Attribute the following statement to Tim Schneider, Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party:
“I would like to congratulate State Senator Darin LaHood (R-Dunlap) on his primary election victory.
Voters of the 18th Congressional District have chosen a consistent, conservative leader for Central Illinois and Western Illinois. Darin LaHood will fight to pass term limits, rein in the national debt, repeal & replace Obamacare, and ensure transparency in government.
The Illinois Republican Party will work hard over the next two months to ensure that Darin LaHood is Illinois’ next Congressman.”
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden issued the following statement on Darin LaHood’s victory tonight in the Illinois 18th Congressional District’s special primary election.
“Congratulations to Darin LaHood on his well-earned victory this evening. Just as he did in the state of Illinois, Darin will stand up for Illinois families and fight to create jobs, balance the budget and strengthen our economy. I’m confident that Darin will continue to run a strong campaign in the general election so he can serve the families of Illinois’ 18th District in Congress.”
State Sen. Darin LaHood easily won his party’s nomination in the 18th Congressional District special Republican primary election, according to early, partial results.
As of 8:55 p.m. Tuesday, the Peorian was leading in limited returns, with 22,672 votes, or 69 percent of the vote. Next in line was political writer Mike Flynn, a Quincy native, with 9,424 or 29 percent of the vote.
* From the same guy who vetoed their salaries in the first place…
From: Governor Bruce Rauner
Date: July 7, 2015 at 4:59:47 PM CDT
To: xxxxx.SendAll@illinois.gov
Subject: A Message from Governor Bruce Rauner
Reply-To: no Reply@All
Good afternoon:
I want to update you on our latest efforts to do all we can to ensure you are paid in full and in a timely fashion for the work you do on behalf of the people of Illinois.
This morning a Cook County judge issued a ruling barring the Comptroller from paying all state employees full wages. Instead, the judge ruled that only some employees can be paid the federal minimum wage. Due to the state’s antiquated payroll systems, the Comptroller said she is unable to differentiate state employees in order to pay some the minimum wage. As a result, under this court’s ruling, no state employees would be paid.
Our administration is doing everything in our power to make sure that doesn’t happen.
We’ve just filed an expedited appeal in the First District Appellate Court seeking to overturn today’s order.
Additionally, our Administration is currently drafting legislation that will make state employee pay a continuing appropriation for the fiscal year, guaranteeing you get paid. Legislators are already guaranteed their pay this month under continuing appropriations - you should be too. The legislation will be introduced by Leader Durkin and Leader Radogno as soon as it is ready.
Additionally, a separate legal effort filed in St. Clair County is ongoing, and we expect movement on that case later in the week.
I know these are very challenging times. On behalf of all the people of Illinois, thank you for your continued service. Our administration will continue to update you as this issue progresses.
* From Lance Trover on the Senate-passed one-month budget…
The unbalanced one-month budget does not provide full-pay for all state employees, and the governor has been clear that an out-of-balance one month budget is the same as an out-of-balance 12-month budget.
Last year the General Assembly passed a law to guarantee their salaries are paid with or without a state budget.
As a matter of fairness, the governor would support a similar continuing appropriations for this fiscal year for all state employees.
All of a sudden he’s Mother Jones.
*** UPDATE 1 *** I asked Speaker Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown for a comment.
“The real solution is have a budget… and not non-budget issues,” he said.
“The continuing appropriation was designed to protect different groups from political shenanigans, as we’ve seen with previous governors and we’ve sort of seen suggested with this governor,” Brown added, a clear reference to Pat Quinn vetoing legislator salaries and Gov. Rauner vetoing legislative pay raises.
“But aren’t state workers being subjected to ‘political shenanigans’?” I asked.
“That could come to a halt quickly if you just pass a budget,” Brown said. “The better way to do it is have a full budget approved for Fiscal Year 16.”
Brown also suggested that Gov. Rauner could’ve avoided this problem by not vetoing state worker salaries from the budget to begin with.
That’s a fair point.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Senate President John Cullerton’s spokesperson Rikeesha Phelon…
The policy is worth reviewing. That said the administration is asking the public to dismiss the fact that they chose a shutdown. The words are nice but the actions tell a different story.
*** UPDATE 3 *** From Leader Durkin’s office…
Dear Speaker Madigan,
Tomorrow will be our sixth week since our scheduled adjournment without an enacted budget. During that time little progress has been made, and we are no closer to a solution than we were on May 31st. An enacted budget requires fairness to the taxpayers and our job creators.
Twelve years of reckless spending by the Democrat majority has produced nothing more than record deficits and one of the highest rates of unemployment in the country. Illinois currently has the 13th highest unemployment rate, while nationally ranking 29th in job creation and 42nd in wage growth.
I continue to believe, as do a great a majority of Illinoisans, that we cannot tax our way out of Illinois’ fiscal mess. Our budget solutions cannot be devoid of reform. To grow our economy and balance the budget, we must enact job-creating reforms that yield higher revenues while also reducing government spending.
This week, the Democrat majority will likely attempt to pass a short term budget that, according to the Illinois Office of Management and Budget, would put the state on a course to spend $4 Billion more than it can afford. Accordingly, I respectfully request that you hold an accompanying roll call vote on legislation that would raise taxes for Fiscal Year 2016 by $4 Billion to satisfy your caucus’ spending desires.
While our caucus will oppose both measures, if no such vote on a tax increase occurs or if such legislation fails to pass, we will all have a clear indication that rank-and-file members of your caucus agree with Governor Rauner that reform is necessary before revenue is even considered.
* I went to the Saturday and Sunday Grateful Dead shows. Awesome music, incredible times. I teared up more than I’m willing to admit, and I smiled the rest of the time.
Big, big thanks to the Chicago Police Department for hanging back and being cool…
Chicago police had not been notified of any arrests in connection with the weekend concerts, a police representative said Monday morning.
Imagine that. 200,000 attendees over three days and not a single arrest, even though a constantly noticeable, um, greenish odor was in the air throughout.
Just legalize it already.
* The concerts brought in fans from all over the country. Several Deadheads I spoke with had never been to the city before, and, without exception, they all said they loved it (I did have to inform some of them, however, that the cops might not always be so cool about smoking weed on Michigan Ave. once the shows were finally over) .
That band did Chicago an amazing favor by choosing to end their run at Soldier Field. I hope the city can build on the weekend’s good will.
* I attended the Sunday show with IMA poobah Greg Baise and his son. Believe it or not, Greg went to his first Dead show in 1971 at the Fox Theater. He’s been talking about the “Fare Thee Well” shows since the moment they were announced and, man, did he ever have a good time (and, for the record, I did witness him politely refuse something which might have emitted a greenish odor).
Baise wore a t-shirt he bought at an “alternative” type of store in Asheville, NC. He was awfully proud of it. And then we spotted a guy a few rows down wearing the exact same shirt. I asked the man to pose for a pic…
“Mike Flynn is the kind of courageous conservative we need in Washington,” Cruz said in a statement Monday. “When Andrew Breitbart launched BigGovernment.com to expose ACORN and fight back against the institutional left and the political class, he chose Mike Flynn as his lieutenant. For 6 years, Flynn helped expose the media’s lies and led many fights against the Obama Administration and Washington’s entrenched political establishment.”
“I’m happy to endorse his campaign for Congress. With Flynn, Central Illinois will have a strong voice to uphold the constitution, defend the 2nd Amendment and stand up to the media and political elite,” Cruz said.
Cruz, who has been noted as a maverick among Republican establishment ranks, lines up with national conservative political pundit John Fund, Erick Erickson and Dana Loesch. He’s also been backed by Congressman Louie Gohmert of Texas.
The primary election is today, so Cruz is a little late to the party.
* You gotta wonder if the Rauner folks will appeal. Stay tuned…
A Cook County judge has ruled Illinois may not continue to pay state workers in full during an ongoing budget impasse.
Judge Diane Joan Larsen ruled Tuesday that Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger may pay only some workers who are covered under a federal law. Those workers would receive federal minimum wage plus overtime.
But attorneys for Munger say it would take the state as long as a year to determine which employees would be paid under federal law and how much.
They say that effectively means no workers will be paid until Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the Legislature approve a budget.
Defendant [Comptroller Munger] is enjoined, in the absence of enacted appropriations legislation, from processing vouchers for payment of state employee payroll except vouchers that comply only with the minimum federal minimum wage and overtime requirements of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
The agreed order, which lists everything that can be paid, is here.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
AFSCME Council 31 executive director Roberta Lynch issued this statement in response to the July 7 decision of Cook County Circuit Court judge Diane Larsen that, in the absence of a state spending plan for Fiscal Year 2016, Illinois state employees should be paid in accordance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (only minimum wage and applicable overtime) or not paid at all:
“Public service workers in state government are on the job despite the lack of a state budget for the fiscal year that started July 1. Throughout Illinois they are keeping their communities safe, protecting kids, caring for veterans and people with disabilities, and providing countless other vital public services – and they should be paid for their work on time and in full. We are disappointed by the Cook County judge’s decision to the contrary, and we intend to appeal it.
“In addition, AFSCME and other unions representing state employees have filed a separate case on an impairment of contract claim in St. Clair County, and we hope to appear before a judge in that proceeding this week.”
As we’ve seen time and again, the higher you go in the judicial branch, the closer to the actual Constitution you get. I wouldn’t bet on the success of any appeal.
“The court’s decision is constrained by the Illinois constitution,” [Judge Larsen] said.
But Larsen said the constitution allows for a “narrow” exception, giving the state comptroller’s office the authority to temporarily cut checks, paying minimum wage and overtime — under the federal Federal Fair Labor Standards Act. […]
“Their position, unfortunately, will result in no one getting paid,” said David Gustman, an attorney representing the comptroller’s office. […]
“We’re not here to represent the desired choice, we’re here to represent the required choice,” said Brett Legner, a lawyer representing the attorney general’s office, adding: “We’re not here without sympathy, we’re not here because we want to be.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Lance Trover…
“The governor believes state workers should be paid in full. He has asked CMS to explore all of its legal options, including seeking an expedited appeal of this order or other emergency relief to ensure that employees are paid and critical state services are not disrupted.”
*** UPDATE 5 *** Attorney General Lisa Madigan…
This entire situation has been caused by the failure of the Governor and the Legislature to enact a budget.
The Attorney General has been fighting to make sure that the State can legally provide critical government services to the people most in need of them.
The court’s order authorizes only payments that can be made legally without a budget, for example, services for children in the foster care system, low-income families who cannot afford to pay for groceries, and mentally and physically disabled individuals who need residential support. By doing this, the order ensures individuals who are dependent on these critical government services are not hurt by the Governor’s and Legislature’s failure to enact a budget.
I absolutely want State employees to be paid their full wages. But the Illinois Constitution and case law are clear: The State cannot pay employees without a budget. The judge’s order reaffirms this. It remains up to the Governor and the Legislature to enact a state budget to allow for necessary government operations and programs to continue.
*** UPDATE 6 *** Press release…
Following is the response of SEIU Healthcare Illinois Vice President James Muhammad to a Cook County judge’s ruling today that the State of Illinois cannot pay workers in full without an approved budget:
“A principle outcome of today’s ruling in Cook County is that it further puts at risk critical services for vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities throughout Illinois. The ruling highlights the need for Gov. Rauner to stop his political posturing, negotiate in good faith and come to the table with solutions to a budget crisis he looks to have courted.
“Vulnerable Illinoisans already are being harmed by Gov. Rauner’s days of crisis that have done nothing to solve our long-term problems but have done everything to avoid meeting the immediate needs of the most vulnerable.”
*** UPDATE 7 *** I mentioned this very thing last week as something the judge might say. She did. From the Tribune…
Larsen also scolded the state for failing to put in place a system for making the payroll changes after the 2007 ordeal. Larsen said years of inaction on that issue was “unfortunate,” but not a compelling legal reason to circumvent the state constitution.
*** UPDATE 8 *** Press release…
Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger released the following statement Tuesday in response to a court ruling that state employees may not be paid during the budget impasse:
“I am disappointed and respectfully disagree with today’s ruling. We went to Court to ensure that my office can comply with federal law and compensate employees for services they are already providing to the state. Ultimately, that can best be accomplished by paying all workers as scheduled. I am most concerned about the impact this decision will have on our ability to pay those providing services to our most vulnerable residents, and I will continue to seek a remedy with their interests at the forefront of my mind.
“My office will soon file an appeal to today’s decision and will provide further information as it becomes available.”
The state of Illinois has been ordered to keep funding its child-protection services during an ongoing impasse over passing a state budget.
U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso issued the order in response to a filing by the American Civil Liberties Union, which wanted the court to enforce a long-standing consent decree about child-protection funding and thereby force Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger to keep money flowing.
Representatives for both the Department of Children and Family Services and the comptroller’s office agreed agency employees should be paid.
Speaking later, ACLU attorney Heidi Dalenberg said disagreement had focused on whether the comptroller could pay agency workers under a 2009 order during a similar budget impasse. She says the new order ensured the payments were legally sound.
“Redistricting reform is absolutely essential to good government because it’s the voters who should be choosing legislators, not Speaker (MICHAEL) MADIGAN and the politicians he controls,” said Rauner spokeswoman CATHERINE KELLY via email. “The current process gives too much control to career politicians who are more concerned with protecting the political class than hard working families.”
Chicago Democrat Madigan is not only speaker of the House but also chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
The response to Kelly? “They’re tipping their hand because this looks like it’s being motivated as a way for millionaires to drop more robots into the legislature,” Madigan spokesman STEVE BROWN said.
The Democrats are whistling past their own potential political graveyards here.
As I’ve said before, if Gov. Rauner is reelected, the Republicans will likely have a 50-50 chance of drawing the new map. And if the Independent Maps amendment gets on the ballot, the Democrats would be stuck with a process which protects the “geographic integrity of units of local government.” That could easily be interpreted as not backfilling a DuPage County district with Democratic-friendly Cook County turf, etc.
An environmental group on Tuesday plans to start airing more than $1 million in TV ads attacking U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk for a recent vote to block an Obama administration effort to curb global warming.
The Natural Resources Defense Council’s ad campaign, which it said will run through July 17 on Chicago broadcast and cable stations, comes as the first-term Republican senator already faces a difficult re-election effort next year.
The 30-second spot contends that a vote Kirk cast last month on an Environmental Protection Agency bill allowed power plants to “keep polluting our air.”
“Polluters are breathing a lot easier, but nearly 300,000 Illinois children aren’t,” the narrator says in the spot, which depicts pollution streaming from smokestacks, a field of withered corn and an infant breathing through a nebulizer mask.
Kirk, a member of the panel, had a provision in the Interior spending measure he was championing — a ban on sewage dumping into the Great Lakes by 2035. Kirk has worked on protecting Lake Michigan since he was a member of the House.
The sewage ban is one of his signature issues.
Nonetheless, Kirk was a key vote against an amendment by Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., which would have taken out of the EPA bill the provision letting states opt out of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. Udall would have prevailed if Kirk sided with him. […]
Kevin Artl, Kirk’s campaign manager said, “Sen. Kirk’s most recent clean water legislation creates a strict new ban on sewage dumping in the Great Lakes, including a $100,000 per day fine on polluters that would fund the construction of new treatment plants. The simple truth is that Sen. Kirk is responsible for the most aggressive measure ever taken to protect the Great Lakes.”
Kirk could not have been expected to vote against his own “landmark Great Lakes protection language,” Artl said.
The Sierra Club launched a week-long advertising campaign Monday to slam Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) for voting to scrap the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) climate rule for power plants.
The environmental group started its “aggressive” campaign with a full-page ad in the Daily Herald, circulated in Chicago’s suburbs.
It accuses Kirk of voting three times “to put big polluter profits before the health of Illinois families,” and urges readers to tell Kirk to “stop attacking clean air” and “support the Clean Power Plan.”
Kirk For Senate campaign manager Kevin Artl has released the following statement in response to the ads by the Natural Resources Defense Council attacking Senator Mark Kirk’s environmental policy record:
“Senator Kirk has shown bold, independent action in Congress to reduce carbon emissions, protect against air pollution and enact aggressive measures to protect our great lakes from polluters and oil spills. The recent partisan attack ads by DC special interest groups, the same groups that once praised Senator Kirk’s work on behalf of protecting the environment, are not only false but sickening, beyond the pale of reasonable discussion and should be taken down.”
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is proving to be quite adept at skirting responsibility for the current Statehouse impasse and impending government shutdown.
He has relentlessly painted himself as the good guy, even to the point of blatantly abandoning his previous stances.
For instance, Rauner has righteously slammed the Democrats’ “unconstitutional” unbalanced budget, even though his own proposed budget was also billions of dollars out of balance.
Rauner trashed that Democratic budget even after he signed the part which funded schools, thereby ensuring that he avoided blame if schools didn’t open on time.
Rauner warned in April that the state had no money to bail out Chicago, then offered $200 million a year in “found money” for the Chicago Public Schools to keep it from going belly up.
The same man who often refers to the state employee union AFSCME as “AFSCAMMY” and who told the Chicago Tribune editorial board that the crisis of a state fiscal meltdown “creates opportunity” to get his non-budget issues passed, last week pledged to work arm in arm with the unions to make sure those poor state workers got their paychecks, even though the lack of a budget means there is no legal appropriation to do so.
He’s a clever dude, that one. He’ll say just about anything to shift the focus off of him and on to the Democrats.
Rauner said last week via an e-mail to state employees that he hadn’t heard any response to his newly proposed compromises on his non-budget demands which he wants resolved before he’ll even talk about the budget. But Senate President John Cullerton had been working with the governor on workers’ comp, property taxes and other issues, and many of Rauner’s “new” compromises weren’t new at all.
The Democrats have responded by pushing a proposal that they hope will help give them an edge on the governor. The Senate Democrats last week used their large veto-proof majority to pass a bill to fund a few “essential” state operations for one month, at a cost of $2.26 billion.
The legislation includes funding for things like sex offender GPS tracking, community care programs for the elderly, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s monitoring of nuclear sites and its natural disaster response, along with operational funding for veterans’ homes, the Illinois State Police, the Illinois School for the Deaf, the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, the Illinois National Guard and DCFS group homes, foster homes and protective services,
That’s not an easy bill to vote against. The TV ads write themselves. But zero Republicans voted for it.
The House Democrats, who have a smaller majority than their Senate counterparts, couldn’t pass the bill on their own because they didn’t have all of their members in the chamber last week, but they still got Republicans on record as opposing it.
House Speaker Michael Madigan told reporters that he’d heard at least two House Republicans were willing to vote to keep the government from totally shutting down. But the House GOP leadership said the governor had placed a very large “brick” on the bill, and the Republicans complied with his wishes, as they pretty much always have since Rauner’s inauguration.
That constant compliance is starting to have a price.
Gov. Rauner met with the House Republican Caucus last week to thank them for sticking with him throughout the spring session and to ask them for more support during the overtime session.
Rauner thanked them for voting “Present” at his request on controversial bills which could get them in hot water with constituents. He was politely reminded, however, that they actually voted “No” on quite a few bills, including the education funding bill which the governor wound up signing into law.
Nobody enjoys getting the rug pulled out from under them, so the HGOPs have a right to be a little ticked off.
Some believe the Democrats hope to drive so many wedges between legislative Republicans and the governor that eventually the legislators will rise up and demand a resolution.
A revolt from below is highly unlikely, however. Rauner is Illinois’ first Republican governor in a dozen years, so Republican lawmakers truly want to help him succeed. Plus, the governor is sitting on an unlimited supply of campaign money and they want that cash for next year’s elections - and they don’t want any of it used against them.
Even so, it wouldn’t hurt if the more reasonable Republican lawmakers finally find the courage to suggest a way out of this mess.
For months, Gov. Bruce Rauner and his team have tried to play the Democratic state legislative leaders off each other. But Team Rauner now seems to be turning its attention elsewhere.
The House has met five times, and the Senate four. By party, Democrats recorded 38 absences and Republicans 37. […]
Two lawmakers missed more than two sessions. State Representative Monique Davis (D-Chicago) missed all five sessions in June. Representatives in her office declined to go into specific details regarding her absence.
State Senator Chris Nybo (R-Westmont) missed the first three sessions. Representatives from Nybo’s capitol office said the senator “had been busy catching up with work from his Chicago office.”
Some lawmakers cited travel plans, district events, and planned vacations as reasons for absences.
Rep. Davis has been ill. Sen. Nybo will likely take a bit of ribbing for that Chicago remark.
It also seems a little odd that even though Republicans make up just 38 percent of the General Assembly, they racked up almost half of all absences. Then again, they’re in the minority and they aren’t really voting for many bills when they are in town.
Tuesday, Jul 7, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
For the past year, credit unions across the country have been engaging a movement-wide celebration – the achievement of 100 million members. Leading up to this watershed moment, credit unions added a total of 2.85 million additional memberships over the previous year — the largest reported increase in more than a quarter century. From a national perspective, this means one in three Americans now belong to a credit union.
So why is there a clearly growing recognition for credit unions among consumers? It’s because they know credit unions place their interests above all else. As not-for-profit, democratically led and cooperatively owned financial institutions, credit unions return their earnings to members in the forms of lower rates on loans and higher returns on savings. Nationally, consumers benefit to the tune of $6.6 billion annually because credit unions are tax-exempt. Here in Illinois, credit unions annually provide nearly $205 million in direct financial benefits to almost three million members.
It’s the structure of credit unions — cooperatives owned by their members — that allows them to maintain their focus on returning financial benefits to members. By doing so, credit unions have earned the satisfaction and trust of consumers, 100 million times over.
Southern Illinois Congressman Mike Bost says the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right puts clergy in a tough spot.
The Murphysboro republican says he doesn’t believe the high court’s justices should be deciding issues like this because many churches believe same-sex marriage is not right before God and should not be allowed.
“But, my fear is that ministers that come from a faith that do not believe it’s right, can be forced to perform marriage ceremonies, and thus violate what they believe is their oath before God.”
Oy.
* Perhaps he’s just trying to distract the folks back home from this…
Congress is moving away from its longtime use of taxpayer-financed mail to constituents, but not Rep. Mike Bost.
The freshman Republican from Murphysboro, Ill., spent almost $113,000 on what is called “franked” mail in the first three months in office, amounting to more than 244,000 pieces. That is nearly twice the amount spent by the next biggest frank-mail user.
He sent more individual pieces of mail in that time than the roughly 210,000 people who voted when Bost defeated Democrat Rep. Bill Enyart in last November’s election. […]
Because of the rise of electronic communications, franked mail is falling in usage, and it is under increased scrutiny. A Congressional Research Service report released in May said that the volume of mass mailings sent by members of Congress to constituents fell from 103 million in 2008 to 40.3 million last year. The cost to taxpayers in that window fell from $25.2 million to $15.8 million.
Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz on Monday defended widely criticized comments he made about the legalization of gay marriage and other societal issues during an Independence Day speech. […]
Near the midpoint of his remarks Saturday morning at the village’s Fort Hill Heritage Center, Lentz said he wanted to “address the elephant in the room” and started talking about the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on marriage equality.
He called it one event in an ongoing “moral crisis” in the U.S.
Lentz went on to discuss people having children without being married, saying “the out-of-wedlock birthrate is just crazy high compared to our history.” Such parents are part of a “crisis against the family” in the U.S., Lentz said.
He then defended Prohibition, saying, “It’s just what the doctor ordered.”
Lentz then referenced an anthropologist who he said had, in the 1930s, studied different cultures. Lentz said the man, J.D. Unwin, found a link between conservative sexual practices and a society’s success.
“The cultures that had a strict code of marital monogamy, heterosexual marital monogamy, those cultures had the most vibrancy and affected those around them the most,” Lentz claimed in the speech. “When the wheels came off and the standards began to decline in that area, within two to three generations, that culture would end.” […]
In his remarks, Lentz also said the government can address social problems through the Constitution and used as example the 18th Amendment, which banned alcohol in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Lentz said alcohol caused issues such as spousal abuse and led to other societal ills. Prohibition worked, he said.
I wonder if Mayor Lentz actually looked around the world for countries that ban alcohol and severely punish homosexuals and women who have sex out of wedlock. He’d find them, for sure. I’m not so sure he’d want to live in them, or believe that they are infinitely superior to our own country.
Also, Mundelein is in Rep. Ed Sullivan’s district, one of the few Republicans who voted for gay marriage. Sullivan went on to thump a conservative challenger. The mayor may not quite understand his home turf.
State general fund spending on the three main agencies that handle the safety net has hovered around $5 billion for much of the past decade, which critics say is not enough to keep up with inflation.
Currently, Illinois has 22,000 people waiting for help and ranks 47th in funding those services, which can range from housing to medication management and transportation assistance, according to the State of the States, a project of the University of Colorado that tracks public spending for programs to address intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Illinois also ranks third nationwide for number of people living in state institutions, despite the fact that community care is more cost-effective: $53,000 per person annually vs. $248,000 per year for institutionalization, according to the Department of Human Services.
Carl LaMell, CEO of Clearbrook, said state support for programs like his Arlington Heights facility, which houses about 340 residents with disabilities, has been steadily chipped away.
“Every year, we’re pawns in this game,” said LaMell, noting that this will be the 10th consecutive year without a rate or cost of living increase.
“The feeling we have here — remember it, take it home and do some good with it,” Mr. Hart said in closing. “I’ll leave you with this: Please, be kind.”
Unions representing state employees today took two steps to ensure that public service workers in state government will be paid on time and in full for their work, even in the absence of a state budget for the 2016 fiscal year that started yesterday.
First, 13 unions filed suit in St. Clair County Circuit Court, arguing that the state’s failure to pay employees their full wages under their unions’ respective collective bargaining agreements would be an impairment of contract.
“State employees are now pawns in the political dispute over the state budget,” the unions said in their filing. “They and their families deserve better.”
The 13 unions are the:
· American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31;
· Illinois Troopers Lodge No. 41, Fraternal Order of Police;
· Illinois Nurses Association;
· Illinois Federation of Public Employees, Local 4408 IFT-AFT;
· Illinois Federation of Teachers, Local 919;
· International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers;
· Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council;
· Laborers International Union of North America – ISEA Local 2002;
· Service Employees International Union, Local 73;
· SEIU Health Care Illinois & Indiana;
· SEIU Local 1;
· Teamsters Local Union No. 705, Affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters; and
· Conservation Police Lodge of the Police Benevolent and Protective Association.
A court date in St. Clair County has not yet been set.
In addition, AFSCME and other unions intervened in Cook County Circuit Court to represent the interests of state employees in a case in which the Attorney General is seeking declaratory judgment that state employees can be paid no more than minimum wage, pursuant to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The unions contend that since the state Department of Central Management Services and the Comptroller have indicated that it is not feasible for the state to alter its payroll to conform with the FLSA, then the court should order the state to continue paying employees on time and in full, as it did in a similar circumstance in 2007.
A status hearing in the Cook County case is scheduled for Tuesday, July 7.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff People of the State of Illinois respectfully prays that the Court enter a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction ordering the Comptroller: […]
f. To process payment vouchers for payments pursuant to the federal minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act, or in the alternative, not to process payment vouchers for state employee payroll in the absence of payroll vouchers that comply only with the minimum requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act; and
g. Any and all other relief that this Court deems just. [Emphasis in original.]
I checked with the attorney general’s office and they fully expect that Comptroller Munger, the governor, CMS and AFSCME will argue that state employees should be paid their full wages. That’s the process, I was told, and the judge will decide.
* After Jim Dimas was nominated to head DHS, he provided his resume to the Illinois Senate’s Executive Appointments Committee and answered “No” to this question…
* SEIU has been doing research on Rauner administration appointees. They pitched me one story a while ago, but I took a pass. Apparently, they ran Dimas’ name through Lexis Nexis and came up with this…
Oops.
* The back story from the governor’s office is that Dimas was on medication for severe sciatic nerve problems. But his doctor told him that his pain medicine would seriously damage his kidneys.
A friend told Dimas that marijuana could ease his pain, and he hooked Dimas up with a connect in California, who then sent Dimas some weed.
Problem is, UPS figured out what was going on and Dimas was busted upon delivery.
Stupid mistake for sure. I mean, why go all the way to Cali for marijuana?
* Anyway, Dimas was up front with his judge, and received “probation before judgment,” according to the governor’s office. His record was eventually wiped clean and he never pled guilty and was never convicted.
Before he filled out that resume, he talked with his attorney and was advised to answer “No.”
But he didn’t inform the governor about his run-in with the law until SEIU started asking questions.
Another oops.
* Even so, I’m told the governor’s chief counsel agrees with Dimas’ attorney.
And while Gov. Rauner believes Dimas “made a serious error in judgment,” Rauner also “believes in second chances and feels that Mr. Dimas is eminently qualified to lead the Department of Human Services and has chosen to retain him as secretary of the agency,” a Rauner official said today.
* Why am I airing Dimas’ dirty laundry in public? Well, the governor’s people approached me, knowing that I’m also a firm believer in second chances on this sort of thing.
I was also willing to do this because, frankly, I didn’t want to see the guy’s mug plastered all over the front page by a newspaper looking to score some cheap shots.
He screwed up. Big.
He didn’t lie on his app.
The governor is willing to forgive and move forward.
We should, too.
…Adding… SEIU says it dropped the whole thing, too. Same reasons as listed above.
Dem U.S. Senate candidate Andrea “Andy” Zopp, whose resume reads like a corporate bible, is hitting the big money key on the cash register!
Sneed hears Zopp, the former president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, has raised over $665,000 since she announced in May her candidacy for the seat now held by U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill.
“I think that’s enough to show we are credible and that this is a real campaign,” said Zopp, who will be running against U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a wounded Iraq War veteran, in the Dem primary.
“It’s a big race and we have to be able to compete and show we are going to be able to raise money in order to be effective in this race,” said Zopp, who held 17 fundraisers in the past two weeks.
She’s been in this thing for a while, so she undoubtedly got some pledges early on during her exploration. Plus, we don’t know yet how much of this is for the primary and for the general. Lots of times, wealthy backers max out for both up front.
Even so, not bad at all.
* Press release…
Raja Krishnamoorthi announced today he has raised more than $600,000 for his campaign for Congress in the 8th Congressional District of Illinois that includes the northwest Chicago suburbs.
Raja has raised the amount in a single fundraising quarter since he formally filed his paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission in April to run to replace Rep. Tammy Duckworth in Congress.
“The outpouring of support will allow our campaign to have the resources to share our message of helping more Americans find good jobs and economic security in a changing world,” Krishnamoorthi said.
The eye-popping fundraising amount collected in three months builds on the impressive political support of more than 70 Democratic leaders and activists throughout the Chicago suburbs and Illinois backing Krishnamoorthi for Congress.
Today’s fundraising news comes on the heels of Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL 9th District) and Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL 4th District) endorsing Raja for Congress. In addition to a total of six Members of Congress backing Krishnamoorthi, other key supporters include State Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-28th District) and State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-46th District).
Same caveats as above, but, again, pretty darned good.
* By the way, did any of you catch any of these recent fundraising appeals?
Brad Schneider…
I know that if we don’t hit our goal, we’ll become the number 1 target for the Republicans.
Just $1,033 to go — Rich, I’m really hoping you can chip in:
Duckworth…
I’m at the office, refreshing our fundraising stats constantly before tonight’s big FEC fundraising deadline at midnight, and I’m seeing that we’re still $3,567 short of our online goal.
If just 242 of you pitch in during the next few hours, I think we can make it, and show Mark Kirk and his Super PAC allies that we’re ready for this race. Can I count on you to contribute now?
Susana Mendoza…
We are now only $2,603 away from our fundraising goal for the quarter, which is incredible!
Can you contribute before midnight tonight to get us over the top?
Only $2,603 to go. Every little bit helps!
Nancy Rotering…
In just a few hours, the second quarter FEC filing deadline will be here. We have seen an incredible response and are rapidly approaching our goals for the quarter.
Right now, we are just $1,718 away from reaching our grassroots goal. Help us prove that our campaign has what it takes to win and put us over the line. >>>CONTRIBUTE TODAY!
Tom Cullerton…
We’re getting a tremendous response from our list! We’re only $1,315 away from our goal. I know we are sending you a lot of email today, but this deadline is critical.
Can you join me in supporting Tom’s campaign with a $10 contribution right now?
This is all based on research that makes those goals look more believable and reachable and, therefore, encourages donors to act.
Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger will hold a Chicago news conference Thursday to discuss her plan for managing state finances as the state enters the new fiscal year July 1 without a budget agreement.
Munger will discuss the budgetary timetable for the weeks ahead and then take questions from the media at the James R. Thompson Center.
SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015:
WHO: Illinois State Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger
WHAT: News Conference on State Budget Impasse
WHEN: 1 p.m. Thursday, July 2
WHERE: Blue Room, 15th Floor
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL
The live video link via our good pals at BlueRoomStream is here.
* 21 years sounds so very far away, until you consider how long it takes to get a permit to build a landfill (not to mention finding a willing area) and how much we love to procrastinate in this state…
State officials say existing Illinois landfills have capacity to take trash for another 21 years.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency released its landfill report for 2014 on Wednesday. The report found that the state had 39 active landfills that took in more than 44 million gate cubic yards of waste during 2014. A gate cubic yard is the volume of waste entering the landfill’s gate.
The landfills reported that there were 942 million gate cubic yards of combined remaining capacity as of Jan. 1. The state EPA says that means landfill life expectancy in Illinois is 21 years based on 2014 disposal rates.
* Whatever else you think of him, you gotta give the governor credit for chutzpah…
Kids at the Illinois State Museum summer camp last week got a lesson in irony after Gov. Bruce Rauner, who proposes to close the museum, stopped by for a photo op with them.
Next day the children wrote a letter thanking the governor for coming to camp, adding, “We hope to see you next year!”
The Rauner administration has set official wheels in motion to shutter the 138-year-old institution […]
Already there are a hundred pages of letters opposing closure, but none more eloquent than the note from Elsa, a summer camper who wrote on the group letter to Rauner: “Please don’t close the museum. Please save my Mom’s job.”
* Illinois Issues takes a look at the difference between Tier One and Tier Two teacher pensions. Keep in mind here that Tier Two kicked in on January 1, 2011…
The National Council on Teacher Quality reviewed the state of teacher pensions across the country in a 2015 report, highlighting Illinois as one of the most egregious examples of states combating a crisis on the backs of new teachers. Starring in the hypothetical scenario are two teachers in the Springfield Public School District — both have similar credentials and start and stop teaching at the same ages, 25 and 55. Amy started in November 2010, Allison just two months later, in January 2011.
Based on the school district’s salary schedule and the NCTQ’s calculations, Allison will end her 30-year teaching career with barely more than $243,000 in pension wealth. Amy’s pension, on the other hand, will be valued at nearly $550,000. Both women contributed the same portion of their pay toward retirement, and they were on identical salary schedules throughout their careers. That means they both had about $200,000 automatically deducted from their paychecks and funneled to the retirement system while they were teachers. But Amy will have a much more comfortable retirement.
Allison, hired in 2011, joined a second tier of public sector employees who are still required to pay the same portion of their salary toward retirement but who get a substantially lesser benefit from the system. In fact, their benefit might be so little as to be illegal under federal law.
* While we’re talking about Illinois Issues, I received this e-mail from Executive Editor Jamey Dunn-Thomason today…
We plan to post a new Illinois Issues in-depth piece (with accompanying radio component) every Thursday and send out an email alert in the morning. I don’t know if you are on our mailing list. We are still kind of working on compiling/merging that info. Thought you might like to get the alerts. You can subscribe at the bottom.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff People of the State of Illinois respectfully prays for the following relief: […]
f. A declaration that the Comptroller, in the absence of an annual appropriation, is authorized to process payment vouchers for the payment of the federal minimum wage and overtime requirements of the FLSA, or in the alternative, a declaration that the Comptroller, in the absence of an annual appropriation and payroll vouchers that comply only with the minimum requirements of the FLSA, is not authorized to process payment vouchers for the state employee payroll;
Their response…
FYI, see paragraph 35f, the AG is seeking on two forms of declaration: 1) Comptroller can only pay minimum wage or 2) the Comptroller cannot pay anyone. The Attorney General is trying to block full employee pay.
Emphasis in original.
*** UPDATE 4 *** From Attorney General Lisa Madigan in response to the above claim…
“I have been working with the Comptroller’s office to identify what payments can continue without a State budget to ensure that people who rely on critical government services—kids in the foster care system, low-income families who can’t afford to pay for groceries, mentally disabled individuals who need residential support—aren’t punished by the Governor’s and Legislature’s inability to finalize a budget. I want State employees to be paid. I also want State service providers to be paid. They all deserve to be paid. But this problem can’t be solved through a lawsuit. The only way to ensure State employees and service providers are fully and legally paid is with an enacted budget.”
[End of updates.]
* An interesting and politically deft preemptive move. AG Madigan wants judicial clarification about payments that already don’t require legislative approval. And she gets ahead of the curve by asking the court to rule on the employee paycheck issue.
Press release with emphasis added…
Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced she has filed an action in Cook County Circuit Court, seeking a court order clarifying that the State can continue to make legally authorized payments to fund critical government services in a timely manner.
Without a State budget in place, the Illinois Constitution and laws significantly limit the payments that the State can make. In preparation for the start of the new fiscal year, the Attorney General has been working with Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger to determine what payments can continue without a State budget in place. Based on those preparations, this action seeks clear court approval for the Comptroller to make payments that do not legally require an appropriation by the Legislature, including payments authorized by specific state statutes, payments for services required under court consent decrees and payments to continue participating in federal programs. These payments help fund critical government services, such as medical care for children in foster care, residential placements for mentally disabled individuals, food assistance for low-income families, and the operation of the state hotline to report child abuse and neglect.
The action also asks the court to clarify the State’s obligation to comply with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act by paying State employees the federal minimum wage until a budget is enacted and they can receive their full paychecks.
Statement from Attorney General Lisa Madigan
“The Illinois Constitution clearly states that without a budget, the State’s authority to fund government operations and services is severely limited. I am bringing this action to ensure that legally supported expenditures can continue to be made and to address the question of how the state payroll is legally managed during the budget impasse.
Our state’s most vulnerable residents deserve access to the critical services that their lives depend on. Taxpayers deserve to benefit from the government operations they help fund, and state employees deserve to be paid. Unfortunately, without a budget, it is difficult to ensure these payments are made. It is my job as the lawyer for the State to ensure that to the greatest extent possible under the law, we deliver on those promises. This action is the best approach to quickly and efficiently resolve these challenges.
It is my hope that by securing a court order clarifying these expenditures, the Legislature and the Governor can enact a budget to fund State government for the new fiscal year. If not, I fear those who need the State’s services the most will suffer the greatest.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** This letter was sent by the comptroller yesterday…
Dear Attorney General Madigan:
As you know, today marks the first day of fiscal year 2016. To date, the legislature has failed to adopt a balanced budget for the State, resulting in severe constraints on the Comptroller’s Office’s ability to fund essential State operations, including State employee payrolls. I note that while the rank and file State employees are at risk of delays in receiving paychecks due to the current budget impasse, the Legislators themselves passed a law last year which will ensure they are paid on time in the new fiscal year (PA 98-682).
My legal counsel has advised me that the inability to process payrolls for State employees due to the lack of an approved budget carries the potential for significant liability for the State under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (”FLSA”). As we understand it, that Act provides for treble damages calculated from the amount of missed payrolls.
In order to fulfill my constitutional and statutory duty to issue State payments only where such payments are “pursuant to law and authorized,” and to protect the state from potential excessive fines, I am formally requesting that your office represent my office in Court to seek an Agreed Order to allow the State to avoid fines and penalties under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
I have determined from detailed and extensive conversations with State agencies and my staff that the circumstances today are no different than the State faced in 2007, when your office agreed to entry of an Agreed Order to allow payment to all State employees at their regular rates of pay. Specifically, while the mandate of the FLSA is to pay “covered employees” at a rate at least equal to the federal minimum wage, the State’s payroll processing systems in place today are not set up such that the proper amounts could be calculated and paid to “covered employees.”
In order to prevent the State from incurring significant fines or penalties under the FLSA, the Agreed Order sought on our behalf should include a sentence, as follows:
To the extent it is not feasible to limit the issuance of warrants or electronic payments only to those State employees and in such amounts necessary to comply with the FLSA, the Comptroller shall issue such other additional payroll warrants or electronic payments to ensure that the requirements of the FLSA have been satisfied, including payroll warrants or electronic payments to State employees that may not be covered by the FLSA.
This sentence is identical to the Agreed Order entered in 2007, copy attached.
The contribution of State employees to maintaining public services and public order is beyond dispute. Allowing these employees to be paid on time and at the correct rate of pay until the budget impasse is resolved will also promote the legitimate goals of government to maintain critical services.
Going forward, I believe it is imperative that the State be better prepared to establish compliance with the FLSA in the event of delays in adopting a budget in future fiscal years. I will initiate an effort to work with your office and the Governor’s state agencies to adopt procedures to promptly identify employees covered by the Act in the event of another budget impasse. At the same time, the state is moving toward implementation of a new accounting system that will allow us to better comply with the FLSA in future years.
In conclusion, I will appreciate your confirming at your earliest convenience your willingness to seek the Agreed Order as outlined in this letter. I thank you and your staff for working closely with, and providing information to, the state Constitutional Offices to navigate the challenges caused by this ongoing budget impasse. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Leslie Geissler Munger
Comptroller
It appears we have the AG’s response.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Two 2011 judicial consent decrees were the subject of these recently successful lawsuits…
Yesterday, the ACLU of Illinois, Equip for Equality and the pro bono law firm Dentons filed emergency motions seeking court orders to ensure that services for people with disabilities under the three community integration Consent Decrees continue despite the lack of a new state budget.
Federal judges entered orders requiring the State of Illinois to continue funding in Ligas v. Norwood and Colbert v. Rauner. (Copies of the court orders are attached.) The decree in Ligas covers people with developmental disabilities living in large state-funded facilities seeking to move into the community, as well as people with developmental disabilities living in the family home seeking community services. The decree in Colbert covers people with mental illness and/or physical disabilities living in nursing homes in Cook County who want to move into the community. A federal judge has been asked to enter a similar order in Williams v. Rauner, which covers people with mental illness living in large state-funded facilities who are seeking to move into the community. The motion in Williams will be heard on Thursday, July 2nd.
Thursday, Jul 2, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Take for instance University of Illinois Employees Credit Union (UIECU). In light of a possible payroll interruption as a result of the current state budget crisis, the credit union has been anticipating their state employee members could need help and has put plans into place to help their members weather the storm. This includes waiving skip payment fees and courtesy pay fees as necessary, as well as waiving early withdrawal penalties of certificate/Christmas club accounts and offering low-interest, short term loans. And UIECU is just one of many credit unions that have stepped up to help their members and consumers during this challenging time.
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State Representative Mike Unes (R-East Peoria) called on both parties to come to a temporary, balanced budget to avoid major interruptions to state services on Thursday. As the State of Illinois begins its new fiscal year without a balanced budget in place, the Democrat Supermajority attempted a piece-meal approach on Wednesday, in the way of a temporary 30-day state budget funding some state services. However, Rep. Mike Unes (R-East Peoria), criticized the bill as still being, “unbalanced and unconstitutional” and not including funding for programs like The Autism Program (TAP).
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget released a letter on Wednesday explaining that the attempt by the Democrat supermajority to pass their temporary budget would result in ultimately spending much more money than revenue is expected for the fiscal year. The letter describes that the Democrat proposal, “marches the taxpayers of Illinois toward an unbalanced budget one month at a time.”
Rep. Unes went on to urge an attainable solution to remedy this situation, “if we simply divide our expected revenues by 12 months and pass an extension of spending levels commensurate with expected revenues, we can keep state government services open, pay our employees, and not have major interruptions in the lives of vulnerable Illinois citizens dependent on the state safety net.”
“I’m for a comprehensive approach that gives a voice to the voiceless. It’s a cruel game to string along the most vulnerable when you know the money won’t be there at the end of the year. Unfortunately, the math simply doesn’t add up here on Madigan’s budget extension. We are charged by the Illinois Constitution with not spending more money than incoming revenues. Today, I suggest a simple solution to keep the doors open- pass a temporary budget that simply divides expected revenues and fund the programs we can based on priorities established by the legislature. We cannot simply make up our own numbers, though,” said Unes, “we have to operate in the real world.”
Thoughts?
* Meanwhile…
As anxiety spreads over dangerous cuts to social services demanded by Gov. Bruce Rauner in his ongoing budget crisis, a new TV ad debuted today in markets across Illinois showing the benefit of child care to two working mothers.
In the 30-second ad which targets legislators, the moms explain the ripple effect of removing child care from tens of thousands of working parents, as Rauner proposes.
In the ad, Courtney McLure, a mother from Riverton who works as a teacher’s assistant, says, “If I can’t take my kids to day care, then I can’t work.”
Leading Julia Adams, a mother of two from Springfield who works as home aide, to conclude that, “Governor Rauner would not cut child care if he walked a day in my shoes.”
* Madeline Doubek wonders who will win and who will lose during the shutdown crisis…
Madigan seems content to continue to paint the governor as extreme and wait for the fallout as agencies and non-profits that help children, the elderly and disabled bear with the brunt of the funding drought like the one they cried about when their funding got cut earlier because of an unbalanced Democratic budget. […]
Rauner and Republicans are betting, in the end, and with the aid of millions of dollars at their disposal and control of the state’s purse strings, that they can apply that heat and squeeze the Democrats. They calculate they still can pay state workers, or at least be able to say they tried to pay state workers, and then it’s the Democrats who caused those children, elderly and disabled to suffer. […]
Rauner can be right that Democrats made this mess until the end of time and still lose. He could pay the price if this ends with him signing a tax increase that’s just big enough to bother those who voted for him but don’t especially like him. Or Democrats could go home for the holiday and other summer events and get tagged for driving us down the debt drain and always turning to taxpayers for more.
The biggest risk? The biggest unknown? What happens when the horror stories start?
That last question is the most important. The governor has a big bully pulpit and his signing of the K-12 appropriations bill, his solidarity with state workers over their paychecks, etc. were all quite deft. His TV ads were as much about keeping his own numbers bolstered as they were about whacking MJM.
* And perhaps we’ll see more editorials like this one..
State Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, gets points for honesty in openly admitting that he backs powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.
Still, we are discouraged that our state representative has tied himself to a state leader who keeps a political stranglehold on Illinois. Madigan has been speaker for all but two years since 1983. In 1998, he became chairman of the state Democratic Party. […]
Certainly, Mautino, who has served since 1991, can point to projects in his district that resulted from his relationship with Madigan, but these benefits do not outweigh the damage that Madigan and his loyalists have done to our state.
In the current state budget showdown, many newspaper editorial boards are blaming Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic legislative leaders for the stalemate, yet fail to hold their own lawmakers accountable. It’s easier to point the finger at politicians in a distant city, rather than those close to home.
Yet Mautino must take at least some responsibility for the state’s budget mess. He has been aiding and abetting Mike Madigan for years.
It’s time that Mautino stake his own ground and become part of the solution.
That’s gotta sting, and you can bet some of those quotes will be part of next year’s GOP mail campaign if Mautino runs again.
Then again, you could write the same sort of thing about Republican lawmakers who have time and time again voted against their own consciences and their own districts this past spring because of pressure from the governor.
Remember all that pressure the governor put on HGOPs to vote “Present” on “right to work”? And then days later, the governor completely abandoned the plank from his Turnaround Agenda platform.
As much as Democrats enable their leaders, Republicans are doing the very same thing.
* Even so, it is always easier to blame the big dog at the top rather than the local legislator you know and like. Governors normally wear the jacket for crises and failure, and that’s why Rauner has been so eager to appear “reasonable” on so many things.
Without a compromise on the horizon, we’re about to head into some very dangerous territory for everybody.
* It’s probably worth noting that the one-month “essentials” budget passed by the Senate yesterday included funding for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. If the governor and AFSCME fail to convince a judge to order the comptroller to issue state worker paychecks, flood recovery might possibly become part of this shutdown debate…
Rescue crews evacuated about 40 people because of flooding in the southwestern Illinois city of Centreville, paddling them to safety in orange inflatable rafts above streets that had turned to muddy rivers.
Emergency personnel went door to door to more than 100 homes on Friday, but some residents refused to leave despite floodwaters that reached 4 feet in places, KSDK-TV reported. […]
There also was flooding Friday in eastern Illinois, where the state’s department of transportation had to close a section of U.S. Highway 45 about three miles north of Mattoon.
The Illinois River is breaking more than its 2013 record. It’s tearing up roads, too.
Two new sinkholes have opened up along Main Street since the river hit major flooding stages late last month. Underground pressure associated with the rising water has caused cracks and created wide pits along the town’s main thoroughfare, public works director Gary Hamilton said. […]
The river hit a record 30 feet Wednesday afternoon. Prevention efforts in the Cass County town of about 6,000 began Monday, nearly a week after most other towns along the river began sandbagging. Beardstown’s 35-foot flood wall keeps residents and the city feeling pretty secure, Mayor Steve Patterson said. But as the river levels inched closer to the 29.8-inch crest record from 2013, nerves increased for some residents.
Circuit Judge Charles H. Constable of Mount Carmel, a Democrat, released four deserters who had been arrested by army sergeants acting on the orders of Colonel Henry H. Carrington, commander of the Indiana Military District.
Constable argued that the army had no authority to arrest deserters from Indiana within the sovereign state of Illinois.
Outraged by the judge’s action, Carrington led a detachment of Indiana cavalry into Marshall, Illinois, in March 1863.
There he arrested Judge Constable, who was then trying the two army sergeants on the charge of kidnapping.
A federal judge ordered Constable’s release on the.grounds that Carrington’s cavalry had no authority to hunt deserters outside of Indiana, thus supporting Constable’s earlier opinion.
The Hoosiers were right.
Maybe we should return the historical favor and liberate Indiana trade unionists.
