Bruce Rauner barnstormed his way to the governor’s office by promising to “shake up Springfield.” Now it seems he has a new mantra: Don’t rock the boat.
A bipartisan cartel of Illinois’ longest-serving and most tone-deaf politicians are plotting what they call a budget “grand bargain.” Unsurprisingly, the lynchpin of the proposal is a mega income tax increase. The plan contains few fixes to our broken state government.
Translation: We pay more for the same old, same old.
Once upon a time, this was the kind of thing Gov. Rauner would rail against. Career politicians cutting deals that perpetuate, rather than eradicate, Illinois’ deep-rooted problems.
Rank and file members of the Illinois House of Representatives, including:
· Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-14),
· Representative Deb Conroy (D-46),
· Representative Laura Fine (D-17),
· Representative Christian Mitchell (D-26),
· Representative Elaine Nekritz (D-57),
· Representative Carol Sente (D-59),
· Representative Litesa Wallace (D-67),
· Representative Emanuel Chris Welch (D-7), and
· Representative Sam Yingling (D-62)
are eagerly anticipating the Governor’s annual budget address. The Illinois Constitution requires the Governor to present the General Assembly with a balanced budget every year, and requires that the members of the General Assembly — including rank and file members — approve a budget.
For the last two years, however, leaders in Springfield have created a toxic political discourse that has prevented a budget from being enacted. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents are increasingly alienated by the political process and are quickly losing faith in government.
“For the last two years, the so-called budget negotiations conducted by leaders in Springfield have been dominated by toxic political rhetoric from two conflicting camps: the Governor and the Speaker,” said Representative Sam Yingling. “Rank and file House members have been left on the sidelines of a debate that has more to do with ego and political games than the needs of our constituents.”
The lack of a state budget under Governor Rauner has harmed Illinois’ economy and has lead to the steady decrease of the state’s credit rating. To make matters worse, the backlog of unpaid bills has steadily risen during the budget impasse, reaching nearly $11 billion by the end of 2016.
“The impact of the last two years without a state budget has been devastating on the families and communities in my district,” said Representative Chris Welch. “Without a responsible budget, children and families in my district do not have access to vital, life-saving services. Students at our community colleges and public universities seeking higher education — an education that serves as a stepping stone to the middle class — are not certain that they will be able to complete their degree programs. Illinois businesses are left without a trained workforce.”
“I look forward to hearing Gov. Rauner fulfill his constitutionally prescribed role of presenting my colleagues and I with a balanced budget that prioritizes working families and the most vulnerable,” said Representative Litesa Wallace, “The last 2 years have gravely impacted those who need their state government the most—whether it’s a disabled individual attempting to maintain their independence and dignity or a working family just trying to make ends meet as they pay for their child to attend child care or college — they deserve a full budget. Again, I look forward to the governor prioritizing the people of Illinois with his Budget proposal. ”
Rank and file members of the house are awaiting the Governor’s balanced budget proposal, scheduled for Wednesday February 15th at noon, and are eager to be independent voices for the people of their districts as they debate the proposal offered by the Governor.
“Actions speak louder than words. These legislators are now trying to cover up the fact that they ceded all control to Mike Madigan last month when they voted to again make Mike Madigan the Speaker of the House. If House Democrats wonder why rank-and-files legislators have little say over the workings of the Illinois House, they should look in a mirror.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
In an outrageously ironic press release, nine House Democrats today issued a statement today complaining that “Rank and file House members have been left on the sidelines.”
Yes, that’s what House Democrats are claiming just weeks after voting to give Mike Madigan a 17th term as Speaker and passing Mike Madigan’s “rules” which give him total power over the Illinois House.
Kelly Cassidy, Deb Conroy, Laura Fine, Christian Mitchell, Elaine Nekritz, Carol Sente, Litesa Wallace, Emanuel Chris Welch, and Sam Yingling all voted to crown Mike Madigan.
* The abject failure of this government’s leaders to get their acts together is flat-out immoral…
One mother says her son’s facing death, all because the government isn’t paying its bills.
“It’s just been awful, it really has,” Kenea said.
Her twin one-year-old boys were born premature, but while Kade is just fine, Kobe lags behind. His lungs still haven’t fully developed and he struggles to breathe on his own.
“It’s very scary, very, very scary,” said Kenea.
That’s why in between the happy noises of their big family, in their home, you can always hear the constant drone of a machine pumping critical oxygen into Kobe’s lungs, without which, he can’t survive.
“Kobe would be dead or in a hospital permanently,” Williams said.
Kenea works for the state of Illinois. Like many of us, she relies on her insurance. She pays her premiums and expected that the state would pay its bills.
But she says she was wrong.
After three years, Illinois still doesn’t have a budget and is now billions of dollars in debt to service provides.
Byrd-Watson, the company that supplied Kobe’s oxygen machines, told Kenea they wanted Kobe’s oxygen machine back.
“She stated to me many times, we are not getting paid for your equipment,” Kenea said.
Kenea was in a panic. But the worst moment came with a bang on the door.
Marion County Sheriff’s Deputies showed up at her home, the supplier at their side, demanding their equipment.
What kind of company does that?
And what kind of government allows this to get to the point where a baby’s oxygen machine is threatened with seizure?
A state representative from Chicago on Friday proposed a radical reform to Illinois’ criminal-justice system, introducing a bill that would do away with cash bail.
Working in concert with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, state Rep. Christian Mitchell has filed a bill that would allow people charged with nonviolent offenses to be released on their own recognizance until their court hearings.
“In our current system, whether or not someone is in jail has more to do with wealth than risk. Our jails have become as [Cook County] President [Toni] Preckwinkle has often said, the intersection between racism and poverty in this state and in this country.”
Judges would have the discretion to order detention or electronic monitoring for people accused of harming others, Mitchell said.
Mitchell said about 62 percent of people in Cook County Jail can’t afford to pay their money bond. Many of them are charged with nonviolent crimes.
An Illinois senator wants to give the public a stronger voice in Illinois elections.
Senator Dan Biss of Skokie proposed a bill that would create a donor match program for constitutional offices and legislative elections. He says it would allow everyday people to have a greater impact on political races.
“What it says is there’s going to be two way to fund a campaign,” he says. “You can fund a campaign in the old way, with big money, or you can fund a campaign the people’s way, by having ordinary people contribute 25, 50, 100, 150 dollars, and have those contributions matched at a six to one level so that it will be enough resources to allow you to communicate your message.”
The Tri-State Tollway would be renamed for former President Barack Obama under a bill pending in the Illinois General Assembly.
The measure was authored by State Rep. Robert Martwick (D-Jefferson Park).
The tollway connects Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin — all states Obama won in 2008 to reach the White House, Martwick said, crediting Patrick Steffes, a former campaign aide, with coming up with the idea.
That’s a better idea than declaring yet another state holiday.
Rush, a Chicago Democrat, made his comments during a news conference Thursday about the hardships that social-service agencies and low-income people are suffering as state government’s unpaid bills pile up.
The state is $11 billion in arrears for all bills, Rush said.
“While these two despots are engaged in war, I am reminded of a movie I used to see called Godzilla vs. King Kong,” Rush said in a prepared statement. “There were two giant monsters fighting for power and destroying the city of Tokyo as a result of it. They were wiping out homes and businesses and wreaking havoc on the people of the city.
“Madigan and Rauner are like King Kong and Godzilla and they are destroying Illinois.”
* Freshman Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) was interviewed on Will Stephens’ WXAN Radio program this week about the Senate’s attempts to negotiate a grand bargain…
The voters expect us to work together and compromise. That doesn’t mean sell out our principles. That doesn’t mean do a bad deal.
But at the same time, anything that’s going to pass is going to require Democratic votes to pass. So, the other side is gonna weigh in. There’s going to have to be some compromise.
We’re not trying to put together something that is perfect as if Paul Schimpf were king and I could dictate, or even if the governor could dictate everything he wants. It’s gonna have to have Democratic votes to pass, so there is going to have to be some compromise.
And that’s something where I’ve been a little bit disappointed with some of the groups like the Illinois Policy Institute. I don’t think their proposals are realistic, in terms of they’re not something that would get any votes from the other side.
And also… they’re proposing shifting the burden to the local municipalities. You as the mayor of Murphysboro certainly know that Murphysboro needs some state aid. The cuts that the Illinois Policy Institute is advocating would really cripple some of our local municipalities. […]
I appreciate everybody’s input, but I think the reality is we cannot get ourselves out of this hole that we’ve been digging for two decades just by spending cuts alone. I’m gonna insist there be spending cuts, but I don’t think that’s going to get us out of it just on those alone.
* The “Institute” has been targeting Republican Senators for several days with Facebook ads like this one and some GOP members aren’t amused…
Take the Local Government Distributive Fund, or LGDF. This state fund is made up of $1.3 billion in income tax money that the state hands out to local governments with no strings attached.
Local leaders say this money is used to help keep property taxes low. But that argument doesn’t hold water in a state with the highest property taxes in the nation.
They also say it’s a pillar of basic services such as public safety. That’s a convenient excuse. In reality, this money enables reckless spending habits propped up by the state. Practices such as pension spiking, sick leave accumulation and pension “pickups” are rampant in the Land of Lincoln.
Money from the LGDF also enables local governments to pay the state-mandated prevailing wage for work on public projects. The costs this requirement entails are astonishing. […]
And yet, most Republicans still won’t touch programs like the LGDF. Doing so requires taking on the mayors, township supervisors, highway commissioners, park district officials and legions of others who have staked their hopes on multibillion-dollar tax hikes as a way out of the budget mess.
A new report says Illinois’ financial situation is so bad that the state would have to slash spending by more than 26 percent to balance next year’s budget through cuts alone.
The nonprofit Civic Federation released its proposed five-year plan for stabilizing Illinois’ finances on Friday. […]
Civic Federation President Laurence Msall says Rauner and legislators “need to take action immediately.”
The group recommends Illinois limit spending growth and increase the individual income tax rate from 3.75 to 5.25 percent.
Limit State Spending: Illinois should limit spending growth to 1.7% through at least FY2022, using the Governor’s estimated maintenance FY2017 spending level as a base. The State should also stop paying hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary interest penalties on its overdue bills. Ending the budget impasse is the only path to reducing the state’s highest-in-the-nation interest costs, including an estimated $700 million in penalties if bills on hand are paid at the end of FY2017.
Increase Income Taxes: The State should retroactively increase the income tax rate to 5.25% for individuals and 7.0% for corporations as of January 1, 2017. If the Civic Federation’s proposals are implemented, the State should be in a position to lower the individual tax rate to 5% on January 1, 2022. The burden of the increase on low income residents should be alleviated by expanding the earned income tax credit by 50%.
Eliminate Tax Exemption for Federally Taxable Retirement Income: Out of the 41 states that impose an income tax, Illinois is one of only three that exempt all retirement income. The State can no longer afford to provide this generous benefit, which is out of line with most other states.
Expand Sales Tax Base and Lower the Rate: The State should enact a new service tax including a broad-based definition of consumer services and a firm exemption for business-to-business transactions and medical services. In conjunction, the State should lower the general sales tax rate for goods and services from 6.25% to 5.5%. This would reduce the effective rate in Chicago to 9.5%, down from 10.25%, which is the highest of any major metropolitan area in the nation.
Limit Business Tax Expenditures: Illinois should cap the retailer’s discount, eliminate the E-10 ethanol incentive, decouple from the federal domestic production activities deduction and eliminate the continental shelf exemption, because these expenditures do not provide sufficient public value to justify their cost.
Merge the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund with the Teachers’ Retirement System: There is no good public policy reason for Illinois to maintain two separate funds for public school teachers’ pensions. The Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund and Teachers’ Retirement System should consolidate, providing more equitable pension funding for all teachers and helping to stabilize Chicago Public Schools’ finances.
Consolidate and Streamline Government Units: The multiplicity of Illinois’ highest-in-the-nation 6,963 units of local government is often cited as a reason for high property tax rates in Illinois.
Borrow to Clear the Bill Backlog: In conjunction with a balanced budget and credible plan to maintain fiscal sustainability, borrowing to eliminate the backlog would save on interest penalties and restore confidence in the State’s finances.
Make Supplemental Pension Payments: Beginning after backlog bond debt service ends, the State should make supplemental payments to bring all five State retirement systems to 100% funded.
Establish a Rainy Day Fund: The State of Illinois should work toward building a rainy day fund equal to 10.0% of State-source General Funds revenues to cushion the budget from the next economic downturn.
A constitutional amendment limiting the pension protection clause to accrued benefits;
A constitutional amendment allowing a graduated individual income tax;
A reduction in the interest Illinois pays on overdue bills under the Prompt Payment Act;
A return of the lapse period to two months from six; and
A phase-out of Section 25 liabilities and other practices that allow prior year’s costs to be paid from current year’s appropriations.
Keep in mind that this is the Civic Federation, not the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club. Two very different entities, but they are often confused with each other.
When gubernatorial candidate Chris Kennedy sent out his first email to supporters last night, he mentioned incumbent Bruce Rauner’s name—twice. But President Donald Trump’s name appeared three times.
When I asked a top Rauner strategist if they’re worried, he had a two-word reply: Mike Madigan. […]
“Rauner is a failed governor who has made Illinois worse by dividing people and failing to fix the mess,” says Kennedy strategist Eric Adelstein. “There are a lot of parallels with President Trump and his stubbornness and failure to bring people together.”
When I asked Adelstein if voters should expect to hear a lot more about Trump from the Kennedy campaign, he had a one word answer: “Yes.” […]
“Mike Madigan is in far worse shape with voters than Trump,” says [a Rauner source]. And to the extent that Trump is disliked: “Voters understand he has different views from Trump” on issues ranging from abortion rights to abolishing Obamacare and converting Medicaid to a block grant.
I seriously doubt that many voters know the governor is opposed to converting the Medicaid program to a block grant system, but otherwise it’s not a bad point.
Elections are referendums on the incumbent. The idea by the Republicans has always been to make Madigan the incumbent in voters’ minds. Rauner is an outsider, he just got here two years ago. Madigan is the entrenched insider stopping all progress. You know the drill.
It’s like the old story about the two guys around a campfire seeing an approaching bear. One puts on his running shoes. The other says “You’ll never outrun a bear even in those shoes.”
“I don’t have to outrun the bear,” the first guy says, “I just have to outrun you.”
That right there is what Rauner has been doing to Madigan. Yes, the governor is unpopular, but Madigan is more so. He just has to outrun Madigan.
The Trump card wasn’t played much here last year, so we don’t know how effective it’ll be, but, for now, it doesn’t hurt the Democrats at all. Likely primary voters are fired up like we haven’t seen in a long while, so it’s a smart move at the moment.
* Meanwhile, this is from one of Kennedy’s fundraising e-mails…
States controlled by the radical right are losing people and jobs. Banks and investors are reluctant to fund new investments. Meanwhile, Republican legislatures have cut government services for thousands, including kids who are disabled, the sick and elderly, and wounded veterans.
Governor Rauner has supported the same alt-right, anti-woman, anti-immigrant, anti-worker agenda that Donald Trump has promoted. With this election, we have the opportunity to reject that agenda and send a message from Illinois that this behavior won’t be accepted anywhere in the country.
With redistricting coming up soon, this race takes an even bigger importance. We can’t let Governor Rauner and his allies try to gerrymander our maps to elect more Republicans from Illinois who will blindly support President Trump.
With the right leadership, we can oppose the worst of the Trump agenda and embrace the best of economic success and opportunity.
OK, well, that first paragraph could be about Illinois and the Democratic legislature, which hasn’t approved a real budget and has therefore effectively cut lots of services.
That second graf may be over the top, but it’ll probably resonate with Democratic primary voters at this point in the game.
And I’m kinda surprised that the Republicans haven’t whacked Kennedy yet for that third paragraph, because that might possibly imply he wants Madigan to draw the next map. He should’ve probably insisted on remap reform.
* The background to this item is here. I somehow completely missed this statement from Chris Kennedy’s campaign this morning. My e-mail browser has been acting up a bit today. Better late than never, I suppose…
Yesterday, Governor Rauner said he is focused like a laser on getting a budget passed, but yesterday, when the Senate was voting on budget, he was nowhere to be found. After two years of failure on a budget, it seems like the only thing Governor Rauner and his Republican allies are laser focused on is false political attacks.
That would’ve been a decent response if I’d posted it at 10:30. Oops on my part.
Rauner said he’s still digesting the report from the commission. He also said it wasn’t the commission’s job to draft a bill that could be considered by lawmakers.
“What they did was lay out the parameters for a bill to get drafted,” he said. “I’ll talk to the General Assembly about who should draft. My sense is, I think the senators, I don’t know, I think they’re working on something. If they’d like our administration to draft something, we can do that.”
When it comes to the complex, politically prickly topic of overhauling public school funding in Illinois, lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office can’t even agree on who should take the first step.
Democrats who run the Senate Education Committee told Rauner’s education adviser Thursday that the Republican governor should draft legislation to reflect recommendations from a school funding report released last week. The adviser, Beth Purvis, countered that the plan should come from the Legislature.
The two sides agree that the formula for financing public education should be changed to ensure poorer districts receive more financial support from the state. The recommendations, which come from a commission created by the governor, said that Illinois must assess how it supports schools on a district-by-district basis but didn’t indicate how legislators could accomplish this.
I’m getting a sore neck from watching this ping-pong game. How about they just find a way to somehow do it together?
Wait, wasn’t that the commission’s job? Apparently not.
…Adding… Hey, maybe they could use this bill…
The Funding Illinois’ Future coalition applauds Rep. Will Davis for his leadership in the introduction of HB2808, which aligns with the Illinois School Funding Commission’s Report. HB2808 makes school funding in Illinois more equitable and adequate and has the potential to end a decades-long problem. The bill aligns with equity principles in last week’s Illinois School Funding Reform Commission Report—and the principles of Funding Illinois’ Future—providing any new money to the neediest schools first and taking local contributions to school funding into account. We urge members of the House to co-sponsor the bill as a first step toward passing bipartisan, bicameral legislation this spring. Illinois must end the chronic underfunding of low-income schools and give all students the education they deserve in order to be ready for college and career.
Illinois needs a funding system that is equitable, adequate and fair. Illinois remains worst-in-the-nation in providing resources for low-income school districts. For every dollar Illinois spends on a non-low-income student, it spends 81 cents on a low-income student. Legislative action is needed now so that students in poverty access to resources so that districts may invest in reducing class sizes, providing updated textbooks and modern technology and offering advanced placement and other classes like art, foreign language and music that make up a well-rounded education. Funding Illinois’ Future remains steadfast in its view that new funding legislation must do the following:
1. Recognize individual student need
2. Account for difference in local resources
3. Close funding gaps in five years and keep them closed
4. Provide a stable and sustainable solution
About Funding Illinois’ Future
Funding Illinois’ Future is a coalition of more than 200 school districts, school superintendents, community- and faith-based organizations working toward fixing Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation school funding formula with the goal of giving every student in Illinois the education they deserve.
WBEZ Chicago’s new monthly segment, Ask the Governor, will give listeners a rare opportunity to have their questions answered directly by Gov. Bruce Rauner, who will be live in WBEZ’s studio. WBEZ 91.5 FM is the only media outlet in Illinois with access to the governor in this capacity. The first segment airs tomorrow, Feb. 10 at 9:00 a.m. on WBEZ’s live weekday talk show, The Morning Shift. If you miss the live broadcast, it will be available for streaming on-demand at wbez.org or on the WBEZ app.
Hosted by The Morning Shift’s Tony Sarabia, Ask the Governor aims to promote government transparency by providing constituents with real-time insights on the Illinois political landscape.
Listeners will be able to submit their questions by calling the studio line at (312) 923-9239 and by posting to WBEZ’s Facebook page.
“We need to work together to move our state forward, which is why I’m thrilled about this open dialogue with Illinois residents,” said Gov. Rauner. “I’m looking forward to a spirited, and productive, discussion that results in a spectrum of ideas about how we get our state back on track.”
“As always, we’re big proponents of transparency, accountability and productive, open-minded public conversation—values that are especially important right now,” said Vice President of Content and Programming Ben Calhoun. “We’re pleased to have the governor at WBEZ to connect him with the public for what we imagine will be very substantive, meaningful conversations.”
This new segment is an ideal fit for The Morning Shift as it will rely heavily on authentic engagement with listeners on-air and via social media to stimulate conversations with a local and regional impact.
The Ask the Governor segment is just another example of the unique, thought provoking programming that WBEZ Chicago is committed to producing for its listeners. This further aligns with the station’s mission to keep listeners engaged and informed through the production of high quality journalism.
Further scheduling for Ask the Governor will be announced at the end of February.
For video from the live broadcast, please contact the Illinois Office of Communications and Information at 217-782-xxxx or contact xxx xxx at xxx.xxxx@illinois.gov or 312-xxx-xxxx. Video will also be available for download at the Illinois Department of Central Management Services website.
Kennedy said he would spend between $50 million and $100 million of his own fortune to defeat Rauner.
w
Whoa.
I hadn’t seen that anywhere else, so I reached out to Chris Kennedy’s campaign. The reply…
No, he didn’t say that. He said that even if Rauner put $100 million in it wouldn’t be enough to paper over his failed record.
Thomas might have take that along with what he said that he would put his money where his mouth is to suggest that he would self fund the whole race. But he never committed to an amount that he was going to put in.
Well, that kinda put a damper on my planned post about yet another wealthy self-funder. My draft headline: “Kennedy to spend up to $100 million of his own money on race.” Since I already put the rest of it together, we might as well get on with it.
* Rick Pearson has a very solid piece on the Chris Kennedy announcement, so while we’re gonna take a look at this little bit, you should read the whole thing.
[State Sen. Daniel Biss] dismissed the need for fielding a wealthy challenger to Rauner, saying Democrats need someone “who can draw a strong contrast with the governor.” […]
Given the prospect of two wealthy businessmen atop the November 2018 Illinois ballot, Kennedy sought to separate himself from Rauner’s background in acquisitions, mergers and finance.
“I’ve spent my whole career building things up. I made money by paying other people. Gov. Rauner has done just the opposite. He’s made money by tearing things down, breaking them apart. He’s made money by firing people,” Kennedy said.
“I think it’s important that people have drive and ambition and intelligence, but any coach, any board of directors, any employer, any employee will tell you the most important thing is heart. And Gov. Rauner appears to be heartless,” he said, noting reduced funding for social service safety-net programs due to the budget impasse.
Explaining why one rich guy is a good guy and another rich guy is a bad guy won’t be easy, but it can be done I suppose.
“In the history of our state, we’ve probably never had a worse governor,” said the 53-year-old former chairman of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. “We’ve gone two years without a budget and only one person is responsible for that and that’s Gov. Rauner.” […]
“I made money by employing people, by paying them. (Rauner’s) whole career was about buying things and dismantling them, taking them apart,” Kennedy said. […]
“I’ll have all of the resources I need to compete, but I don’t think the size of your wallet is what matters to voters. I think its the strength of your vision, the breadth of your ideas and the depth of your commitment,” Kennedy told ABC7 on Wednesday.
Kennedy was interviewed on WGN Morning News Thursday, and anchor Robin Baumgarten asked him,”What do you say to people who say, here’s another wealthy guy who’s just going to throw money at the office. How much different will it be than what Bruce Rauner is doing?”
Kennedy responded: “I think it’s important that people of drive and ambition and intelligence like Gov. Rauner does, but I think you also have to have a heart and a sensitivity, and I don’t think there’s any demonstration that he has a heart.”
Baumgarten followed up by saying, “That seems harsh, you’re calling him heartless.”
“Well I think he is. He’s thrown a million people of out government programs. He sat on the sidelines while 75 percent of these kids are doomed to a life of economic oppression,” Kennedy said.
The full interview is here. The interviewers repeatedly press him on why he’s blaming the Republican governor and not his fellow Democrats.
* Now, click here and go to the 1:24 mark on the CBS2 story about Kennedy’s announcement. As noted elsewhere today, Gov. Rauner talks about how he’s “very focused like a laser on getting a balanced budget.” But he also goes on to say this in a very sincere and muted tone…
“We need to compromise with each other. We need to listen to each other. And I’m very focused on that. I’m really not paying attention to politics.”
The man has some mad skills. He almost had me convinced. Seriously, watch the video. Rauner will not be easy to beat.
“Susana Mendoza this week refused to accept independent legal counsel to fight for state employee pay. Instead, she chose to work with the Madigan family as part of a blatant effort to shut down state government and cause a crisis to force even higher taxes and more unbalanced spending with no reforms. Susana Mendoza promised us she’d be an independent watchdog, but instead she’s become a Madigan minion.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
Today, the Illinois Republican Party added Comptroller Susana Mendoza to BossMadigan.com to highlight how Mendoza is working with the Madigan family to shut down state government and force a crisis.
Check out the page at BossMadigan.com/Susana-Mendoza
Susana Mendoza is bought and paid for by Boss Madigan, and now as Comptroller Mendoza is taking orders from her political patron, pledging to help him and Lisa Madigan shut down the government if allowed by the courts.
Career politician Susana Mendoza quickly became a Madigan ally in the House, voting for every unbalanced Madigan budget that became law, adding billions in debt while shortchanging Illinois schools. She even voted for the highest income tax hike in Illinois history, voted to raise her own pay, and then doubled dipped by taking two government pensions.
In exchange, Mendoza endorsed Madigan for Speaker six times, calling Madigan her “mentor”. In one speech lauding Madigan’s reign, Mendoza nominated him for Speaker and called him a “man who time and time again has demonstrated his passion and love for this state,” and proclaimed that “someday, our children will learn of his contributions.”
Knowing she was a loyal ally, Madigan provided Mendoza with money and support for her political career. When Mendoza wanted to run for higher office, Madigan cleared the Democratic field for her and funded her campaign for Comptroller.
To date Madigan has funneled millions to Mendoza. Now, she’s working with the Madigan family to shut down state government and cause a crisis to force even higher taxes.
“The Madigan family.” Expect to hear that line a couple billion more times.
* The Illinois Supreme Court has already ruled that a state contract provision can’t be paid without a legal appropriation. But filing this suit in the same circuit which ruled in favor of AFSCME’s lawsuit to pay state workers without an appropriation is definitely an interesting idea….
Pay Now Illinois (PNI), a coalition of Illinois-based human and social service agencies and companies, filed suit today in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Governor Bruce Rauner, Comptroller Susana Mendoza and directors of three statewide agencies, seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction that would force Illinois to begin timely payments for services performed under binding contracts dating back to the start of the current fiscal year, July 1, 2016.
The suit, a direct result of Illinois’ 20-month budget impasse, was filed in St. Clair County where, in 2015, a circuit court ruled in the case of AFSCME v. State of Illinois that the State of Illinois must pay state employees on a timely basis, despite the lack of a budget or agreed-to appropriations by the General Assembly and the Governor. State employees have not missed a single paycheck since the start of the budget impasse on July 1, 2015.
“Precedent has been set with the ruling in St. Clair County that required state workers be paid; we feel our constitutional claims are as strong, or possibly stronger,” Pay Now Illinois Chair Andrea Durbin said. “We are hoping for the same success so that we can get paid what is owed us, and we can be certain of getting paid in the future. After all, why should state workers be paid, but not state contractors? The state must provide assurance that it is a responsible business partner.”
The Pay Now Illinois suit in St. Clair County claims that with the adoption on June 30, 2016 of the six-month Stop Gap Bill – PA 99-524 – the state paid some outstanding contracts for fiscal year 2016, but did so by reducing or terminating funding of contracts for fiscal year 2017. “The so-called ‘Stop Gap’ Bill has unlawfully reduced or capped the liability of the State to plaintiffs on the contracts for services in fiscal year 2017 – contracts that had been agreed to in writing or orally before P.A. 99-524 was adopted on June 30, 2016,” the suit says.
As a result of unpaid contracts and an uncertain future, social service agencies are facing severe cash squeezes, according to the lawsuit. Over 40 percent of the plaintiffs are using or have fully expended their lines of credit, and more than 32 percent are struggling with liquidity issues. Approximately 76 percent have already taken actions to reduce staffing expenditures, while nearly 60 percent of the plaintiffs have reduced services. Failure to pay for work that has been carried out “is causing permanent and not temporary damage” to the agencies and “irreparable injury to the client populations that have lost services and damaged the credibility of the plaintiff organizations with many vulnerable and emotionally troubled persons,” the lawsuit says.
The suit also claims that the state’s failure to pass a fully funded, balanced budget is a violation of the state’s constitution. The lack of a budget removes the security to contract holders that they will be paid. And the lack of appropriations removes the opportunity for a legal remedy against the state for failure to pay its obligations, violating the plaintiffs’ rights to due process. It goes on to warn, “In the absence of injunctive relief, not only the plaintiff organizations but the entire State-supported infrastructure for providing human services faces irreparable and lasting injury.”
In addition to the Governor and Comptroller, other defendants in the suit are James Dimas, Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services; Jan Bohnhof, Director of the Illinois Department on Aging; and, John R. Baldwin, Acting Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections. PNI plaintiffs include 37 Illinois-based human and social service agencies and companies.
This is Pay Now Illinois’s second suit against the governor and others seeking payment on overdue bills. The first suit, filed in May of 2016, is now on appeal before the Appellate Court of the First District of Illinois. On August 31, 2016, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Rodolfo Garcia dismissed PNI’s first suit, which had sought an immediate preliminary injunction and full payment of unpaid contracts dating back to July 1, 2015. Agreeing that this case presented important constitutional issues, he urged PNI to expeditiously appeal the suit to a higher court for resolution.
“We are suing to get paid, but also to protect the integrity of contracts in the State of Illinois,” Durbin said. “Right now, nobody doing business with the State of Illinois can be certain of getting paid. And that is no way to run a business. If the State can get away with not paying our contracts, does any contract holder have security that the State’s word is good? Will they believe that the State of Illinois has integrity?” [Emphasis added.]
Grant preliminary and permanent injunctive relief requiring the defendant state officers to specifically perform their obligations of payment under the contacts attached hereto and on a timely basis pay the vouchers submitted and to be submitted for the remainder of the fiscal year
Nonetheless, defendants have paid other creditors in the absence of agreed-to appropriations.
While such payments have occurred under various court orders, the defendant Governor announced that the State should continue to pay State employees without agreed-to appropriations even if the order requiring such payment in AFSCME v. State were to be dissolved—and that he would take every available action to ensure they would get paid even without an appropriation.
At the same time, defendants—including the defendant Governor—will not pay plaintiffs in the absence of agreed to appropriations.
Union membership in Illinois is declining. In 2016 alone, union membership fell by 35,000 in Illinois, the worst loss in the region.
States like Missouri and Indiana, on the other hand, saw substantial growth in union membership according to an annual Bureau of Labor Statistics report on union membership.
* And it’s gonna get worse without a real budget. From S&P Global Ratings…
We believe Illinois’ distressed fiscal condition and dysfunctional budget politics now threaten to erode the state’s long-term economic growth prospects.
* This is just one more reason why so many people think so highly of Rep. Kelly Cassidy. She’s something most typical politicians are not: honest, frank and open…
With abortion access under siege by a president who once suggested women who seek abortions should be punished, several North Side state representatives want to make sure abortions remain safe and legal in Illinois.
One even decided to speak up about her own.
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) said medical issues meant that without an abortion, she would have become infertile as a result of a high-risk pregnancy.
“I didn’t want to have an abortion; I wanted to have those two babies,” Cassidy said during a committee hearing Wednesday. “But I wanted to survive, and I wanted to maintain my fertility.”
Cassidy, who represents Edgewater, Andersonville and Rogers Park, added that she never would have had her three sons later on had it not been for the affordable, safe access to an abortion.
Yeah, she has a liberal district, but that testimony took real guts.
The legislation is part of a broader agenda announced Wednesday by House and Senate Democrats that represents resistance to Trump in the legislature their party controls. Democrats detailed their fears that he’ll push to weaken women’s rights, and they protested the president’s executive order banning immigrants and refugees from some Muslim-majority countries. […]
Other efforts announced Wednesday call for paid sick time, paid family medical leave and access to free feminine hygiene products for students in grades 6-12. The group emphasized that more legislation could come up during session as it discusses other issues and the impact of the state budget impasse on women.
Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, said she is hoping to build on momentum from last year, when she successfully rolled back the sales tax on feminine hygiene products. Her new focus centers on legislation that seeks to prevent tailors, dry cleaners, hair salons and barbers from charging men and women different prices for the same services.
* Press release…
Building on the spirit, enthusiasm, and sense of solidarity of those who participated in Women’s Marches across Illinois on January 21st, a coalition of legislators gathered today at the State Capitol to embrace an agenda titled, Illinois Women Moving Forward. The agenda, created in a collaborative process with legislators and public policy groups committed to improve the lives of women in Illinois, is premised on the basic notion that all “Illinois women are entitled to equality.” The agenda contains a number of issues that the legislators hope to debate during the upcoming months of the legislative session, from access to affordable health care, equal pay, and policies that positively impact the ability to raise a family.
“The Women’s March was so inspiring, drawing together masses of people reflecting the true diversity of the entire State of Illinois,” said State Senator Toi Hutchinson. “One of the things that was easy to see was that the March was not simply a moment in time, but a call to action for a positive agenda to move forward. That is what Illinois Women Moving Forward provides – advancing the lives of everyone in Illinois, we won’t go backward.”
The agenda contains three basic pillars: Women’s Health Care, Economic Security, and Justice. The health care pillar includes a pledge to safeguard and ensure access to safe and legal abortion, as well as guaranteeing health coverage for women’s preventive health care. The economic security pillar calls for paid sick time, paid family medical leave for working families, and a raise in the minimum wage to a sustainable standard. Finally, under the justice pillar, the group is seeking to strengthen the Equal Pay Act to target systemic discrimination, banning discrimination in insurance coverage, and publicizing portions of the Illinois Human Rights Act that bar charging men and women different prices.
“Passage of this agenda would move not only women, but all of Illinois forward,” said Representative Sara Feigenholtz. “We do not want to go backward as a State – and this is a comprehensive path forward that will support women and families from Waukegan to Carbondale.”
The signatories to Illinois Women Moving Forward include: Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Senator Daniel Biss, Senator Melinda Bush, Senator Cristina Castro, Senator Toi Hutchinson, Senator Julie Morrison, Senator Heather Steans, Representative Kelly Cassidy, Representative Sara Feigenholtz, Representative Laura Fine, Representative Barbara Flynn Currie, Representative Robyn Gabel, Representative Will Guzzardi, Representative Sonya Harper, Representative Lou Lang, Representative Anna Moeller, Representative Litesa Wallace and Representative Ann Williams.
The agenda also is supported by organizations, including the ACLU of Illinois, Aids Foundation of Chicago, Chicago Foundation for Women, Chicago Women Take Action, EverThrive Illinois, Fathers, Families and Health Communities, Illinois Choice Action Team, Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Illinois NOW, McHenry County Citizens for Choice, Men4Choice, Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force, Midwest Access Coalition, Mujeres Latinas en Accion, National Association of Social Workers, Illinois, National Coalition of American Nuns, National Council of Jewish Women IL State Policy Advocacy Network, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice – Illinois, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, The Voices and Faces Project and Women Employed.
On the local political landscape, [CME chief exec Terry Duffy] is less sanguine. Budgetary and other fiscal problems plaguing Illinois and Chicago will lead CME to remain light on its feet and mindful of other headquarter options, he said. In 2011, CME threatened to move its base if the state didn’t provide a tax cut that was eventually forthcoming.
In the past few years, the company has sold and leased back much of its local Chicago real estate, including some of its Chicago Board of Trade buildings, and sold its Aurora data center to CyrusOne, making it more nimble, Duffy said.
“I’m a big believer that if you want these companies that are headquartered in this great city—and I call it a great city–you have to give clarity that you’re willing to make the tough decisions to put plans in place so we can reinvest here because it’s hard for us to reinvest when we don’t know what it’s going to be like,” Duffy said. “Right now, I will tell you this company is as nimble as it’s ever been in its history and it’s going to stay that way until we get more clarity.”
The company’s approximately 2,700 employees are about 43 years old, on average, and are some of the youngest, most highly paid in the city, with no particular loyalty to Chicago, he adds. “They rent and they’re ready to go–you gotta sometimes hold them back,” Duffy said. Duffy noted that Detroit has a lot of the same attributes as Chicago—on the water, with a central US location and a transportation hub, dangling the notion that Chicago isn’t a unique “geographic gem.” “Chicago and Illinois need to get (their) fiscal house in order,” he said.
Still, CME wouldn’t find the caliber of trading industry talent that is in Chicago in Detroit, Rosenthal said. Rival Intercontinental Exchange would have a heyday picking up CME Chicago employees on the cheap if CME were to move to someplace like Texas, he said.
* The governor sent an e-mail to state employees today…
Dear State Employees:
As you know, Attorney General Lisa Madigan is attempting to block state employee pay and force a crisis in Illinois. There are two proposals in the General Assembly, but only one is a real solution. Watch this video to know where we stand.
Thank you for your work on behalf of the people of Illinois.
As you know, Attorney General Madigan is going into court asking a judge to end state employee pay. The Attorney General now believes the state should be shut down until a budget is passed. We do not agree.
Two proposals have emerged in Springfield to address this issue. One proposal, sponsored by Rep. Avery Bourne and Rep. CD Davidsmeyer, would ensure state employees get the same treatment as legislators and constitutional officers — making it the law of Illinois to pay state employees on a continual basis regardless of the budget impasse. The other proposal is backed by Speaker Madigan — and it supports the Attorney General’s attempt to shut down government. Rather than stop paying employees and shut down government immediately, Speaker Madigan’s bill would stop employee pay and shut down government on June 30th instead.
Speaker Madigan will try to sell his June 30th government shut down proposal as a solution in case his daughter wins in court. But don’t be fooled. It’s not a solution — it’s a crisis showdown set for June 30th when the Speaker will use the leverage of a forced shut down to finally get the massive tax hike he recommended in December 2015.
There’s only one solution that makes sense: give state employees the same rights as the Speaker, rank-and-file legislators and the Attorney General herself. Give state employees permanent continuing appropriation for their pay just like legislators gave themselves. I will veto the Speaker’s June 30th government shut down proposal should it reach my desk. The General Assembly should fix this problem once and for all by sending the Bourne-Davidsmeyer state employee pay proposal to my desk immediately.
I don’t take a paycheck - never have, never will, but I believe state employees who show up to work every day for the people of Illinois should get their paychecks no matter what.
After all the hooplah over that CPS letter to parents blasting Rauner, this might be a bit much [ADDING: Click here for Greg Hinz’s take on that particular dustup.]. It’s not nearly as blatantly political, of course, but it most certainly mirrors the Rauner political attack machine messaging.
…Adding… When the governor promised to veto the Madigan bill, wasn’t he actually threatening to “create a crisis”? Isn’t that what he accuses both Speaker and AG Madigan of trying to do?
…Adding More… The governor’s people strongly disagree. They say they believe Madigan’s bill is designed to take the heat off himself and the attorney general so that he can then flip the pressure on the governor to do a stopgap budget deal by the end of June to avoid a “real” shutdown because there would be no appropriations authority to pay state workers and likely no court order, either.
Governor Rauner’s latest attempt to mislead state workers is centered on the claim that he wants state employees to be paid ‘like legislators’, but legislators are now paid six months late due to Rauner’s refusal to do his job and sign a budget.
The governor caused this crisis by holding the budget hostage to his political demands. Next week he’s due to present a spending plan for fiscal year 2018. If he introduces a budget, helps pass it and signs it into law on schedule this spring, this entire conversation is moot. Instead Rauner says he’d veto a payroll bill, an action that could shut down state government.
For our part, AFSCME and a dozen other unions representing state workers won the court order upholding payroll even without a budget, and our unions have been working with Rep. Sue Scherer to advance House Bill 1798 to ensure state employee payroll now. That bill wasn’t perfect in its initial form, but Rep. Scherer has been willing to address our concerns, and the bill is moving forward. That’s how compromise and the legislative process work.
In contrast, the governor’s threat to veto a bill not sponsored by his partisan political allies follows a familiar pattern: Rauner makes a demand, refuses to compromise, and bullies those who disagree.
If he wants to make progress, the governor should negotiate, not dictate, both in developing a fully-funded budget and reaching a fair contract for state employees.
Speaking Wednesday night at the Sangamon County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner, Gov. Bruce Rauner said he had to leave the Prairie Capital Convention Center and “go back over to negotiate some more with the legislators. We’re in the middle of heated negotiations around getting a balanced budget” with needed changes. […]
He also lauded Democrats in the Senate for working with Republicans on issues including term limits, property tax relief and reducing the regulatory burden on business.
“This is a major breakthrough,” Rauner said. “We’ve got to applaud them. It’s hard. They’re getting attacked from all sides. … But we’ve got to compromise, listen to each other, but get a good, fair deal for taxpayers.”
Secondly, I’m glad he acknowledged that Senators are being “attacked from all sides.” But that would include attacks on the Senate Republican Leader, who’s being whacked hard by several of Rauner’s own pals. Click here, for the latest.
* From a press release sent by Sen. Kwame Raoul on yesterday’s floor votes…
I do believe many of my Republican colleagues wanted to vote in favor of these measures, but they were undermined by the governor’s office and members of the far right, who are sabotaging work towards a compromise that will allow us to create the stability our state needs.
With Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan having locked horns from day one on the issue of a budget — with little progress to show for it — Cullerton and Radogno began their compromise negotiations without either one being part of the mix.
Now, however, Cullerton is calling on Rauner to raise his voice on the issue, contending a push from the governor in the right direction could make a world of difference in finally making the bitter stalemate between him and Madigan a thing of the past.
Further, Cullerton says, expedience is necessary because the plan raises $6.5 billion in new revenue – in part by raising the state income tax to 4.99 percent, retroactive to the start of the year. Get too far into 2017 without making the new rate law? Making the change, and counting on the revenue from it, will no longer be possible. […]
Republicans’ reluctance may stem from their awaiting a signal from Rauner, who has used his personal wealth to largely fund the Illinois Republican Party, which in turn funds many senators’ campaigns. Rauner has continually voiced his appreciation to Cullerton and Radogno for their work, but he has been unwilling to take a public stance on what they’ve crafted. Some of the governor’s staunch allies, including the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Policy Institute, are actively campaigning against the plan.
“I think the pressure should be on the Republicans from the business community to realize that they finally have to do something quickly. That’s what I’m hoping will happen,” Cullerton said, as he held up a report released this week by Standard & Poor’s that said the Senate plan could help to alleviate pressure on Illinois’ deteriorating fiscal condition.
In an interview with POLITICO, Kennedy lampooned Rauner, calling him a “petulant child” who engages in “revenge politics” and casting him as a dictator who has bought the Republican Party and silenced dissenting voices.
“I’d say the only thing worse than a one-party state is a one-man party and that’s what Rauner has done,” Kennedy said.
When asked about Madigan’s dual role as Democratic Party chair and powerful legislator, and criticism that he wields too much control in the state, Kennedy countered that it’s the Republican Party in Illinois that has grown too fearful of Rauner and his money, to speak out. […]
“Do you think Dick Durbin reports to Mike Madigan? Do you think Rahm Emanuel reports to Mike Madigan? Do you think any congressman or senator reports to Mike Madigan? Our party is a party of enormous diversity and independent voices,” Kennedy said. “The Republican Party has none of that anymore … the Republican Party has become a one-man shop, where one or two men have dominated … Where he uses his wealth to silence them. He’s an economic bully. I think that weakens them, I don’t think that makes them stronger.”
“The governor said he was going to shake up Springfield, instead he’s tried to hold up Springfield. He was sent to heal not hurt, and he’s failed in every way,” said Kennedy, son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. […]
Asked about the critique, Kennedy faulted Rauner for using his wealth to silence opposition in the GOP. “I have not heard state representatives or senators offering a second way because he bullies them with his money.”
“I think it’s an insult to me, an insult to the entire Kennedy family and an insult to the voters of Illinois to make a statement like that that anybody’s going to believe,” [Kennedy] told the Chicago Tribune [about the Republican attacks].
“I think Gov. Rauner has spent his entire time blaming others and not leading. Even now, as the state Senate tries to find a compromise on the budget, Gov. Rauner remains on the sideline. We don’t know what his intentions are. And that’s not right. He’s in the big chair. He ought to lead. Otherwise, he’s one (term) and done.”
Following an event in Normal, Rauner did not address Kennedy’s candidacy when reporters asked about it.
“I am very focused, like a laser, on getting a balanced budget with structural changes to our system, but it’s broken and been broken for a long time. And we need to compromise with each other. We need to listen to each other. And I’m very focused on that. I’m really not paying attention to politics,” the governor said.
He’s focused like a laser, alright. On the budget? Maybe not so much. On his Madigan messaging to avoid blame for the impasse and taint his opposition? Yeppers.
“Chris Kennedy spent day one of his campaign sticking with Mike Madigan, defending him in TV interviews and even going so far as to proclaim that Madigan bears no responsibility for Illinois’ problems. Kennedy is following rule one of the Chicago machine – never speak an ill word about your political boss.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
Chris Kennedy’s first day of the 2018 campaign got off to a rocky start. In multiple interviews with Chicago TV, Kennedy would not blame Madigan for any of Illinois’ problems.
Asked about his relationship with Mike Madigan by every Chicago television station, Kennedy either defended Madigan or dodged the question.
WLS reported that Kennedy doesn’t “hold Mike Madigan responsible for any of this” and Kennedy confirmed to NBC Chicago that he met with Speaker Madigan to discuss his campaign.
You can almost see the strings being pulled behind above Kennedy’s head.
* From Senate President John Cullerton’s spokesman John Patterson…
I’ve received several process or technical questions about the status of the “grand bargain” given the defeat of SB 11.
First, if you need it, here’s a statement you can attribute to me, John Patterson, spokesman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton.
“The overall deal remains under construction.
“Today, we began the process of getting the balanced budget and reform package approved. We took a few important steps forward, and we also learned that more work needs to be done. The Senate President has already talked to the Republican Leader and we’ll see what steps we can take to regain momentum and hopefully deliver a long overdue balanced budget plan.”
OK, now for the process.
From a process standpoint, the proposals that won support today – SBs 3, 8 and 10 — remain in the Senate. The pension reform legislation – the defeated SB 11 – will need to go on a new Senate Bill. Upon winning support for that Senate Bill, the previously approved SBs 3, 8 and 10 could be recalled so we could update the language that links all the proposals together as a grand bargain.
Basically, there are procedural avenues to keep the grand bargain negotiations going.
Bottom line: Grand bargain still alive.
That is your inside baseball process update.
John
More in a bit, but I think this was a good place to start.
