Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Monday, Mar 15, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Local sheriff leads the charge against the next outrage…

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Camille Lilly, who buckled to pressure last year and tabled a different controversial bill after the public heat became too intense.

*** UPDATE *** Email…

Good Afternoon Rich-

I saw the post today on Capitol Fax regarding HB 3913, the bill that removes barriers for people on the sex offender registry. James Medrick doesn’t seem to understand that the sex offender registry has proven to be an ineffective method to ensure public safety. However, it is effective at continually letting legislators and law enforcement off the hook for failing to actually respond to survivors’ needs and addressing sexual violence.

As an organization that advocates for survivors, we support HB 3913. We understand the importance of reducing or eliminating punishments that are not evidence-based and redirecting resources to real prevention strategies and support for survivors. Also, lowering the housing restrictions (from 500 ft to 250 ft) will help address the housing crisis created by the sex offender registry in Chicago and elsewhere among people with sex offenses who have homes but legally cannot live in them when they exit prison.

If you are interested in learning about or sharing our perspective, this blog post details our position. You can also see a short synopsis of our view in our Legislative Priorities for 2021. Also, feel free to reach out if you would like to speak to someone at CAASE about this issue.

Thank you for your time!

–
Hayley Forrestal | Communications Manager

Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation

* Press release…

Senate GOP Leader Dan McConchie on the need for executive power changes

“One year ago, Gov. Pritzker issued his first executive order, granting him sole decision-making power for millions of Illinoisans,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods). “Over the next twelve months, the governor extended his state of emergency power by delivering executive order after executive order—a total of 76 times, shutting down our economy and making massive public health decisions without the inclusion of the legislature or the communities we represent. This go-it-alone strategy is not representative of our democracy, which is why I have introduced Senate Bill 103, requiring the General Assembly to approve any subsequent renewal of emergency powers after the initial 30-day state of emergency declaration.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated our families and businesses in Illinois. We must learn from this horrible situation and improve our governing process to allow for more seats at the decision-making table to reach better outcomes. I believe that this bill will help ensure Illinois has the most effective response possible in any future pandemic or disaster.”

The bill is co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Sue Rezin, Jason Barickman and Terri Bryant.

* W3D Country…

Abortion clinics would be required to offer patients the opportunity to view an ultrasound under legislation State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) is sponsoring.

House Bill 683 would create the Ultrasound Opportunity Act. It would require attending physicians, referring physicians or other qualified personnel to offer any woman seeking an abortion after 8 weeks of gestation the opportunity to receive and view an active ultrasound prior to an abortion being performed.

“This legislation does not require abortion clinics to show patients ultrasounds but merely requires them to at least make the offer to do so,” Jacobs said. “There is no question that seeing an ultrasound has a big impact and can change people’s minds about having an abortion. But women should have all of the facts before making such a big decision and besides, anyone who is pro-choice should be in favor of legislation that gives women more choice and that is what my bill does.”

* NPR Illinois…

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a renewed focus on mental health issues, particularly among students. Some Illinois lawmakers say schools must bolster suicide prevention procedures to better identify warning signs.

Back in 2015, the General Assembly passed “AnnMarie’s law,” named after 11-year-old AnnMarie Blaha of Orland Park, who died by suicide after two classmates allegedly set up fake profiles on social media and persuaded her to take her own life.

The law called for the Illinois State Board of Education to develop a statewide suicide awareness and prevention policy for schools. Prevention policies must include reporting procedures, intervention methods, and professional development training for teachers and staff.

The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee this week passed HB 577 , which is aimed at building on AnnMarie’s law by specifically identifying in state statute groups of students who are more at-risk of committing suicide — including students who are homeless, identify as LGBTQ, or suffer from substance abuse.

* Related…

* Vegetable gardener takes fight to the Illinois Capitol

19 Comments

Cook Political Report editor discusses some remap ideas

Monday, Mar 15, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* US House editor of the Cook Political Report…

ILLINOIS: has the potential to be Dems' biggest redistricting weapon of the cycle. Once again, it's losing a seat. But Dems could replace the current 13D-5R map (left) with a 14D-3R map (right) - and they might need to to have any chance of holding the House majority. pic.twitter.com/WnLY0lHL5J

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) March 12, 2021

Notice that he keeps the current Latino district intact. There will be pressure to create two Latinx districts in the coming mapmaking process. Also, the chair of the House Redistricting Committee is Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez and the Senate’s Redistricting Committee chair is Sen. Omar Aquino.

He does have a point about creating another Downstate Democratic district by correcting the Dems’ 2011 mistake and no longer splitting all of their Metro East turf into two districts. He would take away some GOP voters from Cheri Bustos and give her a few more Dems. Lauren Underwood does even better in this map.

* Politico…

Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s congressional seat could be eliminated when Illinois conducts its remap, according to the Cook Report’s David Wasserman.

Taking out the current 16th Congressional District makes “geographic sense,” Wasserman said in his subscription-only report. […]

The 16th District stretches from Indiana up to the border with Wisconsin and touches the fast-growing Chicago exurbs and some downstate districts. “More rural/GOP parts of it could go to Rep. Darin LaHood’s 18th CD and Rep. Mary Miller’s 15th CD, while its Rockford suburbs and the liberal university town of DeKalb could go to Democratic seats,” writes Wasserman.

* Back to Wasserman…

In the map above (right), 13/17 districts would have voted for Clinton *and* Biden by 10%+, up from 10/18 under the current lines.

Underwood's #IL14 could lose Lake/McHenry counties and pick up DeKalb, Aurora, Elgin or Bolingbrook, moving it from Trump +4 in '16 to Clinton +10.

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) March 12, 2021

Finally, Dems could draw one heavily D seat in southern IL instead of two weak ones, fixing a strategic error they made in 2011.

They could stuff East St. Louis, Alton and Belleville into Davis (R)'s #IL13, converting it from Trump +4 to Biden +10 - perhaps dooming his career.

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) March 12, 2021

Thoughts?

…Adding… Related…

* Illinois Legislative Leaders Separately Discuss What is a ‘Fair Map’

* Changing face of Illinois Democrats evident in Madigan’s successors

49 Comments

House Democrat on Pritzker loophole closures: “We’re not hearing that’s going to happen”

Monday, Mar 15, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Jake Griffin at the Daily Herald has the best story I’ve yet seen about the governor’s corporate loophole closure proposal. There’s just too much good stuff to excerpt, so you should definitely click here and read the whole thing. However, buried deep down is this little nugget…

State Rep. Fred Crespo, a Hoffman Estates Democrat, said he doubts the governor can get those changes made by the legislature.

“I am always concerned when there are assumptions built into those budgets that might or might not happen,” Crespo said. “In closing those corporate loopholes, I think he valued that at close to $1 billion. … We’re not hearing that’s going to happen.”

Rep. Crespo chairs the House Appropriations-General Services Committee.

…Adding… From a House Dem involved with the budget-making process…

I’m not sure who Fred speaks for here. We haven’t even started going through each loophole yet.

10 Comments

*** LIVE COVERAGE ***

Monday, Mar 15, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Follow along with ScribbleLive…

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*** UPDATED x1 *** New jobless claims fall nationally and in Illinois, but serious problems persist here

Friday, Mar 12, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Emily McCormick…

U.S. states saw new jobless claims fall more than expected to reach a four-month low last week, as impending spring weather and more vaccine-driven business reopenings allow hiring to pick up.

The Department of Labor released its weekly report on new jobless claims on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Here were the main metrics included in the report, compared to consensus data compiled by Bloomberg:

• Initial jobless claims, week ended March 6: 712,000 vs. 725,000 expected and a revised 754,000 during the prior week
• Continuing claims, week ended February 27: 4.144 million vs. 4.200 million expected and a revised 4.337 million during the prior week

* CBS 2…

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) reported 57,483 new unemployment claims were filed last week, a nearly 16% decrease from the week before, when 68,111 people filed.

For comparison, during the same timeframe last year, 8,727people filed claims in Illinois. That’s a 559% increase. […]

Illinois’ latest claims make up about 8% of the estimated 712,000 filed across the country last week.

There were 68,383 new unemployment claims filed during the week of Feb. 15 in Illinois.

* Lourdes Duarte, Andrew Schroedter at WGN…

There appears to be no end in sight to the avalanche of fraudulent unemployment filings in Illinois.

In the latest twist, the owner of a Northwest Side bridal shop called WGN Investigates after a stack of letters from the Illinois Department of Employment Security arrived at her business. The letters asked her to verify unemployment claims for 10 people.

But here’s the rub: They were sent to her address, but she didn’t recognize a single name. Not one person had worked at the bridal shop. There was even one in her mother’s name. […]

“The states are so overwhelmed, they haven’t figured out how to keep this from happening,” Terry Savage, a personal finance expert, said.

Savage has been tracking trends in fake unemployment claims since the start of the pandemic. Savage said scammers are constantly coming up with different ways to trick the system, including using random addresses to file claims.

*** UPDATE *** IDES…

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate decreased -0.3 percentage point to 7.7 percent, while nonfarm payrolls were up +9,700 jobs in January, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The December monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from -2,500 to -9,200 jobs. The December unemployment rate was revised from the preliminary report, rising +0.4 percentage point to 8.0 percent.

The January payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th. The BLS has published FAQs for the January payroll jobs and the unemployment rate.

In January, the three industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Professional and Business Services (+11,500), Leisure and Hospitality (+5,100), and Other Services (+2,400). The industry sectors that reported the largest monthly payroll declines were: Financial Activities (-6,400), Construction (-3,200), and Government (-1,800).

“While the unemployment rate and job markets continue to be impacted by the ongoing effects of COVID-19, with vaccination rates continuing to increase, we are focused on building a strong recovery on the other side of this pandemic,” said Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. “This administration is fully committed to supporting individuals displaced from their jobs and ensuring small businesses and working families have the support they need to recover and grow in a post-pandemic economy.”

“Today’s data shows that Illinois is making steady progress in restoring jobs and building towards economic recovery,” said Sylvia Garcia, Acting Director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). “Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, we have deployed over $1 billion to date in emergency relief programs to help some of the hardest hit businesses and communities in our state. The recent passage of the American Rescue Plan will further support our economic recovery with additional emergency relief to help build back key industries, support our workforce, and provide targeted investments for businesses and communities that need it most.”

The state’s unemployment rate was +1.4 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for January, which was 6.3 percent, down -0.4 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +4.2 percentage points from a year ago when it was 3.5 percent.

Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment decreased by -504,800 jobs, with losses across all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs decreases were: Leisure and Hospitality (-216,600), Government (-71,100) and Educational and Health Services (-65,400). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were down -8.2 percent over-the-year as compared to the nation’s -6.3 percent over-the-year decline in January.

The number of unemployed workers fell from the prior month, a -3.6 percent decrease to 473,000, and was up +114.0 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force was down -0.1 percent over-the-month and down -3.5 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.