So, where do we stand now?
Wednesday, May 31, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As I write this at 8:25 pm, the House has adjourned until later in June, or the call of the Speaker, whichever comes first. The Senate just reconvened has some concurrence motions it has to deal with…
* SB 1 - School funding reform. This bill passed the House with the bare minimum of 60 votes and just one Republican, Rep. Michael McAuliffe. Background is here. UPDATE: The Senate concurred, 35-22.
* SB 3 - Local government consolidation. Gov. Rauner pulled HGOP votes off this bill, but then put them back on after an amendment was filed. It passed the House with 75 votes. UPDATE: The Senate concurred, 49-3.
* SB 81 - $15 per hour minimum wage. The motion to reconsider the vote has been withdrawn in the House, freeing up the Senate to vote on it tonight if it has the votes. Background is here. UPDATE: The motion to concur passes 30-23-2.
* SB 886 - Sale of the Thompson Center. The House passed the legislation 64-49 today. Background is here UPDATE: The Senate concurred with 35 votes.
* SB 1839 - AT&T bill, 911 tax hike. Despite the governor’s opposition, the bill passed with 81 votes, including 34 House Republicans. Background is here. UPDATE: The motion passed 53-3. Wow.
Other bills awaiting Senate concurrence are here. And you can click here to see all the bills which cleared both chambers today.
* Meanwhile, the Senate Democrats amended the House’s Chicago school board election bill (HB 1774), but apparently put off any floor action until the House left town. Its fate, as they say, is uncertain.
And the Senate approved an online fantasy sports bill, but the House didn’t take any action.
* I’ll update this post as we go along tonight.
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* As I told subscribers a while ago, Speaker Madigan has been carefully creating a paper trail so that he can justify ending the spring session with a splat. And here it is all in one spot…
Speaker Madigan: House Democrats to Continue Working to Find Common Ground with Rauner and toward State Budget
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Michael J. Madigan issued the following statement:
“There is no more urgent matter facing the state than the passage of a comprehensive, balanced budget, and House Democrats will continue our efforts to address this challenge, end this destructive impasse and close the Rauner budget deficit. The House Democratic Budget Working Group led by Representative Greg Harris will hold public hearings and continue working in June to prepare a budget for the coming fiscal year. The first hearing will be held on June 8 in Chicago.
“The governor’s reckless strategy of holding the budget hostage to create leverage for his corporate agenda that pads the profits of large corporations and insurance companies has for the third year left Illinois without a budget at the end of the May legislative session. He has put our schools at risk of being unable to open, denied care to victims of domestic violence, kept tens of thousands of seniors from receiving Meals on Wheels, and tripled Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills. This cannot continue.
“Where we can compromise with the governor without hurting middle-class families, House Democrats have consistently advanced measures that address the governor’s requests so we can get down to the work of passing a balanced budget. House Democrats have:
· Voted to provide property tax relief to homeowners;
· Put forward reforms to the workers’ compensation system that will ensure employers see the savings from reform;
· Introduced an agenda of economic reforms that make Illinois a better place to do business while also lifting up middle-class families, not tearing them down;
· Voted at the governor’s request to streamline the state procurement process;
· Voted to sell the Thompson Center.
“I have directed members of the House Democratic leadership team to meet with the governor and seek common ground on his other proposals. To date, the governor has refused to meet.
“We remain ready to work with the governor and find common ground whenever he is ready to return to the table and work in good faith.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Another one…
Speaker Michael J. Madigan issued the following statement Wednesday after the House voted to pass House Bill 2525, a package of workers’ compensation reforms addressing a key element of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s agenda:
“House Democrats have consistently stated that we will work with the governor to reach compromise, but we will not hurt middle-class families. Throughout his tenure, Governor Rauner has made it clear that changes to the workers’ compensation system are a pre-condition to his cooperation on a state budget. While the governor’s plan does not have the support of majorities in the Legislature, we can still find common ground on this issue.
“The bill passed today will help ensure Illinois businesses see the benefits of reform by requiring insurance companies to pass savings on to local employers. It takes steps to crack down on fraud and abuse, and includes additional measures to reduce costs without jeopardizing the health or economic security of workers. We believe this compromise meets the governor’s stated goal of reducing workers’ compensation costs for businesses, and Democrats’ goal of protecting working people and their families.
“As House Democrats work to address the governor’s pre-conditions to a budget, we remain steadfast in our belief that the budget is the most important issue facing families, seniors, children, and businesses. We ask the governor to stop holding the state budget hostage and join us in working in good faith to end this destructive impasse.”
*** UPDATE 2*** And another one…
– Speaker Michael J. Madigan issued the following statement Wednesday after the House voted to pass Senate Bill 3, allowing taxpayers to consolidate duplicative and unnecessary units of local government and addressing another element of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s agenda:
“With today’s passage of a local government consolidation package negotiated by Governor Rauner, House Democrats have again advanced legislation directly addressing the governor’s pre-conditions to negotiating a budget.
“As a new fiscal year quickly approaches with no budget yet in place, the governor’s approach of refusing to negotiate a budget is setting our state on a course for a third straight year of impasse and destruction. It’s not too late for the governor to change course and come back to the table. If and when he does, he will find House Democrats waiting to negotiate and compromise.”
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*** UPDATE *** SB1 as amended passed the House with 60 votes, including one Republican, McAuliffe.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* I’m told this info is being shared by the governor’s office with legislators on the new House Democratic amendment to SB 1, the education funding reform bill. The Democrats are saying 250 school districts come out better than Chicago, based on per pupil money. The Rauner administration disagrees…
The “runs” being shared by House Democrats do not accurately reflect the real cost of this bill over and above FY17. Overall, this bill would require AT LEAST $650 million more than FY17 funding levels in order for schools to see increases. Here is what is missing from the “runs”:
An additional $313 million must be added to the base funding minimum. The runs being shared are based on the FY2016 budget. It does not include the stop loss grant.
· An additional $216 million to $250 million to fully fund the mandated categoricals. Although CPS will get its appropriate share of “claims,” it will also get its block grant in its base funding minimum. That means those funds are not available for other legitimate claims. To rectify that, the GA will either have to continue to prorate mandated categoricals or increase the education budget by an additional $250 million
· The runs do not include $50 million increase for early childhood education
With so many unknowns and without allowing time for real runs to be evaluated, members are forced to vote on this proposal without knowing the answer to at least four vital questions:
1. Which school districts would suffer the most if the General Assembly fails to appropriate the extra $650 million required to hide this CPS bailout?
2. Under this proposal, exactly how much money is being diverted from every school district to Chicago instead of being equitably distributed across all school districts?
3. If this level of additional funding was provided to other proposals in the General Assembly, what would the runs look like? How would school districts statewide fare if $650 million in new money was put through the model in Sen. Barickman’s latest proposal?
4. Similarly, how would school districts fare if $650 million were added to the current funding formula?
The Rauner folks are also issuing behind the scenes warnings that the Illinois State Board of Education’s eventual analysis will not show the same sort of winners that the Democratic analysis does because of the assumptions the Democrats are using. So, a lot of Democratic targets, they warn, could be voting for something that might not help their own schools.
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* Back when then state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias was in the running for a job in President-elect Barack Obama’s administration, none other than JB Pritzker told Gov. Rod Blagojevich that he was interested in being appointed to fill out the remainder of Giannoulias’ term.
“That’s the one I would want,” Pritzker said, according to federal surveillance recordings obtained by the Tribune.
Uh-oh.
* There’s lots of tantalizing sizzle in the first few paragraphs of this story entitled “J.B. Pritzker sought political office from Blagojevich, 2008 FBI wiretaps show,” but scroll way down…
Pritzker already had raised the idea of being named state treasurer if an opening occurred, and he followed up during a Nov. 14, 2008, call with the governor.
“I’ve got a lot of reasons why it makes sense. The problem for you would be the same problem with the Senate really,” Pritzker said. “I’ve given you contributions.”
“Total nonissue,” Blagojevich replied. “First of all, you give money to everybody, like (Attorney General) Lisa Madigan, OK?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, no question,” Pritzker said.
“Which, incidentally, if you can do for me what you did for her, before the end of the year. Can you think about that?” Blagojevich asked, aware that Pritzker had donated $50,000 to Madigan during the previous year.
“I can’t, I mean, not while everything’s up in the air, but I hear ya,” Pritzker said. “I hear ya and, and and … But anyway …”
“If we go in that direction, though, if that does happen, I mean there’s some other people who can help us that you know,” Blagojevich said.
“Sure,” Pritzker said.
“If you feel skittish about that, which I believe you shouldn’t, but go ahead,” Blagojevich said.
“Yeah,” Pritzker replied, “I don’t think we should even talk about it but I understand what you’re saying.”
Blagojevich was a true sleazeball.
There’s lots more, so click here and read the whole thing.
* The Pritzker campaign sent me this response…
There was nothing untoward about JB Pritzker’s conversations and throughout his career he has considered different ways he could serve the people of Illinois. The record is clear that Rod Blagojevich was having dozens of conversations with both elected officials and private citizens, including members of President Obama’s transition team, which is why he is currently in prison. JB has been a proud supporter of hundreds of progressive and Democratic leaders and organizations in Illinois and across the country, especially those who have been supporters of early childhood education.
Also, as the campaign is pointing out, the last contribution Pritzker gave to Blagojevich was during the 2006 race, two years before those contributions.
*** UPDATE *** A new Pritzker campaign statement…
“If one listens to the actual calls released in the story there was nothing untoward about JB’s conversations with the Governor,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Galia Slayen. “Throughout JB’s life he’s had an interest in serving the people of Illinois and that’s exactly what he expressed when discussing a potential opening in the Treasurer’s office. In fact, when the Governor brings up whether JB would be interested in being appointed to the Senate, on multiple occasions JB expresses he is not and moves away from the type of conversation that landed Rod Blagojevich in prison.
“This is just a continuation of attacks made by Bruce Rauner and Republicans and it’s no coincidence that it was published by the Chicago Tribune on the last day of another session where Governor Rauner has failed to pass a budget.”
The jab at the Trib is unusual, to say the least.
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*** UPDATE *** The bill passed with 81 votes, so a whole lot of House Republicans broke with Gov. Rauner.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Fox St. Louis from May 26th…
Over 200,000 911 calls come into St. Clair County dispatch centers every year, according to Herb Simmons, the executive director of the Emergency Telephone System Board of St. Clair County.
Simmons said the legislation that currently funds the 911 systems is set to expire on June 30, meaning on July 1 people in Illinois could be without a 911 system.
Simmons said if the bill expires, call centers would be left without money for basic operations like electricity and the phone bill.
Although the 911 bill doesn’t expire until the end of June, the legislative session ends May 31, so lawmakers have to come up with something before they leave Springfield on Wednesday.
“I just hope somebody can come to their senses and say the state of Illinois has to have a 911 system up and operating at its full capacity because when people need it they deserve it,” Simmons said.
* Instead of just simply extending the sunset date, the House Democrats combined it with increased mobile phone taxes and AT&T’s bill to get out of the state mandate to provide old-style copper wire service. The tax in Chicago would rise from $3.90 to $5 per phone. Everyone else’s bills would rise increase to $1.50 from 87 cents.
The governor was not amused…
Emergency dispatchers, phone companies, and lawmakers from both parties were in agreement. The fee on cell phone bills needed to increase — to keep 911 services going and to add new technology mandated by Illinois.
Rep. Chad Hays, R-Catlin, says he was not part of the talks, but he was ready to lend his support when talks broke down.
“My understanding of where it bogged down was this notion that there were perhaps disagreement between the City of Chicago and others,” Hays said.
Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, says the “others” was the governor’s office — and industry members in the negotiations say that was indeed the reason the agreement disappeared.
The nixed deal involved letting Chicago increase its fee per phone from $3.90 to $5. All other cell phone bills in the state would see an increase of $1.50 from 87 cents.
“Evidently the way I’m understanding is that the governor pretty much pulled the Republicans and said ‘We don’t want to give Mayor Emanuel any more money,’” Phelps said.
Phelps is right. That’s what happened.
But by yesterday afternoon the Democrats decided to go ahead anyway and moved an amendment out of the Executive Committee with the AT&T language, the 911 sunset date extension and the tax hikes. Two Republicans voted with the Democrats, Hays and Rep. Reis.
Stay tuned.
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* AP…
The Illinois House has approved a proposal that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour over five years.
House lawmakers voted 61 to 53 Tuesday.
* But…
Lawmakers approved the bill with a 61-53 vote largely along party lines, but Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, filed a motion to keep it from moving to the Senate. Democratic Rep. Will Guzzardi said supporters were working to make sure the measure had enough support in the other chamber.
* SJ-R…
After the legislation passed, Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, put the bill on hold in the House. Guzzardi said the move was to ensure “all their ducks were in a row” before sending the bill to the Senate.
“It’s just some procedural work that we’re trying to do on our side to make sure everything is in order,” he said. “I’m still optimistic that we’re going to get this thing passed to the Senate and onto the governor by the end of the day tomorrow night.”
The Senate has passed several minimum wage bills in the past only to see them die in the House.
So, the bill’s passage took just about everyone by surprise yesterday, both in the House and in the Senate, which hadn’t yet met in caucus to talk about the bill. They even had to change the Senate’s chief sponsor yesterday to the person who normally handles this issue.
There’s a lot of suspicion and finger-pointing, with some senators believing that Speaker Madigan is playing his usual games with the issue and may not send it to the Senate until it’s too late, and some House members worried that the Senate can’t pass the bill. We’ll see.
* Meanwhile…
Rep. Scott Drury, a Highwood Democrat who has often split with Madigan, took the opportunity to bash the leaders of his party for failing to call the wage hike for a vote when they had veto-proof control of the General Assembly or when there was a Democratic governor. Drury suggested that the Democratic leaders had called it for a vote in order to put the Republican governor on the spot.
“I am truly, truly concerned that what is going on here is that Maria, that one of our colleagues spoke about, is being used as a pawn to embarrass our Republican governor,” Drury said, referring to a minimum wage worker whose struggles to make a living were pointed to by Democratic lawmakers during debate on the floor. “It’s all about the left embarrassing the right and the right embarrassing the left.”
Drury is right.
*** UPDATE 1 *** As of 4:42 this afternoon, the motion to reconsider has still not been removed.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The motion to reconsider has been withdrawn.
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