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*** UPDATED x2 - Durkin to defy Welch *** Welch to Durkin: You can’t make statements or question witnesses, but you may be called to testify about your own ComEd role

Monday, Sep 28, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Last week…

Commonwealth Edison has agreed to participate in next week’s meeting of a special Illinois House committee investigating Speaker Michael Madigan’s alleged role in a bribery scheme involving the utility.

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin informed the committee by letter Thursday that he intends to question ComEd representatives about the company’s deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Durkin also planned to give an opening statement.

* Committee Chairman Rep. Chris Welch press release…

“Today, in a letter sent to counsel for Leader Durkin, I addressed points raised in his Sept. 24, 2020 letter regarding the administration of Tuesday’s Special Investigating Committee hearing. My letter informed Leader Durkin that as a signatory to the petition creating this Committee, he is not eligible to participate in the investigation process, as signatories to the petition are prohibited from serving on the Special Investing Committee under House rules. Granting his requests to make statements and question witnesses would therefore be inappropriate and in violation of the process he invoked.

“Leader Durkin was further informed that the Committee may choose to call him as a witness, due to his significant involvement in the energy legislation referenced in his petition.”

* That last bit is explained in this 2016 press release…

Addressing gatherings at nuclear power plants in Cordova and Clinton, Gov. Bruce Rauner today celebrated the jobs saved and gains made one year in to the state’s tenure with the Future Energy Jobs Act.

“Today we are here to celebrate the bright future of energy jobs in Illinois,” Rauner said. “Thanks to the Future Energy Jobs Act, Illinois is poised to compete head-to-head with any state in the nation to attract energy investment and jobs, while still protecting ratepayers and taxpayers.”

On Dec. 7, 2016, legislators, industry stakeholders and members of the Rauner Administration came together for the signing of FEJA. The landmark piece of legislation prevented the Quad Cities and Clinton power plants from closing, saving 800 jobs in the Quad Cities and 700 in Clinton while ushering in the addition of 100 more permanent Exelon jobs plus 400 construction jobs while capital improvements are under way. […]

“The Future Energy Jobs Act preserved our nuclear plants and protected thousands of jobs for Illinois working families,” said Mitchell, noting that Rauner and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin worked tirelessly on its passage. “This was not an easy bill to pass and they moved mountains to help get it done.”

Whew.

Things are getting seriously ugly, campers.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Leader Durkin…

It is clear that Chairman Welch is not well-versed on the proceedings of an investigatory committee, as he needed a phone call and two letters from U.S. Attorney Lausch after repeatedly misinterpreting his guidance. Furthermore, Rep. Manley was already allowed to question me on the veracity of the petition and the charges in the previous committee hearing. Under my rights as not only the petitioner but also as a member of the General Assembly, I will be making an opening statement tomorrow and questioning the confirmed witness, Commonwealth Edison, on the admitted facts laid out in the petition against Michael J. Madigan. See you there!

*** UPDATE 2 *** According to Chairman Welch, ComEd has “confirmed that David Glockner will be in Springfield to testify tomorrow and he will be accompanied by their attorney Reid Schar.” Glockner is Executive Vice President, Compliance and Audit, for Exelon Corporation.

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Another day, another lawsuit

Monday, Sep 28, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From Governor Pritzker’s Friday press conference…

Q: Will you put it to rest? Are your doctors at IDPH talking with IHSA and their doctors about somehow bringing back soccer, football, volleyball this fall?

A: There is not an ongoing discussion about that. We have talked in the past. And then of course, we’ve put forward our, these are the rules that doctors have put forward about high, medium and low risk sports. So no, there’s not any ongoing dialogue right now. And again, it is doctors and epidemiologists that are leading the way here. It’s what I’ve done all along in this pandemic. I think it’s one of the reasons we have one of the lowest positivity rates in the Midwest, and one of the lowest in the nation. Now, I will also say that if you look at the list of states that, remember, we’ve allowed many, many sports, I want to be clear with people, we have a lot of fall sports that are being played. But if you look at just football, for example, many of the states that do not allow football today are the ones with the lowest positivity. Let’s take a look at that. New York, Massachusetts, etc. Right? They’re the ones who have the lowest positivity rates. So I think we should be striving to get to where they are. We’re not anywhere near there, by the way. We need to get there. And you know, obviously, we’re all concerned to get people back on the field. Right now, they’re able to practice, they’re able to scrimmage, they’re able to do a lot of things. They’re not able to play regular tournaments, for example, or games.

* Yesterday…

Outside pritzker’s mansion ready for the press conference pic.twitter.com/CvfqhmgoEQ

— Dave Ruggles (@ruggles_dave) September 27, 2020

* CBS 2…

This week, a group plans to level the playing field for students who depend on showcasing their skills on the field to score a college scholarship.

“Student athletes, especially those from the poorest neighborhoods, have virtually no chance to be seen in game action, and are therefore at an extreme disadvantage compared to all neighboring states with kids playing in the fall,” said plaintiff Dave Ruggles. “Scholarships will simply go to players college coaches can actually see in action, and that won’t include kids in Illinois.” […]

Ruggles and others plan to file a legal action against the Illinois High School Association on Monday.

* NBC 5…

The suit will be filed in DuPage County, according to a press release, and will list the IHSA as the primary defendant. The suit is expected to be filed this week.

A total of 20 students are expected to be listed as plaintiffs in the suit, which will seek a temporary restraining order ordering the state to allow fall sports to get underway.

The suit alleges that prohibitions on some fall sports, including football and volleyball, violates the IHSA’s constitution and bylaws, and has “caused mental health issues and financial hardships” for athletes and their families, according to the press release.

Specifically, the suit alleges that the decision to postpone fall sports will have negative financial impacts on both students and parents, as they will fall behind in their ability to compete for athletic scholarships to make college more affordable.

* Meanwhile…

"The events under investigation include multiple youth sports practices and games" pic.twitter.com/aFNfc1rjBv

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) September 25, 2020

…Adding… Jordan Abudayyeh…

As the Governor has said many times, his top education priority is resuming in-person learning for students across the state. In order to make that a reality for our students and teachers, we must do everything possible to keep positivity rates down and reduce the risk of spreading the virus at events outside the classroom. The courts have repeatedly sided with the public health experts who have created guidance that protects the health of people across this state.

* Related…

* Wisconsin Is on the Brink of a Major Outbreak - The state’s coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are at an all-time high