* Gov. Bruce Rauner spoke to the United Counties Council of Illinois earlier today. From his speech…
“Everybody says ‘Bruce stop talking about unions and start talking about the budget’… Let me tell you something, balancing the budget is not hard. It’s not hard.”
He then rambled on for another 35 minutes without ever once explaining why it’s so easy peasy to balance a budget. I suppose he implied that the solutions are self evident. And, if you “balance” your budget with phony things like a magically nonexistent $2.2 billion pension “savings,” then it is kinda easy, except it isn’t balanced, so it isn’t actually easy.
* Then he admitted this about his weeks-long struggle to patch this fiscal year’s budget hole…
“We’ve got a Legislature that’s 177 members. And, you know, you raise an issue and you’ll get 292 opinions out of 177 people. So, so, you know, this is the process, this is politics, it’s sausage being made… I’m one person. I’ve got a lot of influence, but I’m one person and the Legislature has to approve this process.”
OK, so now you admit that it ain’t so easy. Sheesh. Perhaps a little less blathering on about “right to work” and a little more actual, you know, work is in order here? The advice isn’t wrong, governor.
* And since he chooses not to listen to that advice, he went on and on ad nauseum today about how private sector unions are dying on the vine and how bad public employee unions are, including their work rules…
“You can’t go to the bathroom on your own without getting ten approvals.”
* Meanwhile, from the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Illinois’ new governor faced a combative crowd in Normal where he presented some of his ideas to turn the state around. During his stop at the Normal City Council chambers for a town hall-style meeting, Governor Bruce Rauner heard from union labor and higher education protesters. The event featured some of Rauner’s ideas he shared with other groups, including right-to-work zones, lifting restrictions on prevailing wage and project labor agreements and other issues.
But, the format of the event allowed for feedback from the crowd. Previous visits around the state had the Governor presenting his ideas without the crowd offering questions or suggestions.
The governor was greeted by several audience members carrying signs that read, “Don’t Balance the Budget on My Back.” Rauner dismissed the protestors as A “special interest” seeking to derail his efforts to restructure state government.
But Local Catholic Priest Father Gregg Petri says concern over the governor’s proposals is widespread. “We are the people who make up this state. Ordinary people. We’re not a ‘block.’ We’re just people who care for those who are less fortunate and we want to make sure that they’re taken care of.”
Audience members also challenged Rauner’s proposal to cut some spending for higher education and permit counties to decide whether their teachers and other public employees are required to join unions.
* Rauner also got “mic checked” by an organized group of protesters. The silliness starts about the 45-second mark…
On Monday afternoon, POLITICO posed a lengthy set of questions about charging the government and his campaign tens of thousands of dollars in questionable mileage reimbursements.
“Today, I am announcing my resignation as a Member of the United States House of Representatives effective March 31,” Schock said in a statement. “I do this with a heavy heart. Serving the people of the 18th District is the highest and greatest honor I have had in my life. I thank them for their faith in electing me and letting me represent their interests in Washington. I have given them my all over the last six years. I have traveled to all corners of the District to meet with the people I’ve been fortunate to be able to call my friends and neighbors.”
“But the constant questions over the last six weeks have proven a great distraction that has made it too difficult for me to serve the people of the 18th District with the high standards that they deserve and which I have set for myself. I have always sought to do what’s best for my constituents and I thank them for the opportunity to serve,” he said in a statement.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Politico appears to have had him busted cold…
When Schock transferred the SUV to an Illinois dealership in 2014, it had 81,860 miles on the odometer, the documents show. However, between January 2010 and the end of July 2014, he billed the federal government for 123,131 miles driven in his personal vehicle. During the same time period, the Republican billed his “Schock for Congress” campaign account and GOP Generation Y Fund, his leadership political action committee, for another 49,388 miles.
Altogether, Schock sought reimbursement for 172,520 miles on his car, despite the fact that he signed documents that certified the vehicle traveled less than half that distance.
Schock had no other vehicles registered in his name at the time, according to state public records. Multiple sources familiar with his office operations say he only drove the Tahoe during this period.
In November 2009, less than a year after Schock took his seat in Congress, the lawmaker bought the 2010 Tahoe from Green Chevrolet in Peoria. The dealership is owned by Jeff Green, a contributor to Schock who has flown the congressman around his district in his airplane and helicopter.
…Adding… The next step is the governor sets a special election date. Recent specials via our friend Aviva Bowen…
IL-14 (Foster to replace Hastert); IL-Sen (Kirk to replace Obama, er, Burris); IL-5 (Quigley to replace Rahm); IL-2 (Kelly to replace Jackson Jr)
MORE: The governor has five days from the date of the vacancy to choose an election date. The general election has to be held within 115 days from the day the governor makes his decision. The primary can be held at any point in between. That’s up to the governor.
“With this decision, Rep. Schock has put the best interests of his constituents and the House first. I appreciate Aaron’s years of service, and I wish him well in the future,” Boehner said in a statement issued by his office.
Sen. Durbin…
“The allegations against Congressman Schock are serious, raising questions about his expenditure of official funds and campaign funds. His resignation came as a surprise and reflects the gravity of his situation.”
*** UPDATE 5 *** IL GOP Chairman Tim Schneider…
“Honesty and integrity are of utmost importance when serving the public. Today is an unfortunate day for the people of the 18th Congressional District, the State of Illinois, and the Illinois Republican Party.”
Schock did not inform any House leaders before making his decision.
The Office of Congressional Ethics is an outside panel that reviews ethics complaints against House members and makes recommendations to the House Ethics Committee.
A person who received a letter from the panel said the OCE was interested in conducting an interview and reviewing any relevant documents. At least two other Schock associates received similar letters, the person said. The Schock associate asked not to be identified because the ethics panel’s actions are confidential.
*** UPDATE 7 *** Senator Darin LaHood (R-Peoria)…
“It is a sudden development. It is clear to me Congressman Schock believes he is doing what is best for the people of the 18thDistrict at this time. We appreciate his efforts on behalf of our constituents and our communities.
“I will be evaluating the full impact of this decision in the next few days.”
*** UPDATE 8 *** U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis …
“Aaron is a friend and this is a sad day for the Illinois delegation but I know Congressman Schock is doing what he thinks is best for his constituents and I support his decision.” said Davis. “I have enjoyed serving with Aaron in Congress and will miss working with him on legislative issues important to Illinois.”
*** UPDATE 9 *** Congressman Adam Kinzinger…
“During my time in Congress, I have come to know and respect Aaron Schock’s dedication to serving his constituents, his tireless advocacy for our country’s future and the people in the 18th District. Aaron was constantly looking for ways to end partisan gridlock, never afraid to reach across the aisle to find real solutions for American families. I was saddened to learn of his resignation and wish him the best.”
The annual ritual of gauging casino prospects in Waukegan has taken on a different context with a new occupant in the Governor’s Mansion, and Mayor Wayne Motley told the City Council on Monday that he recently fielded an optimistic report from Bruce Rauner himself.
“I met with the governor on Friday,” Motley said, “and he’s not opposed to a casino in Waukegan.
“I suspect that if (a bill) doesn’t come out of the House this spring, it will come out in the veto session in November,” added Motley, expressing confidence the plan would include a Lake County location. […]
During the 2014 election cycle, Rauner offered mixed sentiments on gaming expansion, telling the Associated Press in a campaign interview that “I don’t gamble. I don’t like gambling. (It) can be an addictive thing and it can hurt families that can’t afford to be hurt.”
However, he added that “if voters and municipalities would like to see more gaming, I will be supportive of that. There’s a point at which you’re maximizing the revenue. … If you have a slot machine on every corner pretty soon there’s not as much revenue and the casinos aren’t making money, nobody’s profitable anymore and the system shrinks back down.”
The last time I checked, there had been zero behind the scenes movement on a casino. They have other big things on their plate right now.
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Our names are Eric and Evilyn Ramirez. We were excited for the birth of our first child; instead it turned into a nightmare. Our daughter, Dahlia, needed surgery a month after she was born. A surgery we were told was routine.
However, something went terribly wrong when the surgeons made the first cut. A preventable operating room “flash fire” set Dahlia’s body on fire. It burned our baby over 37 percent of her body with 2nd and 3rd degree burns. Her face was burned, and she lost part of her nose, fingertips and thumbs. Dahlia was without oxygen for at least 15 minutes, which triggered a cardiac emergency that left her brain-damaged and resulted in Dahlia suffering from cerebral palsy today.
If it weren’t for the civil justice system, we would not have had the resources to pay for Dahlia’s everyday care, therapies, specialized education and future surgeries that she needs to overcome her injuries as best she can. It will allow us to give Dahlia all the things she will need to live as close to a normal life as possible.
The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association fights to ensure all citizens get equal footing in the courtroom. To learn more about Dahlia, click here.
(T)he “public access counselor” in the attorney general’s office has yet to respond to more than 2,800 appeals of Freedom of Information Act requests for information that a government agency deemed secret, according to an analysis of records obtained by The Associated Press. That’s about one in five of all FOIA appeals submitted to the office since the law took effect in 2010.
While it means the office can claim more than 80 percent of its cases closed, the AP found that nearly 1,200 of the open cases have gone unanswered for at least two years.
Over 80 percent of the backlogged appeals were filed by private citizens, who might possibly be unwilling to settle. The AG’s office is being swamped with 349 appeals a month, way over the numbers from two years ago.
The bureau has 10 lawyers and is interviewing to hire as many as five more, but turnover is constant, [Ann Spillane, chief of staff to Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan] said. And because of the budget crisis, even with a growing backlog, Spillane said the attorney general will focus on preserving the current budget instead of asking for more. […]
When asked about it Friday, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner bemoaned the “inefficiency, lack of productivity, lack of effectiveness, high costs” he says envelop state government.
“We’ve got to change that culture and be more responsive,” Rauner said. “I look forward to investigating that and seeing what I can do to help fix that.”
One reason why the AG’s office has always had a high turnover rate is they don’t pay very well and they work their lawyers pretty hard. They recruit a lot of people out of law school and then they move on to better paying gigs.
I suppose the AG could try outsourcing this, but private attorneys ain’t cheap.
A shell company linked to embattled U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, paid a political donor $300,000 last year for a commercial property in Peoria then took out a $600,000 mortgage for the property from a local bank run by other donors, Illinois state and county records show. […]
According to tax and county land records obtained by the Peoria Journal Star and reviewed by the AP, a company managed by Schock paid $300,000 last May to buy a commercial property owned by Jeff Green, a wealthy Peoria car dealer who has contributed at least $12,000 to the Illinois Republican’s congressional campaigns and who still owns a larger land tract next to Schock’s. The lawmaker then signed a mortgage application with a local Peoria bank for $600,000 - twice the listed price of the property now owned by his Illinois company, Menards Peoria LLC. Its headquarters was listed as Schock’s home in Peoria.
Banks typically limit mortgage loans to less than the full value of a property. It was not immediately clear why Schock sought such a large loan, whether there were other components of the deal or how he was awarded a mortgage loan twice the size of his purchase price. Local records did not show the bank’s appraisal value for the property. […]
Schock has created several shell companies as vehicles for his real estate moves, but it was unclear why he used the name “Menard” in his purchase of the Peoria property from Green.
A commenter offered a possible reason for the shell company’s name yesterday…
A recorder search shows a $600,000 dollar mortgage in the Menards Peoria LLC name for the old lumber yard building behind the old Menards on Pioneer Parkway in Peoria. That building is owned by Jeff Green.
* And that isn’t the only connection to the car dealer. Green is the person who flew Schock around in his private plane. According to the Sun-Times, Schock paid Green’s dealership $73,896.96 for a new Chevy Tahoe last July and traded in his 2010 Chevrolet at the same time, which was a couple months after buying the land from Green.
I went to Chevy’s website today to “build my own” 2015 Tahoe. I added every option I could find and came up with an MSRP of $64,849.
Maybe I did something wrong. Maybe I skipped over an option. Maybe there were options available last July that aren’t available this year. Maybe there was a big price change. Maybe there were some extra dealer add-ons. Maybe I didn’t figure nearly enough state and local sales taxes. Maybe there was a separate payment for the trade-in. I dunno. You can try it yourself. It could very well be nothing at all…
Reached by telephone at his Peoria office, Green said: “Ninety percent of the stuff out there is just a lie.”
Either way, we’re not talking big bucks here. Obviously, the more interesting story is the original land price compared to the subsequent mortgage. It’s just an odd little thing.
As Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner tries to win approval for a state budget with severe spending cuts, Senate Democrats have emerged as the loudest opponents, holding news conferences and committee hearings to denounce the governor’s proposals as “unworkable” and “unconscionable.”
The latest front in that effort unfolded Monday, when lawmakers grilled Rauner’s newly appointed social services chief at a Chicago hearing packed with low-income parents, people with disabilities and senior citizens who said they rely on the services that Rauner plans to cut back.
One by one, the Democratic senators questioned Gregory Bassi, acting secretary of the Department of Human Services, which under Rauner’s proposed budget would lose an estimated $424 million come July 1.
“When you decide to cut a program (or) you decide to reduce funding, it’s one thing when you see it on paper,” Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Tinley Park, said as he capped off a tense back-and-forth with Bassi. “But when you look behind you and you come to the suburbs and you see what it’s like on the ground, you may think differently about these cuts.”
There is indeed, quite a bit of tension between Cullerton and Rauner behind the scenes.
* But that’s not the only tension. Check out this angle from the organization run by the governor’s wife…
Ireta Gasner, assistant director of Illinois policy for the Ounce of Prevention Fund, said Rauner’s budget “includes harmful and short-sighted changes.”
“The Early Intervention Toddlers program will continue to receive funding, but eligibility will be adjusted to prioritize the most vulnerable children.” [said a spokesperson for Gov. Rauner] […]
Gasner argued Monday the cuts to Early Intervention would affect 10,000 children — more than half of those in the program.
“And yet, these are the very children who actually can benefit the most when they get these services early,” Gasner said.
State Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) took the opportunity to blast former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn for spending “all of the money that the legislature appropriated before he left office,” adding that Quinn “spent a year’s worth of money the General Assembly gave him for child care in half the year.”
He stressed that Rauner has been working to resolve [the childcare program’s] funding shortfall, noting that, “To be perfectly clear, everybody in this room understands why this problem hasn’t been solved yet is because the Senate Democratic Caucus wants to leverage this issue and push this debt into next year — and they’re using you as political pawns in the process.”
“Somebody’s got to speak the truth in this room,” Murphy said, prompting the audience to boo him.
After the hearing, Appropriations Committee Chairwoman state Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) told reporters that it would likely be very difficult for Rauner’s budget, as proposed, to garner enough votes in both the House and Senate for passage.
Rauner’s fiscal blueprint, she said, does not “demonstrate that level of compassion that I know the governor has expressed concern about, and I suspect we’ll also want to try to achieve. I do think there is going to have to be a lot of working together to try to get to a budget that’s more reasonable.” […]
“I’m hoping that we’re actually going to have a fiscal year ‘15 fix … this week to actually look at so we can actually start having conversations about next year’s budget,” the senator said. “Right now, we’re really in the phase of meeting with every agency director to understand the consequences of the proposed budget. We haven’t even started those negotiations until we really finish the current fiscal year.”
State Sen. Karen McConnaughay (R-Saint Charles) said Rauner inherited a tough financial situation, and cuts of some kind will be needed.
“At the end of the day we all care about the people that we represent, and want to make sure that the people who need our help the most are the ones that we prioritize, so I’m optimistic. A difficult process, for sure; but I’m optimistic that we’re going to come together, and come up with some solutions,” she said.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering is jumping in the 10th Congressional District race for Congress, triggering a major 2016 Democratic primary brawl with former Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill.
“I’m definitely running,” Rotering told me in a phone interview on Monday. […]
Looking ahead to her congressional bid, Rotering said, “I believe that people will be excited when a woman runs.” […]
When it comes to name ID, Schneider is at 88 percent [according to a poll conducted for Schneider’s campaign], compared with Rotering at 25 percent. In a head-to-head, Schneider overwhelms Rotering at 56 percent to 12 percent.
Among the Democrats most likely to vote in a primary, Schneider gets 60 percent. The survey was of 430 likely Democratic voters in the 10th, conducted on March 11-12, with a margin of error of 4.7 percentage points.
In her announcement, Rotering seemed unmoved by the prospect of a primary.
“Exploring this Congressional run proved that my background, experience and energy are what the residents of the 10th District want and need,” Rotering said in a release. “I am running because of the strong support I have received within and outside of the District.”
But a primary could be problematic for Democrats.
This district, located in the Chicago media market, is one of the state’s most expensive. A contested primary could force Democrats to spend vital resources on each other, rather than on beating Dold, a top target in 2016.
Though the Republican won in 2014, this district historically leans Democratic in presidential years.
The primary also has the potential to pit two major Democratic groups against one another. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has been in talks with Schneider and often backs former members of Congress who are making comebacks, while Rotering has the type of profile that the deep-pocketed EMILY’s List looks for in a candidate.
* The NRCC reacts…
Hi There,
Pull up a chair and grab some popcorn. Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering just announced that she will be challenging DCCC favorite Brad Schneider for the Democratic nomination in IL-10 in what is sure to be a bloody primary.
Only minutes into the process, both sides are already sniping at each other, with Rotering dismissing “Washington friends of Brad” and Schneider releasing a poll showing him far ahead, for now.
The press is already outlining how this development hurts Democrats’ chances in the district, saying that a messy primary will “force Democrats to spend vital resources on each other” instead of the general election in the expensive Chicago media market. Rotering has gone so far as to dump $200k of her own money into the race, ensuring that this fight goes into the final rounds.
Rotering is also signaling that she will make gender an issue, saying she believes “that people will be excited when a woman runs.”
NRCC Comment: “Democrats are gearing up for a bloody primary in the 10th District, which will waste resources and undoubtedly hurt their chances in the general election. It’s time to sit back and grab some popcorn, because this primary is about to get ugly.” –NRCC Spokesman Zach Hunter
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The cable industry is asking lawmakers to place a NEW 5% tax on satellite TV service. The satellite tax is not about fairness, equity or parity – it’s a tax increase on the 1.3 million Illinois families and businesses who subscribe to satellite TV.
Satellite Tax Will Hurt Illinois Families and Small Businesses
• Satellite TV subscribers will see their monthly bills go up 5%.
• This tax will impact every bar, restaurant and hotel that subscribes to satellite TV service, which will translate into higher prices, decreased revenues, and fewer jobs.
• Rural Illinois has no choice: In many parts of Illinois, cable refuses to provide TV service to rural communities. Satellite TV is their only option.
Satellite Tax Is Not About Parity or Fairness
• Cable’s claim that this discriminatory tax is justified because satellite TV doesn’t pay local franchise fees could not be further from the truth. Cable pays those fees to local towns and cities in exchange for the right to bury cables in the public rights of way—a right that cable companies value in the tens of billions of dollars in their SEC filings.
• Satellite companies don’t pay franchise fees for one simple reason: We use satellites—unlike cable, we don’t need to dig up streets and sidewalks to deliver our TV service.
• Making satellite subscribers pay franchise fees—or, in this case, an equivalent amount in taxes—would be like taxing the air. It’s no different than making airline passengers pay a fee for laying railroad tracks. They don’t use; they shouldn’t have to pay for it.
It’s time for state lawmakers to put together another construction program, says Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago). He says it’s needed, but won’t be easy to accomplish.
“It’s really important, I’m supportive of it. It does require, though some tough votes. It’s not just spending money, it’s not just borrowing money without providing a way to pay off (the bonds), but it does create jobs and it keeps the money here in Illinois,” he said.
A revenue source other than the motor fuel tax must be found to pay for the program, because that tax is a per-gallon tax, and cars are more fuel efficient than they were decades ago, so the tax is producing less revenue, but the need for roads is the same, Cullerton said. […]
Cullerton says if there’s to be another construction program, it’ll require bipartisan votes, and it probably won’t be considered in Springfield until the state budget for this year and next is in clearer focus.
One of the options under consideration is using the sales tax on motorfuel to fund the capital program. The problem with that idea, of course, is that it blows yet another big hole in the state budget.
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
We depend on reliable, clean-air energy from nuclear facilities to power Illinois and drive our economy. But some of Illinois’ nuclear energy facilities are at risk of closing prematurely. Their closure could cost the state $1.8 billion in lost economic activity, nearly 8,000 highly skilled jobs, wholesale price increases of almost 10 percent, or $437 million, for ComEd customers, and significant increases in carbon and other pollutants, according to a State of Illinois report from January 2015. In fact, the cost to Illinois of allowing nuclear plants to prematurely retire are as much as 12 times greater than the actual cost of the LCPS, when fully considering increased wholesale power prices, transmission costs, adverse economic impacts, and adverse environmental impacts, according to the report.
The Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (LCPS) is a market-based approach that would preserve the state’s existing low carbon energy sources (including nuclear power), incent the addition of more renewables, and advance Illinois’ position as the nation’s clean-air energy leader.
Currently, not all low-carbon sources of energy in Illinois are valued for the clean air benefits they provide. In particular, Illinois’ nuclear facilities have been overlooked, despite providing 90 percent of our state’s carbon-free power. The LCPS would correct this flaw in Illinois’ energy policy.
Members of the General Assembly: Support the Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard and Include Zero Carbon, Reliable Nuclear Energy In Illinois’ Energy Future.
Rep. Aaron Schock owns what appears to be a fairly accurate replica of “The Falcon” — the internal White House nickname for one of President Obama’s official podiums — and based on photos, uses it at times when speaking in his Peoria, Illinois, district.
USA Today reported last month that Schock spent $79,061 in federal money on furniture in 2009, and $5,123 of that went to Mulnix Industries, a firm that makes custom furniture for public speaking in a town 40 miles outside of Jefferson City, Missouri. Page 2563 of the 2010 Statement of Disbursements of the House of Representatives shows the outlay to Mulnix, but it doesn’t say exactly what the money purchased.
Schock’s office did not respond to USA Today about the expenditures. But multiple photos of Schock back home in his district — including this one taken March 6 by an AP photographer — show him standing behind The Presidential, a discontinued Mulnix model still listed in the company’s online catalog of “Standing Podiums.”
In an interview, Mulnix General Manager Phil Crane said it was “very likely” he sold a Presidential to Schock, though he said he’d have to laboriously go through old records to be sure. The model was pretty popular when Mulnix made it — the company sent four to the U.S. Consulate in Pretoria, South Africa — and Crane said it sold for “somewhere around” $5,000 a piece.
After Rep. Aaron Schock R-Ill., dipped into a campaign fund to pay $73,896.96 for a Chevrolet Tahoe and put the SUV in his name, he later charged taxpayers for mileage, the Sun-Times has learned.
According to the latest House disbursement records, Schock was reimbursed $1,218 for what is listed in House records as “private mileage” between last Sept. 1 and Oct. 1. The money came from Schock’s taxpayer-funded House member allowance.
The car is registered to the Peoria lawmaker, according to Illinois Secretary of State vehicle records, obtained by the Sun-Times through a Freedom of Information Act request. […]
The House Ethics Manual does not appear to address the issue of charging taxpayers for mileage when a campaign-purchased vehicle registered in the name of the lawmaker is used for official House purposes.
As long as those expenses were legit, no likely problem.
However, when a member drives a vehicle paid for from campaign funds for personal purposes, the House Ethics Manual notes that Federal Election Commission regulations call for reimbursement to be made within 30 days from personal funds.
In the wake of stories raising questions about Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., spending of taxpayer and campaign money, the Office of Congressional Ethics has begun to make inquiries, the Sun-Times has learned.
A spokesman for the OCE told the Sun-Times on Monday morning the organization will decline to comment on any Schock probe. The OCE can independently open investigations and does not need to be asked by a person or any entity to launch a probe.
A Schock spokesman so far has not responded to questions about the OCE. Under OCE rules, a subject of an investigation does get notified.
The OCE is an independent, non-partisan organization which reviews allegations of misconduct against House members. The OCE has no power to sanction a member and after its investigations refers matters to the House Committee on Ethics, which then continues with its own probe.
Ogden & Fry conducted two polls for the Chicago Mayoral runoff contest. A 1-question poll with 920 respondents was run on Friday, March 13, 2015 without “undecided” as an option. The usual weekly 1-question poll was conducted on Saturday, March 14, 2015 with 957 respondents. Respondents were selected by random sampling of likely voters.
Despite an impressive roll-out of high-profile endorsements for Garcia, Emanuel has opened a lead on Garcia. Emanuel’s financial advantage is starting to have an effect with his TV commercials.
Conventional wisdom is that undecideds usually do not break for a well-known incumbent. Garcia seems to hold around a 6% (53%-47%) advantage with the undecided voters at this point.
Garcia got a nice bounce out of the first round. He was a fresh face and Emanuel clearly underperformed. But Garcia needed to sustain that bounce and build on it. So far, at least, he appears to be stalling out.
Illinois requires doctors, lawyers, beauticians, teachers and judges to keep their occupational knowledge up to date. But the men and women who make our laws and ordinances aren’t required to know anything at all.
State Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, wants to do something about that by requiring state legislators, aldermen and county board members to take economics courses after they win elections.
* The Question: If you had your druthers, what other areas of study would be required of newly elected legislators? Please explain your response. Thanks.
Illinois is on track to join nearly two dozen other states that forgo citations for underage drinkers who call 911 to get medical help for those who have had too much to drink.
Proponents say the measure, which passed the Illinois House this month and was recently introduced in the Senate, would help remove the fear of legal trouble that prevents teens from calling for help for a friend who has passed out after drinking too much. The state enacted similar legislation several years ago for drug overdoses after a spate of heroin-related deaths.
State Rep. Scott Drury, D-Highwood, said the law would not give all underage drinkers a pass but would help minors in dire need of medical attention get help. Drury relayed a story about parents in his district who said their teenager needed medical attention after drinking too much.
“People were reluctant to call for help, but someone did. And then both the teenager and the friend who called ended up getting a citation for the situation,” Drury said. “The parents felt that was wrong, because we ought to be trying to protect kids rather than deter them from seeking medical help.”
* In other “It’s just a bill” news, this Illinois Policy Institute story leaves out a key fact…
A suburban legislator has softened his proposal to end a partial tuition waiver for the children of state university personnel, but influential unions remain opposed.
State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Oswego, is the sponsor of House Bill 403, which would end the 50-percent tuition waiver for children of university employees with seven or more years of service.
Franks this week amended his bill to delay elimination of the waiver until after the 2015-16 academic year and to allow students who now have a waiver to keep it until they graduate or have received the waiver for four years.
University Professionals of Illinois and the Illinois Federation of Teachers are among those who oppose the measure, and Franks said he understands their position.
“They’re opinion is that this this is something they bargained for, this is something they worked for, and this is something they should be able to keep,” Franks said.
“And they make a strong argument, certainly, but it’s a different world than what we had just a few years ago, with the governor now talking about cutting almost $400 million from higher education.”
One difference between Franks and the UPI is whether the estimated $10 million cost is a “real” expense or “hard” cost, as the state does not reimburse the universities for the waivers.
Unions aren’t the only opponents. The U of I and other universities are also opposed, believing the benefit helps recruitment and retention efforts. With budget cuts, pension reforms, etc. all being bandied about, the schools will struggle to attract and hold people.
The powers of an Illinois governor aren’t unlimited, but they’re pretty darned strong.
The governor can use a veto to rewrite legislation and reduce or eliminate individual legislative appropriations. The governor can issue executive orders, although that power is somewhat limited.
The governor also has more than 2,000 jobs and untold numbers of contracts that can be handed out to friendlies, and he or she can refuse to spend money on many grants, programs and projects to put pressure on unfriendlies.
It doesn’t take a political science degree to comprehend that all those jobs, contracts and spending powers can be a real boon to the governor’s political party. Just look at what happened to the Illinois Republican Party after the Democrats took over in 2003.
After controlling the governor’s office for 22 straight years, the once-mighty Republican Party’s infrastructure collapsed when George Ryan’s single term ended. The GOP built its power in Illinois almost solely with state resources, and when those dried up, the party’s organization imploded.
Because of rich patronage and contracting opportunities in Chicago and Cook County, the Democrats aren’t solely reliant on the state to fuel their organization. So the party’s recent descent into opposition won’t be as disastrous for them as it was to the Republicans.
Even so, the Democrats have reason to worry. They won’t soon lose their legislative majorities, but a Republican governor can help make their lives much more difficult.
For the first time ever, Cook County is sending a bill to the State of Illinois for the cost of holding state wards left waiting at the juvenile jail by the Department of Children and Family Services. […]
It comes after a recent WBEZ investigation found that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) routinely leaves hundreds of kids stuck behind bars for weeks, or even months, after a judge has said they can go home. Because they are wards of the state, the kids can’t leave the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center until the department finds them proper placement. […]
The invoice being sent to DCFS covers just two months—December and January—and it comes to $232,750.
The invoice is for 41 DCFS wards who spent a combined 665 days in jail after a judge told them they were free to go. […]
Let’s hope Gov. Rauner’s new director can fix this inherited mess. His predecessors should be ashamed of themselves.
* Speaking of incarceration and impacts on the state budget, this is from a Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities press release sent a few weeks ago…
Governor Bruce Rauner’s $27 million cuts to drug treatment services undermine the very criminal justice reforms that he has been publicly championing.
Criminal justice reforms and cost savings simply cannot happen without drug treatment and coordinated case management upon which Illinois courts rely.
Last year alone, working with judges and community-based treatment providers, TASC diverted 2,080 people from prison and immediately saved Illinois $35 million. Under the governor’s proposed budget for next year, millions of those savings would be wiped out.
* I followed up and asked for more details, but my e-mail has been a bit screwy lately. I finally found the source of the problem yesterday, so a ton of unsent e-mails were finally released from purgatory. Turns out, a whole lot of Mac users are having the same problem.
Anyway, TASC responded today…
Rich,
Thanks for reaching out. For the cost savings, we calculate the cost of TASC and treatment (both funded by DASA) vs. the cost of incarceration in IDOC. In FY14, 2,080 people were mandated to TASC as an alternative to prison — these were individuals with non-violent felony offenses that otherwise would result in a sentence to IDOC (usually about 12-18 months).
Cost of one year of prison for 2,080 people: 2,080 x 21,000 (IDOC average annual incarceration cost) = $43,680,000
Alternatively, average cost of TASC plus DASA-funded treatment: 2,080 x $4,200 (DASA average cost of treatment plus TASC internal average of client served) = $8,736,000
Difference to the state: $43,680,000 - $8,736,000 = $34,944,000
Our cost savings estimate is conservative. We used the IDOC average per capita cost from the IDOC FY13 annual report (p. 64), which is the most recent available.. If we calculate the cost of IDOC at $22,655, as per IDOC’s Financial Impact Statement, the cost savings of alternatives to incarceration are even greater.
*** UPDATE *** Steve Schnorf makes a very valid point in comments…
So each time the IDOC prisoner census increases by one, the GA convenes and approps an additional $21,000, and each time a prisoner is released or dies, the approp goes down by $21,000. Those sorts of analyses are worth about the cost of the paper they’re written on. Unfortunately, they are frequently used to justify this program or that.
When one future incarceree is diverted the savings are so infinitesimal as to be calculable. When several or many are diverted the savings are still quite small. Only when you reduce the census enough to close a unit (if we are fortunate enough that they all are of the same approximate classification, etc) would you begin to see savings of close to half of $21,000 per avoided inmate, and only when you have the right number and mix that you can close a whole prison if you can get rid of the prison) do you get up closer to $20,000.
These sorts of programs should be justified primarily on their intrinsic programmatic values, not on some cooked up savings numbers.
A budget shortfall in the program that helps juvenile offenders re-enter the community is the latest addition to Illinois’ list of urgent financial troubles.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office says the money the state needs to run the Department of Juvenile Justice’s Aftercare program will run out at the end of March. The program helps youth find jobs and housing after being released from a facility.
The agency’s spokeswoman, Veronica Vera, says layoffs at youth centers including the ones in St. Charles and Warrenville aren’t in the works and Rauner’s administration hopes to shift money around to avoid an interruption in the program. […]
Rauner and top Democrats are working on a plan that would let the new governor move money around to try to plug some of those holes. A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan said a vote could come [this] week, but nothing is finalized.
It’s possible that we’ll see a vote this week. Subscribers know more about the why and the what.
Rauner said he is frustrated by how slowly Springfield is moving to address the deficit.
“I went to the legislature and said we better reallocate immediately money from non-essential buckets into essential buckets like court reporting and day care,” Rauner said. “The legislature agreed with me but the process has taken five or six weeks.” […]
“What I’m saying is, ‘Guys, let’s get it done,’” Rauner said. “If we sat in a room, we would have had it done in a few days. But I think they are close, they are in their caucuses arguing it through, and I am pushing them to get it done as fast as they can.”
“Many state programs are running out of money because majority party legislators knowingly voted for a budget that intentionally left our state with a $1.6 billion hole. The child care assistance program is already out of state money and state prisons soon won’t have funds to make payroll,” the statement said.
“As a result, the governor’s budget office is taking actions necessary to address the fiscal crisis that the governor inherited. GOMB (Governor’s Office of Management and Budget) has asked all affected communities to hold on construction and stop incurring costs if construction has started.”
Buried deep within Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget plan for next fiscal year is yet another claimed “savings” which may not actually save any money, and could easily wind up costing the state more.
The governor proposes to save a whopping $108 million by discontinuing child care services provided by relatives in the child’s or relative’s home.
At first glance, that cut might look prudent. Why should the state pay grandma to baby-sit her own grandkid? Is that some sort of scam? Go to any right-wing blog and you’ll occasionally see stories bashing this whole idea.
But, in reality, by pulling those payments, which are designed to help low-income parents go to school and work their way out of poverty, “grandma” could lose her income and may very well have to find a different part-time job, meaning the parent then has to search for another provider and the state saves no money.
And because relatives who provide child care are exempt from all state licensing requirements, that child could end up at a licensed day care provider, which costs the state a whole lot more money.
It’s simple math. The rate the state pays for relative care, care in the child’s home and for license exempt day care homes is $16.22 per day.
But the rates paid for licensed day care centers varies from $33.53 per day in parts of Downstate to $46.49 per day in Chicago and the collar counties. So, we’re talking about the potential of almost tripling the price per child in the region where most people live.
Licensed exempt day care centers and licensed day care homes are cheaper, but they’re still substantially more expensive than relative care, ranging from $29.20 per day in parts of Downstate all the way up to $40.50 in Chicago and the suburbs.
And even if the state ends up paying for non-relative care in the kids’ own homes or at a license-exempt home day care provider, it costs the state the exact same money as it’s paying now. So why even bother with this?
“Simply by eliminating one class of care, we don’t necessarily eliminate those children from the system,” explained Megan Meyer, spokesperson for the Ounce of Prevention Fund, which just happens to be run by the governor’s wife. “Some families certainly may opt out, but others may choose licensed home or center-based care, all of which are more expensive.”
Emily Miller with Voices For Illinois Children was far more blunt. “Obviously I can’t speak for the governor, but perhaps the governor thinks that someone else – like a child care [provider] – won’t care for the kid, and the current child care provider will just continue to do it and not get paid. I don’t see why that would happen. But there are a lot of magic assumptions in this budget.”
Yes, there are a whole lot of “magic assumptions” in the governor’s budget proposal. The thing is chock full of wishful thinking, like the $2.2 billion savings from a pension reform plan which must be implemented by this coming July 1st, but also can’t be halted by a lawsuit, which is so unlikely there aren’t enough decimal point zeroes in the world to give you the percentages of success. It’s simply an impossible fairy tale.
Now, it’s true that some relatives might very well volunteer to take care of the kids for free. That would be a great thing for the state, which wouldn’t have to pick up the tab. But we’re talking about economically distressed parents here, and they tend to come from poor families. So, while some money could be saved, it most certainly won’t be $108 million.
The governor’s proposal, by the way, would also phase out child care subsidies for kids six and older.
“Over time, the total number of children who would lose access is about 65,000,” said Miller of Voices for Children. “That’s how many kids there are age 6-12 who are currently enrolled. It’s over time because children over 5 who are already enrolled will continue to be as long as they remain enrolled.”
Whatever you think about that proposed cut, at least that will produce the savings intended, as well as more future savings as it’s phased in. So kudos for accuracy. Maybe not so much for humanity.
I asked the governor’s press office for comment on all of these issues, but never heard back.
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) will appear on a millennial panel at SXSW in Austin this weekend. It’s called: “Millennials: The Unstoppable Force.” […]
Generation Opportunity is proud to have him on board.
“GenOpp is proud to facilitate a meaningful conversation with Millennial leaders on both sides of the aisle at this year’s South by Southwest Festival,” said GenOpp President Evan Feinberg in a statement released Friday. “Whether it’s jobs, healthcare, or criminal justice, our generation is interested in solving issues – and we’re excited to engage in a discussion with members of both parties on the policies that set us up for the best future possible.”
“Representative Schock’s office has informed us that he will no longer be participating in the panel,” David Pasch, a spokesman for Generation Opportunity, whose president is moderating the panel, told The Hill.
Schock’s staff has refused to respond to, or even acknowledge, days of repeated inquiries from NBC5 Investigates, about an entity known as Menards Peoria LLC, which was organized last April.
Incorporation papers filed with the Illinois Secretary of State list Schock as the “manager” of the company, which is headquartered in his Peoria home.
In those documents, the company’s purpose is listed simply as, “The transaction of any or all lawful business for which Limited Liability Companies may be organized under this act.”
Repeated calls to Schock’s Capitol office, and each of his district offices in Springfield, Peoria, and Jacksonville, yielded no answers. Staffers refused to divulge the Peoria Republican’s public schedule, referring all inquiries to his press spokesman, who did not reply to calls or emails seeking information.
* Kurt Erickson writes about a meeting between some Downstate lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner last week…
According to accounts from Democratic lawmakers who met privately with the Republican businessman, the governor suggested that if his policies are adopted by the Legislature, union membership will be eliminated in Illinois within the next four years. […]
During last week’s meeting with lawmakers, Rauner was told that he is wasting a lot of time and energy on an issue that likely isn’t going to go anywhere. Democrats, after all, still control the General Assembly. […]
“We ought to be talking more about the budget. Instead of traveling around, he ought to be meeting with people about the budget,” said state Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville.
State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, also was in the meeting when Rauner predicted the eventual eradication of union membership in Illinois. He also said Rauner needs to focus on the state’s budget problems. […]
“Actions speak louder than words. His actions have indicated that he’s not pro-union,” Sullivan said. “I came away from the meeting believing that he believes in what he’s saying.”
*** UPDATE *** An administration source with knowledge of the meeting pushed back hard…
He never said that. It is 100% false.
I talked to a Senator who was at the meeting. “Did Rauner really say union membership would be eliminated in four years?” His response, via text…
SENATOR: Not exactly, he said it has gone from a high of 30 to 40% down to 6% currently and soon it will be zero. At least that’s how I recall the conversation going.
ME: Ok.
SENATOR: We came to talk about the budget, he spent 90% of the time talking to someone who has a 100% labor voting record about how bad labor is.
ME: So he was saying u were on the wrong side of history?
SENATOR: Lol. Yes. This is what’s amazing about this to me: there is nothing he’s going to say to me or do to me that is going to change my mind about collective bargaining and the rights of workers.
Somebody in that shop has to start realizing that’s the sentiment of a whole lot of legislators. D’s and R’s both.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* It’s little wonder why he he was booed at the South Side Irish Parade yesterday…
Union ties are strong in the Morgan Park and Beverly neighborhoods, where the parade ran down Western Avenue — and this year, it featured at least eight union floats and the Irish-American Labor Council, a committee of the AFL-CIO, as its grand marshal.
Rauner, who has made creation of union-weakening “right to work” zones in specific parts of the state a priority in his first few months in office, waved with a smile as people standing on the curb shouted, “No right to work!” and “You’re no good!”
At one point, Rauner picked up the pace to a jog — and yells of “Keep running!” followed.
Brendan Nolan, a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399, clapped as people nearby booed the governor.
Asked about the booing, Catherine Kelly, a spokeswoman for Rauner said in an emailed statement: “While the protectors of the failed status quo will always make noise, Bruce heard from more people this weekend expressing support for his empowerment agenda.”
…Adding… A friend who was at the parade (I didn’t make it this year) sent me an e-mail today with the subject line “Rauner booed”…
Was he ever - sometimes it was union guys following him around shouting “No right to work!” Other times it was just spontaneous booing — near constant the two times I passed him. It was painful watching him walk up to groups of people trying to get them to shake hands. People are polite so sometimes they would, but so many people just looked away and tried to avoid eye contact.
There was most definitely an organized response to Rauner, but that part of the world has a whole lot of union members in it. So, much of the booing was quite spontaneous, according to other friends who were there.
* I’ve been getting some “complaints” lately that I haven’t posted any Oscar the Puppy pics. So, here he is being cool with his shades and shaking hands…
* And if you don’t like this one, well I can’t ever help you. Here’s Taj Mahal rehearsing back stage with the Tedeschi Trucks Band and Jerry Douglas…
Chief Justice Rita B. Garman and the Illinois Supreme Court have scheduled a special evening session of oral argument on Tuesday, March 17, and have invited Gov. Bruce Rauner and the entire Illinois legislature to observe the Court in session.
It is uncertain when an evening session was last held in the Illinois Supreme Court Building, but it is believed to have been more than a century ago.
The Court will hear oral arguments in a case involving an amendment passed by the legislature to the Illinois Juvenile Court Act. A portion of the amendment was ruled unconstitutional by a Circuit Court and the case is on direct appeal to the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Garman explained that the special evening session is an opportunity for members of the General Assembly to observe first-hand the interaction of the functions of the three branches of government and the operation of the checks and balances essential to our system.
“The case involves an amendment that was debated and passed by the legislature, signed by the Governor, applied by the State in an individual case, challenged by a defendant, and declared un- constitutional by the Circuit Court,” said Chief Justice Garman. “It affords a window into how our constitutional system operates and the balance among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.”
The case is People v. Richardson. It involves a defendant who was 17 years old when he allegedly committed the offenses charged. At the time, the Juvenile Court Act applied only to minors under the age of 17, making him ineligible for juvenile court. After the crimes were committed, but before Richardson was to be tried, the legislature amended the Act to raise the age limit for juvenile felony proceedings to 18. The amendment expressly provides that it is to be applied only to offenses committed on or after its effective date. The Circuit Court of DuPage County ruled that it would violate the constitutional guarantee of equal protection if the defendant were not given the benefit of the amendment.
“The State will be represented by an attorney from the Office of the Attorney General, and the defendant will be represented by the Office of the State Appellate Defender,” Chief Justice Garman noted in her letter to the governor, legislative leaders, and members of the Senate and House. “Thus, you will have the opportunity not only to see the Court at work, but also to observe these valuable public employees performing their vital functions on behalf of the people of the State of Illinois.”
I’m not sure how many legislators are gonna show. The Sullivan Caucus and the Black Caucus both have huge events that night. And Gov. Rauner has committed to attending the Sullivan Caucus event.
* The Question: Should the Democrats wait for Gov. Rauner to propose a revenue increase, or should they do it themselves, or should they work with him behind the scenes and make a joint announcement, or should they forget about new revenues entirely?
Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner fired the first shot across the bow last month against the public sector labor unions by ordering an end to a requirement that workers pay dues even if they decide not to join a union.
“These forced union dues are a critical cog in the corrupt bargaining that is crushing taxpayers,” Rauner said, adding that forcing non-union employees to pay union dues requires them to fund political activity they don’t agree with.”
But local union reaction suggests the executive order may have the opposite effect. […]
“We had approximately 8 to 12 fair-share members that this would have affected,” [local AFSCME Steward Bryon Steadman] said. “Ironically, after these members saw what the governor was attempting to do they decided to become full-share members. Our local now has 100 percent full membership, something I’ve never seen before at our facility.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan arrived at a South Side elementary school Thursday morning for an event — but his driver took a wrong turn down a dead-end alley, and Duncan was forced to walk half a block to the school amid protesters who’d been waiting for him to complain about standardized testing.
About 50 parents and children stood outside Ariel Community Academy so they could deliver their message to him about their opposition to the PARCC test. They chased his black SUV when it turned short of the school into an alley.
Why is his U.S. Department of Education forcing a controversial standardized test — one many parents don’t want and that Mayor Rahm Emanuel has argued is “not ready” for prime time — down the throats Chicago Public Schools?
“I’m not,” Duncan said. “The state works it out without Chicago. . . . That’s the state’s decision.”
But isn’t the mandate being dictated by the federal government? Isn’t that what’s behind the threat to withhold $1 billion in funding that forced Chicago’s hand?
“No. You’re wrong. . . . You’re making stuff up. You don’t have your facts straight,” Duncan said.
* From a letter written by an Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Education to the the State Board of Education inquiring about its options in dealing with Chicago’s refusal…
Dear Superintendent Koch:
This letter is in response to your November 25, 2014 letter to Secretary Arne Duncan, regarding various inquiries that have arisen in Illinois about the requirements for State assessments under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) and, concomitantly, ESEA flexibility. Your letter was referred to the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and I am pleased to respond on behalf of Secretary Duncan. […]
Below, I have responded to each of the questions for which you have asked ED to confirm the Illinois State Board of Education’s ( ISBE’s) interpretation of certain provisions of Section 1111(b)(3), providing the statutory and regulatory citations, as applicable, and noting any differences between the statutory and regulatory requirements of the ESEA and ESEA flexibility.
1. Please confirm that, under the ESEA, a local educational agency (LEA) is not allowed to “take a year off” from assessing students.
The ISBE’s interpretation is correct. […]
2. Please confirm that it would be inconsistent with ESEA requirements for a State to offer “a menu of assessments” from which local school districts could select to administer to students.
Patrick and Megan Esselman are thriving now. They’re two of Kerry Esselman’s three children who’ve taken part in the state’s Early Intervention program, which screens children under the age of the 3 for many developmental delays and then provides therapy. […]
Patrick is proof, [her mom] says. As a toddler, he couldn’t sit up and he was non-verbal, Kerry Esselman says.
More than 20,000 Illinois one- and two-year-olds were helped by the program last year alone. But now Rauner wants to change requirements, making it more difficult for toddlers with lesser delays to get help.
Advocates say the change would also cut 10,000 children, like Megan, from the program now.
A Rauner spokesperson says the governor had to make some difficult decisions to close a $6 billion budget hole. “Eligibility will be adjusted to prioritize the most vulnerable children,” the spokesperson said.
Friday, Mar 13, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Recently, ads on Capitol Fax have distorted the facts about the Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (LCPS) (HB 3293/SB 1585). Let’s set the record straight.
Myth: “This is just a bailout for Exelon.” Fact: The opposite is true. The LCPS is a technology-neutral policy that rewards all low carbon resources equally within a competitive market framework. The LCPS is one of the market-based solutions identified in the HR 1146 Report issued by the State of Illinois to position Illinois to meet future energy and environmental goals, which includes preventing the early retirement of certain Illinois nuclear plants that would result in much greater costs and risks to Illinois.
Myth: “This LCPS will cost consumers $1.5 billion. Just let the nuclear plants close.” Fact: The LCPS includes consumer protections that limit the consumer impact to about $2 per month for the average Illinois residential electricity customer (the consumer protections apply to all customers). The cost to Illinois of allowing nuclear plants to prematurely retire are as much as 12 times greater than the actual cost of the LCPS, when fully considering increased wholesale power prices, transmission costs, adverse economic impacts, and adverse environmental impacts. (Source: HR 1146 Agency Report)
Myth: “The LCPS does not benefit Illinois in any way.” Fact: The LCPS will protect thousands of Illinois jobs, prevent economic destruction of Illinois communities, and make the state an environmental leader.
Members of the General Assembly: Support the Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard and Include Zero Carbon, Reliable Nuclear Energy In Illinois’ Energy Future.
* From Rahn Emanuel campaign spokesman Steve Mayberry…
“After four months of studying for the final exam, Chuy Garcia is telling Chicago voters he will hand in his homework after graduation. Today’s stonewalling says zero about what Chuy would do to fund pensions and the budget, or where he would find new revenue. Chicagoans demand an honest framework to balance budgets and secure our workers’ pensions, not an empty promise to appoint a commission on April 8. Chicagoans want a mayor who leads through us through tough times, not a politician who promises $1.9 billion in big spending and big borrowing but hides how will sock it to taxpayers later.”
* The Emanuel campaign also sent this today…
Mayor Emanuel Lays Out Fiscal Framework
Rahm’s plan follows the reform and revenue roadmap that helped balance last four city budgets and led to three landmark pension deals
Chicago – As the public waits anxiously for Chuy Garcia’s much-hyped plan to pay for more than $1.5 billion in new spending promises while balancing the budget’s $350 million deficit, Mayor Rahm Emanuel today outlined his framework to continue on the progress of the last four years.
“Chicago has come a far way in four short years, and now is not the time to risk that progress on empty promises. My budget and pension framework builds on our accomplishments of the last four years – four balanced budgets and three pension agreements with organized labor,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “Chicagoans have a clear choice: our honest budget that couples reform with revenue and creates a strong climate for job growth, or Chuy’s promise to take us backward with $2 billion in promises that would wreck our finances, hike property taxes or force drastic cuts.”
But go check out the actual “plan.” It’s almost laughable. There are a few small doable things, but for the most part it’s a bunch of pie in the sky stuff or “stay the course” rhetoric.
State utility regulators moved today to open a new investigation into Peoples Gas’ massive and troubled gas-main replacement program in Chicago. […]
A pair of letters to the ICC last month from anonymous whistleblowers alleged that Peoples is badly mismanaging the program. That prompted the commission to open the special probe.
“We’re pleased they’re ordering the investigation,” said David Kolata, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board in Chicago. “These are very serious allegations. We are concerned that perhaps a dual track has been set (to consider the merger and conduct the investigation separately). We think they are inextricably tied.” […]
[Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s] office has estimated that the average Chicago household’s base gas rates will double over the coming decade if Peoples’ program continues on its present course.
A decade ago, Peoples Gas stood accused of ripping off Chicagoans under an arrangement with Enron to profit on cheap natural gas in storage that ratepayers had previously financed.
At the center of that scandal—which ended up costing the utility $100 million in customer rebates under a settlement with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and others—was an executive named Bill Morrow.
Morrow, then a vice president with Peoples, negotiated Peoples’ arrangement with Enron, the Illinois Commerce Commission determined. Enron, the Houston-based energy trading giant, later collapsed in disgrace following revelations of deceptive accounting and manipulation of energy markets that helped cause extensive power blackouts in California. The mishandling of Enron’s accounting eventually led to the fall of its auditor, Chicago-based Arthur Andersen, and sent Enron’s CEO, Jeffrey Skilling, to prison in 2006.
At its heart, Peoples’ deal with Enron in the early 2000s was a “shell game” that allowed Peoples’ parent company at the time to profit “at consumers’ expense,” the commission found in its final order in March 2006.
Fast forward to today. Peoples Gas again is under fire, this time for its management of a massive program to replace 2,000 miles of aging underground gas mains in Chicago. A project that Peoples parent Integrys Energy Group said in 2009 would cost $2.2 billion over 20 years now is estimated to cost $4.6 billion, according to the Attorney General’s interpretation of information provided by Peoples. […]
And the man who’s been in charge of the gas-main program since its inception in 2009? Bill Morrow.
A bill that would have taken legal notices out of the newspaper will not be making its way to the House floor.
Rep. Joe Sosnowski’s House Bill 261 would eliminate the requirement for local governments to post public notices in local newspapers. Instead, it would require governments to post notices only on their websites.
The bill failed in committee Thursday by a 5-6 vote. […]
“This was an initial litmus test at the committee level,” he said. “I think, generally, the committee was open to the legislation. We’ve just got some fine-tuning to do.”
All legislators have community newspapers in their districts. And all Downstate and suburban legislators have local newspapers which publish these required notices for a hefty fee. And pretty much all community newspapers have been struggling financially for years. Every dollar helps. And, not all, but just about all those newspapers are generally friendly toward their legislators, regularly publishing their press releases, having them over for lunch with the publisher, etc.
Dinging those papers could very well be the right fiscal move in trying times, but it’s dangerous politics…
Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson, said some of his constituents do not have access to the Web and rely on printed newspapers for their information. He voted for the bill on the condition that Sosnowski work with the Illinois Press Association and others to reach a compromise on how to reach individuals without computers or Internet access.
Heading into an expensive re-election campaign, Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., is cranking up his fundraising, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned, with Gov. Bruce Rauner ready to unleash his network of super wealthy donors to help Kirk win a second term.
“Got to make sure you are long and you are strong,” Kirk told me on Thursday. He said his next fundraising report will show contributions of $612,000 in the last few months for his 2016 race.
* The Illinois Policy Institute’s Kristina Rasmussen has an SJ-R op-ed…
To hear critics of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget proposal, you’d think he wants women to die from cancer, kids to wander in the streets and the poor to freeze in their homes. […]
Despite the claims of the so-called “Responsible Budget Coalition” – which tweeted Feb. 27 that “Rauner child care budget cuts mean 6-year-olds will have to take are of themselves” – the budget called for a current-year supplemental appropriation of $278 million for child care services to make up for the deliberate underfunding enacted by former Gov. Pat Quinn and the General Assembly last spring.
But instead, we see headlines such as “Rauner wants to seize utility funds for the poor to help balance budget.” Never mind that 263,000 Illinois households are still in line to receive heating assistance in the coming year.
Yes, the governor is taking the heat for eliminating numerous programs, but the reality is many of these initiatives had been funded last year by Quinn at a perfunctory amount of $1. It doesn’t compute that the guy who funded “homeless education” at $1 somehow is a saint, but the man who moves it to $0 is an ogre. […]
Contrary to the impression left by doomsayers, most core government services will be more than adequately funded under Rauner’s budget proposal. The lights will not go off at the Stratton Building. People still will get help. Pension checks still will be cut. Even the politicians at the Statehouse would have a hard time spending $31.5 billion without covering the basics.
Yes, poor people. Look on the bright side. Rauner’s budget would, indeed, eliminate all future child care assistance for any child 6 and over, but let’s brush right past that cold, hard fact and look at the child care that he still wants to fund! All is well! Facts are sooooo inconvenient!
And while heating assistance - paid for with a surcharge on every Illinois residents’ utility bills - is being cut in half, the federal government is still picking up the other half. Bright side, people! Bright side! And if you’re a motorcycle rider, your education funding - like LIHEAP, paid for by motorcycle riders - is actually being increased! So, buy a Harley Davidson, poor people! Pull yourself up by your Durango boot straps, already! Maybe the governor will even let you ride with him. Ever think of that? Then you can talk to him about cutting your 6-year-old off of childcare assistance. Brilliant!
And, yes, Pat Quinn is most definitely a “saint.” Yep. Everyone agrees on that, which is why he won reelection last year, right?
State grants that aren’t eligible for federal matching dollars through the Medicaid program have been especially vulnerable to potential cuts in recent years as Illinois struggled through a recession and bumpy recovery, said Tony Paulauski, executive director of the Frankfort-based Arc of Illinois.
A $482,000 state grant on the chopping block in Rauner’s budget is the sole source of funding for the Arc’s unique Lifespan program. Lifespan provides free information, counseling and advocacy to people with disabilities and their families. […]
The elimination of state general revenue fund support for The Autism Program would be the second-largest cut among the non-Medicaid grant programs. The largest single cut — $8.9 million — would remove funding for respite services throughout the state.
Respite is provided to families of children with intellectual disabilities. Trained workers care for children for hours at a time while family members take care of chores outside the home or simply get a break to preserve marriages and the health of caregivers, said Greg O’Connor, chief executive director of Springfield-based Sparc. .
* But, she does have a point. Rod Blagojevich and Quinn both tried to cut those two programs mentioned directly above. And both did cut back this one over time…
Rauner has proposed eliminating a $390,000 Illinois Department of Human Services grant to the Humboldt Park-based Children’s Place Association, which provides specialized preschool to about 65 toddlers of low-income Latino and African-American families who earn, on average, $5,000 per year. Approximately 50 percent of the kids are from HIV/AIDS-affected families. The others suffer from a broad range of medical disabilities.
They didn’t, however, eliminate it.
* Look, this isn’t about a few cuts that were also proposed earlier. It’s about the width and breadth of the governor’s proposed cuts. And that’s clearly newsworthy and should be debated, not breezed past.
Bruce Rauner has the big chair now. He most certainly helped create this problem by demanding that the General Assembly allow the income tax hike to expire on January 1st. They bowed to his demands. If the tax hike hadn’t expired, we wouldn’t be in this fiscal mess. The current situation is what it is. Deal with it.
Schock’s business career began early. In high school, he bought 107 acres of farmland near Peoria - property he sold to the local sewage district two years later for more than $100,000 in profit. As a college student, he bought three rental properties across the street from Bradley University, selling them to the school a few years later for a profit of more than $120,000. […]
In 2007, Peoria businessman Samuel Hoerr obtained permits to build a home on a Schock-owned vacant lot in the luxury golf course development called Augusta Estates. Schock and Hoerr - himself a financial contributor - have been both listed as owners in varying local real estate records. Sam Hoerr did not respond to a telephone message left at his business. Members of the Hoerr family - a prominent Peoria family with interests in real estate and construction - have donated nearly $80,000 to Schock’s campaign and supporting political committees since 2007. Schock’s sister and campaign manager, Tania Hoerr, married into the family. […]
His financial records show that Schock also earns between $50,000 and $100,000 each year in rental income from a Peoria apartment complex, once owned by an advocacy group that supports many conservative causes like opposing gay marriage. The National Christian Foundation received the stake in the apartments as a donation from a Schock contributor, then sold the investment to Schock and Hoerr family investments in 2007, according to tax filings reviewed by the AP. The foundation declined to comment on its role in the transaction.
Schock emerged from the deal with a 16 percent stake in the apartments, his share valued at $684,000 based on the purchase price. Financial disclosures show he borrowed more than $500,000 to pay for the apartment investments. Schock then switched that loan to Backlund’s bank as well.
The survey had Emanuel at 51 percent to 37 percent for Garcia with less than four weeks before the April 7 runoff election. Both candidates have gained around 5 percentage points since the first round of voting last month. Another 11 percent of voters remained undecided in the poll, which was conducted March 6 through Wednesday. […]
(T)he poll shows Emanuel’s support rebounding among black voters, a group viewed by both campaigns as a major key to winning next month. Among African-American voters, 52 percent backed the mayor, 31 percent supported Garcia and 15 percent were undecided. […]
Among black voters, 50 percent have a favorable view of the mayor, up from 44 percent last month. But for Garcia, the percentage of black voters with a favorable view grew only slightly since last month, to 31 percent from 28 percent, while those who viewed him unfavorably more than doubled to 22 percent from 9 percent. […]
Overall, a third of the city’s voters have no impression of Garcia, while 40 percent view him favorably and 24 percent look at him in an unfavorable light… Emanuel is now viewed favorably by 50 percent of all voters, while 32 percent have an unfavorable impression of the mayor.
