Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Pritzker says in letter to House members that he supports EIC expansion, plus additional tax relief for low-to middle-income households

Monday, Apr 4, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. Letter from numerous Illinois House members including at least 3 Republicans…

April 4, 2022

Dear Governor Pritzker:

The undersigned write to urge you for your support for a budget that provides tangible tax relief for hard-working Illinois families.

A proposal to expand the Earned Income Credit (EIC) would offer over 4.8 million Illinois residents across every zip code and legislative district needed relief– in the form of a cash refund– at tax time. More credit to no-, low-, and middle-income families is not simply morally sound, but is also financially beneficial, as the proposed additional credit costs only a mere one percent of the State’s total budget and would create over one billion dollars in local and state economic benefits.

We are in the midst of a critical moment where the pandemic continues to harm our most vulnerable communities. At this moment, however, the federal government has been unable to continue supporting the families most affected. Thus, it becomes our duty to ensure the State of Illinois to step up to the plate and provide solutions for the families in need of financial aid.

The Fiscal Year 2023 budget will be generationally important to our constituents and comes at a critical moment. We ask you to convey to the legislative leaders your desire that an expansion of the EITC be included in the State’s FY2023 budget legislation. We have the funds to act, what we need from you is a commitment to proceed.

Click here to see the signatories.

* Response…

April 4, 2022

Dear Representatives,

Thank you for your letter expressing support for the EIC. I appreciate your passion on this issue, and it’s one that I share. My administration has always supported an expansion of the EIC. In fact, in 2019 we were proud to work with the 101st General Assembly to introduce HB5669, a bill that expands the EIC to:

• Permanently add individuals 18-24 without children
• Permanently add individuals 65+, and
• Add ITIN filers

It’s important to note that in that proposal, the EIC was refundable.

In addition to supporting an expansion of the EIC, I’d like to explore the possibility of targeting tax relief directly to low-to middle-income households who are eligible for the EIC.

Thank you again for your passion.

Sincerely,
Governor JB Pritzker

Pritzker’s most recent tax cut proposal didn’t mention the EIC.

…Adding… The governor’s office says the EIC expansion will cost $53.5 million, plus $25 milllion for every one percent increase.

…Adding… Amber Wilson, Statewide Coalition Manager at Economic Security for Illinois on behalf of the Coalition to Make EIC Work…

“We’re delighted to see the House and Governor’s Office align on the need to give more Illinois’ families and workers meaningful, permanent tax relief. The letters signal a commitment to expand the Earned Income Credit this year. We hope this can push budgeteers in both chambers to make EIC a top priority in the FY2023 budget.

While all Illinoisans have been impacted by the pandemic, we know that financial burden fell hardest on low-income Black and Brown families, which is why we are eager to see additional relief targeted to the families who could use the cash to pay for their basic living expenses this year.

Our coalition has been fighting since 2019 for an Earned Income Credit that includes ITIN filers, younger and older childless workers, and to make more credit available to each low- and middle-income family who qualifies. We feel confident 2022 is the year we can make it happen.”

5 Comments

Jim Reilly

Monday, Apr 4, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times…

Jim Reilly, a downstate Illinois lawmaker who became chief of staff to two governors and headed agencies that oversaw mass transit in the Chicago area, state construction projects and the operations of McCormick Place and Navy Pier, has died at 77.

He died of pneumonia Monday at the St. Joseph Village assisted living facility in Chicago, where he had been recovering from a fall, according to Steve Schlickman, a friend who was executive director of the Regional Transportation Agency during Mr. Reilly’s 2005-2010 tenure as chairman of the RTA board.

Schlickman credited Mr. Reilly with steering that agency through a period when it faced a $400 million yearly shortfall.

“As chairman of the RTA, he did more for transit than any other chairman of that organization that I’m aware of for the last 42 years,” Schlickman said. “He helped secure a [state] funding initiative that avoided huge cuts in service and fare increases in 2008.”

* Tribune…

A Springfield native, Reilly graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and worked for the downstate city of Jacksonville before he became a state representative in 1977. Before serving in the Illinois House, Reilly also taught grade school in Winchester, Illinois.

He was chief of staff to former Republican Gov. Jim Thompson, and returned to the same role during Gov. Jim Edgar’s reelection campaign. […]

As Edgar recovered from emergency quadruple-bypass heart surgery, Reilly was “a familiar and respected stand-in for the governor,” the Tribune reported in 1994. The Tribune described Reilly as “an administrator with a well-known contempt for inertia.” […]

Between those stints, Reilly headed the city’s convention and tourism bureau. Later, he was chairman of the RTA board as the region’s transportation agencies sought to avoid financial doomsday. He helped avoid the worst-case scenario, and worked to plug a huge CTA pension shortfall, said Steve Schlickman, who was executive director of RTA at the time.

“He was a guy that was so nonpartisan in that position,” Schlickman said. “He worked so easily with both sides of the aisle, and he had great relationships with Democratic leadership as well as the Republican.”

* Crain’s…

“Jim Reilly was, I think, the most significant (Illinois) individual in the last 30 years, maybe 40, who wasn’t elected,” says former Gov. Jim Edgar, for whom Reilly worked as chief of staff 1994-95. “He could walk with and get things done with Democrats and Republicans.” […]

“He was one of a kind. There weren’t many like him,” says former state Rep. Judy Erwin, D-Chicago, who got to know Reilly when she was press aide to then-Illinois Senate President Phil Rock and continued to interact with him through her days as chair of the Illinois Board of Higher Education. “It’s sort of a bygone era.” […]

“We both went into the (Illinois) House at the same time,” recalls Edgar. That experience moved Edgar into the higher office, as secretary of state and later as governor. It also brought Reilly, a self-described Rockefeller Republican, to the attention of Gov. Jim Thompson, a big-ideas type with a knack for finding top talent. Thompson made Reilly his counsel and then chief of staff.

* Marilynn Gardner, Navy Pier President & CEO…

“Navy Pier is saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Reilly, Life Trustee of Navy Pier, former Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), RTA and Chicago Convention Chief. Jim played an extremely significant role in the redevelopment and philanthropic support of Navy Pier. He worked alongside our Board of Directors and countless Pier staff members to advance our mission as a welcoming, inclusive, nonprofit cultural institution for all.”

“Jim was an amazing leader and colleague, and, most importantly, friend to us all at the Pier. We cherish his vision for Navy Pier and promise to uphold his legacy by keeping our destination exciting, accepting and available for everyone to experience. His contributions to Navy Pier will truly never be forgotten.”

* From his official obituary…

His interests were many and varied, but first and foremost, he considered the highlight of his life to be his love and affection for his wife of 30 years, M. Veronica Lynch. They were true companions and best friends.

Trains, both real and model, were among his many favorite pastime passions, highlighted by showcasing his train network for his many nieces and nephews during the holiday gatherings. They, and all who knew him, enjoyed his quick wit and easy smile.

The Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra reflected his appreciation and passion for music, surpassed only by his commitment and dedication to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. In the sports world, as a true Chicagoan, the Chicago Bears and Chicago Bulls were his rooting interests, although his years spent in downstate Illinois led to the St. Louis Cardinals becoming his favorite baseball team.

Jim’s sense of adventure found him traveling extensively, both overseas and throughout the United States. His visits to Europe were frequent and he enjoyed calling the British Island of Tortola a second home. Favorite destinations were many, but he particularly appreciated Vienna, Taiwan, Venice, Kenya, and Paris.

Numerous charities were recipients of Jim’s generous support. Navy Pier, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Mercy Hospital, the Illinois Institute of Technology, Choose Chicago, the Boards of the Jacksonville Area Association of Citizens with Intellectual Disability, the Jacksonville Theater Guild, Illinois College, the Edgar Fellows Program and Chicago’s culture and arts community were among the organizations benefiting from his guidance.

The man loved his state and did a lot of good along the way. He was Illinois’ go-to guy and there will never be another like him.

…Adding… Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus…

Jim Reilly understood the powerful connection between tourism and economic growth and prosperity for Illinois, serving as a visionary for the Illinois convention and tourism industry. His legacy will guide our state’s second largest industry for generations to come. Our thoughts are with his family and everyone who was lucky to call him a friend and a colleague.

13 Comments

Bailey hit in mailer, TV ad over alleged Obama/Biden votes

Monday, Apr 4, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I think almost everyone I know has received this Richard Irvin mailer…

Notice there’s no disclaimer saying who it’s from. The Irvin campaign sent a letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections blaming the omission on a vendor error.

* There’s even a new Irvin TV ad making the same claim…

Announcer: Who’s paying for this false ad against Richard Irvin? Check the fine print.

Mary Ann Ahern: The new ad paid for by the Democratic Governors Association. Republicans call it meddling.

Announcer: It sure is. JB Pritzker knows he can beat Darren Bailey and Jesse Sullivan. After all, they both supported Obama for President. Bailey even admitted he backed Joe Biden.

Bailey: I might have voted for Biden.

Announcer: So the next time you see Pritzker smearing Richard Irvin, don’t fall for it.

There’s no proof that Bailey voted for Obama in 2008. And, as you’ll see, he actually said he might’ve voted for Joe Biden in 2008, not 2020 as implied.

* The audio clip supplied by the Irvin campaign to back up the Biden quote claim…

rich-miller · Bailey Audio 3 - 19 - 22

* Transcript…

First of all, in 2008, you guys remember Rush Limbaugh? So he had Operation Chaos. And it was because everybody was scared to death of Hillary Clinton getting in. So the goal was if you didn’t have a local race, which, interestingly enough, we did at the time in Clay County, where I live at, we did not have a Republican running for state’s attorney. We had two Democrats running for State’s attorney. State’s attorneys grow up to be judges. So, I’ve never pulled a Democrat ballot in my life, but I can tell you, I’ll never do it again. Cindy and I being a, and this is, you’re gonna laugh at this, but the next two years Cindy and I were thinking, what if the world ends and Jesus comes back and we’re registered Democrats? That’s been that’s been 12 years, 14 years ago now. And you have no idea. And when I tell you this stuff, like I said you can walk over and ask Cindy about it. So I had a brother [crosstalk] I had a brother that followed him, and it made sense because it’s Hillary, I don’t even, I think I might have voted for Biden. I don’t even remember. Biden rhymes with [garbled]. I didn’t even know who these guys were in 2008. But we did that.

Emphasis added to show he’s being hit for voting for two Democratic presidential candidates in the very same primary. Also, please pardon all transcription errors.

Whatever the truth is, Bailey is gonna get absolutely freaking buried by this stuff if he doesn’t start fighting back on the air and in the boxes.

* And there is a way. A bit of Democratic oppo was tossed my direction today. Here’s Richard Irvin speaking in February of 2020 about former President Barack Obama…

And even through all of that, I don’t know if my grandfather, grandmother, or my slave-born great-grandfather could have ever imagined that our vote, our Black vote would make such a difference in this country that will elect a Black man to the presidency in 2008 when Barack Obama made history.

Also…

Mayor Richard C. Irvin and the City of Aurora congratulate President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on their historic election and empowering inauguration ceremony today. #POTUS #VPOTUS #UnitedStatesofAmerica pic.twitter.com/fph2V8ouQ8

— City of Aurora, IL (@CityofAuroraIL) January 20, 2021

Again, none of this means anything if it ain’t on the air.

…Adding… Prompted by a commenter, I looked up Operation Chaos. According to Wikipedia, Limbaugh launched the program in late February of 2008. The 2008 Illinois primary was on Feb. 5. So, Bailey’s explanation may not actually be true.