Senate President Don Harmon has filed amendment 2 to HB2233 dealing with the elected Chicago school board. Under this new proposal, half of the 20 members will be elected for two-year terms, and half elected to four-year terms. In two years, those with two-year terms will be elected to four-year terms. The amendment bypassed committee.
Rich talked to Speaker Chris Welch’s spokesperson who said that the Speaker and Senate President will meet to discuss this idea. There was no immediate indication that this would be a problem.
An agreement had been made with former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to appoint phase-in the elected board, but she’s no longer around.
Adding…Rep. Ann Williams, sponsor of HB4221, which is the House’s latest version of an elected school board bill…
Our priority is to ensure this every Chicagoan has the opportunity to vote for the elected school in year one. The House’s “Representation for All Plan” is an effort to ensure the most equitable and representative as. possible. We’re reviewing the Senate’s amendment and open to continuing the conversation.
* UPDATE: The Senate has adjourned without moving HB2233.
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‘The votes are not there’
Tuesday, Nov 7, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Lots has been written and broadcast about Invest in Kids. The PR push has truly been magnificent. But it’s been super-rare to see a mainstream news media outlet actually convince legislators to honestly assess its future. Marni Pyke did just that…
The Invest in Kids initiative will expire Jan. 1 unless lawmakers approve an extension. So far, “I don’t know if there’s a path yet to get it passed,” Democratic state Rep. Marty Moylan of Des Plaines said.
Democratic state Rep. Fred Crespo of Hoffman Estates agrees. “Based on my observations … the votes are not there,” he said Friday. […]
“We’re talking about real money here,” Crespo said. “We’re talking about $75 million that the state does not realize by giving out these credits. There are issues and concerns with the separation of church and state. Some of our members feel that the state should not be funding any private or Christian schools.”
* Associated Press…
Critics of an Illinois program providing private school scholarships say there’s no proof it improves academic achievement. But state education officials, delayed by COVID-19’s school disruptions, have never reported the academic performance of participating students as required by the Invest in Kids Act, a hot issue as lawmakers reconvene Tuesday. […]
The coronavirus pandemic essentially shut down annual statewide student assessments in 2020 and 2021, the first two years of Invest in Kids. The first report measuring progress among program participants won’t come out until early next year, education officials said.
“Unfortunately for the thousands of Invest in Kids families, it appears that Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker’s administration either failed to complete, or failed to share these assessments four years in a row, which has emboldened opponents to point to the lack of data the administration refused to collect,” Senate Minority Leader John Curran, a Republican from Downers Grove, said in a statement to The Associated Press. […]
Research group WestEd, whose contract for the analysis is $640,275, couldn’t start until it had 2022 results; its inaugural report will indicate whether students improved on 2023 tests.
* Sun-Times…
U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Nikki Budzinski, Sean Casten, Danny Davis, Jonathan Jackson, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Delia Ramirez wrote “school vouchers … perpetuate and deepen the education inequities that plague Illinois.”
They also took issue with religious groups using public dollars.
“This program diverts public funds from the public school system to be used to pay for tuition at private and religious schools,” the lawmakers said in the statement. “Furthermore, many of the schools funded by the program have policies that openly discriminate against students on the basis of disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, if they are pregnant or parenting, or immigration status.”
Senate Republicans dispute that narrative as they continue to try to save the program. Senate Republican Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, planned a Tuesday morning news conference in Springfield to urge Democrats and Pritzker to reconsider.
Curran has argued the program has not taken money away from public education, and he supports a compromise that would lower the total donations eligible for tax credits from $75 million to $50 million. He has also railed against the ideological fights over the program, arguing the children benefiting from it should be guaranteed the certainty of a permanent program.
* SJ-R…
An administrator at a Catholic elementary school on Springfield’s east side is concerned for a future without it.
Michael Carlson, principal at St. Patrick Catholic School, said it charges $1,750 in tuition yet it costs more than $8,000 educate a student. Only one of the school’s 62 pre-K through fifth-grade students is not on an income-based Empower Scholarship, covering the full tuition costs.
“Invest in Kids is incentivizing donors to invest in our community,” he said on Wednesday. The scholarships are eligible for students living in households earning less than 185% of the federal poverty level.
At Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, 21 of 525 students are either on complete or partial scholarships but another 40 are on the waitlist, according to Bill Moredock, the school’s president.
…Adding… Sen. GOP Leader Curran held a press conference today. Highlights from his press staff…
Presser
5:20 - “It is abhorrent that there are leaders in the legislature that are ignoring the pleas of these children and these families that are trying to save their educational opportunity – their preferred setting that they are excelling in educationally. We have to listen to these children and the parents who have been here and afford this choice to these low-income families. The same choice that I’m afforded and many of my colleagues are afforded.”
6:45 – “Governor Pritzker unfortunately today is sending a very loud and clear message that these low income children are not a priority. Where is the Governor on this topic? Where is he today? He’s in Florida… in another state talking about federal issues.”
7:15 – “We have issues here in this capitol that need to be resolved.”
7:22 – “In two days we’re going to be done. And we either leave here with our heads held high because we acted and saved opportunity for these low-income students or we return to our districts in really a cloud of failure because we will be failing thousands and thousands of low-income families throughout this state.”
7:58 – “Labor leaders have come out in support of this program and the opportunity it affords in the vocational setting. We need to continue to grow and pursue these opportunities for these low-income families. It is really about lifting kids out of their current situation.”
8:22 – “When the governor came out this week and eventually said leave something on my desk, pass whatever, when I get back from Florida, I’ll take a look at it. That is not leadership. What we are calling on is for leadership on this issue, both from the legislative leaders as well as the governor. It is time for the governor to lead on this issue and come back to Illinois.. and help continue this program for these low-income kids.”
8:54 - “It is time to do what’s right. We are here to call on our colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle – put this bill on the board, it’s time for this to be called for a vote. We want this voted on this week.”
Q and A
9:23 – “We are here to act to extend this program. Where’s the governor? He needs to be leading on this. It is members of his party and his side of the aisle that are not putting this bill up for a vote. The governor needs to interject himself in this.”
10:05 – “We are standing here united fighting to continue this program. These kids deserve not only the full effort of Senate Republican Caucus, they deserve the full effort of each and every legislator in the capitol. There are children on these scholarships in each legislators’ district. It is time to represent the people of you’re district not the ideology of your party. It is time to put this on the board for a vote.”
12:15 – “It is department by department by department under the governor’s control including ISBE that has not done the assessment. If it was me, I’d be here, I’d be laser focused on Illinois. I wouldn’t be ‘thinking big’ about America. I wouldn’t be in Florida. I’d be in Illinois and I’d be getting the job done and until the job stay focused on Illinois.”
…Adding… From Mac Strategies…
Good morning,
We wanted you to be aware that there will be action in front of Speaker Welch’s office at 12:30 p.m. and in front of the Governor’s office at 1:00 p.m. Approximately 250 students and families in blue shirts and with signs demanding an extension of the Invest in Kids Act Tax Credit Scholarship Program.
…Adding… As promised…
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* Fitch Ratings…
Fitch Ratings has assigned an ‘A-’ rating to the following State of Illinois’ GO bonds:
–$175 million taxable series of December 2023A;
–$350 million tax-exempt series of December 2023B;
–$350 million tax-exempt series of December 2023C.
Additionally, Fitch has upgraded the following state of Illinois ratings:
–Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to ‘A-’ from ‘BBB+’;
–GO bonds to ‘A-’ from ‘BBB+’;
–Build Illinois senior and junior obligation sales tax revenue bonds, which are linked to the state’s IDR based on state-dedicated tax analysis, to ‘A+’ from ‘A’.
The Rating Outlook is Stable.
* Press release…
Governor Pritzker today celebrated the state’s ninth credit rating upgrade in just over two years as Fitch Ratings elevated Illinois’ rating for general obligation bonds. This fiscal progress comes as the result of five balanced budgets and years of responsible financial management and discipline under Governor Pritzker and Democrats in the General Assembly.
“We are continuing to right the past fiscal wrongs in our state with disciplined fiscal leadership, and credit rating agencies and businesses alike are taking notice of Illinois’ remarkable progress,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Another credit rating upgrade means millions saved for Illinois taxpayers in interest—money back in the pockets of our state where it can better serve our residents.”
The rating of a state’s bonds is a measure of their credit quality. A higher bond rating generally means the state can borrow at a lower interest rate, saving taxpayers millions of dollars. Between 2015 and 2017, the State of Illinois suffered eight credit rating downgrades and sat at the top of many analysts’ lists of the worst managed states in the nation under the previous administration. At its worst, Illinois’ bill backlog hit nearly $17 billion.
“In addition to building up reserves, the state has also actively reduced various long-term and budgetary liabilities, most prominently its unpaid bills, and laid a more sustainable fiscal foundation,” said Fitch’s report on the upgrade. “Illinois reduced its accounts payable balance by approximately $1 billion over the course of fiscal 2023 to less than $500 million, a level the state has not seen in more than two decades and continuing a pattern of using unappropriated surpluses to pay down bills.”
Across major credit rating agencies S&P Global Ratings, Fitch Ratings, and Moody’s Investors Service, the state has received nine upgrades since June of 2021. Illinois is now back in the “A” category for all three agencies. Prior to those upgrades, the state had not received an upgrade since June of 2000, over two decades. Agencies have cited the state’s actions in paying down bill backlogs, repaying debts, increased fiscal transparency, building financial reserves, and balancing the state budget as factors in the upgraded ratings.
* Back to Fitch…
The upgrade of Illinois’ IDR to ‘A-’ from ‘BBB+’ reflects the state’s ability to execute on significant planned reserve contributions and maintain improvements in budget management including normalized accounts payable, thereby improving the state’s overall operating profile.
Illinois’ ‘A-’ IDR reflects solid operating performance that remains below most other states, with a long record of structural imbalance primarily related to pension underfunding offset by continued progress towards more sustainable budgeting practices. The ‘A-’ IDR also reflects the state’s elevated long-term liability position and resulting spending pressure. Illinois’ deep and diverse economy is only slowly growing, but still provides a strong fundamental context for its credit profile. […]
Long-Term Liability Burden: ‘a’
Long-term liabilities are an elevated but still moderate burden on Illinois’ significant resource base. Constitutional limitations suggest Illinois has very limited flexibility to modify existing pension obligations. Other post-employment benefit (OPEB) obligations also have constitutional protections, but the state’s recent progress in materially reducing OPEB liabilities highlights both the state’s ability to manage within those protections and the inherent variability in OPEB calculations.
Operating Performance: ‘a’
Reserves have improved to historically high levels for the state and provide an important fiscal cushion, but levels remain relatively modest versus other states. Management has eliminated many outstanding budgetary liabilities and established a sustainable pattern of smoother fiscal decision-making. Sizable gaps in pension contributions relative to actuarially determined levels persist, with recent supplemental contributions helpful, but insufficient to address this structural budget gap.
…Adding… House Speaker Chris Welch…
“In May I proudly told members of the House that we’d crafted a budget that would improve our fiscal house and our credit. Today, it’s clear that Democrats are continuing to deliver on that promise as we have reached ‘A’ status with every rating agency.
“We heard a lot of partisan, misleading spin about our budget from Republicans, but financial experts and watchdogs agree that our budgetary decisions continue to move Illinois down a path of progress and prosperity. While we hope our Republican colleagues join us in this effort, Democrats will continue to budget responsibly and make smart investments for a stronger future for all.”
* Comptroller Mendoza…
In giving Illinois our 9th credit upgrade in the past two years, Fitch Ratings noted our progress in reducing our backlog of bills to what is now a “normalized” accounts payable that stands at $1.86 billion today – down from a high of $16.7 billion during the budget impasse. Fitch credited the state for boosting its Rainy Day fund to nearly $2 billion. That fund was down to $48,000 during the impasse.
Fitch encourages Illinois to bring that fund up to a level most other states have and to make greater progress paying down our pension liabilities. That is exactly what my Rainy Day and Pension Stabilization Bill, HB2515, proposes to do and I look forward to seeing it reintroduced in the next legislative session.
This upgrade is a tribute to the responsible debt management my office has undertaken in recent years working with the General Assembly and Governor. These upgrades lower the state’s costs for projects like building roads and bridges, saving taxpayers money.
All the hard work my staff and I have done to stabilize the state’s finances has been to get Illinois ready for its growth spurt. Illinois is open for business and we’re looking forward to future credit upgrades on the horizon.
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Ticket withdrawn against Southtown reporter
Monday, Nov 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The legislature needs to rein in these sorts of local ordinances…
Calumet City officials have dropped municipal charges against a Daily Southtown reporter they alleged violated local ordinances by seeking comment from public employees on major flooding issues in the area.
The reversal comes just days after the south suburb sent several citations to Hank Sanders, a Southtown reporter whose job includes covering Calumet City.
The Southtown, which is owned by the Chicago Tribune’s parent company, published a story online Oct. 19 and in print Oct. 20 in which Sanders reported that consultants had informed Calumet City officials that their stormwater facilities were in poor condition before September’s historic rains caused flooding.
A day after the story was published online, Sanders continued to report on the issue, drawing complaints from city officials, including Mayor Thaddeus Jones, that he was calling employees to seek comment. Officials emailed Sanders tickets citing him for “interference/hampering of city employees.”
Sanders was just doing his job, for crying out loud.
…Adding… A buddy pointed me to Cal City’s ordinances. Here’s one…
Sec. 62-334. - Bathing suits.
(a) No person shall swim or bathe in the waters of a public swimming pool in the city, unless such person is clothed in a suitable bathing dress.
(b) Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be fined not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each offense.
Here’s one banning blasphemous movies…
It shall be unlawful to permit any person to offer or present any motion picture which has a tendency to cause a riot or public disturbance of the peace, or any immoral, indecent or blasphemous picture or performance.
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Afternoon roundup
Monday, Nov 6, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. DeWine is not happy with Gov. Pritzker…
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) brushed off “absurd” accusations made against Republicans by fellow Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL).
Pritzker recently accused Republicans of regressing freedom within the United States and has started a new organization aimed at promoting pro-choice policies across multiple states, including Ohio, while combating “the right-wing extremists who want to take us backwards.”
In response to Pritzker’s funding efforts and extremism accusations, DeWine told Fox News Sunday they were “absurd.”
“Well, that’s just absurd, and he knows that’s absurd; he knows me,” DeWine said. “That is not what we’re trying to do at all. It is interesting; the pro side in this has spent about $35 million to try to mislead the voters of the state of Ohio. It is interesting to me that a governor of Illinois would come in with a half a million dollars contribution. If you look at all the other people who are doing this, these are the same people who want to get outside their own state and control what is going on in other states.”
* I wonder how one pronounces “SQMS”…
Today, Governor Pritzker joined international dignitaries and ambassadors, leaders at the Department of Energy and local universities, and other elected officials to celebrate the opening of Fermilab’s new Superconducting Quantum Materials and System Centers (SQMSC) Garage. The SQMSC Garage is one of the five Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, and one of the largest quantum research labs in the world.
“The SQMS Quantum Garage signals a new era in this field, and represents the best of our National Quantum Initiative,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “SQMS will accomplish what few other can—building on Fermilab’s unique strengths in related accelerator technology and particle physics, and creating a global partnership which spans across academia, national labs and industry, and federal agencies to reach a new quantum frontier. I’m thrilled to see our state attract the best in quantum science, and I am committed to making Illinois the premier hub of quantum development.”
Fermilab’s new SQMSC Lab will bring together a multi-sector coalition, including hundreds of experts from dozens of institutions across four nations, that will collaborate to bring quantum technology to scale. SQMS will be overseen by Director Anna Grasselino, who leads this team of world-renowned scientists and serves on the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The lab contains the first commercial quantum processor deployed on-premise at Fermilab. It has quantum sensors with the potential to discover dark matter and new gravitational waves sources. It also has training platforms dedicated to providing hands-on education for growing the next generation quantum ready workforce. These platforms will enable scientists, industry, and start-ups to advance quantum technology and help solve challenges in fundamental science.
…Adding… A commenter asked why it’s called a garage, so I asked…
* Tribune…
Thursday’s chaotic [city council] meeting was called in an attempt by Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, and Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, to add a question to March primary ballots asking voters “Should the city of Chicago continue to keep its designation as a Sanctuary City?”
The question would have been non-binding, so even if it made it on ballots, it would not change the city’s current sanctuary policy to not cooperate with federal law enforcement on deportation of immigrants in the country without legal permission. The policy also ensures immigrants can use city services. It would not change the city’s current response to the influx of asylum seekers, either.
*Hard sigh*
* Illinois Policy Institute…
Stacy Davis Gates gets a homeowner’s tax break for an Indiana home she doesn’t live in
But scroll down…
While there are no homestead deductions listed on the home Davis Gates and her husband own in Illinois, that doesn’t change the fact she would owe Indiana more if she were not taking the deduction.
She’s not taking a homestead deduction in Illinois? So she’s paying more Cook County property taxes than she’s required to pay?
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Center Square | Cook County nursing home officials warn of layoffs if tax system not addressed: A bill at the Illinois statehouse would have reduced the tax rate on nursing homes from 25% of their market value to 10% but was vetoed by Pritzker over fears of raising property taxes on residents of Cook County. The state legislature can override the veto, causing the bill to become law, if they vote and receive a three-fifths majority. The measure passed the Senate in May unanimously. In the House on concurrence, the measure passed with 95 yes votes, zero no votes and two voting present, a veto-proof majority.
* Illinois Times | Jenny Thornley pleads guilty: The former chief financial officer for the Illinois State Police Merit Board and former volunteer in JB Pritzker’s first gubernatorial campaign pleaded guilty Nov. 3 to forgery resulting in undeserved overtime pay and was sentenced to 18 months of conditional discharge. Jenny Thornley, 43, of the 2800 block of Hilltop Road in Springfield, pleaded guilty to the felony charge of electronically creating the signature of her boss, former Merit Board executive director Jack Garcia, so she could cheat the state in 2019 out of slightly more than $10,000 in overtime she never worked.
* WBEZ | Alderpeople accuse Carlos Ramirez-Rosa of threatening to stall zoning changes: The accusations were detailed in a letter drafted Thursday night by Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd Ward. An initial draft obtained by WBEZ called for Ramirez-Rosa to be formally censured by the City Council and that the Board of Ethics and Office of the Inspector General investigate alleged threats Ramirez-Rosa made for also abusing his power.
* Tribune | Jury selection begins in ex-Ald. Edward Burke’s high-stakes federal corruption trial: Live questioning of prospective jurors will likely take at least two days, with Kendall asking initial questions and each side getting the chance to follow up with specific issues. Opening statements in the case could come as soon as Wednesday. Monday’s proceedings will mark the first time Burke has stepped foot in the federal courthouse since his arraignment on the indictment on June 4, 2019, shortly after Burke had been sworn in for a record 13th full term as alderman.
* WCIA | Illinois Department of Insurance fines Blue Cross Blue Shield again for violating the Network Adequacy and Transparency Act: The state agency previously fined Blue Cross Blue Shield in March more than half a million dollars for violating laws related to network adequacy. Agency officials say they have fined the company an additional $231,900 because Blue Cross Blue Shield has delayed implementing changes to their provider directories to address the network adequacy violations from the first fine.
* Block Club | Police Tout New Training Academy As Monitor Says Reforms ‘Continue To Lag’: In its latest report published Wednesday, an independent police watchdog once again took the department to task for minimal progress on its federal consent decree: expansive reform requirements the department was put under following the police murder of teenager Laquan McDonald almost a decade ago.
* Beacon-News | Kane County residents can get look at new voting equipment: Kane County Clerk John Cunningham called the new equipment “an upgrade of our current equipment.” The new equipment is different, though, in that it gives voters a printed version of their ballot which they then put into a ballot box. Voters will start their voting on a touch screen instead of the rolling wheel that has been in use in the county for years.
* Tribune | Three Illinois hospitals keep straight-A streak in new Leapfrog hospital safety grades: Just under 25% of Illinois hospitals earned A grades this fall from hospital safety nonprofit The Leapfrog Group, including 18% of Chicago’s 22 eligible hospitals. The grades examine safety procedures at general hospitals nationwide, focusing on prevention of medical errors, accidents and infections.
* Crain’s | City plans (again) to put O’Hare concession contracts out for bid: The city plans to put the contract out for bid early next year, Chicago Aviation Commissioner Jamie Rhee told a City Council committee earlier this week. The Department of Aviation had planned to put the contract out late last year or early this year, but it got delayed.
* AP | A small Illinois city ticketed a local reporter for asking why its infrastructure collapsed and flooded under heavy rainfall: It’s the latest of several recent First Amendment dust-ups involving city officials and news outlets around the country, following this week’s arrest of a small-town Alabama newspaper publisher and reporter after reporting on a grand jury investigation of a school district, and the August police raid of a newspaper and its publisher’s home in Kansas tied to an apparent dispute a restaurant owner had with the paper.
* AP | Oldest black hole discovered dating back to 470 million years after the Big Bang: The findings, published Monday, confirm what until now were theories that supermassive black holes existed at the dawn of the universe. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory teamed up over the past year to make the observations. Given the universe is 13.7 billion years old, that puts the age of this black hole at 13.2 billion years.
* WGN | Victory Auto Wreckers to close this month: Victory Auto Wreckers’ owner Kyle Weisner told Dean Richards during an interview on WGN Radio Sunday that the longtime auto salvage yard will close on November 18. Victory Auto Wreckers, located in Bensenville, has been in business since 1945. Weisner’s family has owned it since 1967. The auto salvage yard is known for it’s iconic commercial, “that old car is worth money” — that Dean Richards has voiced since 1991.
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