When longtime Illinois Sen. Emil Jones III had dinner in Chicago with a red-light camera executive back in July 2019, Jones gave him assurances about a potentially damaging bill he’d proposed to study the cameras and other automated traffic systems, prosecutors say.
Jones told him, “I got you.” But the feds say he didn’t stop there. When SafeSpeed partner Omar Maani asked how much money he could raise for Jones, the senator allegedly told him, “You can raise me five grand. That’d be good. … But most importantly, I have an intern working in my office … and I’m trying to find him another job.”
Jones allegedly passed the intern’s resume along days later and told Maani in an email, “had a great time at dinner last week, looking forward to the many more good times my friend.” But Jones also allegedly mocked Maani in a separate text message to the intern, joking about how Maani was “trying to make sure I don’t file my red light camera bill.” […]
Now, new details have emerged about the bribery case against Jones, who is accused of agreeing to limit the study of traffic enforcement systems to Chicago in exchange for $5,000 and money for the intern. The Chicago Democrat, who remains in the state Senate more than two years after the feds leveled criminal charges against him, is set for trial April 7.
[P]rosecutors last month told U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood that there had been recent discussions about a potential guilty plea.
But Jones’ attorney, Victor Henderson, shot down any notion of a deal in a statement to the Tribune on Wednesday.
“There has been no suggestion by the Senator that he intends to plead guilty,” Henderson wrote. “As his lawyers, we have engaged in the typical listen and talk sessions with government lawyers that happen in virtually every case.”
Henderson also wrote the “takeaway from recent cases tells all of us that the legal landscape is changing.”
*** Pritzker’s Budget Address ***
* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker likens Trump administration actions to Nazi Germany: ‘What comes next?’: The administration cited increased tax collections due to personal income growth and a stable job market, with consumer spending rebounding in last year’s Christmas holiday season, as some of the reasons for the reversal. Still, the administration warned that economically, “forward expectations are mired in uncertainty” and that federal policy decisions driven by Trump and Republicans who control Congress could impact states “which have no means of ameliorating negative impacts.”
* Chalkbeat Chicago | Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2026 budget proposal includes increases for K-12 schools and early childhood education: The plan would increase funding for the state’s K-12 schools by $350 million, early childhood education programs for low-income families by $85 million, and the state’s scholarship program for college bound students by $10 million. However, there were some parts of the proposal that kept funding flat for certain programs, such as the state’s Early Childhood Block Grant, which has helped expand public preschool.
* Crain’s | In budget address, JB Pritzker lays out an unexpected element: Breathing room: The budget situation in the coming year isn’t quite as dire as predicted but will put pressure on lawmakers to tighten their belts more than in past. That’s the overall message as Gov. JB Pritzker today introduces a $55.4 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1, up from $53.5 billion a year ago.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Streetsblog Chicago | A new Illinois bill would assert that people on bikes are “intended” users of every roadway in the state where it’s legal to ride: For people who ride bikes, the issue of tort immunity is critical because it determines whether or not a municipality can be held liable if a crash occurs due to poor road conditions, such as a pothole or an obstruction in a bike lane. By ensuring that cyclists are considered “intended users” of all roadways where biking is legal, HB2454 aims to make local governments more accountable for the safety bike riders on streets under their jurisdiction. That would be true whether or not those roads are designated as bikeways or have bike infrastructure.
🚨 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: The #RoadSafetyandFairnessAct (HB 1226) passed the House Transportation Committee! This measure would increase the age Illinois drivers must take a driving test from 79 to 87 while adding procedures to allow immediate relatives to report unsafe drivers pic.twitter.com/rAQC968cFC
* Crain’s | Vote on Johnson’s $830M borrowing plan delayed: The plan was criticized when it was advanced in the Finance Committee and continued to meet resistance over the repayment schedule, which would see the city make interest only payments of $47.7 million through 2044. The city would then pay $74.9 million for five years before debt service balloons to $137 million during the final six years, according to a document obtained by Crain’s.
* Tribune | Green social housing ordinance introduced at City Council meeting: The city’s vision for green social housing is mixed-income rental buildings that are built to certain energy efficiency and decarbonization standards and in which at least 30% of the units are affordable. The city would own a majority stake in the buildings, a first-of-its-kind role for the city.
* Sun-Times | Heartland Alliance Health to remain open thanks to ‘multimillion-dollar’ grant: “We are grateful to share that Heartland Alliance Health announced this morning that they will remain open,” Michael Brieschke, Heartland Alliance Union’s chairperson, told the Sun-Times. “All notices of layoffs will be rescinded, and all operations at the clinics and food pantries will continue.” Brieschke said the grant was given after Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore learned about the closures in the news and reached out to Heartland Alliance Health’s leadership to see how he could help. Moore connected the nonprofit to One Health, a Michigan-based primary care provider.
* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson escalates push for CPS to pick up pension payment, borrow more money: Bridget Early, Johnson’s deputy mayor for labor relations, emailed several top education officials a presentation dated Feb. 13 that outlines the next steps the board can take to make the controversial payment that is currently paid by the city. Solutions include borrowing and shifting responsibility to the state, which pays for all other school districts’ pension costs.
* WGN | ‘Con man scenario’: Chicago man loses thousands to tap and pay scam: It’s a new twist on an old scam. Goldie Murray thought he was donating $20 to help pay for the funeral of a young boy who was allegedly killed in Chicago. Instead, he may be on the hook for thousands of dollars. It all started last month outside a retail pharmacy in the 1500 block of East 55th Street in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Murray was approached by three men asking for a donation. He told them he didn’t have cash but, in an interesting twist, they told him they only took credit.
* Tribune | How George E. Johnson made millions in the hair care industry while following the Golden Rule: His mother nicknamed him “The Rich Man” before he actually was a rich man. He acted like one. His mother left Mississippi at 18 and arrived in Chicago as part of the Great Migration. He grew up near Bronzeville and took small jobs as early as age 6. He waited tables, washed cars, swept floors, shined shoes. After he made a little cash, he took horseback riding lessons around Hyde Park. He bought wide-legged jodhpurs and liked to walk around wearing them. He would also carry a riding crop, just because.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Tribune | Former Cook County assistant state’s attorneys acquitted of wrongdoing in ‘unprecedented’ trial: Two former Cook County assistant state’s attorneys on Wednesday were acquitted of multiple felony counts following an unusual criminal trial connected to an infamous Chicago wrongful conviction case in the 1982 killings of two on-duty police officers. Dealing a blow to special prosecutors who spent years investigating and trying the case, Judge Daniel Shanes found Nicholas Trutenko, 69, and Andrew Horvat, 49, not guilty after a bench trial that was halted for nearly a year due to a mid-trial appeal.
* Naperville Sun | Naperville D203 board faces more pushback over proposed school start time changes, block scheduling: Parents, students and teachers Tuesday continued to question Naperville District 203’s proposal to alter school start times and switch middle and high schools to a block scheduling format. Superintendent Dan Bridges said the district is listening to the feedback it has received since the tentative changes were announced last month, and no final decision has been made. Board discussions on the subject will resume March 10.
*** Downstate ***
* WGLT | Dismantling B-N’s homeless response system to build a more effective one: While Bloomington-Normal homeless advocates estimate more than 130 people sleep in a tent in the area on any given night, area organizations and city officials have yet to find a response system that adequately addresses the situation, which has worsened in recent years. An answer could very well be shelter villages that consist of temporary, contained dwellings raised off the ground by pallets and have all the basic amenities someone might need: a bed, electricity and space to call their own.
* WGLT | ‘So busy’: Immigration Project informs clients of rights as ICE raid concerns heighten: “We are so busy,” exclaimed Charlotte Alvarez, executive director of the Immigration Project, a nonprofit that provides legal services and other support for immigrants across downstate Illinois. Alvarez said her office has been fielding dozens of calls for help. “[They are] requesting consultations about citizenship and naturalizing within the first two weeks of the Trump presidency,” Alvarez said in an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas.
* WCIA | Champaign Co. trying to crack down on stolen firearms: In September, Champaign County received more than $150,000 from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The program’s goal is proper gun storage and theft prevention. “If you want the responsibility of being a firearm owner, you need to take the responsibility to learn how to store it correctly and safely,” said Erin Hardway, whose husband died at the hands of a stolen firearm.
* AP | Illinois faces demanding stretch with roster fighting virus: Illinois wasn’t showing any hard feelings toward its opponent when it declined to participate in a postgame handshake. As several players deal with a virus, the Fighting Illini just wanted to make sure they didn’t spread germs while congratulating Wisconsin after losing 95-74 to the 11th-ranked Badgers on Tuesday night. “They don’t need this,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said after the game. “In 38 years (as a head coach and assistant), I’ve never seen anything like what’s gone through our team.”
*** National ***
* Rolling Stone | Eric Adams’ Lawyers Offered Trump DOJ an ‘Ever-Present Partner’: The Trump administration’s top immigration enforcer treated Adams like a half-competent intern on national television, and told him he expected more compliance. Eight Justice Department officials quit over what they saw as a corrupt deal. The Department’s reputation for independence — for sometimes bucking the president’s priorities, for keeping politics largely out of prosecutions — has been kicked in the gut. And Adams still isn’t off the hook; the Deputy Attorney General made sure that charges against Adams can be brought up again after the November mayoral election. The judge in his case hasn’t yet agreed to actually dismiss the case, and has ordered Adams and his lawyers to be in court at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
* From a post-address rally today, here’s Sen. Willie Preston…
Let me be clear, our work is not done. This is an opening proposal. This is not a time for celebration. Budgets reveal the morals and the values of our state. In Illinois, Black communities contribute significantly to the economy. That when the budget is finalized, those contributions are not flowing back into our community. We don’t need a study. We don’t need to commission a group. All we need to do is go to Rockford, East St Louis, the South Side of Chicago, the West Side of Chicago, Illinois to learn that we are not getting our fair cut. I want to say something that I did not hear from the governor today. I did not hear enough about what needs to be done to change the trajectory of a Black community across Illinois, Governor Pritzker. And while I applaud you for the work that you continue to do, this proposal does not reflect what I hope we pass in a budget in the spring, because it did not speak about the building trades, bringing back trade schools back to our community.
There’s no mention about the fiscal house of the Black community, but the goal of the black community is absolutely a number one target. This spirit that I am experiencing. We have to grow our economy. Yes, we spent over $1.1 billion in one sector. The governor mentioned, he said, We need to live within our means, but our means have been extricated from us for years. We have not received the dollars promised to our communities. We have not, how many in his audience have not received the dollars? … This is a budget address. This is not a rally. We want our money. We pay taxes in this same state and our communities look the same from the time I was on the southwest side growing up as a young mother to Champaign-Urbana and Danville, and we look the same. And we cannot stand in this capital as if it is not true. Let me just say this. I wrote a whole speech without saving for later. What I am clear about is that at this very moment, I’m a no vote on the budget. And until we get to a yes, that means that my community needs to tell me that they are receiving resources that were promised to them. My students need to tell me that they got accepted and admitted and can afford to go to our universities in our state. That’s how we get to yes. I am always going to stand with the most vulnerable in our community. There’s a lot of likeness in this building, and I don’t work for anyone. I work for the poor people of my district and my state, and our people are under attack and for them, not to even mention what is happening in our communities, not even the slightest mention, is an insult to this entire Black community. … Be willing to say no.
Is anybody out there from the south suburbs? We hear a lot about the city of Chicago, but all the Black people don’t live in the city of Chicago, they live all over the state of Illinois. So we are here as an Illinois legislative Black caucus to offer a response to the governor’s budget. And the one question that I thought about, I would ask each of you is: Did you hear something that applies directly to you? Did you hear something in that budget speech that talks about you and your priorities… in your community? Did you hear it? … [Evidence based funding] is a good thing. It’s moving in the right direction, but that’s just a small piece of the puzzle when we’re talking about what it takes and what’s necessary to make sure that Black people in the state get what they deserve, get what they deserve. So we are here to make sure that we hear you and that you hear us. Because what’s important is I look around this rotunda, this balcony, your presence here today is making some people uncomfortable. You are making people uncomfortable because what they’ve never seen before is that you stand up for what you want. And what you deserve. They want to make sure that we are standing always in the background. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we’re tired of standing in the background. … We will fight for Black families. We will fight for our communities. That is what we’re going to do. I’m standing with my colleagues here today in solidarity with all of you. Let’s continue to make people under this dome uncomfortable. Make them more uncomfortable.
Whew.
…Adding… Rep. Will Davis was also in the blue room…
Q: So up there with the black officers speaking at the steps, Representative Ammons had expressed her sentiment that, you know the budget were to come to work today, you know she’d be a no, does? I guess my first question is that, you know, does the entire Black caucus from the House and Senate side share that Senate?
Davis: I would say many members do. I can’t say Black Caucus. Yeah, I would say many of us feel that way. I can’t say it’s the entirety of the group, that would be inappropriate for me to speak on behalf of our joint Chair, Senator Collins, but there are members who feel that way, and we have consistently felt that way, because what we see are others getting the resources that they need. But sometimes it appears that the black community specifically.
Q: So just a quick follow up, would you be a yes vote or a no vote on the governor’s proposed budget?
Davis: I am a present vote. Essentially, it’s a no vote, for what it’s worth. But there’s more, there’s a lot more conversation and a lot more discussion going forward in order to say it right now would be just probably, because we don’t really know what’s in the budget. […] All we’re hoping for is a fair conversation with the administration about where we are financially and acknowledging the priorities that the governor has, his administration has, as well as the Black Caucus and how we can work collectively together to fund the things that we all need.
…Adding… Sen. Karina Villa during the Latino Caucus press conference when asked about the proposed elimination of funding for the HBIA…
Villa: You heard from all of us today that we’re absolutely committed to continuing to fight and hold the line for the program. I think that this is just the beginning. This is the governor’s proposed budget, and now we have a few months here to work hard, and like we said, look line item by line item to see where we’re going to be able to make things up. And, you know, hold the line for HBIA. We believe that health care is a human right, and we believe that taking people off of health care is not the right thing to do.
Q: Why do you think that the governor took that step and do you, are you offended that, of all the programs, this is really kind of the big one that took a hit?
Villa: We haven’t had a conversation with the governor yet. We’re not sure why he chose to do that, but it was a significant hit to a very important program to our caucus. So we’re going to continue to make our voice voices heard, and work towards making sure that we’re moving along on that program.
This is my seventh state of the state address. I’ve come before you to present a budget in good years and in bad, in years of crisis and years of relative stability. There is a whole industry of backseat bellyachers in this state and around the country who make a profession out of rhetorically tearing down Illinois and suggesting that if we would just enact one of their magic bean fixes we would never face another difficult budget year.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned as Governor – there are no magic bean fixes. And each year there’s some difficulty that requires us to work hard to overcome it. This year the surfacing difficulty is Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s plan to steal Illinois’ tax dollars and deny our citizens the protection and services they need.
* A quick search turns up these Pritzker jabs at the Illinois doomer industrial complex…
Wednesday, Feb 19, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
A last-minute provision called the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA) was snuck into the budget process last May and will create chaos for small businesses and consumers across Illinois if it takes effect on July 1, 2025.
The IFPA gives corporate mega-stores like Walmart and Home Depot — who pushed for this backroom deal — millions more in profits, while small business owners get new expenses and accounting headaches. What’s more, consumers could be forced to pay for parts of their transactions in cash if this law moves forward.
A recent court ruling in the litigation challenging the law suggests IFPA is likely pre-empted by federal law for national banks and will only apply to credit unions and local Illinois banks, putting local banks at a disadvantage against their national competitors.
Illinois lawmakers should repeal the IFPA and focus on protecting small businesses and consumers across the state — not lining the pockets of corporate mega-stores.
As always, I stand ready to work with members of the General Assembly to deliberate and negotiate the final budget. But let’s be clear, I will only sign a balanced budget. If you come to the table looking to spend more – I’m going to ask you where you want to cut. I have made difficult decisions – including to programs I have championed, which is hard for me, just as I know some of the difficult decisions you will have to make will be hard for you.
I’ve been reflecting, these past four weeks, on two important parts of my life: my work helping to build the Illinois Holocaust Museum and the two times I’ve had the privilege of reciting the oath of office for Illinois Governor.
As some of you know, Skokie, Illinois once had one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors anywhere in the world. In 1978, Nazis decided they wanted to march there.
The leaders of that march knew that the images of Swastika clad young men goose stepping down a peaceful suburban street would terrorize the local Jewish population – so many of whom had never recovered from their time in German concentration camps.
The prospect of that march sparked a legal fight that went all the way to the Supreme Court. It was a Jewish lawyer from the ACLU who argued the case for the Nazis – contending that even the most hateful of speech was protected under the first amendment.
As an American and a Jew, I find it difficult to resolve my feelings around that Supreme Court case – but I am grateful that the prospect of Nazis marching in their streets spurred the survivors and other Skokie residents to act. They joined together to form the Holocaust Memorial Foundation and built the first Illinois Holocaust Museum in a storefront in 1981 – a small but important forerunner to the one I helped build thirty years later.
I do not invoke the specter of Nazis lightly. But I know the history intimately — and have spent more time than probably anyone in this room with people who survived the Holocaust. Here’s what I’ve learned – the root that tears apart your house’s foundation begins as a seed – a seed of distrust and hate and blame.
The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn’t arrive overnight. It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame.
I’m watching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country right now. A president who watches a plane go down in the Potomac – and suggests — without facts or findings — that a diversity hire is responsible for the crash. Or the Missouri Attorney General who just sued Starbucks – arguing that consumers pay higher prices for their coffee because the baristas are too “female” and “nonwhite.” The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here: They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems.
I just have one question: What comes next? After we’ve discriminated against, deported or disparaged all the immigrants and the gay and lesbian and transgender people, the developmentally disabled, the women and the minorities – once we’ve ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends – After that, when the problems we started with are still there staring us in the face – what comes next?
All the atrocities of human history lurk in the answer to that question. And if we don’t want to repeat history – then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it.
I swore the following oath on Abraham Lincoln’s bible: “I do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the state of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Governor …. according to the best of my ability.”
My oath is to the Constitution of our state and of our country. We don’t have kings in America – and I don’t intend to bend the knee to one. I am not speaking up in service to my ambitions — but in deference to my obligations.
If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this:
It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. All I’m saying is when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.
Those Illinois Nazis did end up holding their march in 1978 – just not in Skokie. After all the blowback from the case, they decided to march in Chicago instead. Only twenty of them showed up. But 2000 people came to counter protest. The Chicago Tribune reported that day that the “rally sputtered to an unspectacular end after ten minutes.” It was Illinoisans who smothered those embers before they could burn into a flame.
Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage. So gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the “tragic spirit of despair” overcome us when our country needs us the most.
* Click here to read the governor’s address. The Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program has been eliminated, according to a senior administration official during today’s budget briefing for reporters…
“HBIA is not funded in the proposed budget. The cost for that is about $420 million a year, of which $330 approximately, would come from the General Revenue Fund.”
More on the program is here. It’s a health coverage plan for undocumented immigrants aged 42-64 and is highly controversial.
* A follow-up question during this morning’s budget briefing…
Q: What’s the thinking on [defunding HBIA]?
A: Well, I mean, this was a difficult decision. There’s no doubt about that. But I think it reflects the reality of our fiscal situation that we have flagged now for several months. And I think you will see not just with what the governor is proposing for HBIA and the [Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors] program, but throughout the budget. It’s a reflection of difficult decisions that we had to make in order to bring the proposal into balance.
As you know, this is a budget request of the General Assembly. The General Assembly is going to start its processes today, after the governor submits his budget. And we’re happy to engage with our partners in the General Assembly for any creative solutions that they might have, not just for HBIA, but for anything else reflected in the proposal. And you know, we have always faced a challenge, some larger than others, in terms of bringing budgets into balance. But as evidenced by what we’re presenting today, those challenges have always been met by working in partnership with with the General Assembly, and this program and other programs that are not being funded in the budget this year are a reflection of the reality that we face.
The senior healthcare program remains intact, but the administrative rule barring all new enrollment will remain on the books.
The proposal also reduces Welcoming Center appropriations from $139 to $40 million.
* Excerpts from the Senate Republicans’ highlights…
· Largest budget in state history—$55.4 billion, increasing spending by $2 billion.
· Increases state budget by $15 billion or 37% since Gov. Pritzker took office.
· Includes four revenue proposals for $490 million
o $198 million - reinstates the FY 20 Delinquent Tax Payment Incentive Program
o $171 million - Pauses shift of sales taxes [to Road Fund] for one year
o $100 million- realigns the tax treatment for 15 of the 16 Illinois casinos (excluding the Chicago casino)
o $20 million - Eliminates the state-level deductions for cannabis industry businesses
* The budget briefing is here. The proposed operating budget is here. The proposed capital budget is here.
• General Funds FY26 revenues are estimated to total $55.453 billion, a $1.553 billion, or 2.9%, increase from revised FY25 estimates.
• Base revenue growth in state sources revenues is estimated at 1.9%.
• Base revenues are approximately $1.5 billion above November preliminary estimates.
• FY26 revenue forecast benefits from several proposed revenue adjustments, including:
• Delinquent Tax Payment Incentive Program - $198 million for General Funds.
• Pause the final shift of state sales taxes on motor fuel purchases to Road Fund - $171 million.
• Realignment of tax treatment for table and electronic games at casinos - $100 million.
• With these adjustments:
• FY26 individual income taxes are forecasted to grow $980 million, or 3.5%.
• FY26 corporate income taxes are forecasted to grow $353 million, or 7.2%.
• FY26 sales tax receipts are forecasted to grow $171 million, or 1.6%.
New discretionary spending is increasing by less than 1%.
The state is maintaining its commitments to mandatory spending like full pension payments, inflation on healthcare coverage, and debt pay-down.
The budget proposes cost-saving operational efficiencies to save taxpayers money, including consolidating
unnecessary segregated funds, evaluating dormant boards and commissions, and determining what state
government functions could merge to improve efficiency and savings.
Mobilizing $500 million in state capital funds to develop properties and real estate that have been sitting idle into
areas that are ripe for economic development and job creation. […]
Lowering healthcare and prescription drug costs by stopping predatory practices used by pharmacy benefit
managers;
Lowering education costs, allowing community colleges to award BA degrees and streamlining public university
admissions process to reduce application fees;
Lowering property taxes, enabling communities to decide if they want to consolidate townships or eliminate duplicative taxing bodies.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s “exaggeratedly back-loaded” schedule for repaying $830 million in general obligation bonds could saddle Chicago taxpayers with $2 billion in additional costs by 2055, municipal finance experts warned Tuesday. […]
[Municipal Markets Analytics partner Matt Fabian] argued Johnson’s plan is a “more extreme version” of that dubious structure. It calls for the city to make “capitalized interest” payments only — using borrowed money — for the first two years and make interest-only payments until 2045.
“Future taxpayers will be paying for improvements that current taxpayers benefit from. … It leaves future taxpayers to address the city’s current management failure to address its budget in a sustainable manner,” Fabian said. […]
The city’s annual payments will, in contrast, balloon — from $47.6 million in 2028 to $136.9 million in 2050, remaining there until the bonds are fully retired in 2055.
The attorney for Michael McClain said he and his client were “pleased and relieved” after Wednesday’s decision by a federal jury not to convict the longtime statehouse lobbyist from Quincy.
Former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan was convicted Wednesday on public corruption charges after a federal jury found him guilty on 10 of 23 counts. However, McClain walked free after the jury deadlocked on any charges against him. Prosecutors had alleged the two men, close friends since their days in the state legislature in the 1970’s, ran a “criminal enterprise” to tighten Madigan’s stranglehold of power in the state capitol.
Muddy River News reached out last week to McClain for an interview. He referred us to his attorney, Patrick Cotter, who gave the defense team’s reaction to the trial’s outcome.
According to media reports and interviews with jurors, the jury panel reached a point where they had an 11-1 vote to acquit Madigan and McClain on the racketeering charge and the counts involving the transfer of a state-owned parcel of land in Chinatown. The jury tally on the AT&T-related charges was reportedly 10-2 in favor of acquittal.
As far as Madigan’s testimony where he attempted to distance himself from McClain, Cotter called the former speaker’s remarks “very odd” but said they had anticipated that strategy. It’s also why they had twice requested to have a separate trial from the Madigan defense.
“We were disappointed but not surprised,” Cotter said. “The jury saw through the speaker trying to deny their relationship. They were friends, and (McClain) was (Madigan’s) lobbyist. (Former ComEd vice president) Fidel Marquez testified that Mike’s job was to lobby the speaker.”
An Illinois Senate committee advanced a bill on Tuesday that would strictly limit police’s ability to search a vehicle after smelling cannabis.
The Senate Criminal Law Committee voted 7-3 to advance Senate Bill 42, which would eliminate the requirement that cannabis be transported in vehicles in an odor-proof container. It would also prohibit police from searching a vehicle based only on the odor of burnt or raw cannabis if the occupants are at least 21 years old.
The bill comes after the Illinois Supreme Court issued a pair of rulings last year. The court ruled in September that the smell of burnt cannabis did not give police probable cause to search a vehicle, but three months later ruled the smell of raw cannabis was probable cause for a search.
“This sets up a contradictory situation for law enforcement,” bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, told the committee.
Alexandra Block, director of the Criminal Legal System and Policing Project at the ACLU of Illinois…
The General Assembly has an opportunity to clear up unnecessary confusion by adopting Senate Bill 42. It is highly unlikely that an officer, standing alongside a busy highway or city street, is able to distinguish between the odors of burnt and raw cannabis.
Drivers and passengers are legally able to possess cannabis in our state. This confusion over the odor of cannabis should not be a trigger for officers to continue to harass and delay motorists with intrusive searches. These stops and searches are targeted disproportionately against drivers of color in Illinois. We encourage the legislature to clear up this confusion by adopting the very simple language contained in the bill and Amendment #1.
* Common Cause Illinois…
Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill to preserve American self-government by closing a significant loophole that allows foreign-influenced corporations to spend money to influence Illinois elections.
“This bill is a critical step toward protecting our democracy by ensuring that elections represent the voices of Illinois residents — not the deep pockets of foreign actors and interests. By closing this loophole, we’re preserving the integrity of our elections and standing up for transparency and fairness in the democratic process,” said state Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel.
“Illinois legislators have an opportunity to close the loophole that has allowed foreign-owned corporations to influence our elections. We are proud to support this innovative and important piece of legislation and we are grateful to Representative Briel for her leadership,” said Elizabeth Grossman, Executive Director of Common Cause Illinois.
“We commend Representative Briel for introducing this bold reform. It’s time for Illinois state law to stop multinational corporations from allowing foreign entities to do, either directly or indirectly, what they are barred from doing as foreign governments or individuals: spending money in US elections,” said Alexandra Flores-Quilty, Campaign Director of Free Speech For People.
Across the country, companies with significant foreign ownership, like Amazon, Chevron, and Uber, have used their money to influence the outcome of elections and political agendas in their favor. While federal law prohibits foreign actors—including individuals, governments, and businesses—from spending any money directly or indirectly to influence federal, state, or local elections, the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission created a loophole for foreign interests to acquire stakes in U.S. corporations and then use that leverage to influence or control the corporation’s political activity, including campaign contributions, contributions to super PACs, and independent expenditures.
But though Citizens United created this loophole, nothing in that decision prohibits lawmakers from closing it. Citizens United held that a corporation is an “association of citizens,” and that First Amendment rights held by citizens individually therefore flow to the association. But under the theory of Citizens United, a foreign-influenced corporation is an association of citizens and foreign actors. And with regard to political spending, the First Amendment rights held by citizens do not flow to foreign actors.
This became clear in Bluman v. Federal Election Commission, a decision by the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, authored by now-Justice Kavanaugh while he was a circuit judge. Bluman, which the Supreme Court affirmed, held that political contributions and independent expenditures are “part of the overall process of democratic self-government” that the United States has a compelling interest in protecting democratic self-government by placing a complete ban on foreign actors spending any money to influence U.S. elections.
* SB1331 from Sen. Doris Turner passed through the Senate Higher Education Committee this morning…
Creates the Scholarship Accessibility Act. Establishes the Illinois Scholarship Database, to be developed, implemented, and administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, as a utility to improve Illinois students’ access to higher education scholarships, as well as to improve their knowledge of scholarships. Provides that to inform students and their parents on what scholarships are and how they are attained and maintained: (1) beginning in the 7th grade, a public school shall inform students of the Database and shall require them to create an account with the Database; (2) the account shall be created jointly by the student and the parent; and (3) both the student and the parent shall have access to the account and the ability to manage activity on the account. Provides that the Database shall allow the student to have and the student is required to complete a profile that: (1) presents a portfolio of the student and who the student is and the student’s current year of enrollment; and (2) lists any criminal charge that requires the student to be a part of a registry for a crime the student has committed, unless the student is legally protected under law or court order or another exigent circumstance. Requires the Database to include and display a comprehensive list of scholarships. Allows students 18 or older to be able to create an account with and have access to the Database.
A bill moving forward at the Illinois Capitol will allow agriculture courses to satisfy vocational education requirements for high school students.
Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) said students should be able to use their agricultural studies to fulfill graduation requirements. Her bill clarifies that agriculture education, business or any other ag-related course would meet the vocational requirement starting next school year.
“What is always encouraging to me as a teacher is the number of these students who take my class to fulfill those requirements but in the process discover their passion for the industry that feeds, clothes, and fuels us all,” said Liz Harris from the Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers.
Senate Bill 1605 passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee Tuesday afternoon. The measure now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration.
* Sen. Sara Feigenholtz filed SB1559 earlier this month…
Amends the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Transportation to conduct a traffic study following the occurrence of any crash involving a pedestrian fatality that occurs at an intersection of a federal or municipal highway.
State Senator Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island) believes that investing in education now will save the state money elsewhere in the long-term and should be a priority even when the state is facing fiscal challenges. […]
Halpin [the new chair of the Senate Committee on Education Appropriations] supports Senate Bill 13, which would create the Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Act. […]
The measure would establish a funding formula for the state’s public universities that is similar to the evidence-based funding formula for K-12 schools, which was approved in 2017.
The estimated cost of the proposal is $135-$150 million per year. The money would come out of the state’s general revenue fund.
A bill filed at the Illinois Statehouse seeks to end property taxes for qualified taxpayers who live in and pay taxes on a residential home for at least 30 years.
State Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia, said at some point, you have to own your own property.
“This country is founded upon freedom and property rights and at some point, you have to be able to own your property,” said Anderson. “This [bill] is a way to keep people in Illinois. If they own a home for 20 years and they have an option of moving to another state because they’re tired of being taxed in Illinois, now all of a sudden, maybe [with the passage of this bill], they hang out another 10 years and now they don’t have to pay property tax. That keeps them in the state and buying goods in the state and paying taxes in a different way.”
* From the State of Illinois Economic Forecast commissioned by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability and written by Moody’s/Economy.com…
Illinois’ economy strengthened moderately in 2024, allowing the job market to surpass its pre-pandemic level of employment. The pace of job and income growth has slowed further behind the below-average midwestern pace. As it has nationally, the breadth of job creation across industries has narrowed. Strengthening in healthcare, government and leisure/hospitality has kept the economy moving in the right direction despite weakness elsewhere. Professional/business services and finance are in the doldrums, and most other major industries— including manufacturing and transportation/warehousing— have flattened. Illinois’ unemployment rate averaged 5.3% in the fourth quarter, compared with 4.1% in the region and the nation. Joblessness increased partly for an encouraging reason, as the state’s labor force grew at a strong and steady pace. […]
Chicago’s economy is trailing its large peers and the U.S. overall. Payroll employment has been relatively flat for the past year and a half. Finance and professional/business services are losing jobs, and employment in most other industries has been stable at best. Manufacturing and logistics payrolls are slowly trending higher. Healthcare remains the primary job creator, but growth is softening. Tourism-dependent industries are crawling out of a deep hole and progress has slowed markedly. There are other indications that the labor market has loosened. The expanding labor force is a good sign, as Chicago’s labor force growth has lagged the national pace in the previous few years. This has also helped to push the unemployment rate up into the mid-5% range as of December. The employment cost index for Chicago shows wages are growing less than nationally.
The Urbana-Champaign economy is Illinois’ top performer, though some data suggest the labor market is not as strong as it looks. Payroll employment growth is ahead of that in the state, region and U.S. year over year. Anchored by the university of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, known as UIUC, state government leads job creation. Most private-sector industries are moving in the right direction. The Quarterly Census of employment and Wages, a lagged but complete count of jobs, shows that private sector performance has been weaker than it appears in the payroll survey. Specifically, healthcare and construction have worsened since a year earlier. The labor force has risen to new heights, putting some upward pressure on the unemployment rate, which is in the mid-4% range. The pace of residential construction is a touch stronger than in early 2024, though that is not saying much.
The state government is driving progress in Springfield’s economy. Healthcare and office-using industries such as financial and professional/ business services have been sluggish. The size of the labor force has been roughly the same for the past five years. The housing market is generally following national trends, with year-over-year price appreciation on par with that of the state and U.S.
Bloomington’s expansion has slowed. Payrolls have moved sideways during the past year following several years of stronger-than-average growth. Financial and professional/business services have started to recoup jobs lost earlier in the year and before. Improving performance in these higher-paying industries has helped average hourly earnings rebound after plummeting in 2023. However, most major industries have not significantly added to payrolls recently. The labor force has continued to increase, putting some upward pressure on the unemployment rate amid tepid job creation. House price appreciation aligns with the state and U.S. year over year, but new residential construction is weak.
Rockford’s economy is showing signs of life. Total employment remains below the pre-pandemic level but jobs have increased since mid-2024 after a two-year pause in growth. Strengthening in healthcare and leisure/hospitality has offset weakening in manufacturing during this time. Transportation/ warehousing has struggled to gain momentum. With the local Stellantis plant shuttered since 2023, auto manufacturing and related supply-chain employment have been stuck in the mud. The unemployment rate and the size of the labor force have been relatively stable.
Lake County’s economy is sluggish. The labor market has weakened, with employment and the size of the labor force down year over year. The unemployment rate has stabilized at just less than 5%. Payrolls in key manufacturing have been stagnant for the past year, while professional/ business services and finance are deteriorating. The housing market is not much better. Single-family price appreciation has cooled and residential construction remains on ice near Great Recession lows. Healthcare is one of the few bright spots as job growth has regained momentum.
Peoria’s economy has weakened during the last year. Payroll and household employment has turned down, and job losses have caused the unemployment rate to rise even though the size of the labor force has stagnated. Manufacturing has shed jobs, and most of the rest of the economy is sluggish. Healthcare and construction are the only major industries that have added jobs on net since a year earlier. Persistent weakness in housing starts suggests construction payroll growth has come primarily from the nonresidential side. Single-family house price appreciation has been similar to that in the state and U.S.
The economies of the Quad Cities, Decatur and Danville have had a difficult year. The employment situations in these metro areas are among the worst in the state. Key manufacturing industries and downstream business services have shed jobs, offsetting mild gains in healthcare. John Deere has laid off hundreds of factory workers in the Quad Cities as demand for new farm machinery has fallen amid low crop prices and high borrowing costs. The permanent closure of Danville’s Quaker Oats factory has resulted in hundreds of lost jobs. unemployment rates have risen despite shrinking labor forces. Housing markets are also underperforming. House price appreciation has been in line with that of the state and U.S., but that is partly a result of a lack of new-home construction. On the upside, the QCETW data suggest Danville leisure/hospitality performed much better last year than the payroll survey indicated. Industry employment has jumped since the opening of the Golden Nugget Casino
The farm economy faces significant challenges. As they are nationally, Illinois’ farm incomes have retreated from their record highs in 2022, hitting a four-year low in late 2024. expenses remain elevated, and farmers have also had to contend with high lending costs in recent years, limiting their expansion opportunities. Farmers cultivating key crops such as corn and soybeans are receiving lower prices partly because of overproduction, a strong U.S. dollar, and intensifying foreign competition.
Retail creates more jobs in Illinois than any other private sector employer, with one out of every four workers employed by the retail sector. Importantly, retail is an industry in which everyone, regardless of credentials, can find a viable career path.
Retailers like Bernita and Derrick enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.
JB Pritzker will ask state legislators for a half-billion dollars to attract new business to the state with ready-to-go real estate.
More than half that money would be used to turn state-owned property — such as the former women’s prison in Dwight or mental-health and disabled-care facilities in Rockford and Lincoln — into sites for new private development. […]
“It’s intended to address what we hear from industry is a real speed-to-market challenge. we want to make sure we have shovel-ready sites for them to begin either making changes to a greenfield or brownfield in order to pursue an expansion or relocation project,” says Kristin Richards, director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. […]
Those dollars are separate from the state’s general fund, or day-to-day operating budget, which Pritzker will announce today. Pandemic-relief funds from the federal government have dried up, and Pritzker has warned legislators and staffers to prepare for a tight budget. The governor will outline his budget at noon in the state of the state address.
Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to propose a crackdown on cryptocurrency ATMs during Wednesday’s State of the State address — a move his administration says will help address the scamming and money-laundering that have become pervasive in the industry.
The legislation would establish a daily limit for transactions on crypto ATMs, cap fees to “prevent predatory charges” and require receipts showing the dollar value of digital assets and any fees collected, according to a fact sheet provided by Pritzker’s administration.
“When left unregulated, crypto kiosks are often used as tools for scams that victimize the most vulnerable Illinoisans,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Those who are harmed by these scams have little or no ability to seek restitution or justice because of the unrestricted nature of these ATMs. In addition, the ATMs are a common tool in laundering money for drug transactions and other illegal activities.” […]
Pritzker said his proposal “would institute the same common-sense registration and regulation requirements that already exist for financial institutions across the state.”
Gov. JB Pritzker plans to offer a proposal in his budget address Wednesday that would allow some community colleges to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees.
The goal, according to the governor’s office, would be to make four-year degrees more accessible to working adults, particularly those who don’t live near a public university.
That would be a big change for Illinois community colleges, which typically offer two-year associate’s degrees and other kinds of training certificates. But Martin Torres, Pritzker’s first assistant deputy governor for education, said it’s a concept already in use in many other states. […]
The legislation would allow community colleges to offer programs in subject areas where they have identified unmet workforce needs in their region. The proposed programs would also need to be approved by both the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is aiming to improve student achievement, social interaction and the mental health of public school students by proposing a statewide ban on cellphones in classrooms, an idea that is rapidly gaining traction nationally regardless of political persuasion.
The Democrat’s top education aide, Martin Torres, said Pritzker is expected to endorse “screen-free schools” during his combined State of the State/Budget address at noon Wednesday.
Legislation introduced in both houses of the General Assembly would require school districts to set policies that ban personal wireless devices during class time, with notable exceptions, create a means for secure but accessible storage of phones and tablets, and review those guidelines at least every three years. […]
The legislation, which would require policies be in place by the 2026-2027 school year, has enough flexibility in the plan to allow school districts to develop a policy that best suits them.
* Subscribers were told about this on Tuesday morning and given a more through briefing this morning.ICYMI: Democratic leaders paint brighter picture for Illinois finances after budget briefing. Tribune…
- “Revenue projections are up,” House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside said after a meeting in the governor’s Springfield office Tuesday.
- No tax increases are expected in the governor’s proposed budget, which might even include a small surplus, Welch said.
- “It’s going to be a good — a better proposal than we were bracing for a couple months ago,” Senate President Don Harmon said.
* Governor Pritzker is scheduled to deliver his State of the State and Budget Address at noon. The Governor is hosting a roundtable on lowering prescription drug costs at 3:45 pm. Click here to watch.
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Sun-Times | Trump’s Friday firings leave EPA Chicago office down dozens of scientists, staff: Bridget Lynch, a scientist focused on ground water and drinking water, began her job a month ago. A Chicago-area native and graduate of Wellesley College, Lynch said she received a form email around 4:30 p.m. Friday that said that she was “failing to demonstrate that my qualifications fit the role, even though I’m a highly qualified recent graduate, and I was doing my best.”
* Daily Herald | McConchie’s would-be successor isn’t a Republican and can’t serve, lawsuit alleges: Barrington Hills Trustee Darby Hills’ appointment to a vacant state Senate seat should be nullified because she doesn’t meet the state’s definition of a Republican, a lawsuit filed Tuesday argues. Algonquin resident Brittany Colatorti’s complaint also alleges the GOP committee formed to choose a successor for state Sen. Dan McConchie in the 26th District failed to properly notify the public of its Feb. 14 meeting or the application process, and that Hills’ nomination should be canceled as a result.
*** Statehouse News ***
* WAND | Rep. Blaine Wilhour argues Illinois should stop focusing on equity in education funding: Rep. Will Davis (D- East Hazel Crest), a Black legislative leader, said he took offense to Wilhour’s rant. Davis stressed that budget investments for equity and inclusion have helped students in many Illinois schools. […] “We’ve got a lot of work to do on getting students to where they need to be contributors to society,” Wilhour said. “That’s ultimately what we strive for here.” “I agree. We have plenty of work to do,” Davis said. “But, you took particular interest in saying students of color are the ones that can’t do anything.”
* Capitol News Illinois | State official: renewable investments ‘best thing’ to lower energy costs: On Tuesday, Illinois Commerce Commission Executive Director Jonathan Feipel lent credence to some concerns around energy generation. The ICC regulates electric and natural gas utilities and is one of the major entities enforcing the state’s renewable energy goals. “If we all sat and did nothing, we would have a significant problem when we get to 2030,” Feipel told lawmakers.
* WAND | IL Senate Democrats hopes social security age remains 68: A resolution that passed an Illinois Senate committee asks for Congress to not raise the retirement age for social security. State Sen. Christopher Belt (D-East St. Louis) says the average age for low income Black workers is below 68, the age they would receive social security benefits. He also says forcing senior citizens to work during harsh winters could cause major health issues.
*** Statewide ***
* Daily Herald | Nonprofit to distribute iCARE kits for Illinois schools: This March, in conjunction with National Social Work Month, iCARE4 Adoptive And Foster Families will distribute iCARE Schools Connection Kits to public schools across Illinois. The initial distribution of 1,000 kits will reach about 25% of Illinois’ roughly 4,400 public schools, including Chicago Public and Lake County schools, where many of the state’s adopted, foster and kinship students are enrolled, said Laura Adams, president and CEO of iCARE, a nonprofit she founded in February 2024.
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune | Mayor Johnson says staff changes were ‘personal decisions’ despite housecleaning promise: Asked Tuesday if he would soon fire other employees, Johnson said he does not “discuss personnel issues” and “this is not about one individual” before instead highlighting several favorite policies. But despite distancing himself from the staff changes, Johnson maintained he was nonetheless “elected to disrupt the status quo.”
* Crain’s | Johnson signals more City Hall shakeups coming: Despite Johnson promising to shake up his administration by ousting those who don’t agree with his agenda, many key positions have been left unfilled by permanent appointees, including two city sister agencies, the CTA and the Chicago Housing Authority.
* Tribune | UIC proposes plan to close School of Literatures, Cultural Studies and Linguistics amid $22M deficit: The LSCL school is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which has accrued a debt of $22 million, according to a tenured faculty member who asked to remain anonymous. Other faculty members told the Tribune that if the college does not take measures to close the deficit, it will be forced into receivership, in which a court-appointed receiver takes control of the institution’s finances and operations.
* Tribune | Chicago Housing Authority is owed millions in rent and failing to enforce leases, report finds: CHA spokesperson Matthew Aguilar said in a statement to the Tribune that the rent arrears and lack of lease enforcement are “partially due to the COVID pandemic” when there were federal and state eviction moratoria on nonpayment of rent evictions. Once courts began hearing eviction cases again, CHA started addressing its backlog of cases and has seen its eviction cases double over the past year, the agency said.
* Daily Southtown | Governors State to hold inaugural Black History Education Symposium: The education symposium will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m on Thursday, Feb. 20, at University Park-based Governors State, and include workshops, discussions and presentations at Engbretson Hall led by Black professionals. One session will examine the historical and current challenges faced by Black employees in the workplace and how human resource practices can be adapted to promote equity and inclusion, Black talent development and career progression. Other topics will include how to capitalize on one’s talent and catapult one’s career.
*** Downstate ***
* BND | New District 201 superintendent has deep ties to metro-east, Belleville High Schools: After a decade with Belleville Township High School District 201, Marshaun C. Warren was promoted to become its next superintendent. Warren, who is currently the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion, will assume her new role July 1. She will replace current superintendent Brian Mentzer, who is leaving the district for Millstadt Consolidated Community School District 160.
* Sun-Times | SAVE Act would make voting harder for millions of Americans: The head of the League of Women Voters of Illinois explains how the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would restrict voting access by requiring people to show citizenship documentation when registering to vote or updating registration.
* Tribune | RFK Jr. says panel will examine childhood vaccine schedule after promising not to change it: “Nothing is going to be off limits,” Kennedy said, adding that pesticides, food additives, microplastics, antidepressants and the electromagnetic waves emitted by cellphones and microwaves also would be studied. Kennedy’s remarks, which circulated on social media, were delivered during a welcome ceremony for the new health secretary at the agency’s headquarters in Washington as a measles outbreak among mostly unvaccinated people raged in West Texas. The event was held after a weekend of mass firings of thousands of HHS employees. More dismissals are expected.
* WaPo | A Nobel Prize winner decodes why people aren’t having kids: In places where men do more around the house, fertility rates are higher; where they do less, rates are lower. Goldin’s research paper doesn’t advocate any specific policy, so I called and asked what she thinks can be done to achieve “couple equity,” where couples share child-care and household tasks equally. After a pause, she said men must believe that every other dad is doing more housework now, too.
* NYT | DOGE Claimed It Saved $8 Billion in One Contract. It Was Actually $8 Million: But it appears that the DOGE list vastly overstated the actual intended value of that contract. A closer scrutiny of a federal database shows that a recent version of the contract was for $8 million, not $8 billion. A larger total savings number published on the site, $55 billion, lacked specific documentation.
* Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
