REAL ID deadline extended a year
Thursday, Mar 26, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced today that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended the federal REAL ID deadline an additional year to Oct. 1, 2021. DHS cited the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact the virus is having on the general public and driver’s license and ID card-issuing agencies nationwide. Earlier this month, White, along with other state and business leaders from around the country, called on DHS to extend the REAL ID deadline.
Current Illinois driver’s licenses or ID cards will continue to be accepted at airports, military bases and secure federal facilities until Oct. 1, 2021. Once Driver Services facilities reopen, White is suggesting that people who want a REAL ID wait until their current driver’s license or ID card is about to expire before visiting a facility to apply for a REAL ID. For those whose driver’s license or ID card expires after Oct. 1, 2021, and want a REAL ID, they can use their valid U.S. passport or other TSA-acceptable documents to fly domestically until they must renew their current card.
“The decision to extend the REAL ID deadline to Oct. 1, 2021 – a year past the old deadline – is the proper and necessary action during this time of uncertainty and crisis,” said White. “I urge Illinoisans with valid driver’s licenses and ID cards not to rush to our facilities to obtain a REAL ID once they reopen.”
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Everyone has their own priorities
Thursday, Mar 26, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Eastern Bloc plus 2…
Governor Pritzker,
There are a series of serious structural reforms that should have been in place before this crisis that would have given both state government and Illinois citizens much more resources and flexibility to weather this emergency. Correcting that is a conversation that we will be having in the weeks and months ahead. Today, regular citizens and small businesses across Illinois need immediate help.
We are calling on you and the Legislature to take the following immediate action:
1. Freeze Unemployment insurance rates for 12 months and provide assurance that rates don’t reflect claims due to corona virus shutdowns and layoffs
2. Freeze the minimum wage for the next 18 months
3. Return the light trailer license fee back to $18 from $118
4. Sales tax holiday for the entire duration of any work restriction or stay at home order
5. Prorated abatement of property taxes across the board equal to number of days of work restriction or stay at home order
We applaud your common sense first step of moving the state tax filing deadline to align with the federal deadline. We need to do more to give small businesses immediate breathing room. We must do more than just offer small business loans. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They are the primary employer for the majority of our citizens. Giving them the confidence that our government is committed to removing barriers for them through these unprecedented times will help all the people of Illinois. As we come through this crisis – which we know we will – it is imperative that we ease the burdens on job creators and take every possible step to make it easier for our small businesses to put Illinois citizens back to work.
Let’s kick start our comeback by enacting these commonsense policies immediately.
Sincerely,
State Representative Darren Bailey-109th District
State Representative Chris Miller- 110th District
State Representative Allen Skillicorn- 66th District
State Representative Blaine Wilhour- 107th District
State Representative John Cabello- 68th District
State Representative Dan Caulkins- 101st District
State Representative Brad Halbrook- 102nd District
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* Gov. Pritzker formally announced that President Trump has approved Illinois’ federal disaster declaration request…
Earlier today, we received word that my request to the President for a federal major disaster declaration for Illinois has been approved.
This declaration will provide emergency funding to increase hospital and housing capacity as we respond to this unprecedented health crisis. This declaration also provides resources to expand telehealth, allowing us to safely reach more Illinoisans in need of care.
My administration is also seeking a another debt disaster declaration for all 102 counties of Illinois, which would allow us to access FEMA has individual assistance program. This would give us resources like more unemployment benefits for those not currently eligible for state unemployment insurance, enhanced benefits for those seeking shelter, food and emergency supplies, new legal services and financial assistance to our under insured households.
* He also went on a long tirade about yesterday’s crowds. Here’s part of it…
This virus doesn’t care that you’re bored. And that you want to hang out with your friends. It doesn’t care that you don’t believe that it’s dangerous. The virus could care less if you think that I’m overreacting. It has infected infants. It has killed people in their 20s and 30s and 40s. It has forced doctors around the world to make terrible decisions about who will live and who will die.
Again, pardon all typos.
* Unemployment claims this week broke the previous single week record, nearly five times over, the governor said…
We’ve got surveys reflecting that one in five American households have seen a reduction in work hours or layoffs, dropping one in four households below $50,000 income. And that information was collected a week ago, amid circumstances that are truly evolving by the hour events that once seemed unimaginable have quickly become a daily reality.
* Heartening news…
Since I put out the call for retired and former healthcare workers to rejoin the healthcare workforce to staff our hospitals and our health care centers statewide, 450 Illinoisans have submitted applications to do just that and more are doing so even now
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker joined the United Way of Illinois and the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations today to announce the launch of the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (ICRF), a new statewide fundraising effort to support nonprofit organizations serving those whose lives have been upended by this pandemic. […]
The ICRF is launching with nearly $23 million in initial donations. In the upcoming weeks, the steering committee will evaluate and disburse funds to the initial wave of charitable organizations serving at-need communities across the entire state. All donations and distributions will be available to the public.
The governor’s sister Penny is heading the effort. More information can be found at Ilcovidresponsefund.org.
* Penny Pritzker…
I am honored that JB asked me to chair this endeavor that we are announcing today. A new statewide fundraising effort to quickly deploy needed and critical resources and support to our state’s most vulnerable residents in the wake of this terrible pandemic. […]
Let me close by saying I am personally blown away at the nearly limitless capacity and generosity throughout our state to care for others. And that gives me hope and certitude that we will come through this crisis together.
* Sen. Dick Durbin…
The cost of the rescue package that we enacted last night is about $2.2 trillion. $2.2 trillion. That is larger than the federal budget for an entire year in domestic discretionary spending. And the programs we put together, were the highest priorities. We thought them through, we debated them, we disagreed, we came back to the table over and over again. And at the end of the day. This measure passed with a unanimous, unanimous bipartisan vote in the United States Senate. 96 to nothing. The four senators who didn’t vote two of them are facing diagnoses and two are under self quarantine at this moment. […]
The one part I will close with is near and dear to the governor’s heart is a stabilization fund. We said that there had to be help coming back to the state and local governments that have incurred great expenses, seeing problems with their budget multiplying, there had to be a helping hand from Washington. The stabilization fund was enacted, and it’s going to mean revenues coming back to the state to help it through this challenging time.
* On to questions for the governor. The president sent a letter to all governors today (click here to read it). His thoughts?…
We had a call with the president just before that letter arrived, the nation’s governors did and all I can say is that I’m concerned about the desire of the president to ignore potentially the science to try to do something that I know he’s, you know, has a desire to do, but people will die. People will get sick. We need to make sure that we’re operating on the same playbook together to save people’s lives. And of course, simultaneously we’re all thinking about how we’re going to keep the economy going during this time period and as we reach peak and beyond it.
* What’s up with the unemployment insurance claims website?…
So we’ve been working on this and I’ve spoken with our technical leads on this issue today. We had a record number of people successfully able to file their unemployment claims over 17,000, just as of about two o’clock today, which is an amazing number considering that you know they’re literally building this airplane while it’s trying to take off. So I’m very proud of the work that they’re doing. There’s still more to do, they’re going to keep working at it. I literally spoke with our Chief Information Officer for the state. This morning I called him at 830. I woke him up because he only went to bed at about four in the morning. So, unfortunately, I think I ended his sleep for the day because he’s gone to work right after I spoke with him this morning. We’re going to get this right, and we’re going to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to file for unemployment claims and we have sped up the process for people to actually receive those claims as well.
* Governor Andrew Cuomo called the Senate stimulus bill irresponsible and reckless because it doesn’t provide nearly enough money to cover his state’s revenue losses. Do you agree? Also, NY has spent $1 billion on its response. How much has Illinois spent?…
This is progress so let’s you know at least recognize a win when we see one. I think you heard Senator Durbin say so. So does more needs to be done? Yes, we are frankly doing everything in our power to get the supplies that we need the equipment that we need to expand hospital capability, ICU beds, everything that you can think of.
And frankly, it is at this moment my biggest concern is not the expenditure that we’re making to save lives. It’s, are we saving the lives are we actually bending the curve and that’s what we’re watching very closely. We’re beginning to do that. But, you know, we’ve only had five days now under stay at home.
We need to have more days under our belt before we start to see the bending of that curve further, but more needs to be done in Washington DC and I know that Senator Durbin has said that there’s likely to be potentially a relief package number four, maybe even number five
* For the IDPH Director, are you considering a statewide Do Not Resuscitate order for coronavirus patients?
No.
* The governor was asked if he’d contributed to the new relief fund…
I did personally contribute already. My wife and I contributed $2 million of our own. And then my foundation contributed $2 million.
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673 new cases, 7 new deaths
Thursday, Mar 26, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oy…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 673 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including seven deaths; a man in his 50s, two men and two women in their 60s, a man in his 70s, and a woman in her 90s. Approximately 87% of fatalities are among patient 60 years of age and older.
Franklin and Tazewell counties are now reporting cases. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 2,538 cases, including 26 deaths, in 37 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to 99 years.
Confirmed Cases by Race
White – 40%
Black – 28%
Other – 9%
Asian – 4%
Left blank – 19%
Confirmed Cases by Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino – 7%
Not Hispanic or Latino – 61%
Left blank – 32%
…Adding… Check out the graph. This is such bad news…
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* Cor Strategies bills itself as a center-right political firm. They’ve worked for several Republican campaigns here. Here’s their analysis…
(T)his 2020 Primary Election has shown some alarming trends Illinois Republicans should be worried about when it comes to voter turnout.
Statewide this year, only 34% of primary voters chose to pull a Republican ballot. In raw numbers, over 1 million more voters pulled a Democratic ballot than a Republican ballot this year. Compare that to the last similar election, which was 2004 with George W. Bush on the ballot, when Republicans pulled 42% of Primary Election ballots statewide.
The story is the same everywhere you look – Republicans are losing ground.
In suburban Cook and the collar counties, a minuscule 21% of Primary Election ballots were Republican. These numbers are less than half of what they were the last time we had a Republican president on the ballot for re-election: 43%.
In 2004, Lake County Republican voters made up 51% of the ballots cast in the Primary Election. Fast forward to 2020 and Republican ballots counted for only an alarming 22% of the vote. Only 22,488 Republican votes were cast, compared to 81,746 Democratic votes.
In central Illinois, Champaign County went from Republicans making up 54% of the primary vote in this key county in 2004 to under 25% of ballots this primary election.
Even the traditionally-Republican stronghold of DuPage County saw a massive dip. The west suburban county used to be so important that in November of 2000, then Governor George W. Bush made a huge appearance at the College of DuPage with over 25,000 supporters in an effort to actually win Illinois. In 2004, during the Primary Election, Republicans pulled 58% of the Primary Election ballots, nearly 87,000 voters. This year, Republicans in DuPage County only made up 26% of the ballots cast, down nearly 50,000 voters.
We chose 2004 as our comparison because it was the last similar election when a Republican president was up for re-election with nominal-to-no opposition. Things look even worse if you compare this year’s results to more recent primaries. In the 2016 primary, 1,460,341 Republican ballots were cast compared to 531,706 this year. Even the 2018 gubernatorial primary saw significantly more Republican activity (739,834 votes cast), despite the fact that turnout is normally lower in non-presidential elections.
So what do these abysmal Republican turnout numbers mean? Well, to us, it’s pretty clear: if we don’t get our collective act together, 2020 might be an even worse year for Republicans than 2018 was.
We’ve been mentioning these numbers to center-right leaders since last Tuesday, and we’ve frankly been a bit shocked at the collective yawn we’ve received in response. We’ve heard every excuse under the sun, from the coronavirus to more interesting races on the Democratic ballot to Election Day being St. Patrick’s Day (seriously). While the virus certainly had an effect on older voters, many of whom trend right, the city of Chicago had massive problems administering this election, which undoubtedly suppressed votes in this deep blue city. Voters crossing over to vote in the opposition’s primary is not a new phenomena in 2020, this happens every election (for instance in IL-3 when Republicans crossed over in 2018 to save Dan Lipinski). And bars were closed on Election Day, so this excuse doesn’t hold water (or green beer).
It’s time to get our heads out of the sand. Republicans are not just losing ground; we’re getting clobbered. No more excuses, no more pointing fingers, and no more sitting around hoping that dark money contributions will save us. Things are not going to get better on their own. Voter turnout projections for November show us losing even more ground, especially when you consider the massive funding advantage Democrats enjoy.
Time to roll up our sleeves. The General Election is less than 8 months away.
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* Yikes…
Unemployment Rate Dropped to New Historic Low in February, While State Sees Significant Increase in Unemployment Claims in March
SPRINGFIELD – While the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate fell -0.1 percentage point to 3.4 percent, a new record low, the state is responding to a surge of unemployment claims in March due to the impacts of COVID-19. To this point, March unemployment claims total 133,763 compared to 27,493 over the same period in 2019.
In February, nonfarm payrolls were about unchanged, down -200 jobs based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The January monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report from +16,600 to +16,000 jobs.
The state’s unemployment rate was -0.1 percentage point lower than the national unemployment rate reported for February, which was 3.5 percent, down -0.1 percentage point from the previous month. This was the second consecutive month that the state unemployment rate was lower than the national unemployment rate. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -0.9 percentage point from a year ago when it was 4.3 percent.
Statewide monthly payroll employment estimates can be subject to volatility. The three-month average Illinois payroll employment estimate, which provides a more stable measure of payroll employment change, was up +9,300 jobs during the December to February three-month period, compared to the November to January three-month period. The largest average gains were found in Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+2,400), Educational and Health Services (+2,100) and Leisure and Hospitality (+1,700).
“This administration remains dedicated to providing relief to small businesses and families during this challenging period for the state economy,” said Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. “As the state navigates this economic uncertainty, the governor will use every tool at the state’s disposal to help small businesses and families get the help they need.”
“From day one, Governor Pritzker has prioritized the needs of the state’s workforce which has resulted in a strong economic foundation,” said Erin Guthrie, Acting Director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “The policies and plans he has enacted and continues to support will help us through this challenging period and make way for further economic stability.”
Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +18,300 jobs with the largest gains in: Educational and Health Services (+18,300), Government (+13,300) and Financial Activities (+4,800). The industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines were: Manufacturing (-14,500), Professional and Business Services (-11,400) and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-600). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were up +0.3 percentage point over-the-year as compared to the nation’s +1.6 percent over-the-year gain in January.
The number of unemployed workers decreased from the prior month, -3.9 percent to 218,800, a new record low, and was down -22.2 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force was down -0.3 percent over-the-month and -1.1 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment.
An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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* Rebecca Anzel at Capitol News Illinois…
The novel coronavirus could “create long-lasting, devastating damage” to Illinois health care facilities that serve vulnerable communities.
Community health centers are treating fewer patients than normal after all 390 locations around the state canceled routine and preventative medical visits to slow the spread of COVID-19 per guidance from federal and state officials.
That means fewer government reimbursements for facilities that use them to pay staff salaries and purchase supplies. According to a report from Capital Link, community health centers in Illinois are projected to lose almost $140 million in revenue over the next three months, or 70 percent of the business typically generated.
This segment of the state’s health care safety net is already underfunded by about $150 million annually, Jordan Powell, president of Illinois Primary Health Care Association, said.
* John O’Connor at the AP…
The internal financial review completed Wednesday for the Illinois Primary Health Care Association found that, without help, the state’s federally established community health centers face losses of $181 million and 4,350 layoffs during the next three months. […]
Heartland Health Centers, with 18 sites in the Chicago area along with temporarily closed public school clinics, reduced staff hours by 40% this week, president and CEO Gwenn Rausch said. Most of its 210 employees will work just three days a week to save $400,000 of a $1.2 million monthly payroll.
“Instead of seeing 500 patients a day, to minimize the number of well people coming into health centers who didn’t need to be there, and doing telehealth, we’re reduced to only about 100 patients a day,” Rausch said.
* From a press release…
* Nearly 30 percent will exhaust all of their operating reserves and be forced to close sites and reduce services
* 37 percent are already on the brink of closure, with less than 30 days of cash on hand
* More than 70 percent will have substantial operating deficits, making it more difficult to provide the critical care needed during this challenging time
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What the nurses want
Thursday, Mar 26, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Sue Clark, who lobbies for the American Nurses Association Illinois…
Rich,
Wanted to make sure you saw this. Governor Pritzker has most of this, and for that ANA-Illinois and nurses across Illinois are grateful. This letter highlights other issues needing to be addressed, in our opinoin.
Sue
What she sent was a letter from the US Secretary of Health and Human Services asking governors to immediately extend the capacity of their health care workforce to address the pandemic, with specific suggestions. Click here to read it.
* I asked Sue what other issues need addressing in Illinois. She sent me this…
COVID Nurse Workforce Issues.
1. Allow health Care professionals licensed in other states to practice across state lines.
a. The Governor, per Executive Order, allowed this practice around the border, which will help with direct patient care immediately around the border of Illinois.
b. Telehealth-need to allow telehealth from licensed healthcare professionals throughout the US.
c. Neither of these strategies would be needed for nurses, had Illinois joined the Nurse Licensure Compact.
2. Waive statutory and regulatory standards not necessary for standards of care: specific to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs)*. Remove all barriers for access to care by APRNs. Other states have done this.
a. The Illinois Nurse Practice Act requires APRN scope of practice be linked directly to their national certification. If this requirement is waived, it allows more flexibility in providing care. Care for which APRNs are educated to provide in all settings.
b. Eliminate the requirement for Written Collaborative Agreements, (WCA), which requires physicians to determine what care an APRN may provide, including prescribing limitations. Would allow more flexibility and efficiency.
c. For CRNAs, waive the mandate for ‘physical presence’ of anesthesiologist, physician, podiatrist, or dentist. Elective surgeries have been cancelled so some hospitals are hiring CRNAs as RNs. The ‘physical presence’ requirement is causing confusion regarding liability issues. CRNAs are better utilized to provide lifesaving services such as intubation, ventilator management and insertions of arterial lines and other procedures. While we know RNs are and will be in demand, CRNAs are educated and proficient in these life saving measures that RNs are not.
3. Many Illinois pharmacists will not fill a prescription signed by an APRN. The law does not require a physician name or signature for APRNs prescriptions. Patients are being asked to return at a later time to allow for an unnecessary name of a physician. This needs to stop.
*APRNs in Illinois in order to be licensed must have at least a Masters Degree, obtain and maintain national certification in their specialty. For instance, a Nurse Practitioner is one category of APRN (the others are CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists), CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialists) and CNM (Certified Nurse Midwives)
There are subspecialties especially for Nurse Practitioners, like pediatric, adult, family, mental health, emergency, etc, etc. The NPA (Nurse Practice Act) requires APRNs to practice within the certification specialty. What we are asking is to allow all APRNs to practice wherever there is need for increased access to APRN care. Flexibility during this time.
Written Collaborative Agreement (WCA): is a written agreement between a physician and APRN. In the agreement the physician must delegate whatever care the physician wants to allow. Nursing has tried to eliminate this for many years, as APRNs are well educated and practice within the scope of practice. In 2017, APRNs to meet specific requirements my obtain full authority to practice without a WCA. One stipulation is that an APRN must work 4000 hours with a WCA.
* TL/DR? Probably. But I mistakenly tweeted last year that Sue had been murdered, so I figure I owe her one.
Anyway, she ended with this…
Ok, so I gave you too much information!
The bottom line:
Request to:
1) Remove all barriers for access to APRN care, including but not limited to eliminating the WCA mandate and remove limitations on scope of practice. And, includes removing the requirement for physical presence of any other healthcare provider when anesthesia care is administered by a CRNA.
2) Require the acceptance of prescriptions written by an APRN, as authorized by the Nurse Practice Act.
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Raoul details his price-gouging efforts
Thursday, Mar 26, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* ABC 7…
The coronavirus pandemic has led to complaints about price gouging at stores across the state of Illinois.
Many consumers say they’ve seen prices soar on certain products.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul says he does not take price gouging lightly and if a store is caught doing it, there could be stiff consequences.
Several consumers have called the ABC7 I-Team after spotting what they call price gouging in local stores across the Chicago area and online, with toilet paper rolls being sold for $59.99 and $11.99 for a 24 pack of bottled water.
Attorney General Raoul says his office has so far received 526 complaints related to price gouging during the COVID-19 crisis.
* AG Raoul was on Maze Jackson’s radio show today to talk about price gouging. I kid you not. The last time we talked about Raoul and Jackson was when the two almost got into a fist fight. But all appears well between them now. Crises can bring people together sometimes…
* The AG appeared a bit grizzled when I watched his ABC 7 interview. He told me he uses isopropyl to disinfect after he shaves, but he’s preserving his stash as much as he can during the crisis…
Caption?
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* The first version of the governor’s stay at home order was an unsearchable pdf file. Click here for a searchable version. I’m not quite sure when that went online, but it’s very useful.
Speaking of which…
With President Donald Trump pushing to jump-start the United States economy by April 12, even as COVID-19 cases continue to rise nationally, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker saying he’s weighing whether to extend Illinois’ stay-at-home order beyond April 7, some have been wondering who has the final say locally if there’s a difference of opinion.
Examining the nation’s federalist system of shared powers, and the 10th Amendment, which affords broad power to states in a public health crisis, “the governor wins,” says Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University law professor and public health expert. […]
“The legal answer is pretty easy actually. The governor wins – that’s the bottomline,” said Gostin, the Georgetown University legal scholar and public health expert. He said if a president tried to override a stay-at-home-order it would go to the courts and the president would lose. “States have historic police powers, which means … their primary responsibility is the health, safety and welfare of residents within their states and they have very broad powers.”
“The president has no power to go to a business within a state and tell that business to violate state law or state directions. The president has no power to command or commandeer a governor or state control over its people and its businesses. And the fact that the president is suggesting or implying that he does, I think is false. We’re not China, and we’re not even Italy. We don’t have a centralized government that is all powerful.”
* The Tribune has a mostly laudatory article on the governor’s handling of the crisis and it included this Pritzker quote from last week…
“Every step that we’ve taken during this crisis, my legal team has understood and laid out our legal authority to do it.”
That prompted me to ask for the legal authority to extend the tax filing deadline. From the governor’s office…
Filing: IL statute already allowed for an automatic 6 month filing extension – so filing could always be done after 4/15 (up through 10/15). So filing deadline was never really the issue; payment deadline (below) was the issue.
Payment: DOR found that payment deadline automatically extends when there is a federal extension. Regulation 100.6000: Payment on Due Date of Return (IITA Section 601).
Learn something new every day…
If the due date for payment of a taxpayer’s federal income tax liability for a tax year (as provided in the Internal Revenue Code or by Treasury regulation, or as extended by the Internal Revenue Service) is later than the date fixed for filing the taxpayer’s Illinois income tax return for that tax year, the due date for payment of the Illinois income tax liability due on that return shall be the extended due date for payment of the taxpayer’s federal income tax liability.
That happens whenever April 15 falls on a weekend, for instance. So, in reality, the filing deadline had to be extended because the feds did it.
* Meanwhile…
The city’s Lakefront Trail, parks and beaches are closed, as well as The 606 Trail, Chicago aldermen said in messages to constituents and social media posts.
“Starting today, all of Chicago’s lakefront with its adjoining parks will be closed to the public until further notice. In addition, all fieldhouses, all playlots, all school playgrounds, the Chicago Riverwalk, and the 606 Trail are now closed to the public,” Ald. James Cappleman in a letter to constituents said in a letter to residents in his 46th Ward. “These steps were taken to further limit COVID-19 infections due to projection rates that if this stricter stay-in-place order did not occur, we would have upwards of 40,000 residents requiring a hospitalization. This would decimate our healthcare system, leading to many deaths.”
It was unclear whether Mayor Lori Lightfoot would close all other city parks as well.
Lightfoot’s office did not immediately have a comment Thursday morning. She has a news conference scheduled for 1 p.m.
* As the governor, the State Police and the Illinois National Guard have all said, these “papers” are not necessary…
* Other stuff…
* Cops called on X-rated video store in West Peoria offering curbside service during stay-at-home order
* These Retailers Refused To Close During The Pandemic, So An Illinois City Shut Them Down: Michaels stores have remained open in several states with stay-home orders in place. In a letter to employees, the company cited three reasons why its stores are “essential”: Small businesses rely on them, teachers use them for educational supplies and people “are looking to take their minds off a stressful reality” right now.
* How to make your food last longer
* ‘Pop-up’ production line at Carbondale plant producing specimen shipping bags for COVID-19 tests
* Let’s respond to coronavirus and climate change with car-free streets, bus and bike lanes
* Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area
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DoIT needs to get its act together
Thursday, Mar 26, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* On Monday, Gov. JB Pritzker was asked about the crush of people trying to file for unemployment insurance who couldn’t get through…
First of all, this is just an unprecedented number of people that are seeking unemployment claims during this time period. I don’t think we’ve ever seen this before, even in periods during the 2008-2009 crisis. Having said that, we found over the weekend and over the last you know couple days of the week that the systems that we had that were supporting the online applications wasn’t robust enough to take all of the applications that were coming in at one time. And so we’re porting that system entirely over to a much more expansive foundational software system and server. So we won’t have any of those problems going forward. So we’ve taken care of, I think, the online problem.
The phone line problem is another issue. We had to take non essential staff and push them up to the front lines to answer phones to make sure we answered any questions we would like anybody who needs to apply for unemployment though, to go to the website it really will be. It’s now a, you know, as I say it’s on a new platform, we’ll be able to take many more at the same time, we want to fulfill peoples’ needs during this crisis and we’re going to.
He’s right about the unprecedented nature of this crisis. It’s just never happened before. Every state is having these sorts of problems. But he’s the one who raised expectations.
* When a reporter pointed out the ongoing problems with the IDES website and problems getting through by phone, the governor said the reporter was 100 percent right, and added…
As I’ve said, this is an unprecedented number of people who are applying at the same time. And our DoIT, our Department of Innovation Technology, our state CIO, have been on this every day. They’re trying very hard to expand availability, they are expanding the availability. But it is true that we remain overloaded.
People are going to have to be patient at least for now. Over the course of this week those changes are coming online. I can’t guarantee that it’s going to be easy for everybody who gets there, especially if people show up all at the same time during work hours for example. But you can go online, any time of day or night. And so I would suggest to people that perhaps finding off hours to go online to make that filing will be much easier for you and easier on the system.
So, you know, hang with us here we’re going to make changes that are making it better. But it is true, it’s not working the way that I want it to, either.
He needs to seriously kick some DoIT tail and perhaps call in some of his homies from the tech world to help us out.
Yes, nobody ever expected this. I’m not blaming DoIT for its initial failure. I’m faulting DoIT because its honchos told the governor they had fixed the problem when they hadn’t. That’s unforgivable.
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* NCSL…
The U.S. Senate approved an estimated $2 trillion stimulus package to battle the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, though concerns with the unemployment provisions remain. A few highlights of what’s included in the package:
• Creates a $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund for state, local and tribal governments. See estimated state allocations courtesy of Federal Funds Information for States.
• Provides $30 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund for states, school districts and institutions of higher education for costs related to the coronavirus.
• Provides $45 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund for the immediate needs of state, local, tribal and territorial governments to protect citizens and help them respond and recover from the overwhelming effects of COVID-19.
• Provides $1.4 billion for deployments of the National Guard. This level of funding will sustain up to 20,000 members of the National Guard, under the direction of the governors of each state, for the next six months in order to support state and local response efforts.
• Provides an additional $4.3 billion, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to support federal, state and local public health agencies to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus.
• Extends the Oct. 30, 2020, Real ID implementation deadline to Sept. 30, 2021.
• Provides $25 billion for transit systems. These funds would be distributed through existing formulas including the Urbanized Area Formula Grants and Formula Grants for Rural Areas using fiscal year 2020 apportionment formulas.
• Provides $400 million in election security grants to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus in the 2020 federal election cycle. States must provide an accounting to the Election Assistance Commission of how the funds were spent within 20 days of any 2020 election.
• Expands unemployment insurance from three to four months, and provides temporary unemployment compensation of $600 per week, which is in addition to and the same time as regular state and federal UI benefits.
• Establishes a $500 billion lending fund for businesses, cities and states.
• Provides a $1,200 direct payment to many Americans and $500 for each dependent child.
And if you click that link, Illinois’ share of the $150 billion is $2.7 billion, with another $2.2 billion to local governments here. But that doesn’t include the other programs.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Here’s a breakdown from US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s office…
Breakdown of funds to IL for various key programs:
• Election Assistance ($400 million total): $13.9 million federal share + 5% state match ($695 thousand)= $14.6 million
• Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) Program ($850 million total): $31.9 million
• Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG): FY2020 Regular Appropriations ($189.5 million) + COVID Supplemental Appropriations ($117.5 million) = $307 million (an additional $117.5 million)
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): $17.8 million
• CDC Coronavirus State, Local, and Tribal Grant (Through the Public Health Emegrency Prpearedness Program) Awards: $16.3 million
• Emergency Solution Grants (ESG): $99 million
• Federal Transit Administation (FTA) Formula Distribution: $1.6 billion
• Housing Opportunities for Persons With Aids (HOPWA): $1.7 million
• Low Income Housing Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) Program: $13 million
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP): $2.2 million
• National Endowment of the Arts (NEA): $528,000
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): $799,000
*** UPDATE 2 *** Chalkbeat has a good roundup of what schools can expect. Small excerpt…
Districts will be able to use their portion of the $13.5 billion on a wide variety of things, including:
• Supplies for cleaning and sanitizing schools and school district buildings
• Efforts to help students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners, “racial and ethnic minorities,” homeless students, and students in foster care
• Coordinating long-term school closures, including meals, technology, and serving students with disabilities
• Buying technology, including connectivity, to help students continue learning, including adaptive equipment for students with disabilities
• Items principals need “to address the needs of their individual schools”
• Mental health services
• Planning and providing in-person or online summer learning programs and after-school programs
• Continuing to provide district-level services and employ staffers
*** UPDATE 3 *** Good news, but let’s hope he also releases the money. New York and California complained yesterday about that very thing…
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* AP…
Nearly 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — nearly five times the previous record set in 1982 — amid a widespread economic shutdown caused by the coronavirus.
The surge in weekly applications was a stunning reflection of the damage the viral outbreak is inflicting on the economy. Filings for unemployment aid generally reflect the pace of layoffs.
Layoffs are sure to accelerate as the U.S. economy sinks into a recession. Revenue has collapsed at restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, gyms, and airlines. Auto sales are plummeting, and car makers have closed factories. Most such employers face loan payments and other fixed costs, so they’re cutting jobs to save money.
As job losses mount, some economists say the nation’s unemployment rate could approach 13% by May. By comparison, the highest jobless rate during the Great Recession, which ended in 2009, was 10%.
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