* The Senate Revenue Committee is meeting today at 11 in Room 400 to take up the aviation repair tax credit bill, HB3902, that Gov. Pritzker has vowed to veto. The Senate Executive Committee meets today at noon in Room 212 to take up HB3888, the ethylene oxide phase-out bill. Keep an eye on SB516, which might possibly be used as the gaming vehicle bill, although it could start in the Senate with a different bill.

*** UPDATE 3 *** The House bill was apparently just too stringent for Senators to climb aboard. The backstory is that Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) has a primary opponent who is an EtO activist. So, they got the job done for her in the House…

The bill that would phase out ethylene oxide FAILS to get out of Senate Exec committee.

Before voting, Sen @DonHarmonIL (D-Oak Park) noted to sponsor Sen John Curran (R-Downers Grove) that "The House has forced you into some very uncomfortable compromises"

— Hannah Meisel (@hannahmeisel) November 13, 2019

…Adding… IMA…

“As recently noted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the number of facilities using ethylene oxide to sterilize medical equipment is limited and additional closures could result in years of shortages of critical medical devices,” Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “Illinois recently enacted bipartisan legislation imposing the toughest regulations on ethylene oxide in the nation. That measure should be allowed to be fully implemented while a comprehensive, long-term solution is explored by state and federal officials.”

…Adding… Medline…

We are grateful legislators recognize the need for additional study of this important issue, which comes amid warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that additional closures of facilities using ethylene oxide to sterilize medical devices could lead to equipment shortages that compromise patient care.

Medline’s top priority is the safety of our employees and the communities we operate in and we remain committed to working in partnership with state and federal officials.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* Very good point at the end of Hannah Meisel’s report…

A proposal to ban flavored tobacco products would not include traditional tobacco products. An amendment filed Tuesday on SB 668 would ban all flavors of vaping products — including mint and menthol — leaving only tobacco-flavored vapor products on the market. This latest amendment is a departure from negotiations that as of Friday included a ban on flavored cigarillos, but allowed for mint- and menthol-flavored vape products like liquids and one-piece e-cigarettes such as the ones made by vaping giant Juul. The Black Caucus has pushed hard for menthol cigarettes to be excluded from any sort of flavored tobacco ban, as menthol cigarettes have been targeted at African Americans since their introduction to the market decades ago. State Rep. Thaddeus Jones (D-Calumet City) told The Daily Line that he also opposes “regulations that harm businesses near the Indiana border,” saying attempts to ban menthol and other tobacco products “only [exacerbates] the significant black market sales of loosies and single packs in our communities. This hurts local businesses who are struggling to keep afloat at a time when investment in our communities is not as strong as it needs to be.” But SB 668, sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) is a vehicle bill that has not yet been over to the House, meaning its chances for full passage this week are extremely slim, given the constitutional requirements that bills be read into the record on three separate days.

Yep. After much hype, the air has at least temporarily gone out of this issue.

* Also from Hannah…

House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), who on Monday called for other Democrats to pick a replacement without Arroyo, told reporters he agreed with Gov. JB Pritzker’s contention that a large-scale ethics package should wait until January. “I agree with the governor,” Madigan said Tuesday after a lengthy House Democratic caucus. “I think he’s correct. We should take some action this week, and then we should move toward a fuller study in the long-term.”

* One more from Hannah…

A bill that would partially consolidate Illinois 649 suburban and downstate police and firefighter pension funds is on track, despite a hurdle that nearly derailed the bill Tuesday.

SB 1300 passed the House Personnel & Pensions Committee Tuesday evening with what would have been unanimous bipartisan support, Republicans said, had it not been for a last-minute addition to the bill in language filed Monday afternoon.

As The Daily Line reported Tuesday afternoon, the Illinois Municipal League — for years one of the loudest voices in favor of consolidating the state’s hundreds of public safety pension funds — announced it was opposing the bill in its current form. […]

State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) was the only aye vote on the GOP side, after asking everyone in the committee room to raise their hands if they wanted the language Cole and the league opposed to remain in the bill. No one raised a hand. […]

Batinick ultimately said he trusted Hoffman would work out a deal, and voted the bill out of committee.

Subscribers know a bit more about the status of that bill.

*** UPDATE *** From the Illinois Municipal League’s PR person about new amendments to the consolidation bill…

Amendment #6 resolves the issue that was of concern by the Illinois Municipal League. They are supportive now. Amendment #7 is purely technical.

The House will take this bill up this afternoon; it’s an agreed bill.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* Capitol News Illinois…

Legislation aimed at capping the out-of-pocket costs of prescription insulin for those with state-regulated health care plans passed a House committee Tuesday with bipartisan support and a 13-2 favorable roll call.

Senate Bill 667 now awaits a vote from the full House of Representatives. If it passes, it will head to the desk of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has been a vocal supporter of the measure.

The bill would cap the price for a 30-day supply of insulin at $100 for people covered under certain kinds of insurance policies.

Chicago Democratic Rep. Will Guzzardi, the bill’s sponsor, said it would apply to those purchasing insurance on the marketplace, as well as public plans such as the state employee health program. He added it would apply to roughly 20 percent of Illinois’ population — about 260,000 of an estimated 1.3 million insulin users.

The sponsor thinks he has maybe as many as 80 floor votes. Stay tuned.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Rep. Guzzardi was a little off. His bill received 100 votes. It now goes back to the Senate for concurrence.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* Also from Capitol News Illinois…

A bill calling on the Illinois Department of Transportation to conduct a study on the use of automated red light cameras advanced in the state Senate on Tuesday, lawmakers’ first day back at the Capitol for the final three days of the fall veto session.

Those devices, and the contracts that many Chicago-area suburban governments have with the companies that provide them, are believed to be one subject of an ongoing federal corruption probe focusing on state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago. […]

The measure passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee, which Sandoval chaired before he was pressured to step down while the investigation continues.

If the full Senate does not vote on the bill by Thursday, the final day of the veto session, it could leave no time for the House to consider the measure this year. Lawmakers would then need to take it back up when they return in January for the start of the regular 2020 session.

Um, that bill is on Second Reading in the Senate. If it passed the Senate today, there would not be enough time to run it through the House because of the three-day reading requirement.

* Politico…

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is close to winning a hand in Springfield after spending Tuesday talking to lawmakers about why helping Chicago is good for the state.

Sources familiar with the discussions between the mayor and Gov. J.B. Pritzker say the mayor’s request to tweak the tax rate for a Chicago casino could see approval this week — as early as today.

“It’s a good day,” Lightfoot told reporters after her meetings. She also discussed her sales pitch to lawmakers. […]

The mayor’s and governor’s offices have been going back and forth to nail down a palatable tax rate that downstate and suburban Democrats would agree to support. They think they’ve got it and the governor would sign off on it, too.

We’re about to find out.

Keep a close eye on our live coverage post for instant updates.