* Former state Rep. and current Illinois Republican Party state central committeeperson Jeanne Ives was on Dan Proft’s radio show this morning talking about yesterday’s Republican losses. Excerpts…
Ives: In most of these races, we were completely wiped out. Republicans lost.
I mean, in Milton Township, we used to have every single position. Lost every single one of them to the Democrats. In some cases, like the Democrat supervisor, she’s never been to an actual board meeting, ever, you know? So she won. Our long-term highway Commissioner, who’s great, ran against a business agent of local 150 and he lost. He’s been in that position for a good 20 years. Does great work. You can expect now that they will unionize that workforce and raise your taxes. So I mean complete loss there.
Even our Dennis Reboletti. He’s been a long-time name in politics. He’s losing right now as Addison supervisor. Winfield used to be controlled by Republicans. They lost. York used to be controlled by Republicans. They lost. These are the township races. It’s just, West Chicago Mayor Ruben Pineda. He lost. Complete wipeout.
Proft: So why?
Ives: Well, I do think that they didn’t have clear messaging. In many cases, you just have to hit people between the eyes. I also do think that when it comes to anything that deals with education or mental health, people, unfortunately, are just willing to spend whatever it takes, and that’s not the answer, and they just for what they just do. They just vote for these people who vote for, oh, it’s for education, it’s for mental health. But really overarching, overarching, it’s no clear message. Republicans just went on spring break and didn’t vote early. And part of that is maybe we didn’t reach enough people to tell them, although there was a big effort to make sure people try to early vote. But the other thing is, I just think the unions are extremely strong in the suburbs, and they have built in ability to turn out their people behind every teacher. You can at least get five more people, and all you need to do is send an email from the union to tell people who to vote for. And I just they, you know, they their salaries on the line, and their control is on the line, so they show up. […]
Mayor Pekau’s loss in Orland Park. I mean, honestly, I think Keith is the best mayor in the entire state, and he’s done so much good for that. And he got wiped out because of mixed messaging from RINO Republicans about who was the Republican in the race, because Trump won that race, 57-43, but that got really, such a nasty race. […]
Proft: Well, what do you think? Where do we go from here? […]
Ives: Well, I think, you know, in 2026 we just really need a candidate who’s got, like a Trumpian type of voice that is unafraid to say what needs to be said and tell people the truth and does it. And the media can’t ignore that message when it’s a sort of a governor’s race or a senatorial race or something like they can’t necessarily ignore it. Maybe people will hear it, and, you know, a big voice will help connect the dots. Because I do think that people pay attention to, maybe more the national situation going on, some of the state but I mean, just the idea that Pritzker got a pass after giving Gotion, the Chinese Communist Party backed Gotion, a half a billion dollars. Rivian, who’s never made a one red cent of profit, nearly a billion dollars in tax incentives. This is, this is insane, and the people wonder where their money is going. You’re wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on these nonprofits that do nothing, that should not be government funded. I mean, maybe that would help if, in 2026 somebody with a big voice and a lot of money behind that voice, because that’s what Pritzker has got, what $350 million behind this campaign? And by the way, Pritzker played in these local races, you know. You know, and his lessers too, like Chris Welch, came out to walk in Wheaton with the Democratic township candidates and the IEA endorsed candidates. Sick. It’s just sick.
* Proft also talked about the RINOs…
These, these RINOs, doesn’t even begin to describe these people, the enemies inside the [garbled]. That’s another rolling problem. But that’s the problem you have when you have no party, no party leadership. It’s just a warlordocracy. And it’s been that way for, I mean, really, in the Republican Party, if we’re being honest, in Illinois, it’s been that way ever since George Ryan went away. It really has. Warlordocracy, not a good way to organize. Warlordocracy, not a good way to run a party.
* More Tuesday react from the self-proclaimed “RINO hunter” Tom DeVore…
They will never understand. The Trump backers who are not Republican supporters are the actual RINOs.
…Adding… Wheaton’s school district…
Oops…
Jeanne had a really bad day.
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* We’ve already discussed how the Democratic Party of Illinois was involved in a bunch of local races during the consolidated elections. Gov. JB Pritzker updated reporters today on how the party did…
The Democratic Party of Illinois focused on about 270 races and and won almost 80 percent of those races. And those were the critical ones.
And I just point especially to DuPage County, where, before Juliana Stratton and I ran for governor in 2018, DuPage County was a reliable Republican county. It produced the most number of Republican votes. And in last night’s election, as has steadily happened in every election since we’ve been on the ballot and since 2018 - last night’s election was a route. Republicans lost almost everywhere. As I understand it, 48 out of 49 races the Democratic Party of Illinois was involved with were victorious for the Democrats. And I think in the 49th race, they’re still counting the votes, it’s that close.
And then, just to talk about the mayor’s races, look, I think people rejected those who were, you know, who were acolytes of Donald Trump. And look at Keith Pekau in Orland Park. Look at Richard Irvin, who, when he ran for governor, he tried to distance himself from Donald Trump, but then he threw a fundraiser, an event for Donald Trump in 2024. So I think there was a broad rejection of what Donald Trump and the Republican Party stands for, and Illinois Democrats had perhaps one of the best nights we’ve ever had.
Barack Obama narrowly won DuPage in 2012. Hillary Clinton won it by a mile in 2016. The trend started moving down-ballot and picked up steam in the past six years. Yesterday was a blowout in that county which reminded me of the way Democrats were stomped in 1994 almost everywhere.
Also, I’ve been trying to get a list of those 270 races to see how many were actually competitive.
* From DPI last night…
The Party’s mail and digital advertising investment reached hundreds of thousands of Democratic voters in target regions across Illinois, and highlighted the Trump–aligned conservatives on the ballot, as well as supported the credible, commonsense community advocates that DPI recommends. As part of the program, DPI launched https://votelocalillinois.com/, a candidate lookup tool to help voters find and support endorsed Democrats in their communities. In addition to supporting candidates already on the ballot, DPI and Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association (IDCCA)’s candidate recruitment program helped ensure that strong Democrats step up to run for local office in future cycles.
* Back to the governor, who was asked if last night’s results were about party organization or the current national mood…
I attribute it to both. I don’t mean to avoid picking, but honestly, the Democratic Party of Illinois has been organizing, recruiting candidates, doing the things that state parties do all across the country, but that the Democratic Party of Illinois had not done for decades. And it showed last night that that recruiting candidates, good candidates, matters. And that having an organization, or supporting local organizations from the state level and picking the races that are most important matters. So the organization and strength of the Democratic Party that we’ve built over the last two years or so is making a big difference.
There is a national mood. I mean, I felt that going around Illinois. There’s a, it’s felt everywhere. As you know, I had some gatherings of farmers, of people who are affected by the Medicaid cuts, for example, have met with people on Social Security cuts. And I can tell you, people are angry. And when I say people, it’s not just Democrats, it’s Republicans. People are mad. Veterans are not able to get the services they deserve in the timely fashion that they should be able to get them. People are seeing Social Security offices closed, and those offices for some people, are vital for being able to access, to talk to anybody. Going online is hard sometimes for someone, a senior citizen, if they don’t know how to navigate the Social Security website, or perhaps don’t even have high speed internet or their own computer. So people are feeling the effects of what Donald Trump is trying to do.
And let’s be clear what he’s trying to do, and what people are reacting to. He’s doing all these things, they call, they say it’s about government efficiency, but then in the next breath, they tell you about the $5 trillion tax cut that they’re attempting to pay for by making these cuts. So the anger is felt in Illinois, as it is across the entire country. And that did play a role, there’s no doubt, in turnout and in the actual results.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
…Adding… DuPage Dems…
Statement on Election Results from the Chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage County, Reid McCollum:
“Democratic values prevailed across Illinois last night, especially in DuPage County. When all the votes are counted, we will likely win 49 of 49 (100%) of the contested partisan township races – 38 of these are outright flips, and 20 against GOP incumbents.
In both partisan and nonpartisan races, candidates prevailed who understand that local government plays a critical role in our community. From public schools to filling potholes and from mental health to economic development, voters trust Democrats and see the GOP as the party of division, extremism and corruption.
Last night’s unprecedented victories were the result of the hard work of countless people over decades. Our township Democratic organizations and their leaders worked unbelievably hard to recruit and support great candidates. The volunteers who knocked doors, made phone calls, and mailed postcards helped make sure voters knew about the election and who was on the ballot.
The Democratic Party of Illinois invested in important “air support” with mail, digital and text messages.
As the DuPage Dems, we recruited volunteers to mail 80,000 get out the vote postcards, sent over 400,000 text messages and generated 75,000 digital impressions – our first ever significant investments in consolidated elections.
DuPage County is officially a Democratic stronghold. We intend to keep it that way through good governance, hard work, and a continued belief in facts, sound policy and supporting the whole community rather than conspiracy theories, blaming others and benefiting only the ultra wealthy.”
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* Some election night results pages…
I’ll add more as we find them. If you know of a results page not listed above, put it in comments.
* You can see some of the contributions made by the Democratic Party of Illinois by clicking here. From a March 14 DPI press release…
In partnership with the Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association (IDCCA), DPI and county chairs have identified 270 recommended candidates in municipal races across the state. Credible community advocates recommended by DPI are fighting for equitable public investments, better healthcare, and strong public schools for our kids. Conservative candidates who oppose these values are also seeking local office. DPI has identified 230 opposed candidates who will be targeted through this program.
The Party’s plan will include a six-figure mail and digital advertising investment, reaching hundreds of thousands of Democratic voters in target regions across Illinois. The paid communications program will highlight the Donald Trump–aligned conservatives on the ballot, as well as support the credible, commonsense community advocates that DPI recommends. In addition, the Party is facilitating direct candidate training led by DPI’s campaign staff and assigned one-on-one campaign coaches.
* I should’ve done this earlier…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated)
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
…Adding… Press release…
In Major Victory for Survivors of Highland Park Mass Shooting, Judge Allows Majority of Claims in Civil Case Against Smith & Wesson and Firearm Retailers to Proceed
Romanucci & Blandin LLC and Everytown Law Represent 48 Survivors of Highland Park Mass Shooting
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. – The survivors and loved ones of those killed in the Highland Park Fourth of July mass shooting secured a major victory today in their case seeking to hold Smith & Wesson and gun sellers Bud’s Gun Shop and Red Dot Arms accountable for enabling the shooter to carry out the massacre. The court denied Smith & Wesson’s motions to dismiss as to Plaintiffs’ unfair business practices and negligence claims, but granted them as to the Plaintiffs’ deceptive business practices claims. The court also denied the motions to dismiss filed by Red Dot and Bud’s Gun Shop in their entirety.
* ILGOP…
The ILGOP Election Integrity Committee will audit and examine municipal election voter rolls for cases of voter fraud, improper registration and voter suppression. Using advanced AI, the Election Integrity Committee will help ensure that our elections are safe and secure. The Election Integrity Committee will present its recommendations to ensure that our elections are conducted with transparency and integrity.
“We need to be doing everything possible to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” said ILGOP Chair Kathy Salvi. “Unfortunately, Illinois Democrats have not pushed for requiring proof of U.S. citizenship or photo ID to cast a ballot. Our Election Integrity Committee is reviewing this year’s voters to safeguard our elections and will present its findings on voter fraud, improper registration, and voter suppression.”
* Background is here if you need it. Fox 32 Chicago political correspondent Paris Schutz…
* Mendota Reporter…
After The Mendota Reporter went to press with the March 26 edition featuring a story on the Trump Administration’s program cuts affecting the Mendota Area Christian Food Pantry, the Illinois Department of Human Services sent a notification to lead agencies.
The notification stated the Illinois Equitable Access Towards Sustainable Systems program (Illinois Eats) was reinstated on Thursday, March 20 after it was cut on March 4. The program was shut down for 16 days.
The IDHS also notified it is in partnership with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the determined funding to reinstate the program is directly coming from the United States Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for establishing the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, the umbrella for Illinois Eats.
“It was a huge relief for me, the clients, and for the food pantry’s board of directors,” said MACFP Executive Director, Tracy Cooper. “From what I understand, they’re bringing it back under a different funding. It will now be funded by the USDA without federal assistance. This is also a good sign they are not going to take away the USDA program we use for other food purchased for the pantry.
“They’re only bringing Illinois Eats back until the end of the fiscal year, which is actually July 1. We don’t know if it will be done again at the end of June. It depends on whether they find funding or not. So, we’re still up in the air when it comes to June because the program could still end.”
* The governor has spent the last couple days on a trade mission in Mexico…
* Some react from ILGOP Chair Kathy Salvi…
*** Statewide ***
* WTTW | Postal Workers Union Pushes Back on Potential USPS Cuts and Outlines Impact on Illinois Residents: “Look at the model from the Royal Mail in England,” said Melissa Rakestraw, executive vice president of the National Association of Letter Carriers. “They privatized in 2013 and it increased cost for mailers and consumers, it slowed down services and increased the mismanagement of pension funds. We can expect the same thing here.”
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune | Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum could squeeze Chicago apartment developers, leading to higher rents: The White House began implementing tariffs of 25% on global steel and aluminum imports March 12, saying it wants to stimulate domestic production. But experts say tariffs will also make the crucial materials more expensive, forcing developers to pass higher costs onto tenants, or make it tougher to secure financing and kick off construction. Down the road, that could mean higher rents and fewer choices for those looking for housing. “It’s a very difficult environment for the construction industry,” said Julie Workman, a Chicago-based real estate attorney and partner at Saul Ewing LLP. “Uncertainty and delay can kill deals. Time kills deals.”
* Tribune | Chicago drivers can pay old tickets without late fees under amnesty plan: Drivers must pay off their base fine balance in full by June 30 to avoid the late penalties and interest they have since accrued. Only violations with a “notice of final determination” issued before 2024 will qualify, according to a news release. “This is what it means to build a government that’s rooted in fairness and justice,” Johnson said at a news conference Tuesday. “To the Chicagoans who have old ticket debt, this is your chance for a fresh start. So do not wait.”
* Crain’s | The mayor has made his pick to replace Ramirez-Rosa in the 35th Ward: Mayor Brandon Johnson is set to appoint 8th District Cook County Commissioner Anthony Joel Quezada to replace former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa to represent the 35th Ward on the Northwest Side in the City Council, according to sources familiar with the decision. The selection will come as a shock to no one as Quezada has been the presumed choice since Ramirez-Rosa was tapped by Johnson to head the Chicago Park District in February. Ramirez-Rosa’s first day at the helm of the park district is today.
* Bloomberg Opinion | Ex-Skadden lawyer proves the resistance isn’t over: Until last week, Cohen was a third-year finance associate in the Chicago office of white-shoe law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. As Trump put out executive orders targeting firms that had done work for his adversaries, she watched the industry fail to come together in support of its peers and the legal profession as a whole. When it became clear that Big Law wasn’t going to rally around some sort of collective action, Cohen suggested to a handful of friends at other law firms that they put together an open letter, signed anonymously by associates, that would put pressure on their employers to speak out. “I don’t buy people saying they just couldn’t get the firms together,” she told me, “because I and like six friends who graduated [law school] in 2022 did that in 36 hours.”
* ABC Chicago | Concern on Chicago area college campuses after downstate international student has visa revoked: An international student at Southern Illinois University is now in immigration limbo because their student visa was abruptly revoked late last week. […] The university wouldn’t elaborate on the reason for the revocation or the student’s country of origin. […] According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Trump administration has revoked roughly 300 student visas and counting. It’s a triggering reality for University of Illinois Chicago’s heavily international student population.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* ABC Chicago | Case of tuberculosis reported at Waukegan High School, health officials say: The Lake County Health department said a person was recently diagnosed with active tuberculosis, also known as TB. The person was at the Waukegan High School campus, officials said. Those who might have been exposed have been notified by officials.
* Daily Herald | ‘We are gutted’: Mundelein’s Tonality Brewing to shutter this month: To encourage redevelopment of the former municipal building, the village board voted to give Gelfand and partner Don Phillips $180,000 in grants and tax rebates. The development deal called for the village to give Tonality $50,000 from the local Business Incentive Grant program; a 50% sales-tax rebate of up to $65,000 over five years, once the business began operating; and up to $65,000 from a village tax increment financing fund over five years, once the business began operating.
* Naperville Sun | Naperville to welcome new pickleball facility thanks to a team of longtime friends-turned-franchisees: Saumil Parikh, Chirdip Sheth, Hemang Patel and Dhaval Sheth have seen each other through life’s major moments. Now, the longtime friends are embarking on a new chapter together: the launch of their very own pickleball facility. The group is coming together to bring a franchise of Pickleball Kingdom to Naperville. They are in the process of finding a location for their new facility, which — when complete — will feature climate-controlled indoor pickleball courts, according to a news release announcing the burgeoning franchise last month.
* ABC Chicago | Elk Grove softball coach becomes all-time-winningest high school softball coach in IL: Ken Grams has become the all-time-winningest high school softball coach in Illinois, and he’s done it all at Elk Grove High School. […] “Right now, I’m sitting at 1,044,” Grams said. The team won 3-2 Monday. In his 44th season, Coach Grams was just one victory away from standing alone at the top of the all-time-wins list. To rack up so many wins, of course, takes many years.
*** Downstate ***
* WSIL | Former southern Illinois police chief pleads guilty to corruption charges: A former police chief in one southern Illinois city pleaded guilty to one count of misapplication of property from federally funded programs and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, according to the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Illinois. A representative with the US Attorney’s Office said Anson Fenton, 46 of Belle Rive, was in court on Monday and admitted to selling forfeited items which were confiscated by their department for his personal benefit.
* Shaw Local | Election 2025: 5 races we are watching in Whiteside, Lee counties: Sauk Valley-area voters headed to their polling places Tuesday to choose who will represent them on city, school, park, library and township boards. After the polls close at 7 p.m., visit the Sterling Gazette/Dixon Telegraph’s website for election night coverage and updates on the races.
* WCIA | ‘It’s disgusting’: Buckley residents call on village officials to focus on water quality: The Village of Buckley has tried to build a new sewer system, but funding the project has been an issue. The Village President said they’ve secured millions of dollars in grants, but initial bids are higher than expected. Now, the sewer rate is rising on water bills, and patience is running low for people in town. “We didn’t sign up for this and I feel like that’s really cruel,” said resident Karin Hall.
* Herald-Whig | Troup, Moore make final push before election: Republican Mayor Mike Troup faces off against former city treasurer and independent candidate Linda Moore in the consolidated election. Troup, 67, who is finishing his first term, believes the city has undergone tremendous business growth during his time as mayor and wants to see that continue. “If you look at where we started four years ago with coming out of COVID, a lot of empty big box stores, an uncertain economy, we have filled virtually the empty big box stores,” Troup said. “Our sales tax revenues have jumped up and have remained at that height. We have been able to use those dollars to improve infrastructure.”
* WCIA | Danville Rescue Men’s Overnight Crisis Shelter now open: Back in January WCIA reported that organizers were struggling to find insurance for the building. Now, the only thing left is to fill the spots and get homeless men off the streets. Monday night the Danville Rescue Mission began providing the unsheltered men a hot meal and a place to lay their heads.
*** National ***
* NBC | Scientists warn of severe honeybee losses in 2025: Honeybee colonies in the United States are projected to decline by up to 70% in 2025, entomologists at Washington State University said Tuesday. The university said in a news release that in the past decade, honeybee colony losses have averaged 40% to 50% annually. But this year, a combination of nutrition deficiencies, mite infestations, viral diseases and possible pesticide exposure during the previous pollinating season led to higher losses, the release said.
* Chalkbeat | Programs like tutoring in jeopardy after Linda McMahon terminates COVID aid spending extensions: “Extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion,” the letter states. “The Department’s initial approval of your extension request does not change anything.” The last opportunity to spend pandemic relief money was 5 p.m. Friday, the same day McMahon sent the letter.
* AP | A Senate vote to reverse President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada is testing Republican support: Even as the resolution from Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia offered them a potential off-ramp to the tariffs levied on Canadian imports, Republican leaders were trying to keep senators in line by focusing on fentanyl that comes into the U.S. over its northern border. It was yet another example of how Trump is not only reorienting global economics, but upending his party’s longtime support for ideas like free trade. “I really relish giving my Republican colleagues the chance to not just say they’re concerned, but actually take an action to stop these tariffs,” Kaine told The Associated Press in an interview last week.
* Stateline | Red states create their own DOGE efforts to cut state government: Conservatives have long sought to shrink the size and cost of government. And it’s common practice for officials from both parties to hire outside consultants to help reduce inefficiency or waste in school, state and city bureaucracies. But the DOGE effort is gaining new steam as Republicans look to fall in line with Trump and blue and red states alike face massive budget gaps that will require some combination of spending cuts or increased taxes.
* Reuters | Trump administration to freeze family-planning funds for Planned Parenthood: Planned Parenthood said that nine of its affiliates received notice that funding would be withheld under a program known as Title X, which has supported healthcare services for the poor since 1970. The Wall Street Journal reported last week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) planned an immediate freeze of $27.5 million in family planning grants for groups including Planned Parenthood.
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* Press release…
Today, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) published a new report that shows American homeowners saw their insurance premiums increase by an average of 24% over the past three years. Nationally, CFA found homeowners saw their insurance premiums rise twice as fast as inflation between 2021 and 2024, which amounts to a $21 billion total price hike for Americans.
The study authors of “Overburdened: The Dramatic Increase in Homeowners Insurance Premiums and its Impacts on American Homeowners” used proprietary industry data purchased for this research to evaluate the growth in insurance premiums for typical homeowners in every ZIP code in the country.
* From the study…
The states with the greatest percentage increase in premiums were Utah (59 percent), Illinois (50 percent), Arizona (48 percent), and Pennsylvania (44 percent). The states with the greatest premium hikes in absolute dollars were Florida ($2,118 increase), Louisiana ($1,775), and Kentucky ($1,426). […]
Homeowners in rural areas also experienced steep premium increases. Premiums charged to homeowners in rural ZIP codes rose by 22 percent from 2021 to 2024 (compared to 25 percent in urban and suburban ZIP codes). Annual premiums in rural ZIP codes were $3,317 on average in 2024, compared to $3,299 in urban and suburban areas.
Yikes.
* Recommendations…
1. Require insurance companies to publicly release data on homeowners insurance underwriting, pricing, coverage, and claims every year. Mortgage lenders have been required to report detailed, annual mortgage data under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) since 1975, to protect against housing discrimination and ensure that all communities are served. As homeowners insurance increasingly determines who can own a home, insurers should be required to report homeowners insurance data in the same manner.
2. Invest federal and state dollars in housing resiliency and require insurance companies to reward risk reduction with lower premiums. The federal government, as well as states, should adopt and expand grant-based and low-interest-loan risk mitigation programs. These programs can help homeowners better protect their homes, such as through roof fortifications. Given their large investment portfolios, insurance companies should become direct investment partners in these projects. In addition, states should require insurers to reward these loss prevention investments with lower premiums.
3. Create a public reinsurance program to stabilize the American property insurance market and to expand the availability of affordable, quality homeowners insurance. A federal public catastrophe reinsurance program would make available additional – and lower cost – coverage to domestic homeowners, insurers, and state insurers of last resort than the unregulated global reinsurance market currently offers. By adding more risk transfer capacity, the program would loosen the grip of these global companies and insulate consumers from unrestrained cost increases in that market. In exchange for access to this lower cost capacity, participating insurers would have to cover all natural disasters in their homeowners insurance policies and increase availability of their coverage across the country.
* Illinois PIRG notes that the state’s Department of Insurance drafted this bill to implement rate review for auto and homeowners insurance. SB268 is still in a Senate committee, but its passage deadline has been extended to April 4…
Creates the Insurance Fairness and Consumer Protection Law Article of the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that insurers must submit a request for approval to the Department of Insurance for any proposed rate increase for homeowners insurance premiums or automobile insurance premiums. Prohibits implementing any rate increase without prior written approval of the Department. Prohibits using nondriving factors, such as credit score, occupation, and education level, to determine automobile insurance premiums. Provides that, for homeowners insurance, factors unrelated to the insured property’s location, age, and condition shall not be considered in rate setting. Requires a public disclosure and comment period for any proposed rate increase exceeding 10% in a 12-month period. Prohibits an insurer from increasing premiums by more than 15% per year for any policyholder without exceptional justification, which must include specified evidence. Sets forth provisions concerning definitions; penalties; reimbursement of consumers; market conduct actions; Department approval of rate increases; and rulemaking. Effective immediately.
Chief opponents include the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.
…Adding… Joint statement from the insurance industry…
While tornadoes and flooding in Illinois and across the Midwest have led to significant home damage and an increase in claims, compared to the rest of the country, Illinois boasts a competitive insurance marketplace with over 200 companies competing to serve consumers. Legislation to bring California-style overregulation to Illinois and to limit how insurance companies calculate risk, would limit competition and lead to higher rates. While the legislation currently being considered is the wrong path forward, the insurance industry in Illinois will continue to work with the General Assembly and the Illinois Department of Insurance on commonsense solutions that will preserve our competitive marketplace and protect consumers.
Key Points:
• The CFA’s report is a flawed and unreliable analysis. The CFA does not use actual premiums charged to customers as the basis for its findings but instead uses premiums quoted to hypothetical customers.
• The report also fails to acknowledge that insurance premiums are driven primarily by losses and claims costs.
• Illinois experienced 120 reported tornadoes in 2023, the most in the nation.
• Homeowners insurers in Illinois had an average of 6.2% underwriting loss over the last decade, with a massive 27.6% underwriting loss in 2023. This is not sustainable.
• Banning certain risk factors like credit leads to rate increases for most consumers. When Washington state banned the use of credit scores in setting auto insurances rates in 2021, more than 60 percent of drivers experienced rate hikes.
• Research shows that using credit alone saves consumers between 30-59% on their auto insurance rates.
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* Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked about his top three priorities in Springfield this spring session during a press availability today…
Mayor Johnson: I think we have five. So yes, we have a number of people in Springfield that are carrying the agenda on behalf of the City of Chicago. Again the loudest voice for our team in Springfield is me. I had a conversation with the Senate President yesterday. Senate President Don Harmon is my mentor, he gave me my first job, and I was his director of constituent services making 10 bucks an hour. And now I call him Senate President, he calls me Mr. Mayor. Had a few conversations with Speaker Welch. On rotation, our budget director and our CFO have had regular conversations with Springfield. My Chief of Staff [Cristina Pacione-Zayas], she understands that place better than any other chief of staff in the history of Chicago because she’s been there. And her relationships, of course, are tried and true. And so those top priorities CPZ, if you don’t mind just running through them, there’s a number of them.
CPZ: A lot of them focused on revenue, so there’s the Personal Property Replacement Tax.
There’s also the Telecom fix that we were working on last session, as well as the 911 surcharge extending that. The sunset was set for this year, we’re extending it a little bit further.
We have mandated categoricals in the Illinois State Board of Education Funding. This would be something that wouldn’t just benefit Chicago Public Schools, but it would benefit the entire plethora of school districts. The 852 because, as you know, with mandated categoricals there are certain services such as transportation and special education and bilingual education that school districts are required to provide but the state does not reimburse at the fullest amount. And so right now there’s some discussion about increasing the proration so that we can get closer to 100% reimbursement, which would then mean that all school districts would get more money into their budgets to take care of the services that they’re required to give.
And then the last, is the One System Initiative. This is the partnership with the state in terms of what we took with our legacy homelessness system and the emergency temporary system that we put up because of the humanitarian crisis we built the infrastructure for something that would live beyond that crisis. But ultimately be able to expand our beds to 126 percent increase up to 6,800 beds have a 24 hour access point. So now we have nobody on a wait list if they need shelter.
So those are the five top priorities. Of course, we know that transit is huge and there’s a lot to be discussed there, with respect to the RTA and the various proposals that are put out by some of our colleagues in the labor space, as well as the advocates.
* H/T Chicago Bars. More on the Personal Property Replacement Tax…
The law requires the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) to collect these taxes and allocate 51.65% to local governments in Cook County and 48.35% to local governments in the other 101 counties. The allocation for each local government was to be based on their share of the total personal property tax collected in 1976 for Cook County and 1977 for everywhere else.
In State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024, IDOR distributed an estimated $2.99 billion in PPRT to 6,525 local governments throughout Illinois. One-fifth of those distributions went to municipalities.
Prior to SFY 2009, IDOR could only divert PPRT revenues for the purpose of paying costs for administering and distributing the revenues of the tax. As illustrated below, past General Assemblies and Governors have increasingly diverted PPRT revenues to pay state’s attorneys, stipends to county officials, regional offices of education and others. In the past, these costs were paid for by state general revenue sources. In SFY 2025, total diversions from PPRT are more than $370 million.
…Adding… Maurice Scholten of the Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois…
To ensure revenues are distributed correctly, the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) reconciles an annual distribution of income tax payments after processing income tax returns. It was discovered through this reconciliation process that PPRT disbursement to local governments were worth more than they should have been in SFY2022 and SFY2023.
IDOR offset $818 million from PPRT disbursements to local governments in SFY2024 to “true up” these distributions, and another $1.021 billion in SFY2025. The SFY2026 offsets should be an estimated $510 million, which means more PPRT money should be disbursed to local governments. Since the City of Chicago gets 11.6% of PPRT, they should receive roughly $59 million in additional revenues just from the “true up.” Since Chicago Public Schools receive 21% more from PPRT than the City of Chicago, they should also experience increased PPRT revenues, as will every local government unit. The PPRT “true up” should be completed by SFY2027.
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