Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

*** UPDATED x1 *** You gotta be kidding me

Saturday, Jan 9, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

The Coronavirus outbreak at the state-run LaSalle Veterans’ Home claimed a 36th life earlier this week, though the spread within the home has been in control for weeks after infecting 90% of residents and killing more than a quarter of the facility’s population.

But during the deadliest days of the outbreak in November, some residents were not able to get basic toiletries like soap due to an antiquated policy that’s been changed in recent weeks. The old policy meant that residents at the facility would have to wait up to a week for new supplies once their shampoo, toothpaste or other personal care items ran out.

Just before the New Year last week, the home changed its policy after pressure from the local Veterans’ Assistance Commission, which had organized a toiletry drive in November during the height of the outbreak. But the group later found out that the personal care items that had been donated were not being distributed. The old policy predated Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia, but local VAC Superintendent Steven Kreitzer says she should have stepped in to change it sooner — especially as the outbreak raged.

“God forbid a veteran soiled themselves and had to take him in to take showers,” Kreitzer said. “Those nurses couldn’t get into that supply closet because there’s no one there to open it. And if the veteran is out of shampoo or just had a little bit left, they had to utilize somebody else’s shampoo to make sure somebody is being taken care of.”

Kreitzer said that he and the VAC were told by nursing staff that they were personally buying toiletry items for veterans in order to get around the process. The old policy mandated that when a veteran ran out of a personal care item like toothpaste or shampoo, nursing staff would have to fill out a request form and send it to the facility’s social services division. That staff would then have to contact the veteran’s family to ask if they were willing to buy the resident what was needed. Only if the family was unable to do so would a resident be able to receive one of the donated toiletry items.

*** UPDATE *** Correction and clarification issued…

This story has been corrected and clarified. Veterans were unable to get immediate access to donated name-brand toiletries due to a process that has since been changed, but the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs says residents never went without basic personal care supplies if they ran out. […]

“At no point during the pandemic or any other time has a veteran in one of our homes not had access to soap, toothpaste, or any other basic hygiene product,” Dooley said. “Those items are provided to all veterans in our homes, free of charge, on a regular basis, 24 hours a day. The donation process is used for specialty items that veterans request beyond the standard products they are provided.”

36 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Foxx supports criminal justice reform bill, Durkin puts her on blast

Saturday, Jan 9, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx…

States Attorney Foxx Speaks Out in Support of Critical Criminal Justice Reform Legislation, Illinois House Bill 163

“I believe that the spirit of Illinois House Bill 163 is meant to build trust in police departments across Illinois while addressing long-needed problems to alter unfair criminal justice policies rooted in systemic racism that result in our jails and prisons being disproportionately occupied by Black and Brown individuals.  And although not perfect, with thoughtful deliberation and collaboration House Bill 163 can be worked to address concerns, which is why I support this critical piece of criminal justice reform legislation.”

* Leader Durkin…

Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) issued the following statement on Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announcing her support of House Bill 163:

“Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has formally shown her true intentions today by walking away from victims of crime, neighborhoods desperate for safety and men and women of law enforcement. As a former Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, I believe her support of House Bill 163 may be the most disappointing and irreconcilable breach of trust between State’s Attorney Foxx and the citizens of Cook County. Every elected State’s Attorney throughout Illinois strongly opposes House Bill 163 except State’s Attorney Foxx. These anti victim and anti law enforcement proposals have no place in our society. Ms. Foxx should change the name on her door to Office of the Public Defender.”

* Related…

* Kim Foxx sees links between mob action at U.S. Capitol and Jussie Smollett demonstrations outside her office: In 2019, members of the Proud Boys, the American Guard and the American Identity Movement joined a protest outside of her office that was organized by the city’s Fraternal Order of Police after Foxx’s office dropped charges against Smollett, a former actor in “Empire.” Experts said at the time that was part of a plan by the groups to recruit new members. Current FOP President John Catanzara, a frequent foe of Foxx’s, also attended that 2019 rally and has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump.

*** UPDATE *** SA Rinehart is a Democrat…

A direct statement from Lake County State’s Attorney Eric F. Rinehart:

House Bill 163 represents important changes to our criminal justice system. I fully support these efforts to make our communities safer and our courthouse fairer. This bill includes reforms that I have been advocating for and discussing for years. But more work needs to be done to ensure these critical reforms also take into account our police officers and survivors of crimes.

Yesterday, the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Association sent a blanket letter opposing the first version of the omnibus bill. The letter the Association sent does not fully reflect my views and should have been formatted to include individual signatories as opposed to purporting to represent the views of all its members.

The following reforms are vital to our State. This bill:

• requires body-worn cameras in every law enforcement agency throughout the State
• creates a duty to aid on the part of law enforcement officers
• connects substance abuse treatment programs with First Responder duties
• creates accountability for officers who knowingly lie in police reports
• prevents destruction of law enforcement misconduct records
• strengthens whistle-blower protection for those who report government misconduct
• increases and improves de-escalation and mental health training for law enforcement
• expands access to the law enforcement misconduct database
• maintains felony-murder rule but narrows its application to individuals with violent intent
• requires police to develop a plan to protect children during search warrant raids
• empowers the Attorney General to investigate deaths occurring in police custody
• bans use of chokeholds and other extreme measures
• establishes statewide use of force standards by 2022

For these reasons, I cannot express blanket opposition or support to HB163. Rather, I will keep working throughout the weekend with legislators and policy advocates to improve the bill and to ensure that it adequately protects victims from their abusers and attackers. It is my sincere hope that we can accomplish these reforms in this legislative session.

25 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Because… Madigan!

Saturday, Jan 9, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Herald & Review editorial…

The state’s lame-duck legislative session in the Bank of Springfield Center opened Friday with unacceptable restrictions on media members. […]

The restrictions have nothing to do with security. They are in theory pandemic-related. But just as other professionals have been forced to adapt their work efforts to protect the safety of themselves and others, reporters have figured out social distancing, wearing masks while conducting interviews and regular sanitization of equipment used.

Limited access hampered the coverage of sessions in May 2020 as well, to the benefit of no one. In addition, the May sessions allowed for outdoor interviews. Those interviews will be less available in January’s cold.

The main floor of the Bank Of Springfield Center is 40,000 square feet, more than enough room for both legislators and credentialed media. Socially safe seating is essentially already used in the House. The media members’ letter also details ways in which communication and reporters could be allowed to do their jobs without danger or disruption.

When asked, the governor’s office could only provide IDPH guidance that was issued for legislative committee hearings last year. The House has yet to reveal its session guidance source. Another pic of the cavernous space…

Looks like there juuuust might be enough space… https://t.co/Bdn7VtpDak pic.twitter.com/1YKYXuRHJq

— Hannah Meisel (@hannahmeisel) January 8, 2021

Also, the security argument is just totally ridiculous and absolutely insulting to credentialed members of the news media. And to add insult to injury, reporters who need to use the restroom must be escorted from and back to the mezzanine by Illinois State Police troopers.

Wouldn’t letting them on the floor allow for less oversight?

* Also, seeing pics like this of Eastern Bloc Reps. Chris Miller and Brad Halbrook on the convention center floor makes me wonder why the House Speaker is so worried about us…

Reporters ain’t the problem here. (You can caption that pic in comments if you want.)

…Adding… Rep. Miller (no relation) was just called out on the floor for not wearing his mask.

* On to Mark Brown’s latest column…

It’s been two months now since it became apparent Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan would face the strongest challenge ever posed to his leadership, yet no obvious front-runner to replace him has emerged.

If Madigan indeed is to be replaced, that should start to change as House members return to Springfield this weekend to wrap up the business of the outgoing Legislature and get organized for the new one.

Democrats were scheduled to meet privately Saturday for their first (mask-covered) face-to-face discussion about who should lead them.

It’s hard to imagine them making headway quickly.

Until Madigan is ready to step aside — there’s not even a hint of that at this stage — most of the leading potential alternatives are staying on the sidelines.

That last line is right. Nothing can really happen unless and until Speaker Madigan decides to step aside.

* I filled in subscribers today about yesterday’s caucus, but Mark Maxwell has some more…

Undeterred by his opposition, Madigan methodically maneuvered through the process and continued to persistently persuade his colleagues to support him. In a Friday night candidates’ forum organized by downstate and moderate Democrats, Madigan offered to relax his grip on political power if members let him stay in his role.

According to members who listened to Madigan’s pitch Friday night, he also offered them more input and control in interviewing and hiring their own staffers, and pledged a more collaborative style of leadership.

His challengers, Reps. Kifowit, Ann Williams (D-Chicago), and Kathleen Willis (D-Addison), offered a variety of changes in the House rules and in the way members could move their bills through committees, and laid out their strategies to raise campaign funds in ways that benefit more members.

Willis, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, highlighted her experience on Madigan’s leadership team, though the Speaker noted it pales in comparison with his own.

He’s been promising a lot of things.

*** UPDATE *** I told subscribers about this earlier today…

Madigan opposes secret balloting in the election of Illinois House speaker within the House Democratic caucus. A member asked about it during a closed caucus meeting yesterday, and Madigan said he believed it should be an open vote, according to a source who heard the exchange.

— Dave McKinney (@davemckinney) January 9, 2021

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*** UPDATED x1 *** Likely GOP gubernatorial candidate vows to oppose mask mandate

Saturday, Jan 9, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sen. Schimpf (R-Waterloo) has confirmed to reporters that he plans to run for governor. And he chose to begin the campaign by opposing a mask mandate…

The Governor’s latest administrative rule once again usurps the authority of the Illinois General Assembly.

— Paul Schimpf (@PaulSchimpf) January 6, 2021

* Center Square with the background…

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has refiled an emergency COVID-19 rule similar to one that expired Monday to continue statewide mask and social distancing requirements in Illinois for another 150 days. […]

Karr said the statewide rule filed Monday by the Pritzker administration was an improvement over the expired rule.

“This puts in place that you can hand them something in writing,” Karr said. “So, you could give them a notice that IRMA had produced that said, ‘You know you should be wearing a face mask, we may ask you to leave,’ and that helps the retailer avoid, try to avoid, some of those confrontations.” […]

The updated emergency rule also prohibits gatherings of more than 50 people. […]

Enforcement of the rule will be up to “all local boards of health, health authorities and officers, police officers, sheriffs and all other officers and employees of the state and any locality,” it says.

If a business refuses to comply with a written warning and a subsequent written order to disperse, “that business, service, facility or organization open to the public shall be subject to the penalties set forth in Section 8.1 of the act.” That could lead to a Class A misdemeanor with penalties up to $2,500 fine or up to a year in jail.

…Adding… From comments…

From another story line: “I can think of little that is more important than saving lives and getting to the bottom of this tragedy,” Schimpf said. “We are still waiting to hear from an IDPH official who was actually making decisions when this tragedy began, so we can find out why it took so long to get a team on site to manage this crisis.”

I have news for Sen. Schimpf. Community spread leads to spread in nursing homes. If he really cares about the lives of the folks in our care, why is he so opposed to the most basic of all protections?

*** UPDATE *** Washington Times…

At least 50% of new coronavirus infections are spread from people without symptoms, according to a study published this week.

People who are asymptomatic or never experience symptoms made up about 24% of all transmissions, while presymptomatic individuals accounted for 35% for a total of 59%, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

Jay Butler, CDC deputy director for infectious diseases and a lead author of the study, told Business Insider that the findings back up public health guidelines about social distancing and mask wearing.