Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Monday, Feb 24, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Center Square…

A bipartisan group of Illinois lawmakers has gotten behind a proposal to repeal the state’s new car trade-in tax and replace it with a different fee structure.

As of Jan. 1, Illinois’ sales tax applies to any trade-in vehicle worth more than $10,000. That means trading in a $30,000 car for one worth $60,000 will cost the customer an extra $1,200 in additional sales taxes. It’s estimated to bring the state $60 million annually, affecting what state officials insisted was a small portion of Illinois residents.

Legislation filed earlier last month would repeal the application of sales tax to trade-in value over $10,000. In turn, it would charge a tax based on the selling price of the car if it’s worth more than $15,000 or how many years old it is if valued at less than $15,000. It would take effect 120 days after it’s enacted.

Industry experts predicted the Jan. 1 change would have a profound effect on consumer buying habits and the change appears to have set in quickly.

“Last year, we had about 26 trade-ins by now from the first of the year that were over $10,001,” said Daniel Fontana, sales consultant at Mike Haggerty Buick GMC in Oak Lawn. “We’re only floating at 19 right now.”

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Tony Munoz (D-Chicago).

* Bernie…

State Rep. TIM BUTLER, R-Springfield, has filed a bill that would allow breweries to start “mug clubs.”

A mug club is a loyalty program where bar patrons can purchase a special mug from the establishment and have it refilled at a discount over the course of a year.

Currently, such discounts are prohibited under the state’s happy hour law, which only allows the sale of drinks at a reduced price for up to four hours a day and 15 hours a week.

Under Butler’s legislation, a carve-out would be made “if a person purchases a mug, cup or other glassware” as part of a mug club program.

Butler said the idea was sparked by a conversation he had with the owners of BUZZ BOMB BREWING CO., 406 E. Adams St., who hope to bring the concept to Springfield.

The bill is here.

* Another try…

Is it time to raise the speed limit again? The suburban lawmaker who six years ago pushed to boost our highway limit from 65 mph to 70 mph seems to think so.

State Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-North Aurora) has filed legislation, Senate Bill 2565, to lift Illinois’ highway speed limit to 75 mph. But where Oberweis got overwhelming support for increasing the limit to 70 mph six years ago, skeptics already are emerging for taking it up another 5 mph.

* WCIA…

Senator Ram Villivilam said he wants to bring back a small business tax credit for $5,000 for every new position a business with fewer than 50 employees makes. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce likes the idea of the bill, but does not know if the incentives are strong enough. “We still think it has the same fundamental flaws, unless you really go ahead and get up to $10,000 or $15,000,” said Todd Maisch. “But even then, there is going to be a suspicion that what is there one year won’t be there the next, as soon as the legislature decides that they want that revenue back.”

For a business to receive the credit, the position created will have to pay at least $15 per hour.

…Adding… Marni Pyke…

Quashing the proposed extension of Route 53 north into Lake County may have been the easy part.

Residents who waged war against the pricey expansion rejoiced when the Illinois tollway dropped the project last July, effectively dooming it for lack of funds.

Now, however, there’s a 1,100-acre hot potato squatting in Lake County. The state spent $54.3 million over 48 years acquiring land for the defunct road.

What to do? Looks like it’s task force time.

Legislation is percolating through the General Assembly to create a task force authorized to recommend uses for the land by Dec. 31.

The bill is here.

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*** LIVE COVERAGE ***

Monday, Feb 24, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

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*** UPDATED x1 - Urlacher resigns from Civil Service Commission *** Corruption roundup

Friday, Feb 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Daily Herald…

Casey Urlacher, the mayor of North suburban Mettawa and brother of Chicago Bears icon Brian Urlacher, is charged along with nine others in connection with an illegal offshore sports gambling ring, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

In an indictment alleging one count of participating in the gambling conspiracy and one count of conducting an illegal gambling business, prosecutors say Casey Urlacher worked as an agent for the “illegal gambling business” and recruited gamblers and other sub-agents to the operation.

Prosecutors allege those involved placed bets through a Costa Rican-based gambling platform identified only as “Company A.” The operation began sometime in 2016, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Urlacher was in contact with the group’s ringleader, 54-year-old Vincent Delgiudice of Orland Park, also known as “Uncle Mick,” in December 2018 about setting up an account for a new gambler with a maximum bet of $500 and maximum weekly limit of $3,000.

The indictment is here.

* Sun-Times…

Casey Urlacher denied any knowledge of the gambling investigation when reached Thursday by the Chicago Sun-Times, and he said he didn’t know any bookie named DelGiudice. “I don’t know nothing about it,” Urlacher said. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

But the indictment alleges otherwise. It says Urlacher asked Vincent DelGiudice to create a log-in and password for a new gambler on the website on Dec. 16, 2018. DelGiudice allegedly did so, setting a $500 maximum bet, a $3,000 maximum wager for the week and a $1,000 settle-up figure.

On Dec. 21, 2018, Urlacher allegedly gave an envelope filled with gambling debts owed to DelGiudice to Prassas. That same day, Prassas allegedly passed an envelope filled with Urlacher’s gambling debts on to DelGiudice with the remark, “This is Casey’s.”

Urlacher also allegedly asked DelGiudice by phone on Dec. 26, 2018, to shut down a gambler’s account until the gambler paid a debt. That same day, after the gambler wired $3,000 to Urlacher, Urlacher allegedly texted DelGiudice and told him to turn the gambler’s account back on.

Urlacher lost a Republican primary for the Illinois Senate to Dan McConchie in 2016. I’m guessing this upcoming fundraiser will be at least slightly altered…

McLaughlin is running unopposed for retiring GOP Rep. Dave McSweeney’s seat.

…Adding… Urlacher was appointed to the Illinois Civil Service Commission by Gov. Pat Quinn and is still an active member. Oops.

*** UPDATE *** The governor’s office says Urlacher resigned from the commission this morning.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* In other news…

When an FBI raid targeted his company’s county commissioner last year, southwest suburban factory owner Zach Mottl was “ecstatic.”

“I felt like the house fell on the wicked witch,” Mottl said. “That’s what I felt like. And we were free. The munchkins were free.”

Mottl said he felt a target of the raid — Democratic Cook County Commissioner and village of McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski — had pressured him into making a campaign contribution at the same time his company was seeking Tobolski’s backing for a critical property tax break.

And Mottl provided the Better Government Association and WBEZ with an exchange of emails that detail his story.

* And…

A son-in-law of former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios is being sued by the Chicago Public Schools, which says he failed to pay “no less than” $366,000 under deals that allowed his company to park cars at 10 elementary schools, mostly for baseball fans going to Cubs games last year.

According to the lawsuit filed in Cook County circuit court, James T. Weiss and his parking business stopped paying CPS last April for the right to park cars at three schools closest to Wrigley Field — but kept charging customers to park there anyway. […]

On Nov. 19, Weiss told CPS his company would no longer be parking cars on school property. That was in a phone call shortly after the Chicago Tribune reported his offices were raided as part of the federal investigation of now-former state Rep Luis Arroyo. Arroyo has since been charged in a federal bribery case involving unregulated video gambling machines.

Weiss — who also owns Collage LLC, which operates unregulated video terminals known as sweepstakes machines — has been lobbying state and city officials to legalize the machines.