Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Thursday, Mar 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

…Adding… I was looking for some coverage of yesterday’s presser and finally found some. Taylor Vidmar…

Wives of fallen police officers gathered at the Illinois State Capitol on Wednesday to advocate for increased police funding and crackdowns on crime.

The group asked lawmakers to pass Senate Bills 4152-4158, some of which would increase criminal penalties for certain crimes. Senate Bill 4155 would create the “Fund the Police Act” and increase funding to police departments.

All seven bills were read once and referred to the Senate Assignments Committee, where they’ve remained since. The bills are unlikely to be revived after failing to pass the Senate before the chamber’s Feb. 25 third reading deadline, but Amber Oberheim said she won’t stop until action is taken.

“Enough is enough,” said Oberheim, the widow of Champaign police officer Chris Oberheim.

“We urged you to do something to ensure the safety of the residents of Illinois who elected you to make those important decisions,” she said, directing her comments at senators who have failed to support the legislation. “You did not. We are here again today to hold you accountable.”

WAND…

Senate Bills 4152, 4153, 4154, 4155, 4156, 4157 and 4158 haven’t seen much movement since they were introduced in early February by Republicans. The bills would primarily focus on funding police, specifically for hiring, retention, body cameras and community outreach. State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet), sponsor of the bills, introduced the women and let them take the podium.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, nine Illinois officers died in the line of duty. Of those nine, five died by gunfire and three by felonious assault. Widows of U of I Police Lieutenant Aaron Landers, Champaign officer Chris Oberheim, Pontoon Beach officer Tyler Timmins, and Bradley Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic shared their concern for police safety in the state and their push for legislators to do more. […]

Dee Landers, widow of Lt. Aaron Landers, shared she is also a daughter and daughter-in-law of police officers. She shared she won’t be silent and will continue to push for support to protect law enforcement officers in the state.

“It is time we stand in support,” she said. “It’s high time that our legislators are accountable for protecting them.”

* Illinois Restaurant Association…

Today, Sam Toia, President & CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, testified before the Illinois Senate Tourism and Hospitality Committee on the state of the industry. Mr. Toia, who represents the largest private sector industry in the state, renewed the urgency to support restaurants after the federal government did not include the replenishment of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund in the latest government spending package this week.

Below is his statement:

“The restaurant community was dealt a blow this week when we learned that the door has all but shut for the federal government to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. More than 110,000 restaurants jobs in Illinois are currently at risk without additional aid. We are calling on the state of Illinois to provide $125 million in grants to struggling restaurants to hire and retain team members and invest back in their businesses despite rising costs and mounting debts.”

The hotels want $250 million and now the IRA wants $125 million.

Meanwhile, the state is running a multi-billion-dollar deficit in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The Senate passed an approp bill today to pay off $2 billion of the debt with federal aid, but it’s mainly a placeholder bill while agreed-bill negotiations continue. Something has to pass by the end of this month, which is why the Senate is taking the unusual move of sending a potential approp vehicle to the House a month before the end of session.

Also, Mr. Toia still has not registered as a lobbyist.

* Press release excerpt…

With gasoline prices at the pump topping well over $4 per gallon and expected to continue to climb with projections of over $5 per gallon, State Senators Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley) and Donald DeWitte (R-St. Charles) say Illinois legislators must act immediately to provide relief to consumers.

The legislators joined stakeholders during a press conference at the Capitol on Thursday to call on the General Assembly and the Pritzker Administration to immediately cap the state’s sales tax on motor fuel at 18 cents per gallon, which is what consumers were paying last fall before prices started to climb dramatically. […]

Under the Senators’ proposal, Illinois consumers could expect to save nearly $1 billion over the next fiscal year, or 16 cents per gallon, assuming gas prices are at $5.50 per gallon. Additionally, the measure would continue to provide adequate funding for Illinois’ infrastructure projects.

Legislators, reporters and everyone else should click here for a quick primer on energy price economics.

…Adding… Mike Sturino…

Hi Rich,

I caught the mention on your blog about legislators proposing to lower the MFT. On the topic of the impact of gas taxes on prices at the pump, I wanted to bring this report to your attention. As you will note from this exhaustive study, gas taxes have little to do with gas prices and when legislators reduce the MFT, only a fraction is passed on to consumers.

Mike Sturino
President & CEO
Illinois Road & Transportation Builders Association

Click here.

…Adding… Senate Republicans…

We aren’t touching MFT, and we have never proposed to lower MFT. Our plan caps the sales tax on gas at 18 cents.

* Press release…

Leaders from the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA), the Black Contractors Owners Executives (BCOE), and the Federation of Women Contractors (FWC) are at the state capitol today urging legislators to protect minority and women-owned firms and oppose House Bill 5412.

“HB 5412 will make construction more expensive for everyone and locks out future entrepreneurs from the construction industry. Punishing good companies for a few bad apples is a bad idea,” said Jacqueline Gomez, HACIA’s executive director. “This bill will only create additional obstacles for small, minority and women-owned businesses. The State of Illinois should be reinforcing its diversity and equity bridge - not tearing it down.”

HB 5412 shifts the responsibility for paying wage theft claims from subcontractors who engage in the practice to the primary contractor. A coalition led by HACIA opposes this legislation because of the harm it will inflict on up-and-coming construction firms in Illinois and the employees who become victims of wage theft. By stripping Illinois law of a major disincentive for bad actors, this bill shifts liability for wage theft and encourages bad businesses to continue stealing from their employees because they know that someone else will be held accountable.

More workers will be impacted because there are no repercussions on the bad actor. Meanwhile, contractors operating with integrity will be on the hook. Making all contractors responsible for stolen wages – even if they already compensated the fraudulent subcontractor to pay their employees - will force additional workers to file claims with the Illinois Dept. of Labor. These claims already have a history of taking more than a year to settle, which forces claimants to make do without pay rightfully owed to them. More incidents of wage theft mean more claims from working families – a contradiction to the bill’s intent. […]

“On behalf of BCOE, I am extremely disappointed that special interest groups continue to take priority among our legislators instead of what benefits or protects the people of the State of Illinois,” said Angela Drexel, BCOE’s vice president. “There is better legislation, such as HB 5088, that address the wage theft concern and mitigates adverse impacts to minority contractors. We are disappointed the House decided instead to move forward with HB 5412.”

House Bill 5412 has already passed the Illinois House of Representatives. If the bill is allowed to proceed, a vote in the Illinois State Senate may come within the next couple of weeks. The coalition is calling on members and supporters to contact their state senator to voice their opposition to House Bill 5412 so wage thieves are held accountable.

HB5412 is sponsored in the Senate by Senate President Don Harmon. Looks like it’s fast-tracked.

* Sen. Rezin…

Nearing the end of the legislative session, Illinois Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin (R – Morris) renewed her call today to pass a series of legislative bills she introduced last year in response to the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home. The legislation would address Governor Pritzker’s failure to implement critical recommendations from the Illinois Auditor General’s Performance Audit of the Legionnaire’s Disease outbreak at the Quincy Veterans’ Home, a report the Governor received three years ago this month.

The 2019 audit called for a timely response for on-site assistance by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), improved communications between IDPH and Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) personnel, and the implementation of all CDC recommendations following a confirmed outbreak (Audit Report Pages IX and X). The Tetra Tech report received two months after the performance audit identified similar issues across our veterans’ homes. Yet, the Pritzker Administration ignored both reports which led to fatal consequences at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home in November 2020 when thirty-six veterans died, making it the deadliest outbreak at a state-run facility in Illinois history.

Last year, an IDPH contractor admitted the agency’s delayed on-site arrival hurt efforts in controlling the spread of COVID-19, which was later reiterated by the Department of Human Services’ Inspector General when he stated, “If these (Quincy) recommendations had been in place at the time of the outbreak, the outcome would have been better.” Deputy Governor Sol Flores’ testimony also provided conflicting accounts of who was responsible for IDPH waiting nearly two weeks from the outbreak’s start to get on-site, even though she claimed to be coordinating the multi-agency response.

“How many reports must land on Governor Pritzker’s desk before he takes the safety of our veterans seriously,” stated Senator Rezin. “It took the Pritzker Administration 11-days to arrive on-site in LaSalle, and it could still take the same number of days today. The Governor’s lax approach toward improving the state’s outbreak response time and care for our veterans is not the type of leadership he pledged as a candidate.”

Two of Senator Rezin’s bills address how Illinois prepares for and responds to outbreaks, while the third one strengthens the powers of the Inspector General when conducting state investigations.

• Senate Bill 3170: Sets a timetable for when IDPH should conduct an on-site visit after being notified of an outbreak.
• Senate Bill 1471: Requires facilities licensed and operated by the State to conduct outbreak preparedness drills.
• Senate Bill 1445: Provides the Inspector General subpoena powers to ensure cooperation with state investigations after former Pritzker political appointee and IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia refused to cooperate with the Inspector General’s investigation at IDVA.

“While IDVA Acting Director Terry Prince has been addressing the internal problems existing within the agency, we cannot ignore the fact the state’s mismanagement of the outbreak spanned across multiple state agencies to the Governor’s Office,” continued Senator Rezin. “Therefore, we must put these policies and procedures into state law, ensuring a proper response is undertaken, no matter the people in charge. I am asking Governor Pritzker to publicly support these bills and call for their passage before the end of the session. Doing so will honor the obligation we have to our veterans and their families by solidifying into law the state’s responsibility to show up when veterans need them the most.”

Under HR 62, the Illinois Auditor General is currently conducting a performance audit of the State’s response to the management of the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home.

Urging mitigation compliance by veterans’ home workers would be helpful as well. Just sayin’.

* More…

* New bill would replace and relocate the MLK statue outside the Capitol

8 Comments

Budzinski makes “Red to Blue” program

Thursday, Mar 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Ally Mutnick…

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has tapped a dozen challengers for the initial roster of its “Red to Blue” program for top-tier candidates, offering an early look at how it views the House battlefield with redistricting nearly complete.

Republicans only need to flip five seats to undo Democrats’ razor-thin majority and capture the House in November — but Democrats can stretch that number by flipping GOP-held seats the other way, and capitalizing on those opportunities will be a key part of any path to keeping the House during President Joe Biden’s first midterm.

The majority of the program’s roster is running for seats that became much more favorable for Democrats under new redistricting maps. Biden carried 10 of the 12 target districts in 2020.

“I think it’s going to be mostly about defense,” DCCC Executive Director Tim Persico said, speaking about Democrats’ midterm strategy. “But,” he added, “it’s important to play offense.”

* Nikki Budzinski…

Today, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced it was adding Nikki Budzinski to its first list of “Red to Blue” candidates - one of only 12 in the country to be added. Budzinski’s addition to the coveted list signals the growing momentum building behind her campaign and that she’s well-positioned to flip this open seat in November.

Red to Blue is a highly competitive battle-tested DCCC program that arms top-tier candidates, who have the best chance to flip seats from Republican to Democrat, with organizational and fundraising support to help them continue to develop strong campaigns. Through the Red to Blue program, the DCCC also provides strategic guidance, staff resources, candidate trainings and more.

Budzinski made the following statement: “I am proud of the grassroots, issues-focused campaign that we have built. The path to holding our house majority runs through winning IL13, and I am thrilled to have the DCCC’s support in that effort. I look forward to continuing to work hard, meet voters, and be a tireless champion for working families in Congress.”

This will also likely help in her primary race, which she’s the overwhelming favorite to win.

* NRCC…

Hi there –

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just added IL-13 Candidate Nikki Budzinski to its “Red to Blue” frontline list.

Politico noted President Biden carried this district previously by 11 points.

This move signals Democrats know what we do: Nikki Budzinski is extremely vulnerable and will need all the help she can get.

NRCC Comment: “Democrats realize their unending crises and failing socialist agenda are putting previously safe congressional seats in jeopardy, and vulnerable candidate Nikki Budzinski should be worried.” – NRCC Spokeswoman Courtney Parella

I mean, they had to say something, I guess.

* Roll Call…

Democrats had a 13 to 5 advantage in the congressional delegation coming into the cycle, with Illinois losing one seat through reapportionment. If all the races go as planned by Democrats, they’ll start the next Congress with 14 members, compared to three Republicans. That would be a small step to helping Democrats maintain their slim majority nationwide, since Republicans need a net gain of just five seats for a majority.

Competitive races in the 6th, 13th, 14th, and 17th districts will decide whether Democrats drew a successful gerrymander, or a so-called dummymander, a map that benefits the party it was intended to hurt. In a great GOP cycle, Republicans could end up with one more seat from Illinois than they started with. […]

13th District (Open; Rodney Davis, R)

Democrats redrew this district to be significantly more Democratic, pushing Davis to run in the 15th District. Considering Biden would have won the seat with 54 percent, the Democratic primary is critical because the nominee will start the general election with the advantage.

The Democratic front-runner is Nikki Budzinski. The labor activist and former executive in the Office of Management and Budget had $730,000 in the bank on Dec. 31. On the Republican side, candidates include Jesse Reising, a former DOJ prosecutor and current partner at Kirkland & Ellis, philanthropist Regan Deering and others. The 13th was designed to be a Democratic pickup, but Republicans could hold it under the right conditions. Initial rating: Lean Democratic.

Rodney Davis wasn’t pushed to another district. The Democrats drew a district for him. Mary Miller shifted to the district where Davis already lived. The whole idea that a district’s assigned number has anything to do with anything is not exactly deep thinking. “I must stay within the boundaries of 13 even though I no longer live in 13 because that’s always been my district’s number!” said nobody, ever. Sorry, but I’ve seen this so many times from DC types that it’s starting to bug me.

…Adding… As a subscriber just pointed out, before the last redistricting, the 13th District was represented by Judy Biggert. Nobody thought Rodney was running in the suburbs in 2012.

17 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 - Pritzker to continue double-checking *** Nine House Democrats rescind call to freeze capital projects connected to Madigan

Thursday, Mar 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. Subscribers know more. The governor’s office has yet to respond with a statement. Politico…

Nine House reps backpedaled on their request to freeze projects that Madigan had added as line items in the 2019 Rebuild Illinois budget.

In a letter to Gov. JB Pritzker, and obtained by Playbook, the lawmakers said they “now have a better understanding” of the process, are confident the budget items were vetted, and realize that the projects benefit communities of Latino Caucus members. “We stand behind their need to get these projects finished,” according to the letter headed by Rep. Ann Williams.

Questions about the budget arose when the Better Government Association referred to the budget process as being “largely shrouded in secrecy.” Line items are a regular part of the budget with each lawmaker, Democrat and Republican alike, including line-item projects. Leadership can include line-items, too, often to the benefit of members of their caucus.[…]

Amid concerns about the items, Williams and the eight other lawmakersdashed a letter to Pritzker on Monday calling on him to freeze the four development projects that Madigan had listed.

The governor responded in kind and stopped the projects, which made for a good headline — but the line items were programs important to Latino communities.

The backlash was fierce. Some Latino Caucus members sent letters to Pritzker and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, saying their communities depended on those projects.

The two sides spent much of Wednesday in meetings trying to resolve their concerns before emerging after 10 p.m. Williams’ team then asked Pritzker to take back the freeze.

* The withdrawal letter…

Dear Governor Pritzker,

We would first like to thank you for your quick response to the letter sent on March 7, 2022, regarding the release of funding for capital projects.

In the past few days, we have learned additional information about the process by which capital projects are released after being authorized and appropriated by the General Assembly. We now have a better understanding of how each project is scoped for viability to ensure that a funding recipient is ready and able to deliver a project in a way that complies with applicable statutory standards. We have confirmed that the projects referenced in our recent letter were run through this vetting process.

Most importantly, we have also had conversations with our colleagues, including those in the Latino Caucus who represent the areas impacted by these projects. They and other community leaders have been vocal advocates for these projects, and they remain vital investments in their communities. We stand behind their need to get these projects finished for their communities and we don’t want to place undue burdens on them.

As these projects were considered with the same scrutiny as any other capital project appropriated and authorized by the General Assembly, and remain of critical importance to the legislators who originally advocated for them as well as their communities, we would ask the Governor’s Office to release the remaining funds necessary to complete the projects.

Again, we appreciate your commitment to ensuring accountability and integrity in state government and we look forward to continuing to rebuild the trust Illinoisans have in their elected officials.

Thank you,

Rep. Ann M. Williams
Rep. Terra Costa Howard
Rep. Deb Conroy
Rep. Lindsey LaPointe
Rep. Kelly Cassidy
Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz
Rep. Jonathan Carroll
Rep. Kathy Willis
Rep. Anne Stava-Murray

*** UPDATE *** Jordan Abudayyeh…

The Governor appreciates that after sending their original letter, the lawmakers who requested the freeze worked to educate themselves on the extensive review process that precedes the release appropriated funds and rescinded their request. It is encouraging to hear that they are now comfortable with all the projects moving forward. Out of an abundance of caution, DCEO and IDOT are currently confirming that the funding process for these projects followed all requirements. It’s clear from community leaders’ feedback that these projects have broad support. The administration hopes to conclude that review and have a decision regarding next steps as soon as possible.

63 Comments

Fix it the right way, please

Thursday, Mar 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Illinois Times…

Increased state funding has helped Sparc bump up hourly pay rates for direct service providers (DSPs), those who care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the Springfield nonprofit’s group homes and in other settings.

But the increases in this chronically underfunded segment of Illinois’ human services industry “don’t go far enough yet,” said Douglas McDonald, chief executive officer of Sparc. […]

The coalition is calling for a $151 million boost in the $94.8 million Pritzker has proposed in new funding for reimbursement rates to disability service organizations.

The boost would bring the total rate increase to $246.8 million, an amount that would make up for the state not meeting the full Guidehouse recommendation in the current fiscal year and fully funding the increase suggested for fiscal 2023, Evans said. […]

Pritzker’s budget also includes $1 billion in one-time tax cuts for everyday citizens.

“Before we necessarily propose $1 billion in tax breaks, can we try to live up to and meet the commitments that have been outlined for social services?” Evans asked. “Now we’re in a budget situation where it seems we can.”

The additional appropriation is most definitely needed to comply with the Ligas federal consent decree, which the state has been out of compliance with pretty much since it entered into the consent decree eleven years ago. Let’s hope something can be worked out for these folks because their problem is all too real and the state can’t keep treating providers of critical services this way.

But using one-time “extra” money for a permanent fix would risk blowing a hole in the following year’s budget and put the state on a track to the bad old days.

Illinois didn’t get into this deep hole overnight. We’ve seen years and years and years of mismanagement, including doing things like making the structural deficit worse by using temporary revenue streams for permanent programs.

…Adding… Related…

* Advocates want $246M for developmental disability services in Illinois: Providers say direct support professionals should receive 150% of the state’s minimum wage. The decision could affect more than 30,000 direct support professionals and any future workers in the field. “If we do not recruit and hire DSPs, train them, we will no longer have the supports needed to continue to support intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state of Illinois,” said Helen Blackburn, VRS executive director of Centerstone. Blackburn started as a DSP in Southern Illinois 20 years ago. She said there was never a question of whether or not that could be a career. But with wages so low in 2022, Blackburn said it’s difficult for anyone to make ends meet.