* The Senate will return to Springfield for the first time this month. They’ll convene the 29th at noon.
No official word out of the House yet, but next Wednesday is the last Wednesday of the fiscal year and Speaker Madigan pledged to hold sessions every Wednesday, so it’s expected that he’ll bring his chamber back.
*** UPDATE 1 *** House members say they’ve just received notice to return Wednesday by 11 o’clock in the morning.
The budget working group says they’re very close to the end of their work.
There’s one more meeting scheduled Thursday and lawmakers are hoping it’s the last.
Working group members say they’re almost ready to hand over their work on a stopgap budget to the leaders.
They say the plan would get the state through the end of the year, but there are just a few more issues the four tops and Governor will have to hammer out.
And…
Senate will be back in session on Wed. "The Senate Pres. remains hopefully optimistic that a bipartisan agreement is close at hand" #twill
Governor Bruce Rauner visited with employees at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) offices in Chicago today and discussed transformations the department is making to streamline the way it assists customers. These transformations help reduce poverty levels and transition individuals and families out of our social service systems.
Odd word choice there.
But do you know what might help those “customers” even more? Signing the stopgap human services bill that’s been sitting on his desk for weeks. That way, groups and businesses who work with those “customers” can finally get paid.
Unionized home care workers tried to confront Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday, outside a state agency they claim he is hurting.
Dozens of demonstrators booed as the governor made an unpublicized visit to the Department of Human Services office in the West Loop. The protesters were members of Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois, which represents 52,000 workers who have gone without a contract since last July. […]
The union said Rauner’s budget plan would cut $200 million from the state’s community care program, which helps seniors and the disabled get services at home, so they don’t have to go into nursing homes.
It’s obviously not a joking matter to the folks who were injured or suffered property damage, so I’ll just apologize right now in case Scott’s tweet upsets anybody.
But dark humor is all we’ve got left in this state.
[Headline was changed after a couple of funny comments were posted.]
Approaching the November elections, Republican Paul Schimpf aims to bring “common-sense” legislating, conservative values and integrity to the state Senate in District 58, which covers Monroe, St. Clair, Randolph, Perry, Jackson, Union and Jefferson counties. […]
Former Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (2011-2015) is the current Democrat opponent in the Senate race, but Schimpf is confident that he is the right candidate to address the issues Illinois and his district are facing. […]
What makes Schimpf the best candidate for the district?
“Leadership abilities versus political lineage,” he said.
Schimpf explained that Simon comes from a tradition of politicians who do very little to serve the state; instead, they are more likely to serve themselves. He also argued that he can be a leader for everyone, not just for one party.
By far, the best thing Sheila Simon has going for her is her revered father’s name. She’s a proud liberal Democrat in a district which leans Republican (half of it is represented by a socially conservative, pro-life, pro-gun Democrat with a famous last name) and she hasn’t won an election on her own since her days as a Carbondale alderman.
So, that was just a goofy mistake - or perhaps an ill-conceived homage to the Karl Rove strategy of attacking an opponent’s strength.
A spokesman for Schimpf said the comments in question had nothing to do with the late former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, and were instead a criticism of her connections to former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, under whom she served as lieutenant governor.
“We’re not going to disparage the memory of the late U.S. Sen. Simon,” said Schimpf spokesman Ron Deedrick. “He obviously was a statesman who served the nation and the state honorably.” […]
Simon said she sees no other way to interpret Shimpf’s comment about her lineage other than to consider it an insult to her parents. She noted that the most common definition of the term “lineage” describes the lineal descent from one’s ancestors, i.e. family.
Deedrick said he refuses to engage in a battle of semantics over use of the phrase “political lineage,” and called it “absurd” for Simon to continue to insist the comment was an intended as an insult to the late Paul Simon. Deedrick did not dispute that the accuracy of the quotes, but also said the campaign had no control over the ultimate outcome of the article.
…Adding… Wordslinger in comments…
Of course. Who didn’t make the Pat Quinn connection with “political lineage?”
LOL, that’s some lousy spin.
If you want to knock Simon for Pat Quinn, you say “Pat Quinn.”
If you want to knock Simon for leaning on the old man, you say “political lineage.”
State-level gun legislation in response to the Orlando attacks has emerged in Illinois, led by a Chicago Democrat and more than one suburban Republican.
The new proposal in Springfield would let the Illinois State Police notify the FBI if someone on a terrorist watch list applies to get a Firearm Owners Identification card needed in the state to own a gun. It would add people involved in terrorist threats to the list of those who can have such a card denied or revoked. […]
The lead Republican on the plan is state Rep. Ed Sullivan, a Mundelein Republican and key negotiator of the Illinois law that allows people to carry concealed weapons in public. The Illinois State Rifle Association’s leader says he’s OK with the plan if it doesn’t change.
“It helps, but it’s not overly intrusive into gun owners’ rights,” ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson said.
Statement from House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) in response to the introduction of bi-partisan legislation to keep those on the terror watch list from possessing firearms
“I applaud the efforts of both Representative Ed Sullivan (R- Mundelein) and Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago) for their work in presenting this commonsense and responsible legislation,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs).
“While the federal government plays a larger role in this complicated issue, I believe we have a responsibility to do our part,” Durkin added. “I am proud to lend my support to House Bill 6588.”
The Kirk For Senate campaign launched a new television ad, titled “Even More,” that highlights Senator Mark Kirk’s courageous and independent record in Congress. The ad, airing on Chicago broadcast and cable networks, details Kirk’s independent and bipartisan record, including his demand for a vote on Supreme Court Nominee Merrick Garland along with Kirk’s refusal to support Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“As the partisanship and gridlock in Washington intensifies, Senator Kirk remains an independent-minded, reform-driven solution seeker,” said Kevin Artl, Kirk For Senate campaign manager. “Senator Kirk continues to put partisanship aside to to find common sense solutions for the people of Illinois.”
* As I told you yesterday, this is about a $250K buy, and it’s only running on Chicago TV, prompting one Democrat with the Duckworth campaign to crack wise earlier today…
Thinking we won’t respond to Kirk’s ad, we’ll just run the same ad in Downstate markets….
Long before his stroke, Mark Kirk was independent, ranked as one of the most bipartisan Senators.
After facing death, Kirk returned even more committed to serve Illinois.
Mark was the first Republican to support a vote on President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.
He’s a leader on protecting a woman’s right to choose.
And Mark Kirk bucked his party to say Donald Trump is not fit to be commander in chief.
Mark Kirk, courageous and independent.
I’m Mark Kirk, and I approve this message.
…Adding… So, they did decide to respond…
In response to Republican Mark Kirk’s new campaign spot, released today and running only in Chicago according to reports, Duckworth deputy campaign manager Matt McGrath issued the following statement:
“Republican Senator Mark Kirk has lied for years about his military record, falsely claiming to have served in combat and claiming an award he never earned, and now he’s not being straight with Illinois voters by portraying himself as a liberal Democrat in Chicago while apparently hoping no one else across the state notices. You can always count on two things from Kirk: dishonesty and crude political calculation, and this ad has an abundance of both.” — Matt McGrath, campaign spokesman
But in a new twist on [a scheduled August workplace retaliation trial in Downstate Union County involving two workers at the Anna Veterans Home], the court docket shows that a pretrial settlement conference has been scheduled for Friday. Duckworth is being represented by the Illinois attorney general’s office.
Kirk campaign manager Kevin Artl jumped on the idea of a settlement, suggesting that Duckworth “does not want the truth to come out.”
“After weeks of dodging questions about whether or not she will testify at her own trial, Duckworth is now answering that question by engaging in behind-the-scenes settlement talks in order to avoid a trial and having to take the stand,” Artl said.
“What makes this situation even more egregious is that Illinois taxpayers will ultimately have to pay the bill for Duckworth’s improper actions,” he said.
…Adding… So, Duckworth’s campaign responded to the TV ad, but not about the trial?
[Bumped up for visibility since this story has mostly been ignored by the media except for a brief story this morning by the AP.]
* Press release…
A new survey conducted by United Way of Illinois (UWI), the statewide association of 52 local United Ways and the largest non-governmental funder of health and human services in the state, shows Illinois’ year-long budget impasse continues to starve the nonprofit sector and cause harm to vulnerable citizens across the state.
In the fourth United Way of Illinois survey, more than half of safety net and mental health providers responded that they have been unable to meet the needs of clients for the past year. Survey respondents also indicated that the disruption in services will have long-term effects on the people they serve as extended waiting lists, the elimination of programs and triaging of clients mean more people are moving into crisis situations. The mentally ill who are not getting psychiatric services go to emergency rooms or jails and some of the young people who aren’t in out-of-school time and job training programs become involved in the criminal justice system.
As of June 2016:
• 54% of survey respondents anticipate they will have to cease serving clients in six months if the impasse continues
• Almost two-thirds of survey respondents reported making program and/or operational cuts, up from 48% in January 2016
• Of those agencies, 91% have cut the number of clients they serve, leaving nearly 1 million clients in Illinois without critical support, most significantly in the areas of mental health, substance abuse services and childhood education
• More than 50% of safety net and mental health providers indicated they could not meet the needs of their clients for the past year due to the impasse
“We honestly wished we would have different news” said Kristi Long, United Way of Illinois Board Chair. “The survey results show accelerating damage since January—more program cuts, more clients left unserved, more debt. The mentally ill, disabled seniors and young children in need of educational opportunities—these people can’t wait for the next election.”
Organizations have been unable to come close to filling the gap left by the state through additional fundraising efforts and have been forced to take extreme measures in order to continue serving clients. Agencies reported cutting back or eliminating vital programs, draining cash reserves and credit lines, laying off staff and considering the possibility of shutting their doors entirely. In order to continue to serve clients:
• 45% of respondents have been forced to lay off staff, up from 24% in January 2016
• 59% of respondents have utilized their cash reserves
• 33% of respondents have utilized lines of credit
• Respondents have taken on a combined $38 million in debt
• 36% of agencies anticipate they will have to close their doors in six months if the impasse continues
This is the fourth survey conducted by United Way of Illinois on the state budget stalemate. The survey was conducted June 1-June 8, 2016, and responses were received from 429 human services agencies that receive state funding. Responses were received from every county in Illinois. Survey respondents represented a range of service categories including youth development, early childhood education, mental health, emergency housing, senior services and employment training and varied in budget size from less than $500,000 to more than $15 million.
