* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch gave added meaning to the phrase “winning ugly” during Wednesday’s early morning hours.
I’ve never seen anything like it, so let’s take a look.
House members were told to be in their seats by noon on Tuesday after the Senate had easily passed the entire budget package on Sunday.
But the House session was delayed for endless hours as rumors swirled about a “mini revolt” against the budget deal struck by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon and Welch. Some of the more fiscally moderate Democrats objected to the budget’s level of spending and particularly the revenue proposals, much of which they did not support as stand-alone proposals.
The House speaker has an unwritten rule that no bill can move forward without 60 House Democratic votes. But many of the revenue-enhancing proposals Welch agreed to with Pritzker and Harmon did not have that level of support. So some of the “mods” were quite grumpy.
The appropriations bill passed with 65 House Democratic votes, with seven Democrats voting against it. The budget implementation bill passed with a more narrow 62-vote margin with eight Democrats voting against it and two progressives taking a walk.
After a bill eliminating the grocery tax passed with 86 votes and three Democrats voting “No,” the time came for what turned out to be the main attraction: the revenue omnibus bill.
Democratic Rep. Fred Crespo, who had earlier voted for the spending bill, warned his colleagues about massive spending pressures next year. “We have a moral obligation to look after taxpayers,” Crespo said, telling members to “vote your conscience.” He voted against it.
At one point during the debate, the Republicans requested a verification of the roll call, meaning that all members who voted for the bill had to be in the chamber. That request clearly caught the super-majority by surprise. Several Democrats were against this bill, and the House Dems were missing five people, two of whom were members of Welch’s leadership team, and one of those, Rep. Aaron Ortiz, had skipped town without telling anyone. Plus, they had some political targets to protect from a potentially controversial tax hike vote.
“Well, it is 3:36 in the morning in the last week of May,” sponsoring Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, who is retiring at the end of her term, said during her closing remarks after a grueling hour of debate. “And I gotta tell ya, I’m not gonna miss this.”
Little did she know.
Burke’s concurrence motion received 60 votes, with 12 House Democrats voting against it (including Crespo). That’s when everyone realized Ortiz had left town, so he was verified off the roll call, and the bill didn’t have enough votes to pass.
Over strenuous Republican objections, Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, who had voted “no,” moved to reconsider the vote. That motion carried with 67 votes. (These parliamentary votes generally rely heavily on party unity.) The second try at a concurrence motion received 60 votes, but the Republicans played the old fake-out game and had one of their own, Rep. Randy Frese, vote “yes.”
Numerous sources said Democratic Rep. Larry Walsh was supposed to vote for the bill, but he apparently saw the total hit 60 on the big board and stayed at “no.”
Oops.
After much delay, Frese was verified off the roll call and the motion failed again. House rules barred any more motions. Two concurrence motions are the limit. The bill should’ve been dead. But the Democrats then decided to just go ahead and suspend their own rule. Republicans were incensed, but Gong-Gershowitz again moved to reconsider the vote, which passed 62-42. And then Walsh finally voted for the third concurrence motion and it passed 60-47, more than two hours after debate began at 4:30 in the morning.
House Republican Floor Leader Patrick Windhorst is probably the most even-keeled person in the House, but he let loose. “I think it should be clear to everyone in this state what this super-majority is willing to do to ram a tax increase down the throats of the citizens of Illinois at 4:30 in the morning,” Windhorst said, his voice eventually rising to a shout. “Three votes! Three votes!”
Give Welch credit for persistence. He was duty-bound to pass this package. Failure could’ve been catastrophic for him. But you really gotta wonder if he could’ve possibly mollified a few more of his members before he locked in that budget deal.
Speaker Welch has granted three interviews since the session ended, but he has yet to explain what really happened that night.
…Adding… I posted this on the blog last week, but it might’ve been buried…
State Representative Larry Walsh Jr (D-Elwood) has made the following statement regarding his votes on the budget bills that came before the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday.
“Last night was certainly not my preferred solution for moving Illinois forward, but with the full framework of the budget passed and faced with the immediate threat of the state returning to the Rauner years of unbalanced budgets and broken promises, I made the incredibly difficult choice to support Governor Pritzker’s revenue enhancements.
“While I have significant concerns about the path this budget sets us on, I could not in good conscience vote to jeopardize public safety, cause chaos for our public service providers, or allow uncertainty to derail the work my colleagues and I have done to rebuild Illinois’ fiscal house. The cost of inaction was simply too great to stand by and allow the budget to become unbalanced.
“Over the coming months I will be engaging with leadership in both chambers, the Governor, and the other members of my caucus that have legitimate concerns with how this budget was constructed to make it clear that we cannot allow a budget process like we saw early this morning to happen again.”
* Also, from Rep. Terra Costa Howard’s constituent newsletter…
Wow. It’s been less than 24 hours since I left Springfield, after a marathon final session that ended in the wee hours on Wednesday.
I’m going to have a LOT to say about this year’s budget process over the next couple of weeks, but I think I’ll wait until I’ve had a good night’s sleep before I tackle this crucial subject. Stay tuned!
She has not sent an update.
24 Comments  
|
* Illinois Legislative Staff Association…
We are the Organizing Committee of the Illinois Legislative Staff Association.
Due to the failure of House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch to deal with his staff in good faith, in spite of numerous good faith attempts on our part since November of 2022, we have come to the conclusion that any further attempts to resolve this dispute amicably would be a waste of time.
Speaker Welch says he was “proud” to stand with us back in October—while the cameras were rolling and the people were watching. Unfortunately, he was also too proud to sit down and work with us once his publicity stunt was over.
The Speaker’s press secretary says his record is clear, and it is—but that’s the whole problem. We are where we are today precisely because the Speaker’s record is clear. Since November of 2022, he and his aides have continually doubled down on obstruction, stonewalling, insincere engagement, political theater and gaslighting. The empty platitudes issued in response to our last release are, in our experience over the last 18 months, par for the course.
We are done waiting for Speaker Welch to take responsibility for the lack of action on the part of himself and his aides. We are done waiting for him to take the initiative to do what is best for his caucus and the people of Illinois. We are done waiting for something more than reluctant half-measures and poorly written messaging bills. Enough is enough.
The people of Illinois deserve a Speaker of the House who lives by his stated values, deals with others in good faith, and has the morals, courage and integrity to do the right thing. Our experiences over the last year and a half have forced us to question whether, in Speaker Welch, Illinois truly has that.
Therefore, we are filing suit to resolve this issue once and for all. As we indicated in our previous release, a legislative staff union has been formed and will negotiate on behalf of willing employees of the Illinois General Assembly. We will not be put off, ignored or gaslit any longer.
We have said that we intend to exercise our right to form a union and today’s action is the next step on that path.
* What plaintiffs are asking from the court…
A. Declare that, by the acts set forth above, the Defendant Speaker has deprived Plaintiff Burden, Plaintiff ILSA, and the individual members of the Plaintiff ILSA represented by Plaintiff ILSA here in an associational capacity of their constitutional rights to engage in collective bargaining, as guaranteed by Article 1, Section 25 of the Illinois Constitution, and in doing so the Defendant Speaker has failed to perform the lawful business of the State and acted beyond his lawful authority.
B. Grant such other relief including injunctive relief as may be appropriate against the Defendant Speaker in his individual capacity including but not limited to appointment of a mediator to confer with the parties and assist them in the process of collective bargaining and grant other injunctive relief to bar Defendant Speaker from any act to forestall bargaining with the purpose or intent of depriving them of the constitutional rights guaranteed by Section 25.
C. Grant such other relief as may be appropriate, including an order to Defendant Speaker to post or mail to members of the Defendant Speaker’s staff recognizing and assuring protection of their right under Section 25 of the Illinois Constitution to engage in collective bargaining without reprisal.
Thoughts?
…Adding… The filed version, which has some minor corrections, is here.
…Adding… From the WBEZ story…
Whether the bill moves again or not, Burden and other ILSA members want to use what they see as their constitutionally protected right to collectively bargain for wages and benefits.
“Come to the table, man. That’s all we’ve wanted,” he said. “Like, literally, for a year and a half, we’ve been asking you to sit down and talk to your staff. Come talk to us when it’s not a PR opportunity for you, when there aren’t cameras.”
35 Comments
|
Today’s quotable (Updated)
Friday, May 31, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s…
In an interview, [Senate President Don Harmon] said comments he made earlier this spring urging the two teams to work together were misread as a sign he would bless any deal they jointly pitch. “My overall observation would be that the two are fighting over the same pot of (subsidy) money that neither is entitled to,” Harmon said. “I have yet to hear a compelling argument as to why taxpayer money should be put into the hands of wealthy sports franchises.”
…Adding… As I pointed out in comments, this is not really a walkback. Some reporters simply read too much into what the teams claimed Harmon said. But he was pretty clear way back in February. From Crain’s…
State Senate President Don Harmon specifically has told both teams there is little appetite in the General Assembly to approve separate stadium legislation.
“I’m not planning to referee fights between billion-dollar sports franchises,” Harmon told Crain’s in a statement. “I hope the teams took heed of the governor’s expression of reluctance to use tax dollars to subsidize new stadiums.”
And here is the statement Harmon’s spokesperson gave me…
“I share the governor’s reluctance to spend taxpayer dollars to subsidize private stadiums. I’m not going to referee fights between billion-dollar sports franchises.”
He wasn’t directing them to work out a deal that would then be rubber-stamped.
19 Comments
|
Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated)
Thursday, May 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
…Adding… Tribune…
A federal judge on Thursday put off ruling on key evidentiary issues in the upcoming trial of a former AT&T Illinois president accused of bribing then-House Speaker Michael Madigan, saying it made more sense to wait to see how the U.S. Supreme Court comes down in a case that could fundamentally alter a federal bribery statute.
Paul La Schiazza, 66, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in October 2022 with conspiracy, federal program bribery, and using a facility in interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity. His trial is set to begin in September. […]
During a pretrial hearing Thursday, U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said it would behoove everyone to wait for a Supreme Court decision in the case of James Snyder, the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, who is challenging his conviction under the same bribery statute at the center of La Schiazza’s indictment.
“So much of that depends on the Snyder ruling, it doesn’t pay to go into it at this point,” Gettleman said. He set a status hearing for July 7, a week after the high court’s decision is expected to come down.
* Capitol News Illinois looks at the elections omnibus bill (HB4488). Excerpt…
Another piece would require that the compensation for township supervisors in Cook County may not be increased during a term. An outgoing supervisor would also be prohibited from lowering the salary for their successor without lowering their own salary.
The bill echoes a situation in Chicago’s south suburbs centered on Dolton Mayor and Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, who styles herself as a “super mayor” on social media.
Late last year, Henyard proposed a measure that would decrease the salary of Thornton Township supervisor from $224,000 to $25,000, but only for non-incumbents, meaning her salary would remain unchanged, even if she was reelected, according to reporting from Fox32.
While West didn’t mention Henyard specifically, he suggested that the measure was in response to a real-world situation that he described as “a way of being spiteful.”
Subscribers were tipped about this last week.
* Sun-Times…
A defiant CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. on Thursday lashed out at City Council members demanding his ouster, calling it part of Chicago’s sordid “history of attacking and trying to bring down” African American leaders.
Carter said he has “done what I need to do” to improve the CTA, bolster hiring and ridership decimated by COVID and restore service to pre-pandemic levels, all while ignoring “opportunities to go elsewhere” and earn more money.
In exchange for that dedication and commitment to an agency he has served for much of his lifelong career in mass transit, Carter said, he has become a target. His life has been made miserable. […]
The fact that he doesn’t get it — and, instead, has turned into a political punching bag while heads of the three other mass transit agencies get a pass — not only hurts, [Carter] said. It is infuriating.
Crain’s…
During his 20-minute speech, which came at the beginning of a regular CTA quarterly hearing with the committee, Carter defended his nine-year record at the helm of the agency, while acknowledging the pandemic “decimated” the system.
“I have brought billions and billions of dollars to this agency to make it better,” he said. “I have improved service. I have added service. I have increased rail service. I’ve done all the things that anyone could reasonably expect to be done to make the agency better. But the one thing that I didn’t anticipate, the one thing that none of us could have anticipated, was a pandemic. The pandemic devastated not only our ridership, but also our agency.” […]
Freshman Ald. Jessie Fuentes, 26th, a close ally of Johnson, told Carter she was “a bit disappointed” in his speech, saying leaders of the city’s sister agencies are not above criticism and Carter should have focused on what he was doing to improve the agency.
Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, said he was “a little taken aback by your approach here today.” […]
Carter responded by saying he felt he had to respond to the “elephant in the room” and address the resolution calling for him to be fired. The resolution was temporarily blocked from moving forward when it was introduced and was not up for consideration today.
Daily Line reporter Michael McDevitt has a Twitter thread with more of the hearing. Click here if you’re interested.
*** Statehouse News ***
* 21st Show | Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch on the policy and process of the state budget: Today, we’re going to focus on the Illinois General Assembly. On Wednesday morning, members of the House of Representatives passed a spending and taxation plan for the budget year that begins July 1st. The package includes more than $53 billion in discretionary spending and puts in place some $750 million in tax increases on things like sports betting companies, stores and other businesses. We are joined by Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch.
* 21st Show | A conversation with House Minority Leader Tony McCombie about the state budget: First, we’ll talk about her reaction to the budget that was passed. We’ll ask her if Republicans were invited to any budget-making meetings. Republicans have been against funding for immigrants being bussed to Chicago from Texas. We will talk about what she thinks Illinois should have done when these people arrived. Then, we’ll end by talking about what some of the Republicans’ top policy agenda items were this spring and what happened with them.
* NBC Chicago | Illinois officials ‘tremendously concerned’ about REAL ID deadline, Giannoulias says: In a wide-ranging interview with NBC Chicago’s Kye Martin, Giannoulias said his office is working to ease the flood of applicants he expects will occur prior to the May 7 deadline next year, but that progress has been slow. “We feel pressure. We are tremendously concerned about what happens next May, and that’s why we’re out there now a year ahead of time trying to convince people of the importance of getting this done before the last minute,” he said. Our facilities will swell up, and it will be a problem if people don’t get out and get their REAL ID’s.”
*** Statewide ***
* Crain’s | Ascension outsourcing prompts large share of hospital workers to quit: Following Ascension Illinois’ decision to outsource hospitalist staff at all 10 of its Chicago-area hospitals to a private-equity-backed staffing firm, more than a third of those doctors and clinicians are leaving the organization, Crain’s has learned. About 35% of the 110 full- and part-time workers, including medical directors, doctors, physicians assistants, nurse practitioners and other providers, plan to leave Ascension when the outsourcing transition takes place June 1, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to Crain’s on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. More hospitalists are expected to leave once the transition is complete, the person said.
*** Chicago ***
* Sun-Times | Chicago measles outbreak is over, health department says: Chicago and the surrounding area accounted for the majority of the country’s measles cases this year after cases were detected at a migrant shelter in Pilsen in March. Over the next several months, a total of 64 cases were detected throughout the city. Illinois had just five cases in 2023, which were the first in the state since 2019.
* ABC Chicago | ShotSpotter says it has offered to install tech around United Center ahead of 2024 Chicago DNC: The area around the United Center is currently a ShotSpotter-free zone because, when the city first started using the technology, gunfire was not a problem in that part of the city. […] But, former Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who is working with ShotSpotter’s lobbyist, believes, with so many protests planned around the United Center, ShotSpotter could be a good tool for police.
* Tribune | Search the database: Chicago Public Schools release FY2025 budget: Despite a “challenging financial year” ahead, CEO Pedro Martinez said at a media briefing Tuesday that CPS will maintain, if not increase, the total amount of funding provided to schools in the coming year — which officials said will begin with more teachers, restorative justice coordinators and special education classroom assistants on staff than at the start of last school year. The district will post its entire budget online June 12, ahead of a Board of Education vote on its approval later that month. The CPS total budget last year was $9.4 billion.
* WBEZ | After challenging journeys, migrants in Chicago adjust to life in their new city: ‘We need to be more social and not be so afraid of asking questions [in English],” Elizabeth, an asylum seeker from Ecuador, said in Spanish. She asked not to use her last name. “Most people don’t speak English because they are afraid of mispronouncing it.” Elizabeth, like Luz, is also relying on community organizations, like Onward Neighborhood House, for help adjusting. Other asylum seekers are learning the rules of the road when driving, and their rights and responsibilities as new residents.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Family of man fatally shot by police files suit against Elk Grove Village: The family’s attorney, Antonio Romanucci, said Jack Murray was in a diminished and impaired mental state when he called 911 the afternoon of Dec. 1. After officers arrived outside his house on Fern Drive, Romanucci said they failed to use de-escalation tactics or give Murray the “the time, physical space and ultimately the desperate assistance he needed.” Though police deployed a Taser as Murray approached them with a knife, Romanucci said they could’ve used additional nonlethal weapons they had, like a beanbag rifle, batons or pepper spray.
* Fox Chicago | Illinois music festival with legal on-site cannabis consumption returns with star-studded lineup: The two-day event will take place on Sept. 7 and 8, across from RISE Dispensary in Mundelein, Illinois. Headliners for this year’s festival include Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa, reggae band Slightly Stoopid, and reggae fusion band Rebelution, among others.
*** Downstate ***
* SJ-R | Report suggests ‘reasonable cause’ that Ward 5 alderwoman did city business on state time: The report said [Ward 5 Ald. Lakeisha Purchase] “at minimum” violated workplace policy by attending meetings and participating in phone calls related to her role as Ward 5 alderwoman during state time. There was no record, it further stated, that Purchase informed IDOT about her service as a Capital Township trustee from 2017 to 2021, or about her businesses, Kashmir DST, LLC, a residential real estate development and management company, or Precisions 1-on-1 Properties, from which she gained income.
* IPM | Professor blends nature and music with the sounds of cicadas in Illinois: David Rothenberg has a keen interest in how humans and nature can connect in ways some may have never thought of before, specifically through music. A professor of philosophy and music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rothenberg has written books about the musicality behind humpback whales, birds, and even bugs, playing instruments with each species of animal. In June, Rothenberg is visiting Illinois into make music with the emerging cicada broods. IPM Newsroom’s Kimberly Schofield spoke with Rothenberg about his work, including a concert he performed with cicadas right here in central Illinois.
* Illinois Times | Frito-Lay distribution center slated to be built in Springfield: Local economic development officials told Illinois Times they don’t yet know who would operate the site, which, based on industry estimates, could cost between $30 million and $51 million to build. But several sources who were not at liberty to speak on the record confirmed the end user would be Frito-Lay, the Texas-based maker of snack foods such as Lay’s Potato Chips, Doritos and Cheetos. A Frito-Lay spokesperson declined comment when reached by phone May 28.
* KSDK | Firefighters battle massive fire at chicken farm in Marion County, Illinois: The fire was still smoldering Thursday morning, and firefighters said they expect to continue battling the flames well into the day. The fire began around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Farina Farms along Highway 37. Marion County Sheriff Kevin Cripps described the fire as “humongous” and said multiple buildings spanning 200-300 yards long were on fire.
* BND | What’s the status of property St. Clair County wants for Belle-Clair Fairgrounds overhaul?: St. Clair County purchased the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds property at 200 South Belt East with $2.3 million in federal COVID-related relief funds from the American Rescue Plan. County Buildings Director Jim Brede said that after residents learned about the fairgrounds purchase, some nearby property owners approached the county because they were interested in selling, too.
*** National ***
* LA Times | DACA recipients, facing long waits for renewal, risk losing their jobs: Recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program must reapply every two years for protection and work permits. But many of the roughly 530,000 current DACA holders have recently reported lengthy processing delays. […] U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services aims to process each renewal fairly and efficiently, said spokesman Matthew Bourke. But he acknowledged that some DACA recipients have experienced processing times beyond 120 days in recent months.
* NYT | How Republicans in Key Senate Races Are Flip-Flopping on Abortion: Republican candidates in all eight of the country’s most competitive Senate races have changed their approach on the issue of abortion, softening their rhetoric, shifting their positions and, in at least one case, embracing policies championed by Democrats. From Michigan to Maryland, Republicans are trying to repackage their views to defang an issue that has hurt their party at the ballot box since the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights. While the pivot is endemic across races in swing states, the most striking shifts have come from candidates who unsuccessfully ran for the Senate just two years ago in their home states, with abortion views that sounded very different.
* Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Guns allowed while hard water bottles, tennis balls banned in RNC security footprint: Wisconsin law prevents the city and all local governments “from prohibiting the possession or carrying of legal firearms,” City Attorney Evan Goyke told the Journal Sentinel in an email in response to questions the news organization raised about the proposed ordinance. […] The security footprint will surround a “hard perimeter” where credentials will be required to enter, and guns will not be allowed.
8 Comments
|
* From Wirepoints’ 2023 990…
…Adding… I didn’t notice the loans until ArchPundit pointed them out…
Others might call that a “death spiral.”
22 Comments
|
* Two press releases from yesterday. The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence…
Today, the Illinois General Assembly ended its spring session, again declining to take action on Karina’s Bill (SB2633), legislation that would strengthen the law to protect domestic violence survivors from firearms. The bill is supported by dozens of domestic violence and gun violence prevention advocates, healthcare organizations, and legal aid groups. The bill is also supported by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and has received supportive comments from Gov. JB Pritzker.
Amanda Pyron, Executive Director of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, released the following statement:
“It is crystal clear that our laws must be strengthened to empower domestic violence survivors, judges, and law enforcement to keep people safe. Karina’s Bill is an important step in the right direction, and while we are disappointed the General Assembly did not act this session, we are encouraged by the significant progress made to address concerns about the bill and educate the legislature.
“For months, we have talked with stakeholders including law enforcement, advocates, and legislators to understand concerns and discuss improvements. We are confident that the legislation is both constitutional and enforceable. We have also heard concerns about the upcoming Rahimi decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, and believe our state will be well positioned to respond no matter the outcome of that case.
“When domestic violence survivors go to the courts for protection, we must ensure that protection works. The Network, along with our allies in the domestic violence and gun violence prevention spaces, will continue to fight for this legislation, and we hope the legislature will act on this bill during the upcoming veto session.”
More background on the upcoming US Supreme Court’s Rahimi decision is here…
Mr. Rahimi was convicted of possessing a gun while subject to a domestic violence protective order, issued after he violently assaulted his domestic partner in a parking lot and shot a gun when he noticed that others had witnessed his abuse. Mr. Rahimi challenged the law as a violation of the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
One of the counter-arguments I’ve heard from the Senate about that highlighted passage above is it might be better to wait until after Rahimi is decided to see if there is room for state action. But proponents aren’t buying it.
* And G-PAC…
The Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) today released the following statement from President and CEO Kathleen Sances after adjournment of the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session.
“After a holiday weekend marked by over 40 shootings, including one that tragically killed 5-year-old Reign Ware, the General Assembly concluded its spring session without acting on any gun safety measures. This is unacceptable. Although shootings and gun homicide rates have decreased, there are still too many incidents of violence that are tearing apart families and communities. We have more work to do.
“I join with over 200 organizations of the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition in expressing our disappointment that lawmakers did not pass Karina’s Bill to remove firearms from known abusers once an order of protection has been filed. Our laws should work to protect survivors and their safety – not the rights of their abusers.
“The fight to end gun violence will continue this fall, and we will consider this inaction in upcoming general election endorsements. We must protect survivors of domestic violence, curb illegal gun trafficking of lost and stolen guns, and strengthen our laws to ensure safe storage of weapons in Illinois.”
I followed up on the passage I highlighted above, asking them to flesh it out a bit. Since there was no vote in the Senate or the House, how could that impact an endorsement?…
With every endorsement decision, G-PAC considers a lawmaker’s voting record, which we track with our gun safety report cards, as well as a candidate’s questionnaire responses and their commitment to advancing gun safety legislation each session. Advocates and constituents work hard to push for gun safety measures by contacting their legislators, and it’s incumbent on legislators, including rank-and-file members, to continue that work in Springfield. That’s why our electoral work is the most important work G-PAC does, because although there are Democratic super majorities in both chambers, we do not have gun safety simple majorities in both chambers.
…Adding… From ISRA lobbyist Ed Sullivan…
Hey Rich,
I saw your post on Karina’s Law and the discussion around Rahimi. The attachment lists what was said in oral arguments before SCOTUS. What is missed by the advocates of Karina’s bill is what took place before the IL Supreme Court last week. The AG’s office argued a gun case, Adams v Yencheko, before the IL Supreme Court and in essence asked the court to delay issuing a ruling pending the Rahimi case for further guidance from the SCOTUS. The ISRA shares the value that dangerous people should not have access to firearms. I have been talking with the advocates on various parts of Rahimi over the last year. Part of the discussion has always been that the Rahimi case should be settled first.
It would have been a bad look for the General Assembly to move forward on the various anti-gun bills that were in play at the end of session, including Karina’s Law, when the AG’s office made the exact same argument that the ISRA made to delay decisions. There is a potential for the Rahimi case to have a substantial effect on the current and future laws around possession of a firearm in Illinois.
EOS
The attachment is here.
4 Comments
|
Live coverage
Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
Comments Off
|
* Keep an eye on the live session coverage post for instant updates. The House just passed the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. The seven Democratic “No” votes were Reps. Harry Benton, Anthony DeLuca, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Katie Stuart, Nabeela Syed, Larry Walsh and Lance Yednock (none of whom spoke in debate)…
All of the absent Democrats had been earlier excused.
The bill will soon be sent to the governor.
…Adding… The BIMP bill just passed with 62 votes. Democratic Reps. who voted “No” were Benton, Matt Hanson, Gregg Johnson, Stephanie Kifowit, Sue Scherer, Stuart, Walsh and Yednock (none of whom spoke in debate)…
Reps. Carol Ammons and Lilian Jiménez were noticeably absent.
…Adding… Democratic Reps. Diane Blair-Sherlock, Terra Costa Howard and Lance Yednock were the “No” votes on eliminating the grocery tax (none of whom spoke in debate)…
Reps. Ammons and Jiménez returned to the roll call.
…Adding… The revenue omnibus has bee put on postponed consideration after Assistant Majority Leader Aaron Ortiz was verified off the roll call. Here’s the original vote…
Stay tuned.
Democratic Reps. Benton, Sharon Chung, Costa Howard, Fred Crespo, DeLuca, Gong-Gershowitz, Kifowit, Scherer, Stuart, Syed, Walsh, Yednock were all “No” votes. Crespo spoke negatively about the bill in debate.
…Adding… Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz has moved to reconsider the vote. JGG had voted “No.” But the Republicans are claiming there was no recorded vote, so there’s no motion to reconsider. The Democrats said the record was taken, but the Republicans say that didn’t happen.
…Adding… Motion to reconsider…
…Adding… Second concurrence motion, but there’s a verification request…
…Adding… A Republican, Rep. Randy Frese, flipped.
…Adding… I’m told Democratic Rep. Larry Walsh was supposed to flip to Yes, then saw the roll call hit sixty and went back to No. If Frese is verified off, they’re back at 59.
…Adding… If Frese is off, the bill will die by rule. But the Democrats can vote to suspend the rule, if they can find enough votes.
…Adding… Frese is verified off and the Democrats move to suspend the rule.
…Adding… Motion to suspend the rule passes, then Gong Gershowitz moves to reconsider the vote. That vote passes.
…Adding… Concurrence motion passes again, but waiting on verification.
…Adding… Republicans gave up on the verification. Here’s the roll call…
13 Comments
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax
Advertise Here
Mobile Version
Contact Rich Miller
|
