“The House Democratic Women’s Caucus (IHDWC) has decided that owners of professional sports teams, and their leagues, should not monetarily benefit from the revenues created from a gaming expansion package being considered by the Illinois General Assembly that includes sports betting.
“The IHDWC believes that billionaires should not profit from people who are betting on their teams. Instead, the caucus is pushing for the state revenues created from the gaming expansion to be dedicated to community re-investment, mental health and addiction services.
“If women of diverse backgrounds had been at the negotiating table, we would have made community re-investment, mental health and addiction services the priorities, not the billionaires who own the professional sports teams. Women can no longer be ignored and side-stepped in the legislative process.
“The mission of the IHDWC is to promote the leadership of women elected to the Illinois House of Representatives and to create inclusive and collaborative policy outcomes for the state. It is our opinion that the gaming bill that is being discussed was not created in an inclusive environment and is not a collaborative effort.
“At this time, the women of the Illinois House Democratic Women’s Caucus will not support the proposed gaming bill until drafters remove language that allows any state revenues collected to be given to sports team owners and their respective leagues.”
* Let’s try this again, shall we? Press release as sent…
State Representatives Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) and Tom Demmer (R-) today called attention to the heavy handed tactics Governor Pritzker has used to handle dissent from pending board appointees. Hammond and Demmer spoke out against the public actions taken against board members who act against his wishes.
“Board members need to know they have the ability to do their job and make tough decisions without fear of reprisal from the Governor’s Office,” said Hammond, who represents Western Illinois University, whose board members remain unconfirmed in the Senate.
Governor Pritzker withdrew the nominations of two members to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board after they voted against delaying the closure of Westlake Hospital. The board vote was unanimous, but because their appointments were not yet confirmed, Governor Pritzker was able to take retributive action. Pritzker also recently removed two members from the Teacher’s Retirement System Board. Both members had raised opposition to the Governor’s controversial decision to shortchange the pension systems.
“The Governor’s decision to rescind the appointments of qualified candidates can only be seen as an act of political retribution,” Rep. Demmer said. “The Governor is able to make appointments as he sees fit, but they are not meant to be rubber stamps for the Governor. Pending nominees should be qualified individuals who can make decisions independent of fear of their nomination status.”
There are over 150 appointments still pending in the Senate with just 14 days left in session. Many of these will likely not be dealt with before the end of session, leaving these tenuously appointed members on uncertain grounds.
“The issue is not just the Senate’s inaction, it is the Governor’s public actions to withdraw nominations based on a single decision,” Hammond continued. “I have a tough time believing the Western Illinois board will be able to operate independently and for the betterment of University, not the Governor’s office.”
In case you’re wondering, Rep. Demmer lives in Dixon.
* The Question: Do you agree with the Republicans or with Gov. Pritzker on this point? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
Following his swearing in to the Illinois House of Representative, new state Rep. Nathan Reitz, D-Steelville, released the following statement:
“As a lifelong Southern Illinoisan, I know that our community deserves a representative who will continue fighting every day for Southern Illinois and our values. Having spent my career in the energy industry, I am determined to help grow our local economy and making the decisions that help create new jobs. As state representative, I will fight every day to protect our Second Amendment rights, provide tax relief and responsible budget making, and make sure that Southern Illinois always has a strong voice in Springfield. There is a lot to accomplish, and I look forward to working together with my colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, to make Southern Illinois and our state a better place to live and work in.”
I’m told he’ll be running in next year’s election. No word yet where he is on a graduated income tax (Costello was opposed), cannabis legalization or the other major issues the governor is pushing right now.
…Adding… Press release…
Statement from Ideas Illinois Chairman Greg Baise on appointment of Nathan Reitz as state representative:
“Nathan Reitz’s first big decision as a new representative will be to decide whether he stands with middle class families in his district by opposing the unfair Jobs Tax or be just another Springfield politician bought and paid for by JB Pritzker and Speaker Madigan.”
Background:
Former State Representative Jerry Costello was on record opposing the unfair Jobs Tax.
President Trump carried the 116th District with 66% of the vote in 2016.
…Adding… ILGOP…
“The fix is in. One of the last votes Nathan Reitz’s father, former State Rep. Dan Reitz, took was Mike Madigan’s 2011 tax hike. Now, Pritzker and Madigan want one of the first votes of Nathan Reitz to be yet another tax hike on Illinois families and small businesses. Tax-hiking is the Reitz family business. Reitz must follow Jerry Costello’s lead and oppose the Pritzker-Madigan-backed graduated income tax. If Reitz supports the tax hike, voters and taxpayers will make Reitz’s tenure in the General Assembly a short one.” - Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider
Thursday, May 9, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
More than 800 solar energy projects are on hold because Illinois’ renewable energy program isn’t adequately funded to meet either current demand or the statutory renewable portfolio standard requirement of 25% by 2025.
The waitlisted, shovel-ready projects could create thousands of jobs, lower consumer electric bills and generate $220 million in property tax revenue for local governments. Funding for new commercial and community solar projects and wind farms will be depleted after 2019.
* Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) told me earlier this week that he would wait and see the cannabis legalization bill before deciding what to do. Barickman has said in the past that he viewed legalization as inevitable and wanted to work on a compromise. But for now he’s off…
Barickman said the governor “very controversially” proposed to expunge offenses that remain illegal even after legalization. In the proposal, it would be legal to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis but offenses for up to 500 grams would be eligible for expungement.
State Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) said that doesn’t really paint a clear picture, because while legal possession is up to 30 grams, dispensaries will be allowed to possess cannabis in much greater quantities. […]
Barickman also took issue with the way the revenue from the program would be allocated, specifically with the creation of a new grant that would be eligible to communities disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs. Twenty-five percent of revenues from the recreational program would fund this grant. […]
Barickman said he was “supportive of the initiative” but felt the money could be better spent paying down Illinois’ bill backlog. […]
[Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell] said he believed that characterization to be “inaccurate.” In fact, he said the 10 percent of funding going toward the bill backlog was a Republican request. Mitchell said the way the tax structure is written is the result of a bipartisan effort.
“This is not a final product and the Governor’s Office is very open to negotiations,” said Mitchell. “But there are other voices that matter in this other than the Republican caucus.”
You can’t get enough Democratic votes without expungement.
* But Mitchell is right that this is not a final product. I’m expecting to see a new draft in the next day or so…
[Sen. Toi Hutchinson, a Democrat from Olympia Fields] predicted there may be a compromise on home-grown plants, for instance to allow them only for patients with medical marijuana licenses.
But she was adamant about expungement of lower level marijuana crimes, saying, “People in suits will make millions of dollars off selling cannabis, while people are sitting in jail for the exact same activity? That’s fundamentally wrong.”
Not happy with the home grow change, but the object here is 60-30-signature.
Thursday, May 9, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The credit union movement embraces seven cooperative principles as a set of philosophical tenets: voluntary membership, democratic member control, members’ economic participation, autonomy and independence, education, cooperation, and concern for the community. Andigo Credit Union actively shares their commitment to the community and encourages continued education with their high school senior scholarship program. The credit union will again host its 60 Second Video Scholarship Contest in 2019. High school seniors who are on track to go to college and also active philanthropists within their community can apply. Applications are collected as 60 second video applications in which the student can highlight how they give back to the community. Five winners are then selected and each is given a $2,500 scholarship for their upcoming college tuition. Andigo Credit Union is prioritizes giving back and encouraging students in the community to continue their own passion for People Helping People as well. Visit www.YourMoneyFurther.com for more information on the credit union difference.
*** UPDATE *** For the second time this week I’ve had to walk back a post because of significant problems with the underlying Capitol News Illinois story. From DCFS’ Director of Communications Jassen Strokosch…
Rich, I realize you are quoting this from a story, but this is inaccurate information. Representative Scherer approached the department about helping her be more responsive to families asking her for help with DCFS. That meeting came up in the hearing yesterday and we shared that we asked the Representative to refer all futures questions to the Advocacy Hotline. The advocacy center already exists and serves an important role for any family needing assistance resolving an issue with the department.
We also let all the members present in the meeting know they should refer their concerns to the same advocacy hotline. This is not a new service that was setup for legislators.
During the meeting, it was reported DCFS had already made changes following discussions held April 30, including adding a phone line lawmakers can now call to receive updates about any constituent who approaches them about his or her case.
“I think it’s important for us to be responsive in a way we haven’t before,” Smith said.
* I lease a hybrid, so I’m not sure if this fee would apply to me, but even if it doesn’t this $1,000 fee to register an electric car every year is just goofy. That ridiculously punitive fee is in Sen. Marty Sandoval’s proposal to fund $2.4 billion in capital projects. Hannah Meisel moved the story forward…
“Everyone that uses the roads, whether you’re a car or you’re a truck, should pay their fair share,” Sandoval said. “And electric vehicles — I understand about being environmental and I understand about saving the ozone layer and protecting the ozone layer, but you know what? If you use the roads, you should pay into the road fund.” […]
But environmental groups are opposed to any sort of increase in electric vehicle registration, and criticized existing capital plans for not addressing electric vehicle infrastructure.
Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, told The Daily LineWednesday that a $1,000 fee is “shocking.”
“We definitely shouldn’t be penalizing electric vehicles right now,” she said.
Instead, Walling touted the benefits of electric cars, and said Illinois should be doing what it can to get electric vehicle usage in the state up to 15 percent market share of cars on the road.
“They can serve almost as batteries…at the times when most people are charging their vehicles,” Walling said. “Most people are charging their vehicles at night and it can work to stabilize the grid, lower electricity prices, really help everybody.”
The ozone layer?
* The national average for miles driven every year is 13,476. The average national fuel economy was 22 miles per gallon in 2017. That works out to 613 gallons of gas per year. Multiply that by 45 cents per gallon (Sandoval’s proposed Motor Fuel Tax) and you get $275.85. Add in the proposed $148 registration fee for gas-powered cars and that’s $423.80 - less than half what electric car owners would pay.
And if that $1,000 fee applies to hybrids, people are really gonna get hosed. Mine, for instance, will go about 30 miles before the gas-powered engine kicks in. That’s fine around town. I can go back and forth to the Statehouse without needing to run the gas motor. But when people take their hybrids on long trips they pay for motor fuel like everyone else.
* By the way, the House Revenue Committee passed an identical bill to Sandoval’s this morning (HB391, Amendment 1). I asked the governor’s press office for a response. Here’s Jordan Abudayyeh…
The administration appreciates contributions and ideas from lawmakers who agree the state is long past due for critical upgrades to infrastructure. Negotiations are ongoing over a comprehensive capital plan that addresses the needs for roads and bridges, as well as vertical infrastructure like universities and schools.
* What people have the most difficult time understanding about some (not all) elected officials is their ability to set aside the past and make peace with the same folks who bashed them hard during the campaign…
Lightfoot sidestepped questions about U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, who wasn’t present for her talk before the black caucus and who has been critical of her in the past. […]
Rush arrived just as Lightfoot was leaving and missed her presentation. During the campaign, Rush said Lightfoot voters would “have the blood of the next young black man or black woman” killed by the police on their hands — an incendiary remark that drew widespread criticism. Rush told reporters Wednesday he hasn’t spoken with Lightfoot since she won but wishes her well.
“I would be so overjoyed, very much overjoyed, if she became the best and most successful mayor that Chicago’s ever had,” Rush said, calling his past remarks about her “old news.” When asked if he would apologize for those past remarks, Rush did not directly answer.
“If she asks me to do it, then we’ll discuss it,” Rush said.
Lightfoot later shrugged off any suggestion of an apology from Rush, saying she intended to focus on the future.
* In normal times under a more normal governor, few would care too much about a $24 million debt. It’s a rounding error on a rounding error and money could likely be found to pay the bill, or at least pay down the bill enough to keep moving forward. It’s for childrens’ vaccines, after all. But those weren’t normal times and that wasn’t a normal governor…
The Illinois Department of Public Health owes the federal government an estimated $24 million for debt that piled up from a complicated state program to vaccinate poor kids, WBEZ has learned.
The revelation adds another layer to Illinois’ byzantine effort to get vaccines for roughly 130,000 low-income children. The state had been using free vaccines from the federal government for kids in the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP.
But then the feds called for states including Illinois to pay for those doses. So former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner stopped the financial bleeding with a major policy shift that led some doctors to stop vaccinating low-income children. Dozens of physicians have told Illinois public health officials this “could lead to a public health crisis with disastrous consequences” in light of the nationwide measles outbreak.
Now, the new administration under Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker is hustling to potentially unwind his predecessor’s efforts while negotiating with the feds on how to pay down the state’s big debt. […]
Illinois doctors say they thought they were allowed to use the free vaccine for patients on CHIP. In fact, Illinois was supposed to reimburse the CDC for those shots. To complicate matters, the state didn’t have a good system to track when doctors used the free vaccine for kids on CHIP.
So the debt swelled, reaching an estimated $24 million.
Concerned about this climbing IOU, Rauner’s administration hit the brakes in 2016. The state public health department stopped providing free vaccines to doctors for CHIP patients. The providers would have to pay out of their own pockets to buy vaccines instead from manufacturers, then wait for private insurers that contract with the Illinois Medicaid program to reimburse them.
* As I told subscribers this morning, Tulchin Research is a reliable firm and is used heavily by Speaker Madigan and his organization during campaign season. He craves good numbers. So, yeah, while a gun reform group sponsored the poll, the pollster is pretty good. From a press release…
A new poll released [yesterday], finds that two-thirds of Illinois voters support legislation that addresses loopholes in the state’s existing gun licensing system that were brought to light following the tragic shooting that took five lives on February 15, 2019 in Aurora, Illinois.
The poll, released by the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC), shows major support from across the state for HB 96, the Fix the FOID Act, which addresses gaps in the Firearms Owners Identification (FOID) system by ensuring that people with criminal histories, who are prohibited from gun possession, are not able to easily evade the law and purchase guns.
“Five innocent lives in Aurora, Illinois were lost because a system that should have prevented a known felon from having access to guns failed,” said Kathleen Sances, president and CEO of G-PAC. “Now, residents from across the state are uniting behind legislation that would put a stop to preventable tragedies, like this one, in Illinois.”
The poll also shows that Illinois voters are more likely to support state lawmakers who support the bill, by a margin of nearly 2-to-1.
“In Illinois, voters want to know their legislators are committed to making sure criminals can’t get their hands on a gun,” said Robin Lloyd, managing director of Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Representative Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Captain Mark Kelly. “The results of this poll shouldn’t come as a surprise. Illinois residents want to live in a state free from the dangers of everyday gun violence, and HB 96 addresses loopholes that contribute to this growing crisis. We look forward to the legislators continuing to work to protect Illinoisans from gun violence and will do all we can to help swiftly move this bill through the legislature.”
“I know what it’s like to lose a child to gun violence. It’s something no parent or guardian should ever have to go through,” said Tom Vanden Berk, founder of G-PAC and CEO Emeritus of UCAN, a social services agency. “This legislation would strengthen existing laws to protect Illinois families from experiencing the pain of losing a loved one.”
Under current Illinois law, individuals seeking to buy a gun must first obtain a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) Card from the Department of State Police. Voters overwhelmingly support the Act’s three key provisions:
81 percent support a provision that would require a background check for all gun sales, including those by a private seller.
75 percent support a provision that would reduce the FOID Card duration from 10 years to 5 years.
73 percent support a provision that would require applicants for FOID Cards to apply in person with the State Police and submit fingerprints as part of their application
Fix the FOID Act would also mandate the State Police take action to remove guns once a FOID Card is revoked.
Support for the bill comes from across the state and is favored by 77 percent, roughly three-quarters of voters in the City of Chicago; 74 percent of voters in suburban Cook County; 75 percent of voters in the “collar counties” of DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Will; as well as 48 percent, nearly half of voters in Downstate Illinois.
Support is broad-based, as this proposal attracts support from across the state and across the political spectrum, and comes notably from the following:
84 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of independents, nearly half of Republicans;
70 percent of women and 61 percent of men;
64 percent of voters age 18-54 and 67 percent of those age 55 and older; and
82 percent of black voters, 65 percent of white voters and 61 percent of Latino voters.
The poll was conducted by Tulchin Research on behalf of the Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee. The survey was comprised of 600 likely November 2020 voters in Illinois between April 25-30 of 2019.
* This is a very detailed, quote-filled account of yesterday’s House committee hearing on sports betting. I recommend you read the whole thing if you’re at all interested in this topic…
It would likely be fair to say that the only people who left Wednesday’s Illinois sports betting hearing truly happy were representatives of the professional sports leagues. And even they wanted more.
Three hours before the subcommittee hearing was set to start, torch-bearer Mike Zalewski (D-District 23) filed two amendments — both with a 25 percent tax rate on operator gross sports wagering revenue, and one decidedly professional league-friendly. Zalewski’s proposed Amendment 2 not only limits the number of sports betting licenses for both physical and online sportsbooks, it calls for a “royalty” to the professional leagues, mandates the purchase of official league data, and imposes a stunning $20 million licensing fee for online sportsbooks. Zalewski filed both as amendments to HB 1260, which appears will be the latest sports betting vehicle. The previous bill, HB 3308, wasn’t referenced.
Needless to say, stakeholders at the two-hour hearing pushed back hard while representatives from Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association attempted to convince the room that only if the leagues are cut into profits, will sports betting reach its potential in Illinois, the sixth most populous state in the U.S. […]
“The tax rate is extremely high,” said Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association. “And we are opposed to being forced to do something with the leagues.” […]
Swoik also pointed out that two of Illinois’ key border states, Indiana and Iowa, were on the cusp of legalizing — Indiana’s governor signed sports betting into law Wednesday, possibly during the hearing — both with tax rates below 10 percent, much more reasonable licensing fees and no nod to the professional leagues. Yet lawmakers pushed him and Paul Gaynor of Midwest Entertainment to admit that Illinois’ bigger market would mitigate the proposed high cost of doing business.
“If we’re paying four or five times the taxes, our odds aren’t going to be as good,” Swoik said. Zalewski went on to say that he felt it was wise to start with higher, rather than lower tax rate, but Seoul reminded him that taxes on casino gaming has been changed multiple times.
The professional sports leagues used to call their ask for a percentage of all bets placed on their games an integrity fee to be used to ensure the integrity of their games. They have long since changed the name to royalty.
At Wednesday’s hearing, they rebranded the royalty as a partnership that would give them a financial incentive to drive up the amount of money bet in Illinois. They also really like pie metaphors.
“I think there’s a lot we can do in terms of opening up the levers of marketing, helping consumers in Illinois understand what are legal sportsbooks versus illegal sportsbooks and encouraging them to bet legally,” said Bryan Seely of Major League Baseball. I think there’s a number of things we can do to try to grow the pie for everyone.”
Scott Kaufman-Ross, representing the NBA, warned that it’s better for all operators to be required to use official league data so that the league will have an incentive to grow revenue for everyone.
“If we were in a situation where we only had a partnership with one operator, then we’d only be incentivized to grow their revenue,” Kaufman-Ross said. “Having a royalty that applies to all sports betting in the state will incentivize the leagues to lean in and grow the pie for everyone.”
Maybe the most disturbing fact to come out of the DCFS hearing is that the OIG announced they had 9 more child deaths (who had previous contact with DCFS) in the last 9 days. Where is the urgency? #Twill
DCFS inspector general Meryl Paniak on Wednesday identified four starting points for making improvements in protecting children in cases the agency is investigating.
They are safety assessments, training, supervision and manageable caseloads, Paniak told lawmakers in the House Adoptions and Child Welfare Committee.
Supervision is “key,” she said, but it will require updated, recurring training.
“We need to look into the complex need of the families,” Paniak said. “We need to start by asking staff what they need to do their job.”
She said there are 60 job vacancies in DCFS child protection statewide, and 400 of the 1,200 active cases have gone more than 90 days without agency intervention.
An average of 100 children die each year despite Illinois Department of Children and Family Services involvement with their families, even after pledges to make improvements in the aftermath of tragedies.
“This consistent number of child deaths shows that the State of Illinois is failing to improve and ensure the protection of children, even when it knows they are at risk,” Meryl Paniak, the acting inspector general of DCFS, wrote last week to state officials. […]
agency needs increased staffing to take care of Illinois’ most vulnerable kids. Now, the request for the budget year that starts in July includes the largest increase the agency has seen in 20 years and a plan to add 126 employees.
Marc Smith, DCFS’ new director, said it will give investigators smaller caseloads and better oversight with more supervisors. […]
But some lawmakers and child advocates think the state should be investing in the foster care and adoption systems. They recently questioned caseworkers’ judgments to keep children like Liam, Kane, Matthew and, most recently, AJ Freund with their parents when there were multiple reports of abuse in some cases.
Two lawmakers told DCFS officials that community providers have told them they’re reluctant in many instances to report to the agency; they fear it could actually be more dangerous for the child.
Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, said providers are concerned about the chaos in the department, including the rotation of case managers and falsifying of records.
“When people report and don’t see action being taken, it undermines the idea that there is value in reporting,” she said. “We need to work on that culture of trust and believability.”
Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, said communities do not think DCFS is helping families.
“Many of them think that DCFS (is) killing our kids,” she said. “That is a problem. That has to change.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to shore up the state’s financial woes by swapping out our flat income tax structure with a graduated tax after 2020 sailed through the state Senate last week. But the battle in the lower chamber is just starting to warm up, where two House Democrats tell Playbook they’d vote “no” on the new tax system as it is currently written.
“My constituents are concerned that their taxes will go up without essential property-tax relief,” says Rep. Jonathan Carroll, whose 57th District covers Buffalo Grove, Northbrook, and parts of Glenview. “We’re talking about changing a constitutional amendment. It needs to be done right.”
Rep. Sam Yingling recalled how his grandmother worked as a receptionist up until she was 90, just months before she died, to afford her property tax payments. Like Carroll, he wants property tax relief included in the graduated income tax measure. “There’s a growing contingent of colleagues who think this should be included,” said Yingling, whose 62nd District encompasses Lake County. He called for lawmakers to spend “a few months” hashing out what language to include in the legislation.
Neither Carroll nor Yingling has spoken directly to Pritzker about their concerns but say they’ve voiced them during meetings with the governor’s staff.
Somebody needs to pick up the phone.
* This mini revolt kicked off yesterday with a letter to the editor from Yingling…
For the first time since the adoption of the state constitution, the General Assembly is debating Illinois’ tax structure. While adoption of a progressive income tax might be a logical step toward achieving a fairer and more equitable overall income tax system here, we cannot address the inequities in the tax system without addressing the entire system, both income taxes and property taxes.
The House must take time to fully deliberate the issues over the next several months with constituents, and make sure that the system we adopt takes everyone into consideration so that people like my grandmother can afford to stay in their homes.
The current proposals do not adequately address the crushing burden that our property tax system places on homeowners. I will be a “no” vote unless adoption of a progressive income tax ends the state’s regressive and abusive property tax system.
* Illinois Policy Institute press release in response to Yingling’s LTE…
We applaud Rep. Yingling’s courage and commitment to protect his district from a higher tax burden through his pledged ‘no’ vote. The current progressive income tax proposals offer no serious or long-lasting relief from Illinois’ property taxes, the tax burden most significantly crushing Illinois’ working and middle class. The Illinois Policy Institute remains committed to defeating the progressive income tax and advocating for tax relief. And the only true way to help Illinoisans while fixing state finances is through meaningful pension reform that starts with a constitutional amendment to protect already earned benefits while allowing reductions in the future accrual rate of benefits
* More…
More from State Rep Carroll: #ProgressiveIncomeTax “When we present a strong and a thorough plan to the Illinois voters, I'll be supportive. Punishing people for being successful is very shortsighted.”
Rep Carroll tells me tonight that he hopes this is a starting point for a negotiation to lower property taxes. The Senate plan that passed last week does promise a property tax freeze, but it’s based on several conditions, and wouldn’t come for a few years if those are met. https://t.co/JB8YCGnpjK
Under Governor Pritzker’s approach, 97 percent of Illinoisans would pay the same or less in income taxes – making our current system far more fair to the middle class and those striving to get there. Those who oppose this plan are siding with millionaires and the very wealthy against everyday Illinoisans, and they need to offer an alternative that will fix our state’s long-standing fiscal challenges. The administration put forward its ideas on property tax relief as a part of that package, and we will continue to listen to members of the General Assembly about their ideas for property tax relief.
“Personally, I like a flat tax, that’s just my personal opinion,” [Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan] said. “I do understand the need for a graduated tax, but if we’re going to do it, we need to do it right and not just push through something that is not going to benefit the taxpayers.”
A bill that would give the Cook County Assessor’s office — and other offices statewide — the ability to collect operating income and expense data from commercial properties ran into road blocks in the House this week, with members doubting the efficacy of the bill after opposition from powerful real estate interests surfaced.
Kaegi, who has been working on the bill since the summer, months before officially being sworn in as assessor, says SB 1379 will lead to more accurate assessments by giving his office — and county assessors statewide — as much income and leasing data as possible directly from property owners, rather than relying on third-party data.
But business interests have lined up against the bill, including the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the National Federation of Independent Business. […]
State Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago) told The Daily Line Wednesday that he still has a lot of questions for Kaegi, especially given the district he represents, which overlaps both the southeastern-most part Chicago and stretches down to south suburban Calumet City and Lynwood, which border Indiana.
Kaegi said his bill is designed to help stabilize property taxes in areas like the struggling south suburbs by giving him more information to assess commercial properties at their true valuation.
On Thursday, the House Revenue Committee is scheduled to consider a bill that would require certain income-producing properties to disclose their revenues and expenses to the assessor’s office. But Kaegi told us Wednesday afternoon that, rather than advancing his measure to the House floor, the committee may send the legislation to its doom in a subcommittee. “All we want is a vote in committee,” Kaegi told us. “We have the votes to pass it. Will they give us the chance?”
The “they” is House Democrats. Killing this reform would give them a mighty bad look: Speaker Michael Madigan’s law firm profits handsomely from tax appeals, which could become fewer in number if Kaegi’s bill becomes law. And committee Chairman Mike Zalewski hails from west suburban Riverside, a hotbed of animosity toward the property tax system.
The point of Kaegi’s call for more financial information is to allow his office to more accurately calculate a building’s value. Smaller properties would be exempt, including commercial properties valued at less than $400,000, and residential properties with six or fewer units or those valued at less than $1 million. Owners of bigger, more valuable properties already are required to disclose this information at the second level of tax appeals. Kaegi’s proposal merely advances that disclosure.
More accurate assessments should mean fewer tax appeals — and less likelihood that commercial properties will be underassessed.
Do Madigan and Zalewski want to be the Democratic leaders who repudiate Cook County voters eager for property tax reforms? Come Thursday, we’ll see.
Like with the thundering pension editorial this week which the paper deleted and replaced with another one after the governor said he was canceling the pension holiday, I think that editorial may have jumped the gun. After some fears earlier in the day, Kaegi told me late yesterday afternoon that he was assured the bill wouldn’t be sent to subcommittee and that conversations would continue.
* From Rep. Zalewski…
I strongly support Assessor Kaegi’s vision for a transparent, fair commercial assessment system. I’ve spent the Spring meeting with Assessor Kaegi, Assistant Majority Leader Will Davis and his team to fully understand his legislation, and to work to build a bridge between Assessor Kaegi’s mission and the concerns raised by opponents.
We intend to continue the progress we have made on the issue. We have more than three weeks left in the spring legislative session to accomplish the Assessor Kaegi’s goal, and I am committed to working with the Assessor, Leader Davis and Chairperson Hutchinson and stakeholders to find the right path forward. We are all committed to making property taxes more transparent and less costly in Illinois.”
* From the dark money group supporting the governor’s graduated income tax…
Today, Think Big Illinois released a new television ad highlighting the allies of former Governor Bruce Rauner who are behind the campaign against a fair tax. The ad underscores how the same people who led an administration defined by holding the budget hostage for 793 days, slashing funding for our education system, and putting partisan politics over middle-class families are now fighting to keep our current unfair tax system in place. This is just the latest in their efforts to protect the wealthy at the expense of Illinois’ hardworking families.
The ad, “Behind,” will run on television in Springfield and across digital platforms. Think Big Illinois’ previous ads, “How Unfair,” “Affect You,” “Almost Every” and “Wealthy” will continue running in Springfield and in markets across the state.
* Westchester chief of police Steve Stelter spoke at an anti-cannabis legalization press conference today…
I’m here to address you today. I want to tell you that the people who are pushing this bill are feeding you a bunch of baloney is what they’re doing. They’re pulling the wool over your eyes.
This bill, the way it stands right now is absolutely terrible. I can’t understand and law enforcement can’t understand how they allow people to grow this stuff in their homes.
As Rep. Moylan said, how are we going to possibly regulate five plants? There is absolutely no way. These people will tell you that ‘Well, now that we can buy it legally, that’ll compete with the cartels and the black market.’
Wrong. The black market increases when legalized marijuana comes in. Not only do you have the Mexican drug cartels, the Jamaican drug cartels enter your world. You have the Chinese drug cartels enter your world.
They buy homes, dilapidated homes, foreclosed homes and they turn them into marijuana factories. And they sell this stuff in the neighborhoods. How can you possibly allow home grow? We don’t understand it.
Growing more than five plants would still be illegal. And if the neighbors and the Westchester police can’t figure out that a dilapidated, formerly vacant house has been turned into a marijuana factory with dozens of Chinese drug cartel employees working night and day, I just don’t know what to say, except those cartels could do all of that today if they wanted. It’s not like they follow the law.
…Adding… Press release…
In response to the recent press conference held by Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Legalize Illinois issued the following statement:
“Today’s distortions from our opponents are just more of the same from an organization that takes money from big tobacco and pretends to have the best interests of Illinoisans in mind. SAM would like to hold back progress on smart, sensible and equitable adult-use cannabis legalization even though the majority of the public supports legalization. Their false claims do not have the best interests of the public in mind. The truth is, the legislation that was just introduced is the most responsible and inclusive bill in the nation, developed by peer-reviewed research and input from stakeholders to create the most equitable and regulated industry in the nation.”
* A new income tax isn’t the only graduated tax Gov. Pritzker has proposed this year. From his budget book…
More than 30,000 video gaming terminals (VGTs) operate in almost 6,800 locations around the State of Illinois. Many of the video gaming operations are single site operations while others may be numerous separate LLCs underneath a larger parent entity. These larger entities may be operating hundreds of video gaming machines at scores of locations around the state, yet they pay the same tax rates as the smaller single-site operations. In riverboat gambling, the state accounts for differing market sizes through a progressive wagering tax. Video gaming should do the same. The new structure will require combined reporting of net terminal income at the parent entity level. The Governor proposes that marginal net terminal income that exceeds $2.5 million per year be taxable at a 50 percent rate rather than the current 30 percent rate.
On the surface, at least, that’s a good idea. The ubiquitous chain video gaming outlets and the “operators” who install the devices all over the state should pay a higher tax rate. The small places, however, should be protected from higher taxes.
One problem, though. The operators and the video gaming outlets split the after-tax proceeds down the middle. So, when the state raises taxes on high-earners, there’s a smaller pot to split and that will reduce the take for the mom and pop operations.
Barry Gregory owns Crehan’s Irish Pub and Banquet Facility in Belleville. Installing video gaming terminals in his business allowed him to make a number of investments that he wouldn’t have been able to otherwise do after the state’s smoking ban curtailed business.
“The very next day we gave our staff a pay raise, we’ve completely redone the outside of our building,” he said. “It’s been very helpful.”
He’s among the business owners who signed on in support of Bet on Main Street, a coalition opposed to the governor’s proposed tax hike on gambling operators that supply bars, VFWs and other establishments with terminals.
* Again, this is a graduated tax that’s supposed to hit the high-earners, but the lower-earners will also feel the pinch…
Randy Rehmer, owner of Waterloo’s Double R Bar just south of East St. Louis, says raising taxes on video gambling will eat at the $70,000 he makes each year off the machines alone.
Besides bringing more customers to his business, Rehmer says video gambling revenue has helped him remodel the building, hire an extra employee and give his staff pay raises.
“I’ve got nothing against raising the minimum wage,” Rehmer said. “But the state is telling me to pay people more at the same time that it takes money away.”
Rehmer joined several other small business owners at a news conference Wednesday morning. He was referring to a possible tax increase on video gambling terminals
My suggestion: Do the 50/50 split between operators and establishments before the graduated tax is imposed. The mom and pops shouldn’t be hurt by this tax.
* Gov. Pritzker was in Carbondale today to attend a ribbon cutting at the Centene and IlliniCare Health offices and posed with some regal-looking Salukis…
It’s finals week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and I want to remind every Saluki to get some fresh air and finish strong!
The numbers are clear, we now have the money to balance the budget with no new taxes.
He would do that with cuts to next fiscal year’s budget based on this fiscal year’s appropriations. As Speaker Madigan told reporters this week and as I’ve been telling subscribers, the House appropriations committees are working on cuts to the budget. Those cuts are averaging about 6 percent to each agency. Again, those are not cuts of Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed increases, those are cuts to existing FY 2019 appropriations. The Democrats described the meetings as “exercises” and “scenarios” because it’s doubtful that six percent across the board cuts will be accepted by rank and file Democrats.
* Rep. Dan Brady, the Republican spokesperson of the Higher Education Appropriations Committee, told reporters today that it can be done…
I’d just point to higher ed’s working group and what we did, and that was before yesterday’s news. What we did is we went ahead and we made the cuts in a bipartisan fashion. It can be done and we had in the higher ed working group that scenario played out and we can do it without raising taxes and that was about a six percent cut.
* From a Tribune report after this fiscal year’s budget passed last May…
State universities each will receive about 2 percent more for operations starting in July. […]
Overall, funding for public universities still lags about 8.2 percent behind what schools received in 2014-15, the last time the state approved a budget on schedule.
* Lawmakers, university officials warn of higher ed cuts without new revenue: Barbara Wilson, executive vice president of the University of Illinois system, said further cuts in higher education funding would have a big impact on the state’s largest university. “Across the U of I system we are educating 52 percent of the students who go to public institutions in this state,” Wilson said. “So I always say, if you hurt U of I, you’re hurting a big chunk of the students and families in the state.”
Wednesday, May 8, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
More than 800 solar energy projects are on hold because Illinois’ renewable energy program isn’t adequately funded to meet either current demand or the statutory renewable portfolio standard requirement of 25% by 2025.
The waitlisted, shovel-ready projects could create thousands of jobs, lower consumer electric bills and generate $220 million in property tax revenue for local governments. Funding for new commercial and community solar projects and wind farms will be depleted after 2019.
This morning, Senators Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) was joined by a bipartisan group of leaders from government, commerce, organized labor, and the construction industry to announce legislation that will produce approximately $2.4 billion in annual funding for transportation infrastructure throughout the state of Illinois.
Sandoval stated that this funding is necessary to boost the safety of Illinois’ roads, bridges, and transit systems. “We have been underfunding our transportation infrastructure for decades,” said Sen. Sandoval, “and the end result is that we now have pothole-ridden roads that we can’t afford to fix and more than 2,300 bridges rated as ‘structurally deficient.’ This problem has been left to worsen for too long, and now is the tie for leadership and decisive action.”
HB3233 will provide the additional funding through increases to Illinois’ motor fuel tax on gasoline and special fuels, vehicle registration fees, driver licensing fees and title certificate fees. The current state tax on gasoline – which has remained at 19 cents per gallon since 1990 – would increase to 44 cents on July 1, 2019. This increase alone would create more than $1.2 billion in additional annual revenue. To offset the increase in special fuel tax rates, the legislation will eliminate the current Commercial Distribution Fee, a tax on all trucks. (Click to view bill summary)
Fuel tax rates will also be indexed to inflation to keep pace with rising costs. Since Illinois last adjusted its fuel tax in 1990, the state’s infrastructure purchase power has been continually diminished by inflation and increased efficiency. A long-term funding solution will allow state agencies to plan projects well into the future.
Sen. Don DeWitte (R- West Dundee), who serves as the Minority Spokesman for the Senate Transportation Committee, attended the press conference as a show of Republican bipartisan support and discussed the need for an infrastructure plan that would be sustainable for years to come. “The proposal put forth today is a good starting point as we work toward a comprehensive infrastructure plan that addresses the critical needs facing our state’s transportation, education and public facilities,” said DeWitte.
The legislation also creates the Illinois Works job program that will help community-based organizations recruit and prepare the next generation of Illinois’ workforce for apprentice training programs. The legislation will encourage the use of apprentice training and provide incentives for contractors to utilize minority, female and veteran workers.
“Illinois has some of the most advanced career training programs in the world,” said Marc Poulos, executive director of the Indiana-Illinois-Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting. “Our ailing infrastructure demands repair and maintenance, and by addressing that problem, we can also put a generation of Illinois workers into good-paying careers with ongoing education, healthcare, and retirement benefits. Illinois’ workforce will see substantial benefits from this much-needed investment.”
“Almost 20 percent of Illinois’ public roads are in ‘poor’ condition,” said Mark Barkowski, senior vice president of F.H. Paschen and chairman of the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association. “The safety of our infrastructure has suffered from the lack of investment, and the deficiencies are on display across the state. Much of the repair work that has been done is temporary, and the time for permanent fixes is now.”
“Infrastructure’s impact upon Illinois’ economy cannot be ignored,” said Tyler Power, director of government affairs for the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. “Illinois is the commercial hub of the nation, and our economic strength relies upon being able to transport goods safely and quickly through the state. This legislation would fund the kind of infrastructure investment that will pay massive dividends across all sectors of our economy.”
HB 3233 will offer flexible funding opportunities to the Regional Transit Authority and allow municipalities to generate infrastructure revenue. A new project selection process will prioritize the most needed transportation and transit infrastructure projects.
* Check out all the tax and fee hikes. The Motor Fuel Tax would rise by 25 cents per gallon, to 44 cents. Vehicle registration fees would be increased by $50 a year. Drivers’ license fees, title fees and electric car and all truck registration fees would be increased…
And that doesn’t include paying for “vertical” projects.
* WUIS reports on Senate President John Cullerton’s proposal to jack up the tax on cigarettes by a dollar a pack. The governor supports the idea…
The plan would also increase the taxes on other tobacco products at 64 percent of the wholesale price. In a statement, Victoria Vasconcellos, president of the Smoke Free Alternatives Coalition of Illinois, said this tax will make it harder for smokers to quit despite the added cost.
“We have seen that vapor products are a factor in the unprecedented decline in cigarette sales,” said Vasconcellos. “That’s why classifying vapor products in the same category as cigarettes is a backward step for public health, and adults should not be penalized for making healthier choices.”
Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for Gov. Pritzker, said he would support the steeper tax.
On its face, a presentation this week by lawmakers and community groups seeking funding for community-based legal services for the poor seemed straightforward enough.
The Illinois Access to Justice Program would create a $10 million fund to be split among groups that deal with the legal problems of undocumented immigrants and others that specialize in helping ex-offenders.
Yet in many ways the most significant aspect of their effort remained largely unspoken — an attempt at finding common ground and forging cooperation between African-American and Latino lawmakers and the communities they represent.
So often in politics, “black and brown communities”— to borrow the phrase currently in vogue — are pitted against each other to compete for scarce resources and opportunities.
That’s about to play out again in Illinois with the upcoming 2020 census—and the redistricting that will follow.
* Press release…
Last night, the Illinois Senate Criminal Law Committee approved House Bill 1613, a measure that would make permanent the current practice of collecting data about every traffic stop conducted by police in the State of Illinois. The practice has been in place in Illinois since 2004 when then-State Senator Barack Obama championed the law.
The following can be attributed to Khadine Bennett, Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois:
“Today’s strong vote by the Senate Criminal Law Committee moves this important legislation one step closer to final passage. As the Committee heard today, collecting and analyzing data about traffic and pedestrian stops by police allows the public to provide appropriate transparency of law enforcement and serves as a critical tool for law enforcement supervisors to use in training and managing officers interacting with the public.
It is time to make this practice – which has been good policy for more than a decade – permanent. We look forward to passage of this measure by the full Senate. With the leadership of sponsor Senator Elgie Sims, we are confident that the measure will be on its way to the Governor.”
* Other stuff…
* Senators Rethink ISBE Property Tax Relief Plan: Education advocates who testified before the committee said if the tax relief measure isn’t changed, the legislature should increase the state’s school equity appropriation from the statutorily-required $350 million to at least $450 million. Lawmakers on the Senate education committee listened, but didn’t articulate a response.
* Senate Measure Would Protect Consumers Against ‘Deceptive’ Energy Suppliers: Under the Senate plan, suppliers can still provide their services as long as contracts don’t automatically rollover and consumers are informed about any rate increases before they happen. Suppliers would also need to report their rates to the Illinois Commerce Commission and attorney general. Attorney General Kwame Raoul said suppliers’ deceptive practices often hurt those who can’t afford to pay more.
ALD. WALTER BURNETT, who heads the 27th Ward Committee, is taking applications and preparing to interview candidates to replace state Rep. Melissa Conyears-Ervin. She’ll be sworn in May 20 as Chicago’s new city treasurer. Among those applying for her statehouse job: Burnett’s eldest son, Jawaharial “Omar” Williams, who has worked as a plumber for the city’s Water Department.
Another applicant: MAZE JACKSON, the lobbyist and WVON radio commentator who has consulted for former governors Bruce Rauner, Pat Quinn and Rod Blagojevich. “We’re getting a lot of applicants,” Burnett told Playbook.
Replacing Conyears-Ervin quickly is important to Democrats since so many big-ticket revenue bills will be up for consideration by May 31.
Burnett says he’s working to have a replacement named by May 18. On that day, the committee will have a so-called slate-making session “where we’ll allow folks to present their credentials.” During an executive session after that, committee members will decide on the new state representative.
Burnett said he will back his stepson Jawaharial “Omar” Williams to replace Conyears-Ervin over the more than a dozen other interested candidates.
Williams has been working precincts since he was a teenager alongside the alderman, who has been a member of Secretary of State Jesse White’s political organization for decades along with Ervin and Conyears-Ervin.
“I don’t know of any family business that don’t — I shouldn’t say family business — but if your kids work hard… that’s what I work for, to promote my kids, help my kids if they do well,” Burnett said. “If they’re not deserving of it, they’re not deserving of it. So we’ll see how all the other members look at it and we’ll take it from there. It’s no different than Jason pushing his wife for the state rep spot and pushing her for treasurer.” […]
WVON radio morning show host Maze Jackson told The Daily Line in an emailed statement he is also interested in replacing Conyears-Ervin and would strive “to bring economic resources back to the district, and to be an uncompromised vociferous advocate for self-interests of the Black community. I want to get an answer to ‘What’s in it for the Black People?’ in the state of Illinois.”
In addition to Williams and Jackson, Chavonne Carter, an assistant in White’s office; Dwight Lee, an executive in White’s office; Gerard Moorer in U.S. Rep. Danny Davis’ office; and former state Rep. Eddie Winters are also interested in replacing Conyears-Ervin, Burnett said. […]
Conyears-Ervin replaced former state Rep. Pamela Reaves-Harris, who served one two-year term. Before her, former state Rep. Derrick Smith also served one term beginning in 2012. Smith was ousted by House colleagues after he was charged with accepting a bribe, and was convicted of bribery in June 2014.
Smith was replaced by Winters, a former Chicago Police officer.
Recently re-elected in the fall, the question locally now is how his replacement will be chosen. Randolph County Democratic Chair Kerry Johnson said with the likelihood of big votes coming this session, namely the governor’s tax plan and the legalizing recreational marijuana, he would like a replacement in before the session ends so the 116th has its say.
Matt Dietrich, public information officer for the Illinois State Board of Elections, pointed to state statute saying the county precinct committeemen have 30 days to name a successor.
“Each committeeperson of the appropriate legislative or representative committee shall be entitled to one vote for each vote that was received,” state statute says of the mechanism for replacing political appointees.
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) will cast the third-highest weighted vote, at nearly 17.6 percent.
Waguespack said he has never met Williams, has no idea what qualifications he brings to the job and is troubled by the secretive nature of the process. […]
“The last time Walter [Burnett] chose somebody, we got Derrick Smith. That ended up pretty horribly,” Waguespack said.
Smith was expelled from the Illinois House after being indicted on bribery charges, but won re-election anyway. He was forced to step down from the Illinois House after his conviction.
Good point by Waguespack. Smith is a permanent stain on Ald. Burnett’s track record.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
If Roe is overturned, Illinois law could again require:
· Spousal consent
· Doctor consent committees
· Restrictions on some forms of birth control
· 24 hour waiting periods
· Misinformed consent
· Unnecessary regulation
· Bans on assisted reproductive techniques
· Criminal penalities
Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday took aim at the state’s Department of Children and Family Services, which has been haunted for decades by deaths wrought of abuse and neglect and is in the spotlight again following the beating death of a 5-year-old suburban Chicago boy with a long history of contact with the agency.
Rep. Sara Feigenholtz stood with more than a dozen House and Senate members of a new child welfare reform caucus to propose legislation that would bolster checks and balances in the child welfare agency.
On Monday, Feigenholtz filed legislation to establish a review process for cases involving abuse or neglect. The measure, which was filed as an amendment to an existing bill sitting in Feigenholtz’s committee, would require the deputy director of child protection to create a system for checking 5 percent of cases where allegations were not substantiated and the child is younger than school age, meaning they may not have come into contact with teachers, social workers or other mandated reporters.
The legislation also requires the review of cases where allegations were confirmed for older children, but the family has declined services or there are other reasons why the department is not taking protective custody. Moreover, the department would have to file semi-annual reports with the General Assembly summarizing the cases reviewed and providing recommendations for systemic reforms.
“It builds a review process that ensures that the administrative level of the department is aware and accountable for what’s going on in the field,” Feigenholtz said.
Additionally, the measure bans incentives, monetary or otherwise, from being offered to child investigators or private contractors deciding which services to offer a family or whether to close a case.
Feigenholtz said that the existing organizational structure of DCFS requires all problem reporting to go to the director of operations, a position that’s been vacant for what she said was “a very long time.”
* Report On DCFS: Overburdened Case Workers, Unresponsive Hotline: “50% of the hotline calls go into voicemail and need a callback. So for emergency cases where children are really in trouble, that’s a huge problem,” said Illinois State Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago.)
Last week in testimony before the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, I was pleased to announce that our April revenues were $1.5 billion higher than expected. However, I also sounded an important note of caution about those revenues. It is important to keep in mind that we still face a $6-to-$8 billion backlog of pending bills with no dedicated revenue stream to pay them. We have aggressively targeted the state’s highest-interest-accruing bills with those receipts, bringing the backlog lower than it would otherwise be, to $6.07 billion as of today.
While we cannot confirm or deny the Dept. of Revenue’s projection of $800 million more than expected for Fiscal Year 2020 at this time, we are hopeful and will continue to research this possibility thoroughly. My office has prioritized pension payments and debt service since I took office and that will be our policy going forward.
In April, base monthly receipts increased $1.502 billion. The jump in receipts reflected very strong performances of both personal and corporate income taxes, which in turn allowed reimbursable spending to surge, thereby generating a significant gain of federal sources. An extra receipting day assisted in the overall monthly gain.
While a precise component breakdown is not yet available for April’s income tax receipts, preliminary views point to very strong non-wage income tax performance [e.g. the more volatile capital gains and dividends components]. As a result, this significant one month over performance cannot safely be extrapolated into future underlying growth. Other states have begun to anecdotally report similar strong performance, with most urging caution of future expectations. In Illinois, historically the withholding component comprises approximately 80% of personal income tax receipts, with the remainder roughly split between estimated and final payments. Despite their much smaller percentage make-up, those non-wage components [fueled by capital gains, dividends, and sometimes shifts in tax payer behavior] are the most volatile, demonstrating significant swings in gains/losses. As such, they cannot be counted on to follow predictable trends, nor safely be expected to recur. Again, further analysis is required before any definitive conclusions are made.
With those caveats in mind, for the month, gross personal income tax receipts leapt $1.068 billion or $903 million on a net basis. In addition to an extra processing day, some of the increase is due simply to last year’s final payments reflecting a “blended” rate due to the tax year’s split tax rate; whereas this year’s final payments were all at the higher rate. As explained above, data is not yet available to offer other conclusive analysis for the month’s grand performance. Gross corporate income tax also grew impressively, rising $288 million or $237 million net. Sales tax also enjoyed a robust uptick, with gross receipts increasing $53 million, or $85 million on a net basis.
Other sources experiencing monthly improvement include interest income which grew $12 million, inheritance tax was up $6 million, and public utility, cigarette, and corporate franchise taxes each eked out a $1 million gain. Only insurance taxes and other sources experienced declines with both lines falling a modest $3 million.
Overall transfers into the general funds were down $1 million. Federal sources, fueled by reimbursable spending made possible by the influx of income tax receipts, finally reversed what up until now had been a very disappointing fiscal year, by growing $263 million. […]
Despite April’s performance, at an April 30th CGFA meeting held to discuss the State’s Group Insurance program, a representative from the Comptroller’s Office testified that their agency continues to operate in “triage’ mode given the State’s over $6.1 billion bill backlog.
A Melrose Park hospital must remain open while a court reviews the decision by a state board to allow it to close, a judge ruled Tuesday.
The village of Melrose Park had filed an emergency motion to stall the planned closing of Westlake Hospital while they appeal the decision by the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board to allow Pipeline Health to close the facility.
Cook County Judge Anna Loftus ruled in favor of the village, saying the hospital, at 1225 Lake St. in Melrose Park, must stay open — for now. The state board had unanimously approved Pipeline’s application last week.
That decision already has been slammed by residents and elected officials, who say the review board should have put off a decision until after a pending lawsuit against Pipeline is resolved.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker was the latest to weigh in; Monday night, he removed his two newly appointed board members, both of whom had voted against deferring the application.
* React…
State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside and state Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, are applauding a recent court ruling requiring Westlake Hospital to remain open until the judicial system can fully consider the critical services Westlake provides and review the Health Facilities and Services Review Board’s (HFSRB) recent regarding the future of the facility.
“This is a major victory for struggling families in our area whose health care was about to be taken away by an out-of-state corporation,” Welch said. “The Review Board’s vote to close Westlake was wrong. I am glad Governor J.B. Pritzker removed his appointees who supported the closure and I encourage him to appoint two new members who will side with our community and protect local access to care.”
Both Welch and Willis have been fighting to keep the Melrose Park-based facility open since Pipeline Health turned its back on Westlake Hospital after they promised to support it. The HFSRB was tasked with reviewing the closure, but voted to allow Pipeline’s plan to close the hospital. Recently, a Cook County judge issued a ruling mandating that Westlake remain open during the court’s review of the HFSRB’s decision to support Pipeline’s closure of the facility.
“We must continue fighting to keep Westlake open and serving our most vulnerable residents,” Willis said. “The communities I represent should not have their health care hanging by a thread because out-of-state billionaires are pushing for higher profits.”
