The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has posted two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports addressing the Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy (IVHQ). CDC generated the reports after two visits by environmental health and infectious disease specialists to IVHQ. IDPH requested Epidemiologic Assistance (Epi-Aid) from the CDC after confirming an increase in Legionella cases in August 2015, and again in 2016. The CDC also visited IVHQ earlier this month and a summary of that visit is pending. These reports address the complexities of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak and how the State of Illinois has taken appropriate action.
The CDC describes the State’s diligent response and efforts to help protect the health and safety of veterans and IVHQ staff and visitors, noting:
• IVHQ has a well-established clinical infection surveillance and prevention program in place.
• From the identification of the outbreak, IVHQ clinical staff performed checks on all residents in skilled care every four hours, andtwice daily for all residents in independent living. Per established IVHQ protocol, any resident developing symptoms consistent with a lower respiratory infection had a chest x-ray performed immediately for pneumonia diagnosis.
• Since the 2015 outbreak, significant remediation efforts undertaken by the Quincy Veteran’s Home have substantially reduced the presence of Legionella in the potable water system.
• Based on observations during the Epi-Aid investigation, the water management program was fully implemented, followed, and continuously reviewed by the water management team to optimize the water systems.
Dolores French, a native Chicagoan and lifelong Cubs fan who was 79, had only one health malady: deafness. Otherwise, she was in good health and was allowed to move into the veterans’ home with her husband of 57 years, Richard French Sr., because he was a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Korean War.
She was assigned to an independent living unit at the facility, Steve French said, while her husband was placed in another residential building at Quincy because he needed care for his worsening Parkinson’s disease. Typically, French said, his mother would walk to her husband’s room and spend eight hours a day with him.
When the phone call about Legionnaires’ at Quincy arrived, Steve French said he immediately wanted to check on his parents’ well-being and tried calling his mother, who had a device that translates phone calls into text. He got no response. He tried the desk in her building and also got nothing. The next call went to the facility’s administrative offices.
“I said, ‘This is Steve French. I heard the news. I’m just checking on my dad and mom,’” he recalled. “And she just said that they’re OK, that if something happens, we’ll get a call.”
That was Friday, Aug. 28, 2015.
But it wasn’t until the next morning, as French was contemplating making the drive to Quincy from Springfield to check on her, that he was notified by the home that his mother’s neighbors had reported her missing, and staff wanted permission to enter her room, he said.
Within 10 minutes, as the Frenches sat in their basement, another call came from Quincy to report his mother had been found on the floor in her apartment, dead.
As the news began to sink in, yet another call arrived, this time from the Adams County Coroner’s Office. French’s wife, Deann, took the phone.
“He said, ‘We found Mrs. French, and this is going to be difficult for me to tell you, but she has been dead for a significant amount of time,’” Deann French remembered. “So I’m processing that, and I said, ‘Do we know what happened to her? What happened?’ At this point, I’m not thinking Legionnaires’. I just wasn’t. And he said, ‘No, she was found on the floor in front of her recliner, pretty badly decomposed.’”
Within another hour or two, the coroner called back with confirmation that he suspected Legionnaires’, and that state law required an autopsy because an outbreak had been declared at the home.
According to the CDC’s report referenced by IDPH, the identification of the outbreak occurred on August 21, 2015. Mrs. French was found dead on August 29th in a state of decomposition. Yet, the state told the CDC they were checking on independent living residents twice a day starting August 21st.
I asked IDPH for comment yesterday and haven’t heard back.
August 21: Illinois Veterans’ Home resident Melvin Tucker develops a fever. He is given Tylenol.
August 26: Gerald Kuhn, 90, is given Tylenol for a fever that reaches 104 degrees. Kuhn asks to go to the hospital and tests positive there for Legionella.
August 27: After six days with a fever, Melvin Tucker is still not on any kind of antibiotic and hasn’t yet been tested for Legionnaires’, despite the CDC being notified four days earlier of an outbreak and the state announcing eight confirmed cases that same day.
August 31: Melvin Tucker and Gerald Kuhn die, bringing the death total to four.
But, according to the CDC’s report, the state claimed to the CDC that Legionella urine antigen test samples “were collected from any resident with an elevated temperature.”
*** UPDATE *** From the Kennedy campaign…
This applies to the multiple stories out today about Bruce Rauner neglecting our most vulnerable — and lying about it:
Examples of neglect and deceit continue to mount under Bruce Rauner’s administration. He’s overseeing a system that lies, that manipulates data, that destroys the health of our seniors, our veterans, and the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. It’s a horrifying display of mismanagement and, even worse, it’s inhumane. Not only do we need a new governor, but we need leaders in both parties to stop protecting a system that’s crushing the most vulnerable communities in Illinois.
Allegations of abuse and neglect of developmentally disabled and mentally ill residents under the care of the Illinois Department of Human Services have increased by half since 2010 and the time it takes to investigate them has grown, too, an audit released Thursday found.
The report by Auditor General Frank Mautino discovered that abuse and neglect complaints jumped to 3,698 in the year that ended June 30, compared with 2,468 seven years earlier.
The audit also found that the agency’s Office of the Inspector General did not complete investigations into the complaints within the 60 working days agency rules require. Cases were closed in a timely manner 50 percent of the time in the year ending in June. In 2010, 85 percent of the cases were closed on time. […]
The increase is sharper among community agencies. During the period, the state moved swiftly away from large institutions to community-living settings. Mautino’s audit determined that abuse and neglect claims at community agencies overseen by Human Services jumped 81 percent during the seven-year period, to 2,714 last year. […]
The report indicates that nearly 13,000 residents lived in centralized developmental and mental health centers in 2010, compared with 7,000 this year. Human Services also has oversight over 421 community agencies operating 4,500 program sites, such as group homes or day programs. That’s a 31 percent increase from 2010
These are some of our most vulnerable people and we as a state are obviously failing them. Merry Christmas.
*** UPDATE *** From IDHS…
Each and every allegation of abuse or neglect reported to IDHS OIG is taken seriously. It is our goal to dedicate the appropriate amount of time and resources to each investigation. We are committed to ensuring safe and therapeutic care for individuals with disabilities and mental illnesses in both the community and at our state developmental and mental health centers.
2,295 more people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are now living in community integrated living arrangements (CILAs) compared to 2010, which is a 19% increase. The increase of individuals living in CILAs has increased the amount of allegations of abuse and neglect in these facilities. Since fiscal year 2011, the rate at which these allegations are substantiated has remained around 16%.
In the past two years, we have more than doubled staff and streamlined many previously manual processes. The larger workforce and new processes are already having a positive effect on investigation thoroughness and timeliness. Since fiscal year 2016, the number of days to complete an investigation has decreased by 15%. IDHS will continue to examine our investigation processes and staffing levels to determine any additional improvements that we can make.
“We have people running for governor who won’t criticize the most important issue — the rigged property tax system — and that itself is disqualifying,” Chris Kennedy, also running in the Democratic Party primary, told me Thursday.
Kennedy has long made the property tax system, and the corruption in it, a feature of his campaign. He has called on Berrios to resign. Pritzker and his ally Mayor Rahm Emanuel would rather change the subject and talk about the guy in the White House.
“Pritzker talks about things that aren’t really the issue. He talks about Donald Trump, but he skirts the issue of using Joe Berrios’ office to call political supporters. Pritzker’s locked in with those guys.” […]
“As J.B. has made clear throughout the campaign, he believes we need to reform our flawed and inequitable property tax system, and it will be a top priority for him as governor,” said Slayen.
“Like (Democratic gubernatorial candidate) Daniel Biss, J.B. believes that voters should have the ultimate say on if Mr. Berrios deserves another term, and J.B. remains focused on beating Bruce Rauner and repairing the damage he has done to Illinois,” Slayen said.
Fair enough. But Pritzker isn’t running against Rauner now. He’s not running against Donald Trump either.
He’s running for the Democratic nomination against Chris Kennedy, and property taxes will be the issue. And they will be the issue in the general election.
Discuss.
*** UPDATE *** Good questions…
.@JBPritzker said we have the same position on the rigged Cook County property tax system. So does he support my HOME Act legislation? And will he return the $250K appeal he got for ripping out toilets in his Gold Coast mansion? https://t.co/TAxtXMEt7L
In the 2014 campaign, Bruce Rauner issued a searing indictment of his opponent, saying he was responsible for failings at a state agency, leading to tragic deaths on his opponent’s watch:
“Yes,” Rauner said when asked by reporters if the deaths of 95 children with past contact with the Department of Children and Family Services from 2011-2013 were attributable to Quinn.
“Pat Quinn is, in the end, responsible for the failings at the Department of Children and Family Services. If it was a one-year problem or a temporary problem you could say, ‘OK, maybe, there was, it’s not really his responsibility.’ But he’s been governor for six years. He’s had a revolving door of failure at Department of Children and Family Services for years and years,” Rauner said.
Fast forward to today, and Bruce Rauner has refused to take any responsibility for his own mismanagement of Veterans Affairs, leading to a Legionnaires crisis in Quincy that has taken the lives of 13 people.
“Bruce Rauner’s gross mismanagement and neglect led to 13 deaths at the Quincy Veterans’ Home, devastating countless Illinois families,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Like Rauner said in 2014, the governor needs to take responsibility for the state agencies he runs and the tragedy that has resulted from his mismanagement.”
…Adding… I told the Rauner campaign after their guy slammed Quinn on DCFS that Rauner would live to regret those words. The same thing will happen to Pritzker if he wins. A short-term hit that guarantees long-term pain.
…Adding… There’s a video now…
Like @BruceRauner said in 2014, the governor needs to take responsibility for the state agencies he runs and the tragedy that has resulted from his mismanagement #ilgov#twillpic.twitter.com/VULs6nxIAK
March for Life, the world’s largest annual pro-life demonstration, is proud to announce their initial list of speakers for the 45th annual March for Life held in Washington, D.C. on January 19th, 2018. This year’s impressive lineup will include NFL/MLB star Tim Tebow’s mother Pam Tebow, former NFL player Matt Birk and his wife Adrianna, U.S. Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-IL)…
* From NARAL…
The anti-choice group March for Life has announced that Illinois Congressman Dan Lipinski, a Democrat, will headline their annual march on Washington D.C. in January of 2018. Lipinski has made no secret of his right-wing agenda, which includes more than a decade of voting to curtail the rights of women, immigrants, and LGBT Americans. Billed as the world’s largest anti-abortion gathering, the annual March for Life supports banning abortion nationwide.
“Lipinski is doubling-down on his bid to ban abortion and subjugate women to second class citizens. Despite the ‘D’ next to his name, Lipinski consistently pushes an extreme right-wing agenda that couldn’t be more out-of-touch with the needs of hardworking Illinois families,” said NARAL Pro-Choice America’s States Campaigns Director, James Owens. “Luckily, Illinois voters can choose a true pro-choice champion to represent their values in Congress. Marie Newman will fight to ensure that women and families always have equal opportunities and equal representation.”
NARAL endorsed Marie Newman in November and has been a powerful force to help elect a true progressive to represent women and families across the 3rd district. NARAL launched a Let’s #DumpDan campaign including a website and TV ad as part of their larger plan to unseat the anti-choice incumbent.
As Co-chair of the Democrats for Life and co-sponsor of over 50 bills in Congress that restrict a woman’s right to choose, Lipinski has made restricting a woman’s right to control their own bodies and futures a hallmark of his political career.
…Adding… As a commenter points out, this is certainly an “interesting” Democratic primary strategy…
“Dan Lipinski is no Democrat — just this past Monday, he was hamming it up with Paul Ryan and Donald Trump in the White House as they celebrated raising taxes on working families and giving a giant tax cut to big corporations and the rich. It’s yet another line in his long record of siding with Republicans against working families and consistently undermining the rights of women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community. That’s not what the voters of Illinois’s 3rd district want or need — they need a progressive champion like Marie Newman who will fight for them in Congress. The people of Illinois deserve a real Democrat and progressive leader who will side with them — not with Wall Street.” — Marissa Barrow, spokesperson, Progressive Change Campaign Committee
* Meanwhile, in a different Democratic congressional primary…
Today, Sol Flores announced that she has received the endorsement of EMILY’s List.
Flores said, “I am honored to receive the endorsement of EMILY’s List. Women around the country are stepping up demanding a seat at the table. We must have more women in Congress who will fight for a livable wage, affordable health care, reproductive rights and fair taxes for the middle class. I have spent my life helping the most vulnerable families and youth of our community. We need their voices, their stories, and their ideas in Washington now more than ever. They want and need to be heard.”
Flores is up against Chuy Garcia and several others. She’s the only woman in the race.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent in November and nonfarm payrolls decreased by -1,100 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. October job growth was revised up to show a larger gain (+9,300 jobs) than initially reported (+3,400 jobs).
November’s monthly payroll drop kept over-the-year job growth well below the national average. While Illinois job growth has had its ups and downs since the beginning of the year, the 3-month trend shows average gains of +100 jobs per month from September to November, while the six-month trend shows an increase of +800 average monthly job gains from June to November. The 3-month was better than reported last month, though the 6-month change showed less strength.
“Illinois employment growth saw a lot of over-the-month ups and downs this past year.” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “But payrolls overall have increased by about a half-percent over the year to date, which is an additional 23,900 jobs.”
“Our focus remains on creating a business-friendly environment that is conducive to opportunity,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “While we are still growing slower than the nation, Illinois is seeing the benefits of a pro-business administration that is committed to fostering innovation, attracting investment and creating jobs.”
In November, the three industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Professional and Business Services (+6,300); Manufacturing (+2,200); and Construction (+2,100). The three industry sectors with the largest payroll declines were: Government (-2,800); Financial Activities (-2,200) and Other Services (-2,100).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +25,900 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in November: Financial Activities (+13,600); Professional and Business Services (+9,500); and Education and Health Services (+7,400). The industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines include: Government (-8,000); Leisure and Hospitality (-1,800); and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-1,400). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were up +0.4 percent over-the-year in sharp contrast to the nation’s +1.4 percent over-the-year gain in November.
The state’s unemployment rate is +0.8 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for November 2017, which held at 4.1 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -0.9 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.8 percent. At 4.9 percent, the Illinois jobless rate is -0.8 percentage points lower than January 2017.
The number of unemployed workers dipped -1.0 percent from the prior month to 313,800, down -16.2 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force increased 0.3 percent over-the-month and declined by -0.9 percent in November over the prior year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
…Adding… Illinois Working Together…
Today, the Illinois Department of Employment Security announced the state lost over 1,000 non-farm payroll jobs last month while the job growth rate was just 0.4% over-the-year, far below the national job growth rate of 1.4%. This news comes a day after the U.S. Census announced Illinois has lost nearly 34,000 people since mid-2016, the worst outmigration for any U.S. state.
In his 2014 inaugural address, Gov. Bruce Rauner said, “People are leavin’ to find jobs, or because they run companies, and they’re takin’ their jobs with `em.” Nearly three years into his term as governor, Rauner not only has failed to reverse Illinois’ economic stagnation leading to population loss, he’s made things much, much worse.
“Bruce Rauner promised to ‘bring back Illinois,’ but instead, we’ve gotten the Rauner two-step: stagnant job growth and record-high outmigration,” said Illinois Working Together Campaign Director Jake Lewis. “Instead of providing the economic stability needed to grow new jobs and attract new residents, Rauner’s failed leadership continues to drag Illinois’ economy down and push Illinoisans out.”
* The story referenced below is here. From the ILGOP…
“There’s a reason why J.B. Pritzker is silent on his allies’ use of patronage - Pritzker has been on the receiving end of Blagojevich patronage himself. If elected, J.B. Pritzker would use state government to dole out patronage jobs to his allies and cronies of Madigan’s Chicago Machine. Illinois taxpayers can’t afford J.B. Pritzker’s tacit approval of patronage and corruption.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Two weeks ago, ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune published their latest installment in a bombshell report exposing the incompetence and corruption of Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios. The report said Berrios “failed” at his job and allowed political allies like Mike Madigan to profit from faulty assessments.
Now, ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune are out with yet another extensive investigation into Joe Berrios’ office. This time, it’s exposing his use of patronage, favoritism, and nepotism. From the investigation:
Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios has never made any secret of his affinity for old-school politics that put a premium on loyalty and favors.
… The monitors’ reports, reviewed by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois, reveal a persistent pattern in Berrios’ office of improper hiring and firing, arbitrary staffing decisions and resistance to change. The pace of reform has been slow and the assessor’s commitment often tepid, records and interviews show.
Berrios, who is backing J.B. Pritzker for governor, isn’t the only Pritzker supporter who has a problem with patronage. Pritzker supporters Jesse White and Mike Madigan both have been accused of a “pattern of patronage” in their offices and using state agencies to put loyal precinct captains in plum state jobs.
But why is J.B. Pritzker silent on his allies’ use of patronage?
Because he’s dabbled in their same corrupt system himself. Pritzker was on the receiving end of Blagojevich’s patronage, receiving a state appointment and attempting to get another. If elected, J.B. Pritzker would use state government to dole out patronage jobs just like his crooked allies - Blagojevich, Madigan, White, Berrios, and more.
* Kaegi campaign…
Following is a statement from Fritz Kaegi, the progressive Democrat running against embattled incumbent Assessor Joe Berrios in the March 2018 primary election, in response to the latest Chicago Tribune and ProPublica investigative report on nepotism and political patronage in the Cook County Assessor’s Office.
“Reports that Joe Berrios continues to operate in flagrant violation of the Shakman Decree confirms what many have known for years–that the current Assessor is only concerned with lining the pockets of his family and connected political allies while the taxpayers of Cook County continue to pick up the tab.
“When we began our campaign, I committed to fully implementing all Shakman requirements– and going beyond them to give the taxpayers of Cook County the confidence they deserve in a property tax assessment system that is fair, equitable and transparent for all. Cook County’s is the largest assessor’s office in the country, and needs staffers that are qualified and committed to reforming the assessment process. Cook County has the diverse talent needed to fix this problem and we are committed to building a diverse, qualified workforce that reflects our communities and protects our values. Berrios’ corruption, nepotism and patronage places an unbearable economic burden on working families already struggling under the Trump and Rauner administrations’ backward economic policies.”
*** UPDATE *** From the assessor’s office…
The writers of this Tribune story selectively omitted many key facts. These facts were given to one of the writers as part of approximately 27 emails and 11 phone calls over seven weeks.
The important information the Tribune did not present to readers includes that the court-appointed Monitor for Shakman accepting the Assessor’s Office Employment Plan four years ago (11/22/13). A new Monitor later decided to change that acceptance and start virtually from scratch.
The result was another year-and-a-half before implementation of the plan. Clearly, that lengthy delay was not due to the Assessor’s Office being “slow” to comply.
This story also states that the Assessor’s Chief of Staff was “rarely involved” in Shakman compliance efforts but it fails to note we hired a new Chief of Staff nearly three years ago. Three years. This new Chief of Staff has ordered complete compliance with Shakman.
Further, a new human resources chief was hired nearly three years ago. The current HR chief has also been aggressive and thorough with the goal of complete Skakman compliance and we are now at the point of full material compliance; only technical points remain. Most of what the Tribune wrote about is years-old.
Numerous references were made to the firing of the Director of Compliance (DOC), Deborah Ellis, but the Tribune failed to mention that the Shakman Monitor agreed to that change. It would not have happened without Shakman’s consent. A new DOC was hired nearly two years ago.
The Tribune’s choice to include none of these facts made the story extremely unbalanced and, typically, unfair to Assessor Berrios. It is also unfair to the Assessor’s Office HR Director, HR personnel and Shakman-specializing attorney who have brought us to near-completion of our goal of full Shakman compliance.
Tom Shaer, Deputy Assessor for Communications
Cook County Assessor’s Office
The inmate was mumbling. Shaking. Clearly in a psychotic state and whispering about a black hole.
The black hole had already demanded, and received, his blood once, the inmate told Dr. Pablo Stewart, a psychiatrist who visited Pontiac Correctional Center last fall to determine whether the state was abiding by a settlement agreement crafted to improve care for mentally ill inmates. Now, the inmate told Stewart, the hole wanted more blood. Stewart says that he turned from court-appointed monitor to clinician, attempting convince the inmate that the black hole wasn’t real.
After a few minutes, the inmate was returned to his segregation cell, where mentally ill inmates who misbehave spend as many as 23 hours a day locked up alone, Stewart testified this week in U.S. District Court in Peoria. It could be worse. Inmates deemed seriously suicidal are sent to crisis cells where they are restrained to beds without mattresses, legs spread and shackled down, Stewart testified, their arms shackled and extended above their heads, as if stretched out on medieval torture racks.
“You get cramps and charley horses,” said Corrie Singleton, a Pontiac inmate who testified that he’s been so restrained seven or eight times for as long as 72 hours at a stretch since September. Once every two hours, guards loosen restraints, one limb at time, for eight minutes, Singleton said. He always picks his left arm. His right arm, Singleton explained, is dislocated, and so it is strapped down near his side instead of pinned down over his head, next to his left arm.
Testifying telephonically and fresh from a straitjacket, Singleton said Tuesday that he has been on suicide watch for six days after swallowing batteries. He had been allowed a shower and a chance to brush his teeth just once during that time, he testified in a flat voice, blinking little as he stared into the camera. He said he last had a one-on-one session with a mental health counselor in September. […]
Singleton is the face of a mental health disaster in Illinois prisons, according to attorneys for inmates who’ve been battling in court since 2007, attempting to force improvements. Inmates in 2015 agreed to abandon a consent decree, hoping that Gov. Bruce Rauner’s offer to settle the case without a decree would result in faster change. That, according to the plaintiffs, hasn’t happened, and so they’re back in court hoping for a judicial order to enforce the settlement agreement.
An inmate identified only as Tyler committed suicide in October after unsuccessful attempts in April and July that resulted in no significant change to his written treatment plans, which contained no mention that he had attempted to take his own life, according to Stewart’s testimony and court exhibits. Entire pages of the treatment plan form describing Tyler’s condition and what should be done to help him were left blank, and that’s typical, Stewart testified.
“This isn’t an outlier,” testified the doctor, who told the court that treatment plans routinely contain boilerplate language that doesn’t change from inmate to inmate.
Approximately 900 of the 1,100 inmates in segregation in state prisons are mentally ill, according to court records. Mental health professionals who check on mentally ill inmates must shout at them through small openings in cell doors that preclude inmates and those who are supposed to help them from seeing each other, Stewart testified. It’s a vicious cycle, with segregation cells making sick inmates even sicker, which prompts more misbehavior, which results in more segregation time. They cut themselves and smear their bodies with feces. The state last spring began giving mentally ill inmates more time out of segregation cells by shackling them to chairs in front of big-screen televisions that show movies, which Stewart acknowledged is progress.
The Illinois Department of Corrections has taken considerable steps to enhance the delivery of care for offenders who are on the mental health caseload. The Department remains focused on fully complying with the terms of the Rasho v Baldwin settlement agreement. It should be pointed out that, at a recent hearing, Dr. Melvin Hinton was called as an adverse witness. The vast majority of the questions he was asked required “Yes” or “No” answers. In other words, there were very few opportunities for him to explain the many accomplishments the Department has made in the 18 months since the Agreement was signed. It is important for the public to know the following:
· While recruiting qualified mental health professionals has been a challenge, the Department has added hundreds of new staff members since 2015 to address the mental health needs of its offenders.
· Department staff continues to receive ongoing training, including National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) training and Verbal Judo, which equips them with the knowledge to deescalate situations and meet the unique needs of its mentally ill population.
· The Department has reduced segregation time by 44% since 2015 and has drastically increased out of cell time for offenders who are housed in segregation.
· The Department has implemented additional programming for offenders who are on the mental health caseload.
· Currently, there are seriously mentally ill residents receiving residential treatment level services at Joliet Treatment Center and the residential treatment units at Logan and Dixon Correctional Centers.
· Additionally, the IDOC enlisted the services of an engineering firm to develop a state-of-the-art, 200 bed mental health and general medicine treatment unit for seriously mentally ill offenders.
The safety of our staff, the offenders in our custody, and the public are our top priority. The Department continues to make adjustments in its day to day operations that balance safety, security, and the needs of our mentally ill population. The Department remains committed to ensuring that mentally ill men and women receive the treatment that is essential to their wellbeing, rehabilitation and reentry into society.
* There are two parts to the latest WBEZ story on Legionnaires’ disease at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy. One is the six-day period between August 21 of 2015, when Illinois Public Health Director Nirav Shah claimed the administration “realized that the situation was the beginning of an epidemic,” and August 27 of 2015 when the Rauner administration issued its first public notice about that epidemic…
In the email, Shah underlined “six days” for added emphasis, but it is not clear why. His reference to a “typical reporting protocol” also is not fully explained, with a spokeswoman on Wednesday saying there is no “hard and fast rule” about when the public must be notified about an infectious disease outbreak. […]
One of the nation’s top infectious disease experts said it’s “mind boggling” that the state would wait six days to notify the public about the initial outbreak at the Illinois Veterans Home.
“I think it’s really inexcusable,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Center for Health Security in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. “It takes you six days from seeing an epidemic to tell people that you’re seeing an epidemic? That’s six days that you’ve allowed that disease to spread in a manner that probably wouldn’t have happened if you would have known earlier because people would have been taking action. People would have been asking questions.
“If you know there is an epidemic, you need to tell people immediately,” Adalja said.
Keep in mind that Legionnaires’ is not typically passed from person to person. So, it wasn’t an “epidemic” in the way, say, measles can be. But by not informing the public, facility residents and their families couldn’t take precautions against the epidemic - like getting tested if they showed symptoms, or even temporarily moving out.
What’s worse to me is that top government officials knew what was going on and apparently didn’t order testing of everyone showing symptoms and then people died as a result.
Meanwhile, Illinois public health officials are now telling WBEZ that five residents and one employee at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy were sickened by Legionnaires’ in 2017. That outbreak included one fatality, an 88-year-old Korean War veteran from west suburban Lisle in early November.
As recently as two weeks ago, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which manages the Quincy home, had confirmed just three cases to WBEZ and disputed that Legionnaires’ caused the veterans’ death last month. But the coroner in Adams County confirmed Legionnaires’ as a cause of death on the resident’s death certificate.
In late October, when the state confirmed two cases of Legionnaires’, including the fatality, WBEZ explicitly asked a state Veterans’ Affairs spokesman whether there had been any additional cases. The spokesman responded by email saying there had not been. In a Dec. 6 interview with WBEZ, Jeffries also cited three cases.
But this week, after learning more cases did exist in 2017 beyond those two — and a later case in November that the state disclosed — WBEZ was told by state public health authorities that, in fact, six Legionnaires’ cases have been logged this year at the Quincy facility.
Arnold, the state Public Health spokeswoman, said on Wednesday that one case occurred in March, another in May, another in September, two in October, and one in November. She did not provide any other details about those cases.
Rauner defended his administration’s handling of the problem of Legionnaires in the water at Quincy Veterans’ Home in downstate Illinois which has led to 13 deaths since a major outbreak in 2015.
However, are demanding details and accountability.
“If he’s in charge he definitely bears responsibility, but you have to ask him if he’s in charge,” said state Sen. Tom Cullerton, chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Cullerton said he hopes to get answers during a hearing next month. The joint Senate and House hearing on the Quincy situation is set for Jan. 9 in Chicago.
“Who knew what, when they knew it, why the families weren’t there, what the long term goal is, what the CDC’s going to do going forward,” Cullerton said.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
“Bruce Rauner’s willful negligence is coming into focus as reports expose significant delays in releasing information and a failure to report all confirmed Legionnaires’ cases,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This administration hid information from Veterans, their families, and the public as Rauner let a health crisis spiral out of control and our nation’s heroes died on his watch.”
…Adding… Ives campaign…
“The Governor has a moral responsibility to those who are served by the state. He must ensure that services are delivered efficiently, meet the highest standards possible, and that they are, ultimately sustainable. When it becomes clear that the state is not living up to those responsibilities, the Executive Officer must then respond with urgency.
“Since his election in 2014, it become clear that Governor Rauner is very cavalier with other people’s lives. While Rauner plays his blame-shifting game with other IL ruling class pols, veterans died. Preventable deaths aren’t prevented when no one is in charge. Sweeping issues under the rug and breaking promises has become a common theme. This is another inexcusable betrayal of our veterans and the benefits they earned protecting our freedoms. Wasn’t Bruce Rauner the guy with business savvy who was going to make state government more efficient and responsive? He is AWOL and Illinois veterans are being short-changed as a result.”
…Adding… DGA…
“Bruce Rauner failed Illinois veterans and now he’s failing the public by not being honest,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “So far, there’s been no accountability from Rauner’s administration for its bungled response to the Quincy outbreak. Rauner needs to stop hiding information, and start being open and transparent about what his administration knew and how it failed the veterans at Quincy.”
* Related…
* Drink water at vets’ home linked to deaths? ‘Absolutely,’ Rauner says: Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday defended his administration’s response to a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at a state veterans’ home, saying he’d “absolutely” drink the water there. “Absolutely, absolutely,” Rauner said when asked by a reporter about drinking the tap water at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy, where 13 residents have died from Legionnaires’ disease since July 2015.
* CDC: How It Spreads: After Legionella grows and multiplies in a building water system, that contaminated water then has to spread in droplets small enough for people to breathe in. People can get Legionnaires’ disease when they breathe in small droplets of water in the air that contain the bacteria. Less commonly, people can get Legionnaires’ disease by aspiration of drinking water. This happens when water “goes down the wrong pipe,” into the trachea (windpipe) and lungs instead of the digestive tract. People at increased risk of aspiration include those with swallowing difficulties.
Rick Pearson: Do you as governor bear any moral responsibility for those deaths? Moral responsibility.
Gov. Rauner: Um, I’ll tell you this, it’s heartbreaking that any, anyone should have suffer, um, a health challenge or, uh, be exposed to a bacteria. Um, and we are taking every step we can, every step we can to keep our veterans safe and reviewing every option and being as aggressive as, as possible with every expert from around the nation.
Rick Pearson:As governor, do you bear any moral responsibility for what happened to those deaths in Quincy?
Gov. Rauner: Bottom line, I work every day to support our veterans. They are our heroes and I will never ever back down or give up on fighting and workin’ to keep our veterans safe.
Amanda Vinicky: Have you reached out to the families?
Gov. Rauner: I have been to that veterans’ home several times, meeting with the veterans and meeting with their families. And Erica Jeffries, our director of our veterans administration, has been constantly reaching out and talking to members of the families, the veterans and their representatives.
…Adding… Video of his answer to the first question is here. He seems to shrug it off.
The shave in rates, and doubling of the standard deduction, and an increase in the child tax credit and some other new breaks may not counterbalance the new $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local taxes. At present, all income and property taxes are deductible. […]
Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who represents the 15th Congressional District in southern Illinois, asked about the state and local tax deduction cap said, “Maybe Illinois should cut their taxes.”
The first blow would come from expanding 529 college savings accounts, which offer tax advantages to encourage families to save money for college, to cover K-12 expenses, such as private school tuition and home schooling costs.
This amendment by Senator Ted Cruz passed only because of a midnight tiebreaking vote cast by Vice President Mike Pence. Under current law, earnings on contributions to 529 plans are not subject to federal taxes. These investment vehicles work well for college savings because deposits grow tax-free over a long time. Using 529 accounts for elementary or high school tuition, however, substantially shortens that period, making these accounts a minimal boost to school choice.
While this change would have only a small effect on the federal Treasury, it creates outsize impacts on the state income tax bases in the 33 states that instituted state tax deductions and tax credits to encourage 529 college savings. The federal expansion opens these state incentives to an entirely new area of expenditures, allowing private school families to funnel their tuition payments through 529s as a way to avoid state taxes. […]
Illinois, for instance, allows deductions for $20,000 in contributions a year per beneficiary to 529 plans […]
Expanding 529 plans to deliver state deductions to private school families will erode the tax base that funds public schools, affecting high-poverty schools the most. By limiting state and local tax deductions at the same time, Republicans would make it harder for states and cities to raise taxes to make up for those shortfalls.
The piece estimates this could cost New York’s state budget as much as $3 billion a year. It likely won’t be that much, but, yikes. New York has a $10,000 state income tax deduction for 529 contributions and there are 465,000 New York private school students. Illinois has a $20,000 deduction and has 279,432 private school students.
Illinois is no longer the fifth-largest state in the U.S., according to data released Dec. 20 by the U.S. Census Bureau. That title now belongs to Pennsylvania.
Illinois shrank by 33,700 people from July 2016 to July 2017, the worst decline of any state in the U.S. in raw terms. In percentage terms, Illinois saw the third-worst population decline in the nation. That brought the 2017 population estimate for Illinois to 12,802,023 people.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania saw modest population growth of 18,400 people over the same time. And that was enough to overtake Illinois as the fifth-largest state in the country. The Census pegged Pennsylvania’s population at 12,805,537.
The one-year spreadsheet is here. Indiana gained 32,811 people during the same one-year period. Iowa gained 14,842. Michigan gained 28,866. Ohio added 36,055. And Minnesota added 51,556.
Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released population estimates that showed Illinois is continuing to shrink under Governor Bruce Rauner. Over the past year, 33,703 people left the state. Illinois fell behind Pennsylvania and now is the 6th largest state in the nation. All of Illinois’ neighbors grew.
The rate of population loss has been accelerating under Rauner’s failed leadership:
2016-2017 – Lost 33,703
2015-2016 – Lost 26,325
2014-2015 – Lost 20,387
2013-2014 – Lost 7,965
2012-2013 – Gained 11,909
[US Census, Accessed 12/20/17]
Rauner made out-migration a campaign issue in 2014, and his inaugural address focused on population loss - “People are leavin’ to find jobs, or because they run companies, and they’re takin’ their jobs with `em.” Rauner continued, “One of the main reasons companies have been leaving Illinois is that they don’t have confidence in the financial condition of our state.”
Rauner’s solution? He plunged the state into a budget crisis that tripled the bill backlog, sunk the state’s bond rating, and forced a max exodus from the state’s colleges and universities. Unsurprisingly, more people are leaving the state than before he became Governor.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Chris Kennedy campaign…
Bruce Rauner’s leadership is decimating our state and our rapid population decline is evidence of that. Illinois residents are moving to states where quality schools and economic opportunity are available to them. His budget impasse cut off social services to more than 1 million people and made it impossible for too many to see their future in our state.
It doesn’t have to be this way. But, we need to do more than change our governor to fix the broken system that’s pushing people out of Illinois in droves. We have to change the way we fund our schools, the way we tax our citizens, the way we confront gun violence, and we need to hold our leaders in both parties accountable.
A malicious cyber attack launched in early July paralyzed a statewide computer program built to help Illinois veterans claim their benefits from the government.
The outage blanketed the state for at least six weeks and disrupted thousands of claims likely worth several million dollars, according to state records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Veterans were left to fill out pages of tedious paperwork and submit their claims on fax machines. The logjam delayed benefit claims that run the gamut, including drastic reductions in processed medical claims for wounded veterans, burial benefits for surviving family members and pension benefits for widows. […]
Stranded without access to their computers and some without internet, Veteran Service Officers worked overtime to fill out as many claims as they could on paper. Now that the program is back up and running, many of those claims are still waiting to be submitted online. Army veteran Justin Jennings works at the Springfield location and says he still sees a staggering amount of wounded combat veterans come in to claim benefits for the first time. […]
(N)early halfway through the fiscal year, the total figures and monthly averages in FY2018 are far behind the number of claims filed in previous years.
Veterans Compensation benefits are down 57 percent; Widows Pension benefit claims are 45 percent behind where they were last year; Veterans Pensions idle at 48 percent below FY17 figures; VA Education benefit claims lag 65 percent behind; DOD Combat Related Special Compensation claims suffered at a rate of 60 percent on average; Monthly Discharge/Medal claims were filed 73 percent slower after the July cyber attack; Also stuck in a 73 percent nosedive are death benefits for veterans killed in the line of duty and burial benefits granted to surviving family members; VA Insurance claims are down 62 percent so far this fiscal year.
This is yet another example of Governor Rauner and a broken system in Springfield failing our most vulnerable—our seniors and veterans.
Veterans risked their lives for us and, in return, Bruce Rauner watches as a growing claims backlog puts their health and, ultimately, their lives in jeopardy. Veterans left behind widows whose benefits have diminished under Rauner’s administration.
Bruce Rauner owes veterans and their families further explanation about why he’s knowingly let them suffer and he owes them an expedited plan to fully restore the online claims system and the benefits he’s withheld. It’s time for our elected leaders in both parties to demand accountability for failures so we can bring back transparency, faith and credibility to state government.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Pritzker campaign…
Thousands of Veteran benefits potentially totaling millions of dollars have lapsed after Bruce Rauner let a Department of Veterans’ Affairs hack spin out of control.
While millions of dollars in healthcare, pension, widow and burial benefits were interrupted, Bruce Rauner did little to address the hack, even praising a “rapid response” effort. This “rapid response” consisted of the entire statewide system shutting down for six weeks, forcing benefits to be administered through phone and fax. Almost six months after the hack, medical benefits for wounded veterans have plummeted by 62%, pension benefits for widows have dropped by 45%, and burial benefits have dropped by over 70%.
“Bruce Rauner’s gross mismanagement of our state government is costing veterans who bravely served our country the security and dignity they deserve,” said JB Pritzker. “Instead of taking charge and providing the leadership needed to navigate the state through this crisis, Rauner continues to evade responsibility and try to cover up the truth. Whole agencies of state government are not functioning, the lives of our nation’s heroes are on the line, and Illinoisans deserves answers from their failed governor.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Sen. Biss…
“It’s outrageous that Bruce Rauner continues to neglect his responsibility to our veterans. We have a social and moral responsibility to provide the best our government can offer to the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country. Instead, veterans have lost their lives and are being denied the benefits they earned because our governor either lacks the empathy or the ability to effectively manage our state.
“Bruce Rauner is solely responsible for the way social services have failed our state’s most vulnerable residents under his watch. And while he’d like you to think “he’s not in charge” and that all our state’s problems are anyone else’s fault, the reality is that Bruce Rauner is a complete failure and a callous villain with no heart. There is no excuse for the pain and destruction he has caused Illinois families. That’s why we need a governor with experience, who will represent middle-class families across Illinois.”
* Related…
* Ill. Senator tours vets’ home due to Legionella cases: Cullerton said he hopes to find out through the hearing when the outbreaks actually occurred and why families weren’t notified immediately. He believed residents at the home shouldn’t have to worry about coming down with an illness like Legionnaires’ disease.
When Rauner appeared before the Tribune editorial board just months into his firm term in April 2015, he promoted the idea that “Crisis creates opportunity. Crisis creates leverage to change.” It became a precursor to an historic 736-day budget impasse, a test of wills between his pro-business, union-weakening agenda and labor-backed Democrats who control the legislature. […]
Some Republicans joined Democrats in July to end the impasse by passing a major income tax hike and spending plan over Rauner’s vetoes. As a result, the governor said the state had “lost” an opportunity for economic change.
“We had the possibility of a transformation for the state with the crisis that we had — if we had a principled caucus. It’s the primary reason I ran. We had the opportunity for a massive transformation. We lost that,” the Republican governor said.
The governor’s office pushed back hard this morning against part of my subscriber edition that used the above quote. What he told the Tribune yesterday doesn’t prove that he created the crisis, only that he tried to use it to get what he wanted. Fair enough.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker campaign…
During a meeting with the Chicago Tribune editorial board yesterday, Bruce Rauner endorsed the Crisis Creatin’ Rauner campaign by finally admitting that he created a crisis to leverage his special interest agenda. The endorsement comes after Rauner’s infamous comments two and a half years ago to the same editorial board where he said:
Yesterday, Bruce Rauner admitted that his crisis creatin’ ways had failed, saying: “We had the possibility of a transformation for the state with the crisis that we had — if we had a principled caucus. It’s the primary reason I ran. We had the opportunity for a massive transformation. We lost that.”
“Bruce Rauner gave truth telling a try and finally admitted what we’ve known all along: Rauner manufactured a budget crisis to advance his political agenda no matter the human cost,” said Pritzker communications director Galia Slayen. “The Crisis Creatin’ Rauner team appreciates the governor’s validation of our work and resounding endorsement of our mission to put his ruthless strategy and malicious intent on full display.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** DGA…
In a Trumpian editorial board meeting yesterday, Governor Bruce Rauner laid to rest any lingering questions about his role in creating and exacerbating the budget crisis. Rauner admits he wanted to use the crisis to pass his political agenda, and lamented to the Chicago Tribune that he “lost” the “possibility of a transformation for the state with the crisis that we had” after Republicans broke ranks in July […]
This spring, Rauner twice pulled back his caucus from negotiating a compromise. He then vetoed the state’s first budget in two-years despite warnings from credit houses that further impasse would lead to a “junk” bond status for the state. Rauner’s budget crisis exploded state debt, slowed job creation, devastated state services, and decimated the state’s higher education system.
Earlier this week, Rauner’s campaign listed the budget veto as a “Top 10 accomplishment.”
“Bruce Rauner just admitted he forced the state to go years without a budget for his own political ambition,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Millions of Illinois residents had their lives disrupted and hurt by the budget impasse, but Rauner shows no remorse for his actions. Rauner only regrets that it did not continue longer. Illinois is worse off because of the budget crisis and Bruce Rauner just admitted he is to blame.”
Gov. Rauner complains to Tribune Edit Board that @WBEZ discontinued "Ask the Governor" segment for political reasons. It was too successful in getting out his message! "Some of the powers that be didn't want me goin' on there, it's really more of a Democrat station." #twill
*** UPDATE *** From WBEZ President and CEO Goli Sheikholeslami…
“WBEZ and Governor Rauner’s team agreed that the ‘Ask the Governor’ segment would have a limited run and end by Labor Day, as it would not be fair to gubernatorial candidates of all parties to allow the governor an hour of airtime each month during the election campaign. WBEZ is committed to providing voters with fair coverage of all candidates, and we look forward to having Governor Rauner join us for our upcoming GOP primary candidate forum in 2018.”
I checked with a former Rauner staffer this evening and was told the very same thing. This was always a limited run show.
Also, nice little jab at the end. Rauner has refused to answer any questions about whether he will debate Rep. Jeanne Ives.
Rauner began appearing on “The Morning Shift” for a monthly segment which began on Feb. 10. He appeared six times, with his last show on Aug. 18. Listeners were able to call the studio with questions or post them on their Facebook page. The show’s host Tony Sarabia also asked the governor questions during the “Ask the Governor” segment, which usually lasted about 20 minutes.
A former staffer with knowledge of the deal said the governor’s office and WBEZ had agreed to do the segment for three months — with the option of continuing it. But there was an agreement that it could not carry into the campaign months, so as not give him an unfair advantage.
The staffer said it was both Rauner and First Lady Diana Rauner’s idea to do the segment — inspired by one conducted on a public radio station in Massachusetts. The Rauner administration had been in talks with WBEZ since fall of 2016.
* I reached out to Mickey Straub’s campaign three times last week about this and haven’t heard one word back. As you already know, the Burr Ridge mayor is running as a Republican against House GOP Leader Jim Durkin. Click the pic for a larger image…
Mickey Straub Refuses to Say Why He Used Taxpayer Dollars to Attend Political Fundraisers
“Madigan Mickey” remains silent as he faces questions about his misuse of public funds
“There’s a reason why Mike Madigan’s union allies support Mickey Straub. First we discover that Straub defended a friend who abused his public office. Now we learn that Straub has done the same. Public records reveal that Straub used taxpayer dollars to attend political fundraisers, but refuses to answer questions about his misuse of public funds. ‘Madigan Mickey’ Straub is the worst type of politician - special privileges for him, higher taxes for the rest of us.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
There’s a reason why Mike Madigan’s union allies are revving up the Chicago Machine for “Madigan Mickey” Straub.
Weeks ago, we found out that Straub believes politicians deserve special privileges. In the late 1990s, a friend of Straub’s was accused of abusing his public position to get out of traffic violations. Straub took to the papers to defend his friend’s abuse of power. Straub later said there will always be “favoritism” and “we all do it to friends.”
But it gets worse.
Now we learn that Mickey Straub used taxpayer dollars to attend political fundraisers. Public records reveal that Straub used his position as Mayor to steer public resources to his own political priorities, but Straub refuses to answers questions about his misuse of public funds.
“Madigan Mickey” Straub is the worst type of politician - special privileges for him, higher taxes for the rest of us. What will Illinois voters learn about “Madigan Mickey” next?
* Bailey calls for change in direction as he takes on Reis in District 109: As for all the growing rumors about Durkin now working hand and hand with House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), Bailey said there’s no denying that the majority of Durkin’s leadership team aligned themselves behind the record-setting 32 percent tax hike passed as the recently enacted new state budget… Bailey said his hope is that current Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub will find a way to knock off Durkin in the March primary.
Facing a primary challenge amid Republican unrest over his expansion of taxpayer-funded abortions, Gov. Bruce Rauner is offering a new answer to why abortion opponents should support him: Look at what his wallet has done.
“I am the strongest supporter of candidates for office who are pro-life. Nobody has worked harder to elect pro-life Republicans than I have and I remind everybody of that. I have fought hard,” Rauner said Friday on WJPF-AM 1340 in Herrin when asked what he was telling angry social conservatives.
“I supported Bill Brady when he ran. I’m supporting Erika Harold,” the governor said of the unsuccessful 2010 GOP candidate for governor and current Republican contender for attorney general, respectively. “I’m supporting legislators who are pro-life. I am a strong ally and strong supporter for pro-life candidates.” […]
“He happened to be on a very popular southern Illinois radio station and of course down there he told everybody he’s pro-life. That’s what you would actually think if you didn’t know the real story,” said [Rep. David McSweeney], a Barrington Hills Republican. […]
The lawmaker also said it’s another sign that for Rauner, “the issue is that it’s all about the money again.” Rauner pumped millions of dollars into GOP legislative campaigns last year, in part earning the allegiance of rank-and-file Republican lawmakers until earlier this year.
*** UPDATE *** Personal PAC is fundraising off the story…
Governor Rauner is committing to spend tens of millions of dollars to elect the most extreme anti-choice candidates to ever run for the Illinois House and Senate, all of whom are pledging to repeal HB 40 and ending reproductive rights in Illinois. And he is not shy about his plans.
This is what Personal PAC is up against. The most well-funded and extreme candidates imaginable who are committed to making abortion illegal in Illinois, ending access to birth control and making certain HB 40 is repealed.
Personal PAC does not need to match Governor Rauner and his right-wing allies dollar for dollar, but our amazing pro-choice candidates need us—and YOU!— to make certain we can adequately communicate with voters in order to win elections. Without your help, we simply can’t win.
The primary election is 13 weeks from today. Please make a year-end contribution to our vital work TODAY so that we can be as strong as ever in bringing our candidates over the finish line on election day. Donate here.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Rauner campaign…
2017 Illinois Democrats’ Not Top 10
After looking at Governor Rauner’s accomplishments yesterday, let’s take a look at Illinois Democrats’ worst moments from this past year
1. Madigan’s 32% Tax Hike
Mike Madigan forced through a 32% tax hike on Illinois families. Despite decades of irresponsible spending and tax increases, Madigan continues to ask more of hardworking taxpayers with reckless tax increases and no desire for real spending reform.
2. Madigan-Pritzker-Berrios Property Tax Racket
This month, the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica published a shocking report on Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios and the corrupt property tax racket he oversees. Mike Madigan’s property tax assessment law firm benefitted from Berrios’ dereliction of duty, making millions while hurting small businesses and hardworking families. Not to mention political insiders like J.B. Pritzker utilizing their Madigan-Berrios connections to secure their own tax breaks.
3. J.B. Pritzker: Incompetent Investor or Avoiding Taxes?
When Hyatt Hotels heir J.B. Pritzker released his tax returns for the past year, he reported only $15 million in income. For someone who inherited well over $1 billion, it begs the question: is he an incompetent investor, or is he avoiding paying his fair share of taxes? Republicans and Democrats agree: J.B. Pritzker has a troubling record of cheating on his taxes.
4. Chris Kennedy’s ‘business prowess’ costs taxpayers millions
Utilizing family connections, Kennedy’s company received a no-bid contract to oversee a nearly half billion-dollar public-private partnership to build a Medical Mart in Cleveland, Ohio, a project which was “plagued by accusations of insider dealings, secrecy and failed promises.” Once Kennedy had made his millions, their company was gone, leaving taxpayers with “an inherited albatross” and the bill.
5. Pritzker’s Embrace of Mike Madigan
It’s taken some time for him to come out of his shell, but J.B. Pritzker is embracing Mike Madigan. It makes sense after all. Whether it’s term limits on elected officials or property tax reform to reduce the corruption in the Cook County Assessor’s Office, Pritzker’s responses are flippant and deferential to the man lining up support behind him: the longest serving state Speaker of the House in U.S. History, Mike Madigan.
6. J.B. Pritzker Pays to Play
The Chicago Tribune published a bombshell report highlighting a $100,000 campaign donation from J.B. Pritzker to incarcerated former governor Rod Blagojevich, which was followed just days later by a $1 million state grant to the Holocaust Museum. That project’s chief fundraiser was none other than J.B. Pritzker. Pritzker was already caught on FBI wiretaps discussing potential appointments, proving just how deep his ties are to the corruption and cronyism that plague Illinois.
7. Cook County Democrats Line Up to Save Their Friend Blago
A number of Cook County Democrats have signed on to an amicus brief requesting the Supreme Court hear disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich’s appeal for a reduced prison sentence. Among those Democrats who have signed on to the amicus brief are Luis Gutierrez, Mike Quigley, and Glenn Poshard, three key endorsers of J.B. Pritzker’s candidacy. Does he stand with his endorsers in calling for the Supreme Court to hear Blagojevich’s appeal?
8. Unfunded Pension Liabilities
Another year and Mike Madigan continues to disregard Illinois’ massive unfunded pension liabilities. Since Madigan joined the General Assembly in 1971, pension liabilities have skyrocketed from $2.5 billion to $151.5 billion dollars. Madigan has been called the “constant in key decisions that created the mess” Illinois finds itself in.
9. Soda Tax Goes Pop
Cook County Board President and Madigan ally Toni Preckwinkle enacted an unpopular and unclear soda tax this year, leading to an overwhelming outcry for tax reduction and spending reform. Preckwinkle defended the tax despite its clear and disproportionate impact on low income communities throughout Cook County. Thankfully, public outrage led to its repeal.
10. Daniel Biss picks Socialist Running Mate, Promptly Replaces Him
State Senator and candidate for governor Daniel Biss took proving his progressive bona fides too far when choosing a self-proclaimed socialist Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as his running mate. Biss’ former running mate supports BDS - a total boycott and divestment from Israeli organizations, a stance that Biss has made clear he does not support. After just one week, Biss dropped his running mate and broke the hearts of Illinois’ socialists.
A leading contender in the race for Illinois attorney general has received $100,000 in donations in recent weeks from companies controlled by a tobacco mogul, companies that are directly regulated by the attorney general’s office under the national tobacco master settlement agreement.
Campaign disclosure records indicate that state Sen. Kwame Raoul of Chicago, who has been endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Organization in the race to succeed retiring Attorney General Lisa Madigan, has received 10 contributions of $10,000 each from companies operated by Don Levin.
Levin’s Top Tobacco is one of the parties to the national pact that Madigan enforces and oversees here in Illinois. Madigan’s office confirms that it has opposed Top Tobacco in a series of arbitrations—one pending—in which it is seeking tens of millions of dollars from that company and others in a dispute over payments to the state from the tobacco settlement.
Levin is best known locally as the owner of the Chicago Wolves professional hockey team. But, professionally, he’s more prominent as the head of an empire of tobacco and tobacco-related products, including Job rolling papers, which Reuters in 2012 estimated as being worth as much as $2.3 billion. […]
Also at issue is the appearance that, if he’s elected with Levin’s money—Levin’s companies have provided roughly a third of the funds Raoul has reported receiving so far for the primary campaign—Raoul would be in a position to immediately provide millions of dollars of regulatory relief in exchange. […]
Raoul spokesman Holmes said none of this makes a difference, since “Raoul is not attorney general.”
* From rival AG candidate Jesse Ruiz…
It is deeply disturbing that Kwame Raoul has accepted $100,000 in campaign donations from ten companies controlled by a single tobacco mogul – even though that mogul’s company is currently in direct conflict with the Illinois Attorney General through a multimillion-dollar tobacco arbitration.
The statement from his campaign that ‘Raoul is not Attorney General’ demonstrates a profound ethical indifference incompatible with the responsibilities of the Illinois Attorney General. This indifference can further be seen in the fact that Senator Raoul has seemingly encouraged a contributor to do an end run around the legal limits on campaign contributions.
When candidates take huge amounts of money from contributors who have a very obvious financial interest in the outcome of an election and a pending case, it undermines public trust in our democratic system of government. I call on Kwame Raoul to do the right and ethical thing and return the $100,000 in tobacco money.
*** UPDATE *** Raoul campaign…
Sen. Raoul has the strongest drug reform record in this race. He’s eager to talk about what he’s done for Illinois children as a legislator and what he will do for them when he’s attorney general over the course of the campaign.
However, since Mr. Ruiz brought it up, let’s examine Sen. Raoul’s record side-by-side with Mr. Ruiz. While Jesse was supposed to be looking out for our children he:
awarded a multi-million dollar no-bid contract to the SUPES Academy - a training group where then-CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett had once worked - which led to an eventual 4 and ½ year prison sentence for bribery charges
closed 50 schools in Chicago’s neighborhoods
Had to borrow $1 billion just to cover budget gaps created by his board’s mismanagement
Meanwhile, Sen. Raoul:
Passed a law to establish penalties for knowingly manufacturing, delivering or possessing fentanyl.
Passed a bill out of the Senate which makes it illegal to distribute or sell a product containing or delivering nicotine that is not a tobacco product unless the product has been approved or otherwise certified for legal sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a tobacco use cessation product, or for other medical purposes, and is being marketed and sold solely for that approved purpose.
Passed a bill out of the Senate which bans flavored tobacco wraps which were manufactured and marketed to minors.
Passed a law to amend the Illinois Controlled Substances Act to include certain synthetic cannabinoids under the list of Schedule I controlled substances.
Was the chief co-sponsor of a law to provide that treatment under the supervision of a licensed program designated by the Department of Human Services is not available to: a first-time offender charged or convicted of possession of 15 grams or more of methamphetamine; or a person who is otherwise ineligible for probation under specified provisions of the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act.
Sponsored a law to provide that the offense of knowingly manufacturing or delivering heroin, or possessing heroin with intent to manufacture or deliver, is not eligible for probation, conditional discharge, or periodic imprisonment if the amount of the heroin is 3 grams or more.
Sponsored a law to provide that a person who falsely advertises a synthetic drug product is guilty of a Class 3 felony and may be fined an amount not to exceed $100,000. That law also amended the Illinois Controlled Substances Act to include 5-methoxy-diallyltryptamine as a Schedule I Controlled Substance.
Sponsored a bill to gives DHS the ability to schedule entire structural classes of synthetic drugs as controlled substances. The bill also expanded the definition of “controlled substance” to specifically include synthetic drugs. It also defined “synthetic drug” to include references to the three most common classes of synthetic drugs: synthetic cannabinoids (”Spice”), synthetic cathinones (”Bath Salts”), and synthetic piperazines (”Fake Ecstasy”).
And he voted for SB 500, the Smoke Free Illinois Act. He was a co-sponsor of and voted for HB0556, the proposed 90 cent per pack cigarette tax hike, in ‘07 and co-sponsored resolutions recognizing our Smoke Free Illinois law.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Former Gov. Pat Quinn…
“If you’re running for Attorney General, you shouldn’t be taking $100,000 from Big Tobacco. That’s the wrong way to go. Pay-to-play has no place in the Attorney General’s office, which directly oversees the tobacco settlement agreement. Senator Raoul should return the $100,000 campaign contribution from Big Tobacco immediately.”
Rep. Scott Drury…
Raoul has a long history of taking the side of special interests to the detriment of consumers and children. Whether the issue is promoting underage gambling, the proliferation of guns and, now, tobacco - Raoul is the enemy of consumer protection.
Illinois deserves an Attorney General committed to cleaning up Illinois. I have demonstrated that commitment as a federal prosecutor and legislator, and, as Attorney General, I will continue this fight.
* Sharon Fairley…
Senator Raoul is becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the corporate special interests that cause the most damage in our communities – energy companies, casinos, alcohol distributors, and now big tobacco. These companies have so much to gain, and Illinoisans have so much to lose, by having an attorney general under their influence.
Raoul’s most recent contributions from a tobacco magnate have obviously been structured in a manner to circumvent campaign finance rules, and are a clear reflection of the Senator’s lack of concern for the African-American community of Illinois, which is disproportionately affected by the harms of smoking.
This does not reflect the kind of integrity and independence we should expect from our next Attorney General.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Jesse Ruiz…
It’s not surprising that Kwame Raoul is trying to change the subject and shift attention away from his unethical decision to accept $100,000 in tobacco money from someone with litigation pending before the Office of the Attorney General.
So will Kwame Raoul return the tainted contribution or is he going to hide behind his statement that it doesn’t matter since he’s not currently the Attorney General? Will he stand for honesty and integrity in government or will he continue the same unethical ways of Springfield that voters are so sick of?
My father always told me that the best test of a person’s character is the way you behave when you think no one is looking. Senator Raoul is failing that test.
*** UPDATE 4 *** Mayor Nancy Rotering…
“Revelations that Kwame Raoul circumvented campaign finance laws to accept one hundred thousand dollars from ten different companies associated with Tobacco Mogul Dan Levin is deeply troubling. It was the Illinois Attorney General who, in 1998, sued Big Tobacco for the millions in compensation the state pays for tobacco-related medical expenses each year. Kwame Raoul can not be trusted to continue to hold Big Tobacco accountable. He has already demonstrated he lacks the political backbone to stand up to powerful special interests such as the NRA. In 2013, Kwame Raoul compromised with the NRA by writing a bill that made it now illegal in Illinois to ban assault weapons and high capacity ammunition clips. His compromises with the NRA are no less outrageous than his willingness to enlist Big Tobacco as a partner in his campaign for Attorney General. He should immediately donate this cash to non-profits such as the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the American Lung Association.”
Problems with a state computer system have prevented tens of thousands of Illinois households from receiving federal food stamp benefits since the new system’s latest phase got underway.
The Illinois Department of Human Services began rolling out a new computer system in 2013 to administer entitlement benefits, including food stamps. The second phase of that process began in late October.
State officials tell The Chicago Tribune that problems with the computer system caused more than 40,000 households to lose their food stamp benefits during November. More than 30,000 of those households remain without those benefits.
This is just… I mean… Oh, never mind. What a mess.
Officials with the Department of Human Services and representatives of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union — which represents more than 2,400 human services caseworkers in Illinois — disagree on what’s causing the problems. But both sides say they hope to restore benefits as soon as possible for those who are eligible. […]
A certain number of SNAP recipients routinely lose their benefits each month because of missed deadlines or ineligibility, but that number ballooned after the second phase of the new system was rolled out. With the old system, the state canceled some 14,000 to 15,000 cases per month, said Diane Grigsby-Jackson, director of the division of family and community services for the Department of Human Services.
On Nov. 15, under the new system, the state canceled 41,000 cases, 12,000 of which have since been reinstated, she said.
Some caseworkers on the front lines say they’re overwhelmed and undertrained.
“Everybody’s learning the new system, but the problem is we’re learning on the backs of poor people. And we’re taking their benefits away during the worst possible season,” said Vonceil Metts, a human services casework manager at a local DHS office in West Garfield Park.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
As the holiday season begins, tens of thousands of Illinois working families are not receiving federal food stamp benefits due to a botched program rollout by Bruce Rauner’s Department of Human Services.
In late October, the department began rolling out a new computer system to administer benefits, causing more than 40,000 households to lose access to the program. Over a month after the rollout and with the holidays quickly approaching, more than 30,000 families still had not received their benefits as of last week.
“Bruce Rauner’s mismanagement and neglect is once again devastating Illinois families as tens of thousands are now going without SNAP benefits this holiday season,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “From DCFS, to Veterans Affairs and now Human Services, Bruce Rauner has proven entirely incapable of running the government of Illinois.”
2017 Rauner Top 10
As the year comes to a close, let’s take a look at some of Bruce Rauner’s biggest accomplishments this past year
1. Historic Education Funding Reform
For the first time in decades, Illinois has updated the formula that provides funding to the state’s public schools. Thanks to Governor Rauner’s influence, this bill distributes funding more equitably across the state and puts in place a school choice program to provide low-income families with greater education options for their children.
2. Illinois’ First Ever Scholarship Tax Credit Program
For the first time in its history, Illinois has enacted a scholarship choice program, providing the neediest families in the state an opportunity to choose the best educational options for their children. Governor Rauner has long been an advocate of providing school choice for underprivileged students, and this program is the first step to providing quality education to every child in Illinois.
3. Creating Clean Energy Jobs
The Future Energy Jobs Act, signed into law by Governor Rauner one year ago, has helped make Illinois the 2017 Midwest leader in clean energy jobs. Illinois is a state with abundant energy resources, and thanks to the governor’s reforms, the Midwest is already seeing the results of growing jobs in Illinois.
4. EDGE Tax Credits
Renewed this year to further promote business growth in Illinois, the EDGE Tax Credit Program has served to attract businesses and jobs to the state. Providing incentives for companies that create long-lasting, good-paying jobs in Illinois is a crucial part of Governor Rauner’s strategy to make Illinois a business-friendly state.
5. Opioid Prevention and Intervention Task Force
The opioid crisis has claimed too many lives in Illinois and across the country, but Governor Rauner has put in place a task force to stop its advance and help push back against the horror of addiction. The Opioid Prevention and Intervention Task Force has provided resources to those suffering from addiction, as well as expanded first responders’ access to life-saving drugs like Narcan.
6. Vetoed the Madigan Tax Hike
Mike Madigan forced through a 32% tax hike on Illinois families, but Bruce Rauner stood in firm opposition. Governor Rauner is fighting to protect the hardworking taxpayers of this state, and will not stop until Madigan’s outrageous tax hike is rolled back.
7. Ethical Government and Fighting Corruption
Governor Rauner has worked to run an ethical government, starting with proposals for term limits for elected officials and fair maps to ensure every voter’s voice is heard. Now the Governor is calling on Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios to resign as the Madigan-Pritzker-Berrios property tax racket has been exposed, where political insiders make money hand-over-fist while taxpayers foot the bill.
8. Discovery Partners Institute
In October, Governor Rauner released his plan for the Discovery Partners Institute, a public-private partnership led by the University of Illinois bringing the state’s best and brightest together on one campus in Chicago’s South Loop. The plan will bring millions of dollars of direct investment to the state, as well as build up a pool of talented Illinoisans working together to address issues facing society and business. The campus is part of the broader Illinois Innovation Network, connecting all of Illinois’ universities in collaboration on a variety of projects.
9. International Trade Missions
Following renewal of the EDGE Tax Credit Program, the governor embarked on international trade missions to China, Japan, and Israel to bolster Illinois’ standing abroad and recruit foreign direct investment to the state. Meeting with business and political leaders of these countries, Governor Rauner successfully promoted Illinois’ future as he continues to cut red tape and make Illinois a business-friendly environment.
10. Amazon
Governor Rauner is leading the team that has put together a proposal to bring Amazon’s second headquarters to Chicago - a $5 billion project that will create 50,000 jobs. Working with a bipartisan group of business leaders, the governor was able to highlight the talented young workforce, prime strategic location, and diverse community available to Amazon in Chicago, providing a compelling case for the company to bring their business to Illinois.
Um, OK, the Amazon bid made the list? A bid made a top 10 list? Really?
* DGA…
Today, Governor Bruce Rauner’s campaign released a list of 10 “accomplishments” in 2017 that really underscore how little Rauner has done for Illinois families. Rauner’s list includes a couple whoppers, some stretches, and a few things that simply didn’t happen:
Rauner’s list includes passage of the Clean Energy Jobs Act…which was signed in 2016 and not 2017.
Rauner’s campaign lists “Amazon” as an accomplishment. By that logic, 238 states and locales that applied for HQ2 consideration can claim that accomplishment.
Rauner continues take credit for education reform, despite the fact Rauner vetoed and campaigned against the reforms for months.
Rauner lists his veto of the state’s budget as an accomplishment. Yes, he wanted to keep the budget impasse going despite the debt and strain it put on the state.
Rauner claims he “worked to run an ethical government.” This year, Rauner hired a lobbyist as his Chief of Staff, saw his General Counsel mysteriously resign after penning a memo on separating politics from governing, and has had ethics complaints filed against two staff members.
Rauner’s list ignores the damage he did to the state’s services during an opioid epidemic, praises the release of a plan with no funding source, and brags about taking overseas trips where he bad-mouthed the state. It would not be a surprise to find “made a list” as the 11th accomplishment.
“Bruce Rauner is patting himself on the back for another failed year in office,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Illinois is still falling behind but Rauner seems oblivious to his administration’s failures. Debt went up, jobs and people were still lost, and Rauner spent the year dodging the tough fights on behalf of Illinois families. Rauner should be honest with Illinois voters and list the 10 ways he’s failed the state.”
* Pritzker campaign…
Today, the “Worst Republican Governor in America” released his top 10 “accomplishments” of 2017. Seeing as Bruce Rauner left a few items off of that list, the JB for Governor campaign launched WorstGov.com to show what really happened with the #WorstGov in charge.
Here are the top 10 accomplishments of the Worst Republican Governor in America:
1. BUDGET CRISIS: For 736 days, Bruce Rauner created a historic budget crisis that decimated vital services across the state. Rauner closed social service agencies and small business development centers, withheld billions of dollars from doctors and school administrators, and cost thousands of Illinoisans their jobs.
2. VETERANS’ HOME CRISIS: Under Bruce Rauner’s gross mismanagement and neglect, 13 Illinois Veterans have lost their lives from Legionnaires’ disease at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy. Now, 11 families are suing the state for negligence and some lawsuits even allege that Rauner’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs failed to notify families of the outbreaks and test residents for the disease.
3. MEDICAID SCHEME: Bruce Rauner inked the largest procurement in state history behind closed doors and is now under fire for skyrocketing costs and violating procurement law. A health policy expert said Rauner’s Medicaid overhaul could destabilize Medicaid and cause significant care disruptions.
4. MURASHKO MEMO: Shortly after authoring a detailed memo on ethical guidelines for interactions between the governor’s official and political offices, Bruce Rauner’s chief legal counsel abruptly resigned. Questions about potential ethics violations are mounting while Rauner refuses to give Illinoisans the answers they deserve as to why Murashko resigned.
5. DCFS IN SHAMBLES: Bruce Rauner’s understaffed DCFS has been plagued by gut wrenching failures, leading to a “toxic” environment at the agency. Whether it’s handing out no-bid contracts or mishandling heartbreaking cases, Rauner’s DCFS has consistently failed Illinois children and families.
6. SNAP TERMINATED: As the holiday season began this year, over 30,000 Illinois working families were not receiving their SNAP benefits due to Bruce Rauner’s dysfunctional DHS.
7. STAFF FIRINGS: In a move straight out of the Trump playbook, Bruce Rauner cycled through senior staff this summer, including firing his whole communications team after only 37 days on the job.
8. SCHOOL FUNDING CRISIS: In a desperate effort to ram through his special interest agenda, Rauner manufactured a school funding crisis that ended in him signing face-saving legislation while forcing through a back-door voucher program.
9. CREDIT DOWNGRADES: Rauner pushed Illinois’ credit rating to the brink of junk while dragging five Illinois universities’ down to junk status and decimating public education across the state.
10. BILL BACKLOG: Bruce Rauner’s budget crisis tripled Illinois’ bill backlog, leaving medical providers, schools, and social service agencies with billions in IOUs. When Illinois legislators tried to pass transparency legislation, Rauner vetoed it only to be overridden by a bipartisan group of legislators.
“Either Amazon moved to Illinois and forgot to tell anyone or Bruce Rauner is so desperate for accomplishments he is boasting about submitting a proposal,” said Pritzker communications director Galia Slayen. “This is a failed governor who announces plans like the Discovery Partners Institute with no follow through, decimates education funding and calls it a victory, and manufactures a 736-day budget crisis and then says ‘I’m not in charge.’ Illinoisans no longer expect Bruce Rauner to accomplish anything other than getting voted out of office in November.”
…Adding… Heh…
🎶 It's Bruce Rauner's 10 Accomplishments of Christmas! 🎶
“It’s a warmed-over list of so-called accomplishments, some of which he opposed, some of which just benefit the wealthy and well-connected, and some of which are simply figments of his imagination,” said state Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston. […]
Chris Kennedy’s campaign, too, said the governor is “disingenuous” for “patting himself on the back.
“It would take more than 10 items to list the lasting damage Governor Rauner has inflicted on the state of Illinois from slashing the social safety net to cutting public education to the rampant gun violence across Illinois,” Kennedy spokeswoman Rebecca Evans said in a statement.
