* Last week, Darren Bailey reported raising just $1,000. This week, he’s reported $26,000 in contributions, including $1K from state GOP Chair Don Tracy and his spouse. If Bailey keeps up that blistering pace, he’ll raise another $300,000 by election day. By contrast, state House Democratic candidate Sharon Chung reported $119,800 in cash receipts this week.
Republican Mark Curran faces Democratic Judge Elizabeth Rochford in the race. As you know, a lawsuit has been filed to strike down the Illinois statute barring out of state and dark money contributions to judicial races. But it’s always possible, I guess, that Leonard Leo could take some of that $1.6 billion from Chicago businessperson Barre Seid and spend it on independent expenditures here. Leo has displayed a keen interest in state court races.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker visited Charleston on Thursday at the Charleston Carnegie Public Library on his way down to the DuQuoin State Fair.
While Pritzker was at the library, an event hosted by the Coles County Democrats, Pritzker urged Democrats in Coles County to vote in the upcoming general election because of what the future may look like for Democrats following the election.
âIâm so excited for this election because I know we can win, but itâs going to be a fight,â Pritzker said. â⌠Hate is on the ballot in Illinois this year. Hate has no place in Illinois.â
Charleston native Kim Miller, who was among the Bailey supporters, said she was motivated to turn out in protest by several concerns, including her opposition to abortion and to school sex education programs that promote gender transition medical measures to students. She added, “Those young people are vulnerable at that stage in life.”
Miller said she also has safety concerns about the criminal justice reform SAFE-T Act, particularly a provision that limits officers responding to criminal trespass incidents to issuing citations instead of being able to remove the trespasser. In addition, Miller said she disagrees with Pritzker’s COVID-19 closures of schools and the subsequent masking requirements for returning students.
“If we don’t stand up for our kids, what kind of nation are we leaving them,” Miller said.
Frustration with the state’s COVID-19 response was also voiced by The Body Club owner James Di Naso from Charleston when he stood up from his chair inside the banquet hall and shouted, “You shut down my gym during COVID,” as Pritzker began his remarks at the Coles County Democrats gathering. Di Naso was then removed from the banquet hall by some of the attendees around him.
* From Dan Proft’s PAC…
IL State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D) joined Dan & Amy’s Chicago radio show this morning with an interesting perspective on the People Who Play By The Rules PAC “Summer Of Joy” ad controversy: the most offensive thing of all was Lightfoot’s comments on the ad, specifically regarding “darker” skin being somehow “bad.”
..
Transcript beginning at ~8:43AM CST 8/25/2022 on AM 560 WIND Chicago:
Proft: âSo what about that, what about the assertion that Lightfoot made?â
Ford: âWell I mean of course we live in America, people can make assertions all they want. Iâve been in politics for over 15 years and it’s the job of the opponent to put out ads that they see and as a candidate, I mean, you have to have tough skin if you’re in politics especially if you’re playing at the level of mayor. And I really really think that you have to pick your battles and this is not the battle that I think we need to be focusing on as a negative. I don’t need anybody saying the darker you look, the more dangerous you are. That’s bad. And so I find it offensive that we focus on saying that that’s an ugly vision of a person because that person is darker.
Proft: Thatâs what Lori Lightfoot said.
Ford: âYeah, that’s what I mean. I findâŚit takes us back. You know, in America where you have images of black people that have, you knowâŚpeople have been discriminated because of darker skin, and so even if you had intentions on whatever, you pick your battles, and to say that because you made me [Lightfoot] darker, that means ‘I’m scary to white people.’ Thatâs not right. And so what we need to do is embrace all colors.
âYou can’t expect your opponent to put you in the best light when they’re trying to defeat you. I know this. You know, so you’re not going to give her best image for ads that you’re trying to convey a message. Now, if you’re trying to convey a message that she’s darker than she is, and that makes her bad, then thatâs your prerogative, but I don’t see how being darker makes the Mayor of the city of Chicago threatening to white suburbia.â
Proft: âIt’s also so ridiculous because it’s like, everybody knows who she is and what her skin color is, this is not like a controversy, it’s not the topic of discussion which is why I can never even conceive of this allegation being made. This is like JB Pritzker arguing about being presented as âfatâ on screen, like âOh no you know you got me from the wrong angle, you made me look fatâ I mean it’s justâŚeverybody knows the physical characteristics of people who have been omnipresent in our lives particularly because of the every other day press conferences we had for two years during the pandemic, so it’s just silliness to suggest that I’m now I’m introducing a figure that people don’t know anything about in order to ’scare’ people.â
Ford: âRight. Let me tell you, and this is the truth, whether you’re a white person or black person, when you go into your Secretary of State office, go take a passport picture, and go do anything, everyone wants their picture to look pretty accurate and even in hands to make them look better. But you don’t come out against the color of your skin when it could really make a person that color be offended. I mean, the color you had her in, is just a little shade darker than me, and so we cannot playâŚeven if you are offended you have to have thicker skin to avoid that issue, I mean, you just can’t do it.”
Amy: âDo you think the black community is upset at all with this ad?â
Ford: âYou know, I don’t think so. So I don’t think the black community is upset, I mean we’ve seen, when I think about ads that have been put forth, I’ve seen ads of white people darkened too…I’ve seen it happen. Now, we know that there is such thing as racism, and there’s such thing as you know in society that you want to make people look scary…you know I mean just gotta have tough skin and pick your battles and this is not one that you go into to highlight, to make it you [Lightfoot] as a person confirming that ‘because I’m darker, I’m scarier’âŚthatâs her confirming that because she’s darker, she’s scarier. She validatedâŚeven if you had intentions on making that assumption, she validated it. And that’s offensive.â
…
They went on to debate the merits of the highly controversial SAFE-T Act through the top of the hour.
* The Daily Herald looks at campaign contributions made by Richard Uihlein this cycle…
⢠State Sen. Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods, whose campaign received $277,137.
⢠Kane County treasurer candidate Chris Lauzen of Aurora, who received $15,000.
⢠DuPage County Board candidate Annette Corrigan of Wheaton, whose campaign received $2,500.
⢠Lake County sheriff candidate Mark Vice II of Round Lake, who got $3,000.
A recent audit of the Illinois Treasurerâs office shows several accounts understated $1.6 billion.
The report from the Auditor General for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021, said testing of financial statements show uncorrected duplicate deposits between the treasurerâs office and the office of the Illinois Comptroller.
âIt was determined only the duplicate deposit portion of the reconciling items would have been double counted in the available cash balance reported by the [comptroller],â the report said.
The report was released in June and said state law requires financial reporting to be âproperly recorded and accounted for to permit the preparation of accounts and reliable financial and statistical reports to maintain accountability over the Stateâs resources.â […]
State Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, who is challenging Frerichs in the November election, advocates to combine the treasurer and comptroller offices.
âBut one thing thatâs concerning with this I think is that after the auditor general has laid out, again, a repeat audit finding, repeated from last year, we only get a cursory explanation,â Demmer told The Center Square.
* Ma’am, it’s Du Quoin, not DeQuoin….
Illinois Republican U.S. Senate nominee Kathy Salvi will attend the following upcoming public events as she campaigns throughout Illinois. […]
Tuesday, August 30:
12:00pm CT: Kathy Salvi will participate in Republican Day at the DeQuoin State Fair.
Location:
DeQuoin State Fairgrounds
655 Executive Drive
DeQuoin, IL
…Adding… MISO says there have been no brownouts anywhere in its territory this summer, contrary to Darren Bailey’s claims of a brownout in his district…
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, is the federally-regulated regional transmission organization that serves 15 states including most of Illinois outside of the Chicago area.
The grid operator told me they had no knowledge of any âbrownouts,â which is a term it does not use.
âAs of Friday, August 26, MISO has been in normal operating conditions for the entire month,â a spokesperson said. âNone of our emergency operating conditions this summer have resulted in power interruptions.â
* More…
* Pritzker preaches policy priorities to packed UI crowd: âThey want to distract us into believing that gay marriage, and Black history, Disney World, and library books are somehow more of a threat to our lives than AR-15s and ghost guns,â Pritzker said. âWe are not going to let anyone put the LGBTQ+ community back into a closet. We wonât let anyone take away the civil rights and economic rights owed to our Black and Brown citizens. And we are never, ever going back on a womanâs right to choose.â
Billionaire Ken Griffin revealed in these pages that he pitched Pritzker with a plan to move public employees into the federal Social Security system (they currently donât participate).
Teachers and university employees don’t participate in Social Security, but most other public employees do, including state employees. We covered this a couple weeks ago.
We’ll have more on this goofy editorial later today.
…Adding… Frank Manzo III in comments…
Problems with the Editorial:
1. Only certain public employees in Illinois donât receive Social Security, as Rich mentioned.
2. The Editorial Board says the stateâs five pension funds âhave just 42.4% of the needed fundsâ but, as the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability notes, âa more realistic valuation of the true financial position of the State retirement systems would be based upon the market value of the assetsâ and that was at 46.5%. Not a huge difference, but still a more accurate number which an Editorial Board may be better off using.
https://cgfa.ilga.gov/Upload/1121%20SPECIAL%20PENSION%20BRIEFING.pdf
3. Itâs a little shortsighted. The Editorial acknowledges that pensions produced a 7.8% annualized gain from 2011 through 2021. Do they think the market was positive every single year in there? Because the stock market declined in calendar year 2018. It also fell very far in 2020, as we may remember. Then something crazy happened both times: it rebounded. The Editorialâs doom-and-gloom almost acts as if this yearâs dip is here to stay forever. But the market will rebound. (If it doesnât, we have far bigger problems than just public pensions.) And there is no real reason to assume that the long-term annualized rate of return from 2022-2032 will be dramatically lower than the 2011-2021 rate of 7.8%.
4. The Editorial doesnât mention the $500 million in supplemental contributions that the State is making to pensions. Why? Maybe mention it as a good example of paying down debt and encourage more of it every year after.
5. The point that a âfederal bailoutâ would be âunfair to the rest of the countryâ⌠First, thereâs no serious proposal to do this as far as I am aware, so it is a canard. Second, our neighbor Kentucky (as an example) has a similar pension problem too, so itâs not like Illinois would be the only state to gain if something like that ever did happen. Third, smaller states like Virginia, Maryland, and Arizona get billions more in Department of Defense spending annually than Illinois. Illinois is the 5th largest economy but gets the 19th most military spending. Does the Tribune think that is âunfairâ to its home state? Obviously, thatâs just one example, but the âunfairâ claim can be made about a lot (but not all) federal policies from which Illinois benefits far less.
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2819472/dod-releases-report-on-defense-spending-by-state-in-fiscal-year-2020/
Look, the median age of an Illinois resident is about 38 years old. That means the typical person living in the state was 10 years old when the Pension Ramp was passed in 1994. The majority of people living in the state (and a huge chunk of voters) were either not alive or not old enough to vote back then. We didnât create the Ramp or the underfunded pensions, but we are the ones who are going to make full pension payments and solve this problem so it doesnât carry on to our children.
* More about the Farm Bureau’s candidate forum from Mike Miletich…
Senate candidates also had their chance to speak with farmers about their plans to improve the quality of life and business for farm families. Republican Kathy Salvi told farmers that she wants to be the go-to person in the Senate for agribusiness. Salvi claimed that Democratic policies like the Inflation Reduction Act will devastate farms and small businesses in Illinois. She also argued the country needs to stop having a top-down government model that intrudes on families and farmers.
âWe just want to be free to be able to run our homes, and our businesses, and our farms ourselves,â Salvi said. âWe donât need Big Brother telling us how to do it, to overregulate our small businesses and our farms.â
However, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) explained she personally fought to include $500 million in the Inflation Reduction Act for biofuel production. Duckworth feels the country should continue to lead by using cleaner fuel that comes from corn and soybeans grown in the Midwest. […]
Duckworth said she is optimistic about the 2023 farm bill, partially because of work done for the Inflation Reduction Act.
âWe put a lot of environmental stuff in there, so the environmental groups are really pretty happy with us right now,â Duckworth said. âI think that takes the pressure off trying to make the farm bill an environmental bill when it shouldnât be. It should be an ag bill.â
Agricultural groups are closely watching a U.S. Supreme Court case involving Waters of the U.S., or WOTUS.
The case centers on homeowners who were ordered to stop building on a piece of property they owned in Idaho because the wetlands on the property were determined to fall under waters of the U.S. and were protected by the Clean Water Act.
Duckworth urged protecting the environment from farm chemical runoff, but she said there must be trust in farmers.
âHalf of them use well water for their own homes, if they poison the ground, they are poisoning their own water. Theyâre not going to do that,â Duckworth said.
Salvi said water does not need to fall under federal regulation.
âTo expand the definition of a field that can be EPA regulated to that particular farm parcel, it puts a vice over that farmerâs ability to run their business,â Salvi said.
As Granite City residents prepare for a pending plan to end steel production in the city, which will cost the area nearly 1,000 jobs, officials are making contingency plans. One such plan is to work toward bringing new businesses to Granite City, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said in a press conference Monday she has spoken with global appliance company LG Corp. about establishing itself in the region. âI recently was in Taiwan and South Korea where I had conversations with Samsung and LG and S.K. and one of those organizations, LG, has been really interested in coming to Illinois, especially this part of Illinois, because of our proximity to the Mississippi and the availability of sending goods and services down the Mississippi, where they like the fact that Illinois can be carbon neutral in terms of the energy that we have,â Duckworth said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence was in Chicago on Wednesday to headline a fundraiser for Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin.
It was exclusive: The event was hosted by DRW trading firmâs Don Wilson and drew a small group of high-level GOP donors, according to a person in the room. […]
Durkin has headed House Republicans for nearly a decade and is expected to run again for the post in January.
Still, thereâs already been some angling to find a challenger to head the party. The thinking is that itâs time to think for a successor.
Sharks in the water. Thereâs talk that someone could challenge Durkin. One name that’s popped up is Republican state Rep. Tim Ozinga. Asked by Playbook if heâs running, Ozinga hedged: âRight now, all of my energy is focused on getting Republicans in the state legislature out of the super minority.â
* Press release…
Today, the Human Rights Campaign PAC (HRC PAC) announced its endorsement of nine additional pro-equality candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives running for election in 2022.
U.S. House Candidates Endorsed by HRC Today:
Jevin Hodge (AZ-1)
Delia Ramirez (IL-3)
Nikki Budzinski (IL-13)
Eric Sorensen (IL-17) […]
Human Rights Campaign Interim President Joni Madison released the following statement:
âThe Human Rights Campaign is proud to endorse pro-equality candidates who will promote and defend LGBTQ+ equality in the U.S. House of Representatives. At a time when the LGBTQ+ community faces relentless attacks from extremist elected officials across the country, we know that this diverse group of candidates will be champions for equality and freedom.â
âThese leaders have continuously expressed their commitment to standing up for equality. Once elected, we are confident that they will stand up for their constituents, and all Americans.â
Today, on Ukrainian Independence Day, numerous individual leaders within the Ukrainian American diaspora in Illinois announced their strong support for Congressman Krishnamoorthi, thanking him for his work to bolster Ukraineâs defenses in the U.S. Congress and for his strong presence in the Ukrainian American community throughout the City of Chicago and Illinois.
âToday marks the 31st anniversary of Ukrainian Independence from Soviet Union oppression,â said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (U.S. House Intelligence Committee, Congressional Ukrainian Caucus). âBut this year, we celebrate with a heavy heart as our friends and allies in Ukraine continue to battle against Russiaâs vicious, imperialistic invasion. I remain committed to standing with Ukraine, supporting the Ukrainian American diaspora in Illinois, and am honored to be declared the preferred candidate in this race based on my track record of advocacy to bolster Ukraineâs defenses during this immense time of need.â
âCongressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has been a strong supporter of US assistance to Ukraine in the brutal, unprovoked war with Russia,â said Marta Farion, Vice President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), Illinois Division, member of national board of UCCA, and President of the Kyiv Mohyla University Foundation of America. âUkrainian Americans appreciate all that he has been doing in Congress to ensure Ukraine has the means to defend herself from the aggressor.â
âCongressman Krishnamoorthi must be given recognition for his outspoken position regarding the unprecedented and continuous Russian attacks on Ukraine,â said Maria Korkatsch-Groszko, Ph.D., UCCA treasurer, Professor Emerita, Northeastern Illinois University; and Commissioner, Illinois Holocaust & Genocide Commission. âHe has openly characterized the targeted killing of Ukrainian civilians, elected leaders and the mass assassination of political dissidents as criminal and in violation of international law. He is firm in his conviction that, those engaged in these genocidal acts must be accountable for their atrocities. His continued efforts on different levels of support of President Zelensky and his democratically-elected government and the people of Ukraine is much appreciated.â
âI had the pleasure of meeting Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi several times at various functions held by the Ukrainian Community,â said Peggy Chryssikos, Community Advocate. âI was touched by his care and concern for the Ukrainian people. I highly endorse Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on his bid for re-election to Congress in the 8th District.â
* Sen. Darren Bailey at yesterday’s Farm Bureau candidate forum…
But here’s the topic especially on my mind: Skyrocketing energy costs and the fear of brownouts. Illinois [garbled video transmission] but with our power situation the way it is, it’s starting to look like that. I had several counties in my district two weeks ago that went through a three-hour brownout. First time ever. It’s coming. It’s preventable. And it’s got to be addressed.
GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey slammed Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his allies for laughing off the idea that residents of Illinois might experience brownouts.
On Saturday afternoon, this is exactly what residents of rural Wayne and White Counties had to deal with as they endured a three-hour brownout on July 30.
Brownouts are described as âa period of reduced voltage of electricity caused especially by high demand and resulting in reduced illumination.”
âWe were warned brownouts could be a possibility this summer and those warnings have come true,â Bailey, a state senator from Xenia, said.
Bailey said what is happening is a failure of leadership.
âThese brownouts are the direct result of poor leadership and bad policies. JB Pritzker has prioritized his far-Left agenda over the energy needs of Illinois residents. Because of the policies at the federal level and radical initiatives in states like Illinois, there is no incentive for investments in existing power plants and this has resulted in the early closure of power plants, which in turn has resulted in a strain on the power grid. There simply is more demand for power than the amount of power available,â he said.
* So, I asked my associate Isabel Miller to go through the Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative’s Facebook page and look for any posts about brownouts. She scrolled back to June and found nothing. Isabel then called the electric coop and spoke to Kandras Kunkel, who said the two counties have not experienced any brownouts this year. Kunkel attributed any power outages to storms or falling trees.
Kunkel also said that the Bailey campaign had called earlier today to ask the very same question.
Bailey said that [CEJA] has led to a threat of brownouts in areas of downstate Illinois that are part of the MISO regional transmission organization that purchases energy capacity for 15 states. MISO representatives, however, testified at a committee hearing earlier this year that the early retirement of out-of-state fossil fuel plants, not the passage of CEJA, led to higher downstate energy prices and warnings of potential brownouts. [Emphasis added]
Sigh.
* Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
From claiming we donât need any more laws, to falsely hypothesizing about an apocalyptic transition to green energy, it is abundantly clear Darren Bailey lacks the policy knowledge to lead this state. In addition to incorrectly suggesting there were brownouts occurring across the state, Bailey also repeatedly disparaged the city of Chicago, and misquoted Abraham Lincoln. This is not someone who can lead Illinois. Period.
Abraham Lincoln told us that If we ever falter and lose our freedoms, it won’t be from outside forces, it’d be cause we allowed it to happen from within.
At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.
Close enough.
…Adding… Bailey campaign…
We all want a cleaner planet but not at the cost of unaffordable utility bills for families and wrecking our energy grid. Pritzkerâs plan is too extreme and is putting communities at risk for brown and blackouts.
The unofficial start to campaign season is less than two weeks away, and Illinois’ candidates for governor are starting to ramp up their campaign appearances and, inevitably, their fundraising.
As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported Wednesday, the campaign war chests for Gov. JB Pritzker and state Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) are pretty lopsided right now.
* Bharat Express News…
The unofficial start of the campaign season is less than two weeks away and the candidates for Illinois governor are beginning to ramp up their campaign appearances and, inevitably, their fundraising.
As TBEN 2 political researcher Dana Kozlov reported Wednesday, the campaign war chests for government JB Pritzker and state senator Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) are pretty skewed right now.
Google really needs to do a better job.
…Adding… From some bizarre bot rewrite site called HindiAble…
American politician Darren Bailey is a Republican senator from Illinoisâ fifty fifth district. His first day in workplace as president was January 13, 2021, and his closing day will likely be January 11, 2023.
Previous to becoming a member of the Senate, the 109th District Consultant served as Illinoisâ consultant within the Illinois Home for one time period. He spent 17 years, the final 12 of which he presided over, on the North Clay college board earlier than changing into a senator.
Bailey is vying for the job of governor of Illinois. He will likely be up for election within the Republican major on June 28, 2022. There are six contenders within the Republican major for governor of Illinois; Darren and Richard Irvin have dominated fundraising and media consideration.
When serving within the state senate, he has additionally burdened his favor for Donald Trump, his help for police enforcement, and his opposition to Governor J.B. Pritzker. Moreover, he has advocated for tax cuts and decrease authorities spending.
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White tested positive for the COVID-19 virus yesterday.
Secretary White has mild symptoms and is conducting work from home while in quarantine. White is double vaccinated and twice boosted. He is following appropriate CDC and IDPH quarantine guidelines.
Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago’s Department of Public Health Commissioner, has tested positive for COVID, a statement from the department said Thursday.
“Last night, for the first time in the pandemic, I tested positive for COVID-19,” the statement read. “I am experiencing some cold-like symptoms and fever but am otherwise well, which I credit to the fact that Iâm fully vaccinated and boosted. I will continue to work from home while following the CDC guidelines for isolation.”
Darren Bailey is lying to you about a few things. There’s nothing in the [Climate and Equitable Jobs Act] that makes it easier to impose eminent domain. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Q: In the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, there was a provision that would allow the use of eminent domain to take private property for a project that is not a public utility. Do you support giving private companies that are not a public utility the right to use or to take private property?
Bailey: I do not. I have two counties in my Senate district that are affected by that. And I stood on the Senate floor and I said there was a lot of things wrong with this bill. Number one, it forces coal out too early. And number two, it forces natural gas out too early. And number four, it makes our dependency on wind and solar too soon. But I said all that aside, if there’s one reason and one reason alone why I would vote no on this bill, it would be because of the eminent domain clause.
* Pritzker was asked a similar question during the Farm Bureau event yesterday…
Q: In the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, there was a provision that would allow the use of eminent domain to take private property for a project that is not a public utility. Why do you feel that this project, that is not a public utility, should have the right to take private property?
Pritzker: That provision was removed from the bill before it passed. There is not an eminent domain provision in the bill that allows the state to take property under an eminent domain, any more than there was before there was a Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
Democratic lawmakers at the time said the language, included on page 673 of the public act, applies to the Grain Belt Express, a transmission line owned by the private company Invenergy. The language in the bill states that a project of Grain Beltâs magnitude âshall be deemedâ a public use line, giving the company the ability to invoke eminent domain if needed. [âŚ]
Pritzker, in his discussion at the forum, incorrectly claimed any eminent domain language was stricken from the bill. Asked by a reporter after the forum about the Grain Belt Express provision, Pritzker said he was âtalking about eminent domain broadly.â
âWhat I heard was eminent domain, and that really got taken out of the CEJA at the very last day,â he said.
Invenergy, meanwhile, has held town halls and said eminent domain would be a last resort with the vast majority of their interactions with property owners ending amicably.
He may have just heard the phrase “eminent domain,” but the question included another part about giving the private project the same status as a public utility.
A new Illinois law could bring the Grain Belt Express project one step closer to construction, according to parent company Invenergy.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed off on a decarbonization and energy regulation bill last week aiming to bring the stateâs energy sector to 50 percent renewable by 2040 and carbon-free by 2050. Part of the bill will allow Invenergy to invoke eminent domain for its project and reapply for regulatory approval in the state.
The project was granted a certificate of public convenience and necessity by the Illinois Commerce Commission in 2016, but the order was reversed two years later when an appellate court concluded the commission had erred in approving a non-public utility.
The new bill allows âqualifying direct current projectsâ delivering clean energy across the state to apply for the same certificate through the end of 2023, a designation Invenergy said the project falls into.
[Many thanks to Isabel for putting much of this post together.]
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
There was no language in the CEJA that allowed for eminent domain in wind and solar. There was one transmission related project in the bill, but nothing statewide and nothing that allowed for eminent domain in wind and solar projects.
Um, wind and solar projects weren’t mentioned in the question to Pritzker.
In keeping with my campaign promise, my Administration is announcing a plan to give working and middle class families breathing room as they prepare to resume federal student loan payments in January 2023.
* Sophie Rodgers digs into the numbers for Crain’s…
On average, Illinois student loan borrowers owe $38,526, the seventh-highest average debt in the United States. This statistic is not alarming to Constantine Yannelis, associate professor of finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. âIllinois, like New York, is an area which is dominated by one metro area where you disproportionately see a lot of young, educated people living. This is why you have high student loan debt.â […]
Recent graduates in Illinois age 25 to 34 … owe an average of $36,806. […]
But younger borrowers in Illinois are not among those hit hardest by student loan debt. On average, of Illinois student loan borrowers, those age 50 to 61 owe the most: $50,757. Those age 62 and up owe an average of $46,959. […]
And this outstanding debt will almost certainly negatively impact their retirement. âThey canât even get out of that debt by defaulting because, due to court rulings, Social Security income can be garnished,â Yannelis said. As a result, older Illinois borrowers still deeply in student loan debt might delay retirement and will consume less in retirement, which will affect the overall economy.
Discuss.
…Adding… LG Stratton…
Today, millions of people are receiving news about long-awaited financial relief. With President Joe Bidenâs announcement to forgive thousands of dollars in student loan debt for most borrowers, a burden is being eased.
As part of my officeâs initiative to build a strong, diverse teacher pipeline, I traveled across Illinois to hear from leaders and students at our state colleges and universities.
On these campuses, I heard and felt the deep concern people in all fields had about the looming presence of student loan debt and how it would not only impact their careers, but also their quality of life.
This student loan plan takes major steps to address that. Up to $20,000 in debt relief for Pell Grant recipients ensures that forgiveness intentionally uplifts those from lower-income backgrounds. Additionally, restructuring the repayment system will provide increased borrower support after the freeze on payments ends. More needs to be done, but this is a historic move forward that will change the lives of millions.
I commend the administration for these tremendous efforts. May this drive us to continue the work for equitable, affordable education in Illinois and across the nation.
* Sen. Durbin…
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Joe Biden announced his Administrationâs plan to eliminate $10,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year and to extend the student loan payment freeze until December 31:
âTens of millions of Americans are plagued by student loan debt in pursuit of a quality education. Todayâs announcement by President Biden is a crucial step to enable low- and middle-income borrowersâespecially communities of colorâto eliminate their debt so they can buy a home, start a business, save for emergencies, and fully participate in our economy. President Biden and Congressional Democrats are delivering on our promises and focused on lifting up working families and the economy.â
Todayâs announcement also allocates up to $20,000 of debt cancellation for Pell Grant recipients. On average, Illinois students owe $38,526 in debt after graduation.
Durbin has long been an advocate for widespread student debt relief. In August 2021, Durbin introduced the bipartisan FRESH START Through Bankruptcy Act, which would restore the ability for struggling borrowers to seek a bankruptcy discharge for federal student loans after a waiting period of ten years. Unlike most other types of debt, student loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy except in rare circumstances.
* AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the following statement regarding the announcement from President Joe Bidenâs administration that it plans to cancel $10,000 in debt for borrowers who earn less than $125,000 per year and $20,000 in debt for Pell grant recipients.
âHigher education should be within reach for all Illinoisans without the fear that they will be saddled with lifelong debt. The administrationâs announcement today is a clear acknowledgment of the burden student loan debt imposes, and a response to repayment and forgiveness programs that have been historically and systemically flawed.
âWhile long-term reforms to the student loan system in this country are desperately needed, I commend the Biden administration for offering some immediate relief to millions of student loan borrowers.â
Attorney General Raoul has long advocated for protections for student loan borrowers. In May, Raoul called upon President Biden to cancel federal student loan debt, and he was joined by other attorneys general. Earlier this month, Raoul led a coalition of attorneys general calling on the U.S. Department of Education to give public servants more opportunities for loan forgiveness.
The Illinois Attorney Generalâs office continues to be a national leader in investigating and enforcing consumer protection violations in the higher education field. In 2022, Raoulâs office led a nationwide settlement against Navient, the countryâs largest student loan servicer, that resulted in $5 million in restitution, and more than $133 million in debt cancelation, for Illinois borrowers. In 2021, Raoulâs Know Before You Owe legislation was enacted, ensuring that Illinois student borrowers have information about their federal aid eligibility before they turn to more costly private loans. And along with overseeing the rollout of the stateâs first Student Loan Ombudsman, a position created by the Student Loan Servicing Rights Act to provide resources for borrowers who are struggling to make payments, Raoulâs office has recently provided $14 million in relief to private student loan borrowers who attended ITT.
Student borrowers who have questions or are in need of assistance can call the Attorney Generalâs Student Loan Helpline at 1-800-455-2456. Borrowers can also file complaints on the Attorney Generalâs website.
* US Rep. Mary Miller…
CONGRESSWOMAN MARY MILLER (R-IL) released the following statement on President Biden’s announcement on student loan “forgiveness”:
“Today, Joe Biden announced a $300 billion taxpayer-funded bailout for leftist colleges and universities that prey upon young people by selling them worthless “humanities” degrees so they can become foot soldiers in the Marxist revolution destroying America,” Miller said. “In the midst of the Biden Recession, Joe Biden is using working class taxpayers to pay off his donors and voters at a time of historic debt, and record inflation.”
“The blue-collar working class is now saddled with the cost of paying off “elite” institutions with billion dollar endowments. They defrauded young people by exaggerating their future earning power that would enable them to pay back those loans.”
“Parents sacrificed for years to save for their children’s college expenses and many students forfeited going to the school of their choice and instead choose community college or instate tuition. Some didn’t go to college because it was unaffordable and didn’t want to pay back loans. Many people worked full time and lived at home to pay for college and lots of graduates have been making college loan payments for YEARS! President Biden’s decision to bailout colleges and universities adds insult to injury and is completely irresponsible.”
“A new majority in Congress must investigate the staggering increase in costs for college degrees, the disconnect between those rising costs and the job prospects of graduates who cannot pay back these loans, and the corrupt endowment system! The U.S. Department of Education’s role is to protect and defend the TAXPAYERS, not the leftist colleges and universities with billion dollar endowments that prey upon borrowers! It’s time to defund and eliminate the U.S. Dept. of Education.”
A Truth in Accounting report argued state authorities should have used billions in federal aid to pay down interest on existing pension debt rather than save it for a rainy day. Experts warn this could lead to more state borrowing.
Um, what?
The governor’s office pointed to this Federal Register passage from the US Treasury Department…
For all recipients except Tribal governments, funds may not be used for deposits into a pension fund. […]
Subsection 602(c)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act provides that ââ[n]o State or territory may use funds made available under this section for deposit into any pension fund.ââ Similarly, subsection 603(c)(2) of the Social Security Act provides that ââ[n]o metropolitan city, nonentitlement unit of local government, or county may use funds made available under this section for deposit into any pension fund.ââ
For purposes of this restriction on pension deposits, the interim final rule defined deposit to mean ââan extraordinary payment of an accrued, unfunded liability.ââ
On the heels of credit rating upgrades, Illinois has sold $1.6 billion worth of bonds to fund a pension buyout program and construction projects. As the Chicago Tribune reported, Gov. J.B. Pritzker touted the upgrades lauding Democratic leaders for their work âto make sure that weâre back in good fiscal order, that the state is building its fiscal foundations for the road ahead.â But as Hetty Chang of Moody has stated, ratings are not âpublic policy report cards, although politicians may use them as such.â Credit ratings do not focus on the overall financial condition of the state; they focus on the likelihood of bonds being paid.
And if the state is in such âgood fiscal order,â then why did it need to borrow money?
You don’t spend cash to buy a house, and you don’t spend cash to fix a bridge, build a transit line or fund a pension buyout program, which would’ve put more immediate pressure on the state budget for no good reason.
* And Jordan Abudayyeh pointed to some past instances when IPI denounced the state for its essentially non-existent rainy day fund…
Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey, the GOP gubernatorial candidate who got Trumpâs endorsement, said he saw the Trump raid as a bad sign.
âI find it very upsetting,â Bailey told WMAY. âI personally look at this, I believe it is political. And I want to tell you what, watching this all unfold, I am very concerned about the future of our country.â
* U.S. National Archives identified 700-plus pages of classified records at Trump’s home: “Among the materials in the boxes are over 100 documents with classification markings, comprising more than 700 pages. Some include the highest levels of classification, including Special Access Program (SAP) materials,” Wall’s letter said, referring to security protocols reserved for some of the country’s most closely held secrets. … The letter shows that Trump’s legal team repeatedly tried to stall the Archives from letting the FBI and intelligence officials review the materials, saying that he needed more time to determine if any of the records were covered by a doctrine called executive privilege that enables a president to shield some records.
* Documents recovered at Mar-a-Lago were among government’s most classified, letter shows: âI mean, if he had actual special access programs â do you know how extraordinarily sensitive that is? Thatâs very, very sensitive. If that were actually at his residence, that would be a problem,â said Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
* FBIâs Mar-a-Lago search followed months of resistance, delay by Trump: Trumpâs lawyers do not appear to have argued to Steidel Wall that Trump had declassified the documents that bore classified markings before he left office. While presidents have widespread authority to declassify documents, there is a process for doing so, and even declassified documents are required by the Presidential Records Act to remain in Archives custody.
…Adding… Good point…
Follow-up question: Was it âpoliticalâ when the FBI executed search warrants on Illinois democrats including Ald. Ed Burke, House Speaker Mike Madigan and Gov. Rod Blagojevich?
