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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Jan 12, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Route Fifty…
State agencies and local governments in Illinois would be barred from entering into economic development deals where the terms cannot be revealed publicly because of nondisclosure provisions, under a bill that a state lawmaker there filed this week.
Lawmakers in Florida and New York have introduced similar legislation in the past year or so. State Sen. Robert Peters, a Chicago Democrat, is the lead sponsor on the Illinois bill. In an announcement, he said it is meant to curtail practices that enable businesses to reach favorable arrangements with governments without the public knowing the details.
“Public money deserves public scrutiny,” Peters said in a statement. “Keeping the government contracts that our governments enter into a secret allows states and local governments to be played against one another. Taxpayers deserve basic transparency from their economic development agencies.”
* People need to get their bills filed and assigned to committees…
* This bill has been filed, but it hasn’t even been assigned to committee yet. Still, an early start to kill it isn’t a bad plan…
Illinois residents could be paying more taxes at the pump according to newly introduced legislation that the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association is calling on lawmakers to reject.
House Bill 4424, sponsored by Representative Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside), would allow all municipalities in Illinois to impose their own local gas tax. Taxes continue to increase the high price of motor fuel in Illinois, which according to the Tax Foundation, already has the second highest gas taxes in the country.
“There is never a good time to increase the cost of gasoline for working families, but this is especially true during a period of record inflation,” said Josh Sharp, CEO of the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association. “Given what is happening nationally right now, raising taxes on motor fuel is a terrible idea. Illinois citizens are already facing a huge tax hike come July 1, 2022, when the state’s gas tax will automatically be adjusted for inflation. We strongly urge lawmakers to reject this legislation.
Not only will this measure increase the cost of motor fuel in Illinois beyond what it already is, but it also will create a logistical nightmare for gas stations. This ill-conceived legislation comes at the worst possible time as consumers are struggling to keep up with rising prices due to inflation and supply chain disruptions. We don’t need more gas taxes. Illinois motorists are taxed enough.”
House Bill 4424 has been filed and awaits assignment to a legislative committee.
* Some committees have met…
* Press release…
On Tuesday, State Representative Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) filed legislation that would require the randomization of the order of candidate names on Illinois ballots in primary, general, and consolidated elections. House Bill 4467 would require candidate names to be randomly ordered within each election district or precinct.
“Candidates should not win close elections simply because they won a lottery to be first on the ballot,” said Rep. Batinick. “This occurs often, especially in races where voters vote for more than one candidate, including county, village, and school board elections. I’m proud to file House Bill 4467 to address this issue and increase fairness in elections.”
This legislation also requires the State Board of Elections to choose a vendor for a computer software program to be used by election authorities and the Board would conduct the randomization for elections. It also requires—to the extent that is mathematically possible—each random order is different between all the precincts or election districts that are electing the name or names contained in each race on the ballot.
Rep. Batinick has released additional election integrity legislation in the 102nd General Assembly. This includes House Bill 1920, which would amend the Election Code to require a county clerk or board of election commissioners to cross-check voter registration rolls with the National Change of Address System. He also introduced House Bill 4137 to establish an automatic voter registration program for individuals filing a change-of-address form, renewal application, or application for a FOID card or CCL.
…Adding… With a hat tip to a commenter, here’s the synopsis of HB4419, sponsored by Rep. Chris Miller (no relation)…
Amends the Election Code. Provides that each petition or certificate of nomination shall include a statement that the person is not affiliated with any socialist organization.
Hilarious.
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* Not a surprise…
The Illinois General Assembly will cancel in-person action next week and continue remote committee work amid the ongoing Omicron surge, legislative leaders announced.
“With the continuous rise in coronavirus cases and our hospitals nearing capacity, we cannot put lawmakers, staff, the press and members of the public at risk by bringing them back to the Capitol,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. “We have the capability to complete committee work remotely for the immediate future and we will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation.
“The people’s work will get done, but we must do that work in a safe way that does not overrun our health systems and place more of a burden on our health care employees. In the meantime, I want to encourage everyone to take advantage of the widely available, free vaccine and booster shot so we can end this pandemic together,” Welch said.
“Keeping people safe is our priority. Given the recent COVID-19 numbers, this is not the time to bring hundreds of people together inside the Capitol,” said Senate President Don Harmon. “Through our remote committee process we have proven that we can get work done, protect people’s health and at the same time expand the legislative process to people who might want to testify but wouldn’t have the time or resources to come to Springfield.
“We’ve set the legislative process in motion for this session and will be prepared for final debates and action when we return to Springfield. I would encourage everyone to take advantage of the vaccines and boosters available,” Harmon said.
…Adding… GOP react via Center Square…
Acknowledging the ongoing pandemic, state Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, told The Center Square “it’s unfortunate.”
“This is the schedule that the Democrats put together, the Democrats were the ones that changed the primary date which prompted our schedule to be frontloaded,” Butler said. “And now it looks like, it seems to me, that we’re probably, other than the session day we were in last week, it seems to be going toward we’re probably not going to be in session until after the month is over, maybe into February. I’ve heard rumors we won’t come back until March as well.”
“The latest surge certainly poses many challenges for the legislature, but the Senate Republican Caucus is committed to ensuring the people’s business is accomplished,” said Ellie Leonard, spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie’s office. “In an effort to mitigate exposure of the latest variant, the Senate Republican Caucus will continue its testing regimen for staff and limit in person interactions as needed to mitigate exposure and ensure safety of all involved.”
I’ve also heard that March rumor, but I don’t think anyone has thought that far ahead. Stuff changes fast in a pandemic.
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* I told subscribers about this earlier, but Teresi is another Grif Ticket candidate…
McHenry County Auditor Shannon Teresi today launched her campaign for Illinois Comptroller. Teresi’s extensive experience in forensic auditing, creating transparency for taxpayers, and fighting corruption give her a sterling background to draw from to help right the ship of Illinois’ disastrous finances.
“Throughout my career, I have seen firsthand how important transparency is in the process of managing taxpayer dollars,” Teresi said. “That’s what I promise to bring to the office of Comptroller: open communication with the taxpayers and an eagle eye to root out the waste, fraud, and abuse our state is plagued by thanks to decades of Madigan Machine politics. Illinois needs a Comptroller with real financial experience, not a career politician controlled by the special interests. As an experienced CPA, auditor, and Certified Fraud Examiner, I have the experience to manage the state’s finances and crush corruption where and when it starts.”
Teresi has served McHenry County as Auditor since 2018 when she was appointed and subsequently elected twice, most recently in 2020 receiving nearly 75% of the vote.
As Auditor, Teresi led the charge to make good government reforms on behalf of the taxpayers. In addition to modernizing the audit process, making it accessible online to taxpayers and creating a system of accountability, she also implemented paperless systems for greater efficiency and cost savings. Teresi also instituted processes ensuring taxpayer dollars are being spent for the good of the county, not the personal benefit of its political leaders.
Prior to becoming McHenry County Auditor, Teresi worked in the Auditor’s office, tackling challenges to save time for county employees and ensuring taxpayer dollars were being spent wisely. She oversaw the County’s financial statements and government accounting. Teresi saw firsthand the amount of waste and inefficiency in county government and set out to correct that on becoming the county’s Auditor.
Teresi is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Internal Auditor. Teresi brings years of private sector audit and tax experience having worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers. That time spent working with Fortune 500 companies on their auditing, financial reporting, and taxes helped inform Teresi’s work as County Auditor, where she successfully applied many of the practices to cut out waste from the county’s spending.
Teresi is a life-long McHenry County resident, where she currently resides with her husband, two sons, and dog.
* Meanwhile, here’s Greg Hinz…
With a reported push from hedge-fund mogul Ken Griffin, signs are growing that a statewide slate of GOP candidates that the party’s big funders are willing to back finally is close to coming together.
One development is state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, announcing [yesterday] his candidacy for Illinois treasurer against incumbent Democrat Mike Frerichs.
The bigger news could occur any time, with multiple party sources saying they’ve heard that Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin will be getting into the governor’s race, with Griffin’s support. […]
Griffin’s spokeswoman said she is not aware of any pending big announcements.
* Rep. Tim Butler alluded to the joint effort earlier today on Sam Madonia’s show, pointing out that SoS candidate John Milhiser and Rep. Demmer were on the same slate.
* And while we’re on this topic, here’s Marni Pyke…
Suburban Republicans are taking starring roles in what’s shaping up to be a bruising and boisterous primary election for a standard-bearer to challenge Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
For starters, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin is expected to announce his candidacy for governor in the coming days.
Palatine Township Highway Commissioner Aaron Del Mar is running as lieutenant governor with Gary Rabine of McHenry County, a Schaumburg business owner who is seeking to be the next governor.
And, McHenry County Board Vice Chairwoman Carolyn Schofield will team with gubernatorial hopeful and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Monroe County as a candidate for lieutenant governor.
*** UPDATE *** Comptroller Mendoza…
I welcome all candidates and look forward to talking about my lengthy and historic record of accomplishments as Comptroller on behalf of taxpayers with voters in all 102 counties of our great state of Illinois. Through smart financial management and fiscal discipline coupled with tenacious perseverance, I’ve successfully navigated our state through unprecedented fiscal challenges.
As Illinois’ fiscal watchdog, I’ve implemented historic transparency reforms, led our state to its first credit upgrades in decades, delivered the fastest vendor payment cycle in over 20 years, and paid down our bill backlog by over 75% without using federal stimulus funds - in the middle of a global pandemic.
When Illinois voters chose me in 2016 and 2018, they elected a strong, battle tested, proven leader who knows how to get things done. There is no challenge that I will not rise up to for Illinois. I will continue working hard to earn the votes and confidence of every voter across the state, regardless of their political party, and I look forward to the work that has yet to be done
…Adding… Teresi and Milhiser are both using Chain Bridge Bank, which was founded by former US Sen. Peter Fitzgerald and is favored by GOP types in DC. They also both have the same campaign treasurer, Les Williamson of The Larrison Group, a “boutique political consulting firm” in Georgetown that does GOP fundraising.
…Adding… DPI…
Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt released the following statement regarding the latest candidate announcement from the Ken Griffin ticket:
“We’ve seen this before, haven’t we? In 2016, Bruce Rauner‘s handpicked comptroller candidate was roundly rejected by voters after helping the ‘worst Republican governor in America’ drive the state’s finances into a ditch. Now, Ken Griffin is running the Rauner Reboot, revealing his slate of puppets in a desperate bid to pull Illinois back to the Rauner days of budget impasses and months-long bill backlogs.
“Thankfully, Illinois voters elected Susana Mendoza to fight the Rauner agenda during his disastrous term in office and re-elected her to help clean up the financial mess Rauner left behind. Now, we’re balancing our budget, actually paying our bills on time, and upgrading our credit for the first time in decades.
“No matter who Ken Griffin picks for his latest political game, Illinois voters won’t be fooled — the Rauner Reboot is destined to be a flop.”
…Adding… ILGOP’s Joe Hackler…
“Susanna Mendoza has never been qualified to be comptroller, just to be another corrupt insider politician capitalizing on her relationships with the Machine to advance herself at the expense of Illinois families. Mendoza received huge contributions from Danny Solis (indicted), got married at the home of Ed Burke (indicted), and has been repaid her debts to Mike Madigan (resigned in disgrace, indictment looming) for advancing her career by endorsing JB Pritzker. Mendoza is just another part of the corrupt circle of politicians Illinois Democrats have elevated to state office, and exactly why we need a competent, qualified comptroller to take her place”
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* A bit late on this, but here’s an excerpt from COGFA’s latest monthly report…
Through the first half of FY 2022, overall base receipts are up $918 million. When removing the federal dollars from the equation, receipts are up a strong $1.266 billion. This growth is even more impressive when factoring in the remarkable performance of income tax receipts this fiscal year. In the first six months, income tax receipts are up a combined $266 million. As detailed in earlier briefings, what makes this increase so impressive is that the revenue totals of FY 2022 are compared to FY 2021 receipts that benefitted from last year’s final payment delay, valued at approximately $1.3 billion. Net sales tax also continues to perform well, now up $643 million through the first six months of the fiscal year. All other sources are trailing last year’s levels by a combined $40 million.
Overall transfers are ahead of last year’s pace by $397 million through the first half of the fiscal year. Those gains reflect strong miscellaneous transfers, particularly from the Capital Projects Fund, as well as the return of riverboat transfers. After performing quite well through much of the fiscal year, Federal sources are now down $348 million after factoring in the December 2020 activity, as discussed above.
* Meanwhile, the comptroller is announcing a new weekly report. Here’s the first one…
An average bill payment cycle of just 13.2 working days is just such a foreign concept to this longtime Illinoisan. Wow.
* Press release…
Today, Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza unveiled a new weekly report that shares key financial data with the public.
“This continues and builds upon my transparency revolution,” said Comptroller Mendoza. “Illinois taxpayers and businesses that work with the state deserve to have easy access to these numbers, which reflect how government is operating and managing their hard-earned tax dollars.”
Each week an updated graphic will be shared via Comptroller Mendoza’s social media accounts. It will highlight the following:
• The General Funds bill backlog. Under Comptroller Mendoza, the bill backlog has shrunk nearly 75%, from $16.7 billion during the worst of the 2015-2017 budget impasse to less than $4.4 billion at the end of the day Tuesday, without using federal stimulus funds. The measure is a snapshot in time, subject to daily fluctuations as bills land at the Comptroller’s office and are paid out.
• The General Funds bill payment cycle. This is a key data point the Office of Comptroller focuses on. Included in the devastation of the budget impasse, some vouchers languished for more than 200 working days. Now, bills are being paid on time, well within the regular 30-day window, the fastest payment cycle for the Comptroller’s office in over 20 years.
• Rainy Day Fund. The state’s savings fund, frankly, leaves much to be desired. That’s why the Comptroller is championing House Bill 4118 that would bolster the fund when the backlog of bills is below $3 billion. For now, the fund includes enough savings to keep the state running for a little more than an hour. That’s not much, but it’s up from less than 30 seconds a year ago.
• Unfunded pension liabilities. This number reported by the state’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, based on the market value of assets, reflects the additional amount that would be needed to pay all retirement benefits earned by employees. While the Comptroller’s Office does not determine how pensions are funded, this number is an important piece of the state’s overall fiscal health.
• Aggregate funded ratio of pension liabilities. This shows the aggregate percentage at which the State’s five pension systems are funded as of the end of the most recent fiscal year.
The bill backlog and bill payment cycle numbers will be updated weekly. The Rainy Day Fund numbers will be updated monthly. The pension numbers will be included in the weekly graphic and updated on an annual basis, based on the release of government reports. Anyone can keep up to date with the numbers by checking the Comptroller’s social media accounts, Facebook and Twitter. Further information is available at illinoiscomptroller.gov.
“Transparency breeds accountability. That is why it’s important to consistently keep these numbers in the public eye,” said Comptroller Mendoza.
…Adding… Rockford’s new temporary casino is taking off…
Rockford casino nets $8.4M in first two months of being open […]
In the months of November and December, the casino netted $8,467,105.01 in revenue, according to the Illinois Gaming Board. The temporary casino generated $4,145,967.91 in revenue in the first 22 days it was open.
The temporary casino must pay $1,008,722.48 in state taxes and pay $504,361.28 in local taxes, according to IGB documents.
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* Dave McKinney at WBEZ…
On the crime issue, the Hillside Democrat didn’t divulge details of what would be in the measure but said his party intends to push back against GOP portrayals that Democrats have been soft on crime.
“We’re early in the session, but I anticipate before we leave, you’re going to see some action on an anti-crime package,” Welch said.
“One of the messages that we’re going to send out loud and clear this session is that we believe that if you do the crime, you should do the time,” he said. “We believe that police should be properly funded and trained and educated. But it’s going to take us all working together to make sure that we bring this violence down.” […]
Welch said he has been in contact with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association about how to confront the rising prevalence of organized retail theft, but neither he nor the organization would divulge specifics of possible legislation. […]
Welch said he is not open to delaying an end to cash bail as part of any anti-crime initiatives this spring.
“I don’t know how we take a look at something that hasn’t even gone into effect yet,” Welch said. “There’s no data on that at all other than fear-mongering by folks on the other side of the aisle. That law doesn’t take effect till 2023 so it clearly hasn’t had any impact on the crime that has taken place last year or the crime that is taking place in the first few days of this year.”
* Craig Wall at ABC 7…
But in mid-term elections the party in power very often loses seats.
“We’re certainly aware of the political climate as we enter election season here in 2022. And what we have to do as Democrats is we have to do the work,” said Welch.
Welch said Democrats can tout to voters successes on the climate and equitable jobs act, and legislation to protect voting rights and women’s reproductive rights.
Welch said he’ll work hard to keep his super-majority, but for now is focused on the upcoming legislative session.
* Tahman Bradley at WGN…
“I think if you talk to folks in this space, they will tell you that it’s been a big difference,” Welch said. “First of all, my style is more collective and working with everyone in a team approach.”
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin views Welch’s first year differently. He says his party’s bills rarely see the light of day.
“The speaker, his predecessor at least, would give us a few bites at the apple and we’re just not getting there,” Durkin said.
“So you had more to eat as a party under Mike Madigan than Chris Welch?” WGN News asked.
“That’s correct,” Durkin answered.
*** UPDATE *** The numbers tell a different story than Leader Durkin’s…
Amdor said he looked at “chief house sponsors of bills that became law. Because that’s the metric that matters.”
* Peter Hancock at Capitol News Illinois…
“It’s a very time intensive job,” he said when asked what he’d learned in his first year. “And literally, you’re working seven days a week no-stop. …A lot of work involved. It takes cooperation from your friends from your family, from your employers.”
During his first year, Welch worked to put his own imprint on the speaker’s office, setting a much different tone than Madigan, who seldom gave media interviews and shunned the use of email or social media.
“I certainly think that it’s a new day in Springfield,” he said. “I think Democrats up and down our ranks would agree with that. I think if you get past Republican leadership, the rank-and-file Republicans would agree that it’s a new day.”
“The office of the speaker has been open more than it ever has, I believe in the last 36 to 40 years,” he continued. “Many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle came into the office of speaker and said they had never been in there before. They came in to meet with me about ideas they were proposing last year in the Legislature, ideas that got out of Rules (Committee), got out of the House, got out of the Senate, and hit the governor’s desk and became law. Many of those rank-and-file Republicans were able to go home and talk about victories that we actually had in the General Assembly. I think they’ll tell you that that’s a new thing for them.”
* Mike Miletich at WGEM…
The Hillside Democrat said lawmakers should continue to work on a path toward financial stability, help people keep a roof over their heads and provide lifelines for businesses struggling during the pandemic. Welch would also like to see the House address the rise in crime with more investments included in the state budget and new policies to curb carjacking and organized retail theft.
Both chambers are starting the first month of session with most of their work done remotely due to the resurgence of COVID-19. However, Welch says that won’t prevent lawmakers from getting important work done this spring.
“Our number one goal is to keep everyone as safe as possible,” Welch said. “We proved last year that we can do the legislative work in a hybrid model. It just turns out that with this surge of COVID-19, we’re going back to doing our committee work virtually. If we were in Springfield in person, all we would be doing is going from committee room to committee room having meetings.”
Welch hopes to see the House and Senate return to Springfield once the number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations start to decrease and move in a better direction.
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