* We talked about this last month, but here’s Hannah Meisel…
Campaign contributions from out-of-staters and so-called dark money groups will be banned in Illinois judicial campaigns beginning in January under legislation Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law Monday. […]
But making Illinois the first state to outright ban certain political contributions to judicial candidates is the biggest change contained in the law, which comes a year after an Illinois Supreme Court justice first elected as a Democrat became the first sitting high court member in state history to lose his retention bid — an expensive race fueled in part by dark money.
Republicans voted against Stuart’s legislation last month, with several members arguing during the House debate that the majority party was making another adjustment in state elections law to benefit their party.
“This is another effort for the majority [party] to change the rules of the game because they don’t like the outcome,” State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) said before voting no on the bill. “And the voters of the state of Illinois are noticing that the policies and practices and elected officials that they’ve put in power have not served them well.”
I mean, I get it, but I’m still not sure how you can claim with a straight face that a bill to ban dark money contributions is a scary bad thing.
* There’s more to the omnibus bill…
The law also makes adjustments in deadlines and other technical requirements for candidates in next year’s primary election because it’s later. Pritzker signed a law in June moving the primary from March 15 to June 28 because late-arriving 2020 Census numbers delayed the drawing of new congressional district boundaries.
Under the law, which takes effect immediately, any polling place that is accessible to voters with disabilities and elderly voters shall include at least one voting booth that is wheelchair accessible. […]
Another change allows voters to designate sex on voter registration forms as “male,” “female” or “non-binary.”
…Adding… Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul Schimpf…
Out of all of the items included in SB 536, improving and increasing election integrity safeguards was not one of them.
If the Democrats are going to make voting vastly more accessible, they need to increase voting safeguards. Yet, they are so focused on their one-party control that they don’t even consider what the voters want—and Illinoisans want to know their vote will be counted fairly and securely. But Democrats couldn’t even reach across the aisle to make election integrity a pillar of our voting process. Good government and governance starts at the top and under JB Pritzker’s leadership deficit, Illinois voters will experience another election with a lack of safeguards that promote integrity in the system.
I would have VETOED SB 536 because of the lack of election integrity safeguards. Integrity and trust must be restored in our elections.
I’ve asked what specific safeguards he was talking about, since he didn’t mention any. I’ll let you know.
…Adding… [The bill in this deleted update had been signed previously. Oops. Sorry about that.]
12 Comments  
|
* What a long strange trip this has been…
…Adding… Some background from earlier this year…
Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino violated campaign law as a legislator, Illinois Supreme Court Justices ruled on May 20.
They found his campaign committee improperly spent more than $200,000 at Happy’s service station in Spring Valley.
They remanded his case to state election board commissioners, who must decide whether Mautino knowingly broke the law.
…Adding… [The bill in this deleted update had been signed previously. Oops. Sorry about that.]
20 Comments
|
* I told subscribers about this press release earlier today. Despite a retraction sent yesterday, Moylan said only one word needed to be changed because it misidentified somebody…
State Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, has stated that he is convening a press conference with other state legislators and police chiefs to discuss proposed legislation regarding the increasing crime rate around Chicago and surging violence against police officers.
“The situation is getting out of control. FBI data this year shows that violent, fatal attacks against police officers are up 31%. Just this month, Officer Stephen Kotlewski of Bensenville was shot and hospitalized during a domestic violence call. It’s reaching into every community,” said Moylan.
Moylan is sponsoring two pieces of legislation to combat the alarming rise in fatal attacks. House Bill 4159, the Police Protection Act filed by Moylan, increases penalties for offenses when the act is taken against a police officer. House Bill 4125, proposed by State Representative Fran Hurley, creates the Police “Hate Crime” Act, which would label any offense where an individual attacks, harms or stalks a police officer as “hate crime” and increases penalties for those offenses.
Moylan is also asking for up to $100,000,000 to increase protections for officers on duty.
The conference will reportedly be attended by colleagues from both houses of the General Assembly including State Representatives Jaime Andrade, Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar, Eva Dina Delgado, and State Senators Laura Murphy and John Connor. Additionally, Des Plaines Police Chief David Anderson and Park Ridge Police Chief Frank Kaminski have announced their attendance, along with Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow and DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin.
“The brave men and women who put their lives on the line each day to protect our communities deserve to know they, too, are protected.” Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) said. “Law enforcement officers are facing an increase in dangerous and stressful situations. Together, we must build mutual trust between our officers and the community to reduce violence on our streets.”
“We must address this issue immediately. We are not at war with our police departments. Too many lives are being lost and too many people are being made victims,” said Moylan.
The press conference will be held at Des Plaines City Hall on Thursday, November 18th, at 10:15 AM.
…Adding… USA Today…
An Illinois police union on Wednesday ousted from its membership an officer facing criminal charges for exposing a squad car video that showed his fellow officers slapping and cursing a man dying of a drug overdose.
The case of Sgt. Javier Esqueda, a 27-year veteran of the Joliet Police Department, was featured in September as the first installment of the USA TODAY series “Behind the Blue Wall,” an investigation involving more than 300 cases of police officers over the past decade who have spoken out against alleged misconduct in their departments. […]
Esqueda told USA TODAY that he’s become a pariah among his coworkers since July 2020, when he shared with a television reporter footage from January of that year showing how officers treated a handcuffed Black man in medical distress. Officers slapped Eric Lurry, restricted his airway and shoved a baton in his mouth hours before his death. Esqueda faces up to 20 years in prison after department officials opened a criminal investigation into his actions and prosecutors charged him with four counts of official misconduct.
Members of the Joliet Police Officer’s Association on Wednesday voted 35-1 to expel Esqueda, a move first reported by The Herald-Ledger newspaper in Joliet. In a letter informing him of the impending vote last month, union leaders described his conduct as “reprehensible.” The letter did not offer specifics on what actions from Esqueda prompted the vote.
Emphasis added.
* Tribune…
The controversial head of Chicago’s largest police union said Monday he will retire from the Chicago Police Department — an announcement that came just after he took the stand in a disciplinary hearing that could have ended with his firing.
John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, also declared that he will run for mayor in 2023, alluding multiple times to his combative relationship with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and said he felt the outcome of the proceedings against him was predetermined.
“It was pretty evident very early on that this cake was already baked,” Catanzara said, “I am going to be at human resources first thing in the morning, and I am going to be retiring. I will no longer be a Chicago police officer. … No one will be able to touch me.”
“This has all been a farce from the get-go,” he added, later saying to reporters: “There was never a possibility under God’s green earth that I was ever going to give this mayor the ability to utter the words, ‘I fired him.’ ”
28 Comments
|
*** UPDATED x1 *** Open thread
Tuesday, Nov 16, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oh, man, what a weird morning I had. Got up really early, but it’s just been one thing after another seemingly conspiring to prevent me from finishing my subscriber work. Oy.
Anyway, what’s on your mind?
*** UPDATE *** I just realized that this is our 400th open thread. Not sure what it means or if anyone cares, but it’s kinda boring today.
49 Comments
|
* Center Square…
The attorney suing the governor for defamation may have a high burden to prove his case.
After being called a “grifter” by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Attorney Thomas DeVore filed a defamation case in Sangamon County late last month.
Pritzker’s comments came after DeVore filed a lawsuit against COVID-19 mandates in schools on behalf of more than 700 parents.
“So to make the suggestion that somehow or another these people were stolen from for all intents and purposes is completely out of bounds,” DeVore told.
He said he’s not a thief, didn’t dupe anyone and the governor’s comments have a chilling effect, keeping people from speaking up or taking action against policies they disagree with.
DeVore is seeking damages of more than $50,000.
While some suggest the governor has executive immunity, DeVore downplayed that idea.
“Ultimately, the governor can’t just say whatever he wants to say about somebody in that fashion, he doesn’t have that ability,” DeVore said.
“Some suggest”?
* The “some” who “suggest” is the Illinois Supreme Court, for crying out loud, and DeVore is running for appellate justice..
Attorney Don Craven explained Pritzker has absolute immunity due to an Illinois Supreme Court decision from 1976. Former governor Dan Walker had issued press releases with alleged statements of libel against two real estate brokers who were also attorneys.
Allan Blair and David Gray believed Walker made malicious statements about them and knew they were false. However, the highest court said executives need to exercise their duties free from civil liabilities for statements they make.
“So the use of the word grifter, even without the issue of absolute immunity, it’s simply name-calling. Perhaps it’s inartful name-calling, perhaps very artful name-calling,” Craven said. “But name-calling is not defamatory either.”
* From the decision…
We emphasize that today’s decision is not an endorsement of either the tenor or the content of the defendant’s statements concerning the plaintiffs. The Governor’s position could undoubtedly have been expressed to the people with language less calculated to injure the plaintiffs’ personal and professional reputations. While it is unfortunate that the application of executive immunity may occasionally deny relief to a deserving individual, the sacrifice is justified by the public’s need for free and unfettered action by its representatives.
* Back to WGEM…
“I’ve accused him of making horrible policy decisions,” DeVore said. “And I will continue to do so. But again, I’m taking issue with him as a politician. He’s taking issue with me in my professional capacity as an attorney. It’s not the same thing.”
Yeah, right.
* From a year ago today…
More here. DeVore never did pay up. And then he offered up some cockamamie story about not even knowing the governor had kids.
* I also told you a year ago today that DeVore was asked whether it might be time to stop filing lawsuits because he was losing so many of them…
If they think that any of this is going on is about winning or losing lawsuits, the people that say that need to consider if they’re as intelligent as they think they are. This isn’t about winning lawsuits.
* Meanwhile…
…Adding… DeVore’s American Freedom website is hosted by a German company.
* Related…
* Editorial: Our COVID-19 obligations: What few of us fully appreciate — and certainly most of the unvaccinated and those who disdain masks don’t — is that each of those who died were, in reality, killed by other people. Yes, the virus is a killer. But it could not kill anyone without people who are complicit in passing it along.
36 Comments
|
* Politico…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will be among the governors, mayors and members of Congress at the White House today to celebrate President Joe Biden signing the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
* Gov. Pritzker statement via press release…
President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure deal is a testament to what government should do for the people it serves: create millions of jobs, power local economies, double down on America’s global leadership, and ensure working families have the roads, routes, and digital access they need to succeed in the 21st century. And thanks to our Rebuild Illinois infrastructure plan — the largest in state history — the Land of Lincoln is prepped and ready for federal dollars to jumpstart our projects ahead of schedule.
I am proud to join President Biden, Vice President Harris, and colleagues from across the nation to celebrate this exemplary renewal of federal leadership. Every American deserves access to safe, reliable transportation. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — the largest of its kind in over a decade — is how we deliver on that mission. Let’s get to work.
* Sun-Times…
According to Lightfoot, money from the bill will fund “huge improvements to our CTA without any change in cost to consumers while delivering the same service they expect.”
The CTA system will “become 100% accessible with the addition and improvement of elevators and other ADA enhancements,” Lightfoot said, and “the Red Line will finally be extended to 130th Street.” Also, she said “the bus system will become fully electric,” and lead pipe replacement will be faster. […]
Lawmakers were told the White House invited at least 200 to the bill ceremony, enough to include almost all yes votes. Illinois Democratic Reps. Marie Newman, Bobby Rush and Cheri Bustos are among those who will attend the White House signing. […]
The infrastructure bill, a major Biden agenda item, “marks the largest investments in roads, bridges and highways since the creation of the Interstate Highway System,” [deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation Polly Trottenberg] said.
* Background from the governor’s office…
• Gov. Pritzker last visited the White House July 14, 2021 to discuss the infrastructure package and how it would benefit states.
Under theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Illinois will receive:
• Water Infrastructure:The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal includesSenator Duckworth’s entireDrinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act,which would help rebuild our nation’s crumbling and dangerous water infrastructure,and also provides five years’ worth of appropriations totaling $1.7 billion to improve drinking and wastewater infrastructure throughout Illinois.
• Roads and bridges:$9.8 billion for federal-aid highway projects and $1.4 billion for bridge replacement and repairs. The state will be eligible for billions more in competitive grant programs.
• Public transportation:Approximately $4 billion over five years to improve public transportation options across the state. The state will be eligible for billions more in competitive grant programs.
• Broadband:A minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 228,000 Illinoisans who currently lack it. 2,926,000 Illinoisans, or 23 percent, will be eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.
• Airports:Approximately $616 million for airport improvements over five years, increasing the Airport Improvement Grant Program and creating a new Airport Terminal Improvement Program.
• Electric vehicles:$149 million over five years to support the expansion of an electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the state. Illinois is eligible for $2.5 billion in competitive EV charging grants.
…Adding… DPI…
The Democratic Party of Illinois is launching a multi-platform digital ad campaign highlighting the opposition of four Illinois Republican members of Congress to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that will be signed into law later today by President Biden. In total, 32 Republicans in the House and Senate supported the bipartisan deal, however Reps. Mike Bost, Rodney Davis, Darin LaHood, and Mary Miller put partisanship above the needs of their own constituents and opposed the deal. The DPI digital ads campaign is designed to raise awareness of these legislators’ failure to deliver commonsense solutions for their constituents.
“After years of broken Republican promises on ‘infrastructure week,’ President Biden and Illinois Democrats finally delivered on a once-in-a-generation investment in our state and our nation that will improve the lives of every Illinoisan,” said Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt. “Unfortunately, instead of working in a bipartisan way for their communities, Reps. Bost, Davis, LaHood, and Miller followed Donald Trump’s lead, letting petty partisanship get in the way of a good deal for their constituents.”
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will deliver billions of dollars in investment for Illinois’ roads and bridges, safe drinking water, broadband access, cybersecurity systems, and more,” Witt continued. “These investments will grow good-paying union jobs while combating climate change, building on the progress already delivered by Gov. JB Pritzker and Democrats in the statehouse. Voters need to know that four Illinois Republicans decided to turn their backs on this bipartisan deal, and the DPI is ready to spread the word.”
The digital campaign begins today, will run across multiple social media platforms, and is expected to reach hundreds of thousands of voters across Illinois. Examples of the initial digital ads can be seen here.
23 Comments
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
 
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS |
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax |
Advertise Here |
Mobile Version |
Contact Rich Miller
|
