enforcement work closely on a range of security issues, the federal government refuses to cooperate with states on information relating to Syrian refugees.
State Rep. Jack Franks, a Democrat from Marengo, has long been critical of the EDGE program. He’s said that he doubts “the EDGE credit programs works,” and he may well be correct.
“I don’t think the EDGE credit program works,” said Franks, who sponsored the 2003 corporate accountability law and co-chaired a House study last year on state tax policy. “I think it’s a loser, a dead-bang loser.”
As I’ve said many times, I’m not a huge fan of corporate giveaways, but the EDGE has had some significant successes…
Among the first firms approved for a special EDGE deal was Ford Motor Co., which said it is collecting more than $25 million in tax benefits for the last five years and could qualify for an additional $20 million over the next four years after upgrading plants in Chicago and Chicago Heights.
Ford officials said EDGE was among the factors that helped secure jobs at the Chicago-area plants, where it agreed to keep 2,600 workers but said the local payroll now approaches 5,500.
And the new UAW contract means Ford will soon be investing a billion dollars to upgrade that Chicago plant.
That looks like a rousing success to my eyes.
So, the idea should be to reform the program and, as Rep. Franks has often demanded, do something to help small businesses as well.
* As far as the reform part, the governor has been working on it…
Gov. Bruce Rauner is halting a practice that let dozens of companies collect millions of dollars in tax breaks for creating jobs at one office while eliminating a greater number of jobs at another location.
Though it is common for large companies to operate from multiple locations, the state’s flagship jobs program long allowed companies to treat every location, division or subsidiary as an independent operation. […]
His latest initiative will prevent companies from signing up repeatedly for deals and turning what was supposed to be a 10-year incentive into a long-term subsidy.
In addition to insisting on job creation rather than rewarding job retention, the new rules would require that companies add jobs relative to their total number of workers in the state instead of at just one location. Some past deals rewarded companies for adding workers in one location while they cut elsewhere.
Maisch argues that taking away the retention credits is a mistake since other states that still do it will have an advantage.
“I do think it weakens our hands,” he said. […]
“There needs to be a bipartisan consensus around what happens when (Wisconsin Gov.) Scott Walker comes to town and really does a good job of convincing an employer from, say, Lake County to come,” Maisch said. “I imagine we’ll be talking with (Rauner’s) office very quickly.”
This from the same guy who went all-in on the state’s gridlock, urging the governor to “hang in there.”
Considering how bad this state’s business reputation is (most of it self-inflicted, but a good part of it due to the constant and very loud bad-mouthing by people like Rauner and Maisch), unilateral disarmament may not be a great idea. Yeah, it’ll make some people feel good, but I don’t know if cutting off our noses to spite our faces is ever a wonderful plan.
We should definitely be more discerning and stingier about these corporate subsidies. We need to make sure that the process is much more open. We also need to do something significant to help small businesses. But killing off all these subsidies is about as “smart” as killing off all labor union protections. Meat axes aren’t smart.
* From SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana’s Facebook page…
Are you fed up with Rep. Ken Dunkin’s alliance with Gov. Rauner that’s torpedoed key legislation for Illinois working families, most recently SB 570 to reverse Bruce Rauner’s extreme child care cuts?
Meet Juliana Stratton, who is challenging Dunkin to represent the 5th district! Stratton is a true force for change – who has pledged to stand up to Bruce Rauner’s extreme agenda – not enable it.
We helped circulate petitions for Juliana over the weekend, and if you’d like to help too, please contact our Member Resource Center at 866-933-SEIU.
Today, Raja Krishnamoorthi filed over 400% of the required petitions to qualify for Illinois’ 8th District Democratic primary ballot in March and released an inside look at his grassroots campaign by the numbers.
In addition to establishing what observers have called a “huge head start” and “commanding financial lead,” Raja’s campaign already mobilized over 100 volunteers and contacted thousands of primary voters throughout the 8th District. In addition, Raja personally knocked on 1,126 doors.
Responding to the news, Raja said, “I am flattered by the outpouring of support and activity throughout the 8th District. It is clear that our message of helping working families reach and hold on to economic security is resonating with voters, and puts our campaign in a position to win. I’m happy to say that we’re just getting started.”
So far, Raja’s campaign has:
Called 11,897 voters
Knocked 10,116 doors
Activated 110 volunteers
Earned 106 grassroots endorsements
Held 13 coffees and open houses
Opened 1 office and 2 staging locations
Canvassed for 2,775 petition signatures
* From state Sen. Mike Noland…
Today the Noland for Congress campaign officially submitted 2,117 signatures to the Illinois State Board of Elections. By submitting these petitions and a statement of candidacy, Noland officially becomes a candidate in the Democratic Primary for Illinois’ 8th Congressional district.
“I am so humbled by the outpouring of support from voters across the northwest suburbs. Throughout this process I have had the opportunity to meet voters at their homes, at train stations, and at community events.” said Noland, who personally collected over 679 signatures from voters. “Voters are ready for change; they are tired of the same old Washington politics. Voters are yearning for effective goverment and I am the only the candidate in this race who has a record of creating change through the legislative process.”
Noland is currently the front-runner to replace Democratic Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, who is vacating her seat to run for the United States Senate. A recent poll conducted by one of Noland’s opponents showed him with a seven-point lead over his two challengers, and after voters are provided more information about the candidates, Noland’s lead expands. His campaign has earned the support of over a dozen labor organizations, Kane County Democrats, Northside Democracy for America, and over 75 elected officials including Senate President John J. Cullerton and former Senate President Emil Jones Jr.
* That poll was indeed interesting and I never got around to posting it, so here it is…
October 13, 2015
To: Interested Parties
Fr: Brian Stryker / Kevin Akins
Re: Summary of Democratic Primary Voters in Illinois CD-08
With less than six months until the primary, the race to become the Democratic nominee in IL-CD-08 is up for grabs. None of the three announced candidates has a defined brand throughout the district, and 41% of voters are undecided. Deb Bullwinkel trails initially, but voters quickly warm to her in the poll. If we have the financial resources to tell our story,Bullwinkel can win.
The Democratic primary to replace Tammy Duckworth is wide open.
• No candidate is known to move voters (Noland 36% name ID / Krishnamoorthi 34% name ID / Bullwinkel 17% name ID).
• As a result, the race for Congress is yet to be determined. The largest share of voters is undecided (41%); Mike Noland holds a small lead in the race (Noland 29% / Krishnamoorthi 22% / Bullwinkel 8%).
In an “informed vote” where voters hear more information about all three candidates, Bullwinkel gains the most vote share and tightens the race.
Information given to voters:
Deb Bullwinkel is the Mayor of Villa Park. Bullwinkel worked as a journalist out of college, covering our communities. She’s a small business owner who will fight for fair wages, she mentors students in Villa Park, and she worked at mental health nonprofits to help families get the health care they need. As Mayor she invested in infrastructure, creating hundreds of good paying middle-class jobs. Bullwinkel will go to Congress to fight for the middle class,working to bring good jobs here and make it easier to afford to raise a family.
Mike Noland is a Navy Veteran and State Senator from Elgin who says he’s the only proven progressive running and that he’s stood up against Republicans in Springfield. Noland will fight for universal health care and tax reform to help the middle class.
Raja Krishnamoorthi runs a small business in Schaumburg that creates renewable energy products. He also served as Deputy Treasurer for Illinois where he helped revamp the state’s unclaimed property system and ran a technology fund that created hundreds of good-paying jobs. Raja served as issues director for Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign and was an advisor to his Presidential campaign. Raja wants to bring common sense problem solving to Washington, not partisan politics based on ideologies.
• After voters hear positive information about each candidate, Bullwinkel gains +16 points (twice what Noland gains and four times what Krishnamoorthi gains). She moves within the margin of error of Raja (37% Noland / 26% Krishnamoorthi / 24% Bullwinkel).
o Krishnamoorthi’s lack of vote growth in this exercise suggests that his fundraising advantage will be muted by his less-compelling narrative.
• More people pick Bullwinkel as their second choice than the other two candidates (32% Bullwinkel / 29% Noland / 27% Krishnamoorthi), suggesting more expansion potential for Bullwinkel as voters get to know her better.
• The largest share of voters (41%) is currently undecided, and Bullwinkel wins them in the informed vote (32% Bullwinkel /28% Noland / 13% Krishnamoorthi).
Anzalone Liszt Grove Research conducted N=400 live telephone interviews with likely March 2016 Democratic Primary voters in Illinois’ Eighth Congressional District. Interviews were conducted between October 8-11, 2015. Respondents were selected at random, with interviews apportioned geographically based on past voter turnout. Expected margin of sampling error is ±4.9% with a 95% confidence level.
I don’t know much about Bullwinkel’s campaign yet, but those ain’t bad numbers if she can raise some cash. The takeaway on Noland is that if he raises enough money to get his message out he might be more competitive than some folks think.
* Before long it’ll just be Mark Brown and some interns over there…
Esteemed Chicago journalist Carol Marin is stepping down after 11 years as a columnist for the Sun-Times to join the faculty of DePaul University this spring.
The university announced Monday that Marin and her longtime producer, Don Moseley, will become co-directors of the new Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence and will teach investigative reporting classes in the College of Communication.
Marin, 67, will continue as political editor at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and a regular contributor to “Chicago Tonight” on public television WTTW-Channel 11. […]
The Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, president of DePaul University, said in a statement: “DePaul has an opportunity to shape the next generation of journalists and media professionals with the highest standards of ethics and quality. We are thrilled that the Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence will be led by two journalists who embody the ethical commitments we hope to teach.”
Carol and I have been friends for years. I wish her nothing but the best.
[Pastor Corey Brooks of the New Beginnings Church on Chicago’s South Side] said Sunday that shortly after he endorsed Rauner, who needed help courting black voters, membership at his church began to decline.
His congregation has since dwindled from about 1,250 people to about 650, Brooks said Sunday. Donations have also fallen by about half. And Brooks used to hold two Sunday services. He now holds one.
Both men insisted there were no strings attached to endorsement.
And while Rauner appointed Brooks to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority board in July, Brooks said Sunday that he has not benefited from the relationship. He’s paid $31,426 a year for the part-time job.
“I donate every penny of that [tollway board] salary to a not-for-profit called Project Hood to build a community center on the South Side,” Brooks said.
The governor was at the church handing out free turkeys this weekend.
A labor union representing Illinois home health care workers has filed legal action to force government payment of health insurance costs.
Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois filed suit in St. Clair County Circuit Court on Friday seeking a temporary restraining order against Gov. Bruce Rauner and Comptroller Leslie Munger.
The union contends that they have refused to pay the government’s portion of health insurance costs despite a contractual obligation. It says the state owes $1.5 million from last year and $11.8 million since July. The union says if the state doesn’t pay up, the workers will lose insurance after Dec. 31.
Despite a contract between home care workers in Illinois’ Home Services Program requiring the State to contribute health insurance benefits for workers, Gov. Rauner has refused to pay the State’s contribution to the workers’ health fund. Rauner’s administration owes the health fund $1.5 million from fiscal year 2015, as well as approximately $11.8 million for work already performed for the months of July through October in fiscal year 2016.
By violating the State’s legal obligation to make payments to the health fund, nearly 5,000 low-wage personal assistants are on the brink of losing their health insurance just as the Holiday Season begins. Most personal assistants are only given limited or part-time hours and make on average $15,000 to $18,000 annually.
To prevent this devastating harm to home care workers and to preserve the continuity of the workforce to provide services, SEIU Healthcare Illinois filed its Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order to protect the health insurance of its members.
If the State fails to honor its contractual obligations to continue health contributions for home healthcare workers, the workers will lose all of their health insurance after December 31st, 2015.
* I asked the governor’s office for a response…
Hi, Rich –
The state has no appropriation authority to pay the program because the majority party in the legislature has refused to pass a balanced budget.
* From Friday’s letter to President Obama signed by several governors, including Gov. Bruce Rauner…
Our country has long served as a welcoming beacon to individuals and families who seek safety and refugee status within the borders of the United States. For years we have been proud to welcome refugees into our communities in their pursuit of a better life and future.
Yes, we have. They’ve come from all over the world, including some of the worst hot spots like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon. About 800,000 have arrived since 9/11/2001 and not a single terrorist among them.
However, we are deeply concerned that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria may have exploited the generosity of the refugee system to carry out Friday’s terrorist attack in Paris.
There is some disagreement over whether or not any of the Parisian terrorists posed as refugees.
But people are using the same terminology for completely different types of refugees.
Europe has been dealing with waves of refugees flooding across its many porous borders. These are obviously not vetted refugees.
There has been no similar Syrian mass migration event to the United States. Instead, the Syrian civil war refugees we’ve let in so far (a very tiny number, by the way) have been vetted for up to two years. Unlike what’s happening in Europe, this is a controlled process. It’s not perfect by any means because it’s a human system. But it’s not even close to being completely and totally chaotic like in Europe.
So, anyone who equates the European refugee crisis with the intensely bureaucratic, slow-moving American refugee process is either ignorant or deliberately lying.
Not to mention that it’s a whole lot easier to enter the US through other means. Most of the Paris attackers had European passports. As long as they weren’t on the no-fly list, they could’ve boarded a plane to this country without effort. And that’s not to mention our home-grown terrorists, who are a much bigger problem than you’d think, particularly if you include street gang members.
In other words, if you are really worried about ISIS terrorists and not just interested in jumping on the latest bandwagon, then there are far more likely avenues to defend against than the glacially slow refugee vetting process.
While the tragic event was a direct assault on the European Union’s refugee system, the potential for this situation to arise in the United States is escalated by information revealed by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey. In testimony before Congress, he admitted to certain inadequacies in the system that would prevent the thorough vetting of the 10,000 refugees your administration has pledged to admit into the United States.
This was inded a “direct assault on the European Union’s refugee system” because the system was totally overwhelmed with waves of people flooding across borders that essentially no longer exist.
So again, the only way for “this situation to arise in the United States” is if hundreds of thousands of Syrians started flooding into our country uncontrolled and unvetted the way they’ve been flooding into Europe. That just ain’t gonna happen, so it’s a completely false equivalence.
But as I’ve said many times, no human system is ever perfect. If you want the government to guarantee your safety every minute of every day, then you’re living in a childish fantasy world, or you’re pandering to those who are.
We can talk all day about whether we should or shouldn’t be involved in helping the Syrian refugees, but I think Phil Kadner has the best analogy I’ve yet seen anywhere by anyone…
Would you have had the courage to open your door to shelter people running through the streets of Paris during the recent terrorist attacks in that city?
The brave souls who did exactly that did not know if they might be shot, if terrorists would pursue their targets into their homes or if the very people they were sheltering were the gunmen. They saw people in trouble and offered to help.
As governors, we are charged with ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our citizens.
Has Gov. Rauner spoken this often and this publicly about the killings on Chicago’s South and West Sides? I don’t ever remember seeing his plan to confront that violence, or even his thoughts about what’s going on. The last time I checked, Chicago was still in Illinois, and so as governor he’s most definitely “charged with ensuring the safety and wellbeing” of those citizens. Where’s his plan?
In order to adequately fulfill this duty, we request that you immediately review the process by which you conduct background checks on all individuals applying for refugee status and address the gaps acknowledged by your director of the FBI.
In the wake of this recent tragedy, and until we can ensure the citizens of our states that an exhaustive review of all security measures has been completed and the necessary changes have been implemented, we respectfully request that you suspend all plans to resettle additional Syrian refugees.
I actually don’t disagree with the first paragraph of this conclusion. It’s smart to reevaluate systems in the wake of attacks, even attacks thousands of miles from our shores. The Obama administration has not done nearly enough to assure people that this is happening. I get the frustration and the anger.
But I would also very much like to see our governor perform “an exhaustive review of all security measures” for residents of crime-ridden Illinois neighborhoods and “necessary changes” implemented, and perhaps a look at what we can do about the huge concentration of state parolees on the city’s West Side before the governor sticks his nose into US foreign policy. And I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
* Also, now that David Vitter has lost the Louisiana governor’s race after blatantly exploiting the Syrian refugee issue, perhaps the RGA, which claims to have recruited Gov. Rauner, can finally take the brick off the tempest-tost and we can all move along.
/rant
* Related…
* Some want to outlaw Islam: On Monday, The [Ottawa, IL] Times posted the Associated Press story on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s decision to stop accepting Syrian refugees in Illinois. The story attracted 167 comments and 792 “likes,” far more than most of our Facebook items. Those 167 comments don’t include the hundreds of replies to specific comments. One man wrote, “Islam should be outlawed in America. It is not conducive to assimilation and poses a threat to national security.” That comment alone drew 125 replies, many of which took him to task. Thirty-three people liked his posting. I didn’t take part in this debate, but here’s my response: This person needs to read the First Amendment, particularly the clause, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” What’s ironic is that this would-be prohibitionist of Islam “likes” the Facebook pages for the Constitution Party and the Federalist Papers, and he claims to be a conservative that opposes big government. Yet how much bigger can a government get than one that tells its citizens what it can and cannot believe?
Does anyone remember one of the central themes of the Illinois governor’s race last year?
We were told during campaign commercials and stump speeches that taxes were too high, the burden on Illinoisans too crushing. Residents were fleeing the state, businesses were atrophying or decamping for lower-cost pastures, startups were stymied.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has now talked up a tax freeze, and a two-year version of it has been advanced by the state Senate.
What’s the result of that discussion been? Well, look to the city of Peoria, raising tax rates in part to hedge their bets against a tax freeze (as well as pay for long-neglected road repairs). Peoria School District 150 is talking about a tax hike, just so they aren’t frozen out of new revenue.
Chillicothe’s Park District voted on an immense increase in its rate — nearly 70 percent — to the consternation of citizens in a taxing district that, many don’t realize, reaches into Far North Peoria as well. East Peoria is mulling a hike to preserve a stream of income.
Some smaller taxing bodies that fly under the radar — think library districts and their ilk — have weighed the same during their budgeting process.
Short of hanging a “Mission Accomplished” banner, there’s not much tax freeze proponents like Rauner can do to highlight the questionable success of their effort so far. In fact, the tax burden on some in central Illinois — both of your columnists included — is about to be higher than ever.
And meanwhile, what those local governments really say they need — getting rid of costly unfunded mandates that eat up taxpayer money — hasn’t come to pass. A task force working to identify those may have a report soon, which starts a fight throughout the next year or more.
I wanted to let you know that I’ve decided not to run for Comptroller in the 2016 special election.
Many many people put an extraordinary amount of effort into this campaign, and I’m more grateful than you can know. Thank you very, very much.
As you might imagine, this was a very hard decision for me. Let me explain how I arrived at it.
I began the campaign early last spring, convinced that the Comptroller’s office was the best place from which I could advocate for sane, sustainable, progressive fiscal policies and push back against Governor Rauner’s radical anti-worker agenda. I was honored that many of you agreed, and the campaign began to gain steam.
Not too long after, Susana Mendoza, Chicago’s City Clerk, joined the race. Susana and I come from very different political backgrounds, but I consider her a friend. We also have similar positions on many issues, and we have a lot of allies in common. Plenty of those allies supported me, and lots supported her. As time went on, Susana was able to secure the support of many of the most powerful entities in Illinois Democratic politics.
This left me frankly quite uncertain about our chances of success, but one thing was very clear to me: in order to win, I’d need to wage an extraordinarily expensive, very divisive campaign. It was a sure-fire recipe for all sides to squander resources and generate ill will.
As this situation developed, something else was happening. Illinois was locked in an unconscionable budget stalemate with cruel and tragic consequences for many of our citizens. In order to even discuss the budget, Governor Rauner continued to insist on radical policies that would reshape the economic fabric of Illinois, weakening workers precisely at the moment that the middle class is in a uniquely precarious position.
Given all that, it seemed like the last thing the state and the Democratic party needed was an expensive and divisive campaign for Comptroller. This is a moment when we need to be united, and we need to be focused on solving problems and winning the existential battles that the governor has created.
That’s why I’m withdrawing from this race and offering Susana Mendoza my full support in her campaign for Comptroller.
This is not only about dropping out in recognition of our need for unity. It’s also an acknowledgment that what’s happening in Springfield right now is critical for our state’s future. By stepping aside, I can now focus all my attention on what must always be the most important goal: enacting progressive and sustainable public policies, and breaking down the power structures that cause Springfield to work for economic and political elites rather than the people on behalf of whom government is supposed to exist in the first place.
The Comptroller’s race isn’t the place I’m going to do that work, but the work goes on. Thank you for your friendship, your support, and your commitment to this vital project. I’m lucky to count you as a friend, and our democracy is lucky to count you as a citizen.
Earlier this month when the General Assembly was in Springfield, House Speaker Michael Madigan called Senate President John Cullerton six different times to ask him to move the child care program restoration legislation once it passed the House.
Yes, you read that right. Six times.
The man is most definitely single-mindedly persistent.
As you probably already know, the deal cut with Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office by state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields, and others to mostly restore the draconian Child Care Assistance Program cuts Rauner made this past summer involved not voting on a bill which would’ve fully restored the governor’s cuts.
rich-miller-for-crains.jpg
Madigan wanted that bill to pass, however, and apparently believed through much of the day that his chamber would pass it, even though it seemed obvious that Rep. Ken Dunkin, D-Chicago, had once again jumped into the political bed with the GOP governor. Some House Republicans were talking about voting for the bill, though, and that kept Madigan’s hopes alive.
Because he thought it still had a shot, Madigan would not relent on Cullerton. And while the constant calls reportedly irritated Cullerton to no end, they didn’t work. Cullerton backed up his member’s deal and the Speaker was politely refused. Six times. The bill died in the House when all Republicans and Dunkin voted against the Speaker.
Madigan’s pressure on Cullerton was pretty darned ironic since Madigan is sitting on several Cullerton bills that the Speaker has long refused to move. Cullerton’s chamber has twice passed minimum wage increase bills which have gone nowhere in the House despite the fact that Madigan pushed a referendum last year to raise the minimum wage. Cullerton also passed a property tax freeze bill which provides more money for Chicago Public Schools and kills off the state’s ancient school funding formula. But that hasn’t moved in the House, either.
Cullerton has sent four appropriations bills to the House, but instead of using one of those as a vehicle to fund municipalities, 911 call centers, Lottery winners, etc., the Speaker refused the governor’s requests for additional items and stuck everything he wanted on a House bill, which he then froze in place with a parliamentary hold after his chamber passed it with a huge bipartisan majority.
Madigan’s move not only upset local mayors, who really want their money, but also agitated Senators in both political parties.
Because Madigan put a hold on the bill, Cullerton couldn’t start the legally required process of “reading” the legislation for three days, which means he now has to bring members back for more than a single day if they return in December.
OK, that doesn’t sound like much, and it may not be of concern even to people who do this for a living. But we’re in the holiday season, so getting legislators back to Springfield isn’t as easy as you’d think, not to mention that if members have to return, they would rather not be in Springfield longer than a single day. Again, it’s not the worst problem in the world, but it has aggravated the rank and file to no end.
One of the biggest reasons why Madigan was angry with Cullerton for allowing the child care funding deal to happen is that Madigan just doesn’t trust the governor to keep his word.
Madigan didn’t believe that Rauner would keep his promise to fund the child care program and will instead once again use the program — which helps move tens of thousands of parents off of welfare and into work and college — as a hostage for whatever else Rauner wants sometime down the line.
So, when the Department of Human Services’ top lawyer testified last week about the governor’s new administrative rules to fund the program, the House Democrats attempted to get him on record that the Department would indeed be restoring the full program once a budget deal is in place, which was the deal cut by Rauner and rank-and-file legislative Democrats. The attorney refused to say either way, and House Democrats saw that as yet more proof that Rauner can’t keep his word.
Even a statement by the governor’s office later in the day assuring everyone that the deal stood as made didn’t satisfy the House Democrats, who are still obviously upset with the Senate.
There has probably been tension between the House and the Senate since 1818, when the state was founded. And it has certainly been far worse, like, for instance, when Emil Jones was Senate President and openly warred with Speaker Madigan, who repeatedly returned the favor.
Staffers for Illinois House Democrats were first in line, having had volunteers outside the door since Thursday. They carted in petitions for more than 100 candidates, said Tim Mapes, chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, and treasurer of Democratic Majority, a committee that helps elect Democrats to the House.
The House GOP campaign operation also was on hand, with staffers in line since Saturday. They were filing about 100 sets of petitions Monday. […]
Incumbents Reps. John D’Amico, D-Chicago, and Michael McAuliffe, R-Chicago, each joined their respective staffs before 7 a.m. Monday. […]
McAuliffe said that when collecting signatures, he didn’t hear much about the budget standoff, though some people said, “’I want to get my lottery money,’ or ‘I can’t buy a lottery ticket,’” because many payouts are on hold due to the impasse.
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is running Illinois delegate slates packed with some of the best-connected political figures in the state the Sun-Times has learned. […]
In Illinois, the delegate selection process was led by two diehard Clinton allies, Kevin Conlon, the president of Conlon & Dunn Public Strategies, and attorney Kevin O’Keefe. […]
A sampling of the Chicago-area Clinton delegate slates shows among the elected officials: Cook County Board President Toni Precwinkle, Chicago Treasurer Kurt Summers, state Sens. Kwame Raoul, Mattie Hunter, Jacqueline Y. Collins and Terry Link, state Reps. Sara Feigenholz; Jack Franks, Linda Chapa Lavia, Lou Lang, Mary Flowers and Barbara Flynn Currie, and from the City Council, Ald. Leslie Hairston.
Among activists and operatives are Lauren Beth Gash, Anna Valencia and Rick Garcia.
Among the wives of elected officials are Caroline Rush, the wife of Rep. Bobby Rush; Soraida Gutierrez, wife of Rep. Luis Gutierrez; Aesook Byon, the wife of Rep. Bill Foster, and Shirley Madigan, wife of Illinois House Speaker and state Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan.
State Sen. Daniel Biss is pulling out of contention in the Democratic primary for Illinois Comptroller, making way for Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza, two top Democratic sources told POLITICO Illinois. […]
“We’ve known Dan Biss since his time in the House. We’ve worked with him. He’s a good, solid Democrat,” said Madigan spokesman and Illinois Democratic Party spokesman Steve Brown. “We’re just happy there’s not a primary. The party is always stronger when there aren’t primary battles.”
Biss could not immediately be reached for comment.
Madigan had foiled Biss at just about every turn. The county party chairmen’s endorsement of Mendoza was a major blow.
Brown told me he was told earlier today that Biss wouldn’t file petitions come Monday. So, this story seems pretty legit and I’ve also been able to confirm it.
* But here’s how Biss responded via text after I asked if he was out of the race…
We’ll see…will have more for you on this by Sunday night.
State Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston on Sunday dropped his bid for the Democratic nomination for state comptroller, paving the way for Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza to challenge Republican Leslie Munger in next year’s general election.
Biss, a member of the legislature since 2011, said he had decided to drop out of the race to avoid a divisive primary contest that he thought would endanger Democratic efforts to capture the comptroller’s office.
“It was getting to be a more expensive and divisive battle,” Biss said. “I don’t think that’s what the party needs right now. There’s a bigger cause right now.”
Biss said he had set a deadline of Sunday afternoon to make a decision on whether to run. Monday marks the start of the one week filing period for most candidates in the March 15 primary to file candidacy nominating petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
* Well, now we may know why the G wanted Dorothy Brown’s mobile phone. From the US Attorney…
A Glenview man who was hired by the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office after purportedly loaning $15,000 to a company controlled by the Clerk’s husband lied under oath when testifying about it before a grand jury, according to a federal indictment announced today.
In August 2014, SIVASUBRAMANI RAJARAM purportedly loaned $15,000 to Goat Masters Corporation, whose president was the husband of the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk. The following month, Rajaram was hired by the Clerk’s Office as a level four Senior Clerk. Rajaram had previously worked in the Clerk’s Office but had been living in India for several years.
On or about Oct. 1, 2015, Rajaram testified before a federal grand jury that was conducting an investigation of possible criminal violations in connection with the purchasing of jobs and promotions within the Clerk’s Office. During his testimony, Rajaram said he had not spoken to the Circuit Court Clerk after his 2014 hiring. He also testified he had only spoken to another high-ranking employee of the Clerk’s Office “three or four times” since returning to Chicago from India, and that the conversations were not by phone.
The indictment alleges that both statements were false. According to the indictment, Rajaram spoke with both the Clerk and the high-ranking employee after being re-hired in 2014. His conversations with the high-ranking employee occurred dozens of times via cell phone, according to the indictment.
The indictment was returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Rajaram, 48, of Glenview, was charged with one count of making false declarations before a grand jury. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The Court has not yet scheduled an arraignment hearing.
The indictment was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Anita Alvarez, Cook County State’s Attorney; Patrick M. Blanchard, Cook County Inspector General; and Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Heather McShain and Ankur Srivastava.
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
Our country has long served as a welcoming beacon to individuals and families who seek safety and refugee status within the borders of the United States. For years we have been proud to welcome refugees into our communities in their pursuit of a better life and future.
However, we are deeply concerned that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria may have exploited the generosity of the refugee system to carry out Friday’s terrorist attack in Paris. While the tragic event was a direct assault on the European Union’s refugee system, the potential for this situation to arise in the United States is escalated by information revealed by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey. In testimony before Congress, he admitted to certain inadequacies in the system that would prevent the thorough vetting of the 10,000 refugees your administration has pledged to admit into the United States.
As governors, we are charged with ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our citizens. In order to adequately fulfill this duty, we request that you immediately review the process by which you conduct background checks on all individuals applying for refugee status and address the gaps acknowledged by your director of the FBI.
In the wake of this recent tragedy, and until we can ensure the citizens of our states that an exhaustive review of all security measures has been completed and the necessary changes have been implemented, we respectfully request that you suspend all plans to resettle additional Syrian refugees.
Sincerely,
Governors Robert Bentley of Alabama, Doug Ducey of Arizona, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Rick Scott of Florida, Nathan Deal of Georgia, Butch Otter of Idaho, Bruce Rauner of Illinois, Mike Pence of Indiana, Terry Branstad of Iowa, Sam Brownback of Kansas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Paul LePage of Maine, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Chris Christie of New Jersey, Susana Martinez of New Mexico, Pat McCrory of North Carolina, Jack Dalrymple of North Dakota, John Kasich of Ohio, Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota, Bill Haslam of Tennessee, Greg Abbott of Texas, Gary Herbert of Utah, Scott Walker of Wisconsin, and Matt Mead of Wyoming.
* Sometimes you need a decoder ring to figure out Steve Brown. Mine doesn’t appear to be working today. From Sneed…
So what does powerful House Speaker Mike Madigan think of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s decision to block new Syrian refugees from Illinois?
“The speaker is out of town at the funeral of his father-in-law,” said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown. “But I think it is safe to say most people understand the governor has no power or authority over who crosses the border — especially if people keep leaving Illinois!”
So, is he talking about how the governor is in Las Vegas for the RGA convention right now, or the exodus of people retiring out of state or leaving to look for work elsewhere? Or… ?
Sara Wojcicki Jimenez was unanimously chosen on Friday by the 99th State House District Representative Committee to replace former State Rep. Raymond Poe (R-Springfield).
Jimenez, Chief of Staff to First Lady Diana Rauner, was raised in Springfield and offers a unique profile to the Republican Party while demonstrating a compassion and understanding of state government, the legislative process and a key ability to be a strong advocate for Sangamon County residents in state government.
“Sara Wojcicki Jimenez is a rising star in the Republican Party who will be a unique voice for Sangamon County in state government,” said Sangamon County Republican Chairman Rosemarie Long. “Sara has served as an elected official in Springfield and is well known in the community. She has immense state government experience as a former state house reporter, Press Secretary for House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Chief of Staff to the First Lady. Sara will be able to hit the ground running on day one.”
“Sara Wojcicki Jimenez is a good choice to serve as State Representative for Sangamon County,” said former Rep. Raymond Poe. “Many good candidates applied, including close friends and supporters. The committee had a tough decision to make.”
“I am excited to see a highly accomplished woman represent Sangamon County in the legislature,” said former Springfield Mayor Karen Hasara. “Sara Wojcicki Jimenez is tremendously qualified and will be a terrific legislator. I am honored to have Sara as my State Representative.”
“Sara Wojcicki Jimenez has an incredible background – state house reporter, communications professional and senior state government official – and that background will be invaluable in the state legislature,” said Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter. “As a woman with a young family and wife of a current state employee, Sara will be able to advocate for Sangamon County in state government unlike anyone else.”
The vacancy for the state representative seat was created when Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Raymond Poe to be Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
The 99th State House District Representative Committee consisted of Sangamon County Republican Chairman Rosemarie Long and two Sangamon County Republican Precinct Committee members within the 99th State House District. On Thursday, the Sangamon County Republican Central Committee voted to appoint Mary Sneed and Collins Piper, both Republican Precinct Committee members, to serve on the Representative Committee along with Chairman Long.
Jimenez will be sworn in as the 99th District State Representative this coming week.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Another press release…
First Lady Diana Rauner and Governor Bruce Rauner issued the following statement regarding Sara Wojcicki Jimenez:
“We offer our sincerest congratulations to Sara on her pending appointment to the Illinois House of Representatives. As a key member of the Administration, she has been a tireless worker who helped advance key priorities from agency transformation to restoring the Executive Mansion. We will miss working alongside her every day.
“Sara is a true public servant, with a wonderful spirit and passion for serving the people of Illinois. We know she will represent her district admirably in the General Assembly and look forward to the contributions she’ll make on behalf of her constituents and all Illinoisans.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Leader Durkin…
“I look forward to welcoming Sara Wojcicki Jimenez as the newest member of the House Republican Caucus. She is joining the Illinois General Assembly during a very important time in our state’s history, I am certain she is up to the challenge. Congratulations to Sara.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** From the Sangamon County Democratic Party…
Sangamon County has a long history of representation by legislators from both parties who have stood up for the rights of the working people. Unfortunately, those days are ending.
“Once again, the Governor has created a vacancy in a Sangamon County House seat and hand – picked the replacement” said Sangamon County Democratic Party Chairwoman Doris Turner. “No longer will the middle class of the 99th District have a true representative – one who will stand up for their rights while on the job and into their retirement” Turner added. If the track record of Governor Rauner’s replacements is any guide, State of Illinois employees, as well as other middle class families living and working in Sangamon County, have another Rauner clone who will vote as Rauner wishes and against the interest of local families.
What makes Governor Rauner’s influence in these appointments even more curious is the fact that the Republican voters in Sangamon County overwhelmingly rejected candidate Rauner in the primary. Despite that, he has taken over their representation at the Capitol.
The RGA has avoided congressional Republicans’ problems, especially in hard-to-win blue states, by playing a relentless but “quiet” role in recruiting candidates that fit their states, [Phil Musser, a former executive director of the RGA] said.
Moderate Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker started going to RGA conferences years before he first ran for the office in 2010. After losing to then-Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick in a three-way race, Baker was reluctant to try again four years later.
The RGA responded by organizing a barrage of phone calls from GOP governors and major donors to convince Baker another run would be worth it.
“He needed folks to come to him and say: ‘We’ll have your back,’” said Phil Cox, who served as the RGA’s executive director when Baker won in 2014. “And we were all over him.”
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner was a RGA donor for years before a similar recruiting pitch helped convince him to run for office himself in 2013. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey started attending RGA conferences four years before he ran and won last year.
I don’t know much about Massachusetts or Arizona, but that may be a bit of RGA resume inflation regarding Rauner.
The candidate petition deadline is coming up and Aldertrack is gearing up. Pre-order the Illinois Racing Form and guarantee yourself a fresh digital copy of the most current information the day after the first filing day as well as weekly updated candidate information throughout the entire 2015 election season. First Report Due Tuesday, November 24.
For just $15 the Illinois Racing Form will include:
* Each Representative and Senate district with its own map and list of candidates, along with district’s past performance
* Candidate filings
* Weekly campaign funding reports
* Candidate political committee tracking and independent expenditure committee tracking
* Updates on statements of financial interests
* Weekly updates on objections to candidates’ filings
* Candidates’ social media presences, including websites, Facebook , LinkedIn and Twitter
We’ll send an update email once a week with a link to download the most recent version of the Racing Form. And… if you subscribed to the Chicago Racing Form, you know that we’ll have plenty more surprises as the campaign season wears on.
It’s a great deal, so go check it out. I’m not making anything off of this, by the way. I just think AlderTrack does good work.
* This entire case could be moot if the House Speaker removes his hold on the funding bill and the Senate returns in early December to pass it…
A U.S. District Court judge on Wednesday sent parties in a lawsuit against the Illinois Lottery by unpaid lottery winners into settlement talks while the case continues.
Chief Judge Ruben Castillo said he will refer the case on an expedited basis to Magistrate Judge Mary Rowland, who will oversee the discussions.
Illinois has not been paying lottery winners of $600 or more since October, due to a state budget impasse between the Republican governor and the Democratic-controlled legislature. The state has continued to advertise games, sell tickets and hold lottery drawings. […]
The judge set a briefing schedule that culminates with a Dec. 16 hearing. The case expanded earlier this month to include dozens of state lotteries participating in the Mega Millions and Powerball games. The amended lawsuit also included a motion to stop the other state lotteries from sending Illinois its share of multi-state lottery winnings.
As we’ve seen time and time again, federal judges don’t care much about state constitutional requirements.
* Related…
* Illinois pilots grounded in budget fight: Yet, the same five pilots who formerly flew the planes were still on the payroll, earning a combined $39,500 per month.
Kenneth Harman, Jr., Illinois Corn Growers Association President; Richard Guebert, Jr., Illinois Farm Bureau President; and Raymond E. Defenbaugh, Illinois Renewable Fuels Association President issued the following joint statement today regarding the anti-ethanol campaign currently underway in Illinois.
“The anti-ethanol smear campaign currently underway in Illinois is heavy on rhetoric and short on facts. The timing is suspicious, as we’re just about ten days away from the deadline that requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s release of its final rule making on the Renewable Fuel Standard RVO requirement. Such a desperate, expensive spend on advertising reflects the precarious position of Big Oil. They don’t have a leg to stand on.
“We know that the Renewable Fuel Standard has been one of the most successful energy policies ever enacted. It has rejuvenated rural economies, created jobs nationwide, and lowered prices at the pump, all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“EPA recognizes that corn ethanol provides a significant reduction in greenhouse gasses. In fact, global ethanol production and use is estimated to reduce those emissions by 100 million metric tons. That’s like taking 20 million vehicles off the road. U.S. ethanol production each year displaces the gasoline equivalent of 512 million barrels of crude oil. That’s more than we import annually from Saudi Arabia.
Illinois is the second largest producer of ethanol in the country, so we’re talking big bucks here.
How familiar are you with a federal law on the books called the Renewable Fuel Standard, which mandates certain amounts of biofuels to be added to the nation’s fuel supply?
TOTAL FAMILIAR 37%
TOTAL NOT FAMILIAR 63%
VERY FAMILIAR 4%
SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR 33%
NOT VERY FAMILIAR 29%
NOT AT ALL FAMILIAR 34%
DON’T KNOW/REFUSED
Question 8
Let me give you some information about the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS. The RFS is a federal program established in 2005 and expanded in 2007 that requires biofuels, such as corn ethanol, to be blended into your gasoline. The RFS requires more and more biofuels, particularly corn ethanol, be blended added to the nation’s fuel supply each year.
Based on what you know, do you agree or disagree with the RFS and the increased use of corn ethanol in our nation’s fuel supply each year?
Now, let me tell you a bit more about the RFS. When the RFS was created, Congress included specific targets for how much ethanol should be added to the fuel supply each year, with the numbers going up each year. But earlier this year, EPA said that those congressional targets were too high, in part because demand for gasoline has actually gone down. That’s something Congress never predicted, and which wasn’t included in the original models.
Knowing this, would you be more or less likely to support the existing RFS and the HIGHER ethanol mandate targets?
MORE LIKELY 32%
LESS LIKELY 59%
DON’T KNOW/REFUSED 9%
Question 10
And, which of the following statements comes closest to your view?
ETHANOL LEVELS SHOULD FOLLOW THE PRE-EXISTING TARGETS THAT WERE ESTABLISHED BY THE RFS IN 2007, REGARDLESS OF HOW THE DEMAND FOR FUEL CHANGES 30%
THE EPA SHOULD BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE MANDATED ETHANOL VOLUME NUMBERS IN RESPONSE TO FLUCTUATIONS IN THE FUEL MARKET 61% DON’T KNOW/REFUSED 8%
After being presented with the key findings of the Princeton study, which found that corn ethanol production nearly doubled greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over 30 years, compared to conventional gasoline, 78 percent were less likely to support the RFS and higher ethanol targets. As the survey continued, 73 percent of voters believed that the ethanol mandate has an overall negative effect on the environment. 83 percent told us they were less likely to support the program once they learned of the Environmental Working Group study that found ethanol production in 2014 resulted in 27 million more tons of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere. 72 percent of Illinoisans were less likely to support the RFS and higher ethanol targets after learning that scientists at the Sandia National Lab, a federally funded research institution, found that producing one gallon of ethanol from irrigated corn could require up to 880 gallons of water. And 83 percent believe mandating that more corn ethanol be added to the fuel supply could decrease the country’s water supply.
Friday, Nov 20, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Earthmover Credit Union in Aurora recently learned one of its member families was in a desperate situation. After a devastating electrical fire broke out in their home, this family of six lost nearly everything they owned. “Earthgivers,” the credit union’s charity committee, immediately jumped into action.
The goal was to raise $1,500 in one month. Candy bars were sold at all five Earthmover branch locations. Clothing donations were accepted from members and the community. Word quickly spread about this family’s plight and the credit union soon doubled its goal. In the end, more than $3,000 was raised for this family to purchase new clothing and begin to replace personal belongings.
People before profits. It’s a credit union principle that remains constant – and another reason why members know their credit union will be there for them, no matter the circumstances.
Congressman Bobby Rush called a news conference Friday to discuss his re-election plans and while most expect him to announce he’s running again, there is speculation he is considering retiring.
When asked if the event was Rush’s campaign kickoff, his press secretary said “you’ll have to come to the announcement.” Some speculate Rush wants to remain on the primary ballot, so that if he chooses to retire after the March primary, he can help hand pick his successor.
Rush to run again: House Democrat Rep. Bobby Rush on Friday plans to announce he’s running for a 13th term in Congress. The Chicago lawmaker will make it official at a 10:30 a.m. news conference at the Gary Comer Youth Center, 7200 S. Ingleside Ave.
The 68-year-old Democrat is declaring his candidacy for re-election as the deadline looms for potential challengers to file nomination petitions to run for his seat. A cancer survivor, Rush missed several House votes this year and last because of his wife’s poor health and has been the subject of retirement rumors for some time.
I think both outlets might turn out to be right. Time will tell.
ICIRR Urges Governor Rauner to Embrace Syrian Refugees
Political, Religious and Immigrant Leaders Call for Acceptance
WHAT: The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) will host a press conference following our meeting with senior staff for Governor Bruce Rauner Friday morning. ICIRR and our allies will encourage the Governor to reconsider his decision to suspend resettlement of Syrian refugees in Illinois and to embrace Illinois’ long standing policy of welcoming and acceptance.
WHEN: November 20, 2015
1PM Press Conference
WHERE: ICIRR conference room, 55 E. Jackson, suite 2075, Chicago
WHO: Father Larry Dowling, Priests for Justice, Archdiocese of Chicago
Reverend Michael Mann, United Methodist Church, Northern IL conference
Suzanne Akhras Sahloul, Syrian Community Network
Lawrence Benito, CEO, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Ahmed Rehab, executive director CAIR-Chicago
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
WHY: The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) will meet with senior staff of Governor Bruce Rauner Friday morning to discuss his decision to suspend resettlement of Syrian refugees in Illinois. ICIRR will encourage the Governor to both embrace refugees who are fleeing persecution and acknowledge the rigorous screening process refugees must complete before settling in Illinois.
Refugees are thoroughly vetted and must complete background checks, interviews, extensive screening and case file reviews to be considered for resettlement. The process can take over24 months, and thus far only about 100 Syrian refugees have arrived in Illinois.
On Wednesday, the Chicago City Council reaffirmed the city’s longstanding commitment to immigrants and refugees, and ICIRR is urging the Governor and all city, state, and nation leaders to do the same. At Friday’s press conference leaders from all backgrounds, faiths and perspectives will join together and reaffirm the importance of acceptance and diversity to the foundation of this country.
(T)wo Illinois Democrats joined a veto-proof House majority in Washington, D.C., on Thursday in passing a bill to require more stringent security checks on refugees from Iraq and Syria who want to enter the U.S.
The measure, drawn up after the Paris terror attacks, passed 289-137.
Joining all eight House Republicans from Illinois in supporting the bill were Democratic Reps. Dan Lipinski of Western Springs and Cheri Bustos of East Moline.
The state’s eight other House Democrats voted no. Altogether, the bill drew support from 47 Democrats. Passage came despite a White House threat to veto the measure, which is called the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act.
*** UPDATE *** Doesn’t sound like the meeting had any impact…
“The Administration explained to the groups that while Illinois wants to be a welcoming place for refugees, the federal government is still not sharing critical information requested by states,” Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said. “We hope they will advocate with federal representatives to encourage more information sharing from the federal government to the states.”
* You’ll remember this press release from yesterday…
GROUP TO RAUNER: ILLINOIS GOV’T IS NOT A DICTATORSHIP!
Coalition Sheds Light On Governor’s Back-Door Move for Massive Charter Expansion, Demands Rejection of Federal Funds
WHAT: Parents, community organizations, school board members and elected officials will join together before the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) meeting on Friday, November 20th at 9am to protest the undemocratic decision making from ISBE to expand charter schools in Illinois without public input.
ISBE applied for and received a federal grant of $42.5 million to open 48 new charter schools – 24 for Chicago over the next 5 years and 24 for the rest of the state. But the grant only covers start-up funding, with no funds to run schools once they open, thus cannibalizing the same inadequate public dollars funding existing schools.
* The ISBE responds…
ISBE could never do what is being suggested in this release. ISBE is required by law to offer the money - once awarded - to start-up charter schools through sub-grants that are decided based on a highly regulated and competitive state procurement process.
This procurement process is governed strictly by the state procurement code to ensure transparency and fairness. The program will help educate and empower school districts to consider the ways in which charter schools can support and encourage educational innovation, community partnerships and improved student outcomes.
It will build on ISBE’s current initiatives to help all schools promote academic excellence by providing equitable options for all students to ultimately close the achievement gap.
In addition, I was told earlier: “There have been no decisions made on selection or funding for any expansion of a charter school at this time as it is still too early in the process. ISBE will release an RFP later this fall by which those determinations will be made. The purpose of the presentation in [today’s] Board meeting is to explain this RFP process.”
The task force is made of legislators, mayors and a library trustee. During the meeting, they approved recommendations like incentivizing schools to consolidate and encouraging municipalities to share equipment.
Then, came this proposal “to make collective bargaining permissive, instead of mandatory.”
Before they could vote, they were interrupted by the song of a banjo, then a choir singing the song “Solidarity Forever.” The chorus repeats the title phrase, then goes on to say “for the union makes us strong.”
The task force’s chair, Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, tried to pushed on, saying “I suppose someone put us on hold, without mute…” when the song again began to play. It happened several more times, including as a coda until the call ended after Sanguinetti adjourned the meeting.
While only a small percentage of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, the average governor’s approval rating is a healthy 54 percent. An average of 34 percent disapproved.
Running for president appears to be a good path to a lousy approval rating in one’s home state, the surveys show. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker – both of whom have an approval rating of just 40 percent — join Jindal near the bottom of the rankings (Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who sports a 59 percent approval rating, is the lone exception).
On the other hand, voters appear to give the benefit of the doubt to governors who have only recently won office: Less than a year into their terms, Baker, Hogan, Alaska’s Walker, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) all have approval ratings north of 59 percent. Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) both have approval ratings over 50 percent.
Only one new governor – Illinois’s Bruce Rauner (R) – is seen in a negative light: His approval rating, 42 percent, is three points lower than the percentage who disapprove of the job he’s doing.
Rauner never really had great numbers during the campaign, and these are 2016 voters, so it’s a more Democratic sample. I seriously doubt this poll would cause any sort of panic on Team Rauner.
* Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, Illinois’ richest man, on CNBC…
“We live in Illinois, which is economically depressed due to an overreaching government that can’t control its spending.”
…Adding… Illinois’ population is 4 percent of the nation’s, but it gained 5 percent of last month’s robust 271,000 new jobs…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that Illinois’ nonfarm payroll employment gained +14,100 jobs and the unemployment rate in October held at 5.4 percent, based on preliminary data released by the Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
* I don’t know anything more about this than what’s in the release, but obviously there is gonna be some issues raised tomorrow. I’ll see if the governor’s office wants to respond, so stay tuned…
PRESS CONFERENCE: FRIDAY, 9:00 AM
GROUP TO RAUNER: ILLINOIS GOV’T IS NOT A DICTATORSHIP!
Coalition Sheds Light On Governor’s Back-Door Move for Massive Charter Expansion, Demands Rejection of Federal Funds
WHAT: Parents, community organizations, school board members and elected officials will join together before the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) meeting on Friday, November 20th at 9am to protest the undemocratic decision making from ISBE to expand charter schools in Illinois without public input.
ISBE applied for and received a federal grant of $42.5 million to open 48 new charter schools – 24 for Chicago over the next 5 years and 24 for the rest of the state. But the grant only covers start-up funding, with no funds to run schools once they open, thus cannibalizing the same inadequate public dollars funding existing schools.
Legislators will call for a hearing on how and why the state pursued this grant, and community leaders will urge a rejection of these dollars at a time when districts can scarcely fund the schools they already have.
.
WHEN: Friday, November 20, 2015, 9:00 a.m.
WHERE: James R. Thompson Center – Blue Room (15th floor)
100 W. Randolph Street
WHY: The ISBE applied for and received a federal grant of $42.5 million to open 48 new charter schools, 24 in Chicago over the next five years and 24 across the rest of Illinois. Coalition members are demanding to know how this one-time, non-sustainable funding is justified given current state and education financial crisis.
WHO: Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Chicago League of Women Voters, Raise Your Hand for IL Public Education, Parents4Teachers, Northwest Side Housing Center, Northern IL Jobs with Justice, Women Gathering for Justice, school board members from outside of Chicago
Elected Officials: State Senator Willie Delgado, State Rep Will Guzzardi, State Rep Lashawn Ford, State Rep Sonya Harper, State Rep Ann Williams, Alderman Rick Munoz.
[Melineh Kano, executive director of Refugee One] said Wednesday that 21 Syrian refugees have been approved by the federal government to enter the United States and are currently waiting in other countries — such as Egypt and Lebanon — for travel and living arrangements to be finalized before coming to Illinois. It’s unclear how the process will play out in light of Rauner’s announcement.
In the 12-month period ending in July, 131 Syrian refugees were resettled in Illinois, mostly in the Chicago area, Kano said. […]
Out of the approximately 800,000 refugees who have been resettled in the United States since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, only three individuals have been detained and questioned by authorities for questionable affiliations — detainments that have not resulted in convictions, she said. […]
Jessica H. Darrow, a University of Chicago lecturer who has made a career out of studying refugee issues, said that attempting to use refugee status as a ruse for terrorist activity would be extremely hard to do.
“These people end up in a camp type setting with nothing, in a tent, sometimes for 10 years at a time,” she said. “It’s a pretty tough journey to travel and have that be a false route.”
She also said security screeners rely on skepticism until proven wrong when examining the back stories of potential refugees. Screeners, she said, look at it like this: “OK, you’re here in this chair trying to game the system and gain access to our country under false premises, and we’re going to believe that until you can prove to us that you’re not lying.”
I personally know several people (Iraqis) who’ve immigrated here under the refugee program. The process is not easy, to say the least.
* Press release…
WASHINGTON— Today, Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06) released the following statement after House passage of H.R. 4038, the America Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act, which pauses the Obama Administration’s refugee resettlement program:
“The first and most important Constitutional duty of the federal government is protect the homeland. Last week’s tragic massacre in Paris was a wake-up call. In the days since, ISIS has declared its intention to carry out terrorist attacks on Washington, D.C. and New York City. This bill is simple: pause the refugee resettlement program until the Administration can verify with 100 percent certainty that we know who exactly is entering our country and what their intentions are. The bipartisan vote today proves that this is not a partisan issue—this is a national security issue. President Obama should do the right thing and sign this bill into law to ensure the continued safety of all Americans.”
* I’ve asked Congressman Roskam’s staff how any government can guarantee anything with “100 percent certainty.” You will recall that US Sen. Mark Kirk quickly backed off his demand for “100 percent assurances” yesterday when I pressed the issue.
I’ve also asked Congressman Bob Dold’s staff to explain the same thing regarding his demand for “absolute certainty.” So far, I’ve received only a snarky off the record response. It didn’t please me.
I’ll let you know if either man responds.
*** UPDATE *** From a Congressman Dold aide…
The only thing that’s guaranteed as of now, according the President’s own FBI Director, is that the United States does not currently have the ability to thoroughly vet the backgrounds of people claiming to be Syrian refugees. Today a bipartisan, veto proof majority of the House told the Administration that they need to fix these problems to protect the American people. In the wake of vicious ISIS attacks that have slaughtered hundreds in Paris, Beirut and in the Sinai, the notion that Members of Congress shouldn’t be demanding far better from our government is preposterous.
Move to strike as non-responsive.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* It’s not that I oppose the bill that passed the US House today. I don’t know enough about it either way, and some congressmen in the president’s own party are clearly frustrated with non-cooperation from the White House on this issue.
I don’t even oppose the concept of a temporary pause in Syrian refugees while the program is given a once-over. The allegations by some of playing into the hands of the terrorists just because some folks want to circle back and check the strength of the doors is just way over the top, as is this…
Defying Gov. Bruce Rauner and his chicken-hearted closed border policy for Syrian refugees in the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks, Burke and his fellow aldermen sent a loud message that Chicago will not join in the fear-mongering.
The chest thumping on both sides is beyond ridiculous.
* How about we all get back to something that we have some control over, like the budget? Remember that?
A whole lot more Illinoisans are being hurt by that problem than could ever be hurt by a few refugees.
In preparation for a 2016 ballot referendum on Illinois legislative redistricting reform, the Independent Maps coalition on Thursday announced the addition of Hilltop Public Solutions as campaign consultant and Dave Mellet as campaign manager.
“With the petition drive on target to meet our goal of 600,000 signatures, we now can begin to gear up for a larger education campaign and the expansion of our statewide network of volunteers,” said Dennis FitzSimons, Chair of Independent Maps. “Our campaign is well underway, and we have added two seasoned veterans of statewide campaigns to help lead us to victory at the polls in 2016.”
Hilltop Public Solutions specializes in coalition building and managing high-stakes, high-profile campaigns by using the strategies and tactics it takes to win modern campaigns.
“Hilltop’s Bill Hyers, who managed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2013 campaign and has extensive campaign experience across the country, will lead the Hilltop team in Illinois for the Independent Map Amendment,” FitzSimons said. “Hyers, who has been named a rising star by Politics magazine, has a reputation as one of the top campaign managers and political strategists in the United States.”
“Its time to bring fair elections back to Illinois, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this talented and experienced team,” Hyers said. “For too long, voters in Illinois have suffered from a partisan process that has called into question the very concept of fair elections. With the gridlock in Springfield, now more than ever Illinoisans need an open, transparent government that puts people before politics.”
Hilltop’s Elizabeth Lucas will be part of the team assisting Independent Maps. Lucas, founder of The Initiative Group, has worked on and advised hundreds of ballot initiatives around the country. She served as Political Director at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and field director for the Ohio Democratic Party against the anti-union SB5, a statewide voter referendum defeated by an overwhelming majority in 2011. She also has served as State Director of Organizing for America in Pennsylvania and on several presidential and state-level campaigns in battleground states.
“Dave Mellet, who was campaign manager for former Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon’s 2014 campaign for comptroller, will be our campaign manager and execute the non-partisan coalition’s campaign strategy,” FitzSimons said.
Mellet has worked on state and local campaigns for close to 10 years. After receiving a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania, Mellet started his career working on Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s successful 2006 reelection campaign. He went on to staff and manage campaigns for mayor, city council, state senate, and alderman. He has lived in Illinois for several years, working as a staffer for a direct mail firm and as the campaign manager for Simon last year.
Cindi Canary, who has been serving as executive director since June, will continue in that position during a transition period through the end of the year, when she will become a senior consultant to our board.
“Cindi’s leadership has been key to expanding our base of volunteers and putting us ahead of schedule on our signature collection timeline,” FitzSimons said. “She also helped us recruit and interview campaign manager and consultant candidates, and we’re pleased that she will remain very much involved.”
* Service agencies face uncertain future without state budget: “People who are most affected currently are the most vulnerable,” said Jean Pierce of Geneva, vice president of the league. “The state ended funding for services that help 75,000 survivors of domestic violence in Illinois. Many people will have to choose between staying in violent homes or becoming homeless.”
* Taxing is more responsible than borrowing: And if you think truly conservative elected officials won’t find creative ways to borrow to spend, well, think again. Just last week Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration revealed a plan to borrow up to $115 million from the Illinois Finance Authority — to cover basic operating expenses, like buying food for prison inmates. Governor Rauner is pretty conservative, and the Authority isn’t in the business of funding current services. In fact, according to its strategic plan, the Illinois Finance Authority exists to provide capital project “financing to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and private sector companies.” Let’s see, Illinois state government is neither a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nor a private sector company, and buying food for prison inmates isn’t a capital project, but the state’s short on revenue, so. …
* Streator High raising property taxes: To get ahead of legislation in Springfield for a proposed property tax freeze, Streator Township High School is asking for the maximum it can without a truth-in-taxation hearing.
* On November 2nd, Rep. Scott Drury sent this e-mail to his constituents…
Friends:
Between 1976 and 2015, the federal government failed to timely pass a budget on 18 separate occasions. The longest period without a federal budget was 21 days. Yesterday, Illinois entered its fourth month (124 days) without a budget, and there is no end in sight. Why?
FEDERAL SHUTDOWNS
When the federal government shuts down, it actually shuts down. Apart from essential services — such as law enforcement — government services stop. This angers the citizenry. Politicians, worried about the next election, find a way to get past their differences and pass a budget.
THE ILLINOIS “SHUTDOWN” THAT WASN’T
While Illinois does not have a budget, Illinois government is not completely shut down. According to the comptroller, Illinois continues to pay approximately 90% of its bills. As a result, only pockets of the citizenry are angered at any one moment. Things are kept at a simmer, rather than boiling over.
Drury ended up voting against the municipal, 911, lottery, etc. funding bill because it would take away a major pressure point.
Proposes to amend the Finance Article of the Illinois Constitution. Provides that if appropriation Acts are not in effect on July 1 of a fiscal year that provide for the expenditure of funds, the Comptroller shall order payments and the Treasurer shall make disbursements at the levels provided for in the previous fiscal year’s budget, to the extent revenues are available to make those disbursements. Provides that this provision does not apply to amounts appropriated on a continuing basis. Effective upon being declared adopted.
* The Question: Do you support or oppose HJRCA 43? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s speed camera program improperly issued more than $2.4 million in fines to Chicago drivers, ticketing them when cameras were supposed to be off and when the required warning signs were confusing, obscured or missing, a Tribune investigation has found.
At the same time, City Hall has systematically ticketed drivers near schools without the legally required evidence of a schoolchild in sight. A Tribune random-sample analysis puts the number of those questionable tickets at about 110,000.
A ticket-by-ticket review of 1,500 randomly chosen citations from school zones found no children were present in the photographic evidence for nearly a third of the cases, even though a child’s presence was required. That review suggests that about 110,000 tickets may have been issued without legal justification.
OK, maybe. But let’s say that’s correct.
* Now, scroll almost all the way to the end of the story…
The speed camera program has doled out more than 2.1 million tickets, most of them warnings, along with more than $81 million in fines.
110,000 supposedly bad tickets out of 2.1 million total citations is a 5.2 percent error rate. And $2.4 million in supposedly bad fines out of $81 million in total fines is 2.96 percent.
Passing a bill is a whole lot more difficult than killing one. The governor proved last week that he could kill a bill backed by Speaker Madigan. He has yet to show how he and Rep. Dunkin can pass a bill over Madigan’s objections. Why? Because they can’t.
* So, keep that in mind when you click the link to read this one…
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Budget deal with reforms coming together?
Might a draft proposal by several rank-and-file lawmakers be the beginning of the end of the budget stalemate in Springfield? Several media outlets report a bipartisan group of lawmakers is working behind the scenes on a package of compromises that address reforms, spending and revenue.
Politico Illinois reports the compromise includes proposals for taxing retirement income over $50,000, allowing all school districts to bargain for 3rd party contracting, layoffs, class size, and more, and substantial workers compensation reforms along with property tax freezes.
Meanwhile Crain’s Chicago Business reports a political consultant released proposals including suggested spending and budget reforms, business and regulatory reforms, revenue, local control and pension reform, among others. Illinois is now more than four and a half months into the current fiscal year and there’s still no budget.
1) Those lawmakers haven’t met in over a month, so they’re not currently “working behind the scenes” on anything.
2) Their “compromise” was rejected by the governor, despite its “substantial workers compensation reforms.” It was too much revenue for not enough reforms, which is not a great sign since the Democrats moved pretty far off the dime. I’m not sure how much further they could go. I mean, as is, I seriously doubt they can sell this thing to their fellow Dem legislators, particularly in the House.
3) That political consultant also runs IllinoisGO, which was formed to guard Gov. Rauner’s Democratic/left flank. While his plan wasn’t completely horrible, he is persona non grata with the Democratic leadership and with most rank and file Democratic members. If you want to trace the origins of this stalemate, look to the spring, when IllinoisGO launched.
* I’ve been hearing that Ty Fahner’s Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago has been working on a little something something for months.
If that group comes out with a do-able compromise plan, then it may be time to pay attention because, as we saw with the pension reform fight, it has some powerful backers. His membership is chock full of Raunerites, so a plan would probably nudge the governor to the table. And many of those wealthy folks are also quite influential with the House Speaker.
As much as some might hate me saying it, Fahner could wind up being the key here if he manages to retain some independence when (if) he unveils his proposal.
* Your mandatory reading assignment today is “The US Refugee Resettlement Program: A Primer for Policymakers” published by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Click here and discuss below.
* From Americans for Prosperity Illinois on Tuesday…
Today the non-partisan Tax Foundation released its 2016 State Business Tax Climate Index and Illinois has jumped 8 spots, from 31st to 23rd largely due to the end of corporate and individual income tax increases first imposed back in 2011. The rate reduction is the major reason for this 8 spot jump, showing how Illinois improve its efforts to attract jobs. Americans for Prosperity Illinois fought to preserve the expiration of the tax hikes in 2014 and will continue to advocate for a better climate for competition, including a lower tax burden.
“Illinois’ leaders should take note of this report,” said AFP Illinois State Director David From. “Our state is now in a better position to compete for jobs because we have a better business environment than in years past. However, this report also shows that the massive tax hikes being advocated by many in Springfield will have the effect of making the Land of Lincoln a worse climate for job growth. AFP Illinois will continue to educate citizens on the importance of limited government and lower taxes in order to make Illinois the economic engine of the Midwest.”
Americans for Prosperity Illinois is the state’s foremost group of grassroots activists advocating for limited government and economic freedom.
The College Football Playoff rankings are intensely contested by teams and their fans. This week the Tax Foundation released its tax policy equivalent, which ought to be a major embarrassment for the blue state conference. […]
The trophy for most-improved this year goes to Illinois, which jumped to 23rd from 31st—no thanks to Democrats in Springfield. The Tax Foundation notes that the leap occurred “due to the sunset of corporate and individual income tax increases” that Democrats “first imposed in 2011 as temporary levies to address the state’s backlog of unpaid bills.” First-year Republican Governor Bruce Rauner has let the income-tax rate lapse to 3.75% from 5% and the corporate rate to 7.75% from 9.5%, though Democrats are trying to push them back up.
Keeping taxes low is critical to turning around the Prairie State, which trails its neighbors in economic growth. Would that liberal state politicians cared as much about their tax ranking as colleges do about their football standings.
Actually, it was the Democrats who let the tax hike sunset after Rauner demanded it.
And Rauner has been saying for months that he’s willing to raise the tax rate to 4.75 percent - a tiny bit below where we were a year ago.
Also too, where is the business boom and rising state revenues from the lowered tax rates here?
* The reality is, unlike the NCAA rankings, the myriad tax rankings out there have little to no value. We were just below the middle of the pack before the tax expiration, and yet we were losing population and jobs. We’re just above it now and yet the BLS numbers aren’t great. The October BLS state-level numbers haven’t been published yet, but BLS showed a strong national surge last month. Let’s see how Illinois does in those rankings.
*** UPDATE *** October’s report is pretty decent news for a change. We have 4 percent of the nation’s population, but got 5 percent of last month’s 271,000 new jobs…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that Illinois’ nonfarm payroll employment gained +14,100 jobs and the unemployment rate in October held at 5.4 percent, based on preliminary data released by the Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). October’s gain follows four consecutive monthly declines. Illinois’ average job growth since the employment recovery began in January 2010 remains below the national average, however, and employment will not recover from the 2007-2009 recession until December 2016, according to IDES analysts. The nation is currently 3.1 percent above its prior peak level of employment.
“For 2015, job growth this month was the strongest since February and it is positive that we reversed the four-month decline preceding these numbers. Our job growth rate, however, continues to lag behind the nation,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “While the unemployment rate remained unchanged in October, our workforce participation rate edged up slightly as more people entered the labor force and more people found jobs during the month.”
* I told subscribers about this days ago, but here’s Politico’s take…
A SURE DEAL? — Republican sources say they’re certain Illinois first lady Diana Rauner’s chief of staff, Sara Jimenez, will get Gov. Bruce Rauner’s backing to replace Republican state Rep. Raymond Poe. Rauner just picked Poe to head the state agriculture department.
– While Rauner has authority to appoint someone to finish Poe’s term, the seat will be up for reelection next year. “It will be an epic battle,” said one Republican source. That’s because it’s in a heavily Republican district, but also a heavy union district. It’s expected labor will spend what is must to block a Rauner-appointee from taking the seat, given the governor’s year-long blasting of unions.
Sara is the likely appointee, but, of course, it’s the county party chairmen who appoint legislators, not the governor. And in this case, Sangamon is the only county in Poe’s 99th District. So, it’s up to Rosemarie Long, who appears to be pretty close to the governor. It’s her appointment, but the widespread belief is that she’ll do Rauner’s bidding.
And I don’t know what organized labor can spend to block the appointment because it’s not a campaign. I would expect the unions to put up a fight, but can they get a Republican on the primary ballot by the November 30th deadline? I haven’t heard any names as of yet, but I’ll check around. Unions will likely do battle in the fall, but that district is pretty darned GOP.
One of the contenders to be named to replace former GOP state Rep. RAYMOND POE in the 99th District doesn’t have a solid Republican voting record.
SARA WOJCICKI JIMENEZ voted in Democratic primaries in 2002 and 2008 and didn’t vote in partisan primaries in 2004 and 2006, records show. She voted in Republican primaries in 2010, 2012 and 2014 as well as this year in the special primary in the 18th Congressional District.
Wojcicki in 2008 went from a job as Statehouse reporter for WICS-TV Channel 20 to become a spokeswoman for then-Democratic state Treasurer ALEXI GIANNOULIAS. About a year later, in the spring of 2009, she became spokeswoman for then-House Republican Leader TOM CROSS of Oswego. In 2013, she went to work for then-Comptroller JUDY BAAR TOPINKA as director of intergovernmental affairs and program communications, and earlier this year, she took the $100,000-a-year job as chief of staff to first lady DIANA RAUNER — her current job.
Sangamon County election records don’t show any Democratic primary votes among three other people vying for Poe’s seat: KENT GRAY, BRYCE BENTON or GRAY NOLL. Noll has been identified by Rosemarie Long, who chairs the Sangamon County GOP, as Poe’s preferred candidate.
What some hardcore partisans often fail to comprehend is that people do change their party affiliations. And that’s a good thing for the parties who get those new people. It’s called growth.
Either way, I seriously doubt that this will hurt Sara’s chances at the appointment.
* Remember yesterday’s “Weirdest story of the day” post about how Illinois Racing Board Commissioner Kathy Byrne resigned after Arlington chairman Dick Duchossois killed off her proposal to prevent racehorse slaughters?
Well, Ms. Byrne sent this late yesterday afternoon…
Hi Rich-
It’s not really such a weird story. Since August I have been trying to get an amendment to the [Illinois Racing Board] rules to provide some protection and monitoring of racehorses so they are not shipped to Mexico or Canada for inhumane slaughter. According to the USDA, 80,000 horses are shipped off this way–alive– each year. They don’t monitor by breed, but it’s estimated that about 10% of these are racehorses.It’s a horrible death for the horses, but it’s also a black eye for the racing industry.
I worked very hard with all the tracks, the horsemen’s associations and the breeders to come up with language that was agreeable and served the purpose. Arlington Park has strong anti-slaughter policies, and was very helpful in proposing language for the amendment and I used that language.
For whatever reason, and I honestly don’t know why, the chairman and the general counsel of the IRB seemed determined not to let this amendment come up for a vote. The obstructions are too complicated to get into here, but after four months of pushing and groveling I finally got it on the agenda yesterday.
So, I was surprised and shocked when Arlington Park very publicly pulled its support, objecting to language that it had asked to have incorporated into the amendment. The specific sentence is one that requires owners and trainers to fill out an exit/destination slip when they take a horse from the track, and for the track to notify the IRB if they refuse. Arlington’s objection was seized upon by the chairman and counsel, who began arguing that there was no need for the rule at all. Rather than have the Board vote against protecting racehorses from slaughter, I withdrew it.
It has been a deteriorating and increasingly hostile situation for me since March when the new chairman was appointed. As of yesterday, I had six months left in my term and it was obvious to me that if the controlling forces on the Board were fighting me on something as benign as this amendment, anything else I might offer in the next six months would also be DOA. So rather than spending six months doing nothing, I resigned.
I hope this helps explain what happened yesterday. I’m sad to go, but it’s better this way.
