* Background for this letter is here. From the Senate Democrats…
May 19, 2017
Maggie Hickey
Executive Inspector General of Illinois
Office of Executive Inspector General, Division of Investigations
Inspector General Hickey:
It has been brought to our attention that records and information from Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration and the Illinois State Board of Education were provided to a political group funded by the governor’s campaign. This is disturbing. The citizens of Illinois deserve honesty and integrity at every level of government.
Please consider this a formal request that your office research and investigate this situation.
If you or your office need additional information or have questions, please contact us.
Sincerely,
State Senator Andy Manar (D-48)
State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-40)
State Senator Donne Trotter (D-17)
Assistant Majority Leader
State Iris Y. Martinez (D-20)
Assistant Majority Leader
State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-19)
State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-49)
* The JB Pritzker campaign stepped in as well…
“It’s despicable that Bruce Rauner and Republicans would resort to leaking fake news in order to slow down progress for our state, and specifically for education,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Galia Slayen. “Students in Illinois shouldn’t be held hostage while Rauner tries to slash important programs and prevent their teachers from making a decent living. Illinois families deserve a governor that works to solve problems, not create them.”
* OK, now, if you click here, you’ll see a pdf of the original story on Dan Proft’s Kankakee Times website.
The story has since been updated without labeling it as an update to add these two paragraphs…
The state funding cuts wouldn’t take effect immediately. Manar’s bill also includes a temporary “hold harmless” clause that would effectively delay them for two years.
The ISBE analysis was conducted last summer, after Manar unveiled his school funding proposal. It is the last known analysis of the bill.
As a Republican pointed out to me a few minutes ago, the ISBE analysis referred to is of SB 231, which was introduced last year. That analysis is available online. Click here and then scroll down to the SB 231 link to see it.
* I just talked to Proft and here are some quotes…
Everything Manar said at that press conference is false. We got no information from the governor’s office. None. Zero.
We got the numbers from Reboot Illinois. We did the story based on the last, best numbers we had.
The real story is that the Senate voted on that bill without any numbers… without knowing the implications of state funding schools… By their own admission, they don’t have the numbers.
*** UPDATE 1 *** At my request, Proft sent me the e-mail chain with Reboot. I redacted all e-mail addresses and phone numbers. Click here.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
The Rauner Administration released the following statement regarding the Senate Democrats’ false accusations. The following is attributable to spokesperson Eleni Demertzis:
“The Senate Democrats today jumped the shark. One cannot leak something that is on a public web site. Their false and outrageous accusations have been disproven, and they should apologize for manufacturing blatantly false accusations.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
State Senator Andy Manar is urging Illinois school superintendents to be aware that misleading figures are being peddled about Senate Bill 1, the school funding plan that passed in the Illinois Senate this week.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office this afternoon acknowledged the figures are inaccurate and outdated but stopped short of denouncing them.
“This appears to be a textbook example of fake news. I am disturbed as to how and why this information was put out there and framed as official information from the Rauner administration, clearly with the intent of confusing and misleading people about Senate Bill 1,” said Manar, a Bunker Hill Democrat.
“Senate Democrats have asked the executive inspector general to look into that, but right now I want to make sure school superintendents are aware that outdated information is fraudulently being passed off as up-to-date news about Senate Bill 1.
“Furthermore, I hope Gov. Rauner and Education Secretary Beth Purvis will follow our lead and alert school officials about this misleading information to set the record straight. Anything less makes them complicit in a concerted effort to jeopardize Illinois’ shot at achieving meaningful school funding reform.”
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* Posted in order they were received. From the JB Pritzker campaign…
As the fiscal mess of Bruce Rauner’s own making continues to wreck the state’s economy, the Illinois business community and bondholders are turning their backs on him.
Yesterday, a group of the region’s largest employers came out in support of a budget that Rauner opposes. They cited “catastrophe” and “crisis” in their support of a plan that directly contradicts Rauner’s key priorities.
Bondholders are also responding to Rauner’s failed leadership and demanding higher yield for state debt, another Rauner expense that will fall on the backs of Illinois families. This comes after Moody’s warned months ago that our state is at a “do-or-die moment” due to Rauner’s historic budget impasse.
“It’s no surprise that the business community is turning their back on Bruce Rauner as he drives our state’s economy into the ground,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “We’re reaching 700 days without a budget and the Illinois business community and hardworking families across the state have had enough. Illinois deserves a governor who will pass a budget and get our state back on track. The business community knows that Bruce Rauner is not that governor.”
* ILGOP…
In a stunning display of partisanship, Democratic Rep. Robert Martwick – a supporter of billionaire J.B. Pritzker – announced yesterday that he would kill his own bill, HB 2517, that would crack down on the kind of vacancy fraud the billionaire is engaging in to wrongly slash his property tax burden.
After House Minority Leader Jim Durkin signed on to the Vacancy Fraud Act, Capitol Fax reports that Martwick issued a statement saying he would not call the bill, calling the bipartisan backing he received “political gamesmanship”.
Only a Madigan-Pritzker politician would attack bipartisanship.
But it’s clear why Martwick was for cracking down on property tax fraud before he was against it – he’s in Pritzker’s corner and doesn’t want to make Mike Madigan’s new financial muscle mad.
After all, Martwick is hosting a meet and greet with Pritzker days from now.
Click here for a link to Martwick’s June 6th meet and greet announcement.
Who do you think had the better release?
*** UPDATE 1 *** The ILGOP responds to the Pritzker release…
After lying about his “uninhabitable” mansion property tax scam, J.B. Pritzker’s flailing campaign for Governor is trying to change the subject… by doubling down on his support for massive tax increases.
While Pritzker himself refuses to pay his fair share of taxes, he’s pushing for higher taxes on everyday Illinoisans.
First, Pritzker this week came out against a property tax freeze. On Tuesday, the Wednesday Journal of Oak Park reported that at a public forum, “Pritzker said that he opposed a property tax freeze”.
Then, Pritzker’s campaign issued a press release this morning praising a plan that includes taxing retirement income while excluding a property tax freeze.
That’s right, Pritzker’s campaign is praising a proposal that includes a plan to “Tax all federally taxable retirement income” (p. 14).
All of this comes after Pritzker began his campaign by announcing his support for a massive income tax hike behind closed doors to members of the Madigan machine.
Pritzker has now revealed he is for a retirement tax and against a property tax freeze.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Galia Slayen, communications director for JB Pritzker…
We’re praising business leaders for wising up to Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership. Like Illinois families across this state, they’re not willing to see our most vulnerable communities held hostage to Rauner’s destructive agenda. It’s laughable that the ILGOP is desperately twisting the words of a press release while their governor stumbles towards 700 days without a budget.
*** UPDATE 3 *** We may be at this all day. From the ILGOP…
Given the chance to directly reject a tax on retirement income, the Pritzker campaign tried to change the subject instead.
Pritzker keeps defending a plan to tax retirement income while refusing to freeze property taxes for the middle class.
J.B. Pritzker is an out-of-touch billionaire unwilling to pay his fair share of property taxes, but will hike taxes on everyone else. Illinoisans are seeing right through his scam.
*** UPDATE 4 *** E-mail…
Rich,
My name is Dave Feller. I’m the President of the West Portage Park Neighbor’s Association (WPPNA) a local community group on the Northwest Side. I wanted to correct something that was posted on your blog today. On June 6th 2017, the WPPNA is hosting the FIRST of a series of Meet & Greets with all the candidates for Governor. Rep. Rob Martwick along with other area electeds are co-hosting the event in order to assist with outreach. This is NOT an endorsement session or a political event. As far as I know all the electeds listed on the flyer have not yet made an endorsement in the race.
Rich, our contact info is on the flyer. If the IL GOP would have bothered to reach out to us I would have answered any questions they had. But I guess it’s easier to try to score some cheap political points then it is to get at the truth.
Small wonder Rauner has drawn so much opposition with these type of people running his operation.
Thank You,
Dave Feller
WPPNA
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* From a story published last night in the Kankakee Times, which is part of Dan Proft’s newspaper empire…
Kankakee County schools would be net losers of state funding under a bill that passed the Illinois State Senate Wednesday.
Collectively, the county’s 12 school districts would get $1.15 million per year less from the state’s school funding formula, a two percent decrease from their 2015 funding levels, according to an Illinois State Board of Education analysis obtained by the Kankakee Times.
Both Kankakee County State Senators– Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) and Sen. Donne Trotter (D-Chicago)– voted “yes” on Senate Bill 1, which passed 35-18 with three Senators voting present.
Herscher District 2 (44% decrease), Grant Park District 6 (37% decrease), Manteno District 5 (19% decrease), Bourbonnais District 53 (19% decrease), St George District 258 (17% decrease) and Bradley-Bourbonnais District 307 (16% decrease) would all be losers if Senate Bill 1 is enacted into law.
Kankakee District 111 (+9 percent), St. Anne District 302 (+8 percent), Pembroke District 259 (+7 percent) and Momence District 1 (+4 percent) all stand to receive more state funding from the bill.
Senate Bill 1, sponsored by State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), includes a $385 million bailout of Chicago Public Schools, which face bankruptcy due to years of deficit spending.
* As I told subscribers earlier today, the ISBE analysis and the resulting newspaper article were based on Amendment 4, which the chamber did not vote on this week. Sponsoring Sen. Andy Manar says the same analysis was distributed at a budget meeting yesterday. [The two analyses were different.] More from Politico…
Proft, the recipient of millions of dollars from Rauner as a political operative, oversees a chain of 20 publications. That had Manar fearing that bad district-specific information would spread across the state.
“No one in Kankakee County will lose a penny,” he said. “Everyone in Kankakee will get more,” under the bill as passed, he said. […]
“This looks a lot like the Rauner administration is leaking fake documents to a politically connected publication to manufacture problems that don’t exist so Republican members can cleanse their ‘no’ votes — and avoid being thrown under the bus by their governor,” Manar charged. […]
“This claim is false, and Manar is just trying to paper over the fact that he just ran a Chicago bailout yesterday,” said Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly. “Rather than making false, wild accusations, they should stop the partisan politics and return to the negotiating table to achieve a bipartisan school funding formula that meets the needs of all students in the state.”
Both amendments contain “hold harmless” language, so Manar is right that the reductions won’t happen.
Proft told me this morning that the piece would be corrected.
*** UPDATE 1 *** More on the government fake news angle…
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press advisory…
Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) and other Senate Democrats will react this morning to news regarding the release of fraudulent education funding numbers to a Rauner-backed political operation.
When: 11 a.m. Friday, May 19, 2017
Where: State Capitol press briefing room (blue room)
*** UPDATE 3 *** And here’s a live video embed courtesy of our pals at BlueRoomStream.com…
*** UPDATE 4 *** Sen. Manar just said he and his colleagues are sending a letter today to the Executive Inspector General calling for an investigation.
*** UPDATE 5 *** From the SDems…
“To me, there’s a violation of the law there,” Sen. Manar said at the presser.
*** UPDATE 6 *** We have an update on this story in a new post. So, I’m closing comments on this one. Click here to go to the new post.
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Unemployment rate down, but so are jobs
Friday, May 19, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced [yesterday] that the unemployment rate declined -0.2 percentage points to 4.7 percent in April and nonfarm payrolls decreased by -7,200 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. March job growth was revised up to show a decrease of -7,700 jobs rather than the preliminary estimate of -8,900 jobs. April’s monthly payroll drop kept over-the-year job growth well below the national average. Due to payroll declines for both March and April, Illinois remains -25,600 jobs short of reaching its prior peak employment reached in September 2000.
“Illinois did not participate in the nation’s job growth in April,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “Furthermore, the decline in the unemployment rate was largely due to a drop in the labor force, not more people working.”
“We continue to see sluggish growth in our economy due to the inability of the legislature to institute common-sense structural changes that would encourage investment in our state,” said Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “If we create a business-friendly environment, we will see greater opportunities and more good paying jobs in every community.”
In April, the three industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Education and Health Services (+2,600); Manufacturing (+1,900); and Information Services (+1,300). The largest payroll declines were in the following sectors: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-7,100); Construction (-4,500); and Leisure and Hospitality (-2,400).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +22,100 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in April: Education and Health Services (+16,200); Professional and Business Services (+11,600); Financial Activities (+8,700). Industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines include: Construction (-6,600); Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-6,500); and Manufacturing (-3,600). The +0.4 percent over-the-year gain in Illinois is about one-fourth as strong as the +1.6 percent gain posted by the nation in April.
The state’s unemployment rate is +0.3 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for April 2017, which decreased to 4.4 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -1.3 percentage points from a year ago when it was 6.0 percent. At 4.7 percent, the Illinois jobless rate stands at its lowest level since March 2007, after having decreased for three consecutive months.
The number of unemployed workers decreased -4.7 percent from the prior month to 307,000, down -21.9 percent over the same month for the prior year. This brings the number of unemployed workers to its lowest level since February 2007.The labor force decreased -0.3 percent over-the-month and declined by -0.7 percent in April over the prior year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
…Adding… Press release…
Illinois continues to lose nearly ten manufacturing employees every day according to the latest dismal jobs report from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). This report comes on the heels of Butterball’s announcement of their plant closing in Montgomery, Illinois. Greg Baise, CEO and president of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, has released the following statement underscoring the importance of enacting a balanced budget with strong economic reforms, especially focused on workers’ compensation policy:
“This jobs report coupled with another business closing its doors in Illinois reinforces the need for action. Since 2009, Illinois has lost more than 1,600 manufacturing jobs while our neighbors have added tens of thousands of new jobs. With 11 days left of session, we hope this announcement injects a heightened sense of urgency to enact a balanced budget imposing fiscal restraint and strong economic reforms, centered on real workers’ compensation changes. Another 600 families are out of work on top of the 10 manufacturing jobs we are losing on a daily basis according to today’s IDES report.”
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