* The Tribune has published yet another editorial about its “solutions” for higher education. Here’s one bit…
Pause to let that sink in: Nearly half of public school students spurn the universities their own families’ tax dollars built, and support, in order to leave Illinois — often just across the border to Wisconsin, Indiana and Iowa. Some flee farther: The University of Alabama is a much more popular destination for Chicago-area kids than you’d imagine.
Those states have invested big bucks in their schools’ infrastructure, something that the Trib is skeptical about doing in Illinois…
That’s why you get so much unimaginative overlap, such as both Eastern Illinois University and Western Illinois now in line to get $100 million science buildings. The rationale is that both schools need new science buildings … to continue doing business as usual. Never mind that, at both universities, enrollment has plummeted.
Um, maybe enrollment is plummeting partly because the state hasn’t made the proper investments? EIU’s current science building is a joke. And the Tribune, remember, was all about the impasse, which just about killed off three or four universities in this state. No planning. Just death. So smart.
Here’s another excerpt…
What should be done to improve school performance and attract more students? Pritzker, a businessman who surely sees that many of the universities have lost their luster, can demand that they specialize in certain areas of academic focus. Sure, let each offer some courses in all major disciplines, but concentrate upper-level offerings in each field at one or two campuses. Pritzker also can demand answers to questions that boards and administrators always duck: Should some of Illinois’ dwindling universities merge? Given demographic trends, should any of them be mothballed? Should one or two evolve into, say, residential community colleges with two-year career training?
And then…
We asked Nyle Robinson, interim executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, if a rethink is in the cards. We were glad to hear him, too, say the arrival of a new governor “is an obvious time to have such discussions.”
* I emailed the IBHE about Robinson’s comment and the editorial…
One of the things the Tribune suggested in that editorial was merging and/or mothballing universities. Does ED Robinson share that view? What other points does he agree with in that editorial?
* From Nyle Robinson, interim executive director, IBHE…
We are always happy to have a new governor’s interest in higher education. We are particularly pleased with Gov. Pritzker’s commitment to this sector for many reasons, including the fact that the health of a state’s economy is tied to the health of its higher education. The FY 2020 budget was the best for higher education operations since at least FY 02. It also was the best capital program for higher education in decades. However, one good year will not fix the damage of decades of disinvestment. Universities and community colleges received a 5% increase for FY 20. In FY 16 they only received 30% of what they received in FY 15 and the budget impasse ended with a permanent 10% decrease in FY 18.
Those facts must be taken into account when considering what Illinois wants, and needs, its higher education system to be. Community colleges, public universities, and private colleges are constantly reviewing its programs and structures. Coursework is updated, majors and minors change as employment needs shift, and institutions evolve to meet the demands of the workforce and students. College and university staff meet regularly with employers to align coursework with job needs. Unfortunately, during the budget impasse, many colleges and universities were pushed into making the cuts they could make in the short term to lower costs quickly, rather than making strategic choices.
However, a confluence of events makes this an ideal time to look at Illinois higher education system. There being a new Governor who has expressed support for higher education, both in his words and in his deeds. We are in the second year of budget stability and at the start of a six-year capital program, after a long drought in capital support. That will modernize and refresh campuses. Making them more attractive to perspective students.
In addition, the state higher education master plan is ten years old. It is the time modernize it as well. IBHE has started work on a new plan and we have had initial discussions with the Governor’s office about how to best undertake the gathering of input. Everything should be on the table in such a process.
But, as a 33-year veteran of state government, I am skeptical of reorganizations. Reorganizations are certain to cause disruption, but the benefits are less certain. It is easier to envision the upsides than it is to see the barriers. Also, while universities may benefit from highlighting their top programs, the downsides of cutting programs too severely must be considered. While the state is concerned about outmigration, the fact is most students will start school within 100 miles of their home. This is particularly true of poor and minority students, who are making up an ever-increasing portion of the student population and isolating programs in different, possibly remote, portions of a large state will make them inaccessible to older students with jobs and family responsibilities. Just one example, stripping programs from Eastern will only make Indiana schools more attractive, some of them are closer than other Illinois schools. Also, it is better and easier to connect students with jobs close to where they are studying.
Higher education is dynamic and evolving. The workforce is evolving. The student population is evolving. New modes of delivering higher education are becoming more prevalent, and attractive. We believe that reforms of our state system are merited but reorganization is not likely to be the most productive way of responding to the changing landscape. [Emphasis added]
Pretty thoughtful response.
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* Amanda Kass and Andrew Crosby of the UIC’s Government Finance Research Center have published a white paper about local first responder pension funds. They examined 336 municipalities which have 516 police or fire pension funds - about 80 percent of all non-Chicago funds.
They were looking to see if any municipalities were getting around the state “pension intercept” law. From their white paper…
Starting in fiscal year (FY) 2016, the enforcement mechanism allows the State Comptroller to intercept state- sharing revenue if municipalities’ contributions to their police and fire pension funds fall short of what their contributions are supposed to be under state law. That intercepted revenue is then re-directed to the pension systems to make up for the shortfall in governments’ contributions. A premise of the pension intercept is that state intervention can help ensure the fiscal sustainability of local governments and their retirement funds.
They found that most municipalities appeared to be making their statutorily required pension payments. But they found 22 which looked hinky. After obtaining information from those municipalities, they came to this conclusion…
We found that while the majority (14 municipalities) were indeed shorting their pension funds, only two municipalities had state-sharing revenue intercepted: Harvey and North Chicago.
Not good. If the state takes no action, the problems in those municipalities are going to only get worse.
* I followed up with Ms. Kass to ask if there could be more than 14 municipalities shorting their pension funds…
Hi Rich:
Shorter answer: There could be more, but it’s really difficult to determine without collecting data from all municipalities. I don’t have confidence is coming up with a specific estimate. I would say that for 2016 there were 163 municipalities whose actual contributions look like they were less than 100% than the IDOI recommendation. That alone, however, does not indicate those municipalities shorted their pension funds, but that is the number of places I’d examine to see if they did short. I just want to be careful about the language.
Long explanation: We compared municipalities actual contributions to IDOI’s recommended contribution, which we defined as a “payment ratio.” A payment ratio of 1 means that a municipality’s actual contribution equaled the IDOI recommendation; less than 1 means the contribution was less than the IDOI recommendation. The 22 we looked at had average payment ratios below 0.5 for some time between 2005 and 2016, so these seemed like the most extreme cases of shorting.
Out of the 336 municipalities, there are 163 municipalities that had a payment ratio of less than 1 for 2016; however, I can’t provide a good estimate of how many of those shorted. Out of that pool of 163, 60 have payment ratios of 0.9 or above. The payment ratio being below 1 could be because the municipality hired an actuary and that actuary’s recommended contribution was less than IDOI; it could be because the municipality’s actual payment is not aligned with the correct IDOI recommendation; or it could be because the municipality shorted. Many may have hired their own actuary and not used IDOI, but information about whether a municipality or pension fund hires its own actuary doesn’t seem to be collected by IDOI (at least not in a spreadsheet or easy to use way). For the 22 municipalities we looked at, only five used IDOI’s recommendation.
The 3rd party actuaries’ figures varied widely from the IDOI recommendations, and the difference between IDOI and the 3rd party actuary was not consistent over time even for the same municipality. Because of this we couldn’t even identify a likely lower boundary for the payment ratio–meaning coming up with a cutoff point for payment ratios less than 1 to distinguish between likely shorting and just difference between 3rd party actuary and IDOI). This is why we limited to just looking at the most extreme cases (the 22 municipalities).
Pension funds can trigger the intercept for any shortfall in the actual contribution. Chicago’s contributions to its pension systems for 2018 (per the information in its CAFR) were only about 2% less than required, but the systems have still triggered the intercept against the City.
Amanda
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Question of the day
Friday, Jul 12, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Block Club Chicago…
As animal experts deploy a new strategy to try to capture and rescue the elusive alligator in Humboldt Park, concern is rising over the reptile’s health.
After several days of occasional sightings, the approximately 5-foot-long American alligator hasn’t been seen in more than 24 hours. […]
“We’ve gone 24 hours without a confirmed sighting of the animal. I’m not gonna speculate, but you guys will anyway,” [Alligator Bob] told reporters. “He could’ve been sick or injured when they threw him in here. … ‘Oh, I fed him something and he’s poison and he’s not eating. Oh, I dropped something and broke his back. Oh, I stabbed him when he bit me.’ There’s 100 things.
“We might be looking for a carcass. The water temperature is 74 degrees, just like any other body, it’ll come floating to the surface. But I’m not saying he’s dead. He’s just missing.”
* Sun-Times…
A new strategy emerged on day four of alligator watch at the Humboldt Park Lagoon: Playing recordings of baby alligators.
Herpetologist “Alligator Bob” said Friday he plans to use a device that mimics the sound of baby alligators in hopes of luring the alligator.
The strategy has worked “very well” with wild alligators in Southern states, Bob said, but the Humboldt Park gator was probably raised in captivity.
“We’re not putting a lot of success in it,” Bob said. “It’s worked well in the wild, but we don’t know if it’ll work here.”
* The Question: Are you rooting for the alligator or for Alligator Bob? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
online polls
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Today’s quotable
Friday, Jul 12, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Chicago Sun-Times…
[Chicago police officers] arrested a total of 84,717 people in 2018 compared with 82,663 in 2017, a 2 percent increase, according to the Chicago Police Department. […]
So far this year, felony arrests have continued to rise, according to the police. There were 47,467 arrests through Sunday compared with 43,831 over the same period of 2018, an 8 percent rise.
Still, in 2009, there were 181,254 arrests. The police department’s arrest totals had steadily decreased year after year until 2018.
Martin Preib, second vice-president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said, “A central factor in the decline of arrests is the false vilification of the police by the activist media.”
Um, what? Is this an admission by the union of a police slowdown?
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* Background from Marni Pyke…
There’s only one consensus on extending Route 53 into Lake County and that is — the issue has dragged on for many years.
Since the 1970s, the project has been studied multiple times, analyzed to death in myriad committees and voted on in a 2009 referendum where residents said yes.
This month will mark another turning point. The Lake County Board could put the Route 53 extension on the back burner at a meeting Tuesday.
If they do, the Illinois tollway — the latest entity to carry the Route 53 torch — might announce it’s pulling the plug on a related $25 million environmental study this month.
The fight over the extension into Lake County has been raging since the early 1960s. And the Lake County Board did, indeed, put the route extension on the back burner this week.
* Today…
Three recently elected Democratic County Board Members are praising the Pritzker Administration’s decision today to end the most recent study of the long-controversial Route 53 extension. Moving on from this project after nearly 60 years of uncertainty will allow Lake County to better explore comprehensive, 21st Century solutions to our transportation needs.
Jessica Vealitzek (D-Hawthorn Woods) said, “I applaud the decision by the Tollway Authority. There are many things we can do to relieve congestion in Lake County, but extending one road for $3 billion isn’t the solution. It’s going to take more than that–a 21st-century, comprehensive transportation plan.”
Julie Simpson (D-Vernon Hills) said “I want to thank Governor Pritzker, the Tollway board, and everyone who fought along side us to put this environmentally devastating, fiscally irresponsible, archaic project to bed. We will now be able to move forward with a modern transportation plan to address the many infrastructure needs that have been held hostage for the last 50+ years.”
Adam Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) said “We’re finally free of a 60-year-old albatross. This decision, coupled with the Governor’s successful capital bill, puts Lake County on a path toward modern, comprehensive solutions to our transportation needs. I’m glad we’ll be moving forward with consensus projects like the Route 22 expansion.”
All 3 Democratic members were elected to the Board in 2018, replacing long-time Republican supporters of the now-scuttled project.
* Press release…
The Village of Hawthorn Woods thanks Illinois Tollway Executive Director José Alvarez for terminating this latest round of studies on the controversial Route 53 Extension. This decision appears to recognize that the same conditions that have derailed every other bid to extend Route 53 – a glaring lack of political consensus in support of the project and a chronic shortage of funds to build it – remain facts of life today.
We hope that this decision represents the permanent demise of the proposed extension, so that Lake County can begin efforts to make the transportation improvements that we can all agree on. Those concepts include arterial lane widenings, grade separations where roads cross railroads, and enhanced commuter rail service. After all, these common-sense and cost-effective improvements to the Lake County’s transportation system have languished for decades, while one futile effort after another was mounted to extend Route 53.
In the wake of this decision, we call on the Tollway, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration to decommission the Route 53 corridor and work with relevant state and local agencies to convert it into a permanent greenway for public recreational use and environmental stewardship.
Dating back to when the state first proposed the extension in the 1960s, it has spent massive sums of money on repeated studies of the project and land purchases linked to its right-of-way. And each time, those efforts resulted in the same outcome: An admission that there is too much opposition, too little money, and to great of a negative impact to the environment to warrant the continued studies of the project. And all that time, Lake County commuters remained mired in traffic congestion that could have been eased through other avenues.
After six decades, the record is clear: Grassroots opposition to the project is staunch; money to build it is too scarce; and the irreparable damage it would inflict on Lake County’s treasured, but fragile, natural areas is severe.
Let’s put our roadbuilders to work now, instead of lining the pockets of consultants with millions of dollars that could be invested in our infrastructure. With this decision in place, Lake County can finally advance our local plan to effectively relieve traffic congestion, protect the beauty of its landscape, and enhance our collective quality of life.
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*** UPDATE *** Good…
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* WIFR TV…
As Rockford’s push for a casino continues, at least one proposal appears to be in the works.
On Tuesday, Hard Rock International CEO Jim Allen and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen plan to announce the proposed development of Hard Rock Casino in Rockford.
Allen and Nielsen will be at the former Clock Tower Resort at 7801 E. State Street. The announcement is expected around noon.
Nielsen has traveled to Springfield on behalf of his city at least a couple of times. Not sure if many people knew he was hoping to open a casino. But, hey, that looks like a pretty cool combination.
* Meanwhile…
Nevada hopes to be the first state to create its own banking system for the booming marijuana industry, which has generated more than $150 million in tax revenue since 2017, according to Nevada Treasurer Zach Conine’s office.
Since the drug is still illegal under federal law, most banks won’t accept cannabis businesses as clients. As a result, the multimillion-dollar industry is mainly a cash business — at least for now.
Under a three-year pilot program, Nevada will allow marijuana businesses and consumers to deal in electronic tokens. The system will work much the same way as in in casinos, where players buy and bet with chips. “You exchange cash for casino chips and those chips transfer around the casino,” says Conine. “At the end, you convert them back into cash.”
The initial idea is for consumers and businesses to use an app to buy tokens, which could then be used at any marijuana business or for paying state and local government. Consumers could use them at dispensaries. Dispensaries could use those tokens to pay growers, who in turn could use tokens to pay a tax bill to the state. At that point, the state would convert the tokens back into dollars.
Pretty good idea.
* Related…
* Proposed Ban on Video Gambling Licenses Addition in Lake County Unincorporated Areas Fails
* Rivers Continues To Far Outpace Casino Rivals
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* We’ve already talked a bit about HB3850…
Repeals the Reproductive Health Act. Creates the Illinois Abortion Law of 2019 containing the provisions of the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975 before its repeal by Public Act 101-13, as well as provisions defining “viability” to include when, in the medical judgment of the attending physician based on the particular facts of the case before the attending physician, the unborn child has a fetal heartbeat, and defining “fetal heartbeat” as the cardiac activity or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart within the gestational sac.
* Mark Maxwell dives in…
House Republican Allen Skillicorn, who is mulling a 2020 Congressional campaign, filed the anti-abortion measure in Springfield to respond to what he called “truly appalling legislation.”
Skillicorn, a two-term representative from East Dundee, wrote in a statement, “It is now conceivable that a 14-year old girl lacking parental consent and advanced in her pregnancy could receive an abortion from a ‘health worker’ in a facility lacking minimum medical standards, as practitioner and facility licensing have been revoked. And if she would die due to negligence, no record of the death due to a botched abortion would be reported.”
“That is a complete disregard for reality,” [Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago], who sponsored the bill in the House, said. “[Skillicorn] operates from a position that people are stupid and not smart enough to know the truth.” […]
The measure did also remove the state’s ability to grant special licenses to abortion clinics, but supporters say they did so as a precaution to eliminate so-called “trap laws” that were “put in place to close all abortion clinics,” Cassidy said. By removing the requirement for outpatient abortion clinics to seek a state license, the Reproductive Health Act prevents future legislatures or state agency directors from targeting a facility’s license as a means to revoke access to the procedure, similar to what is currently happening in the state of Missouri.
In this regard, Skillicorn’s hyperbolic hypothetical is a gross over-exaggeration, and not literally true. According to state law, doctors and facilities that perform abortions still have to be licensed medical practitioners and still must meet strict health, safety, and medical guidelines, just as any other surgeon, physician, or hospital have to comply with state and federal safety standards. The change in the law only removes an older provision that added an extra regulatory hurdle specifically for abortion procedures. Some smaller outpatient abortion facilities that provide abortion by injection or by pill may not have to be licensed as surgery centers, but the medical professionals performing the procedures still must be professionally trained and licensed.
Also, mandatory parental consent laws were declared unconstitutional in 1979.
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* The House Republicans have been blogging about Illinois history this year. Here’s their latest…
On Sunday, July 9, 1933, a fire broke out in a store room on the 5th floor of the Capitol’s south wing. It quickly spread to the 6th floor office of the division of oil inspection, and the nearby offices of the division of agriculture and the state supervising architect.
* The fire was eventually extinguished, but only after significant damage had been done by the flames and by the large amount of water used to combat the conflagration. The place was drenched, including the House chambers.
But the story doesn’t end there. An important meeting had been scheduled for the very next day…
Earlier that year, Congress had started the process of adding a 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, an amendment which would repeal the 18th Amendment enacting prohibition. Illinois had enthusiastically embraced the cause.
The General Assembly adopted a joint resolution calling for a state convention to meet and discuss ratifying the repeal amendment. In April both houses and the Governor had enacted House Bill 441, setting by law the time and place for the repeal convention to meet: 12 noon, Monday, July 10, 1933, in the House chamber. That is, the very chamber which was now full of water and crumbling, falling plaster.
Elections for delegates to the convention had been held on June 5, and all 50 delegates were members of the “wet” slate, delegates who favored repeal of Prohibition, defeating their “dry” counterparts.
“Before a galaxy of distinguished visitors in the crowded House of Representatives, the 50 wet delegates to the repeal convention formally will place Illinois in the procession of states knocking out the dry paragraphs of the constitution,” the Illinois State Register had predicted on the day of the fire.
They were right about everything but the location.
While water was still dripping into the chamber, the jokes had started floating around: wet chamber, wet delegates.
“The hall had been all arranged for the repeal convention, but became sadly ‘wet’ before its time,” quipped the Journal.
Jokes aside, though, the convention did face a very real problem. The time and place of the convention had been specifically set by law. Convention delegates were arriving in the capital city while the smoke was still rising from the statehouse. The designated location was clearly unsafe. In the hours after the fire, a plan began to come together.
Go read the rest.
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* ABC 7…
The Trump administration is moving forward with a nationwide immigration enforcement operation targeting migrant families, despite loud opposition from Democrats and questions over whether it’s the best use of resources given the crisis at the border.
The operation could happen as soon as this weekend after being postponed by President Donald Trump late last month. It would pursue people with final deportation orders, including families whose immigration cases were fast-tracked by judges in 10 major cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Miami.
* Press release…
In the face of renewed threats from President Trump to conduct immigration raids, Governor JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul reiterated their commitment to working hand in hand to use every tool at their disposal to protect Illinois’ immigrant families.
“Immigrants are an essential part of what makes this country great. In Illinois, we welcome and protect them, despite threats from President Trump,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In the face of a coordinated attempt by the President to stoke fear, exploit division, and force families into the shadows, Illinois stands as a firewall against the president’s attacks on our immigrant communities. To every hardworking immigrant resident of our great state: Illinois is and always will be a welcoming state for all.”
“Despite what the president would have people believe, every Illinois resident has constitutional rights, regardless of citizenship or immigration status,” said Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “I urge every immigrant to Know Your Rights – the first one being that you do not have to open your door to immigration agents. I also encourage Illinois law enforcement agencies to review my office’s Guidance to Law Enforcement, which details changes to state law, to ensure they do not violate those rights.”
As the state’s chief executive, Gov. Pritzker has directed all state agencies that the state of Illinois will not coordinate with ICE on federal immigration enforcement. In addition, the governor signed two pieces of legislation into law last month that help make Illinois a firewall against President Trump’s attacks.
House Bill 1637
Keep Illinois Families Together Act
HB 1637 prohibits local law enforcement agencies from engaging in federal immigration enforcement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
While local law enforcement agencies in 21 states, including Wisconsin, participate in the 287(g) Program — an ICE program that allows local law enforcement officials to identify and remove undocumented residents from the U.S. — Illinois now statutorily prohibits participation. This bill ensures witnesses of all backgrounds can come forward and report crime to their local police. HB 1637 took effect on June 21, 2019.
House Bill 2040
Private Detention Facility Moratorium Act
HB 2040 bans immigrant detention centers in the state of Illinois, which halted the proposed federally-run center in Dwight, Ill. Specifically, the bill prohibits state, county and local governments from entering any agreement or making any financial transactions with a private detention facility, with an exception for contracts with providers of ancillary services such as medical or food services.
This law made Illinois the first state in the nation to ban private civil detention centers, after the state already banned private criminal detention centers. HB 2040 also took effect on June 21, 2019.
Attorney General’s Office Updated Immigration Guidance
Know Your Rights
The Attorney General’s office has updated its Guidance to Law Enforcement to provide an overview of changes to Illinois laws that include prohibitions on engaging in immigration enforcement. The Attorney General is also reminding immigrant residents and service providers in immigrant communities of the office’s free Know Your Rights resources. The comprehensive materials available in several languages give residents guidance in situations where they are confronted by a police officer or immigration agent in public or at home. A full fact sheet can be found here.
Every resident of Illinois has constitutional rights that protect them if they encounter law enforcement, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. The Attorney General’s office encourages people to read and carry a Know Your Rights card with them in case they are approached by law enforcement or immigration authorities.
The Attorney General’s office also encourages individuals to contact the office to report instances of discrimination or harassment by calling its Civil Rights Hotline at 1-877-581-3692.
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Audit: DoIT an overspending mess
Friday, Jul 12, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
An effort by the state of Illinois to consolidate hundreds of separate financial reporting systems has cost $150 million more than estimated.
Auditor General Frank Mautino’s audit of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology found that the cost of the Enterprise Resource Planning project exceeded the initial five-year, $250 million estimate by 60 percent largely because of an aggressive implementation schedule. It began by tackling 260 separate financial reporting systems.
“It’s running behind and you’ve had cost overruns because of the implementation, they pushed hard in the beginning, which caused conversion problems and implementation problems because it’s trying to do so much,” Mautino said.
The audit found that the current estimated $400 million rollout should cover the rest of the implementation, scheduled for completion early next year. But Mautino noted some of the bigger challenges remain — mega-agencies such as the Department of Human Services and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which handle public assistance and Medicaid health care coverage, have yet to come online.
The audit, covering a two-year period that ended in June 2018, found 30 deficiencies. They included the failure to consolidate computer services among all 38 agencies required by a 2016 executive order by former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, late payment of vendors resulting in $20 million in late-payment interest, shoddy control of inventory and assets, and failure to follow written policies about which personnel have the authority to make such changes as computer coding.
The full audit is here.
* From the synopsis…
Because of the significance and pervasiveness of the findings described within the report, we expressed an adverse opinion on the Department’s compliance with the assertions which comprise a State compliance examination. The Codification of Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements (AT-C § 205.72) states a practitioner “should express an adverse opinion when the practitioner, having obtained sufficient appropriate evidence, concludes that misstatements, individually or in the aggregate, are both material and pervasive to the subject matter.”
Yikes.
* From the Daily Line…
The agency also failed to conduct employee performance evaluations in a timely manner, and failed to submit reports to the state about employee diversity on time, or even at all in the case of the Asian-American Employment Plan Survey for the 2017 fiscal year.
After employees were terminated, many of them kept their state cell phones for weeks, or even months. The audit found that of nine terminated employees sampled for the audit, six of them kept their cell phones for anywhere between 46 to 291 days after the termination of the employee, costing the state $1,576. One of the former employees slipped through the cracks entirely, and DoIT was not aware that the cell service for a terminated employee had been costing the state $52 per month until the auditors notified the agency.
The auditors also noted that some of DoIT’s employees and contractors “had not completed security awareness training or cybersecurity training, completed the annual acknowledgement of compliance with security policies, obtained proper authorization for access rights, or request forms were submitted late, or not properly approved; and removed access rights in a timely manner.”
Additionally, the audit found that 551 laptops and desktops were not up-to-date with the latest anti-virus product and 3,692 were not up-to-date with the latest anti-virus definitions.
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* Cook County Record…
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and some of his allies are arguing they were exercising free speech when they allegedly ran two Hispanic “sham candidates” to lure votes from a Hispanic primary challenger to Madigan, who is now suing Madigan and others on grounds such alleged tactics were unlawful.
Jason Gonzales filed suit in August 2016 in Chicago federal court alleging Madigan and some of his supporters engaged in underhanded methods to ensure a lopsided win for the Speaker in the 2016 Democratic Primary. The alleged unethical acts included slating two Hispanic candidates for no reason other than to split the Hispanic vote Gonzales has argued he could have received. The candidates were Joe Barbosa and Grasiela Rodriguez, who are also being sued by Gonzales. […]
Gonzales is arguing defendants should not be permitted to use the First Amendment as a defense. Defendants countered by filing arguments on why they should be allowed.
* From the Madigan filing…
(C)omplaints about campaign strategies, even “dirty tricks” that successfully undermine candidacies, are not actionable in federal court. See, e.g., Jones, 892 F.3d at 939 (referendum pushed by candidate’s opponents to disqualify him from running for mayor was “a political dirty trick,” but the “right response” would have been a “political,” “campaign[] against the … referendum” and prevail “at the ballot box rather than the courthouse”). As the Jones court stated, “[a]ny effort by the judiciary to stop one politician from proposing and advocating steps that injure another politician would do more to violate the First Amendment … than to vindicate the Equal Protection Clause.” […]
(T)here is no intent requirement to run for office under Illinois law. […]
In fact, the state could not impose an intent requirement on any candidate for their purpose in running for office. For example, states cannot force candidates to swear loyalty oaths disclaiming certain beliefs to access the ballot. See, e.g., Communist Party of Ind. v. Whitcomb, 414 U.S. 441, 442‐43, 449‐50 (1974) (striking down requirement that political candidates swear that they do not advocate for the overthrow of government by force or violence); Socialist Workers Party v. Hill, 483 F.2d 554, 556‐57 (5th Cir. 1973) (candidates could not be forced to swear “obeisance and homage” to current form of government to access ballot). If the state cannot require Barbosa and Rodriguez to swear loyalty to the United States to run for office, the state certainly cannot require Barbosa and Rodriguez to swear they are not running to make it harder for Plaintiff to win a primary.
And if the First Amendment protects candidates who run with the intent of altering our form of government, then certainly it protects Barbosa and Rodriguez for running with whatever intent they had, including the alleged intent to take votes away from Plaintiff.
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* GateHouse Media…
Illinois legislators in June voted to double a state tax on gasoline to 38 cents from 19 cents per gallon. The increase took effect July 1, and gas station owner Pravin Patel immediately noticed a dip in sales.
Patel operates a Mobil gas station in South Beloit, located about the length of football field away from the Illinois-Wisconsin border. He said he’s making about $2,000 less per day on gas sales than in previous months, based on credit card transactions alone. He’s heard similar stories from other gas station owners near the border, he added.
“I’ve lost a lot of business and I’ve lost two employees because I can’t afford them anymore” Patel said. “Because the tax went up, business went down.”
Patel suggested that legislators should consider a buffer zone of sorts to protect gas station owners on the border. If the additional tax was waived within a mile or two of the border, customers might return to Illinois, he said.
A buffer zone sounds interesting, but what do you do about the gas stations just outside the buffer zone? Create another buffer zone? And then what do you do about those gas stations outside the second buffer zone?
* Look, there will be some pain with this gas tax increase. No doubt. But we can’t create a time machine to go back and fix this state’s infrastructure problems. The fixes can only be done in the here and now and in the future. And the problems were ignored and/or neglected for so long that a bigtime solution was necessary.
The problems some gas stations, corporate or otherwise, are having shouldn’t take precedence over fixing what we’ve collectively broken. The best thing to do is to try not to get so far behind ever again.
…Adding… From comments…
The location of a business is a well known valuation factor. The potential for tax hikes or tax cuts impacting a business will be taken into account for evaluating the value of an “on the border” business and, in theory, also for the business’ property tax assessments. Unfortunately, “risk” is also a well known business factor.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Jul 11, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune has a story today about municipalities hiring collection agencies to track down people with unpaid tickets and fines. It’s a cash cow for the locals, which don’t have to spend a dime to collect the fines. It makes money for the collection agencies, which keep a large chunk of what they collect. But some of these fines are ancient. For instance…
Seth Jumps, who lives in Jackson County, near Carbondale, got a call about six months ago from the same number over and over for several weeks. He finally decided to answer. The caller was a collection agent working for Jackson County.
The agency told Jumps he had two unpaid tickets: a $150 ticket from 2012 for fishing without a license, and a $125 ticket from 2002 for screeching tires. He said the agency didn’t provide him with copies of the tickets, or any other paperwork.
Jumps said he was certain he paid those tickets. He renews his fishing license each year and believes he wouldn’t be able to if he had an unpaid violation. And this was the first time in 16 years that he heard from the county about possible outstanding tickets, he said.
“It was 16 years ago. I have no track record or anything,” Jumps said. “Who’s going to keep a receipt?”
Goodman, from NIU, said someone may be tempted to pay a ticket, rather than fight it, if they don’t have records. He raised concerns about collection agencies choosing whom to pursue.
* The Question: Should the state place some sort of time limit on these private debt collections? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
picture polls
…Adding… Text from Rep. Stephanie Kifowit…
Hi Rich, I tried to address this issue last session but couldn’t get the bill called on the floor. It’s an issue because banks only keep records for 7 years so it’s impossible for a person to contest a violation from that long ago.
Her bill is here.
If you check the witness slips, the Illinois Municipal League, the City of Chicago and Cook County were opposed, which explains the brick.
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Let’s get a move-on, people
Thursday, Jul 11, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the state’s new gaming law…
In addition, within 10 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, the [Illinois Gaming Board], with consent and at the expense of the City of Chicago, shall select and retain the services of a nationally recognized casino gaming feasibility consultant. Within 45 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, the consultant shall prepare and deliver to the Board a study concerning the feasibility of, and the ability to finance, a casino in the City of Chicago. The feasibility study shall be delivered to the Mayor of the City of Chicago, the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Ninety days after receipt of the feasibility study, the Board shall make a determination, based on the results of the feasibility study, whether to recommend to the General Assembly that the terms of the license under paragraph (1) of this subsection (e-5) should be modified. The Board may begin accepting applications for the owners license under paragraph (1) of this subsection (e-5) upon the determination to issue such an owners license.
The law’s effective date is July 1, so the first deadline was yesterday. The deadline wasn’t met.
* Center Square…
Illinois’ new gambling expansion is barely two weeks old, but the state is already behind schedule. […]
The state should have named a firm to study a Chicago casino this week. That hasn’t happened. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said it will, eventually.
“Nothing is going to happen until licenses are issued. And that is going to happen in due course,” Pritzker told reporters in Chicago on Wednesday. “We obviously need to start with the Gaming Board, we need to make sure that the study is underway for the city of Chicago. But remember, that’s just one component of the gaming bill.”
The study requires a firm to figure out the best way to move forward with a Chicago casino and to suggest where the casino will be built.
“There are CMS requirements for the state. You have to go out and bid it out and so. And that’s all happening right now,” Pritzker said.
The governor also has not named new Gaming Board members. He said that will happen soon.
“We’ll be making announcements about the members and the chair of the Gaming Board as soon as we can,” Pritzker said.
…Adding… Amanda Vinicky…
“The IGB (Illinois Gaming Board) is bound by the procurement code and the law. We are working through the process to fulfill this mandate,” a gaming board spokesman said.
The Illinois Gaming Board put out a bid. It’s unclear at this point how many – if any – firms responded. The bid requires potential vendors to provide proof of having completed reports for feasibility studies in other metropolitan areas, to disclose any relationships with entities licensed by the state gaming board, and to disclose “all communications of any kind with agents, representatives, consultants, employees or officials of the City of Chicago, the Illinois Gaming Board, the State of Illinois” having anything to do with a Chicago casino. […]
The delay could hamstring whichever vendor may win the contract.
The bid requires the study to be completed in just about a month – by Aug. 12.
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Confederate opinions
Thursday, Jul 11, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times editorial board says the Confederate flag is “about the South’s historic defense of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, white citizens’ councils, the Ku Klux Klan, American fascism, white supremacy, white nationalism and everyday off-the-rack bigotry.” But…
The Illinois Department of Agriculture, working with its new local fair manager, Josh Gross, announced the entire lineup for the Du Quoin State Fair weeks ago — on June 17. It scheduled Confederate Railroad to play on a Tuesday, Aug. 27.
The time to take a pass on a band like Confederate Railroad was back then. It would have been entirely reasonable for state officials to decline to book the band just because of the art on the band’s album cover, which includes a small Confederate flag.
We wish they had.
But for Pritzker to reach down from his heights now, after all the contracts have been signed, and cancel the booking for this one band strikes us as excessive government involvement in matters of free expression.
The way these things usually work is the artist signs the final contract on the day of the show after negotiating terms with the fair and coming to an arrangement. So, technically, not all contracts had been signed.
But the governor’s people are pointing out that if the governor believes a lower-level person in his/her administration has made a big mistake, then shouldn’t the governor step in and change it? Regardless of what you may think of the decision, it’s Pritzker’s administration. So, if someone in his administration really messes up, he’s held responsible. Governors own.
* Daily Herald editorial…
Support for the band has swelled amid appearances of an elitist double standard, while the serious issues underlying the debate go unacknowledged.
Thus has a legitimate swipe at racism been transformed into a false narrative of “fascism” — all flowing from matters ostensibly defined as simple entertainment. If nothing else, we hope that’s a lesson schedulers keep in mind for future events that will bear the imprint of the state of Illinois.
* The Du Quoin Call’s editor…
Needless to say, social media was flooded this past weekend with statements from Southern Illinoisans berating the state’s decision. Some have even threatened to boycott this year’s Du Quoin State Fair. Such talk is a big-time overreaction.
What exactly would that accomplish?
A boycott might give some a personal sense of satisfaction, but what it would really accomplish is that it would hurt the vendors and all those hardworking lower-income employees who help make the fair a success each and every year. It would hurt the Southern Illinois economy plain and simple.
…Adding… Bernie…
[Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield] described Monday’s meeting as “a good discussion” and said the administration’s reason for canceling the Du Quoin event was “they have a policy that they don’t allow anything with the Confederate flag or Nazi swastikas to be displayed.” He says he agrees with the concept, but he wondered if there is actually a written policy. He also wondered how far that policy goes when it comes to vendors at fairs — or even items sold in the gift shop at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield.
In a visit to that gift shop Tuesday, Butler said, there were items — including card games on the themes of Civil War generals and armaments — with pictures of American and Confederate flags on the packaging.
CHRIS WILLS, spokesman for the museum, said the shop doesn’t sell items that would prominently feature the flag, like hats or T-shirts.
That has to be the weakest argument on this topic I’ve yet seen. C’mon, Tim.
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Today’s quotable
Thursday, Jul 11, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Newsweek…
Marijuana policy experts predicted that this year would be a “real game-changer” in terms of cannabis reform at both the state and federal level. But halfway through 2019, the movement has had less progress than hoped.
“The reality is that public policy change rarely works that way. Slow and steady tends to be how change like this happens,” John Hudak, deputy director at the Brookings Center for Effective Public Management, told Newsweek.
“There are of course watershed moments, but those are rare. 2019 has not been a watershed moment,” Hudak added. […]
Other states where marijuana policy reform was expected to pass easily this year, like New York and New Jersey, were not successful despite being backed by a majority of state leaders. Hudak said these failures show “that simply wanting a law to pass and simply having public support for that law is no guarantee that a legislature will move.” [Emphasis added.]
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* On the same morning as Western Illinois University’s scheduled board of trustees’ meeting today, Gov. Pritzker withdrew two of his recent appointments.
Nick Padgett, the managing director of Chicago’s Frontaura Capital, was seen as a potentially lucrative contact with high-dollar donors was appointed to WIU’s board in late March. So was Jackie Thompson, who started at Western working a clerical job and worked her way up to Vice President for Administrative Service before she retired in 2011. Neither had yet been confirmed by the Senate.
I’ve asked the governor’s office for an explanation, but haven’t yet heard back.
* It’s likely the withdrawals had something to do with this story from late May…
Former Western Illinois University Trustee Lyneir Cole is accusing several of the newly-appointed board members of a “plot to fire” WIU President Jack Thomas.
Cole’s accusation is based on a series of email exchanges among trustees, retired faculty and others sent between April 25 and May 10, 2019.
The main series of emails took place primarily between Larry Balsamo and Jackie Thompson. Balsamo is a retired history professor and former department chair who is also listed as a member of the WIU Foundation Board on the WIU website, although his current status was not confirmed as of this writing. Thompson is one of the newly-appointed trustees and the former president of the WIU Foundation Board. She resigned from the foundation board when she became a trustee.
The content of the emails between Balsamo and Thompson revolves around discussions with other trustees and unnamed parties.
“Jackie, it was good to meet with you again, seemed like old times,” Balsamo wrote in an April 27 email. “I know that you are facing some really demanding challenges in your new position, but if things are going to get better here that will likely have to be instigated by you and your board colleagues. Two things, I will write to Eric this weekend to open a dialogue, and Jack just has to go.“
While not explicitly stated, “Eric” may refer to Erik Dolieslager, a trustee who was appointed to the WIU board in March this year. A later email by Balsamo to Thompson refers to a phone conversation Balsamo had with Trustee Nick Padgett in which Padgett told Balsamo that “Jack was really (dug) in as president…and some board members wanted to move on Jack, some did not really have a position and were on the fence, and some we need some work. He liked the idea of us approaching Aguilar.“
Also in the email between Balsamo and Thompson are comments referencing concerns about perceived racism. Balsamo wrote on May 7, “I am picking up some disturbing () about the Jack situation and so is at least one other member of the group. My fear is that the Jack predicament cannot easily be separated from race. (My) guess is that right three members of the board, the two African Americans and Aguilar will be at least skeptical about any immediate move on Jack and they may be supported by some in the governor’s office and certainly some in the legislature…. I know certainly that some of the opposition to Jack is racist, but even if he were purple he has been a near total failure here.“
He later wrote on May 9, “Race hangs over this whole situation, but I have the feeling that if Jack were white or even Asian he would have been gone some time ago.“
Cole made the accusation in a May 23, 2019 email which he sent to members of the current board of trustees and Thomas with the subject heading, “The plot of WIU board members.” Attached was a document with images of the emailed conversations and commentary by Cole. He forwarded the email later that day to Jesse Ruiz, Deputy Governor, and then again to media outlets shortly before 1 p.m. on May 26.
This administration micro-manages its appointees more than any I’ve ever seen.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Jordan Abudayyeh…
The administration determined it was in the best interest of the WIU community to go a different direction, and we wish both of them well. We expect to name additional appointees shortly.
*** UPDATE 2 *** I’m told by the governor’s office that both trustee appointees were likely not going to be confirmed by the Senate. They apparently didn’t handle the process well.
*** UPDATE 3 *** The board meeting was canceled…
The turmoil at Western Illinois University continues.
On Wednesday night, two members of the university’s eight-person Board of Trustees were quietly removed.
Then, on Thursday morning, the board canceled two days of regularly scheduled meetings in Moline.
The reason was low attendance: only three members showed up, preventing a quorum from being met. The quorum for a board meeting is five. […]
Several Macomb faculty and residents had driven roughly 80 miles to attend the scheduled meeting, at the WIU-Quad Cities campus, only to learn of its cancellation. One WIU-Macomb staff member had heard that one trustee was said to be sick and another had a family emergency.
* Related…
* House Republicans troubled by Pritzker’s revocation of his own board appointments
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An attempt to save a dying industry
Thursday, Jul 11, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bruce Rushton…
Locally, the amount bet [on horse racing] last year at Capitol Teletrack in Springfield, one of two dozen off-track betting sites in Illinois, was less than half what was wagered at a Lucy’s Place gambling parlor with five video machines a few blocks away on Wabash Avenue. Racing at the state fair also has declined. In 2018, a quarter-million dollars was wagered during four days of harness racing at the fair. In 1995, $1.3 million was bet on 82 races run over six days.
Downward trends are statewide and national. Since 1990, when more than $1.25 billion was wagered on horses in Illinois, the amount bet on horses, or handle in racing’s parlance, has fallen to $573.5 million, including bets placed outside the state by gamblers who can watch races across the land via simulcast broadcasts. In 2018, just 11 percent of money wagered in Illinois on horses ran their races in the Land of Lincoln. The state is down to three tracks, two fewer than in 2015, when a pair of Chicago-area harness tracks shut down. That same year, an East Moline track that last held a live race in 1993 gave up after years of simulcasts, ending resurrection hopes.
“The horse racing industry in this state is about to fall and crumble and deteriorate and go away – that’s just how drastic it is,” state Department of Agriculture Director John Sullivan told state senators during a budget hearing last spring.
It’s an industry worth saving, Sullivan argued. Since 2000, the number of state-issued licenses for occupations ranging from grooms to owners has shrunk from 11,000 to 4,000, but still, Sullivan testified, horse racing generates $1 billion a year in economic activity, considering grooms, blacksmiths, feed stores, veterinarians and scores of other jobs.
“The jobs generated by this industry, they’re very real,” Sullivan told legislators. “Anything you can do to help them would be appreciated.”
Legislators and Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered with an expansion of gambling that includes sports betting at tracks and the potential for racecourses to become full-fledged casinos. There’s a provision for a new standardbred track, despite closures in recent years. Fairmount Park in Collinsville could have as many as 900 video gambling machines and seats at blackjack tables and other table games. Arlington and Hawthorne Racecourse, both in the Chicago area, could each have as many as 1,200 spots for gamblers to make bets on machines, cards or other table games. By comparison, no existing casino has 1,100 video gambling terminals, according to the most recent report from the Illinois Gaming Board, and 317 table games operate in the state’s 10 casinos, most of which are operating fewer gambling machines than authorized. Video gambling has not previously been allowed at tracks, where millions of dollars in wagers are accepted on nothing but horse races.
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Wordslinger’s daughter says thanks
Thursday, Jul 11, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Emma Oxnevad’s GoFundMe page…
I want to an extend a huge, huge, huge thank you to everyone who so graciously donated to this campaign. When I first set this up, I felt a little silly setting my goal at $10k; I figured that people would be generous, but I never could have imagined something of this magnitude. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and generosity during this time of hardship for myself and my family. It would have absolutely warmed my dad’s heart to see how you all came through for me, and I am forever in your debt.
Y’all did a good thing.
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