A little-noticed bill teed up for action in Springfield would sweeten pension benefits for thousands of current and future Cook County retirees — an action the sponsor says is needed to repair a legal defect but one that, if taken statewide, could cost taxpayers “billions.”
At issue is a measure sponsored by state Sen. Rob Martwick, D-Chicago, that would revamp the $14.3 billion Cook County Pension Fund. Martwick introduced the bill at the request of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. […]
It’s a third clause that is drawing attention. It would boost the maximum wage base for purposes of pensions from $123,489 now to up to $160,000, the current cap used by Social Security.
Martwick says the change is needed to fix a flaw in the 2010 law that created a Tier 2 for newly hired government workers.
The law capped annual increases in benefits to the lesser of 3% or one-half of inflation — the consumer price index. Social Security uses a more expansive inflation measure. As a result, a significant gap steadily has grown between the county’s and Social Security’s maximum covered salary figures.
…Adding… [From Rich] The bill’s list of proponents does not include a single labor union. Opponents, however, include the Chicago Federation of Labor, Illinois AFL-CIO and AFSCME Council 31. The unions apparently don’t believe this is a “sweetener.”
* Sen. Bennett’s SB1488 was passed unanimously out of the Senate and now awaits action in the House. The Telegraph…
The test is known as the Teacher Performance Assessment, or “edTPA,” and it is intended to determine whether a prospective teacher has the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective in the classroom. It has been a requirement for teacher licensing in Illinois since 2015.
State Sen. Tom Bennett, R-Gibson City, said he started hearing concerns about the test from people in his district, and he later learned that those concerns were shared by other lawmakers. […]
Bennett said that having outside evaluators who have never met or worked with the applicant scoring their portfolios is one of the issues that concerns him about edTPA. […]
Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, D-Shorewood, a cosponsor of the bill, said she has concerns that edTPA is so rigorous and intensive that it could deter some people from ever trying to become a teacher.
Governor Pritzker issued an executive order suspending use of the edTPA but it will expire on May 11. Bennett’s bill would continue the suspension through Aug. 2025.
* Chalkbeat Chicago has a handy list of education bills they’ve been following…
Anti-book banning bill: Amid a conservative-led push to challenge books about race and LGBTQ issues, House Bill 2789 stands out. It would prevent libraries and library systems from banning books, or risk losing state grants. This bill has moved from the House to the Senate.
Native American history curriculum: House Bill 1633 will require schools to teach Native American history in every social studies course related to American history or government. Students in sixth to 12th grade will study genocide and discrimination against Native Americans as well as tribal sovereignty and treaties made between tribal nations and the United States. This house bill is currently in the Senate.
Task force on children’s mental health: In February, Pritzker spoke about the need to bring together state agencies that focus on children’s mental health to make it easier for families to navigate and access state resources. To address this concern, Senate Bill 0724 would create the Interagency Children’s Behavioral Health Services Act and require the state to establish a Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Officer who will lead the state’s efforts to work across state agencies to make it easier for families to access services. This bill has moved from the Senate and is in the House. […]
Full-day kindergarten: Illinois allows school districts to provide either half-day or full-day kindergarten programs for young learners. If passed, House Bill 2396 will require school districts to provide full-day programs by 2027-28 school year — instead of 2023-24 in an earlier version of the bill. The bill will also create a task force to conduct a statewide audit of kindergarten programs and offer recommendations to the state board of education. This bill passed through the House and is currently in the Senate.
* Illinois Primary Health Care Association…
As Illinois makes mental health and substance abuse care a strong priority, leaders of community health centers, also known as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and their legislative champions will make a direct, powerful case at the state Capitol for increased funding to treat thousands more facing health challenges in underserved communities.
The Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) represents 53 FQHCs serving more than 1.5 million patients across Illinois at more than 400 sites. IPHCA will join with State Sen. Robert Peters and State Rep. Anna Moeller at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 19, for a Statehouse news conference to advocate for increased funding to address inadequate community health center payment rates in Illinois, especially the severely insufficient behavioral health rates.
Sen. Peters and Rep. Moeller will explain their sponsorship of legislation that would increase historically low reimbursement rates for meeting patients’ medical, dental, and behavioral health needs under the Medicaid program – where Illinois’ rates trail neighboring states by about 80 percent. The result will be tens of thousands more patients receiving care, including substance abuse treatment, dental services, transportation and more, with the federal government picking up half the cost.
Leaders of community health centers will explain the needs their centers are seeing for increased funding to support additional services and programs, as they come to Springfield Wednesday to meet with legislators on their annual advocacy day.
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) may soon be required to digitize all master record files thanks to a measure recently passed through the Senate by State Senator Rachel Ventura.
“In the long run, having digital access to these records will not only save the state money, but also ensure that those who have been waiting to be released and go back into their communities are not idly waiting for months on end simply because Illinois didn’t have an updated records system,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “It’s about time we digitize these records instead of having our old paper files in place.”
The digitization of the records system would include medical and dental records and all other information IDOC maintains concerning its institutions and facilities by July 1, 2029.
Additionally, Senate Bill 422 would require IDOC, in consultation with the Department of Information Technology (DOIT), to conduct an impact study to be completed on or before Jan. 1, 2024. The study is subject to appropriation.
“Restore Justice is proud to support SB 422. This bill makes necessary and important changes regarding documents and recordkeeping in Illinois,” said James Swansey, policy manager at Restore Justice. “It would make sure important files and documents are accessible and require our state to study the best ways to digitize all IDOC records, which would be an important step toward ensuring people who are incarcerated can access their records.” […]
Senate Bill 422 moves to the House for further consideration.
House Bill 1468 could create the task force chaired by an OB-GYN and pediatrician specialized in child abuse and neglect. Advocates told the House Adoption and Child Welfare Committee Friday that the Departments of Children and Family Services, Human Services, and Public Health would also be at the table to help figure out how the state can best implement a safe family recovery approach.
“Children should not be removed solely because of substances used, but only when there is an actual identified risk to the child that cannot be mitigated with supports,” said Danielle Gomez, supervising attorney for the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office. […]
Meanwhile, the longest-serving Illinois House Democrat believes children should not be considered abused, neglected, or dependent solely because their parents or guardians use controlled substances. Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) has long been an advocate for keeping families together instead of forcing kids into DCFS care. […]
“We do not take a newborn baby away from her mother and indicate the parents for neglect because she smokes cigarettes,” Flowers said. “Nor do we take the child away from the mother because she does alcohol while she’s pregnant. But we do it because of substance abuse.” […]
Each of these bills are locked in the House Rules Committee. Although, language can always be filled into shell bills to pass before session ends next month.
No matter your political party, we can all agree that elections should be free and fair. But under our current system, not everyone’s vote counts. Not because of fraud or other election-related conspiracies, but because many people wind up voting for someone who isn’t viable.
Let us explain. With more and more people getting access to the ballot via early and absentee voting, some voters cast ballots for candidates who end up dropping out of the race before Election Day. Others vote for a candidate who receives so few votes that they will never win. Colloquially, this is known as a “wasted vote.” A whopping 70,000 Democrats wasted their votes in Illinois’ 2020 presidential primary; the same thing happened to 30,000 Republicans in our state’s 2016 presidential primary.
Ranked choice voting, or RCV, solves these problems, which is why we are working to pass legislation in Springfield to allow for RCV in presidential primaries.
Under RCV, voters have the option to rank candidates in order of preference: first, second, third and so on. If their first choice is not viable, their vote counts for their highest-ranked candidate who is. The ability to rank backup choices ensures that voters’ voices are heard and makes sure no one wastes their vote. In addition, RCV ballots are easy to audit, which improves election security.
RCV also favors candidates with broad appeal and encourages positive campaigning, which would reduce the growing toxicity of our current political landscape.
* Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson met with Gov. JB Pritzker at the governor’s office today. They started with statements…
Pritzker: Well, it’s great to be here with the mayor-elect. We had a terrific meeting. I want to be clear to everybody that we share a lot in common, our desire to lift up the people of the city of Chicago, to make sure we’re addressing the most urgent issues and growing the economy of the city, because that helps grow the economy of the state of Illinois. So job creation and entrepreneurship, small businesses. and making sure that we’re creating an avenue for success for everybody in our city. So with that, I’ll turn it over to the mayor-elect.
Johnson: As the governor indicated that the the level of compassion, as well as collaboration and the ability to demonstrate competence, these are all dynamics that we share. The City of Chicago, of course, is an amazing place to raise a family. Snd bringing people together, those who want to see our city divided, today is a very clear day and indication that those are the politics of old. And so I’m grateful that the governor has certainly reinforce outsized his commitment to make sure that the city of Chicago maintains its status as a world class city by investing in the neighborhoods, that quite frankly, have been short for too long. And so very much impressed by the governor’s compassion and love. And it’s great to have a real partner to not only rebuild our city, but to make sure that individuals who wish to be small business owners and large corporations can actually have a city that works, and an entire body of government at every single level that’s willing to work together. So thank you very much.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Asked about whether they’d discussed the mayor-elect’s tax plans, Pritzker said…
We did not discuss that in this meeting. And what we did discuss was, of course, making sure that the City of Chicago is able to balance its budget and the state of Illinois too, and that we share that challenge in common at all times.
Pritzker: We did not discuss during this meeting. There are things that I’ve campaigned on that I think we’ll have conversations about that the mayor-elect campaigned on. I just would give, the one example that I’ll give is that, you know, obviously what we all want is a thriving financial services economy in the state and the city and it’s been that way. And I have not stood for a transaction tax, because I think it would be easy for those companies and servers to move out of the state. But, I do know that they’re, you know, the challenge of finding balance between expenditures and revenue is not lost on me. I came into a difficult situation, and I think, I know the mayor-elect similarly wants very much to serve the people of Chicago properly and balance the budget at the same time.
Pritzker: We haven’t talked about any of those issues. But I will say, the General Assembly of course is in full force. They’re in session and I know that the mayor-elect intends to have dialogue with leaders in the General Assembly to talk about those things.
* Real estate transfer tax through the General Assembly this spring?…
Johnson: The budget plan that I’ve proposed deals with the structural challenges that the City of Chicago has been facing. And, you know, the reliance upon property taxes have left a lot of families in economic turmoil and despair. But we also recognize that the governor, the governor and I are committed to making investments in communities that need it. We did not have a full conversation about the entire budget plan. And I’m very much committed to working with the General Assembly and the Office of the Governor to ensure [cross talk] that those critical investments take place.
Johnson: There’s certainly an urgency that the city of Chicago has, and we recognize that there is a process in order to get things done. Look, the bottom line is this: The Governor and I are committed to not just uniting the city of Chicago, but the state of Illinois. We both are committed to making sure that working people can live and thrive and grow in the city of Chicago. And that’s a great day for for our state and certainly a great day for our city.
Pritkzer: Always happy to talk about that. The best convention that anyone could have would be here in the city of Chicago. We’ve worked hard to make sure that we’re communicating that to all of the folks at the DNC as well as at the White House. I think we’ve done that and we’ve been successful at getting our points across. This is the best city in the entire country. And in the competitive back and forth between all the cities, Chicago demonstrates that we’re a city that’s, well in a state that’s pro choice, and that’s stood up for labor rights and for workers. That we’re a state that is opposed to assault weapons. And that’s not true of some of the other competitors states.
Pritkzer: Absolutely, and in part because, look, he brings a real excitement to the job, I think to the people of Chicago and I think that’s being felt in Washington, DC.
Pritkzer: I will and I can. There is a threat to democracy that is occurring all across this nation and especially in states that are controlled by Republican governors and Republican majority and supermajority legislatures, and it is that they do not believe fundamentally, that when someone disagrees with them, they still have a right to have a vote on that or have a voice on that. And it’s okay with them to just expel someone from the job that they just got elected to when they disagree with them. That is something that you see in the right wing talking points of Republicans across this nation. We saw a bit of that kind of dismissal by the right wing candidates that ran for school board and library board, and some that have run for statewide office in the state of Illinois. So I want you to know that many of us and especially me, I stand with those two legislators who were expelled, with the legislator who remained and her comments about why she was able to succeed in remaining. This is a problem across the nation, but Tennessee demonstrated that there is still a tinge of racism that exists in the state of Tennessee and it was demonstrated there.
* Republicans in Wisconsin are already talking about impeaching the new Supreme Court Justice that Pritzker supported…
Pritzker: Yet another demonstration of the Republicans’ desire to simply ignore democratic values, and I’m talking about little d democracy. And the idea that they want to toss somebody out who just got elected, who trounced her opponent by 11 points in a democratic election, in a little D democratic election. I’m not shocked anymore when I hear from Republican leaders that they want to ignore the actual results of an election and promote some big lie.
* Also…
King (72%), Sawyer (81%), Beale (80%), Moore (81%), Curtis (64%), Maldonado (64%), Burnett (59%), Mitts (80%), Tunney (50.4%) https://t.co/7T7ftVPvZF
Key Democrats hoping to keep abortion access a central part of the 2024 campaign are looking to the 2004 playbook of an old Republican nemesis: Karl Rove.
Rove was the architect of ballot initiatives to ban gay marriage placed in swing states to boost turnout for George W. Bush. Now Democrats are pushing ballot measures and an array of other moves to try to capitalize on a backlash to last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which they say was instrumental in many of their wins in last year’s midterms.
“We should put the right to choose on every ballot across the country in 2024 — not just with the candidates we choose, but with referendum efforts to enshrine reproductive rights in states where right-wing politicians are stripping those rights away,” Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker told CNN.
With President Joe Biden expected to run for reelection and Democrats forecasting tough races for key Senate and House seats, several Democratic operatives say next year is the perfect moment to turn Rove’s wedge-issue strategy on its head and get swing voters excited about abortion rights — the same way an abortion rights ballot proposition in Michigan helped power a massive blue wave in the state last year.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today why he became involved in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Pritzker contributed $1 million to the state party and $20,000 directly to Janet Protasiewicz…
First of all, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race was a critically important race. There were election deniers that had been running for offices all over Wisconsin. You know, it’s a swing state. It’s an important state in the general election, in next year’s presidential election. There were moves to invalidate electors in Wisconsin… three years ago. And so having a Supreme Court made up of rational, non-extremist people who will simply evaluate the law and do the right thing is very, very important to all of us across the nation. In addition to that, it happens that one of the candidates was a severely anti-choice candidate, somebody who wanted to abide by an 1800s law in Wisconsin that should have been frankly, not part of the discussion, but that would have literally made women second-class citizens in the state of Wisconsin. And one of the candidates was pro-choice and wanted to make sure that we were upholding the equal rights of women in Wisconsin. So, to me, that’s an important race. I’ve supported Democrats all across the country. She was a Democrat, and I was glad to be one of the leading supporters of of her race. And she won, by the way and then it was literally an overwhelming victory of 11 points.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Krishnamoorthi press release…
On Tuesday, candidates of AAPI origin backed by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D IL-08)- Alderwoman Nicole Lee of the 11th Ward in Chicago, Zubair Kahn, an incumbent school board member for the Community Consolidated School Board District 15, and Samreen Khan, a candidate for U-46 School Board- made history in winning their respective elections. Nicole Lee became the first Chinese-American woman elected to a full term on the Chicago City Council, Zubair Khan retained his seat as the first Muslim-American to serve on the District 15 School Board, and Samreen Khan became the first Asian-American woman to win a seat on the District U-46 school board.
“I’m incredibly proud to have endorsed and supported these stellar candidates and public servants,” said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. “These critical victories in 2023 follow an historic 2022 election cycle, where we shattered glass ceilings by electing diverse AAPI leaders at the state and local level in Illinois. Nicole, Samreen, and Zubair represent the best of their communities and I know they’ll continue to deliver for the people that elected them.”
“I’d also like to thank Congressman Raja again for his unyielding support of my campaign for School Board, the second largest School Board in Illinois,” said Samreen Khan. “Having the support of Congressman Raja confirms his understanding that ‘If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu’. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with him during my term on behalf of all of us.”
“Thank you to Congressman Raja and the many state AAPI elected leaders, from Senator Ram Villivalam to Rep. Theresa Mah, who strongly coalesced around my campaign to represent the first majority Asian ward in the history of the City of Chicago,” said Alderwoman Nicole Lee. I am very grateful for the strong support of the AAPI diaspora, and I look forward to serving as their voice on the Chicago City Council.”
“I also want to thank every candidate who ran for local elected office, from Trustee to Park District Commissioner, who wasn’t successful,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi added. “Your leadership will serve as a building block for the future as we collectively work to form a more diverse government that is truly representative of the people it serves. And I will continue to have your back.”
States considering enacting biometric privacy legislation should be “wary” of following Illinois’ example, which has exposed businesses to massive costs, a new study shared exclusively with Bloomberg Law concludes.
Employers using biometric timekeeping technology are especially at risk of litigation under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act, according to the analysis of 296 federal and 381 state court filings released Wednesday by the Chamber of Progress. It found 88% of the BIPA litigation arose from employer-employee disputes over biometric timekeeping.
The announcement of a $109 million health sciences building at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville was the highlight of a Thursday morning press conference at SIUE by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Pritzker is visiting universities across the state to promote his proposed FY24 budget, which includes an $80 million increase in higher education funding and record investments in MAP (Monetary Award Program) grants.
The funding is made possible by the governor’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, the largest capital plan in state history.
* This could be seen as a message to Darren Bailey…
U.S. Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) today announced that his campaign raised over $400,000 in the first quarter and is approaching $700,000 cash-on-hand.
“I am humbled by the overwhelming grassroots and financial support our campaign has received from across the new 12th District,” said Bost. “We are in the midst of a major battle to protect our rights as parents, our rights as law-abiding gun owners, and our rights as citizens who deserve to be safe from crime, drugs, and open borders. We’re taking the fight directly to the woke leftists and extreme liberals who undermine our values at every turn. And we have the conservative record and resources to win.”
Happy Thursday, Illinois. Just 153 days until nominating petitions are due for 2024, folks. h/t John Amdor
Amdor tweeted that petitions can be circulated in 153 days. He didn’t claim that petitions are due in 153 days.
* IML press release…
On April 6th, the Illinois Municipal League (IML), in partnership with the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), released Volume 7 of the Illinois Municipal Policy Journal. This academic journal addresses critical issues Illinois and its municipalities are facing.
This volume of the Journal includes articles on sustainability and climate action plans, networked supply chains, political civility, population and employment changes, a study on policing and a study on the impact of video gaming. The Journal also includes a book review of Survival of the City: Living and Thriving in an Age of Isolation.
“In recent years, challenges have grown and become more complex for state and local governments,” said Brad Cole, IML Executive Director. “As municipalities continue to push forward, this Journal equips leaders at all levels of government with solid academic research to broaden their understanding of topics to help build stronger, more vibrant communities.”
Since 2016, IML has published the Journal as a resource that provides elected and appointed officials with academic research on issues facing Illinois and its 1,295 cities, villages and towns. Additionally, it provides an arena for academics to publish their scholarly work on important topics, like municipal budgeting, public health and public financing of infrastructure projects.
The Journal is shared with political science and public administration departments at colleges and universities throughout the state. It is also distributed to the Illinois General Assembly and constitutional officers, the Illinois Congressional Delegation and other IML partners.
The Journal is available, free of charge (excluding shipping and handling), at iml.org/publications. An electronic version is also available at iml.org/journal.
* Press release…
Frontline Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) employees are now able to take training to safely and effectively use pepper spray in emergency situations, with the goal of being better able to protect themselves in the field. The training also includes instruction on situational awareness. The new program was created by legislation filed by State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield).
“Frontline DCFS employees need to be able to stay safe while they work to protect vulnerable children and families,” said Senator McClure. “I hope this program gives them vital tools and information that they can use to help protect themselves.”
Recently, Senator McClure was able to take the training course along with DCFS employees and Rodrigo Remolina, the Acting Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for DCFS. They were trained in how to properly deploy pepper spray against an attacker, as well as how to safely carry the products. They were also sprayed with pepper spray to learn how their own bodies would react to it, so that they can be ready for situations where they deploy pepper spray in self-defense, but wind or other factors cause them to come into contact with the spray.
“Pepper spray is a serious tool for self-defense, and very painful for attackers who are sprayed,” said McClure. “If pepper spray can give an investigator even a few extra moments to escape a bad situation, it could prevent a tragedy.”
In 2022, McClure’s legislation was signed into law, requiring the Illinois State Police to develop a training program for DCFS employees on the proper usage of pepper spray for self-defense. The legislation allows DCFS employees who complete the training to carry pepper spray while on the job. McClure had filed the legislation in response to the deaths of DCFS investigators Pamela Knight and Deidre Silas, who were both tragically killed while on the job. Silas was a constituent of McClure’s.
“DCFS is grateful to Senator McClure and the sponsors of Public Act 102-0990 for their support and commitment to keeping our child protection investigators safe,” said DCFS Director Marc D Smith. “When he attended our training in Bloomington, Senator McClure received firsthand experience with just how potent the OC pepper spray is, even from a distance. This training is critical to ensure the safety of our staff and those we serve and we’re grateful for Senator McClure’s support in these efforts.”
Senator McClure took part in the training session in Bloomington on March 24th.
Video…
* Update to the Twitter issue that I mentioned yesterday…
We’re pleased to announce our access to the Twitter API has been restored. Posting to Twitter has resumed. We appreciate your patience and support. Happy posting!
* Patch | Lake Forest High School Students Walk Out In Gun Violence Protest: About 100 Lake Forest High School students took part in the protest, which was also attended by about 50 adults, the Lake County News-Sun reported, including several Democratic politicians. Organizers Alia Attar, a Lake Forest senior, and Sophia Zar, a Lake Bluff junior, said the turnout exceeded their expectations. There are about 1,500 students enrolled at LFHS.
* Press release | City Of Chicago Held in Violation of Americans with Disabilities Act: In April of 2021, the Justice Department moved to intervene in a disability discrimination lawsuit that people with visual disabilities brought against the City under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act. The United States’ complaint in intervention alleged that the city fails to provide people who are blind, have low vision or are deaf-blind with equal access to pedestrian signal information at intersections. Pedestrian signal information, such as a flashing “Walk/Don’t Walk” signal, indicates when it is safe to cross the street for sighted pedestrians.
* Lake County News-Sun | Three newly elected Waukegan aldermen plan to form Hispanic caucus; ‘More people will feel like they’re represented’: Felix said he, Guzman and Martinez plan to form a Hispanic caucus, which he believes will activate the Latinx community now approaching a majority in the city, as well as benefit Waukegan overall. “It’s beautiful to see the three of us going to the council,” Felix said. “More people will feel like they’re represented. More people will pay attention. We’ll hear more Hispanic voices, and when they get engaged in the community it benefits everyone.”
* Naperville Sun | Kelly returned to Naperville council, joined by McBroom and Longenbaugh; Wilson holds lead for 4th seat: Incumbent Patrick Kelly said he’s grateful voters reelected him to a second four-year term on the Naperville City Council. He was the top vote-getter this week in a crowded field of 11 candidates, garnering 13% of the vote, followed by newcomers Allison Longenbaugh, a Naperville Public Library Board member who also received 13%, and Josh McBroom, a former Naperville Park Board commissioner who received 12%, unofficial election results show.
* ABC Chicago | Northwestern submits $800M Ryan Field redevelopment plan to City of Evanston: An informational meeting was held Wednesday with the community, and minority and women-owned businesses, as the university submits its redevelopment application to the City of Evanston for the $800 million project. The project will completely redesign Ryan Field. Although it will lower capacity by 12,000, it will add new multi-use space on the outside in the largest single capital expenditure in Northwestern and Evanston history.
* NPR Illinois | Officials mark continued progress on Springfield Rail Improvements Project: This week, work began on new $68.3 million underpasses at Madison and Jefferson Streets. By separating railroad tracks from regular vehicle traffic, the overpasses will reduce congestion and delays, improve safety, provide better access for bikes and pedestrians and cut down on emergency response times. “When all is said and done, $475 million will have been invested in the Springfield Rail Improvements Program — with $262 million already out the door. These investments bring us another step closer to building a rejuvenated, multimodal transportation system that works for everyone,” Pritzker said.
* Kaiser Health News | Gavin Newsom wanted California to cut ties with Walgreens. Then federal law got in the way.: Check Into Cash was an especially abusive example of a practice that has hurt a vulnerable part of the workforce. Because of the contracts, companies can practically own their workers, who would then face greatly diminished prospects if they decide to leave. The FTC has rightly identified these one-sided deals involving low-paid workers as anti-competitive restraints on trade that suppress job mobility and wages. In Illinois, the Check Into Cash case inspired legislation that was surprisingly fair-minded. Rather than ban non-competes, as worker advocates initially wanted, Illinois lawmakers balanced the concerns of employers as well as employees to specifically protect workers earning $75,000 a year or less
* Crain’s | Feds plan demolition between historic State Street skyscrapers: “A recent conditions assessment found the nonhistoric building, which has been unoccupied for several years, is not structurally sound and presents risks, including potential facade collapse that would endanger pedestrians and street traffic,” the GSA’s press release said.
* WCIA | Central Illinois city named top place in state for beer lovers: The website Move.org found that Springfield was named the best city in Illinois for beer lovers. The rankings were determined by highest capita of breweries within city limits for municipalities with populations over 100,000. The site found there are six breweries, contact brewers and microbreweries in the capital city, including Engrained Brewing Company, Obed and Isaac’s Microbrewery, Buzz Bomb Brewery, and Anvil & Forge Brewing and Distilling.
* Daily Herald | A new home for Rocky the coyote: Rocky was born under a deck in Tennessee in 2018 and was mistaken for a German shepherd puppy. By the time people learned he was a coyote, he already had imprinted on humans. He was moved to River Trail Nature Center when efforts to rehabilitate him to live in the wild failed. Despite the efforts of Rocky’s advocates, which include In Defense of Animals and the Chicago Alliance for Animals, to have him moved to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, the Forest Preserves of Cook County has stood firm about displaying the animal as part of the Animal Ambassadors program.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today about a bill passed by the Senate to rescind the state’s longtime moratorium on constructing new nuclear plants. The object is to spur development of small nuke plants…
Over the years, I think the environmental movement has looked at nuclear differently, especially over the last 15 years, than it did prior. Because you talk about nuclear today, you’re not talking about building another Byron plant or Zion as it used to be. Instead, you’re talking about small modular reactors. And that’s something that’s new. They’re small, they are considered much, much safer. There’s something you can really, if you had a million square foot plant for example, you could have your own small modular reactor that’s next to that plant that’s providing all the energy just for that plant.
So you know, banning nuclear entirely in a world where it’s become much safer and these are smaller, less prone to an accident, more likely for us to be able to maintain them for a long period of time. That’s something that’s worthy of consideration.
Now the devil’s in the details and we want to make sure that we’re not just opening this up to nuclear everywhere or any type of nuclear. So, I’ve talked to Sen. Rezin a bit about this and to some of the people who are contemplating sponsoring it in the House, and we will continue that dialogue. I don’t know where that bill will go this session, but I’m not opposed to it as if I’m just dead set against any nuclear. I just want, if we’re going to consider it, it’s got to be safe.
Well, I congratulate her on her victory. I’ve worked with Mayor Langfelder now for the last four years, and we’ve gotten an awful lot done for Springfield together and I know that I’ll work with the new mayor on whatever is best for the city of Springfield. We all spend an awful lot of time here, even if we’re not here full time. And we know that this is a special city. It’s our capital city, it ought to shine for the world. We want to bring tourists and bring the rest of the world to Springfield. And so I’m going to work closely, as I will with the mayors all across the state of Illinois.
* He was also asked about why he thought the move to ban books was gaining steam and where it was coming from…
Well, the extremists are coming after your literature. They’re coming after your libraries, they’re coming after your books under the guise of ‘we’re protecting somebody.’ That’s always the guise under which people end up banning or burning books.
The reality is more information is better. Obviously we all believe in age-appropriate materials. But the reality is our libraries have been able to manage this for years and years and years. And all of a sudden there’s this mythical thing that’s popped up with the far right, that, you know these books are being pushed on people somehow. That’s not what’s happening hasn’t been happening. Just like there’s no CRT in schools. They’ve made that up. K through 12 education has no CRT. In higher ed, there are graduate programs where people are teaching, learning, choosing. These are adults choosing to take courses like that or teach them. But K 12 education, there’s no CRT, just like there is no need for us to take books off the shelves in our libraries. They have been age appropriate for many years, librarians are highly capable of managing that.
* On that topic, he was asked which book had the most impact on him growing up…
You’re gonna look for me to pick Moby Dick or some other major classic. But I’m going to tell you the book that had the most impact on me. My great-grandfather immigrated to this country from Ukraine in 1881. And he was nine years old when he arrived. He had nothing. He sold Chicago Tribunes on a street corner to survive. There was a social service agency that gave him a place to live, a public school that gave him a place to go to school and learn English. And he became a successful lawyer during his lifetime.
He wrote a book near the end of his life, it’s called Three Score after Ten. It’s not on the bookshelves anywhere because it was just written privately by him for our family. And it’s a quite a long tome, but it’s about the history of my family, where we came from, the challenges that our family went through, the the fact that our lives, our family’s lives were threatened, had to escape and become refugees out of Ukraine, and made it to the United States. And it’s one of the reasons I believe in standing up for refugees and helping them resettle when they come to the United States when they’re escaping violence. So that book had an enormous impact on me. I read it when I was 13 years old first, and I’ve probably read it at least five or seven times since. .
* AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 22 states, urged the Biden administration to scrap dangerous federal rules that allow employers to interfere in the reproductive health decisions of their employees.
The rules, put in place under the prior administration, took away contraceptive coverage from women who should have been entitled to complete coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). They added broad, unreasonable exemptions that allowed nearly all types of employers to deny birth control coverage to their employees based on religious or moral objections.
In a comment letter addressed to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su, Raoul and the coalition applaud the Biden administration’s proposal to restore access to cost-free contraceptive coverage by rescinding the moral exemption and creating alternate means to cover contraceptive services for individuals whose plan sponsors claim the religious exemption. However, the letter also expresses opposition to the administration’s decision to retain the overly broad religious exemption promulgated in 2018, which is deemed far beyond what is necessary to protect those with religious objections.
“More than 60 million women rely on coverage for preventative services, including contraception, as a fundamental part of their health care plan,” Raoul said. “Access to contraceptive care supports people’s ability to control their reproductive health and promotes access to education, jobs and financial empowerment. Employers do not have the right to stand between their employees and the reproductive health care they need.”
By the way, I checked back in my records and on @capitolfax for May 14, 2019 - the day the simultaneous FBI raids occurred - to see what was going on in Springfield that day. Was the day of the (mostly) annual House vs. Senate softball game. For the record, the House won 15 to 5. https://t.co/wHgJkjYyyT
Gov. J.B. Pritzker appointed five new members to the board of trustees of Northeastern Illinois University, pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.
The announcement comes after trustees moved to oust president Gloria Gibson amid concerns over the school’s flagging enrollment and abysmal graduation rates. Four of the previous trustees’ terms have expired and another quit in frustration. The board is made up of nine members. […]
As Crain’s previously reported, the faculty last fall issued a vote of no confidence in president Gibson and followed that with another no-confidence vote for the board. By then, the board had acted, deciding not to renew Gibson’s contract that expires June 30. In February, the vice president for enrollment management resigned.
A federal judge in Chicago held the City of Chicago liable for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by failing to provide accessible pedestrian signals at signalized intersections throughout the city to those who are blind or have low vision.
In April of 2021, the Justice Department moved to intervene in a disability discrimination lawsuit that people with visual disabilities brought against the City under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act. The United States’ complaint in intervention alleged that the city fails to provide people who are blind, have low vision or are deaf-blind with equal access to pedestrian signal information at intersections. Pedestrian signal information, such as a flashing “Walk/Don’t Walk” signal, indicates when it is safe to cross the street for sighted pedestrians.
Accessible pedestrian signals (APSs) are devices that provide pedestrians with safe-crossing information in a non-visual format, such as through audible tones, speech messages and vibrotactile surfaces. Since at least 2006, Chicago has recognized the need to install APSs for pedestrians with visual disabilities, specifically identifying the need for such installation in multiple city documents. Yet, while Chicago currently provides sighted pedestrians visual crossing signals at nearly 2,800 intersections, the United States’ suit alleged that — at the time it intervened — fewer than one percent of those were equipped with APSs for people who are blind or have low vision.
On March 31, U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo sided with the United States and the private plaintiffs in a decision on both sides’ motions for summary judgment, holding the city in violation of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The court found that the city had provided APS at only a “miniscule portion of the whole,” and thus had failed “to provide ‘meaningful access’ to its network of existing facilities and to ensure that newly constructed signals are designed and constructed in such a manner as to be ‘readily accessible’ by blind individuals.”
* NYT | Chicago Mayor’s Race Could Be a Blueprint for Democratic Messaging on Crime: Mr. Johnson’s victory may be a lesson for other Democrats struggling with the issue under the verbal assault of Republicans. Representative Delia Ramirez, a newly elected progressive Democrat from Chicago’s Northwest Side, was ecstatic. “We’ve had a police department that had been attempting to do the jobs of social workers, counselors, mediators, you name it,” she said. “What we haven’t had is help.”
* Tribune | Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s advice to successor Brandon Johnson: ‘Be humble. Be grateful.’: Later in the day, Lightfoot broke weeks of silence since losing her bid for re-election to address a question about what advice she’d give Johnson when it comes to handling the all-too-frequent call of a first responder death. This time, it was Chicago Fire Department Lt. Jan Tchoryk, 55. “Be humble. Be grateful,” Lightfoot said she would tell her successor. “Our first responders literally give their lives. There’s a lot of rhetoric that’s out there about first responders, particularly on the police side. When you’ve seen what I’ve seen, when you have to make the calls that I’ve had to make, you better be humble, and you better be grateful.”
* The 21st Show | What’s going on in the ComEd trials?: To explain the history of the case and what’s been happening in court, The 21st was joined by a pair of journalists who have been following the story, Dave McKinney and Hannah Meisel.
* KFVS | Carolin Harvey wins election to become first Black mayor of Carbondale: ”I want to say thank you and I would like to say hopefully we all can work together whether you voted for me or not,” Harvey said. “We’re all part of Carbondale and we want to move forward to do what’s best for all of the citizens of Carbondale.”
* Medill Reports | ‘I’m not that scared kid anymore’: Highland Park’s Rachel Jacoby on her path to becoming an anti-gun violence activist: Jacoby, 26, never expected to be on the front line of the anti-gun violence movement. She grew up “Midwestern polite”: She didn’t talk about religion or politics. She hung out with her parents, baked the “best cookies in Highland Park” and competed in soccer, tennis and other sports. But today, she is one of the loudest voices fighting for change and a driving force behind recent groundbreaking gun-reform legislation in Illinois.
* Crain’s | Northwestern, U of C join effort to boost enrollment from rural America: The newly formed STARS College Network is bankrolled by a $20 million gift from Chicago-based Trott Family Philanthropies, the foundation of Byron and Tina Trott. The nationwide effort is designed to empower students to find the best institution for them, whether that be a STARS — Small-Town And Rural Students — member university or not, said James G. Nondorf, STARS co-chair and vice president of enrollment and student advancement at the University of Chicago, in a statement.
* Bloomberg | For-profit colleges ask Supreme Court to block student loan deal: The emergency application, which challenges the Education Department’s authority to cancel so many loans in the accord, bears similarities to a pending Supreme Court fight over President Joe Biden’s plan to slash the student debt of more than 40 million people. The Supreme Court’s handling of the new case could offer hints about the outcome of the bigger fight. The court heard arguments on Biden’s plan Feb. 28 and is scheduled to rule by the end of June.
* State Journal-Register | Cannabis, electric aggregation questions fail; township questions pass: Chatham voters saw two cannabis-related measures on their ballots, one allowing dispensaries to establish businesses and the other permitting growers, cultivation centers, and transporters to operate within the village. […] Before 9 p.m., 100% of the 11 voting precincts had been tallied and the advisory questions failed. Slightly more than 1,500 voters cast their ballots on the questions, where neither levied more than 45% of the voter’s support.
* PJ Star | Fulton County suffers damage from funnel clouds, storms: Illinois Route 100 was closed Tuesday night from Lewistown to the junction with Illinois Route 78 due to multiple power poles and power lines being down, according to the Fulton County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency. Authorities also reported that several people were injured from the storm. The National Weather Service in Lincoln said one funnel cloud was observed near Bryant.
* NPR | Twitter labels NPR’s account as ’state-affiliated media’, which is untrue: NPR operates independently of the U.S. government. And while federal money is important to the overall public media system, NPR gets less than 1% of its annual budget, on average, from federal sources. Noting the millions of listeners who support and rely upon NPR for “independent, fact-based journalism,” NPR CEO John Lansing stated, “NPR stands for freedom of speech and holding the powerful accountable. It is unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way. A vigorous, vibrant free press is essential to the health of our democracy.”
* NFL | Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon runs 4.42-second 40-yard dash at private workout: The 5-foot-11, 181-pound Witherspoon ran 40-yard dash times of 4.46 and 4.42 seconds at his private workout at Illinois, according to NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Because of a hamstring injury, Witherspoon was unable to work out at all at the NFL Scouting Combine or Illinois’ pro day on March 10.
* Capital B | What Happens When a Black Enclave Is Built by Big Oil: Despite a historic focus on environmental injustices by the Biden administration, ExxonMobil leaders last year cited his administration’s calls for the country’s oil companies to ramp up production as one of the motivators behind completing the project. A recent forecast by the Energy Information Administration found that petrochemical projects ushered in during the first two years of Biden’s administration will not allow the country to reach a 50% drop in domestic greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 as once targeted by the administration.
* One problem the state government has had with recruiting new employees is convincing people to live in Springfield. The city just hasn’t moved forward in years. Maybe this will change things some…
Two-term mayor Jim Langfelder conceded Tuesday night following an unsuccessful bid for a third term as the city’s top official.
The concession means that City Treasurer Misty Buscher will be just the second woman elected mayor of Springfield. With all precincts reporting, Buscher defeated Langfelder by 772 votes, getting 51.5% of the vote to Langfelder’s 48.5%.
* Equality Illinois…
“We are extremely proud of the historic electoral victories of Clare Killman for the Carbondale City Council and Jackie McKethen for the Crete Library Board. With yesterday’s exciting election results, Killman will be the first Trans person to serve on a city council in Illinois and McKethen will be the first Trans person to serve on a library board in Illinois. With only five Trans people now elected to office in Illinois, Trans people remain severely underrepresented in all levels of government. Killman and McKethen will be powerful voices for change and will inspire more Trans people to run for office in their communities. Now more than ever, we need Trans voices in rooms of power. We look forward to advancing justice with Clare Killman on the Carbondale City Council and Jackie McKethen on the Crete Library Board.”
On Tuesday, April 4, just after 9 p.m., mayoral candidate Harold Visser conceded, giving the win to opponent Carolin Harvey. Harvey has been acting mayor, or mayor pro tem, since Mayor Mike Henry took a leave of absence.
She is now the City of Carbondale’s first Black mayor. Her platform includes curbing crime in the city and increasing the availability of housing for low and middle income families.
If unofficial totals hold once mail-in and early voting ballots are counted and with the election of Carolin Harvey as mayor, for the first time in Carbondale history a majority of the city council will be women.
* Some Awake Illinois results…
With 52 of 52 precincts counted (and some mail still to come) all three of Awake Illinois' candidates are trailing in the Quincy School District 172 race (Kaufman, Allen and Randolph). Quincy is pretty darned conservative. pic.twitter.com/f1NFzdukjW
— Illinois School Watch (@ILschoolwatch) April 5, 2023
…Adding… Those Quincy candidates were also supported by US Rep. Mary Miller and Tom Devore. And Darren Bailey’s candidate in Richland County’s school district, Dusty Kocher, lost.
Candidates from both of the informal slates seeking four seats on the Unit 5 school board said the heated race left them exhausted, though their reasons differ.
Vote totals as of late tonight indicate incumbents Amy Roser and Kelly Pyle, along with newcomers Alex Williams and Mark Adams, are slated to win those four seats. Together, they comprised an informal slate that was pro-referendum and endorsed by the Unit Five Education Association teachers’ union. […]
Dennis Frank was one of four candidates who ran on an informal Students First slate, largely united by a shared campaign value that the referendum was not a solution to a growing deficit in the district’s education fund. Frank ran with Mollie Emery, Brad Wurth and Amee Jada; none appeared to have a viable chance at snagging a seat as of late tonight with 100% precincts reporting. […]
“I think we ran a good race. I think it’s unfortunate that we voted in the same school board that we had before; Unit 5 is in a mess, I truly believe that,” Frank said. “I’m probably joining a lot of other people and I’ll probably leave the state of Illinois. That’s where my next step is — meaning you can’t stay here and hope for better things. We just keep voting the same way.”
* And, finally, my youngest brother (Isabel’s dad) won his race…
WE DID IT. 'Thank you' to every person who voted for me and supported our campaign. Now it is time to get to work!
…Adding… Moms Demand Action is declaring victory in some Illinois races…
• David Kaptain, who was elected Mayor of Elgin, IL
• Martha Paschke, who was elected Alderperson for Geneva, IL, Ward 4
• Kelly Henry, who was elected to the Elmhurst, IL School District 205 Board of Education
• Julie Hill, who was elected to the Glen Ellyn, IL School District 41 Board of Education
• Becky McCabe, who was elected to the St. Charles, IL Community School Unit District 303 Board of Education
• Beth Pope, who was elected to the Warren, IL Township High School District 121 Board of Education
• Meghan McMillin, who was elected to the West Northfield, IL School District 31 Board of Education
• Amy Sabor, who was elected to the Woodland, IL Community Consolidated School District 50 Board of Education
• Jackie McGrath, who was elected as Barrington, IL Public Library District Trustee
• Lauren Kunstler, who was elected as Geneva, IL Public Library Board Trustee
[Naperville mayoral candidate Scott] Wehrli took in almost twice as much in campaign donations as White, much of it from real estate developers and brokers and Republican political action committees, while much of White’s money came from unions and Democratic state lawmakers.
White voted for the city’s ban on the sale of assault rifles, made in response to last year’s mass shooting in Highland Park, while Wehrli questioned whether it’s made anyone safer. […]
Terry D’Arcy, a car dealer and well-known philanthropist, held a big lead and declared victory over two-term incumbent Bob O’Dekirk in the race for Joliet mayor. […]
Still, the mayor’s critics accuse him of alienating neighboring communities with an often-overbearing leadership style that provokes political infighting that has marred his tenure as mayor. The city has had five city managers in as many years. The Police Department, meanwhile, is on its fourth chief since 2017 and is the target of an ongoing Illinois attorney general’s office civil probe.
*** UPDATE *** From IEA President Kathi Griffin…
We are thrilled to see public education win and win big during the April 4 consolidated elections. This was an unprecedented school board election cycle. For the first time ever, there was a national dark money group created to put extremist, fringe candidates on our local school boards. But these outside influences were no match for our members and the good people of Illinois. Illinois voters have spoken. They believe we need strong public schools for all students.
It gives me great joy to say the Illinois Education Association (IEA) had a nearly 90 percent success rate in the races for which we recommended candidates. This confirms what we see reflected in the data from the IEA’s State of Education Report year after year, Illinoisans trust our educators most when it comes to making decisions within our public schools.
Our IEA locals participated in school board elections at an astounding rate this cycle. We were involved in upwards of 100 different races across the state, holding meet and greets, canvassing and campaigning on behalf of pro-public education candidates who will put our students first. We also supported and helped elect former public education teacher and union organizer, Brandon Johnson, to be Chicago’s next mayor. I want to issue a deep, heartfelt thank you to all our teachers, education support staff and public education advocates for your hard work. Because of you, voters knew what was at stake and overwhelmingly chose to support our students, our educators and our public schools. We know strong schools mean strong communities. Together we can do what’s best for ALL students. Public schools unite us.
