* Press release…
Following guidance from the CDC that fully vaccinated people can stop wearing a mask and practicing social distancing in most indoor and outdoor settings, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health have announced that Illinois will align state executive orders with the latest CDC guidance and rescind IDPH emergency rules enforcing masking and distance.
The CDC continues to require masks for everyone in healthcare settings, in congregate settings and on transit. In addition, in line with CDC guidance, the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health require masks in schools. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services requires masks in daycare.
“Getting vaccinated is the ultimate protection from COVID-19 and the quickest ticket back to normal life,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With public health experts now saying fully vaccinated people can safely remove their masks in most settings, I’m pleased to follow the science and align Illinois’ policies with the CDC’s guidance. I also support the choice of individuals and businesses to continue to mask out of an abundance of caution as this pandemic isn’t over yet.”
“While the updated guidance from the CDC is welcome news, let me remind everyone that this guidance is only for those people who are fully vaccinated,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Individuals who do not have the protection afforded by one of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines should still wear a mask. While more than 64% of adults in Illinois have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, we need to increase that number. To slow down disease spread and the development of even more deadly variants, we need as many people as possible to be vaccinated.”
The Governor is issuing an updated executive order to remove the mask requirement for fully vaccinated people in most settings, and the Illinois Department of Public Health is rescinding emergency rules in the Control of Communicable Disease Code that enforce masking and distancing for vaccinated people in business settings. In line with CDC guidance, individuals who are unvaccinated should continue wearing masks in most settings and both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals should continue to wear masks on public transportation, in congregate facilities, and in healthcare settings.
As of today, more than 4.6 million Illinoisans are fully vaccinated — 58% of residents 16+, 64% of residents 18+ and 86% of residents 65+.
LATEST CDC GUIDANCE
The CDC still recommends that unvaccinated people continue to take preventive measures, such as wearing a mask and practicing social distancing. In their latest guidance, the CDC now reports that indoor and outdoor activities pose minimal risk to fully vaccinated people and that fully vaccinated people have a reduced risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to unvaccinated people.
Fully vaccinated people can:
• Resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance
• Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel
• Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States
• Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings
• Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic
• Refrain from routine screening testing if feasible
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
• Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations
The new EO is here.
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It’s just a bill
Monday, May 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s…
Two bills worth watching are headed to the full State Senate. House Bill 12, drafted by the Illinois Education Association, would expand coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act to thousands of education support professionals across the state.
Currently, to be eligible for FMLA an employee must have worked 1,250 hours during the previous year. Many educational support staff (such as secretaries, teachers’ aides and bus drivers) currently don’t qualify due to the limited number of days they are able to work during a school year. HB 12 reduces the minimum threshold to 1,000 hours, so that more education support professionals would qualify
Meanwhile, House Bill 119, also sent to the Senate, would create a drug repository program, which would allow people to return certain unused prescription drugs that would be reused for eligible populations.
Illinois House members sent legislation to the state senate that would expand the state’s Family and Medical Leave Act and the Senate Health Committee passed a bill that would create a Prescription Drug Repository Program.
* Amendment to SB2158 sponsored by GOP Sen. Jil Tracy…
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2022 shall provide coverage for treatment to eliminate or provide maximum feasible treatment of nevus flammeus, also known as port-wine stains, including, but not limited to, port-wine stains caused by Sturge-Weber syndrome. Provides that treatment or maximum feasible treatment shall include early intervention treatment, including topical, intralesional, or systemic medical therapy and surgery, and laser treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in children aged 18 years and younger that are intended to prevent functional impairment related to vision function, oral function, inflammation, bleeding, infection, and other medical complications associated with port-wine stains. Provides that the coverage for port-wine stain treatment shall not include treatment solely for cosmetic purposes. Makes conforming changes in the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code.
Looks like a constituent issue bill. I’d never heard of nevus flammeus before and just noticed “port-wine stains” on the calendar and decided to look it up.
* Further upping the press pop with the right-wing…
State Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, filed a bill last week to prohibit the state from requiring so-called vaccine passports. He’s looking at expanding it to prohibit certain private functions from requiring such proof.
“Where in order for me to go to this concert series that I have to show my medical credentials is absolutely outrageous,” Chesney said.
Chesney’s House Bill 4081 filed Thursday remains in the House Rules Committee.
Medical credentials? Such drama.
* Related…
* Who Has a Right to Ask if You’re Vaccinated? Why a false controversy about vaccine privacy and “passports” threatens to prolong the pandemic
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Question of the day
Monday, May 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* BND…
Illinois schools could be required to offer fully in-person learning this fall, as youth vaccinations are underway and federal health officials roll back mask mandates.
Illinois State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala is recommending the State Board of Education vote to approve her declaration: “Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, all schools must resume fully in-person learning for all student attendance days, provided that … remote instruction be made available for students who are not eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine and are under a quarantine order by a local public health department or the Illinois Department of Public Health.”
The state board will vote on the resolution supporting Ayala’s declaration on Wednesday. The resolution as made available Friday night as part of the board agenda.
The resolution is here.
* The Question: Do you support this resolution? Make sure to explain your answer in comments. Thanks.
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* New York Times…
Mr. Perry’s case underscores how willing some American pathologists have been to rule in-custody deaths of Black people accidents or natural occurrences caused by sickle cell trait, which is carried by one in 13 Black Americans and is almost always benign. Those with the trait have only one of the two genes required for full-blown sickle cell disease, a painful and sometimes life-threatening condition that can deform red blood cells into crescent shapes that stick together and block blood flow.
As recently as August, lawyers for Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer convicted last month of murdering George Floyd, invoked sickle cell trait in an unsuccessful motion to dismiss the case against him, saying that the condition, along with other health problems and drug use, was the reason Mr. Floyd had died.
The New York Times has found at least 46 other instances over the past 25 years in which medical examiners, law enforcement officials or defenders of accused officers pointed to the trait as a cause or major factor in deaths of Black people in custody. Fifteen such deaths have occurred since 2015. […]
Medical experts also said it could be misleading to attribute death to the trait based on the presence of cells that have clumped or sickled — something that often happens when people with the condition stop breathing. Finding the crescent-shaped blood cells during an autopsy is to be expected, the experts said, and does not mean the cells were like that before death.
In the case of Mr. Floyd, the medical examiner in Minneapolis noted the curved cells and said he had had sickle cell trait. But the autopsy indicated that it had not contributed to his death, and there was no evidence the cells had sickled before he died. In their unsuccessful motion to dismiss the case, Mr. Chauvin’s lawyers nonetheless suggested that the trait could cause trouble breathing.
The argument echoed claims made in other cases as early as 1973, The Times found. That year, 28-year-old George Lucas died in the Cook County jail in Illinois, according to media reports at the time. Inmates testified that guards had beaten, strangled and suffocated him with a blanket, while jail officials said they had only strapped him to his bed.
But after sickled cells were found during the autopsy, the coroner said Mr. Lucas would not have died were it not for the trait, Dr. James Bowman, a pathologist who participated in the hearing, wrote in an academic article years later. The death was deemed natural and the guards were not charged. “Thus,” Dr. Bowman wrote, “the dangerous precedent for legalized murder of persons with sickle cell trait could become established.”
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* Remember that Sunday death reporting tends to be on the low side. Even so…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 946 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including six additional deaths.
- Cook County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- DuPage County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,367,214 cases, including 22,445 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 33,148 specimens for a total of 23,846,737. As of last night, 1,512 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 398 patients were in the ICU and 220 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 10-16, 2021 is 2.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from May 10-16, 2021 is 2.9%.
A total of 10,407,841 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 61,275 doses. Yesterday, 32,253 doses were reported administered in Illinois. More than 64% of individuals 18 years and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
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Today’s quotable
Monday, May 17, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Time is now short to come up with a plan to close the $1.3 billion gap in next year’s budget, but state Sen. Elgie Sims of Chicago, the Senate Democrats’ top negotiator, said he thinks budget talks need to go beyond the immediate crisis and focus on charting a better course for years to come.
He said he’s “cautiously optimistic” the state will get the green light to repay some of its debts with the federal relief money, but he also noted that the money can be used to cover expenses through the end of 2024. […]
“If we’re going to turn our fiscal ship around and make sure that we’re putting ourselves on a path to fiscal stability, it’s going to be important that we recognize that even with the rosier revenue projections, there’s still significant challenges and significant decisions that need to be made to cover those gaps,” he said.
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* The governor held a bill-signing event today, but the questions afterward were mostly about the state’s mask mandate. Here are some excerpts of his answers…
We’re working on making changes to our mask mandate in the state to meet the CDC’s new masking guidance that they gave late last week. So we’ll be announcing those changes shortly, it just takes a little bit of time to work through. […]
I do think that the CDC guidelines are good ones and that we will follow them here in the state. […]
One of the reasons that the CDC issued the rules as they did was the recognition that studies have now been done showing that if you’re vaccinated, you’re protected. If you’re unvaccinated you are not protected. So I encourage people who are unvaccinated still to wear their masks, but to go get vaccinated because I think we all want to get past this, we all would like to take off our masks. But we do need those who are unvaccinated to go get a vaccine and they can do that right now, today, it is available to them. […]
That’s going to be up to private businesses and individuals if they want to carry something like that [vax ID] with them […]
We are relying on people to do the right thing, we are relying upon people to recognize that they don’t want to go infect other unvaccinated people and they don’t themselves want to get sick and so it’s important for people to protect themselves and I think there’s real motivation for people to go get that. […]
We’re not going to stop people and, you know, start checking a vaccine passport as part of some state mandate. […]
I think we’re, as fast as we can, we’re trying to make the changes. As you know, we have a disaster proclamation that needs to be altered. There is a JCAR rule that needs to be rescinded. There’s just a variety of things. It’s been a complicated 14-15-16 months of putting in place a mask mandate and making sure that people are following it, and now obviously we’re working on unwinding it in an appropriate fashion. […]
Well, I was pretty clear, we’re going to follow the CDC guidelines. So if you can read the CDC guidelines, you know what we will be doing in the state of Illinois. I said that last week, I think you were actually at one of the press conferences that I gave that answer in.
I was told this morning by the governor’s office that a new executive order will be ready soon.
* Meanwhile, here’s Natalie Pierre at the State Journal-Register…
Beginning Tuesday, Walmart and Sam’s Club will no longer require vaccinated shoppers and employees to wear masks in stores outside of municipalities that require it, the retailer announced Friday. […]
The memo — which says employees will get a $75 bonus for providing proof they are vaccinated — does not detail a method for ensuring customers without masks are fully vaccinated.
Beginning Monday, masks will also be optional at Starbucks for those who are vaccinated, according to the coffeehouse chain’s website, which notes that its updated mask policy applies to all locations, “unless local regulations require them by law.”
Meijer, Target, CVS and Walgreens are among the stores that, following the latest CDC guidelines, have stated they will continue to require all customers to wear masks for now.
…Adding… BND…
While people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 won’t be required to wear masks in many settings, updated federal guidance recommends that masks and social distancing still be required in schools for the rest of the school year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Saturday that clarified schools should continue to use the current COVID-19 prevention strategies, including universal masking and social distancing. Originally, the CDC announced Thursday that fully vaccinated people wouldn’t need to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors, except under certain circumstances or when state, local, or company policy requires masks.
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* CBS 2…
Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday he will be phasing out the statewide moratorium on evictions by August, as he announced the launch of a $1.5 billion rental relief program for Illinois.
“We will work with our partners to bring an end to the eviction moratorium in August, with a gradual phase out over the next few months, with more details to come,” Pritzker said. […]
Pritzker said the new program is approximately four times larger than the rental relief program Illinois launched last year during the pandemic, which provided assistance to nearly 36,000 renters in the Chicago area alone.
The governor said more than 120,000 renters could see relief through the new program.
* NBOA…
Earlier today Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a statewide rental assistance program. The following statement can be attributed to Michael Glasser, President of the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance (NBOA), which represents Chicago’s smaller to medium sized housing providers (also known as landlords).
“We salute the Governor and the General Assembly on this much needed legislation for Emergency Rental Assistance. After such a challenging year when many tenants were unable to pay rent, this program will help to stabilize neighborhood housing, and stem the mounting disinvestment in many neighborhoods.”
This post will likely be updated.
…Adding… Press release excerpts…
After leading the nation in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, in ensuring the state’s most vulnerable residents had a roof over their head, Governor JB Pritzker today announced that applications for the second round of rental assistance funding are now available to help Illinois residents who have experienced economic hardship due to the pandemic. The Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP) will deploy multiple rounds of funding totaling $1.1 billion dollars to Illinois renters and landlords in an effort to prevent evictions. An additional $400 million in rental assistance will be provided by larger municipalities. The state will also be standing up a separate program to support homeowners with $400 million in mortgage assistance.
Governor Pritzker also signed HB 2877 into law establishing a new structure to efficiently distribute rental assistance to Illinois residents and provide for sealing of eviction records until August 1, 2022. […]
HB 2877
HB 2877 creates the COVID-19 Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program Act, providing additional protections for renters and homeowners and establishing an even stronger framework for rental assistance programs. Signing HB 2877 reaffirms the Pritzker administration and General Assembly’s commitment to housing stability, as it creates a program to effectively administer rental assistance to struggling household and temporarily enhances eviction sealing and foreclosure protections.
“Families suffering from financial hardship should not have to worry about losing their homes. I’m proud to have taken action, with my colleagues in the General Assembly, preventing evictions and providing funding for the rent assistance working families need. Legislation like House Bill 2877 will give people experiencing housing distress the means to keep a roof over their heads as they seek better opportunities as the economy recovers from the pandemic,” said Majority Caucus Whip Omar Aquino (D-Chicago).
“It is critical that vulnerable households have the resources and support they need to stay in their homes as we recover from this pandemic, and I am working hard in Springfield to ensure this aid is available to those most in need,” said Assistant Majority Leader Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago). “I encourage those who have experienced financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 to speak with their landlord and apply today.”
“We salute the Governor and the General Assembly on this much needed legislation for Emergency Rental Assistance. After such a challenging year when many tenants were unable to pay rent, this program will help to stabilize neighborhood housing, and stem the mounting disinvestment in many neighborhoods,” said Michael Glasser, President of the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance.
HB 2877 is effective immediately.
Illinois Rental Payment Program
The Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP) will provide direct funding to support Illinois tenants unable to pay their rent due to a COVID-19-related loss of income. Approved applicants will receive one-time grants of up to $25,000 paid directly to their landlords to cover missed rent payments as far back as June 2020 and prepay payments through August 2021, or until the $25,000 is exhausted, whichever comes first. Applications for ILRPP will be accepted Monday, May 17 through Monday, June 7. Interested residents can apply online at: ILRPP.IHDA.org.
“The Illinois Housing Development Authority has a proven track record of helping keep families safe and sheltered as COVID-19 continues to impact our state. In 2020, IHDA assisted over 56,000 families to ensure that they had the resources and support they needed to stay in their homes,” said IHDA Executive Director Kristin Faust. “I thank Governor Pritzker for entrusting IHDA with this additional funding, and I encourage those who have seen their income decline as a result of COVID-19 to visit our application portal and apply to the Illinois Rental Payment Program today.”
Tenant eligibility requirements:
Household must have experienced a financial hardship directly or indirectly due to the pandemic.
2020 household income was below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), adjusted for household size.
The household lives in Illinois and rents their home as their primary residence.
Household must have an unpaid rent balance.
Priority will be given to households earning less than 50% of AMI and to households with one or more members that have been unemployed for at least 90 days.
[…] To assist low-income families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, last year Governor Pritzker announced the Help Illinois Families program, aimed at providing emergency relief on household costs through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) programs. To date, more than 260,000 households have received $280 million in benefits through the CSBG and LIHEAP programs, which includes the Utility Disconnection Avoidance Program (UDAP) funds directly credited to customer accounts in threat of imminent disconnection. There is $30 million in LIHEAP funding still available for new clients through the end of the current program year which ends May 31, 2021. A new program year will begin September 1, 2021, and residents qualifying for LIHEAP will have access to additional funds provided to the state through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
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* Daily Herald…
A DuPage County judge has ordered a full recount of the November race for DuPage County auditor, ruling there are enough ballots in question to potentially overturn the results.
“Any in-precinct ballot that is not initialed shall be deemed defective and not counted,” Judge Craig R. Belford wrote in a written ruling Wednesday.
According to the initial count, incumbent Republican Bob Grogan lost to Democratic challenger William “Bill” White by 75 votes, 233,121 to 233.046.
Grogan sought a recount, claiming in court filings that an election judge at a Downers Grove Township polling place failed to initial all ballots as required by Illinois law. In Downers Grove Township precincts 76, 118, and 130, a total of 436 uninitialed ballots were cast, 259 for White and 177 for Grogan, documents state
The ruling is here. What a mess.
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* QC Times…
State Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, has taken on an additional role after being elected Thursday night as Rock Island County Democratic Party Chairman. […]
Halpin may have set his sights higher though; he is considering running for Congress to represent the 17th District after U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, announced April 30 she would not seek re-election.
“I’m looking at it, but right now I am focused on finishing up the (legislative) session,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do in the last two weeks, so it’s not something I’m putting a lot of energy into right now. I’ll probably make a decision sometime over the summer.
“It’s fair to say I am considering it. I certainly haven’t made up my mind yet.”
* Press release…
The Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association voted Sunday to endorse Alexi Giannoulias for Illinois Secretary of State in the 2022 primary election.
“I’m honored to have earned the endorsements of so many accomplished and dedicated leaders, and I look forward to working with them in fighting for what’s important for Southern Illinois,” said Giannoulias who received the support of the 22-county-group as well as four other nearby counties. “Our campaign continues to build a strong broad-based coalition heading into the primary and Southern Illinois voters will play an important role in determining who wins the race.”
Giannoulias, a former Illinois State Treasurer who is the only Secretary of State candidate to have run and won statewide multiple times, received the endorsements during the group’s meeting at International Union of Operating Engineers Local 318 Hall in Marion.
Illinois Labor leader Ed Smith, CEO of ULLICO and Retired VP of LIUNA Midwest Region also pledged his support for Giannoulias.
“Alexi is genuine in his commitment to Southern Illinois families and our communities,” said Vivian Robinson, Vice Chair of the Illinois Democratic Party and 15th District State Central Democratic Committeewoman, representing 33 counties in the southern part of the state. “His dedication will continue as Secretary of State in promoting an ambitious agenda to increase safety on our roadways, modernize the office to make it easier to obtain necessary driver’s licenses and registrations, and strengthen the State’s ethics laws to prevent waste and corruption.”
“We know that Alexi will advocate on behalf of working families and work hard to rebuild the middle class, especially as we emerge from the COVID crisis,” said the President of the Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association and Perry County Chair Calen J. Campanella. “Alexi has a proven track record of standing with Southern Illinois and has the passion, vision and ideas that will help restore trust and build confidence in our elected officials and government.”
“The people of Southern Illinois are known for their toughness and resilience and no one embodies that better than Alexi,” said Jackson County Chair Mike Barone. “On issues that matter most in our community, Alexi has our backs and has been fighting beside us from the very start of his political career. He is the only candidate in the race with the experience, heart and vision to unite Illinois and move us forward.”
“We need leaders like Alexi who will serve as the next nominee of Secretary of State,” said Hardin County Chair Dennis Austin. “More than ever, now is the time for steady leadership from a proven leader who knows how to get things done. Throughout his career, Alexi has shown his ability to build coalitions and determination to fight for families, especially as we emerge from the pandemic.”
* Meanwhile…
On Saturday, May 15th, the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association (IDCCA) invited announced Democratic candidates for Secretary of State to address the 102 Democratic Party County Chairs at the quarterly General Membership Meeting. Five candidates, Chicago Alderwoman Pat Dowell, former State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, State Senator Michael Hastings, Chicago Alderman David Moore, and Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, spoke and took questions. Following the meeting, IDCCA President Kristina Zahorik issued the following statement:
“Illinois has so many great Democratic candidates looking to carry on and build upon the legacy of IDCCA Party Builder Honoree Secretary of State Jesse White. It will be an exciting primary. The five candidates shared their vision with us and look forward to meeting everyone in person as the state continues to open up. My fellow Chairs and I look forward to electing another great Democrat to serve the people of Illinois as Secretary of State.”
The scheduled meeting was conducted via Zoom. It was attended by nearly 70 County Chairs, along with invited guests Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Congresswoman Robin Kelly, US Senator Dick Durbin, candidate Comptroller Susana Mendoza, candidate Treasurer Mike Frerichs, and members of the IDCCA Leadership Circle.
The IDCCA has not endorsed any candidate planning on running in next year’s Democratic primary for Secretary of State.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has vetoed only a tiny handful of bills since assuming office in 2019 and taken a mostly hands-off approach to this year’s spring legislative session. But that may soon change.
Pritzker and his top staff began contacting lawmakers and interest groups last week to tell them how they need to “fix” their bills and to warn them that the governor will veto their legislation if the requested changes aren’t made.
This is the first kinda-real spring session not only since the pandemic began, but also since both the House and Senate elected new presiding officers. As a result, committee chairs in both chambers have been far more reluctant than usual to bottle up potentially problematic bills, while floor debates have frequently involved sponsors promising colleagues that their legislation would be fixed when it crossed the rotunda to the other chamber.
Well, the bills have pretty much all been moved to the other chamber, and lots of problems remain.
Last Wednesday alone, House committees approved 107 Senate bills for floor action and passed 227 during the full week. Senate committees approved 100 House bills last week.
The biggest problem with this haphazard flood of bills is that many require mandates for additional state spending. The governor’s office rightly points out that the state doesn’t have the money to be creating tons of new and costly programs. Several others would also impose unfunded spending mandates on local governments.
In the past, former House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton would put a brake on most bills like that. But the new leaders, House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon, are allowing members to police themselves and are standing back as bills pass that could either create fiscal issues for the state or create laws that, in the opinion of the governor’s office, won’t do what the sponsors may have intended.
“Every other day we’re going through bill review [and saying] ‘That doesn’t even make sense. We can’t do that. That can’t actually be effectuated,’” said one exasperated high-level administration official last week.
“At the end of the day,” the official said, “the governor can’t let a bad bill go through that we can’t afford, or can’t actually implement, or doesn’t actually work.”
The respect level for this governor’s legislative operation has never been high in either chamber, to put it mildly. In some circles, it’s even reviled and ridiculed for its ineffectiveness.
But the grumbling has noticeably intensified this year as members complain that the governor’s office has been of no help all session. Just the other day, one lobbyist who works often with a particular state agency was talking about how the agency had zero involvement with bills this year that could significantly alter the agency’s mission. His advice to members was to run their bills the way they wanted.
So, naturally, some members are chafing at the belated veto threats after months of near radio silence. The time to work on many of these bills was a month or two ago, they say. But with the clock ticking down to the scheduled May 31st adjournment they’re being told to change their bills or find themselves working on veto override motion roll calls this summer.
Because Pritzker has so rarely vetoed any bills, more than a few folks are having a difficult time taking these threats seriously. They expect he’ll talk a good game and then roll over to avoid making enemies.
But, in fairness, Pritzker had Madigan and Cullerton shepherding members for him during the 2019 session and had no real need to issue any threats. The 2020 spring session ended up being just a few days long because of the pandemic and everything was negotiated. Now, it’s pretty much anything goes. And even though veto threats are usually a final weapon and not a legislative strategy, he may have no choice at this late date but to do something drastic.
Others contend that some of the advice they’re getting from the governor’s office is off the mark. While the governor’s people are trying to tell members what their bills would actually do in the real world, their interpretation is sometimes just flat wrong.
I’m told, however, that some members have listened to the gubernatorial advice and have agreed to alter their legislation. So, we’ll see.
But if you thought that one-party control of the Illinois House, Senate and the governor’s office always meant things always run smoothly at the Statehouse, well, think again.
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