Oh, for crying out loud
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers about these mailers from the ostensibly “pro-Democratic” Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity the other day…
It says that “state politicians have cut $14,036,198 from our neighborhood schools since 2010″ and that “without an immediate budget solution,” schools face “another $500 million in cuts to classrooms,” with more than 3,000 teachers laid off. The two-page flier lists Cullerton’s and Feigenholtz’s district office numbers and urges recipients to call them and “demand they stop playing games with our schools and pass a balanced budget.”
The flier does not mention that Rauner has held off on approving a tax hike he admits is needed to balance the budget until Democrats put limits on public-sector unions. The governor says those changes will save money and boost the economy, but Democrats say they would effectively destroy the collective bargaining process.
Cullerton, in a phone interview, pretty much shrugged off the attack, noting that he’s not up for re-election for three years. He and Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity chief Greg Goldner, a prominent political operative who once was campaign manager for Mayor Richard M. Daley, have talked since the flier hit. Cullerton said Goldner “was not aware” that a bill already has passed the Senate by a veto-proof majority that would solve CPS’ current budget woes by giving it $200 million a year for pensions and allow CPS to defer hundreds of millions in other pension payments for two more years. The same measure would impose a two-year property tax freeze and mandate a rewrite of the state’s school-aid formula by 2017. [Emphasis added.]
OK, wait. First of all, Greg Goldner’s front group is using the exact same false attack that the Rauner campaign used against Quinn last year. The truth is that the state didn’t cut funding for schools. As I showed time and time again last year, school funding dropped after the federal stimulus package expired.
Also, Goldner is running a multi-million dollar attack machine and doesn’t even know that the Senate passed a Chicago schools bailout bill?
Really?
* More…
The flier “is propaganda” that “doesn’t tell the whole story,” [Rep. Sara Feigenholtz] said in a phone interview. “We could agree on the budget tomorrow,” but Rauner “is holding the budget hostage, presenting us with issues that have nothing to do with the budget. . . .He just wants the collective bargaining process to go away.”
Goldner, in a separate interview, noted that similar fliers have been sent to the districts of every lawmaker in the city and some in the suburbs. Beyond that, he insisted that the fliers are not intended to criticize but to inform.
Um, the same guy who wasn’t even aware of the Senate’s school funding bill before sending out two direct mailers on the topic to every legislative district in Chicago says he’s just trying to “inform” voters?
Whew, man.
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Not as simple as it may look
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Background…
[Chicago Public Schools] decided in 2012 to close [Dyett High School], citing low enrollment and poor performance. In June, just 13 seniors graduated. CPS has been accepting applications from organizations for a new, reimagined school in the Bronzeville facility. But CPS rejected the protesters’ Dyett Global Leadership and Green Technology Community High School concept.
On Thursday, CPS’ new Chief Academic Officer Janice Jackson said it’s possible that no school may take over the Dyett space.
“It’s important to be straightforward about the obstacles to opening another high school in this area, considering the fact that they have declining enrollment and we have existing high schools there that are under-enrolled,” Jackson said.
“We don’t want to open a new school and then have those schools competing when they’re already in a position where they’re fighting over the same children.”
* There are, indeed, quite a few other schools in the area…
“I would remind everybody what they’re trying to work through, within a 3-mile radius there’s 10 high schools,” Emanuel said when asked about the hunger strike at an unrelated event. “Within about a mile of the school is King College Prep. So there’s a lot of high schools in that area, and how do you talk about another one when even some of the high schools that are within the 3-mile radius are not at capacity yet?”
* Let’s go back a bit to August 17th…
Twelve supporters of revitalizing Chicago’s Dyett High School campus began a hunger strike Monday morning as they continue their call for the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system to adopt a long-proposed community plan to turn Dyett into a “global leadership and green technology” high school.
The Coalition to Revitalize Dyett High School, which created the plan to re-open Dyett as a global leadership and green technology school, spearheaded the hunger strike. The 12 hunger strikers, including community and faith leaders, education activists and public school parents, held their protest outside the now-closed school, located in the Washington Park neighborhood at 555 E. 51st St.
“We are tired of our voices not being heard,” said hunger striker Jitu Brown with the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, one of many groups behind the Coalition to Revitalize Dyett High School. “There has to be accountability to the public for the destabilizing of schools in our community and the sabotage of our children’s education.”
Brown said the hunger strikers will only drink water and “light liquids” and are prepared to remain outside Dyett “as long as the creator allows us to be out here.”
KOCO is the major force behind the Dyett coalition. It has also tried to stop neighborhood “gentrification” by protesting against a new Mariano’s grocery store in Bronzeville. The group has long battled Ald. Will Burns, and its former executive director lost to Burns’ ally state Rep. Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago) in the Democratic primary last year, despite strong financial and other support from the Chicago Teachers Union. The CTU supports KOCO’s push to take over the Dyett school.
And despite the proclaimed focus on a “science-based” curriculum, the activists have another goal for their prospective students…
It would focus on leadership skills and training students to engage in the political process.
Local politicos who are not KOCO fans ain’t eager to see that happen, to say the least.
* From August 26th…
Although plagued by violence, poverty and a scarcity of grocery stores and retailers, the neighborhood is also undergoing a modest rejuvenation. A new shopping center with a major grocer opened this year. And there has been an influx of new condos and multi-unit developments. The neighborhood is being considered for the Obama Presidential Library.
Yet long-term residents complain that they don’t have a quality, open-enrollment school where they can send their children.
“I will stand here and I will fight … until the last breath I have,” Robinson said outside the school Wednesday. Robinson, a grandmother who had nine children attend Dyett, had been hospitalized Monday.
Keep in mind that KOCO fought against that grocery store development.
* But the hunger strikers aren’t just battling CPS to keep the school open. They’re also at odds with rival groups which are also attempting to open a school on the site. From August 26th…
On Monday the strikers, as well as supporters, gathered at Little Black Pearl Art & Design Academy, 1060 E. 47th St., to hand over a letter to President Monica Haslip.
“On Behalf of the Coalition to Revitilize Dyett, we respectfully urge you to withdraw your proposal for Dyett High School,” the letter stated, which had the signatures of all of the hunger strikers. […]
“I’m crying because I’m tired,” Ramann said, who is a parent of a child in the Dyett school boundary area. “We live in a city that doesn’t value us and our opinions because we are Black.”
* But Mary Mitchell strongly cautioned against attacking Ms. Haslip…
Haslip is the director of the celebrated Little Black Pearl Studio in Bronzeville. She’s been recognized nationally for her work serving youth in Kenwood-Oakland and Bronzeville.
She presented a proposal to reopen Dyett as an arts academy. […]
Black people shouldn’t have to tear each other down in order to build the community up.
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* From Ed McManus…
The State of Illinois now says that it has paid providers for July and August developmental disability services–a total of $120 million. Late this morning, attorneys for the Rauner administration and comptroller Leslie Munger complied with U.S. District Judge Sharon Coleman’s order, which was issued Wednesday after attorneys for the people with disabilities asked her to hold state officials in contempt of court.
“As of Aug. 28, the Department of Human Services has processed all vouchers for community-based services . . . that would have been provided in July and August 2015″ on the same schedule as in previous years,” the lawyers for the state said, and “as of Aug. 28, the comptroller has paid all of the vouchers.” (State’s filing attached)
Ed McManus, a Wilmette-based consultant to many of the providers, said it is good news. “But we never should have had this payment crisis in the first place,” McManus said. “These agencies serving some of the state’s most vulnerable residents have waited two long months, ever since the new fiscal year began July 1, providing group-home and home-based services without getting paid a nickel. Many of them had exhausted their reserves and maxed out their lines of credit, and they were on the verge of collapse, which would have left the thousands of people they serve homeless. What kind of a state do we live in, where our government would allow this to happen?”
Attorneys for the state said between Aug. 18 and 27, the comptroller has made $786 million in payments to entities not covered by the Ligas consent decree–including state employee payroll, debt service, aid to schools, state retirement systems, child care, foster care and Medicaid providers. Details of those payments were submitted to the judge.
“The payments in this case do not exist in a vacuum,.” the state said. “They compete against the state’s other obligations, many of which are also covered by court orders. The state is operating at a deficit of a minimum of $300 million per month to make payments necessary to cover all of the state’s priority obligations. . . . Because of the state’s cash flow problems, the comptroller must evaluate on a daily basis the amount of cash on hand and determine which payments may be made. While the state will continue to diligently process payments to providers under the Ligas consent decree, it is not possible for the state to commit to making each of many specific payments on specific days.”
State officials face “extraordinarily difficult circumstances posed by the state’s current budget crisis and cash-flow problems,” the lawyers said, and therefore the judge should deny the request for a contempt order. Also, the judge should “clarify that compliance does not mean doing the impossible.”
The state had said at a court hearing Wednesday that $76 million in bills had been paid. The additional $44 million was paid since Wednesday, they said.
* From the state’s filing, which is here…
Per this Court’s August 26 Order, a list of payments the Comptroller has made since August 18 to entities not covered by this Court’s June 30 and August 18 Orders is provided in Exhibit B and the attachment thereto.
In broad terms, between August 18 and August 27, the Comptroller has made $786.4 Million in payments to entities not covered by this Court’s June 30 and August 18 Orders.
Of this amount, approximately $194 Million was for State employee payroll per court order, $101.8 Million for debt service, $188.4 Million for General State Aid to schools for K-12 education, $233.7 Million for State retirement systems, $8.2 Million for child care, $0.7 Million for foster care per court order, and $10.6 Million for payments to Medicaid providers per court order.
*** UPDATE *** “Exhibit B” can be read by clicking here.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Question of the day
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday’s story about Mrs. Rauner’s group blasting away at Gov. Rauner’s child care cuts sparked a Mary Mitchell column…
But don’t think this is a real Rauner vs. Rauner showdown.
As president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, part of Diana Rauner’s job is to keep the organization focused on its mission of supporting early learning programs for at-risk children.
Right now, that mission is being threatened by her husband’s budget ax, but you don’t see Diana Rauner out front on this issue.
Instead, the Ounce of Prevention Fund distributed the unsigned “Action Alert” by email to the organization’s database.
Diana “Rauner signs off on all of our advocacy efforts,” said Megan Meyer, a spokeswoman for the organization.
“I can’t speak to whether she saw this particular alert. The Ounce statement has not been authored under Diana’s name, but she is aware of and reviews all of our statements,” Meyer said.
That makes the situation even more ludicrous.
Frankly, I would have expected Diana Rauner to have greater sway over her husband when it comes to this issue. […]
During Gov. Rauner’s campaign, Diana Rauner argued that her role at the Ounce of Prevention Fund was not a conflict of interest, even though the organization gets a lot of its funding from government grants.
That sounded disingenuous then, and it certainly looks disingenuous now.
I’m not sure that she really substantiated or justified any of her points in that column. So, it’s up to you.
* The Question: Should Mrs. Rauner stay on as president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
online survey
*** UPDATE *** From the Ounce…
Dear Editor:
While we applaud the Sun-Times for drawing attention to the Child Care Assistance Program changes, we are disappointed that rather than focus on the impact of changes—the families who are faced with the difficult decision of providing for their families or ensuring their children are safe and cared for—the Sun-Times instead chooses to sensationalize Rauner vs. Rauner in Mitchell: Illinois’ first family at odds over budget cuts.
For more than 30 years, the Ounce of Prevention Fund has fiercely advocated to ensure that young children living in poverty have access to the quality early experiences they need to succeed in school and in life, and that parents have the resources they need to ensure quality experiences for their children.
During this time of unprecedented budget uncertainty and assault on low-income families, the Ounce has been on the front lines with our advocacy partners, battling to urge the General Assembly, governor and administration to work together to find a fair, fully-funded budget that serves all of Illinois’ citizens.
From formal statements conveying our point of view to time-sensitive action alerts activating supporters and media stories highlighting the families and providers at risk, the Ounce has been vocal. We have publicly advocated against child care changes and urged an end to the budget impasse that is holding our most vulnerable citizens hostage. We have worked with partners in early learning and other social services organizations to highlight the impact of this ongoing budget stalemate. And we have worked within all facets of the government, meeting with legislators and the administration, and filing formal complaints, comments and requests for hearing.
As always, our entire organization—from our board of directors to our leadership to our staff—is fully committed to our mission and continues to serve children and families in need.
Anne Lea Tuohy
Chairman of the Board
Ounce of Prevention Fund
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Nuding praises Arduin
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As I told subscribers this morning, Arduin is, indeed leaving. And Tim Nuding is genuinely grateful for her services. From a press release…
Tim Nuding, Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, issued the following statement regarding the departure of adviser Donna Arduin:
“As a key leader in the new Administration, Donna played an instrumental role in re-establishing sound economic and fiscal principles at GOMB, the Department of Revenue and throughout state government. She helped engineer the elimination of an inherited $1.5 billion budget deficit without a tax increase and produced an on-time budget proposal for the governor to present barely more than one month after taking office. She has been an invaluable adviser to me, and I look forward to her continued advice as we work to reach a pro-growth economic and fiscal agreement for the state.”
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YOU Matter to Illinois Credit Unions
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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If you are a credit union member, you already know the credit union difference. If you are not a member, go to asmarterchoice.org to discover all the advantages credit union membership holds for you.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Point, counter-point
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Democratic point…
A top aide to the Illinois treasurer said Thursday it was “unlikely” that the state’s cash balance was so low last week that the comptroller couldn’t follow a federal judge’s order to pay for services for the developmentally disabled.
The treasurer’s office pointed to daily balance sheets showing the state began the day on Friday with more than $217 million and ended it with more than $57 million on hand. The treasurer’s office also questioned whether Comptroller Leslie Munger only wrote checks to vendors whom she had to pay.
“Is it possible that the comptroller last Friday only paid those bills that are under some court order? It’s certainly unlikely. It’s especially unlikely given that they ended the day with $57 million,” said Greg Rivara, spokesman to Treasurer Mike Frerichs. ”They certainly could have at least paid some of those individuals on Friday, and she chose not to.”
* Republican counter-point…
“I wish he had contacted us before making such an absurd statement. To look at a balance and say there’s plenty of cash is as ridiculous as looking at my bank account after I’m paid and thinking I have money to burn,” said comptroller spokesman Rich Carter. “That might be true if I didn’t have a mortgage to pay, a car payment to make and kids to put through school. Similarly, the balance in the state’s checkbook has fluctuations as we accrue funds for the larger payments we’re obligated to make. ”
I side mostly with Carter at the comptroller’s office on this one. They have to make payroll, pay bond debt and fund pensions. All that requires them to stockpile money for big pay-out dates. The comptroller’s office has been doing this for a very long time, and they have experienced, non-partisan staff handling this stuff. The treasurer’s office has no such track record.
* However, this is a valid point…
“The comptroller’s office said money is tight because the tax increase was allowed to expire. The tax increase was allowed to expire because the governor asked that it expire,” Rivara said. “If the comptroller’s position is that there is a cash shortage, certainly, part of that is tied to the governor.”
Yep.
*** UPDATE *** Letter from comptroller candidate and state Sen. Daniel Biss…
Illinois State Comptroller Leslie Munger 201 Statehouse
Springfield, IL 62704
Dear Comptroller Munger,
In my capacity as chairman of the Senate committee on Human Services, I write to seek clarification regarding payments to service providers across the state. It is unclear which payments have been made, and perhaps more importantly, the process by which the payments have been prioritized.
In addition to the documentation you will be providing to Judge Coleman, and in the interest of ensuring our most vulnerable citizens receive the care they need and deserve, I hope you can take a moment to respond to the following questions:
1. Under which consent decrees, court orders, state laws, and other statutory obligations are bills being paid?
2. What process was used to determine prioritization of those payments?
3. What are the top highest paid vouchers for July and August?
4. Estimated GRF, CSF and EAF (“general fund(s)”) bills on hand as of July 1, 2015, including
bills by governmental category
5. Estimated FY15 general fund bills on hand projected August 31, 2015
6. Estimated FY16 general fund bills on hand projected August 31, 2015
7. Estimated FY16 monthly general fund state employee payroll, based on average payroll for
month ending July 31, 2015
8. Estimated monthly liabilities incurred pursuant to vouchers submitted under consent decrees including: Memisovski v Maram, Beeks v Bradley, Colbert v Rauner, Benson v Blaser, Williams v Rauner, Ligas v Norwood, B.H. v Tate
Now more than ever our committee needs a clear understanding of the mechanisms by which these decisions are made so that we can effectively advocate for the citizens of Illinois. I appreciate your assistance in guiding us through the details of this process.
I would also like to invite you to a Senate committee on Human Services hearing on September 8th at 10:30 a.m. in room C600 of the Bilandic Building. The committee would appreciate any guidance and information you can provide us, and we would be grateful for your attendance.
Thank you again for your attention to these questions. With more information, we’ll be better equipped to serve our shared constituents.
Sincerely,
Daniel Biss
State Senator, 9th District
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Not there yet
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
The Illinois House is expected to vote next week to override a bill that Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed, Senate Bill 1229. This bill would strip Rauner’s ability to bargain with the government union representing almost all state workers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME. Instead, if an agreement is not reached within two months of negotiating, the state’s next AFSCME contract would be decided by an labor arbitrator.
Last week the Illinois Senate voted to override the governor’s veto of this bill, and the measure now needs House approval. Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan is urging Democrats to follow the Senate’s lead and strip Rauner’s ability to set the terms of the next union contract, but that might not be what voters want, according to a new poll released today by Illinois Policy Action.
The poll was conducted by Ogden & Fry across suburban Chicago legislative districts. In all districts surveyed, very few voters said their opinion of their state representative would improve if the lawmaker consistently voted with Speaker Madigan. Also, in all of the districts surveyed, more than half of voters said they actually would think more negatively of their state representative if he or she voted with Speaker Madigan the majority of the time.
“Suburban lawmakers hold tremendous sway in the budget battle going on in Springfield, and that’s why these poll findings are so important. Even though voters in these districts elected Democrats to represent them, the poll results show they don’t want their representatives to be proxies for Speaker Madigan,” said John Tillman, CEO of Illinois Policy Action. “Speaker Madigan is putting intense pressure on these suburban lawmakers to support his agenda and to override the governor’s veto of the AFSCME bill. But the polling data is extremely clear: Voters think very negatively of politicians who vote consistently with Madigan.”
POLL QUESTION: Do you think of State Representative [NAME] more favorably or less favorably if s/he votes with Mike Madigan 90 percent of the time?
POLL RESULTS:
State Rep. Deb Conroy, 46th district: 51.4 percent less favorably, 22.2 percent more favorably for voting with Madigan;
State Rep. Scott Drury, 58th district: 57.8 percent less favorably, 18.1 percent more favorably for voting with Madigan;
State Rep. Marty Moylan, 55th district: 54.9 percent less favorably, 19 percent more favorably for voting with Madigan;
State Rep. Michelle Mussman, 56th district: 51.6 percent more favorably, 21.5 percent less favorably for voting with Madigan;
State Rep. Elaine Nekritz, 57th district: 52.2 percent less favorably, 16.5 percent more favorably for voting with Madigan;
State Rep. Carol Sente, 59th district: 55.7 percent less favorably, 21 percent more favorably for voting with Madigan;
State Rep. Sam Yingling, 62nd district: 54.1 percent less favorably, 18.1 less favorably for voting with Madigan.
Those Mussman results are kind of odd, no?
…Adding… The group misprinted the Mussman results. From the pollster…
More favorably 76 21.5%
Less favorably 182 51.6%
Undecided 95 26.9%
…
Also, in order to confidently “move” voters to base their election day decision on a single issue, you generally need numbers in the 70s. We’re a long way from that point right now.
Plus, the campaign hasn’t even started yet. The incumbents haven’t fully made their own cases.
In other words, we’ll see.
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Will remap reform proposal hurt Democrats?
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Remember my objection the other day to the Independent Map Amendment’s so-called “anti-gerrymandering effort”? It was based on what could happen to racial balance because of this particular passage…
(T)he redistricting plan shall respect the geographic integrity of units of local government
* Well, minorities aren’t the only ones who should be highly suspicious of the current “reform” proposal, which already has 200,000 signatures out of the 600,000 needed to get it onto the ballot.
Check out this 2013 study by political science profs at the University of Michigan and Stanford’s Hoover Institution…
We show that in many states, Democrats are inefficiently concentrated in large cities and smaller industrial agglomerations such that they can expect to win fewer than 50% of the seats when they win 50% of the votes. […]
Our results illustrate a strong relationship between the geographic concentration of Democratic voters and electoral bias favoring Republicans.
Go read the whole thing.
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Putting two and two together
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* An interesting take from Aviva Bowen at the IFT…
Last week, Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times ran a story about how shutting down a public pension plan – the kind of thing that occurred in nearby Michigan and regularly in Governor Bruce Rauner’s daydreams – actually costs taxpayers money. Hiltzik references a recent study from the National Institute on Retirement Security, an organization “whose board and advisors comprise officials of public pension agencies and leading academic experts on pension economics.”
The upshot:
Amid the nationwide panic over the rising costs of public employee pensions, one proposed solution is nearly universal: States and municipalities should shutter their traditional defined benefit plans and place all new employees in a 401(k)-style defined contribution plan instead … As it turns out, the [Wall Street] Journal — and the drafters of the initiative — have the math exactly wrong. The experience of states that did exactly that shows that taking these steps sharply increases pension costs to taxpayers while providing employees with markedly poorer retirement benefits.
Featured in the story is “billionaire former Enron trader John D. Arnold, a backer of the campaign against public employee pensions”:
The National Institute’s report is a reminder that it’s wise to ask who benefits in a shift in public employee pensions from defined-benefit to defined-contribution plans. Not the taxpayers, and not the employees. That leaves the major promoters of public-pension panic: Wall Street investment operators, such as billionaire John Arnold. Wall Street collects billions in fees from big public pension funds, but its take from millions of individual retirement accounts is potentially much higher. The lesson for taxpayers and public employees alike is clear: when you hear “experts” talking about how ending defined benefit plans will save everybody money, keep your hands on your wallets.
Let me put that more simply: destroying your retirement security makes Wall Street a lot more money.
But beyond just general outrage, why is that important to us here in Illinois? And why is that Arnold name so familiar …?
A billionaire Houston couple heavily involved nationwide in pension and education changes opposed by unions — issues shared by Gov. Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel — has contributed $5 million to a state political action committee, campaign finance records showed Thursday.
The donation from John and Laura Arnold to IllinoisGO, short for Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity, is the third-largest individual political donation ever recorded by the Illinois State Board of Elections in more than two decades of electronic record keeping. […]
That’s why. The caption that appears below Mr. Arnold’s photo in the Times reads: “What does he get out of it?”
Good question.
Beyond the Arnolds, other IllinoisGO funders have strong ties to Governor Rauner as well. So far, the PAC has produced an online video, distributed fliers, and sent misleading mailers about school funding into targeted legislative districts around the State.
Anyone want to wager what’s next on their agenda? I’ll bet you $5 million.
Discuss.
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No excuse for this loophole
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a Sun-Times editorial…
According to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, when he files an objection, the Illinois Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board goes ahead and grants a permit anyway 82 percent of the time. That’s a pretty good batting average for people who have records that a professional lawman finds scary. […]
In one example, the board granted a permit over Dart’s objections to a person who had two arrests for unlawful use of a weapon, a violation of an order of protection and a domestic battery case.
Does that sound like a “law-abiding individual” who should be permitted to carry a concealed weapon?
And those numbers likely understate the seriousness of the problem. Some people with violent pasts who apply for a concealed carry permit remain completely off the radar of local law enforcement because their arrests took place in other counties, and police are not permitted to use the most comprehensive data base for background checks — the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System — when evaluating concealed-carry permit applications.
Consider the case of 45-year-old Richard Idrovo, who just this month shot his girlfriend and himself to death at a Loop business. Idrovo possessed a valid Illinois concealed carry permit though he had a “domestic violence history,” according to police. We now know his record contained a 1994 order of protection and a 1997 arrest on misdemeanor charges of assault and violation of an order of protection. But without LEADS, Idrovo’s full record didn’t show up, and no police department objected when Idrovo applied for a concealed-carry permit.
* The accompanying chart. Click for a larger version…
* I have yet to hear a valid objection to using the LEADS system to vet concealed carry permit holders.
Concealed carry proponents also want some changes to existing laws. Some could be do-able. But they need to agree to demands from the other side as well, and this should be at the top of everybody’s list.
By the way, before some of you NRA types take after me, I’m a gun owner.
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From a “trap” to a “magnet”
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Back in the ’80s, big cities like Chicago were widely seen as “traps” for the poor, unskilled and uneducated. Chicago still has its problems, but it is also becoming a highly attractive magnet…
You would think that a metropolitan area that overall has lost jobs over the last decade and a half would be suffering a brain drain as the youngest and brightest head elsewhere.
But apparently, it’s not so. According to new research from a guy who usually gets his facts straight, Chicago has held its own in recent years when it comes to attracting the highly educated. And, by some measures, the city actually has improved its relative standing. That may explain a few things about the region’s bifurcated economy.
The report comes from Aaron Renn, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative New York-based think tank. For many years he lived here, and he has taken some glee in puncturing claims from local boosters of great economic success.
What Renn did is take a look at the 28 metropolitan areas that lost either population or total jobs between 2000 and 2013. Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee and other Midwest burgs make that list, but—perhaps surprisingly—so do San Francisco and San Jose, Calif.
Almost all of them actually added workers with at least a bachelor’s degree, despite the expected “brain drain,” Renn reports. And Chicago was well above the average, with a 32.5 percent hike in those with college degrees and a 6.2-percentage-point increase in the share of the population with a degree.
Interestingly, the latter figure ranks well, not only among the 28 metros that lost jobs in that period, but also among the 100 biggest metro areas nationally, where Chicago ranked 21st.
By a separate count—how fast our college-graduate workforce grew, compared with the national average—Chicago was dead even, with no change in its so-called location quotient. And a lot of other cities that are considered magnets for the highly educated actually lagged, including Austin, Texas; Denver; Minneapolis; Seattle; and Washington, D.C.
* Related…
* In-flight Internet provider Gogo up and running at new global headquarters in Chicago
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FOP wants override of AFSCME bill veto
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a press release…
The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), representing more than 32,000 active duty and retired police officers, is urging the members of the Illinois House of Representatives to follow the lead set by the Senate and vote to override Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto of Senate Bill 1229. This common-sense legislation will allow state employees to continue providing critical state services even if they are unable to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the Rauner administration. Millions of Illinoisans count on the services these state workers provide every day, and the legislation will ensure that these services continue without interruption, regardless of where the collective bargaining process stands.
“Senate Bill 1229 removes the ‘my way or the highway’ mentality from collective bargaining,” said Illinois FOP Legislative Chairman Keith Turney. “It provides a fair and equitable process for resolving disputes while making sure our veterans care, child protection, education, public safety, and many more vital state services continue unabated.”
Senate Bill 1229 provides a fair and independent process by which Illinois can avoid a work stoppage. If an impasse is reached during collective bargaining, the legislation requires both sides to present reasonable proposals to an independent arbitrator rather than go out on strike or institute a lockout. The arbitrator will carefully consider the proposals made by both sides and determine a course of action. The arbitration process typically helps both sides reach some reasonable middle ground in the collective bargaining process.
Mandating the use of an arbitrator in lieu of a strike or lockout, called interest arbitration, has been in place for years regarding contract talks with police, fire and other public safety officers in Illinois, including FOP members. Senate Bill 1229 will extend those provisions to cover contract talks with all state employees for the short term.
“There have been no labor stoppages among public safety sector employees like FOP members in the decades since this process has been in place,” said Illinois FOP Labor Council Executive Director David Wickster. “It works for both sides and keeps public employees at their jobs and off the picket line.”
“There is no doubt that Illinois is in bad financial shape, but we need to remember that state employees have ALWAYS paid their fair share through payroll deductions for pensions and other legally negotiated benefits,” said FOP President Chris Southwood. “The men and women of this state deserve to be fairly compensated for their work, and the citizens of Illinois have a right to expect uninterrupted state services. Everybody wins with this common-sense legislation. We applaud the members of the Senate who voted to override the Governor’s veto, and we urge the members of the House to join their colleagues and do the right thing.“
The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is the most respected and most recognized police organization in the country. The Illinois FOP, chartered in 1963, is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing more than 32,000 active duty and retired police officers - more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide. Visit www.ilfop.org for more information.
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* Patrick Yeagle…
A proposal to save the state money on independent living services could mean dire consequences for as many as 34,000 people.
Gov. Bruce Rauner wants to decrease the number of people in Illinois who receive in-home care, a move disability advocates say could put people on the street. The proposal appears unlikely to clear two major hurdles for approval, and its acceptance could even cause the state to run afoul of a longstanding court order.
Among Rauner’s many other proposed cuts to social services is a plan to raise the threshold for elderly people and people with disabilities to receive home services, a pair of state-funded programs which offer qualified people help with basic tasks like laundry and paying bills. Home services allow recipients to live independently, instead of living in nursing homes or other institutions. In order to qualify, an individual must undergo a “determination of need” assessment, which scores each person’s needs on a scale of 0 to 100. Currently, anyone who scores 29 or above qualifies for home services, and a higher score means more hours of service. Rauner, who campaigned for governor as a compassionate conservative, wants to increase the threshold from 29 to 37.
Amber Smock, director of advocacy for the Chicago-based disability group Access Living, estimates that the change would knock 10,000 people with disabilities out of the program, along with 24,000 senior citizens. […]
[Springfield disability advocate Tyler McHaley] says most people who receive home services are low-income, meaning they won’t be able to hire outside help if they lose their state assistance. That could result in more people being sent to nursing homes or other institutions, he said. McHaley says the tightened eligibility would have a ripple effect even outside of those directly affected. As clients lose services, the people who provide those services would be put out of work.
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No movement yet
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
A major financial supporter of Rauner is the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. Greg Baise, the group’s president and CEO, said that regardless of the future political implications, both sides need to reach a compromise on the budget quickly.
“You can only go so far when you wake up every day and Mike Madigan has 71 votes and John Cullerton has 39 votes, and that’s not going to change until the next election,” Baise said.
“I applaud the governor for his ardent support of business reforms that the business community supports very strongly. But ultimately, we need to get a budget, a balanced budget, so our businesses — manufacturers included — understand that this state is finally getting its act together,” he said.
But Durkin, the House GOP leader, said Republicans aren’t going to back down or give up on their governor.
“I will hold out. We are not going to cave in. This may take some time, but there is too much at stake,” Durkin said. “Twelve years of one-party rule has come to an end, and (Democrats) aren’t used to this and they don’t like it.”
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Today’s number: $58.1 million
Friday, Aug 28, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a press release…
The Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association on Friday rolled out an analysis of the legislation, House Bill 1, that estimates that the $15.1 million cost to implement the plan, which was calculated by the Rauner Administration, would be offset by $73.2 million in healthcare savings from the remainder of the Illinois Medicaid budget or a net savings of $58.1 million, an estimate the group describes as “conservative.”
“Our cost-benefit analysis of the anti-heroin legislation reveals that, once the other healthcare savings are offset, the Illinois Medicaid program would save an estimated $58.1 million,” said IADDA CEO Sara Moscato Howe. “We consider that a conservative estimate because no prison cost savings were included in our calculations.”
Rauner vetoed sections of the legislation that would have granted Medicaid insurance coverage for medication such as Methadone and Naltrexone and therapy programs to treat addiction.
Illinois heroin overdose deaths have been escalating since 2011, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data. Last year, 633 heroin overdose deaths were recorded in Illinois, up from 583 in 2013. In fact, Illinois has the highest number of heroin overdoses nationwide, Howe noted.
Howe also pointed to a just published Roosevelt University study that showed that Illinois funding for drug treatment has fallen nearly 30% since 2007 while treatment capacity has fallen 52% during that same period - making Illinois the worst state in the nation for declining treatment capacity.
“Illinois - the suburbs, downstate especially - are being swept up in a heroin wild fire that is consuming teenagers and young adults as the principal victims,” said Howe. “Lawmakers recognized the danger. That’s why the Illinois House voted 114-0 in favor of the bill.”
Howe pointed out that in fiscal year 2014, there were 20,870 Illinois residents who entered publicly funded treatment indicating a problem with either Heroin or prescription opiates. Only 2,099 received Opioid Maintenance Therapy treatment.
IADDA’s vice president for substance abuse policy, Eric Foster, said that the group based its financial impact analysis on an average of healthcare savings-offset of $4.87 per person who would be expected to be eligible for heroin treatment using Methadone.
“By leaving heroin addiction untreated, the accompanying ill-health side effects, for which a person is otherwise Medicaid eligible, spread, worsen and cost far more to address,” said Foster. “‘Saving $15 million on left-side of the spreadsheet means nothing if you’re spending $73 million on the right-side of the spreadsheet.”
The Illinois House is expected to seek an override vote on Wednesday, September 2.
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Maybe not
Thursday, Aug 27, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration is considering a second contract extension of high-priced budget consultant Donna Arduin, even as the state is rounding out its second month of the fiscal year with no budget in place. […]
After roughly eight months and about $165,000, Arduin’s contract may be extended again, according to the Rauner administration.
…Adding… Finke…
The administration confirmed Thursday that Arduin’s contract is “under review” for a possible second extension.
Reuters is also reporting this.
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Stating the obvious
Thursday, Aug 27, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Fred Giertz doesn’t buy into claims by some that a “dysfunctional” General Assembly passed a pension reform bill a couple years back…
Is not the approval of a poorly targeted bill that likely was unconstitutional and that entailed a substantial political cost a prima facie case for dysfunctionality?
There is another explanation why intelligent and calculating legislators would engage in this futile effort. Politicians have notoriously short-time horizons. The failed pension-reform process bought the governor and General Assembly time. It allowed them to kick the can down the road with a degree of political cover. From the passage of the bill in December 2013 to the time it was ruled unconstitutional in May 2015, politicians could assert they were dealing with pension problems. This was useful in navigating the 2014 elections.
In addition, the failed pension bill provided politicians with a response to criticism from the Chicago Tribune and the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago who advocated reforms similar to those in Senate Bill 1. Politicians can argue they tried to implement the proposed reforms and failed through no fault of their own.
Well, yeah. I figured everybody already knew that.
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* OK, well, this explains some things.
AP…
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is weighing a major role in Democratic primaries in key congressional races nationally, which could produce weakened nominees who would be more easily defeated by Republicans, according to an internal memo obtained on Thursday by the Associated Press.
The unorthodox strategy could heighten Democratic upheaval in states like Florida and Pennsylvania where the party is struggling to unite around a nominee as it fights to retake the Senate — and that appears to be precisely the Chamber’s goal. It comes as the business lobby has already begun spending aggressively on behalf of select Senate Republicans more than a year before the 2016 elections, where the GOP is fighting to hang onto its newly won majority. […]
The memo was written by the Chamber’s top two political officials, Rob Engstrom and Scott Reed, to members of the Chamber’s Public Affairs Committee, a group of about 35 business leaders and others who will meet in the fall to discuss political strategy and spending for the upcoming elections.
A senior strategist with knowledge of the deliberations confirmed that the intent of the memo was to encourage involvement in the Democratic primaries, including possible spending on television ads. A weakened Democratic nominee in a state like Florida or Illinois could make the general election more winnable for the Republican presidential candidate in 2016 and require Democratic expenditures that could cut into the party’s budget elsewhere.
* More…
In Illinois, for example, Sen. Mark Kirk (R) appears to be quite vulnerable to a challenge from Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D). Under the Chamber’s plan, the group would intervene in support of Duckworth’s Democratic rival, former Chicago Urban League leader Andrea Zopp, assuming that Kirk, who trails Duckworth in statewide polls, would face a far easier race against Zopp. […]
It’s basic, old fashioned electoral mischief. The Chamber wouldn’t support candidates like Zopp and Sittenfeld because the group agrees with them; it would support these candidates because the lobbying organization sees them as easy to beat.
There is, of course, the very real possibility that Democratic primary voters will see through the charade. It’s also possible that folks like Zopp and Sittenfeld wouldn’t be quite as weak as conservatives assume.
The Illinois GOP has been pushing Zopp’s candidacy for months. Now, we may know why. There could be bigtime Chamber money coming into that primary race via independent expenditures.
* Also…
On the House side, Republicans are unlikely to lose their large majority but the Chamber seems determined to keep it that way. The memo lists five races where Democrats may not have a clear shot for a nominee to take down a potentially vulnerable Republican incumbent: Bob Dold in Illinois, Bruce Poliquin in Maine, Cresent Hardy in Nevada, Mike Coffman in Colorado and Martha McSally in Arizona.
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Today’s quotable
Thursday, Aug 27, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bloomberg…
“We’re all a bunch of idiots,” said Representative Jack Franks, a Democrat from the northern Illinois town of Woodstock.
“Just because Bruce Rauner says ‘Republicans need to do this,’ and Speaker Madigan says ‘Democrats need to do that,’ doesn’t mean we have to listen to them,” Franks said.
Yet Republicans line up behind Rauner, who insists on labor, tax and regulatory changes, and Democrats follow Madigan, who says the budget must be passed and revenue raised. There is no hint of a break in the impasse. Bondholders get paid, although many state vendors are getting stiffed to the tune of at least $3.5 billion.
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A $650 Million Day for Exelon
Thursday, Aug 27, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The 2018-2019 PJM Capacity Auction Cleared far higher than analysts expected resulting in as much as $650 million total capacity revenue for Exelon. Here are the highlights:
- $400 Million in ADDITIONAL REVENUE for Exelon – Exelon received a HUGE windfall. According to the Chicago Tribune, Exelon will receive “roughly $400 million in additional revenue” over the previous year. Exelon VP Joe Dominquez characterized this massive cash bonanza as “a marginal improvement…”
- Byron Cleared the Auction – Will Run Through At Least May 2019 – Byron is now obligated to run until May 31, 2019. According to Crain’s, Byron, which Exelon characterized as troubled just weeks ago, now “…stands to reap profits of around $26 million even if future energy prices remain this low.”
- Had Quad Cities Cleared, It Could Have Made More Than $100 Million – Had Exelon bid at the level they did in the 2016-2017 auction, Quad Cities would have likely received upwards of $100 million in revenue for that year.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL:
- Additional Auction Revenues Coming – On August 31 and September 9th, PJM will announce the results of two additional auctions which are expected to generate hundreds of millions in additional revenue beginning June 2016.
As social service providers are being decimated and legislators are forced to make increasingly painful choices, it’s time for Exelon to stop asking policy makers for $1.6 billion from struggling ratepayers. Enough is enough.
Just Say “NO” to the Exelon Bailout
BEST Coalition is a 501C4 nonprofit group of dozens of business, consumer and government groups, as well as large and small businesses. Visit www.noexelonbailout.com.
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* Bernie…
Sangamon County Board member TOM MADONIA JR., R-District 9, is considering a run for state representative in the 96th House District, where Rep. SUE SCHERER, D-Decatur, is now in office.
Madonia, 44, is son of late Springfield Ward 1 Ald. TOM MADONIA, who died in 2002, and nephew of WFMB-AM 1450 talk-show host SAM MADONIA. He was unopposed when he won his county board seat in 2014 but was also campaign manager for Ward 1 Ald. CHUCK REDPATH earlier this year. […]
Why take on Scherer?
“I don’t like to get into name-calling or anything, but a person like Sue Scherer who’s kind of beholden to (House Speaker) MICHAEL MADIGAN, I’m not a big fan of that,” Madonia said.
OK, he probably can’t win, but so far so good.
* And then…
He said he hadn’t talked to Gov. BRUCE RAUNER’s political team, but he is a union member and talk that Rauner wants to “ruin unions” is just “the union spreading their propaganda.”
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Illinois Mayors Know What’s Best For Their Communities
Thursday, Aug 27, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Mayors know the importance of our nuclear power plants and are tired of hearing from special interest groups telling them what is best for their communities.
In response to the BEST Coalition’s baseless attacks on Illinois communities and middle class families, current and former mayors from the communities of Minooka, Mount Morris, Braceville, Farmer City, Morris, Byron, Cordova, Wilmington, Clinton, Braidwood, Fulton and Seneca have said:
• “The BEST Coalition has been in Springfield for months peddling misinformation and scare tactics in an attempt to stop a legislative proposal that would help save nearly 8,000 jobs and prevent the decimation of communities across Illinois. Why does the BEST Coalition want to do tremendous harm to our communities? Why does it support the loss of so many middle class Illinois jobs?”
• “The BEST Coalition supposedly stands for ‘better energy solutions for tomorrow,’ and has not offered a single solution to help move Illinois forward. Their sole goal is supporting the premature closure of nuclear energy plants in Illinois. We question the BEST Coalition’s motivations and want to know what they stand to gain by the loss of Illinois jobs, taxes and economic activity.”
• “This organization is funded by companies that stand to profit financially from the closure of Illinois’ nuclear energy plants. The state of Illinois faces serious challenges that require serious solutions and cannot afford to let the greed of special interest groups undermine real policy solutions for Illinois.”
Mayors and elected officials across Illinois support nuclear energy and legislation that could help save jobs and support our economy. Stand with them and urge the BEST Coalition to do the same.
BEST COALITION:
STOP THE BASELESS ATTACKS ON MIDDLE CLASS ILLINOIS FAMILIES.
Learn the facts about our current fleet of nuclear power plants in Illinois at www.NuclearPowersIllinois.com
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* Republican state Sen. Sam McCann…
Dear Friends,
Last week I had to take a somewhat controversial vote. Governor Bruce Rauner had vetoed a piece of legislation that would have changed how an impasse is handled in state employee pay negotiations. This bill would prevent state employees from going on strike or being locked out, and it would put the ultimate decision on a new contract in the hands of arbitrators.
This wasn’t a perfect bill, though very few truly are, and the situation we find ourselves in is historic. I also don’t particularly care for the vote was rescheduled. That part should have been handled differently by Senate leadership.
But how the vote was handled is a separate question from whether the motion deserved a “yay” or a “nay” vote. In recent days and weeks, I have had more calls, emails, Facebook messages, and face-to-face comments on this vote than nearly any other in my time in the Senate. Of all those thousands of points of contact, an overwhelming number asked me to vote in favor of the motion to override, as I did.
Regardless of the circumstances, I am sent here to vote for the residents of the 50th District, and they made it very clear how I should vote. The number one complaint that I glean from conversations with constituents is that they believe that elected officials don’t hear them. They believe that no one holding elected office really hears or cares about their concerns. Well, I heard my constituents loudly and clearly. These constituents spoke with both clarity and volume. And I did what I have always promised to do: to listen to my constituents and to speak and vote accordingly – and that is exactly what I did.
I am certainly not happy with the current budget process, nor the hyper-partisan stalemate in our Capitol. I think it’s an absolute tragedy that state employees are being used as political pawns in this process. These are taxpayers who earn a living by operating our state government. I have more state employees in my Senate District than any other. I was elected to serve my constituents, not Speaker Madigan, Senate President Cullerton or Governor Rauner. This district said loudly and clearly that they wanted me to vote in favor of the override, and so I did just that.
If you have any questions, or if you need assistance with anything, please don’t hesitate to contact my Capitol office at 217-782-xxxx.
Sincerely,
State Senator Sam McCann
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Arduin heads for the exit door
Thursday, Aug 27, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Erickson with the scoop…
She came to Illinois touted as a “superstar,” ready to provide a roadmap to fix the state’s budget mess using her high-profile experience working for other Republican governors.
On Friday, however, Donna Arduin’s contract as Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget guru expires while the state budget remains unfinished and mired in a divisive political fight.
Despite the lack of a spending plan two months into the state’s fiscal year, Rauner’s office is praising the controversial adviser as she heads back home to her job as a GOP consultant-for-hire. […]
State Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat who chairs a House appropriations committee, said he met with Arduin once and found the two agreed on little.
“If you look at what she did in other states, she recommended Draconian cuts, balancing the budget by cutting higher education and social services. It’s not a surprise that she tried to do that here. It’s been pretty consistent,” Harris said.
Arduin also helped train budget office employees and helped draft budget reforms, which also have been heavily criticized by Democrats because they will reduce state aid to the elderly, poor and disabled.
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Today’s number: 1.1 percent
Thursday, Aug 27, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Tribune…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s school board on Wednesday unanimously approved a budget that relies heavily on borrowed money and the hope of a nearly $500 million bailout from a stalemated Springfield, with the specter of disruptive cuts in January if that help fails to materialize.
The $5.7 billion spending plan contains another property tax hike — an estimated $19-a-year increase for the owner of a $250,000 home — as well as teacher and staff layoffs. The Chicago Board of Education also prepared to go to Wall Street to issue $1 billion in bonds and agreed to spend $475,000 so an accounting firm can monitor a cash flow problem so acute that Chicago Public Schools mulled skipping a massive teacher pension payment at the end of June. […]
Expenses in the operating budget are projected to be about $64 million lower compared to last year, CPS officials said. Earlier this year, the district said it was making $200 million in budget cuts that included the elimination of about 1,400 jobs.
To explain both our headline and the added emphasis, that $64 million reduction is just 1.123 percent of a $5.7 billion spending plan.
Not much of a cut, if you ask me, and certainly not enough to win any respect at the Statehouse.
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Dealing with Pat Quinn’s mess
Thursday, Aug 27, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Tim McCarthy, the chief of the southwest suburban Orland Park Police Department, said he formed a 12-officer Crisis Intervention Team about a year ago and will add five officers to the team in October.
The closing of the Tinley Park Mental Health Center in 2012 by former Gov. Pat Quinn has led to a spike in emergency calls about people with mental illness, he said. In 2014, his department was involved in 160 involuntary committals of people for mental health treatment, up from only four in 2011.
“That tells me the mental health system is failing,” he said in an interview. “Sheriff Dart is calling on restoring more funding to the state budget to support mental health, and we would totally agree.”
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Today’s must-read
Thursday, Aug 27, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Peter Nickeas, overnight reporter for the Chicago Tribune, posted this on Facebook yesterday. There is a bit of profanity, but it’s definitely worth your time…
The difference between the shooting this morning in Virginia and every other act of gun violence is that the internet had to see the fear on a woman’s face as she realized she was about to die.
There is a regularity to violence in urban areas. Today everyone saw what violence looks like, except the victims are usually a little younger and have darker skin. It’s not often on tape so the reaction isn’t so visceral. This is what violence feels like to people who see it happen, we can now all say, because we’ve all seen it happen.
In Chicago alone, it happens more than 2,000 times each year. Go to a crime scene and ask kids if they have seen someone shot. And the answer will be, “well, the first time …” What the Internet is going through right now is almost a rite of passage for kids in urban areas.
So for everyone sitting at work saying, “man, that video messed me up,” well, yea. It should mess you up. It’s a disgusting thing to watch. For everyone who says “I can’t even” or “I need to disengage today,” those are normal reactions to exposure to violence. Seek help if seeing people get hurt doesn’t bother you.
And, the emotional me wants to grab people by their collars and drag them to a crime scene so they can see the ghostly faces of people who saw it happen lingering around waiting for detectives, or the anger behind someone’s eyes while they sit there staring at the body.
Go read the whole thing.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Remember last year when I was deciding whether or not to leave iOS behind and move to Android Land? I ended up buying a Samsung Galaxy S5. It was a pretty darned good phone.
On Friday, however, a good friend bought a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Whoa, man, it was cool. So I picked one up the next day. It feels perfect in my hand, looks great and works like a charm so far.
Highly recommended.
* The Question: Have you made any significant personal tech purchases recently? If so, what did you buy and are you happy with the purchase?
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* Progress Illinois…
The Illinois Department of Human Services is holding the second of two public hearings Wednesday over the Rauner administration’s proposals to toughen the appeals process for key benefits programs.
The Rauner administration’s proposed rule changes would impact Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), according to disability advocacy group Access Living.
The group says the Rauner administration is seeking to make the appeals process harder for people who are denied benefits or terminated from those programs.
The Rauner administration’s proposed rules “do not provide customers with due process, are unnecessarily complicated and confusing, and in some cases are in conflict with the federal statutes and regulations protecting the rights of those eligible for the various benefits programs,” Access Living’s advocacy director said in a posting on the group’s website.
SEIU Healthcare Illinois is also speaking out against the proposed changes.
“The Rauner administration is adding a blizzard of new barriers to access services as well as denying due process to the very poor in ways that conflict with existing statutes, regulations and court cases–not to mention Rauner’s own public statements that he is committed to preserving benefits for the vulnerable,” the union said in a media release. “Among the changes, the state would alter the entire premise for Illinois social services and place the burden of proof for aid on those who need help the most — a drastic departure from current conditions — and would move hearings when benefits are denied far away from access points for the poor.”
The proposed rule changes are here. Some criticisms are here.
* From today’s hearing…
Sheesh.
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Look at the fine print
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Matt Dietrich…
When the Independent Map Amendment anti-gerrymandering effort got under way this spring, I expected it would run into opposition. After all, this movement seeks to take away the most coveted prize in Illinois politics — a party’s ability to rig legislative maps in favor of its members.
But I thought the opposition would come in a court challenge in 2016 by lawyers for House Speaker Michael Madigan on behalf of the Illinois Democratic Party, of which Madigan is chairman. That’s what happened the last time a citizen initiative tried to pry the map-drawing tools away from the politicians.
This time, though, the opposition is early, organized and — judging from its first target mailer — willing to make outlandish claims to advance its fear-mongering campaign.
“Minority groups have worked tirelessly over many decades to ensure our voices are heard in the Illinois General Assembly,” reads a letter sent last week by People’s Map, a political committee registered last week with the Illinois Board of Elections. “The proposal to change the redistricting process would undo our effort and struggle, and if such an effort is successful, we will not soon forget it…
“We hope that you, as a community leader, will cease activities viewed by many as an attack on the progress minorities have made in Illinois,” the letter concludes.
The letter is here.
* Tom Kasich…
The wordy, eight-paragraph amendment specifically states, supporters note, that the redistricting plan “shall not dilute or diminish the ability of a racial or language minority community to elect the candidates of its choice, including when voting in concert with other persons;” and that it “shall not either intentionally or unduly discriminate against or intentionally or unduly favor any political party, political group or particular person.”
Jim Bray, a spokesman for the Independent Map Group, said that the amendment “protects and strengthens minority-voting rights and embeds Voting Rights Act protections which are not” now in the Illinois Constitution. […]
“As with any change in government the status quo likes it the way it is and they’re going to fight to keep their power,” Bray said. “We knew there would be opposition and this time around it has created a committee. We take it seriously because their arguments are incorrect and the facts are on our side, and we want to be sure that our supporters and the people who haven’t thought about this amendment yet are aware that they are not telling the truth.”
“I think maybe (Democratic Party Chairman Michael) Madigan’s hearing the number that we’re up to 200,000 signatures already and maybe if we present the State Board of Elections with 600,000 signatures, it’s going to be harder for them to throw out 90 percent of them at times as they did with some of the sampling the last time,” said Shepard.
* Mark Brown…
Count me among those who think it would be a good idea to shake up the political status quo in Illinois by changing the redistricting process. The way it stands now we allow incumbent legislators to pick the constituents most likely to re-elect them, instead of letting voters pick their representatives.
Just the same, I can’t totally discount the concerns that changing the system might inadvertently undercut certain protections for minority communities built into current law, although I am certain the main people pushing the Independent Maps Amendment aren’t intentionally seeking to dilute minority voting rights, contrary to what the opposition group is alleging.
* This is a classic case of “reformers can do no wrong.” The media always assumes that reformers are the good guys and anyone who questions them are bad people.
And I’m not saying they aren’t good guys in this case. I’ve been in favor of non-partisan map-making for as long as I can remember. And, setting aside the fact that no prominent African-American organization is backing this proposal, I do have a very specific complaint about this line…
(T)he redistricting plan shall respect the geographic integrity of units of local government
* The line could easily be interpreted to mean that, for instance, Chicago legislators would all be corralled within city limits, which might very well result in a form of “packing”…
(P)ushing as many minority voters as possible into a few super-concentrated districts, and draining the population’s voting power from anywhere else.
The current 17th Senate District runs from around 70th St. in Chicago all the way down to the northern border of Kankakee. Such a district would most certainly not “respect the geographic integrity of units of local government.” Abolish districts like that and you wind up with fewer black-majority districts. Period.
* Or, take the 96th House District, which includes predominantly black neighborhoods in Springfield and Decatur. Forbid that sort of intrusion into “geographical integrity” and you could possibly get “cracking”…
(S)plintering minority populations into small pieces across several districts, so that a big group ends up with a very little chance to impact any single election.
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More progress as bills signed into law
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Aside from the governor’s truly bone-headed, short-sighted and overly bean-counting veto of Medicaid funding for heroin treatment, this has been a tremendous year for criminal justice reform.
Yes, I know, we’ve talked about it several times before, but the signatures keep coming…
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has been on a crusade this year to keep some accused shoplifters and trespassers from having extended stays behind bars before trial.
Dart recently notched a bipartisan victory in that campaign when Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the so-called “Rocket Docket” bill into law.
Rep. Mike Zalewski and Sen. Bill Cunningham, both Democrats, were the primary sponsors of the bill envisioned by Dart. Zalewski is from west suburban Riverside and Cunningham is from Chicago.
Rauner signed the bill late Friday, according to Dart’s office. It passed unanimously in the Senate and by a margin of 71-36 in the House.
“This is a good first step to rethinking how our criminal justice system works to punish and correct unlawful behavior,” Zalewski said.
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez has supported the measure. So has Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, who visited the jail in July.
* And…
Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation allowing immunity from prosecution to minors who call 911 to get help.
Rauner on Monday signed the bill sponsored by Legislative Democrats, Rep. Scott Drury of Highwood and Sen. Heather Steans. It provides legal protection for a person needing medical help and the person who called for him or her.
Police would have the authority to determine whether protection from legal discipline is appropriate.
The plan is modeled after a similar one addressing heroin overdoses. At least two dozen other states have similar laws.
* And…
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) on Monday signed into law a sweeping reform of the state’s school discipline policies, putting Illinois at the forefront of the nationwide push to make school discipline less exclusionary and more effective.
Senate Bill 100 eliminates automatic “zero tolerance” suspensions and expulsions, and requires that schools exhaust all other means of intervention before expelling students or suspending them for more than three days. The bill also prohibits fines and fees for misbehavior, and requires schools to communicate with parents about why certain disciplinary measures are being used.
Under the new law, which goes into effect in September of 2016, students returning from suspension will be allowed to make up the school work they missed, and students suspended for more than four days will be offered access to support services, like academic counseling and mental health professionals. […]
According to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, Illinois has one of the widest disparities in the nation between suspended black students and their white classmates. During the 2012-13 school year, Chicago Public Schools issued suspensions for 32 of every 100 black students, compared to just five of every 100 white students.
* Related…
* Black & White: Middle Schools Discipline With BIST Intentions
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YOU Matter to Illinois Credit Unions
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Do you ever stop and think about how decisions are made regarding your money? Far too often, it comes down to how much someone can make from you. Transaction fees and high-interest credit cards are just a few of the ways you may be contributing to someone else’s bottom line.
Credit unions are different. They are not-for-profit. As a member of a credit union, you matter. That’s why credit unions offer services that are member friendly. Services that are not about profit – but rather serving member’s needs.
Credit unions return their earnings to their members by way of lower fees, lower loan interest rates and higher returns on savings. Credit unions know their members. Loan decisions are made locally under the guidance of the true cooperative philosophy.
If you are a credit union member, you already know the credit union difference. If you are not a member, go to asmarterchoice.org to discover all the advantages credit union membership holds for you.
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Caption contest!
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Heh…
* Close-up…
Have fun.
And if, perchance, the owner of that sign sees this, please contact me. I’d like to buy it.
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* From the twitters…
*** UPDATE 1 *** The comptroller’s office says the above tweet is in error. There was no finding of contempt, just an order to make the payments. Consequently, the headline on this post has been changed.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Tony…
Hey Rich,
Rich Carter called me about the tweet after seeing it posted on the blog. I told him what I’ll tell you, just so you have it, and then you can do with it as you want, although I’m sure you don’t want to be in the middle of all the back-and-forth.
Did the judge say the state was in contempt? Not outright. She said not following the court order, and even not telling her that the order wasn’t going to be followed ahead of time, would put them in contempt.
Brent Stratton agreed with the judge that they didn’t tell the court on Friday that the comptroller wouldn’t be making payments that day.
So maybe for the purposes of twitter, I could’ve added more nuance to that tweet. But the judge defined what being in contempt looks like, and the AG agreed their actions fit that description. I tried to clarify that in a second tweet.
That’s what I got for you.
Hope you’re doing well in your recovery.
-Tony
*** UPDATE 3 *** From the comptroller…
Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger released the following statement Wednesday in response to a Federal Court order involving the Ligas Consent Decree impacting services for people with developmental disabilities:
“I appreciate the Court’s recognition of the difficult challenge we face in making necessary payments in light of Illinois’ continued failure to pass a balanced budget.
“My priority remains to ensure that organizations serving our elderly, children and other most vulnerable residents take precedence when it comes to state payments. As a longtime volunteer and former Board member for an organization serving the intellectually and developmentally disabled, I know firsthand the hardship that is caused when payments don’t arrive as scheduled, and I will do everything in my power to lead the state in keeping its promises to those most in need.
“In the absence of a balanced budget for this fiscal year, my office will continue to work to meet the payment timelines set by the Courts despite the state’s limited resources.
“To be clear: taxpayers deserve better than government by Court Order. Ultimately, we can best serve Illinois families, businesses and organizations by passing a balanced budget that includes reforms that will allow us to become more competitive and grow our economy so we can put people back to work and fund critical services.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Tribune…
Coleman, who noted that she was not pleased to have been called back from vacation to hear the case, said the state risked being held in contempt of court and ordered that it provide an accounting of which bills have and have not been paid.
The judge also said she understood the comptroller’s predicament. Without a budget, state government has been spending at a rate billions of dollars beyond what it is set to take in, mostly because of a series of maneuvers by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrat-controlled legislature and a number of court orders requiring it to continue paying for services during the impasse.
William Choslovsky, a lawyer representing residents at Misericordia, was less forgiving. He suggested to Coleman that the Rauner administration and the comptroller’s office were willfully withholding the money.
For checks to go out, the Rauner-run Department of Human Services must first authorize the payments by sending a voucher to the comptroller, who then decides when to cut the check. But lawyers representing both the state and the comptroller could not provide answers as to which bills have and have not been paid.
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* Some background…
Attorneys representing 10,000 Illinois residents with disabilities filed an emergency motion in federal court on Tuesday asking that the state be held “in civil contempt of court,” for failing to pay service providers’ bills. Some payments have been on hold since July 1.
“Many of these individuals cannot feed, clothe, or toilet themselves or administer critical medication needed on a daily basis,” plaintiffs’ attorneys, represented by Equip for Equality, wrote in the emergency motion.
Munger’s office says it couldn’t make payments on time because of a “severe cash shortage,” but Democrats don’t buy it.
“There’s cash coming in every day. There should be plenty of cash. They’ve been paying various vendors faster than they have for years,” Brown told the Sun-Times. “I’m afraid the comptroller’s office has been misleading the media and the courts.”
The motion is here.
The amount owed for July is about $120 million.
* More background from Ed McManus, with emphasis added…
Attorneys for Illinois residents with developmental disabilities filed an emergency motion in federal court today asking that state officials be ordered to show cause why they should not be held in contempt of court for violating last week’s court order to immediately resume making payments to provider agencies.
A hearing Is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman in Chicago.
Coleman last Tuesday ordered the state to make the payments by Friday, but only a few payments have been made. “It is inarguable that the situation is dire, as residents’ lives literally hang in the balance,” the attorneys said in their motion. It was filed by Barry Taylor and Laura Miller of Equip for Equality and Ben Wolf of the ACLU on behalf of the plaintiffs in the Ligas lawsuit and two attorneys for ICFDD residents, William Choslovsky and Scott Mendel. Named as defendants were Felicia Norwood, director of the Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services; James Dimas, secretary of the Dept. of Human Services; and Comptroller Leslie Munger.
Violation of order on expedited payments: Last week’s order required the state to make payments for FY16 services at a level no less than FY15 until a new state budget is adopted. The judge also ordered that “providers that were paid on an expedited basis during FY15 shall be paid on the same expedited basis for services rendered during FY16.” But the head of DHS’s expedited payment program said this morning in a letter to a provider that the expedited payment program was suspended.
A CILA provider in the south suburbs sent me the letter, and I have forwarded it to the lawyers. It appears to be in clear violation of Judge Coleman’s order. The letter, from Mary E. Collier, manager of the bureau of expenditure accounting in the DHS Office of Fiscal Services, says: “This letter is to inform you that the Illinois Office of the Comptroller is current in processing the FY15 vouchers for DHS. Therefore, the expedite program has been suspended. After the FY16 budget impasse has been resolved, the expedite program will be reevaluated for restarting expedited payments.”
NEEDED: ‘A DATE CERTAIN’ WHEN PAYMENTS WILL BE MADE . . .
In their emergency motion seeking immediate payment of all Medicaid bills, the attorneys said if the payments are not made, “numerous providers will immediately close their doors, and thousands of individuals with developmental disabilities will not receive services that are essential to their survival. . . . The state must account for its repeated and ongoing failure to comply with this court’s orders.” They asked that the three officials be directed to appear in court and provide an explanation for why they have failed to comply “and to provide a date certain in the immediate future when the state will comply before this court holds them in civil contempt of court.”
Despite the judge’s order on Aug. 18, the state did not make the required payments by Aug. 21, the motion said. “In fact, it is now Aug. 25, and all of the mandated payments still have not been paid.” (The Division of DD issued a statement yesterday saying that DHS had forwarded $120 million in vouchers to the comptroller last week and that the comptroller would begin paying a portion of them last night “and will continue working through the vouchers as funds are available. At this point, we cannot give you a specific time frame of how long it will take.”)
The attorneys said they contacted the lawyer representing the state in the Ligas case Friday and he acknowledged that the payments had not been paid. “He could not explain why, nor could he say when payments would be made.” They asked him to call them over the weekend or on Monday morning as he learned more information, but he did not. “Late Monday, counsel for the state finally called and advised that some of the payments for providers on the expedited payment program would begin that evening, but he could not say when all expedited payments would be made” or when payments to ICFDDs would be made.
The comptroller’s website showed that the comptroller paid bills totaling $243 million yesterday but did not pay the disability providers, and that the comptroller still had $70 million on hand at the end of the day.
Editorial comment: The state administration has really failed our disability community. Both the governor and the legislature share the blame for the budget mess, but while that stalemate drags on, it is inexcusable that Gov. Rauner and his staff are holding our providers–and the people they serve–hostage.
Judge Coleman first issued an order June 30 that all payments be made. But Secretary Dimas on July 23 notified providers that he was narrowly interpreting that order to apply only to the relatively few people actually receiving services through the Ligas consent decree. The plaintiffs’ attorneys challenged that in a motion for a new order Aug. 6, and the state’s lawyer told the judge that “the administration has changed its position” and that all Medicaid payments would be made. But “I can’t give you a specific date,” he said. A week later, he still couldn’t, and the judge finally ordered that it be done by Friday. But again, nothing on Friday.
Meanwhile, state employees are getting their paychecks on time, and the governor approved the appropriation to assure that all public schools will be paid.
DHS didn’t forward the July vouchers to the comptroller until last week?
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Bost, Shimkus, Raja
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Post-Dispatch looks at the DCCC’s alleged problems recruiting a candidate against freshman US Rep. Mike Bost…
In Illinois’ 12th Congressional district, national Democrats got a turndown earlier this summer when St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson decided not to run after being courted by the DCCC. The district covers part of the Metro East and Southern Illinois.
“It’s surprising that Democrats haven’t found a top recruit in the 12th District,” [Nathan Gonzales Editor & Publisher of The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report] said. “This is a district Democrats (in the Legislature) drew to elect a Democrat. They lost the seat in a terrible midterm election, but there shouldn’t be a lot of excuses as to why they can’t find someone to run in a presidential year.”
He said that Bost, 54, a longtime member of the Illinois House, is “easy to underestimate as a candidate.”
“It’s hard to see how Democrats get anywhere near a (U.S.) House majority without winning this seat,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales is absolutely right about the dangers of underestimating Bost as a candidate. The DCCC did that last year and got its clock cleaned.
But the reason that the DCCC is having “troubles” there is that it refuses to bow to the wishes of the St. Clair County Democrats, who have their own candidate - CJ Baricevic. The D-trip doesn’t want anything to do with Baricevic, but St. Clair will control that Democratic primary, so unless they have something really meaty on the guy, they should probably just back the heck off because they’re gonna lose. And if they do have something on him, then it’s oppo dump time. The filing process officially kicks off next week.
* And speaking of the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report…
Illinois’ 15th District.
* State Sen. Kyle McCarter is openly talking about challenging Rep. John Shimkus in the GOP primary. McCarter discussed the possibility with fellow Republicans before and on the recent Family-PAC cruise on Lake Michigan. Local sources caution that there can be a large gap between what McCarter says and does, and he would need financial help from an outside, anti-establishment group, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. Shimkus had $1.2 million in the bank on June 30 and would have the support of GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner.
McCarter floated his name for lieutenant governor in the run-up to 2014. He doesn’t seem to enjoy being in the Illinois Senate, but a move against Shimkus would likely be futile.
* Moving northward…
Villa Park Village President Deborah Bullwinkel announced plans Tuesday to run for the Democratic House nomination in the 8th Congressional District.
Bullwinkel joins Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg and state Sen. Michael Noland of Elgin in trying to succeed U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth. The two-term congresswoman is vying for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Mark Kirk, who is seeking re-election.
Bullwinkel, 47, is in her first term as village president of the DuPage County suburb after first being elected to the Village Board in 2009. In announcing her congressional bid, she stressed her gender while attacking the Republican-controlled House.
If she can raise some money, being the only woman in a three-person race could very well be a big help in a Dem primary. But Raja has raised a ton of money and has been solidifying his endorsements, so it ain’t gonna be easy.
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This Is Illinois
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Great. We’ve got our first approved store but there’s no product to sell…
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional announced Tuesday the first registered [medical marijuana] dispensary is called Harbory. It’s located in the southern Illinois city of Marion.
Registration means the industry is one step closer to sales. But so far no growers have products to sell. Sales are expected later this year.
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Michael J. Mushroom
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If you read this 2009 interview of House Speaker Michael Madigan regarding the late Mayor Richard J. Daley, you’ll see that Madigan did a long stint as an eager and unquestioning foot soldier before rising to power in his own right…
[Daley] was the commander. He would give his orders and give his directions. And this is an important point with me—It’s because there was a group of people like myself, about the same age, that came in as ward committeemen in the early seventies. There was Alderman Burke, Ed Vrdolyak, Tom Hynes, Congressman Lipinski, Alderman Mel, and Ed Kelly. This was the group there that came along at about the same time, and if they were being honest with you, they would tell you that they would have trouble living under his methods.
So they were duly elected to whatever office they held. After a while, they would think, “Well, I ought to be part of the decision-making.” So they would be troubled by that. They would struggle with that. There would be complaints when he would make a decision and they didn’t like it. But with me, I had no trouble with that at all. That was because, to me, the mayor was just a carbon copy of my father. So I’m the only son. I have a sister. There were two children in our family. My father was very strong-willed. He was not inclined to change his opinions on things
* And…
I got a call to come over and see [Daley] at city hall. We sat down, and he started into a negative conversation about [Gov. Dan Walker]. He said, “He did this wrong. He did that wrong. We’ve got to take that guy out of the governor’s office.” So I listened for a while. Then finally, I just said, “Mr. Mayor, you don’t have to convince me. I’m part of your team. If you want to be against this guy, fine. Sign me up. I’m ready.”
And so, in that election, in this ward, we defeated Walker sixteen thousand to eight thousand—two-to-one. So there are two points—There was his political genius in organizing that effort against Walker, and then there was my relationship where I was not going to disagree with him. Every once in a while, he’d ask for my opinion and I’d give him my opinion. But I was not going to make a cause out of it. I was very happy to be there.
He was just “happy to be there.” Very telling.
35 Comments
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Huh?
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* These numbers just don’t seem to make sense…
A total of 411,547 people visited the Illinois State Fair this year.
The fair announced the low turnout for the 11-day event Tuesday despite what it called near perfect weather conditions. Fair officials provided no immediate explanation for the figure that was less than half the 847,000 who attended the fair last year.
Fair organizers said $1,357,000 was collected in gate and parking revenue. Despite fewer people attending the fair this year, the gate and parking revenue was just $55,000 shy of last year’s amount.
Preliminary estimates show that one of the biggest contributors to the fair’s total revenue this year was Grandstand ticket sales, which at $1.9 million was the second-highest in state fair history. This year’s fair also ranks fifth in number of Grandstand ticket sales, with 51,420 being sold.
Gate and parking revenues are down only slightly, Grandstand ticket sales are second-highest in history, yet attendance was off by half?
Um, huh?
Are they counting noses differently than in the past?…
The department of agriculture’s spokeswoman notes that parking and admission revenue is audited, while turnout is not.
In a statement, the fair’s new director says a strict methodology was used to tabulate attendance. He says he’s proud of the fair, and its strong grandstand sales.
Illinois’ fair date is set by statute; this year, a late Labor Day meant the fair was held when many students were already back in school.
So, maybe past attendance numbers were grossly inflated?
Either way, something’s not right here.
*** UPDATE *** SJ-R…
The total attendance includes estimates to account for people who had free admission and children under 5. For instance, senior citizens had free admission on Senior Day, and veterans (and their families) had free admission on Veterans Day.
“There are several free days on the grounds, and we used US Census information (seniors) and data from the Department of Defense (veterans) to estimate attendance on those days,” [Department of Agriculture spokesperson Rebecca Clark] said in an e-mail.
A press release from the fair included the following comment from Buchen:
“We are very proud of the Illinois State Fair and what we were able to present to fairgoers. We have put together a methodology that is tried and true by event industry professionals nationwide because vendors, sponsors and Illinois taxpayers deserve an accurate depiction of who attended the fair.”
Looks like they drastically changed the head-counting procedure.
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Illinois Mayors Know What’s Best For Their Communities
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Mayors know the importance of our nuclear power plants and are tired of hearing from special interest groups telling them what is best for their communities.
In response to the BEST Coalition’s baseless attacks on Illinois communities and middle class families, current and former mayors from the communities of Minooka, Mount Morris, Braceville, Farmer City, Morris, Byron, Cordova, Wilmington, Clinton, Braidwood, Fulton and Seneca have said:
• “The BEST Coalition has been in Springfield for months peddling misinformation and scare tactics in an attempt to stop a legislative proposal that would help save nearly 8,000 jobs and prevent the decimation of communities across Illinois. Why does the BEST Coalition want to do tremendous harm to our communities? Why does it support the loss of so many middle class Illinois jobs?”
• “The BEST Coalition supposedly stands for ‘better energy solutions for tomorrow,’ and has not offered a single solution to help move Illinois forward. Their sole goal is supporting the premature closure of nuclear energy plants in Illinois. We question the BEST Coalition’s motivations and want to know what they stand to gain by the loss of Illinois jobs, taxes and economic activity.”
• “This organization is funded by companies that stand to profit financially from the closure of Illinois’ nuclear energy plants. The state of Illinois faces serious challenges that require serious solutions and cannot afford to let the greed of special interest groups undermine real policy solutions for Illinois.”
Mayors and elected officials across Illinois support nuclear energy and legislation that could help save jobs and support our economy. Stand with them and urge the BEST Coalition to do the same.
BEST COALITION:
STOP THE BASELESS ATTACKS ON MIDDLE CLASS ILLINOIS FAMILIES.
Learn the facts about our current fleet of nuclear power plants in Illinois at www.NuclearPowersIllinois.com
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Rauner admin blasts Dem moves on child care
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
The House spent [Tuesday] working to reverse the Republican governor’s cuts to child care programs and to release $146 million in fuel-tax money to help cities fill potholes — four-tenths of 1 percent of what the state usually spends annually, and the governor lauded a $2.5 million sale of surplus aircraft.
Rauner’s spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said the Legislature’s piecemeal spending approach represents Democrats’ attempt to “claw their way to a massive tax hike by hamstringing the state with an unbalanced budget.”
* We’ll get back to that quote in a bit, but first, some more on the child care cuts…
A key change put in place by the Department of Human Services includes tougher income requirements, which advocates say has shut out all but about 10 percent of families that previously qualified. Participants also face higher copays, and the state has frozen the intake of new clients.
DHS said the state is projected to save $47 million annually using higher copays and other measures, and an additional $5.3 million per month from freezing intakes to the program.
But critics say the short-term savings will be greatly outweighed by the harm to parents who will be forced to quit school or work because they no longer receive help caring for their children.
Lawmakers heard testimony from Chandra Ankoor, a single mother of three from Springfield who said she works seven days a week bartending, waitressing and cleaning office buildings to make ends meet. Without the program, Ankoor said she would not be able to make rent and pay for child care.
“For me, to lose this program would cause me to be homeless,” said Ankoor, who has testified in the past on the issue.
* The administration’s full response to yesterday’s House action…
Today’s action represents yet another week of Speaker Madigan and the legislators he controls trying to claw their way to a massive tax hike by hamstringing the state with an unbalanced budget.
This amendment impacts state funds because it draws from the General Revenue Fund, and the state cannot afford near unlimited child care without a balanced budget.
Illinois needs the reforms proposed by the governor to free up resources to help the most vulnerable and to grow the economy. One of the governor’s first major actions as governor was to save child care funding from the Democrats purposefully underfunding it in the last fiscal year.
That last sentence is true. You’ll recall that the Democrats planted several time bombs in the 2015 budget, and underfunded child care was one of them. But now we’re talking an administrative rule which will prevent 90 percent of those previously eligible from qualifying.
* Meanwhile…
The official overseeing the state’s child care program who was reassigned from her post by the Rauner administration has retired.
Linda Saterfield, a longtime associate director of the Office of Early Childhood, on Tuesday confirmed her departure.
Her retirement comes after she was reassigned after her testimony to lawmakers that Gov. Bruce Rauner’s cuts to child care assistance would be “devastating” for families who rely on it.
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