State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) is pushing for additional funding to help struggling bars, breweries, restaurants, food trucks, venues and others.
“Local business owners continue to reach out to their legislators from around the state for help,” Feigenholtz said. “Their PPP has been spent. Many were not eligible for state grants or did not receive SBA funding. In order to save our small businesses, we must do more.”
The Build Back Better plan that stalled in Congress would have provided an additional $5 billion in relief for small businesses. In light of the federal program, Feigenholtz filed Senate Bill 4178, which would appropriate $125 million from federal funds to provide a lifeline to keep our small companies afloat.
The hospitality industry is the largest employment sector in the state and was the hardest hit sector due to closures during the pandemic. 11,000 Illinois restaurants shuttered along with bars and other venues. Along with those closures, 20% of hospitality workforce employees lost their jobs permanently.
“Our industry has only started on the road to recovery,” said Tim Tuten, co-owner of the Hideout in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood and co-founder of Chicago Independent Venue League. “We are all still fighting to keep our doors open. This relief means we can survive.”
* Press release…
The burdensome costs of textbooks and course materials for college students often deters them from making the purchase, which in turn can cause a learning barrier and hinder a student’s grades. Members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus outlined a plan during a press conference Wednesday to break down those barriers.
Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) is leading a measure – Senate Bill 819 – to allow students who receive MAP Grants to use the funds for room and board, as well as coursework materials including books, software and website access. Currently, MAP Grants can only be used for tuition and necessary fee costs.
“While there are initiatives that ease the financial burden of higher education, there are many essentials to university success, such as textbooks, electronics, and nearby housing, that are often overlooked,” Senator Fine said. “We need to make these resources more accessible to students from all economic backgrounds so that they can be successful as they pursue their education.”
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that even as tuition has risen, no cost of college life has increased faster than textbooks. The bureau found that book prices rose 88% between 2006 and 2016, and the College Board — which administers the SAT exam — reported that students budget more than $1,200 each year for textbooks and other class supplies, including technology.
Under Senator Scott Bennett’s (D-Champaign) Senate Bill 3856, public universities and community colleges would be required to provide all necessary coursework materials for rental free of charge for Illinois students.
Many public universities and community colleges, such as Southern Illinois University, already include free textbook rentals in their tuition and fee costs for all students. Recent studies have found that these more affordable course materials can deliver student cost savings of 29% to 35% annually.
“As chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, I know students face additional costs that can put financial strain on their families making it difficult for them to finish college,” Bennett said. “This textbook incentive will not only reduce that financial burden, but will ensure students are set up for success by having access to all of their course materials.”
While there are currently many initiatives to make higher education more affordable for children from low-income families, few provide relief for middle-class families who also come under large financial strain when sending their children to college.
To address this issue, Senator Laura Murphy’s measure – Senate Bill 1145 – would allow a taxpayer who either is a student or claims one or more students as dependents to earn a tax credit of up to $1,000 toward tuition and fees for Illinois public institutions of higher education.
“Paying for higher education can be a massive financial undertaking for working families,” Murphy said. “It is important that we provide relief to middle-class families working hard to send their children to Illinois schools.”
Mardell Davis, a Springfield High School senior, is in the process of deciding which college to commit to. The costs associated with each school could be a deciding factor for him.
“As a future college student, I am aware of the sometimes high costs attributed to earning a degree,” Mardell said. “I appreciate that the Senate is working on a bill that will make sure all necessary class materials are more affordable.”
For more information on the bills outlined at the press conference, people can visit https://www.illinoissenatedemocrats.com/HigherEd.
* Press release…
A measure initiated by local students to establish Dolostone as the official rock of the State of Illinois was advanced out of the Senate by State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Naperville).
“Exceptional young people from across the state came together to bring forth this legislation,” Ellman said. “They saw a fantastic learning opportunity in front of them and took full advantage—and they deserve to have their voices heard.”
House Bill 4261 was brought to the General Assembly by students from Pleasant Dale School in Burr Ridge and Maplebrook Elementary School in Naperville who discovered Illinois did not have a state rock. The students took it upon themselves to interview regional geology scholars, visit museums and do their own research. They then developed a ballot with three choices and asked schools across Illinois to vote on a state rock. Dolostone was the winner.
Dolostone is a sedimentary rock that underlies nearly all of Illinois, with the exception of the northernmost part of the state. It helps enrich soil across the state by providing valuable nutrients for plant growth, and caused a major mineral rush in Galena, Ill. in the early 1800s.
In addition to its natural abundance throughout the state, Dolostone plays a significant role in Illinois through its utilization in many important structures. Most notably, 3,300 exterior dolomite stones were used in the construction of the Old Illinois State Capitol. The quarry the stones were sourced from is now under Lake Springfield.
“Anyone is capable of creating change, and the engaged and curious students who crafted this legislation have proven just that,” Ellman said. “Since they helped us designate our state tree and flower over 100 years ago, our students have been a cornerstone in our state’s history and heritage.”
The legislation, having passed out of both chambers, now awaits further action.
* Press release…
State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, and State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, in coordination with the Illinois Veterans Advisory Council, are passing a measure to rename the entirety of U.S. Highway 20 running through Illinois the “Illinois Medal of Honor Highway”.
“The brave men and women in our armed forces make huge sacrifices to keep us safe, and they deserve recognition for their service,” Moeller said. “I hope that lasting public declarations of our appreciation for this service, such as the Illinois Medal of Honor Highway, sends the message to Illinois’ veterans that we support them. While I am pleased and proud to pass this measure, I am further committed to passing policy solutions to aid our armed services members. These can include expanding their health care coverage, increasing funding for VA programs and much more.”
Senate Joint Resolution 28 official renames all of U.S. Highway 20 from the Illinois-Iowa border to the Illinois-Indiana border the “Illinois Medal of Honor Highway”. Moeller and Kifowit worked with the Veterans Advisory Council and other members of the General Assembly to develop this resolution. It passed the Senate and House unanimously.
“The Illinois Medal of Honor Memorial Highway is a permanent addition to the coast-to-coast initiative to show our appreciation for our Medal of Honor recipients, and all our Veterans. Illinois is a proud home to two Medal of Honor recipients,” said Kifowit, a USMC Veteran and Chair of the IL House Veterans Affairs committee. “This honors our heroes, the men and women of our armed services, who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, or have risked their lives in harm’s way for our Freedoms. I am extremely proud that Illinois joins our surrounding states to give this highest Honor the respect and recognition it deserves. As a Veteran, I will continue to devote my time to ensuring our Veterans are always honored and receive the services they need. We owe it to them from a grateful State.”
Colonel Michael Peck, chairman of the Illinois Veterans Advisory Council said regarding the measure, “Every medal of honor recipient will tell you that the medal is not just for him but for the soldiers with whom he served. The highway will serve as a reminder to all that freedom isn’t free.”
…Adding… Press release…
After the Illinois State Board of Education reported an increase in cases of college students substitute teaching on a temporary license, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) advanced a plan through the Senate that would expand the pool of substitute teachers.
“Substitute teachers are in high demand and short supply, and that has left school districts scrambling to find different ways to ensure students are being educated and supervised throughout the day,” Loughran Cappel said.
Under Loughran Cappel’s measure, currently-enrolled Illinois students in the field of education who have at least90 credit hours would be able to obtain a substitute teaching license. By giving them creditable hours for this on-the-job training, more students will be able to substitute teach, and schools will have additional resources for finding temporary, short-term teachers.
“Real work experience can help transition student teachers into professionals,” Loughran Cappel said. “This legislation will ensure that student teachers are given every opportunity to succeed.”
House Bill 4798 now goes to the governor for his approval.
* I’ve reached out to the Democratic Governors Association to see if I can get the spot or at least to find out if it’s pro-Pritzker or yet another meddle in the GOP primary like it did in 2018 for Jeanne Ives…
#ILGov: DGA is placing their first TV ad spending. Start date is tomorrow, 3/31
*** UPDATE 2 *** Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy…
“The DGA and the Pritzker campaign, like everyone else that does polling, is watching in real time as Governor JB Pritzker’s re-election chances plummet under the considerable weight of his own failures and extreme agenda. The Pritzker campaign is desperate and has hatched a plan to launder Pritzker’s inherited wealth through the DGA to begin running ads to interfere in the nomination of our Republican nominee.
It’s up to every person in Illinois, including the media, to call out this charade for what it is - a desperate plan from a desperate man with a lot of money.
DGA, let Republicans pick our own nominee. Too scared to play fair?”
As budget discussions continue and the General Assembly nears adjournment, the chairs for the House Higher Education, Appropriations-Higher Education and Mental Health and Addiction Committees are encouraging their colleagues to support increased funding for college campus mental health services.
“The governor’s proposed budget outlines a 5% increase in higher education operational funding,” Higher Education Chair Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, said. “This is needed funding that universities should take advantage of to reinforce and boost their on-campus mental health offerings. These services help those who are suicidal, facing substance abuse issues, depression and other serious challenges that deserve support and awareness.”
“While there was always a need for stronger mental health services, this pandemic is putting increased strain on all of us,” Mental Health and Addiction Chair Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, said. “This has been a tumultuous couple of years, with little sense of normalcy on campuses. Three years ago we passed legislation that would provide mental health services to support our students on college campuses. It is critical that we put the financial investment in our budget to fund this legislation to ensure every student can reach their full potential. Let’s make sure students have the resources they deserve to access the support they need.”
“In the past 20 years, the number of college students with clinical depression and suicidal tendencies has tripled, and approximately 1.6 million students sought counseling assistance last year,” Appropriations-Higher Education Chair La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, said. “It is perhaps no wonder that acts of violence on campuses have increased. One-third of all college students have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, a 14% increase in the last decade. Only 25% of college students receive treatment. The pandemic has exacerbated this issue. In fall 2020, 89% of college students experienced stress or anxiety because of COVID-19. Graduation rates are lower for students with mental health conditions, especially Black, Latinx and low income students. Dropout rates are 2.5 times higher. There was a time when there was a stigma around seeking mental health support now students are testifying in Springfield pleading for more mental health support on college campus. We cannot leave Springfield this year without increasing funding for colleges to provide mental health support for Illinois’ students.”
“We want all of our students to succeed, and that starts by creating a healthy environment that includes accessible mental health support,” Higher Education Vice Chair Maurice West, D-Rockford, said. “We need to be mindful of the unique challenges students are currently facing, and our budget should reflect this critical aspect of the academic experience.”
“Campus mental health cannot be overlooked as we put together a budget this year,” Mental Health and Addiction Vice Chair Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, said. “Together, our committees have held hearings that have provided valuable insight on how mental health is handled at our universities. By increasing our investment in higher education operations, we can give our institutions the resources they need to reach more students.”
“Investing in mental health services now will have a beneficial impact for years to come,” Appropriations-Higher Education Vice Chair Nicholas Smith, D-Chicago, said. “The more students we can help deal with their challenges in a professional, healthy way, the better their mental health will likely be down the road. Let’s make sure campus mental health is a priority in this budget.”
* Media advisory…
This Wednesday, starting at 3pm, Rep. Camille Lilly and other IL State Legislators will join restaurant owner and worker advocates gathering for a press conference at the Lincoln Steps to rally support for the One Fair Wage Act (HB 5139), which would end the subminimum wage in Illinois.
The legislation was introduced in response to a wage shortage crisis across Illinois. One Fair Wage has issued multiple reports demonstrating that raising wages for restaurant workers who work for subminimum wages is critical to helping the industry recover. One Fair Wage has also tracked over 200 restaurant owners in Illinois who have voluntarily raised wages for tipped workers in order to recruit staff during the state’s worst-ever staffing crisis; this bill would create a level playing field for these responsible restaurant owners and help them fully reopen by sending a signal to millions of workers that wage increases will be permanent.
WHERE: Lincoln Steps, IL State Capitol Building**
WHEN: Wednesday, March 30, 3:00pm CT
WHO: Restaurant Owners, Restaurant Workers, Representatives from the Illinois Full and Fair Wage Coalition Including Speakers from One Fair Wage, Women Employed & Shriver Center on Poverty Law
**In Event of Rain, Press Conference will take place across the street, at the Illinois State Library in the Atrium
“Tens of thousands of Illinois tipped workers have left the restaurant industry and are not willing to return until they can earn a full and fair wage—with tips on top. Illinois workers deserve to earn a wage that allows them to support themselves and their families,” said State Rep. Lilly.
“Looking at the data and speaking to workers, the crisis in Illinois’ restaurant industry is clear,” said Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage. “If the industry is to survive, the state must raise the wage and pay tipped workers a full livable wage with tips on top.”
“NOW is the time to end the subminimum wage in Illinois, by any means necessary. We must end this harmful practice and devaluation of human labor,” said Antoinette ‘Jewel’ Simmons, a longtime Illinois restaurant worker.
“The subminimum wage issue IS a women’s issue because women are overrepresented in the restaurant industry but are highly underpaid,” said Starr De Los Santos, Senior Coalition Manager at Women Employed. “As an organization, Women Employed is committed to closing the wealth gap at the intersection of race and gender, and to do this; we need to build the economic power of women in Illinois that are in low-paid jobs. This includes ensuring an end to the subminimum wage that creates gender pay inequity in the restaurant industry, perpetuating the gender pay gap and leading to disproportionately higher poverty rates for women.”
“Prior to the panedemic, food service workers nationwide reported experiencing the highest rate of sexual harassment of any industry,” said Wendy Pollack, Director of the Women’s Law and Policy Initiative at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. “Tipped workers are more vulnerable to harassment and have less power to reject customer harassment because they are so reliant on tips for their economic well-being. Since the pandemic began, workers report a dramatic increase in sexual harassment. In the states that have eliminated the tipped subminimum wage, harassment has decreased by half. The time is now for Illinois to eliminate the tipped subminimum wage and pay workers the full minimum wage with tips on top.”
Mo Carter, owner of MJB Restaurant Group, stated the following in support of the bill, “Part of the matter of “The Great Resignation” is the right to earn not just a livable wage but a life-sustaining one. Consistent, strong staff are the support beams to ownership and they’re relying on their employers to recognize that worth.”
A new report out by One Fair Wage has found that as the restaurant industry — both owners and workers — continue to struggle throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, federal relief provided to restaurant owners in total exceeded $73 billion and, on average, was 30 times higher than the support provided to struggling workers.
* Press release…
State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) passed a measure through the Senate Tuesday that would ensure customers get a discount when supermarkets put products on sale.
“When shoppers check out at the supermarket, they don’t always see the sale price of an item on the screen during the transaction,” Loughran Cappel said. “Customers are often left unsure if they received a discount because the screen only shows the final price of each item.”
While retailers provide notice of discounts through various methods such as receipts, in-store promotions, advertisements, and price tags, there is nothing written in law concerning how prices and discounts are displayed during checkout.
To ensure shoppers receive their discount, Loughran Cappel moved House Bill 2910 which would require supermarkets to show both the regular and sale prices of items as they are rung up so customers can immediately see if they are getting discounts.
“This legislation increases transparency regarding discounts offered on grocery store items,” Loughran Cappel. “Shoppers will now be reassured at the checkout when they see their savings listed on the screen.”
House Bill 2910 passed both chambers and now heads to the governor’s desk for final approval.
* Press release…
State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) moved legislation out of the Senate Education Committee to prohibit public high schools from withholding a student’s grades, transcripts or diploma due to unpaid balances on a student’s account today.
“Students are so much more than a set of credits,” said State Senator Adriane Johnson. “They are scholars and future contributors to our society, and we should do all we can to further their academic careers and not contribute to unnecessary burdens.”
Current law does not address withholding of grades, transcripts of diplomas for students for financial reasons whatsoever. The law only speaks to academic performance, established local goals and objectives, age, and other social reasons.
Under House Bill 4243, the prohibition would last for 3 years and would require school districts to catalogue and report the total amount of unpaid accounts due to the prohibition of withholding grades, transcripts, or diplomas to the Illinois State Board of Education.
“This is an equity issue and this practice almost exclusively affects low-income students,” said Johnson. “Plus, there is no real evidence that withholding a student’s transcript encourages parents to pay the bill.”
House Bill 4243 passed the Senate Education Committee and will be heard before the full Senate for further consideration.
…Adding… Press release…
In response to the condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida in June 2021, State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) spearheaded a measure that would increase transparency for Chicago residents who live in high rises that passed the Senate Tuesday.
“It is the unit owners that pay monthly assessments into the reserve funds; therefore, these funds should be transparent to unit owners,” said Feigenholtz. “People deserve the peace of mind that their condominium association can make necessary repairs.”
A reserve study identifies the current status of the reserve fund and a stable and equitable funding plan to offset ongoing deterioration, resulting in sufficient funds when those anticipated major common area expenditures actually occur. This study helps homeowners and condominium associations determine how much in reserve funds they should maintain.
House Bill 4158 would require a homeowner or condominium association who conducts a reserve study to keep it within its books and records, which by law the individual property owners have a right to inspect.
“Reserve funds are set aside for future financial obligations such as major repairs and maintenance,” said Feigenholtz. “In addition, being able to access information about the reserve studies keeps unit owners informed of the health and readiness of the association’s ability to address needed renovations and upgrades for their building.”
House Bill 4158 passed the Senate and heads to the House for concurrence.
The Illinois General Assembly is barreling toward the end of session, and among unfinished business is legislation to address a rise in crime during the COVID era. It’s a top-polling issue in the 2022 elections and one that both parties are looking to address.
Republicans are pushing for bills that boost funding for police, set a minimum 10-year sentence for anyone convicted of selling a gun to a felon, and automatically transfer cases of aggravated carjacking or armed robbery that involve a minor to adult court. Democrats have teased bills to address carjacking, ghost guns, and organized retail theft. The governor’s budget, meanwhile, includes a $240 million allocation towards community-based violence prevention.
* Press release…
Piers and public access points to Lake Michigan will soon be safer thanks to a measure advanced by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) that will help install essential rescue equipment.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe when they head to the beach this summer,” Peters said. “I am glad that the General Assembly is taking an essential step to protect our families who visit beaches on Lake Michigan.”
House Bill 4165 requires owners of piers or drop-offs on Lake Michigan to install public rescue equipment . The measure also establishes tracking and reporting requirements for local governments that own a pier or drop-off on Lake Michigan.
Nationally, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of 5, the second leading cause for children under 15, and the third leading cause for people under 30. There are significant disparities between Black and white populations in drowning death rates, with African American males from ages 15 to 19 facing the highest per-capita rates of drowning.
The measure originated from a controversy between residents of the Rogers Park neighborhood and the Chicago Park District over a lack of life saving rings on lakefront piers.
“We have had too many tragic and, in many cases, preventable deaths on Lake Michigan,” Peters said. “This is a long overdue safety measure that will help make all of us safer when we enjoy the lake this summer.”
The measure passed the Senate on Tuesday. It now heads to the governor’s desk.
Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, signed a letter stating claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election should be investigated. Now her bid for a second term is benefiting from spending by a PAC whose leader is suspected of voter fraud.
That letter, to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was sent in December 2020, before Miller was sworn into her first term on Jan. 3, 2021. In a press release, issued before she took office, Miller, maintaining falsely Trump won the election said, “Even a glancing review would uncover the greatest heist of the 21st century.”
With Miller’s interest in pursuing voter fraud, it is worth noting that a Sun-Times examination of money bolstering Miller’s bid for a second term shows she is benefiting from a $74,054.74 independent expenditure by the Right Women political action committee, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission. […]
Last May, Miller’s campaign got a direct $5,000 donation from Freedom First, a political action committee created by Mark Meadows when he was a North Carolina Republican congressman.
Debra and Mark Meadows are suspected of voting from a mobile home in North Carolina where they never lived.
* And this one is from US Rep. Rodney Davis’ campaign…
Public records reveal that Mary and Chris Miller’s business, while physically in Illinois, is incorporated in the state of Delaware, a known domestic tax and regulatory shelter. Despite both being elected politicians in the State of Illinois, the Millers have chosen to send their tax dollars to Delaware instead. Why?
“Mary Miller has taken carpet-bagging to a new level. Not only does she live in another Congressional district, but her family business is incorporated in another state - Delaware. Miller likes to present herself as a common farmer, but she’s engaged in legal strategies used by corporations to dodge taxes and avoid scrutiny of their business. Like a true politician, Miller has mastered the art of saying one thing and doing another. She needs to come clean about why her business is incorporated in a state that’s over 750 miles from her farm. What is Mary Miller hiding?” - Davis campaign spokesperson Aaron DeGroot
While both are politicians, Mary Miller and her husband Chris are also corporate officers and co-owners of Miller Bros Farms. Corporate records filed with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office shows that the Millers incorporated their business in the State of Delaware, not Illinois.
Delaware is considered by many to be a domestic tax and regulatory shelter due to the benefits the State of Delaware provides to businesses that incorporate within their state. Businesses that incorporate in Delaware can keep certain corporate records private and are subject to a favorable legal system.
Mary Miller likes to present herself as a common farmer, but she’s engaged in legal strategies used by corporations to dodge taxes and avoid public scrutiny. Miller has not discussed publicly why her business is incorporated in another state that’s roughly 760 miles away from her farm. What is Mary Miller hiding?
Miller recently touted an endorsement from Club for Growth, a DC-based dark money group that’s opposed to the Farm Bill, while her family’s business has raked in over $1 million in government subsidies from Farm Bill programs over the years. Chris Miller, has received $942,419 in USDA subsidies. Miller Bros. Farms, Inc. and Miller Bros Inc, have received $104,742 and $34,871 in USDA subsidies, respectively.
State Rep. Kam Buckner (pictured) (D-Chicago) will serve a year on conditional discharge, because he pleaded guilty this month to driving under the influence.
In March 2019, police found him asleep at the wheel near the Capitol. He refused a Breathalyzer test and failed field sobriety tests.
If he successfully completes the year’s probation, Buckner will not have to serve a 28-day jail sentence.
Buckner, a former University of Illinois football player, must pay $1,915 in fines and costs, according to court records.
Climate change is taking a central role in a key House race in Illinois, where two Democratic incumbents are taking shots at each other’s records.
Rep. Sean Casten, a moderate who sits on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and once led an energy efficiency company, argues that he holds the climate mantle in the race.
But Rep. Marie Newman, an outspoken progressive, in recent weeks has challenged Casten on climate, arguing he takes a narrow focus on the issue and is too close to corporate and fossil fuel interests.
— Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi has been endorsed by Secretary of State Jesse White in his bid for reelection in the 8th Congressional District.
— Anna Valencia has been endorsed by state Reps. Theresa Mah (2nd), Anne Stava-Murray (81st), and Terra Costa Howard (48th) in her bid for secretary of state.
— Delia Ramirez, who’s running in the newly drawn 3rd Congressional District, has been endorsed by the Illinois Nurses Association, Architectural and Ornamental Iron Workers’ Union Local 63, Transportation Communication Union/IAM, and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division.
* Hearing there are some very difficult internal issues with her consultant…
The formal kick off of Cassandra Tanner Miller’s (R, Elgin), also known as “CTM”, congressional primary campaign in the 11th District set for Thursday, March 24 in downtown Geneva was abruptly postponed early Thursday afternoon to a date to be announced.
The verbiage of the email sent included the following:
“Please note that we are needing to reschedule the Campaign Kickoff event that was planned for this evening at Copper Fox in Geneva.
“One thing I’m learning about political campaigns is you never know what to expect or what will come up on a daily basis.
“After talking with the venue, we are going to push our Campaign Kickoff back and we will be following up with everyone with new details for our official Kickoff event.“
* Reditus might eventually become an issue in the gubernatorial race, but Rep. Luft is involved in a high-profile local primary, so it could be a thing there, too…
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. JB Pritzker’s daily media briefings were appointment viewing for many.
There were fewer high-profile places to be than standing next to the governor as he updated Illinoisans on the state’s coronavirus response. On May 8, 2020, Reditus Labs CEO Aaron Rossi shared the stage with Pritzker. At the time, Reditus was emerging as one of the state’s leading companies for coronavirus testing.
“I’d like to congratulate the governor and state officials for reaching (testing) milestones that they have today,” Rossi declared during the news conference.
That wasn’t Rossi’s first interaction with an elected official, and it was far from his last. Rossi would transform a little-known company of fewer than 10 employees into a coronavirus testing behemoth, largely with taxpayer-funded state contracts.
Questions into how much government help Reditus and Aaron Rossi’s other companies received — and how Reditus got it — have come into focus now that Rossi faces federal charges that he lied about his income to the Internal Revenue Service and civil complaints from several business partners accusing him of extravagant personal spending and shady accounting involving Reditus and his other businesses.
One legislator who has been instrumental in assisting Reditus’ rise, Pekin mayor and state Rep. Mark Luft, has distanced himself from Rossi since those charged were filed.
As our Gerrymandering Threat Index predicted, the 2021 Redistricting Cycle is rife with partisan gerrymandering. RepresentUs partnered with the Princeton Gerrymandering Project (PGP) to grade and analyze redistricting maps this cycle.
Illinois received an “F” for its state Senate maps, but a “B” for its House maps, which are nested within the Senate districts. Odd. It also received an “F” for its congressional maps.
…Adding… Forgot to post this…
We cannot stand idly by as Republican governors wage incessant attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.
Everyone deserves a state where you can be your authentic self. As long as I'm governor, the state of Illinois will see you, support you, and welcome you with open arms. https://t.co/XvFpImoBMn
Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) announced he has been endorsed by the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois and the Chicago Fire Department Fire Fighters Local 2. The endorsement of AFFI, a statewide union in Illinois, expands a growing list of Rep. Casten’s major endorsements.
“Rep. Sean Casten has been a tireless advocate for firefighters, unions, and working families,” said Chuck Sullivan, President of AFFI. “Sean understands the importance of standing up for workers and has delivered as a leader in labor. We’re proud to endorse him.”
“Illinois’ firefighters routinely put themselves at risk to save lives and protect property in our community,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “We owe it to them to fight for priorities like fair wages and improved workplace conditions. I’m honored to have them with me in this fight.”
Rep. Casten has previously been endorsed by nine other unions and also received the recommendation for re-election by the DuPage County Build and Construction Trades Council, which is composed of 30 unions throughout the Chicagoland area. Working people and labor unions across the 6th District are strongly backing Rep. Sean Casten and his record of fighting for working families.
Despite JB Pritzker shamelessly appearing at the Illinois State Police centennial anniversary event [today], it will be lost on no one that it’s Pritzker who signed the most anti-law enforcement bill in Illinois history - the same bill that is defunding local police departments and letting criminals back into our communities as crime continues skyrocketing across the state.
Will Pritzker even bother to mention to today’s crowd that it is his very own Prisoner Review Board who supported paroling James Taylor in August 2020, who was convicted of killing State Trooper Layton Davis in 1976?
JB Pritzker’s anti-law enforcement policies are devastating police departments across Illinois, as officers resign in numbers while citing Pritzker’s mandated changes that have made it harder for police to do their jobs. In some cases, the resignations have taken out full departments leaving communities without any police officers at all.
In addition to a central Illinois Police Department being permanently disbanded due to JB Pritzker’s anti-police bill, a suburban department is also reporting significant challenges. Fifteen police officers have left the Oak Park Police Department since 2020, with Police Chief LaDon Reynold noting “the industry of policing…going through a transformation,” and a city trustee faulting, “the lack of support for our police department from elected officials and from the community at large.”
Piatt County Sheriff David Hunt, Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettlekamp, and Chris Southwood, president of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, also decried the effects of Pritzker’s policies in Springfield last month, emphasizing the increasing number of law enforcement officers leaving the profession due to the lack of support from elected officials.
Richard Irvin, Mayor of Aurora and gubernatorial candidate, has denounced Pritzker’s defund the police movement and has a proven record of standing with law enforcement to reduce crime.
“JB Pritzker can attend as many ceremonies as he wants, but it won’t erase the fact that he signed one of the most egregious anti-police laws that is defunding local police departments, putting criminals into our communities and placing lives in danger,” said Irvin for Illinois spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “Illinois families need a governor who will prioritize their safety over criminals.”
* Today, a reporter noted to Gov. Pritzker that he said he stood by his appointments to the Prisoner Review Board who were rejected or forced out of office by the Senate. But, Pritzker was asked, does he stand by those same board members’ decisions to release convicted cop killers?…
Pritzker: Look, let me start by saying that we appoint highly qualified candidates to serve on the Prisoner Review Board. This is a very, very difficult job. Let me just outline for all of you that every case that comes before them is a difficult one. Someone that comes before them has committed some awful crime in the past. And they’re charged with looking at all the facts and circumstances from the beginning when the crime took place, to their term in prison, and how they were rehabilitated or not, whether they caused problems when they were in prison or not, whether they would be a danger to the public if they were released, all those things are taking into consideration. By the way, a majority of the people that come before the Prisoner Review Board are rejected. So it’s actually many fewer cases than anybody would like to admit that where they’re actually recommending that someone be released. And I will just say it’s an incredibly thankless job. Very, very difficult. We have Republicans on that board, we have Democrats on that board. They work together across the aisle, they don’t even think, I think, of their their party affiliation when they’re doing the job.
Now to have Republicans attack them and their character and their biographies, to have Republicans essentially trying to tear apart this agency of government. I mean, this is what the GQP has been all about, tearing government apart. I think we ought to stand up for the integrity of the people that get appointed, and the very tough decisions that they have to make. But obviously, we’re going to move forward and keep the PRB operating as best we can.
Q: Do you stand by their decisions?
Pritzker: Listen, I don’t see all of the details of each decision that they make. It’s easy to do what the Republicans do. They take the original crime that took place, often decades and decades ago. And they just talk about the headline of that crime and don’t talk about everything else that’s occurred, including what the victim’s statements have been, including the victims’ families statements, including other information that may have come forward in the subsequent decades, in order to make their decisions. So it’s hard to second guess the work that they do. It’s very easy just to say, this person committed an awful crime some many years ago, and to say we’re gonna throw away the key, leave them all in prison. That’s what you’re gonna end up with, if that’s what people want, well let’s hear that. But I don’t think that’s what people wanted when we created the Prisoner Review Board.
Please pardon all transcription errors, but “GQP” is not a typo. Pritzker slowed down to say each letter very clearly…
Blend of GOP + QAnon. The GOP stands for “Grand Old Party”, the Republican Party of the United States of America, a conservative political party. The usage of “Q” refers to Republican politicians either supporting the QAnon conspiracy theories or becoming closer to extremism and fascism.
* Also, the PRB has allegedly not always been careful about notifying victims. From last year…
The man who killed Illinois State Police Trooper Layton Davis in 1976 was released from prison Thursday under a new law that allows parole for medical reasons. […]
Hyche is the first prisoner released under the new law, according to Kahalah Clay, chief legal counsel for the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. […]
The trooper’s family is upset they didn’t get to voice opinions about Hyche to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.
“We were notified that there was going to be a parole hearing in March and that we had until Feb. 9 to get objection letters in,” said the trooper’s grandson. “Then we found out yesterday – on the 9th – that they had already convened the medical board and that they had already submitted their recommendation to the parole board and that the parole board on the 8th of February had already made a decision to release him.
* And the governor had no qualms about criticizing Kim Foxx for trying to release violent convicts the other day. Here’s a recent report from Mary Ann Ahern…
MAA: At a campaign stop on the West Side, Governor Pritzker distanced himself from Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Republican opponents blame Foxx and Pritzker for the huge crime bill signed one year ago. Foxx’s office is asking for early release for prisoners quote, if the original sentence no longer advances the interests of justice. Pritzker’s opponents like Republican state Senator Darren Bailey say that may lead to the early release of dangerous criminals.
Bailey: “People in Chicago, they don’t feel safe because they’re not safe. And unfortunately, that has spread across the entire state.”
Pritzker: “I think that Kim Foxx, you know, obviously she’s the prosecutor, the Cook County State’s Attorney. She has the right to make these decisions on her own. I’m just saying these are decisions I would have said to her: ‘Let’s start with nonviolent criminals.’
…Adding… Richard Irvin campaign…
In a heated moment today when the governor was called out for his hypocrisy in attending a police memorial as the Senate continues to reject his Prisoner Review Board appointees by wide bipartisan votes, JB Pritzker had the audacity to suggest that victims and their families are asking for these criminals to be released or paroled early.
Pritzker’s Prisoner Review Board granted parole to the following cop killers despite all of the victims’ families showing up to the parole hearings or writing letters to OPPOSE parole for these murderers:
Joseph Hurst: Convicted of killing Chicago police officer Herman Stallworth and wounding Stallworth’s partner with a bullet to the face. In February 2021, the PRB voted 8-4 to parole Hurst.
Johnny Veal: Convicted of killing Chicago police officers James Severin and Anthony Rizzato. In February 2021, the PRB voted 8-4 to grant parole to Veal.
James Taylor: Convicted of killing State Trooper Layton Davis during a traffic stop, and attempting to kill a motorist who witnessed the murder. In August 2020, the PRB voted 8-5 to grant parole to Taylor.
“It is clear that JB Pritzker is scrambling to hide from the fact that public safety has deteriorated throughout all of Illinois because of his dangerous anti-law enforcement policies,” said Irvin for Illinois campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “We have a governor who puts violent criminals ahead of victims, law enforcement, and entire communities. It’s time to take back our state.”
From Sen. Plummer in regard to the Governor calling Senate Republicans the GQP:
“In the spirit of Margaret Thatcher, when one’s opponents resort to low grade personal attacks, it shows that they have no legitimate political arguments left.
“I am embarrassed for the Governor. While I understand he is frustrated, this entire mess falls on his lap and these comments are beneath the dignity of the Office he holds.
“The Governor has never been accustomed to being told “no” and now that he has been told “no” by senators of both parties, I think he should take a deep breath and reevaluate the direction his Administration is taking when it comes to public safety.”
* The spot begins with county sheriffs complaining about “anti-police rhetoric,” career politicians, etc. and then talking up Jesse Sullivan, who says, “I’m an outsider and a man of faith called to protect and serve. They’ve got our backs. They deserve a leader who has theirs. Let’s go save Illinois”…
…Adding… Welp, they removed the ad. I’ll look around to see if it’s elsewhere. Sorry.
…Adding… Check out the front license plate on the car on the far left. That sure looks like an official police plate to me. This pro-law enforcement ad might not be so, um, pro-legal…
…Adding… The final version of the TV spot is here. I’ve asked the campaign about the use of law enforcement vehicles in the campaign ad.
A slight correction - copied/pasted "voting no" in the part of the key indicating five members of the Black Caucus, but actually they didn't vote. Same effect, of course, but a different action with moderately different intent. Updated graphic: https://t.co/VvIm1DC05kpic.twitter.com/G0WzdYM2S4
One Prisoner Review Board member resigned on Monday, while another was rejected by the Senate in an evening vote.
Oreal James resigned by way of a letter to Gov. JB Pritzker before going to the Senate for a vote. Hours later, Eleanor Kaye Wilson failed to get the 30 votes needed to confirm her appointment. Wilson received 15 votes to confirm her appointment and 31 votes against while 13 members did not vote.
Monday’s developments represented the latest shakeup on the governor-appointed board that has seen heavy Republican scrutiny in the past year as the Senate repeatedly delayed hearing several of Pritzker’s appointees to the board that determines whether offenders should be released from Illinois Department of Corrections custody and what the terms of their release should be.
The board also makes recommendations on clemency, arbitrates the calculation of good time credit, and reviews cases of those who violate the terms of their parole to decide whether they should be returned to prison. The job pays roughly $90,000 per year.
The board has become a proxy for the larger political battle in Illinois over how to address crime heading into this year’s elections. Republicans have been critical of the board’s makeup under Pritzker, saying there has been a lack of transparency and an overly lenient attitude toward convicted criminals.
But even Senate Democrats have privately expressed reservations about Pritzker’s appointees to the board, according to a source familiar with the nomination process who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Records provided by the Senate GOP show that James and Wilson voted to release prisoners on parole in about 45% of all cases that came before them. On the Senate floor Monday night, Sen. Terri Bryant, a Republican from Murphysboro, cited Wilson’s votes in favor of the release of various convicted cop killers as a reason to reject her appointment.
Several senators have raised concerns about the board’s decision last year to approve parole for Joseph Hurst and Johnny Veal, two men accused of killing Chicago police officers more than 50 years ago.
It’s the latest and most damning hiccup for a board that faced GOP-led accusations about the transparency of the governor’s appointments and the decisions of his nominees. The board’s duties include deciding which prisoners are eligible for parole and reviewing recommendations for executive clemency. It is under a microscope during a campaign year in which Republicans are accusing Pritzker of being soft on crime. […]
Senate Democrats did not take a position as a caucus on Wilson’s nomination. And in addition to the 14 voting against her appointment, another 12 Democratic senators opted not to vote at all.
“The murder of a police officer is more than an attack on an individual, it is an attack on the rule of law itself,” state Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, told the Sun-Times after voting against Wilson’s appointment.
“No individual who commits such a heinous crime should be eligible for parole. The Prisoner Review Board should ensure that the most severe crimes are met with the most severe sanction under the law.”
* ILGOP…
It’s been reported that Governor JB Pritzker will be at the Lincoln Statue at the State Capitol this morning to commemorate the Illinois State Police’s centennial anniversary with a press conference to follow.
As a reminder, a man who was previously denied parole and had served roughly 15% of his sentence for the murder of a state trooper was recently released by Pritzker’s Prisoner Review Board (PRB), utilizing new measures signed into law by the Governor to gain his freedom. The slain trooper’s family was not given the opportunity to object to the killer’s early release.
As reported by the Effingham Daily News…
“The man who killed Illinois State Police Trooper Layton Davis in 1976 was released from prison Thursday under a new law that allows parole for medical reasons.”
“Aaron Hyche, 71, who fired the shot that killed Davis, had been denied parole after a hearing in August. A relative of the trooper said the family was initially told the medical hearing would not be until March, and was surprised when Hyche was released before they could object.”
…
“The trooper’s family is upset they didn’t get to voice opinions about Hyche to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.”
It’s hard to square Pritzker’s honoring of state law enforcement today when he continues to stand by his handpicked PRB that voted to release Hyche.
PRB member Eleanor Wilson, who voted to release the cop killer’s accomplice, James Taylor, resigned this week rather than face further scrutiny for her decisions to release violent criminals from prison early. Pritzker praised Wilson, saying, “The Governor is disappointed that a highly qualified nominee will no longer be able to serve on the Prisoner Review Board and he thanks Eleanor Wilson for her service and dedication to justice.”
We have just one question for the Governor. On a day meant to remember the history and sacrifices of our state troopers, will Pritzker apologize to the family of Trooper Layton Davis?
…Adding… Gov. Pritzker’s office…
The Governor is disappointed that a highly qualified nominee will no longer be able to serve on the Prisoner Review Board and he thanks Eleanor Wilson for her service and dedication to justice. The Pritzker administration remains committed to ensuring that highly qualified nominees fill these critical roles on the Prisoner Review Board, especially because we must fulfill our constitutional and statutory obligations for clemency and parole as well as key public safety functions of the board.
* The Tribune spent a decade writing stories about annual population estimates, and the paper’s editorial board published dozens of “exodus” screeds in response. Let’s be clear here. There’s zero doubt that people are leaving Illinois for other states (and the same thing is happening elsewhere, too), but the woman featured in this Tribune story says at the very end that she’s planning to come back to Chicago. And there’s nothing in the story about how the intense hype of the past decade concluded with only a tiny net population decline…
Dayna Lynn Nuckolls spent most of her life in Chicago and the south suburbs but was already planning to leave when COVID-19 struck.
She was fed up with the winters and conflicts in Chicago Public Schools, and when the pandemic boosted her business — she’s an astrologer and spiritualist — she made the leap, taking her young child with her to New Orleans.
“I think the energy of migration has been very high,” said Nuckolls, 38. “It’s been a much more supportive environment to make big moves like that. The timing just worked out for me.”
When Nuckolls left the Chicago area in July 2020, she was on the cusp of a trend: More than 100,000 people in Chicagoland followed suit over the next year, migrating to other domestic destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In all, accounting for other population changes due to birth, death and international migration, metro Chicago lost more than 91,000 people between July 2020 and July 2021, aligning with other large metro areas that saw people flee cities as the pandemic continued to upend life in 2021, according to new population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
…Adding… Oops. Forgot to include this. From the US Census Bureau…
Coverage estimates from the [Post-Enumeration Survey] varied by race and Hispanic origin. DA coverage estimates for these characteristics are not yet available. As further explained in the Using Demographic Benchmarks to Help Evaluate 2020 Census Results blog, DA will first need to reconcile differences in how vital records categorize race with census results not yet released.
The PES data show that:
• The Black or African American alone or in combination population had a statistically significant undercount of 3.30%. This is not statistically different from the 2.06% undercount in 2010.
• The Hispanic or Latino population had a statistically significant undercount rate of 4.99%. This is statistically different from a 1.54% undercount in 2010.
• American Indian or Alaska Native alone or in combination populations living on reservations show a statistically significant undercount rate of 5.64%. This was not statistically different from a 4.88% undercount in 2010. The American Indian or Alaska Native population alone or in combination living in American Indian areas, but not living on reservations, was not statistically different from zero in 2020 or 2010.
• The non-Hispanic White alone population had a statistically significant overcount rate of 1.64%. This is statistically different from an overcount of 0.83% in 2010.
• The Asian alone or in combination population had an overcount rate of 2.62%. This is statistically different from 0.00% in 2010.
• The Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination population had an estimated overcount rate of 1.28%. This rate is not different from an estimated 1.02% overcount rate in 2010. Both are not statistically different from zero.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith has now been slapped with an eighth contempt of court order for failing to place a teen in the department’s care appropriately.
The order was issued by Juvenile Court Judge and former County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy.
In this case, a 14-year-old girl was taken into temporary DCFS custody last September. Since then, she has been moved 21 times. She was stuck in a psychiatric hospital and was then moved around to different shelters, hospital emergency rooms, DCFS offices, and emergency foster placements.
In February, the judge ordered DCFS to place the teen in a residential facility. That order was not carried out, and the teen ran away.
Building more emergency shelters and funding more foster homes seems on the surface to be a logical way to start improving a troubled child welfare system in Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has been beset by images of children sleeping in department offices because they have nowhere else to go, reports of children spending too much time in restrictive psychiatric facilities, and a lack of sufficient foster parents to accommodate children who have been removed from their families.
The department has issued three calls for proposals asking providers to submit plans for building emergency shelter capacity, emergency foster homes and programming for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The proposals address the apparent shortage of housing and services for many of the state’s most vulnerable youth.
But a group that has been at odds with DCFS for decades about how the department cares for those caught up in the child welfare system has blasted the proposals as the wrong thing at the wrong time.
“This is precisely the sort of ill-considered, misdirected, counterproductive, fiscally irresponsible, and panic-driven activity that Plaintiffs have been working to prevent” during ongoing litigation, reads a recent post on the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) website.
“It is troubling that the department is actively encouraging providers to develop more shelter beds and emergency foster homes to serve the ‘one percent of youth’ DCFS acknowledges it currently struggles to place – those who are stuck in psychiatric hospitals beyond medical necessity, those stranded in emergency rooms due to lack of psychiatric hospital capacity and those who have lost their placement due to extreme behaviors.”
“Every expert has told the department that these youth do not belong in shelters, and DCFS knows from its own failed experience that these youth are not accepted by emergency foster homes because they lack the supports to address these youths’ severe, immediate needs,” the post concludes.
So if more emergency services aren’t the answer, how do you fix the Illinois child welfare system?
After a judge last week issued a contempt of court order for the eighth time against Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith, Aurora Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin is calling on JB Pritzker to remove him from his post noting children in the state’s care are continuously put in unsafe conditions.
Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert called the agency “a colossal waste of taxpayer money,” and noted that the current dysfunction happening at DCFS is something he has never witnessed prior to the Pritzker Administration:
“In the more than 30 years that I’ve been practicing in Juvenile Court, I cannot recall a single prior instance where a judge held the DCFS director in contempt. And now it’s happened eight times in eleven weeks. That’s how dysfunctional DCFS has become.”
This is just another chapter in the string of failures at Pritzker’s state agencies.
“It’s a disgrace that JB Pritzker has allowed this critical agency to falter to the point that multiple court interventions have been required to protect vulnerable children in the state’s care,” said Irvin. “Decisive action must be taken in order to improve DCFS and ensure that no other children are wrongfully put in dangerous situations and abandoned by the state. Pritzker needs to take ownership of this failure and find a new responsible director who will right the wrongs of this agency.”
* Response from the Pritzker campaign…
Instead of using vulnerable children as political pawns, Richard Irvin should finally own up to the fact that he explicitly advertised his legal services to abusive parents and promised to defend them against their rights being terminated for abuse or neglect.
The team running and bankrolling Irvin’s campaign are the very same people who orchestrated some of the most devastating cuts to DCFS the state has ever seen and the impact of Rauner’s budget slashes are still being felt today. Governor Pritzker remains committed to righting those wrongs by investing in help for children in our state’s care.
…Adding… From an NBC 5 story, here’s Sen. Darren Bailey’s response…
I’m sick and tired of hearing this blame on Rauner or on Trump, or whatever it is they want to blame it on. Take responsibility and make changes. Director Smith has been in charge of DCFS since day one.
Nearly four years ago, legislation that aimed to help low-income electricity customers was making its way to the floor of an Illinois House chamber tightly controlled by its longtime speaker, Michael Madigan.
The bill’s main advocate: Madigan’s daughter, then-Attorney General Lisa Madigan. One of its primary opponents: Commonwealth Edison, the state’s largest electric utility.
By the time the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session was over, ComEd won — because, according to federal prosecutors, Michael Madigan paved the way.
In what may be one of the most intriguing chapters of the federal indictment filed earlier this month against ex-Speaker Madigan, prosecutors alleged he greenlighted efforts to kill his own daughter’s legislation as he pressed ComEd to give jobs to two political allies, including a coveted position on the utility’s board of directors.
“His own daughter’s legislation” is a bit much. They were occasionally at odds, even when she was in the Senate. It was nothing personal with him, just business. And maybe crooked business, if the feds are proved right.
Even today, ComEd said it opposed the plan “because it would have hurt customers.” The utility estimated it would have cost customers $20 million upfront to cover expenses, such as customer system modifications and training, as well as an additional $146 million annually, ComEd’s Shannon Breymaier said.
“It would have put significant restrictions on ComEd’s ability to collect utility service charges from customers who could afford to pay their bills and required costly changes to ComEd’s billing and collection systems,” Breymaier said in an email. “Those costs ultimately would have been paid by our customers, not ComEd.”
Following a review by state bureaucracies, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office has lifted a freeze on funding for projects earmarked by Illinois’ now-indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The temporary freeze came after a group of nine Democratic state representatives requested it in the wake of Madigan’s 22-count indictment on corruption charges on March 2. […]
But two days after their initial letter to Pritzker the same group of lawmakers, led by State Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, backtracked and asked Pritzker to unfreeze the funding after getting pushback from other lawmakers in the state’s Latino caucus. […]
In an email to the BGA on Wednesday, the governor’s top spokeswoman said the review has been completed and the governor ordered the funds released in a March 11 letter. The governor’s office also provided the memos from state agencies detailing the results of the review.
There is no indication in the documents provided to suggest the Pritzker-ordered reviews touched on the lawmakers’ initial requests to examine whether the projects were “appropriate” or whether any conflicts of interest existed.
A few chapters are set pieces, capturing the vicissitudes of Illinois politics. There is the drama of June 30, 1988, as Republican Governor Jim Thompson joins Madigan to try to fund a new ballpark for the White Sox when the team is all but on a plane to Florida. The deed had to be done before midnight, when a change in the legislature’s makeup would doom the effort. But Madigan “made time stand still”—literally. He stopped the clock at midnight so that he and Thompson could twist arms while opponents sang that “Na na na na / Na na na na / Hey, hey-ey, goodbye” song that Sox fans use to jeer opposing pitchers off the field.
The episode is so much fun, with that near-biblical stopping of the sun, that it’s possible to overlook—puff away the obfuscating fog of fandom—that government officials were bending the law to put public money into the pockets of a private business.
There’s a chapter on “Operation Cobra,” Madigan’s stealth plan to temporarily raise the state’s income tax in 1989. It passed the House in less than a day with only Democratic votes.
Long said that the legislative attack “caught Thompson totally surprised,” writing that it was “the biggest raw power play I ever saw Speaker Madigan pull off.”
By contrast, when lawmakers voted in 2017 to approve a Madigan-backed plan to end the state’s two-year budget impasse, Long said that Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner “knew it was coming and he couldn’t do anything about it because Madigan outmaneuvered him politically.”
The old-timers’ Operation Cobra stories often kept me awake at night wondering if I’d talked to enough people that day to ensure I didn’t get surprised like Thompson was.
hTe specter of former House Speaker Michael Madigan is entering the campaign on how the City Council’s ward maps will be redrawn.
In a new poll commissioned by the Latino Caucus and its supporters, respondents were informed that the Chicago United map supported by the City Council’s Rules Committee and the Black Caucus “was drafted by Michael Madigan’s lawyer.”
According to a polling memo obtained by Playbook, more than two-thirds, 69 percent, of respondents indicated “that is a convincing reason to vote against the Chicago United map.”
The memo states: “Perceptions of Madigan aren’t just negative, they are intensely negative — nearly two-thirds (64 percent) give him a strongly unfavorable rating. Negative perceptions of Madigan extend across all regions of the city and important voter subgroups like Democrats (84 percent unfavorable), Independents (85 percent unfavorable), and white voters (91 percent unfavorable).”
And just in case we didn’t get it, the memo continues, “Madigan is nearly universally disliked in Chicago.”
OK, except the Latino Caucus has a Madigan person of their own working on the remap. So, if they go there, the other side may as well and any advantage goes up in smoke.
Locked into a tough primary race for re-election, U.S. Rep. Marie Newman has signed on to legislation that would ban the increasingly controversial practice of members of Congress trading stock in individual companies.
But Newman’s conversion to that issue is recent—very recent. Only in the last month have Newman and her husband voluntarily ceased the practice themselves, this after trading stock worth $5.8 million in 2021. That was enough to rank her ninth among the 535 members of the House and Senate, right behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is eighth. […]
Newman’s campaign says her family’s investment decisions did not affect her public conduct, and there is no direct sign to the contrary. But in 2021, she and her husband, Jim Newman, engaged in numerous trades that involved companies with major issues before Congress.
For instance, according to disclosures tracked by Washington, D.C., website Capitol Trades, they bought or sold tens of thousands of dollars of stock in Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, the three pharmaceutical firms whose anti-COVID vaccines were purchased in large numbers by the federal government after receiving approval from Congress.
* I’ve been asking the Democratic Party of Illinois and others who’ve pledged not to cross the WTTW picket line how far they would go with this, particularly whether they would take questions from WTTW reporters. I asked because I remembered a presidential candidate refused questions from an NBC reporter during a strike at that network several years ago. Most said they were waiting for word from IBEW Local 1220, and now here it is via the state party…
Those honoring the picket line are asked to not have any direct on the record communications with WTTW reporters via phone, email, etc. However, if there is a public press event (e.g. a press conference), WTTW reporters cannot be barred from attending those events.
If candidates choose to answer WTTW’s questions at those public press events, the union will not consider that crossing the picket line, I was also told.
DPI’s spokesperson said today that if candidates ask, they’ll forward the union’s guidance. The governor’s spokesperson says they will comply with the union’s request.
…Adding… Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s spokesperson says she will be complying with the union’s request.
* Gov. JB Pritzker endorsed US Rep. Danny Davis this morning, but the Davis campaign hasn’t yet sent out any sort of notice. They promised me something almost two hours ago, so here’s the take from Davis primary opponent Kina Collins…
Today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that he will be lending his support to Congressman Danny Davis in his re-election. Rep. Davis is being primaried by Kina Collins, a national gun violence prevention advocate, with deep roots on the West Side of Chicago. In response to the endorsement, progressive frontrunner Kina Collins released this statement:
“Over the last year, Danny Davis has shown the voters of IL-7 that he has some powerful friends, but once again, he is more interested in using his favors to strengthen his own grip on power than in securing attention and support for the people in the communities he is supposed to be fighting for. This endorsement is just the latest example.
“The reality is that Rep. Davis is finally starting to recognize how much trouble he’s in. He is inviting big establishment supporters to visit our community months before election day and expects their names to be enough to convince our communities to vote for him. We see Rep. Davis using his political power — not for us, the residents of this district, but to try and save himself.
“We don’t want an establishment-backed candidate who only calls in his political favors to save his seat. The residents in IL-7 deserve someone who can fight and deliver for our district.
“Our district deserves real transformative change and someone with a vision that is ready to fight for them. I am that person for IL-07.”
In the last few months, Kina Collins has earned the endorsement and support from powerhouses including Indivisible, National Organization for Women, The People’s Lobby, Sunrise Movement Chicago, Justice Democrats, and many more. Kina’s broad coalition of endorsements includes many progressive grassroots organizations that are ready to see true leadership in IL-07.
* I told you about this yesterday, but here is Politico’s story…
An unusual petition challenge could see two Democratic Illinois Supreme Court candidates kicked off the ballot.
Lake County Judge Elizabeth Rochford is challenging the petitions of Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering and Kane County Judge Rene Cruz in the Democratic primary battle to fill the vacant 2nd District Supreme Court seat. A few candidates in other Supreme Court races are facing similar challenges.
The challenges have nothing to do with authenticity, which is usually the beef in these cases. Instead, it’s about how many signatures are actually required.
According to Rochford’s elections attorney, Michael Dorf, Rotering and Cruz used numbers from the State Board of Elections that “miscalculated the signature requirements. They read the law in a different way than it should be read,” he told Playbook. Instead of the 334 they thought they needed, Dorf said 791 signatures should be required. Dorf is a high-profile election attorney who represented Lightfoot’s campaign to get on the ballot in 2019.
He says his team followed the statute, used county records that make up the 2nd District, and “did the multiplications and division by one-third” to come up with the numbers.
Rotering’s election attorney, Ed Mullen, says he’s confident “the plain language of the statute” and “relevant legal precedent… support the minimum signature calculation.” Cruz’s attorney didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
On Tuesday, the challenges will be assigned to Election Board hearing officers who will rule on the challenge — which could be appealed by either side and then head to court. If Rochford’s campaign is victorious in kicking her challengers off the ballot, she would bypass a primary and slide into the general election in November.
* HGOPs…
It has now been several weeks since federal prosecutors dropped a 22-count indictment against former Speaker Michael Madigan, following a string of investigations, indictments, arrests, and cover-ups. For many Illinoisans, the stain of corruption on our politics feels like something we may finally be able to remove, but House Democrats who were “made by Madigan” are finding the stain a stubborn blemish they seem unable to hide.
“After years of accepting millions from former Speaker Madigan, Democratic incumbents cannot shake the ghost of their former leader,” said Jayme Siemer, Executive Director of the House Republican Majority. “Now that these made-by-Madigan Democratic House members have primary opponents, will they finally step away from their indicted former leader?”
Among some top Primary Election races, House Democrats have a Madigan problem.
Fran Hurley:
Accepted $201,977 in campaign contributions from Madigan.
Supported Madigan for Speaker FIVE times.
Curtis Tarver:
Accepted $37,167 in campaign contributions from Madigan.
Supported Madigan for Speaker TWO times.
Natalie Manley:
Accepted $584,870 in campaign contributions from Madigan.
Supported Madigan for Speaker FOUR times.
Justin Slaughter:
Accepted $53,065 in campaign contributions from Madigan.
Supported Madigan for Speaker THREE times.
Mike Zalewski:
Accepted $203,934 in campaign contributions from Madigan.
Supported Madigan for Speaker SEVEN times.
Thaddeus Jones:
Accepted $248,732 in campaign contributions from Madigan.
Supported Madigan for Speaker SIX times.
Kathleen Willis:
Accepted $614,156 in campaign contributions from Madigan.
Supported Madigan for Speaker FOUR times.
Led charge against Ethics Reform legislation on the House Floor.
Sonya Harper:
Accepted $76,335 in campaign contributions from Madigan.
Supported Madigan for Speaker THREE times.
Democrats have been silent on these tainted funds, with no indication members will donate these funds to charity, a practice often used by politicians to dispose of funds taken from undesirable sources.
Jesse Sullivan’s campaign released the following statement ahead of an upcoming Prisoner Review Board parole hearing for convicted murderer and rapist Curtis Brownell:
“In 1977 Curtis Brownell kidnapped, raped, and killed Louise Marie Betts. Four months later, he was caught attempting to do the same to a pregnant woman, who he kidnapped, raped, and attempting to kill by running over her over with his car. In addition to these gruesome crimes, he’s admitted to sexual abuse of a child.”
“Because Brownell’s crimes were committed prior to 1978, he is entitled to a parole hearing every 3-5 years. Given the questionable judgement that J.B. Pritzker’s appointed Prisoner Review Board has shown in the past, we urge the Board to stand with the families of his victims and to reject parole for Curtis Brownell. He presents a clear and present danger to society, and he should not be released.”
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx will start asking judges to give early release to some long-serving inmates sent to prison by former administrations under a new resentencing initiative.
The state’s attorney’s office this week filed three resentencing motions, with two more planned for later in the month. Advocates said the hearings, expected next week, will make Cook County the first jurisdiction in Illinois to take advantage of a new state law that empowers prosecutors to identify prisoners whose sentence “no longer advances the interests of justice.”
(a) The purpose of sentencing is to advance public safety through punishment, rehabilitation, and restorative justice. By providing a means to reevaluate a sentence after some time has passed, the General Assembly intends to provide the State’s Attorney and the court with another tool to ensure that these purposes are achieved.
(b) At any time upon the recommendation of the State’s Attorney of the county in which the defendant was sentenced, the State’s Attorney may petition the sentencing court or the sentencing court’s successor to resentence the offender if the original sentence no longer advances the interests of justice. The sentencing court or the sentencing court’s successor may resentence the offender if it finds that the original sentence no longer advances the interests of justice.
(c) Upon the receipt of a petition for resentencing, the court may resentence the defendant in the same manner as if the offender had not previously been sentenced; however, the new sentence, if any, may not be greater than the initial sentence.
(d) The court may consider postconviction factors, including, but not limited to, the inmate’s disciplinary record and record of rehabilitation while incarcerated; evidence that reflects whether age, time served, and diminished physical condition, if any, have reduced the inmate’s risk for future violence; and evidence that reflects changed circumstances since the inmate’s original sentencing such that the inmate’s continued incarceration no longer serves the interests of justice. Credit shall be given for time served.
(e) Victims shall be afforded all rights as outlined in the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act.
(f) A resentencing under this Section shall not reopen the defendant’s conviction to challenges that would otherwise be barred.
(g) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to limit the power of the Governor under the Constitution to grant a reprieve, commutation of sentence, or pardon.
* Excerpt from an op-ed by Alan Spellberg, who left the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office last year...
I believe that judges should deny the petitions and refuse to order resentencing pursuant to the statute because it violates the separation of powers as it improperly delegates the Governor’s exclusive clemency authority to the judiciary. Article II, section 1, of the Illinois Constitution provides that “[t]he legislative, executive and judicial branches are separate. No branch shall exercise powers properly belonging to another.” Furthermore, Article V, section 12 provides that “[t]he Governor may grant reprieves, commutations and pardons, after conviction, for all offenses on such terms as he thinks proper. The manner of applying therefore may be regulated by law.” In construing these provisions, the Illinois Supreme Court has consistently and repeatedly held for nearly 130 years that judges improperly encroach upon the Governor’s exclusive authority whenever they attempt to reduce a convicted defendant’s lawfully imposed sentence based upon post-conviction behavior and circumstances. […]
More recently, the Illinois Supreme Court stated in People ex rel. Madigan v. Snyder, 208 Ill. 2d 457, 472 (2004), that “[o]ur constitution confers the pardoning power upon the executive branch of the State government, and the Governor alone can prevent the infliction of punishment after a legal conviction.” (Emphasis added). Likewise, in People v. Howard, 363 Ill. App. 3d 741 (1st Dist. 2006), the Appellate Court held that the ability to consider a defendant’s post-conviction circumstances as a basis for reducing a valid sentence falls exclusively within the Governor’s clemency power and is beyond the authority of the judiciary. Id. at 751-52. The Howard court explained that “‘[t]o hold *** that the court has power to amend a [valid] sentence after the prisoner has served a part of it would infringe upon the exclusive power of the governor under the Constitution to commute sentence’” (Id. at 751 (quoting People v. Fox, 312 Mich. 577, 581-82, 20 N.W.2d 732, 733 (1945)), because “‘[t]he judicial process ends at sentencing, at which point the executive branch of government takes over and the defendant is directed to the correctional and rehabilitative process. . . . The judiciary phase of the criminal process–imposing a penalty–is complete’”). Id. at 752 (quoting State v. Stenklyft, 281 Wis. 2d 484, 544, 697 N.W.2d 769, 798 (2005)).
* The argument surfaced in a Cook County courtroom yesterday when SA Foxx’s prosecutors presented their first resentencing case…
“It’s constitutional? Takes away the governor’s only right? What he does is resentence people through clemency,” [Cook County Associate Judge Stanley Sacks] said. “… Isn’t that something for the governor to do?”
“That’s one avenue, but that’s mercy. There’s also justice,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Nancy Adduci, who explained that the new law simply “revest(s) jurisdiction” back to the courts so a judge can consider a new sentence.
The effort is also a “re-entry initiative,” Adduci said in court. Prosecutors have identified people who could help them understand the challenges they face upon release from prison; Miles has agreed to collaborate in that effort, and prosecutors have petitioned for his resentencing in part as an incentive for that cooperation, she said.
“We’re trying to improve the fairness of the system,” Adduci said in court. Miles’s sentence was fair at the time Sacks handed it down, she said, but “people change, circumstances change.”
“The question is, has the person been rehabilitated, and can the person help us understand the concept of re-entry … help us understand what people need when they re-enter society,” she said.
“I’m not a social worker,” Sacks said. “All I know is, he commits burglaries … oh, he’s changed in custody? We’ll see.”
Foxx argued resentencing inmates would address “the fact that many Black and Brown people are still incarcerated today under failed policies of the past, even though they have been rehabilitated and pose little threat to public safety,” and save the state money that could be used elsewhere.
But none of the three men prosecutors have motioned for resentencing are expected to be incarcerated past next year. […]
Prosecutors actually had to withdraw one of the three motions Thursday at a different hearing because the defendant will likely be released before the judge would make a ruling.
Assistant State’s Attorney Nancy Adduci told Judge Timothy Joyce that prosecutors had since received “new information” that Roland Reyes was expected to get out of prison as early as next week after serving his full sentence for an aggravated robbery conviction.
She’s causing all this uproar over three people who are getting out soon anyway?
*** UPDATE 1 *** Foxx is getting plenty of attention, but a white, tough on crime state’s attorney in Will County actually brought the first such case and almost nobody has noticed…
Cole, 38, is the first person in Illinois to have his prison sentence reconsidered in part with new powers granted to prosecutors under SB2129 — an amendment to the state’s criminal code that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law last summer. It allows prosecutors to ask judges to revise sentences when “the original sentence no longer advances the interests of justice.” […]
Still, the law is being cited for the first time, in Cole’s case, by Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow — a seven-term incumbent Democrat with a tough-on-crime reputation.
In 2003, a jury convicted Cole of first-degree murder and attempted murder stemming from a shooting at a busy intersection in Joliet, just 6 miles from Stateville’s doors, according to court records. Cole was driving a car with another man, Travaris Guy, in the passenger seat. They were stopped at a traffic light next to another vehicle when Guy shot at the people inside — killing 39-year-old David Woods and wounding his 19-year-old daughter, according to court records. […]
“Guy’s testimony established that he acted with an unreasonable belief of self-defense so that the shooting was not a first-degree murder,” Glasgow wrote in his motion asking Will County Judge Daniel Kennedy to recall Cole’s case. “Obviously, this evidence was not available to Cole during his trial, and the result is that Cole is serving a sentence for a first degree murder that never occurred.” […]
The court hearing in late February that cut Cole’s sentence by two-thirds was brief. Cole spoke tearfully about his past and the future.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Restore Justice…
Our view is that the Resentencing Initiative codified already existing revestment powers.
The group sent along a link to this story from 2019, before the bill was passed and signed into law…
The first inmate released based on a petition from the Illinois Prison Project walked out of the Lake County jail Wednesday after a judge agreed to shave the end of his sentence, due in part to the inmate’s failing health.
Larry Hayes, now 82, has early dementia and worsening glaucoma, according to family members and Jennifer Soble, executive director of the Chicago-based Illinois Prison Project. […]
Michael Melius, chief of prosecution protocol and conviction review for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, said that after Soble petitioned for Hayes’ release, the case was reviewed by State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim, who then asked Melius to review it as well.
Melius said it was decided not to object to the petition in the case of Hayes due to his age, physical status and the fact that he had served the vast majority of his sentence, factoring in the time off for good behavior. He had been scheduled for release in December 2020.
“It wasn’t like someone just saying, ‘I’m old and I want to get out,’” Melius said, in stressing such releases are not routine.
Lawmakers at the state Capitol have been working to find a solution to a $4.5 billion problem. The state’s unemployment insurance trust fund, the pool of money used to pay out unemployment insurance benefits, sank $4.5 billion into debt during the pandemic.
On Thursday, the Senate gave final approval to paying $2.7 billion of funds from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act to address the problem, though it still leaves the fund $1.8 billion in the hole.
The funding is coming through a piece of legislation, SB 2803, sponsored by Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, and Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora. Both hold leadership roles in the General Assembly’s budgeting and financial process.
The bill passed the House of Representatives on a 68-43 vote Wednesday night with solely Democratic support. It passed the Senate Thursday afternoon on a 39-16 vote. It now goes to the governor for final approval.
The measure also would use about $1.4 billion in surplus state funds to pay off old employee health insurance bills, shore up a college savings plan that has been headed toward insolvency and make additional deposits into the state’s woefully underfunded pension plans. […]
But Republicans, who since last spring have repeatedly criticized the majority party for not addressing the unemployment fund debt in the current year’s $42 billion operating budget, maintained that only about $1.2 billion of the federal relief money has actually been spent. That would leave enough to cover the full unemployment fund debt if the other allocations were abandoned. […]
Ongoing negotiations with business and labor groups over separate legislation to fill the remaining insurance fund hole have touched on the possibility of issuing bonds that likely would be repaid through increased payroll taxes on businesses and reduced or shortened benefits.
Republicans urged reallocating other ARPA funds, particularly a $1 billion sum allocated last year to capital projects, to pay down the entire debt to stave off the negative consequences for employers and workers.
Republican Senators, in a Thursday news conference after the vote, did not identify any other ARPA funds that they would like to see reallocated to be put toward the trust fund. […]
Democrats called their action a fiscally prudent measure that goes a long way to addressing the trust fund problem while allowing other necessary expenditures of ARPA funds.
“You know as well as I do that we’ve used the ARPA funding during this emergency to support those institutions and those businesses who have been on the frontlines and delivering health care in our communities,” Harris said in response to Republican criticisms Wednesday.
He pointed to spending for hospitals, nursing homes and purchases of personal protective equipment, as well as trust fund payments to gig workers and increased unemployment payments to workers which were paid by the federal government.
The Gray TV Illinois Capitol Bureau asked Democratic leaders if they considered running two separate bills to have more bipartisan support. Gov. JB Pritzker said it doesn’t make sense to see Republicans vote against a bill that could help address debt and help businesses in the long run.
“On the Republican side, it seems like they have perhaps more support from big business,” Pritzker said Thursday. “And I would just say that businesses across the state, small and large, benefited mightily from the work that was done through this bill to reduce their tax burden.” […]
Sen. Win Stoller (R-Peoria) said this will still create one of the “largest tax increases on employers in Illinois history.” He said the move to only use $2.7 billion from the ARPA funds to address the debt will cause significant benefit cuts for unemployed Illinoisans. Stoller said the state will try to borrow money to get out of the problem through bonding and create more debt.
“That’s one, actually, that we know how to do in this state, and that’s going into debt,” Stoller said. “Even with all of our practice going into debt, we’re even screwing that up. If we had decided to bond just six months ago, and had gone down that path, we would be facing an interest rate of about 1.5 percent.”
Pritzker said he’ll sign the partial payment as soon as the bill hits his desk, even as early as Thursday evening, saying it will be “between labor and business to decide how we’re going to pay off any deficit that exists.”
State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said Republicans support paying down debt, but they want to pay down the whole debt. Not doing so could lead to tax increases on businesses, benefit cuts for the unemployed and continued interest payments that taxpayers would be responsible for.
“They’ve had $16 billion [of federal COVID-19 tax funds] over the last two years and they couldn’t fix this,” Rose said during a news conference.
It’s now up to business and labor groups to negotiate how to plug the gap.
* On to press releases. The most important is this one from the Joint Employers…
The Joint Employers have released the following statement regarding today’s vote to ease the deficit facing the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund:
“Today’s vote will inject $2.7 billion from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) into the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Illinois employers appreciate the Governor and members of the General Assembly for taking this positive step in addressing the massive $4.5 billion in outstanding debt. We’re hopeful that negotiations will continue to resolve the remaining balance of this unprecedented deficit.”
The Joint Employers include the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Businesses of Illinois and the Associated General Contractors of Illinois.
* Comptroller Mendoza…
“I’d like to join business and civic groups around Illinois praising the General Assembly and Governor Pritzker for a great step in the right direction to responsibly pay down $4 billion of Illinois’ bills with the passage of SB 2803 today.
• The bill spares Illinois businesses an onerous tax hike by devoting a larger-than-expected $2.7 billion in federal ARPA funds – more than our neighboring states – toward paying off Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund advances.
• It allocates $900 million to address legacy debt for state employee health insurance – money that previous administrations have kicked the can on from one budget to the next.
• It provides $300 million extra to the state’s pension funds, which will reduce the pension shortfall by $1 billion between now and 2045.
• And there’s $230 million to pay off the College Illinois tuition program, saving taxpayers $75 million.
This is the kind of responsible budgeting that will keep those first-in-20-years credit upgrades coming for Illinois.
I will continue to work with Illinois’ congressional delegation on their effort to extend the interest waiver on the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, saving state taxpayers an estimated $70 million or more in interest.”
* Senate GOP Leader McConchie…
“Illinois has long been known for its financial issues, and today’s decision to leave a large hole in the unemployment trust fund is just another example of how Democrats continue to mismanage this state. Despite this payment, Illinois still has the fourth largest deficit in the country and is left with the second largest shortfall in state history. The impact this will have on employers across the state will be devastating. To no fault of their own, they were forced to lay off workers and close their doors, and will now be on the hook to pay for the unemployment costs ensued by the pandemic and the fraud that engulfed the Department of Employment Security. These industries and their workers deserve better, but they were failed today.”
* DPI…
Today, the Illinois Senate joined the Illinois House of Representatives in passing SB 2803 to pay off over $4 billion in debts, support working families, and help get our state’s finances back on track. Statehouse Democrats passed the legislation without a single Republican vote, which will help pay down Illinois’ unemployment insurance trust fund debt by using funding provided by the American Rescue Plan…which Congressional Democrats also passed without a single Republican vote last year.
“First, Congressional Republicans voted against the American Rescue Plan to deliver relief to small businesses, working families, and state and local governments. Now, statehouse Republicans—including 2022 statewide candidates Darren Bailey, Tom Demmer, and Avery Bourne—have voted against using those dollars to pay down our state’s debts in a fiscally responsible way,” said Jake Lewis, Deputy Director of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “Bruce Rauner’s fiscal mismangement racked up billions in unpaid bills and nearly plunged our state into junk status. Thankfully, Democrats are working to put Illinois’ finances back on track and move our state forward—no thanks to a single Illinois Republican.”
* Sen. DeWitte…
On Thursday, Senate Democrats passed an ill-advised and incomplete plan to address the state’s multi-billion-dollar Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit. Following the party-line vote, State Senator Donald DeWitte (R-St. Charles) issued the following statement:
“It’s incredibly disingenuous for Governor Pritzker and his Democrat legislative leaders to paint this vote as a victory. This action will lead to the largest tax increase on jobs in Illinois history. Employers who have been treated poorly and with complete disregard throughout the pandemic will be left holding the bag and left responsible for filling the remaining multi-billion-dollar deficit in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
“Responsible states across the nation took their federal ARPA funds and prioritized the replenishment of their states’ unemployment insurance funds, but not Illinois. Governor Pritzker and legislative Democrats made a conscious choice to use the majority of the ARPA funds on pork projects and other election year gimmickry to buy support and votes from constituents in an election year.
“Yet again, Governor Pritzker and the Democrats are turning their backs on the business community. Their action guarantees a significant tax increase on every Illinois job through higher employment insurance costs, and a decrease in benefits for every Illinois worker. Especially as we head towards what many believe will be another recession, when unemployed workers turn to Illinois’ unemployment system, their benefits will be reduced due to the greed shown by the majority party. Even if the majority party chooses to borrow funds to plug some or part of the remaining hole, the result is the same: a huge tax increase and millions and millions in new interest costs.”
* DGA…
Last night Richard Irvin’s running mate and Ken Griffin’s handpicked Lt. Gov. candidate Avery Bourne voted against legislation to pay off $4.1 billion in debt and accomplish several key goals laid out by Gov. JB Pritzker in his budget proposal.
Since March, Irvin’s Rauner Reboot costar has refused to engage in good faith on legitimate solutions to help working families deal with the challenges caused by the pandemic, and yesterday’s vote is no exception.
Bourne won’t address the multi-billion-dollar deficit in the unemployment insurance trust fund, and she’s made it clear that she’d rather see working families and small businesses suffer than work with the governor to find bipartisan solutions to the challenges Illinoisans face today.
Meanwhile, after decades of fiscal mismanagement, Gov. Pritzker is righting the wrongs of previous administrations. He passed balanced budgets, eliminated the state’s nearly $17 billion backlog in unpaid bills, and continues to lead Illinois on a path toward fiscal stability.
“Between misleading voters on the campaign trail, avoiding reporters, and voting against legislation that will lead to fiscal stability, Richard Irvin and Avery Bourne will have a lot of explaining to do ahead of the messy GOP primary,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “No matter what they say, the Republican gubernatorial candidates are not in the party of fiscal responsibility.”
* Sen. Bryant…
On March 24, Senate Democrats rammed through legislation that underfunds the state’s massive $4.5 billion Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund deficit that State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) is calling both ill-advised and financially irresponsible.
Senate Bill 2803 appropriates only $2.7 billion from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 funds for the state’s UI Trust Fund. Sen. Bryant noted that the late additions in the bill, including roughly $1.4 billion of the state’s General Revenue Fund for paying old health insurance bills, a $300 million boost to pension payments, and paying more than $200 million in College Illinois debt, were positive proposals that could have easily gained bipartisan support if they had not been lumped with the shortchanging of the UI Trust Fund.
“This proposal will still leave our state’s UI Trust Fund with a $1.8 billion debt that will force businesses to fill that hole by either paying the highest business tax increase in recent Illinois history or cutting benefits to workers. Instead of using our federally gifted funds to fix this problem, we continued to delay which allowed the debt to grow,” said Sen. Bryant. “By shortchanging the UI Trust Fund, we are going to harm the people who need the most help within our state. This will hurt our hospitality and restaurant industry, an industry who is still struggling to recover from the Governor’s imposed shutdowns, more than anyone else.”
The state of Illinois received $8.1 billion of ARPA funds from the federal government, which was designed to be used to for COVID-19 relief and help with economic recovery. The federal government approved ARPA funds to be used on items like the UI Trust Fund, which prompted several states to use their APRA dollars to fully fund their own deficits.
“What Democrats did today is simply not right. It’s wrong for our state to lay the burden of fixing this problem on our state’s employers when they did absolutely nothing to create the debt. It’s even more disgraceful that Democrats decided to force this upon them when our state was given nearly double the amount of funds needed to replenish this deficit.” continued Sen. Bryant. “We could’ve and should’ve avoided this by allocating some of the billions of federal dollars we got from the federal government last year. However, when we asked Democrats and the Governor to put the federal dollars into the trust fund, they chose to ignore us and claimed we had plenty of time to address the problem. Now, a year later, we are being told by those same people that we are out of time and that this is the best that our state can do.”
* Quotes from Gov. Pritzker’s press release…
“We are continuing our responsible use of federal dollars by providing $2.7 billion in tax relief to businesses and benefit protections for workers,” said Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). “At the same time, our investments in college savings, health insurance and the retirement security of teachers, prison guards, state troopers and university workers will again demonstrate strength through stability for the hard-working people of our great state.”
“This is what fiscal responsibility looks like,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Hillside). “We’re putting $4 billion toward our state liabilities and saving taxpayers more than a billion dollars. It’s disappointing that every Republican voted against this responsible legislation, but I’m proud Democrats are united in building a strong financial future for Illinois.”
“This General Assembly has made a firm commitment to paying down debt,” said Assistant Majority Leader Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago). “By dedicating $2.7 billion to the unemployment trust fund, we are not only doubling down on that commitment, we are protecting employers from higher taxes and employees from benefit cuts.”
““I’m proud of this unprecedented change to catch up on some outstanding debts to continue improving our state’s credit standing,” said Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora). “Allotting $2.7 billion to the Unemployment Trust Fund, as well as substantial earmarks for group health insurance bills, the College Illinois Program and extra pension payments, is a big step to boost our fiscal standing. It also provides a sense of security for Illinois residents, including current and retired state workers and their families.”
“With this legislation, the State of Illinois is living up to its obligations, paying off billions in debt and making sure working families aren’t left footing the bill,” said Majority Leader Greg Harris (D-Chicago). “This is what responsible leadership looks like and I’m grateful to Governor Pritzker and Democrats in the General Assembly for coming to the table and getting this done.
With our budgets balanced and our bills paid, Illinois is on its best fiscal footing in years,” said Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville). “This legislation builds on that incredible progress, paying off billions in debt, some of it many years-old, and leaving our state better off for future generations.
“I’ve always been a strong advocate of balanced budgets, and today Illinois Democrats have done even more than simply balance our budget – we’ve paid down $4.1 billion in debt,” said Assistant Majority Leader Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston). “Our efforts today mean taxpayers will save billions over the long run, and comes with the peace of mind that we’re putting our fiscal house back in order.”
“This is a $4.1 billion down payment on the future Illinois residents deserve,” said Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans, Jr. (D-Chicago). “We’ve put the state in the best fiscal position it’s been in since the 21st century – and we did so while continuing to prioritize the other key investments we’re making in a strong state.
“At a time when Illinois families are experiencing rising costs in their everyday lives, it’s never been more important to put the interests of taxpayers first – and that’s what Democrats in the statehouse did today,” said Assistant Majority Leader Elizabeth Hernandez (D-Cicero). “We’re paying off $4.1 billion now, saving hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and putting Illinois families first.”
“This bill is the right thing to do for businesses, labor organizations and everyday Illinoisans,” said Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr. (D-Chicago), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I want people to know that if they need temporary help providing for their families, no matter the reason, Illinois has their back. Paying down debt, making additional pension payments and fully funding Illinois Colleges is the fiscally responsible move that could lead to another credit upgrade.”
“I’ve said before that it’s a hard truth for some, but Illinois’ fiscal condition is in its best shape since September of 2001, and I’m incredibly proud to be part of the team that is making this historic debt payment,” said Representative Michael J. Zalewski (D-Riverside). “Everyone from ratings agencies to the Civic Federation is right to praise Illinois for the steps we’re taking to put our fiscal house in order, and I’m committed to continuing this work with next year’s budget.
“Democrats in the statehouse are proving that we can invest in justice, education, and opportunity while also being responsible with our resources,” said Representative William Davis (D-East Hazel Crest). “Illinoisans can be proud to know that our state is in its best fiscal shape in decades – and we’ll use the rest of session to bring more progress to working people.”
*** UPDATE *** The governor signed the bill just now…
Governor Pritzker today signed SB2803, which pays off $4.1 billion in debt and saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in interest payments. The Governor and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly gathered Thursday to celebrate the passage of the unprecedented measure, noting that watchdog groups like Civic Federation are praising the fact that Illinois is “in a much stronger financial position than it has been for many years” under Governor Pritzker’s prudent leadership and partnership with the General Assembly.
