Visiting Chicago for the first time as president, Donald Trump disparaged the city Monday as a haven for criminals that is “embarrassing to us as a nation.”
It’s embarrassing to us as a nation. All over the world, they’re talking about Chicago. Afghanistan is a safe place by comparison. (Laughter.) It’s true. […]
Last year alone, here in Illinois, local officials blocked ICE detainers for illegal aliens responsible for hundreds of offensive — including homicide, trafficking deadly drugs, trafficking humans, robbery, and sexual assault.
[US Sen. Richard Durbin] said that in Illinois, less than 20% of immigrants who are deported “have been charged with any serious crime.”
Limited federal backs that up, but it comes with a few caveats — most notably the fact that the available count includes all individuals who departed from Illinois at the time of their deportation. That means they may have resided and been arrested in a state other than Illinois before leaving the country.
If President @realDonaldTrump wants to know what’s ‘embarrassing to us as a nation,’ he should look in the mirror.
Offering no solutions to the real challenges facing cities across America – from poverty to gun violence – the President used his visit to Chicago to spew hateful rhetoric that has no place in that great city or our great state.
Comparing any Illinois city to war-torn Afghanistan is insulting & wrong. Chicago is the crown jewel of Illinois: the transportation & logistics hub of the nation, home to world-class universities & a thriving economy and a shining example of the values that make America special.
While we shouldn’t be surprised at the character deficit of someone who lied and cheated his way to the top, the American people should demand more from the man who holds the highest office in the land.
Having a President who visits a great American city only to slander our residents, our communities and our police officers is embarrassing to us as a nation.
Having a President who demeans immigrant families in a country built by immigrants is embarrassing to us as a nation.
Having a President who so thoroughly disregards the rule of law – putting foreign dictators over the American people and using the federal government to enrich himself – is embarrassing to us as a nation.
The President has committed impeachable acts, and @realDonaldTrump must be held accountable. No one is above the law.
Illinois state Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) argues that a new poll revealing that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s disapproval numbers have climbed to above 40 percent does not accurately represent the sentiment in the 110th District.
“I would say those numbers would be shockingly low among the people in my district,” Miller told the East Central Reporter. “It’s closer to 90 percent where I live, and it’s because he’s been part of passing legislation that is the most egregious ever. It’s killing babies, putting small business owners out of business and tyrannizing taxpayers and hardworking people everywhere.” […]
“All those things would be drivers of why people are starting to feel the way they do about him,” Miller said. “I think it’s going to get worse as he’s voted to get more kids hooked on dope with this recreational marijuana law and all the taxes. It’s just a downward spiral as we move toward a more addictive society.”
The NCAA Board of Governors has taken the first step toward allowing athletes to cash in on their fame. The board voted unanimously on Tuesday to clear the way for the amateur athletes to “benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness.”
The vote came during a meeting at Emory University in Atlanta.
In a news release, board chair Michael V. Drake said the board realized that it “must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes.”
…Adding… Earlier today…
University Athletic Departments from across Illinois sent this letter to lawmakers today opposing the Student Athlete Endorsement Act. #twillpic.twitter.com/5h9XPJCqrb
Nobody knows what "the opportunity to benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness in a manner consistent with the collegiate model" actually means. That's the whole thing.
* This is the same basic playbook Madigan used during the #MeToo scandals. Eject the accused, promise a change in state laws and conduct a review of what went wrong…
After a closed-door House Democrats caucus meeting Monday afternoon, Madigan handed out a written statement saying Arroyo had agreed to step down from his committee chairmanship, but he said he agreed with Durkin that Arroyo should resign immediately or face disciplinary proceedings.
“I urge Representative Arroyo to resign from the House of Representatives, effective immediately,” Madigan said in the statement. “If he refuses, I will take the necessary steps to begin the process to remove him from office.”
Madigan, who has served as speaker for all but two years since 1983, also said he plans to call in “stakeholders and experts” to re-examine the state’s ethics and lobbying laws, but he said he didn’t know why it isn’t already illegal in Illinois for the owner of a lobbying firm to serve as a lawmaker.
“I don’t know the answer to that question. That’s the type of thing that should be addressed by this group that we’re going to convene,” he said to a group of reporters Monday in the Capitol.
Legislators shouldn’t be lobbying local governments. They also shouldn’t be selling red light cams to local governments. And, a case could very well be made that they shouldn’t be involved in local zoning matters or even property tax appeals.
Amid an ongoing flurry of federal investigative activity pertaining to state government, a bipartisan group of lawmakers called during a Statehouse news conference Monday for the creation of a task force to recommend greater ethical safeguards.
“We’re not here to be the judge and the jury at all, we are here to start a conversation,” Rep. Tony McCombie, a Savanna Republican, said. ”… We need the people who put us in office to be able to rely on us and trust us, and today, they can’t do that.”
McCombie is sponsoring House Joint Resolution 87, which would create a bipartisan task force to examine state ethics laws and how to better improve and enforce them. […]
Maurice West, a Rockford Democrat who has been in office since January, agreed with his Republican colleagues.
“This issue should not be a partisan issue. Matter of fact, it should not even be a bipartisan issue, this should be a moral issue,” West said.
With Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot already facing formidable odds in her quest to convince the Illinois Legislature to approve an increase in the city’s Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), nine state lawmakers said Tuesday they’re not prepared to vote for the measure unless it includes funds dedicated to alleviating homelessness.
In a letter submitted to Lightfoot, members of the Illinois House of Representatives wrote, “It is our intention to support your proposed Real Estate Transfer Tax increase only if a significant amount is statutorily dedicated to homelessness, and we believe that at least 60% should go toward that purpose.”
The letter is signed by State Reps. Kambium Buckner (D-26th); Will Guzzardi (D-39th); Aaron Ortiz (D-1st); Elizabeth Hernandez (D-24th); Thaddeus Jones (D-29th); Theresa Mah (D-2nd); Delia Ramirez (D-14th); Anne Stava-Murray (D-81st); and Celina Villanueva (D-21st).
Their announcement threatens to place another hurdle in Lightfoot’s path, unless the Mayor is willing to revisit a proposal to allocate some of the tax funds to reducing homelessness – a concept that she repeatedly promised to support during her campaign for office.
While soliciting support on the campaign trail, Lightfoot touted a proposal to increase the RETT on higher-priced property sales to pay for programs that reduce homelessness and expand affordable housing. But in the wake of her election, she gutted those provisions from her plan and now is seeking legislative authorization to funnel all revenues from the tax increase into the city’s coffers to defray Chicago’s budget deficit.
On Tuesday, several of the lawmakers who signed the letter joined members of the Bring Chicago Home coalition – which has championed a measure akin to the one Lightfoot promoted in her campaign – at a news conference to say that they share the Mayor’s commitment to resolving the budget deficit, but also believe the 86,000 Chicago residents currently afflicted by with homelessness shouldn’t be a casualty to that effort.
“Chicagoans experiencing homelessness are already struggling on the margins, so we shouldn’t exacerbate their woes by leaving them stranded from the legislative support they were promised,” Rep. Ramirez said. “The proposed RETT increase is one mechanism in Mayor Lightfoot’s arsenal to rectify the budget deficit, and I would certainly favor using it for that purpose, in part. But we should do that in concert with, rather than at the expense of, Chicago’s homeless population. In fact, funding aid for the homeless is the one justification for the proposed RETT increase that has already garnered public support.”
In a 2018 public opinion poll, two-thirds of Chicago’s likely voters said they supported the proposal to increase the RETT on properties sold for more than $1 million if the money was legally dedicated to programs that relief homelessness.
This doesn’t necessarily kill the mayor’s RETT plan, but it sure isn’t a good sign. Their letter to Lightfoot is here. Lightfoot has justified her change of position by pointing to the city’s large budget deficit.
*** UPDATE ***
Rich, just an update: The number of signatures on the letter — the latest editions of it is attached — has expanded to 13. The names:
Buckner
Evans
Gabel
Guzzardi
Hernandez
T. Jones
Mah
Ortiz
Ramirez
Slaughter
Stava-Murray
Villanueva
West
There’s a difference of opinion in our caucus on the real estate transfer tax, we’ll see. It’s just something we need to address. […]
There’s concerns that [progressives in his caucus] raised about how the money would be spent. So we talked about the fact that our state legislation would not spend the money. We would only authorize the city to spend the money. So that’s maybe something that the progressive members of the House were not aware of.
Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), who announced this summer he won’t run for reelection in 2020, said Monday night he has been asked to reconsider his decision.
In a brief interview with The Hill outside the Capitol, the 23-year veteran lawmaker declined to say whether House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) or Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the House GOP campaign arm’s chief, had asked him to run again.
Shimkus, 61, also declined to say whether he was seriously entertaining the idea.
But his remarks come at an interesting time. Earlier Monday, longtime Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, the top Republican on the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced that he would retire at the end of this term, even though he could have served in the top job through January 2023.
Walden had defeated both Shimkus and then-Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) for the Energy and Commerce gavel in a hotly contested 2016 race. Barton had previously served as chairman, and Shimkus had more seniority than Walden on the committee.
*** UPDATE *** Politico reporter…
NEWS: @RepShimkus tells reporters he is reconsidering his retirement decision now that the top GOP spot on the Energy and Commerce Committee is opening up.
* I asked Sen. Link earlier today if he was the unidentifed Senator in the Arroyo complaint and he said he wasn’t. But both the Sun-Times and the Tribune say he is. Tribune…
JUST IN: The Tribune has confirmed that longtime state Sen. Terry Link of Vernon Hills wore a wire on Rep. Luis Arroyo in hopes of leniency for income tax fraud. Link denied it when asked earlier today. “Anybody can tell you anything,” he said. https://t.co/r1phBgkyEXpic.twitter.com/VXE8gC44Rs
Link, who is an assistant majority leader in the Senate, is not named in the criminal complaint, but referred to as a cooperating witness or CW-1.
Link started cooperating with the feds in 2016 but was initially closed as a source on Nov. 3, 2016, after he allegedly submitted false income tax returns, the complaint states. Link expects to be charged in relation to his taxes, according to the feds, and is working with them now in hopes of getting a break on any sentence he may receive.
In one secretly recorded conversation, Link asks Arroyo what’s in it for him if he helps sponsor Arroyo’s legislation.
The first Arroyo sitdown was in Highland Park. The Senator said he was in the “twilight” of his career. And it was a gaming issue. Again, he denies it. Keep that in mind.
*** UPDATE *** Strongest denial yet…
Link says he has not dealt with the feds in their corruption probe, didn’t wear a wire, wasn’t offered kickbacks and didn’t have tax problems as the Arroyo complaint alluded to: “The answer is no. Just leave it at that. I really don’t know what to say. I am not witness No. 1.”
And for good measure, Link wanted to make this point loud and clear after the day he had today in Springfield: “I wouldn’t know why anybody would want to cooperate with any law enforcement if this is the abuse you’re going to take if you are cooperating.”
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan released the following statement Monday:
“The charges filed against Representative Arroyo are very serious. We have already contacted Representative Arroyo’s counsel to determine whether he will resign as state representative. I urge Representative Arroyo to resign from the House of Representatives, effective immediately. If he refuses, I will take the necessary steps to begin the process to remove him from office.
“Additionally, I have instructed my staff to begin bringing together stakeholders and experts to closely examine our ethics and lobbying laws and find ways to strengthen existing law.”
* More…
Speaker Madigan says Arroyo’s attorney has said he will step down from chairing the Appropriations-Capital committee but is urging Arroyo to resign from the House or else he’ll “begin the process to remove him from office.” pic.twitter.com/TSSUVWWHvL
The Illinois House expelled one of its members Friday, but state Rep. Derrick Smith remains on the November ballot and still could be re-elected. […]
The Illinois Constitution prohibits either house of the General Assembly from expelling a member more than once for the same offense. So, Smith could reclaim his seat by winning the election.
That’s what happened the last time the House kicked out a member, in 1905. Rep. Frank Comerford, D-Chicago, was ejected after accusing his colleagues of corruption and besmirching their “good name and reputation.” But Comerford won the special election called to fill his seat.
Smith was, indeed, reelected. And then he was convicted and had to resign.
Illinois State Rep. LUIS ARROYO has been charged in federal court with offering a bribe to a fellow state lawmaker in an effort to influence and reward the lawmaker for supporting legislation that would benefit Arroyo’s private lobbying client.
Arroyo, 65, of Chicago, is charged with one count of federal program bribery, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Arroyo made an initial court appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez and was ordered released on a personal recognizance bond. The next court date was not immediately set.
The complaint was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; and Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Stetler and James Durkin.
Arroyo has represented the 3rd District in the Illinois House of Representatives since 2006. He has also managed Spartacus 3 LLC, a private lobbying firm in Chicago.
According to the complaint, on Aug. 2, 2019, Arroyo offered to pay $2,500 per month to an Illinois state senator in return for the senator’s support of sweepstakes-related legislation that would benefit one of Arroyo’s lobbying clients. On Aug. 22, 2019, Arroyo met with the senator at a restaurant in Skokie and provided him a check for $2,500 as an initial payment, with the expectation that additional payments would be made for the next six to 12 months, the complaint states. The check was made payable to a nominee of the senator for the purpose of concealing the illicit payment, the complaint states.
Federal program bribery is punishable by up to ten years in prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
* More…
Interesting insight into "CW-1," who is an unnamed state senator in the Luis Arroyo case. The person has been an FBI source since 2016 but filed a false income tax return and expects to be charged. pic.twitter.com/eM6zZ5Kjzp
Luis Arroyo: "I cannot work as a legislator with somebody if it's illegal … That's just like being part of the mob or being part of a gang that's selling drugs. I can't be part of that." pic.twitter.com/sF6XOwJmRx
*** UPDATE 2 *** House Republican Leader Jim Durkin just called on Rep. Arroyo to resign by the end of the day or he would be filing paperwork to invoke House Rule 91, which reads in part…
Disciplinary proceedings may be commenced by filing with the Speaker and theMinority Leader a petition, signed by 3 or more members of the House, for a special investigating committee. The petition shall contain the alleged charge or charges that, if true, may subject the member named in the petition to disciplinary action by the House and may include any other factual information that supports the charge or charges.
*** UPDATE 3 *** From the governor…
These are extremely troubling charges. Corruption, deception and self-dealing have no place in our government, and public officials who betray the public trust have forfeited the privilege of serving. While this investigation and court case continue, Rep. Luis Arroyo must immediately step down from his committee chairmanship, or be removed.
City records maintained by the Board of Ethics show Arroyo lobbied aldermen on “sweepstakes” legislation on behalf of a firm, V.S.S. Inc. Arroyo and his wife, Maribel, operate Spartacus 3.
Aldermen twice considered legislation to change the city code to ban “free play option” or “sweepstakes” machines that might look like poker, bingo, craps, keno, eight-liner or other similar gaming machines, but don’t require money to play. The City Council changes came amid increased scrutiny of the machines from WBEZ, but neither measure managed to pass.
The complaint suggests Arroyo was planning to pursue legislation in this veto session regarding sweepstakes gaming.
State Rep. Luis Arroyo, a Chicago Democrat, has been hit with a federal charge alleging he agreed to pay a state senator $2,500 a month in bribes in exchange for the senator’s support on legislation involving video gambling sweepstakes games that would benefit one of Arroyo’s lobbying clients.
The 13-page criminal complaint, made public Monday when Arroyo appeared in U.S. District Court, revealed that the undisclosed state senator whom Arroyo allegedly agreed to pay has been cooperating with the FBI since 2016 when he was confronted with evidence that he had filed false income tax returns.
Arroyo delivered the first of the promised $2,500 checks to the senator at a restaurant in Skokie on Aug. 22 as the state senator secretly recorded the conversation, according to the complaint.
“This is, this is the jackpot,” the complaint quoted Arroyo as telling the senator.
The feds secretly also recorded some of Arroyo’s conversations over the phone as well as conversations with the state senator, according to court records.
In one secretly recorded conversation, the state senator asks Arroyo what’s in it for him if he helps sponsor Arroyo’s legislation.
Arroyo allegedly responded: “I’m a paid consultant, okay? . . . If you put a price on it, I mean, if you want to get paid, you want somebody else to get a check monthly, a monthly stipend, we could put them on a contract. You tell me what it is. Tell me what you need.”
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said if Arroyo doesn’t step down by the end of the day, Durkin will file a motion via House rules to begin a special investigation that could lead to Arroyo’s removal.
Durkin said the motion would have to be approved by House Democrats, but he couldn’t say how long the process would take. Durkin said he’s been told nothing by Democratic leadership about Arroyo’s arrest.
“It’s as fast as the Democratic leadership wants it to go,” Durkin said. “I will ask that we move expeditiously and we’ll move accordingly. We can do this in the nest few months. It has to go through the rules committee and has to be approved by the Speaker.”
*** UPDATE 5 *** Stay tuned…
Speaker Madigan will address the media after a caucus meeting with House Democrats.
At restaurant meeting, Rep. Luis Arroyo and the state senator left the table to talk privately, the charges allege. Senator: "This is you and I talkin' now. Nobody else." Arroyo: "Whatever you tell me stays between you and me. That's my word." The senator was wearing a wire.
* Rep. Arroyo (D-Chicago) chairs the House Appropriations-Capital Committee. He worked with Sen. Martin Sandoval, the former chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, on the infrastructure bill…
///BREAKING/// Illinois State Rep. Luis Arroyo of Chicago was arrested Friday on public corruption charges and is appearing in a federal courtroom now. He’s sitting in court with lawyer waiting for the hearing to begin. Details to come.
…Adding… Rep. Arroyo gave up a spot in leadership to take over the chairmanship of that approp committee.
Arroyo’s recent contributions include $5,000 on September 24th from Rick Heidner’s Gold Rush Amusements, Inc. He received $2,500 that same day from ComEd.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Wow…
Hearing for state Rep. Luis Arroyo starting now. He’s charged in a criminal complaint with bribery of a state official. Maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Arroyo has already negotiated the terms of bond and will be released. He’s been ordered to have no contact with “Individual A” in the charges, who is another state elected official.
Arroyo's son, Cook County Commissioner Luis Arroyo Jr, was here in the county building for budget hearings earlier this morning. He ducked out before this news came out and hasn't returned. https://t.co/mThWXWY8gk
His attorney is Terence Gillespie. The Sun-Times reports he’d negotiated a $10,000 unsecured bond.
…Adding… Arroyo has a side business called Spartacus 3…
Spartacus 3 offers the most comprehensive Municipal and County business advocacy services. The combined experience of over 20 years in government operations paired with the unparalleled individual skills of our team offer you focus, leadership and reliability for a successful partnership. We will assess the need, identify a strategy with you, procure the necessary documentation and advocate for your business through legislative and regulatory processes until your objective is accomplished. […]
The Spartacus 3 team excels at every dimension of winning political campaigns and has penned many victories in it’s score card. Winning a political or government campaign requires a sharp message. It also requires a sharp field and targeting plan, rapid response, political outreach, press strategy and direct voter contact, all executed without mistakes. Your path to victory starts with us.
*** UPDATE 2 *** One of the items listed to be seized on the Sandoval warrant was anything related to “sweepstakes” businesses and/or anything “any issues supported by any of those individuals or businesses.” I do not know if this is related, but Arroyo and his company registered to lobby the Chicago City Council this year on a “Sweepstakes Ordinance.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Yep. It’s related…
Govt’s bribery case against Rep Luis Arroyo involves effort to pay an unnamed Illinois state senator on behalf of a lobbying client to advance gambling sweepstakes legislation, US Atty spox says. The spokesman would not say whether that unnamed senator is Marty Sandoval.
Arroyo’s office released a statement Monday, saying that he “would politely decline to answer any questions concerning today’s events. Suffice it to say that Rep. Arroyo entered a plea of not guilty and believes that he will eventually be completely vindicated of the charges against him.”
I’m told the governor will be issuing a statement soonish.
With less than a handful of vetoes to deal with, the whole tenor of the session will be determined by how much other stuff lawmakers decide to tackle. And there’s a pretty long list of stuff they could do if they are inclined.
Bills to ban flavored vaping products and to cap out-of-pocket costs for insulin are definitely on the agenda. Both proposals have some intense opposition, so it’s not necessarily a slam-dunk for either one. (Then again, opposition to the insulin bill comes from pharmaceutical and other business interests, which don’t always engender a lot of sympathy in these here parts).
Gov. J.B. PRITZKER said he’s still going to push his idea to consolidate hundreds of downstate police and fire pension systems. But more and more lawmakers seem to not want to rush this idea.
There are other possibilities, but lawmakers may be inclined to basically just rest on the laurels of what was a pretty productive spring session.
It’s hard to say for sure at this point on anything. But I will just remind you that a whole lot of folks were predicting that very little would be accomplished in May, and then everything passed.
* Some really good session previews have been published since Friday. Hannah Meisel begins with the elephant in the room…
Lawmakers will return to Springfield Monday nearly five months after a momentous spring legislative session that saw the passage of massive bills from recreational marijuana legalization to a $45 billion infrastructure plan.
But the political climate has shifted significantly since early June, since the existence of widespread federal corruption probes was revealed over the summer and fall. The inquires appear targeted at Democrats and their allies, but the investigations have also shaken Republicans and longtime Springfield lobbyists who work for bipartisan interests across industries.
Federal agents raided the home, Springfield and district offices of State Sen. Marty Sandoval (D-Chicago) in late September. Since then, search warrants released by the state Senate and other local government bodies revealed federal agents are searching for information about dozens of individuals and businesses. […]
State Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) was indicted in August on 45 counts of embezzlement for allegedly keeping a ghost payroll job with the Teamsters Joint Council 25 in the early years of his time in the Senate.
Neither senator is expected to participate in Veto Session.
The feds also appear to be circling closer to House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago).
Lightfoot has a lot riding on the veto session, which will serve as a major test of her influence in Springfield. When she unveiled her budget plan at a special City Council meeting Wednesday, Lightfoot said the math only works if state lawmakers and Pritzker give Chicago permission to implement a graduated tax on real estate transactions. She also called on the General Assembly to rework the tax structure for a proposed city casino to make it more attractive to potential investors and to “develop a statewide pension reform package.”
But Lightfoot’s $11.65 billion 2020 budget plan doesn’t count on any revenue from the casino or any savings from pension changes at the state level, which could allow the mayor’s office to focus its lobbying efforts on pushing through the real estate transfer tax before the legislature adjourns for the year in mid-November. Her plan calls for raising the tax on the sale of residential and commercial properties worth more than $1 million.
Lightfoot had been saying for months that her spending plan would rely on help from Springfield, but she long left many key people in the dark on the specifics. Her office didn’t brief Pritzker’s staff on the details until a week before she publicly unveiled her budget and four days after she laid out her proposals for rank-and-file lawmakers who represent the city. After her Wednesday budget address, Republican leaders said they were still waiting for details.
Pritzker and legislative leaders have put the onus on Lightfoot to marshal support for her proposals. The mayor’s office declined to comment on its legislative strategy. […]
“Everyone knows that they have a difficult mountain to climb,” [House Majority Leader Greg Harris] said.
In recent days, a task force formed by Pritzker recommended the state consolidate 649 suburban and downstate police and firefighter pension funds into just two, saying the move would generate billions of dollars in additional earnings and cut administrative costs over the next 20 years.
The funds would be consolidated into one each for firefighters and police. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council “expressed strong concerns about the recommendations” of the task force in a statement, while the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois said it supports the recommendations.
Pritzker said this week language for the bill “is being put together now.”
“There are many people who understand that if we want to keep property taxes down, we want to bring them down, that we want to stop the hikes that are occurring everywhere, we’ve got to attack property taxes everywhere we can,” he said. “One of them is to attack it by making sure that our police and fire pensions are reasonably well funded.”
The bill would not, however, address the more than $130 billion in unfunded pension liabilities facing state government, as the funds that would be consolidated are funded by local municipalities, not the state.
Make sure to click on all the links above. There’s just too much content to excerpt here.
…Adding… This is the city’s chief financial officer…
CFO on state prospects for real estate transfer tax and casino changes….We continue to have productive conversations…we feel optimistic about our ability to secure those two revenue sources for our budget and for the outyears.
* Labor strikes are serious business, but it’s important that striking workers try to keep morale as high as they can. Most strikers just shout chants on the picket lines, but the CTU has taken this to a whole other level. My personal favorite…
An instant-classic strike cover song from striking teachers in Chicago ♥️🔥♥️ @carlyraejepsen can you show your support for Chicago educators and share this? pic.twitter.com/Du7FoNb4Ny
* But not all of the strike videos are about fun. Some contain serious messages…
From the line: last year, @CTULocal1 social worker Alexandra was responsible for 4 different south side schools. Now, she is the lone social worker for 1500 students in Marquette Park. pic.twitter.com/tmZiXywHwV
A group of 30 Chicago Public Schools athletes and students arrived at City Hall to speak with Mayor Lori Lightfoot shortly after noon on Friday.
The group, led by Simeon football players, announced its intention to show up on Wednesday. They wanted to voice their frustration over the impact the Chicago Teachers Union strike is having on CPS students and athletes.
Lightfoot left City Hall just minutes before they arrived.
“I think she’s afraid,” Simeon senior Khalyl Warren said. “She is showing fear. But it is ok. We assumed she would be here to say a couple words, say something that we wanted to hear. Something for our teachers, something for us. But if she walked away, she walked away.”
A Cook County judge will rule later Friday about whether Jones College Prep cross country teams can participate in a state regional event this weekend.
The case has broad implications for other Chicago Public Schools students who also want to compete in state meets while their teachers and coaches are on strike.
About 100 students attended the hearing at the Daley Center on a complaint filed Thursday by 14 parents of the cross country students against the Illinois High School Association and the Chicago Board of Education that seeks a temporary restraining order to allow the athletes to compete in the state playoff events during the strike, including Saturday morning’s cross country regionals.
Judge Eve M. Reilly said she would issue her decision by 5 p.m.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has put a hold on appearances by state officials at the City Club of Chicago, directing subordinates and agencies that report to him them not to participate in panels sponsored by the prominent public affairs group.
The order went out in recent days after news broke that federal agents last May had seized computer and paper records at the club’s downtown headquarters, including records of club President Jay Doherty, a lobbyist whose clients include Commonwealth Edison. The U.S. attorney’s office has issued two subpoenas to ComEd in actions linked to a federal probe of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero, as well as other individuals close to House Speaker Michael Madigan. Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd CEO and most recently head of all utility operations for ComEd parent Exelon, retired suddenly earlier this month without explanation.
The first hint that Pritzker wanted to freeze relations with the club—a bipartisan group whose luncheon forums have included presidents, governors, mayors and other dignitaries—came earlier this week, when an appearance by Illinois Tollway Executive Director Jose Alvarez was abruptly cancelled.
The tollway declined to explain the move, but since then, a series of other state officials also have scrubbed upcoming appearances, including leaders of the Illinois State Police, Department of Transportation and Illinois State Board of Education and a top tech adviser to Pritzker.
*** UPDATE *** Treasurer Michael Frerichs is scheduled to speak at the City Club next month. His spokesperson told me this afternoon that he plans to keep the engagement.
As the first Asian American elected to the Illinois State Senate and the first Indian American elected to the Illinois General Assembly, I am unfortunately surprised by the accusation that Senator Durbin is anyone short of a champion for ALL immigrant families.
This “Divide and Conquer” strategy, as it relates to the different immigrant communities. by Donald Trump has been a longstanding, deep concern of mine. The notion that the Trump administration and Senate Republicans are pro-immigrant is absurd. They are cynically using this issue to appeal to immigrants, who are rightfully frustrated and who have faced severe injustices, with a flawed solution.
I would ask the immigrant communities who are behind this particular legislation consider the following:
1) Today it is other immigrant communities that Donald Trump and Republicans want to target. Tomorrow it could be you. Wouldn’t you want people to stand together in a way where every community can thrive and prosper?
2) Let’s set the record straight. Senator Durbin has been a staunch supporter of comprehensive immigration reform and ALL immigrant communities throughout his career.
He LED the bipartisan effort for comprehensive immigration reform in 2013, which included lifting the per-country caps and clearing the backlogs for ALL immigrants waiting in line for green cards.
It passed with 68 votes. President Obama made it clear he would sign this legislation. Republican House Speaker John Boehner wouldn’t call it for a vote. Where was Donald Trump at that time? What did Senator Mike Lee do that time (HINT: He voted NO)?
To question Senator Durbin’s record on immigration is to not know the facts.
3) If you are serious about achieving a resolution, let’s sit down and try to work it out. Don’t smear the record of someone who has fought for our communities for decades.
The President and his apologists in Congress have stopped all immigration measures in the Senate. No committee action, and no meaningful floor debate. Join me in calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to hold a hearing.
The Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act, which would eliminate the per-country cap for employment-based visas, was once again stalled in the Senate Sept. 26.
The authors of S386, Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Kamala Harris, D-California, have asked for unanimous consent on the measure, which has received support from numerous Indian American advocacy groups, including Immigration Voice. Unanimous consent allows a bill to come to the floor on an expedited track, but cannot be used if a single senator objects.
Currently, Indians who have approved green card applications are stuck in a queue with an average wait time of 75 years before they receive a green card, due to per-country caps which state that no country can receive more than 7 percent of all employment-based green cards available that year. S386 — and HR 1044, which passed the House in July — would eliminate the per country cap. In the first of three phases, Indian Americans would be eligible for 85 percent of all green cards available that year, and 90 percent the following year.
“Let’s be clear — lifting green card country caps alone without increasing green cards … will not eliminate the backlog for Indian immigrants,” Durbin said in a Senate session last week.
“And it will dramatically increase backlogs for the rest of the world,” he said.
Durbin’s competing legislation, the Relief Act, vows to clear the entire backlog over a five-year time frame and is endorsed by such organizations as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
But the Cato Institute’s Bier told the Nikkei Asian Review that a proposal to issue more green cards has little chance of being enacted by the Trump administration, which has an antagonistic stance on immigration.
* A group called Immigration Voice placed an ad in the Chicago Tribune slamming Durbin…
The group has also raised about $160,000 online so far to run more ads…
Senator Dick Durbin is trying to trick immigrants into believing that he is not anti-immigrant. However, now everyone knows that Senator Durbin is not at all sincere about the parody bill he is using to attack the Fairness Bill. […]
Senator Durbin falsely claimed that this is a “Republican” bill. In reality, this bill was written by the Democratic Immigration Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren and passed with 224 Democratic votes in the House, including the entire Illinois House Delegation. The companion bill in the Senate has 15 Democratic Cosponsors.
Though Senator Durbin gets furious and red-faced whenever anyone tries to add our kids, who are in danger of losing their legal status once they age out in the backlog, to his Dream act so that they too have legal protection once they age out—he has no trouble or shame sabotaging this bill because he resents the people who it will help, which includes children like Manhitha, Uma Shreya, and Ankitnoor.
The conservative Club for Growth has launched digital advertisements in four key Congressional Districts, including Illinois’ 14th CD. They point is to encourage voters to tell their 2018-elected representatives to “stop supporting the phony impeachment process and instead start solving problems. Part of the reason they picked IL’s 14th CD is it is among four districts nationwide whose seats were flipped from Republican to Democratic in 2018.
* Rush Darwish hasn’t received much publicity in his Democratic primary bid against Congressman Dan Lipinski and second-time challenger Marie Newman. Until today, that is…
At a campaign kick-off event in June, Darwish in a speech incorrectly said Lipinski got $15,000 from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel influential lobbying group. However, AIPAC is not a political action committee, does not endorse and does not donate to campaigns. AIPAC members and allies, like anyone, can contribute as individuals and use their personal networks to raise money for candidates.
Darwish provided no details to back up his $15,000 assertion when the Sun-Times asked him about it, saying “what I can do at this stage” is “take a closer look. … So if I technically said it wrong, then, I would have to look into that.”
Also at that kick-off event, Darwish turned to Newman, who ran for the seat in 2018.
Darwish said Newman “flipped” her position on the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement targeting Israel and “opposes the right of return, opposes equal rights for all and supports a two-state solution,” which Darwish said no longer “works.”
Darwish then said that Newman, when “asked by key members in the community, our community, ‘Marie, why the change of heart?’ she admitted, ‘I want to attract more Jewish donors.’”
Newman told the Sun-Times the Darwish tale is “an absolute lie.” Go read the rest because there’s more from Lynn Sweet.
Several southwest suburbs that federal agents recently visited as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation have been using an insurance company that employs Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s son.
Alliant/Mesirow Insurance Services and company executive Andrew Madigan — neither of which has been accused of any crime — add an intriguing link to people federal authorities appear to be interested in.
Among them: Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski, who doubles as the mayor of McCook and whose office was raided Sept. 26. McCook village records show Tobolski invited Andrew Madigan in 2011 “to submit a proposal” to help secure liability coverage.
“Due to the sensitive nature of insurance, I have been very cautious about switching our program in the past,” Tobolski wrote. “However, I trust that you will be direct with the Village regarding our insurance options and potential cost savings and would like you to assist the Village.”
A year later, Tobolski wrote to the underwriting branch of another insurance firm to say the village had hired Alliant/Mesirow — then called Mesirow — as its “exclusive insurance brokers” for property, general liability and auto insurance, records show.
The search warrant served on McCook contains no references to insurance and Alliant/Mesirow does a lot of business in the suburbs. So, it could be an intriguing coincidence.
But, I mean, who really knows for sure about anything with this probe?
A wide-ranging federal corruption investigation has apparently not yet reached the Illinois House of Representatives.
WGN Investigates sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the clerk of the Illinois house. The request was for copies of law enforcement subpoenas sent since January 1. But the clerk said the Illinois House has not been subpoenaed.
