Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

*** UPDATED x1 *** Senate, House plan to adjourn on April 8 next spring

Thursday, Oct 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Both the House Speaker and the Senate President have said they want a shortened and lighter spring session next year. Well, click here for the 2022 Senate calendar. They start spring session on January 4 and will adjourn on April 8. Expect them to come back for a brief period in May to do the budget.

I’ve been covering Illinois politics since 1990 and the earliest adjournment I’ve ever seen was April 15 when Pate Philip ran the Senate.

*** UPDATE *** As expected, the House has the same schedule…

And so does the House. Thanks Rep @ThomasMBennett https://t.co/pZXf0dsxW3 pic.twitter.com/kje7zljo7y

— Hannah Meisel (@hannahmeisel) October 29, 2021

9 Comments

*** UPDATED x5 *** New congressional remap proposal posted online

Thursday, Oct 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Click here for the new map. Click here for demographic data.

…Adding… That map was posted by the House. But I’m told the Senate will also post it on its website. Adding: The Senate copy has been posted.

…Adding… The bill language is here. It was introduced by Senate President Harmon.

*** UPDATE 1 *** In this version, US Reps. Chuy Garcia and Marie Newman are in the 4th CD together. That’s really bad news for Newman. Sean Casten is in the 6th CD.

Mary Miller and Mike Bost are still together in 12.

Adam Kinzinger and Darin LaHood are still mapped together in the 16th.

…Adding… Comparisons…

Side by side by side by side (by side) comparison: https://t.co/Ba6MfcwyQA pic.twitter.com/TUAxatjDDv

— Hannah Meisel (@hannahmeisel) October 29, 2021

*** UPDATE 2 *** Here you go…

Here is the past electoral performance for the 4th newly proposed congressional district map released by the ILGA. If you'd like to compare them to the current map you can find that here:https://t.co/D8IGJjgQIh pic.twitter.com/GhVjFoRkS4

— IL Election Data (@ILElectionData) October 29, 2021

*** UPDATE 3 *** US Rep. Marie Newman…

For the past month, hundreds of diverse community members from Chicago’s Southwest Side and suburbs have attended and overwhelmingly voiced their opinion at every single public input opportunity held by the Illinois General Assembly on the proposed congressional maps. Even after attending every single hearing in large numbers and delivering hundreds of testimonies, letters, calls and witness slips from voices in the district, the most recently proposed map is a clear attempt to appease one person and a small handful of affluent insiders at the expense of workers and working families on Chicago’s Southwest Side and suburbs. Illinois residents deserve fair representation and a fair map that includes public input — not one that turns a blind eye to it. This map undoubtedly does not live up to what Illinois residents deserve.

The “one person” is Sean Casten.

…Adding… Perhaps not coincidentally, Speaker Welch’s mobile phone is being bombarded with angry calls and texts about the new map.

*** UPDATE 4 *** The Senate floor vote was strictly along partisan lines 41-18.

…Adding… Press release…

The Illinois Senate approved a new map of congressional boundaries that will ensure communities across Illinois receive fair and equal representation in Washington.

The boundaries are designed to comply with federal and state law and incorporate suggestions gathered during several public hearings, including the creation of a new district designed to give the state’s growing Latino population greater say at the ballot box.

“I want to thank those who participated in our hearings for their constructive input. This is a fairer map for it,” said Senate President Don Harmon, who sponsored the map legislation. “This map reflects the wonderful diversity of the people of the great state of Illinois.”

Population shifts over the last decade meant the number of residents in previous congressional districts were unbalanced, with major population differences from one district to another. In addition, the loss of a congressional district meant that each district also had to incorporate approximately 50,000 additional people. This map creates districts with nearly identical population counts in each district so that every community in Illinois has an equal say in Congress.

The proposed boundaries can be viewed at www.ilsenateredistricting.com. The measure now heads to the House for approval.

Under the leadership of Senate Democrats, this year’s redistricting process focused on gathering as much public input as possible, allowing for the diversity of Illinois to be reflected at every level of government. In addition to gathering feedback during public hearings, Democrats established the state’s first online map making portal so residents could draw and submit proposed boundaries for lawmakers to consider. Proposed maps drafted using other methods were also accepted via email at redistrictingcommittee@senatedem.ilga.gov.

*** UPDATE 5 *** Trouble…

Subscribers have known about this since early this morning https://t.co/QiN8ka5rf3 https://t.co/YdTULPOsuh

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 29, 2021

63 Comments

Protected: *** UPDATED x5 *** SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Remap update

Thursday, Oct 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

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One Central tries to get sneaky

Thursday, Oct 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Recent Sun-Times editorial…

The proposed developer of One Central Chicago, the megaproject planned for the Metra property west of Soldier Field, seems to be papering the town as of late with new renderings of the planned initial phase of the $20 billion effort.

The images are impressive, depicting a transit and entertainment hub featuring a series of sleek indoor and outdoor spaces devoted to restaurants, gatherings and other assorted happenings — all teeming with people and built on a 32-acre rail yard between the stadium and the Central Station development.

We like the images. But here’s one thing we don’t like: The project’s developer, Landmark Development, wants state taxpayers to ultimately buy the transit portion of the facility for $6.5 billion in 20 years.

Given the state’s perpetual shaky fiscal climate, the notion of forking over that kind of cash should’ve been run out of town on one of those nearby Metra rails when the One Chicago proposal started making the rounds two years ago.

* And then this happened…

A good old fashioned “Springfield Surprise” greeted me this morning. I found language slipped into an amendment on a large bill that deals with the proposed #onecentral project. It essentially weakens the parameters and accountability for this $6.5B in state funding.

— Rep. Kam Buckner (@RepKamBuckner) October 28, 2021

Yep. It checks out.

* From the synopsis of Senate Amendment 3 to HB594…

Amends the Public-Private Partnership for Civic and Transit Infrastructure Project Act. Changes the definition of “public agency” to mean the Illinois Finance Authority (rather than the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget). Provides that the public agency, in consultation with the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, shall have the authority and shall take all necessary steps to enter into a public-private agreement with a private entity to develop, finance, construct, operate, and manage Civic and Transit Infrastructure Projects; provided that the final public-private agreement must be approved by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget prior to execution. Requires the public agency to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the public-private agreement is promptly negotiated with the private entity and that the public-private agreement is in substantially final form within 120 days following the effective date of the amendatory Act and to submit a report on the status of the public-private agreement to the General Assembly no later than 120 days following the effective date of the amendatory Act.

* Since Rep. Buckner’s tweet was sent, a brand new Senate Amendment 4 was filed. It’s identical to Senate Amendment 3, but without the One Central stuff.

…Adding… Greg Hinz…

A spokeswoman for Lightford said the clause was part of a larger omnibus bill that she agreed to carry but which was not the senator’s idea. The spokeswoman referred further calls to a spokesman for Senate President Don Harmon, who had no immediate comment.

* Landmark Development…

The original legislation contemplated that the P3 agreement would be handled by Governor’s office or Management and Budget or an agency designated by the State. The amendment does nothing more than assign the IFA as the agency to administer the development of the P3 Agreement and report to the legislature on the status in 120 days. The P3 Agreement will require approval of Governor’s Office of Management and Budget so if anything this heightens “transparency” by having a second agency working on the development of the agreement

33 Comments

Remap trouble

Thursday, Oct 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* SJ-R…

The Senate Redistricting Committee has scheduled a 9 a.m. hearing Thursday on proposed congressional redistricting maps. The full House and Senate could vote Thursday to finalize a new congressional map in legislation and send a bill to Pritzker’s desk.

* There’s a whole lot going on behind the scenes. Subscribers know more and I’ll hopefully have an update soonish, but this is the basic gist of some of it…

But it’s far from clear this latest version of the map has the votes to pass. According to Springfield insiders, a problem has arisen, concentrated in the Latino caucus.

Details were not available, but multiple sources in Springfield and Washington report the split is severe enough that House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch may well be short of the 71 votes needed to approve the map now.

That in turn raises a real possibility the remap will be kicked over until the Legislature’s January session, when only 60 and not 71 votes will be needed.

Right now, it’s looking like January, which could be a very dangerous thing for the Democrats if the federal judiciary takes control.

…Adding… Not that the majority party cares, but…

Illinois Democrats have released their third (and likely final) draft Congressional map.

Our team gives it an F overall, with Fs in Partisan Fairness, Competitiveness, and Geography.https://t.co/4LW2Kri5ag pic.twitter.com/GDiF28vTBN

— Princeton Gerrymandering Project (@princetongerry) October 28, 2021

…Adding… Tribune…

After unveiling their third version of a state congressional map, Illinois Democrats were back at work Thursday to try to deal with concerns from suburban and Latino lawmakers.

Within hours of latest map’s release by Democrats late Wednesday night, internal criticism surfaced over how two Democratic incumbents were put into a single suburban district, and how some parts of the state’s lone Latino district were shifted into what could become a second Latino district. […]

Though creation of the district was applauded by the Latino Caucus of the Chicago City Council, some Latino lawmakers want a map that gives Garcia greater influence on the Southwest Side and nearby suburbs.

Subscribers know more.

26 Comments

*** UPDATED x5 *** EV bill prospects looking up

Thursday, Oct 28, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’ve been telling subscribers about the glitches in the electric vehicle industry bill for a while now. As of last night, things were looking much better. It’s not completely there yet, however, and a formal deal has not been struck. But it does appear to be on track at least for now. Here’s Greg Hinz…

In better shape at the moment is the [electric-vehicle manufacturing incentive] package, which would offer potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives aimed at luring electric vehicle makers and suppliers here to follow downstate’s Rivian—and at helping Ford’s South Side plant and the Stellantis facility near Rockford to make the transition from producing gas-powered cars to vehicles of the future.

After a long day of bargaining, insiders tell me a deal has been struck between the industry and labor groups that appears satisfactory to both sides.

The terms were not available, and nothing is done until it’s done. But I’m told that it looks good.

Unions have been asking for a “labor peace” agreement at any new EV facility, essentially clearing the way for unionization of plant workers. The industry had very, very strongly objected, and sent signals that such a clause would be a deal-killer.

On a related note, the folks at Rivian took me for a ride in their new truck yesterday. It’s pretty darned nifty. And, wow, is it ever fast. It accelerates from 0-60 in 3 seconds and that heavy torque makes it feel like riding in a space ship.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Looks like ABATE is getting its wish. From the synopsis to Senate Floor Amendment 2 to HB1769…

In the definition provisions of the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act, removes electric motorcycles from an exclusion to the definition of “electric vehicle”.

*** UPDATE 2 *** The legislation is being teed up in the Senate for passage.

*** UPDATE 3 *** From ABATE…

Senate Amendment 2 was withdrawn in committee due to auto dealers objections.

Senate Amendment 1 was adopted with a promise to get Amendment 3 on the floor. Unfortunately amendment 3 doesn’t have motorcycle language in it, so we believe motorcycles are once again excluded.

Going to be an interesting evening

*** UPDATE 4 *** ABATE misread Amendment 3…

They ditched amendment 2 in committee because of objections from the auto dealers. So the language regarding manufacturing incentives and getting motorcycles included is right at the top of amendment 3. As well as the requested language from auto dealers.

*** UPDATE 5 *** ABATE…

ABATE of Illinois Congratulates Illinois General Assembly on Passage of Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act

Legislators show the path to growing electric vehicle industry is including all electric vehicles

ABATE of Illinois would like to congratulate the members of the Illinois General Assembly for passing the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act. This Act provides manufacturing incentives for electric vehicle companies and component manufacturers who choose to build their businesses in Illinois. It also makes changes to the procurement code, incentivizing government adoption of EVs. More importantly, this Act recognizes electric motorcycles as part of the electric vehicle industry.

ABATE thanks the many Senators and Representatives who realize the best path forward in growing the electric vehicle industry is to include all electric vehicles.

We would like to thank Senator Steve Stadelman for working on amendments to make sure motorcycles were a part of this future for Illinois, along with Senator Jason Barickman who advocated for motorcyclists during committee hearings on the bill.

ABATE would also like to thank Representative Dave Vella for talking with us and Rivian representatives about this legislation along with Representatives Stephanie Kifowit & Kelly Cassidy for their advocacy on the House floor.

With the passage of this Act, ABATE hopes to see electric motorcycles placed on equal footing as their four wheeled counterparts in Illinois transportation planning and incentives. ABATE will work with legislative partners and other advocacy groups to remove language contained in the recently passed Energy Transition Act that excluded electric motorcycles from participating in infrastructure planning and incentives. Senate Bill 2940 has bipartisan support and would treat motorcycles as equal. ABATE looks forward to continuing work with Illinois legislators on developing the future of Illinois transportation.