* Paul Simon Public Policy Institute…
For Governor Pritzker, who is not on the ballot this year, 51 percent approve of the job he is doing, and 38 percent disapprove. The governor, in his second year in office, has a net positive approval rating of 13 percentage points.
When controlling for party, there are stark differences. Among Democrats, the governor enjoys a 77 percent approval to 14 percent disapproval rating. Seventy-three percent of Republicans disapprove and 20 percent approve of Pritzker’s job performance. Independents are in the middle, with 44 percent approval to 43 percent disapproval.
As for the geographical breakdowns, 68 percent of Chicago voters approve and 22 percent disapprove. In the Chicago suburbs, his approval rating is 53 percent, while disapproval is at 36 percent. Downstate 38 percent of the voters approve of the job the governor is doing and 52 percent disapprove.
Governor Pritzker had been in office only two months when the 2019 Simon Poll was done. In that poll, 40 percent approved or strongly approved of the job he was doing while 38 percent disapproved or strongly disapproved. At that time we noted that Pritzker had not enjoyed much of a honeymoon in his new office. This means that his approval rating is up by 11 percent, while his disapprove rate remained the same over the ensuing year.
“In last year’s poll, we speculated that the governor’s relatively low approval rating meant that voters had given him a short ‘honeymoon period,’” said Charlie Leonard, one of the co-directors of the Simon Poll. “However, given these results a year later, it seems more likely that last year’s large ‘undecided’ group of voters have come around to a positive appraisal of Governor Pritzker’s performance, given that his disapproval rating is virtually identical.”
Sen. Dick Durbin’s job approval was 52 percent, with a disapproval of 36 percent. President Trump’s approval is at 39 percent, while 58 percent disapproved.
* Some of these numbers are ten days old. The poll was conducted February 10-17…
On the Democratic side, 22 percent said they would support Senator Sanders; 17 percent said they would vote for former Mayor Bloomberg; and 14 percent planned to vote for former Vice President Joe Biden. The top three were followed by former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 13 percent and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar at 8 percent. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren received 6 percent while the remaining candidates were at one percent. […]
In Chicago, 22 percent of likely Democratic primary voters supported Sanders; 22 percent supported Bloomberg, while Biden came in third at 14 percent. In the Chicago suburbs (Cook County outside the city plus the collar counties of DuPage, Will, Kane, McHenry, and Lake) 21 percent supported Sanders, 16 percent planned to vote for Bloomberg, and 15 percent supported Biden. Downstate 23 percent supported Sanders, Buttigieg came in second at 17 percent, followed by Bloomberg at 15 percent and Biden in fourth place at 10 percent.
* Methodology…
The poll of 1,000 registered voters was conducted between February 10 and 17. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Registered voters were asked about their likelihood of voting, with a subgroup of them identified as “likely voters.” This group (N = 821) included 58 percent saying they would vote in the Democratic Primary and 28 percent saying they would vote in the Republican Primary. These subsamples of likely voters have margins of error of 4.5 and 6.4 percentage points, respectively.
More at the link.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Feb 20, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady on Jak Tichenor’s program yesterday…
We think the governor was wise a while ago to ask for his agencies to look at six and a half percent adjustments in their budgets, efficiencies, that would provide hundreds of millions of dollars without touching healthcare or education or pension payments. […]
We’d like to see what his agencies came up with. […]
If you take the other agencies and if you take six and a half percent efficiencies, as he ordered, there could be over $800 million. Couple that with [$650 million] in natural revenue growth, that gives you a billion and a half dollars to reinvest in education, DCFS, make the pension payment.
He later said the $800 million figure excluded education, healthcare and pension cuts.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked last week about his order to state agencies to game out 6.5 percent cuts…
Part of the purpose of that memo, Hannah, was to make sure that we were surfacing the opportunities to make government more efficient. So we really forced the agency heads to think hard about what would you do in the event that we needed to make significant cuts.
There were many things that were recommended from each of the agencies. We chose from those things, the things that we thought were would not deteriorate the services that people get for our state, but that would make sure that we’re operating more efficiently. So that was really the purpose of that exercise. […]
Reporter: Will there have to be deeper cuts in other areas to balance the budget in 21 and increase spending in other areas… ?
Pritzker: Well, let’s start with the situation that I walked into when I became governor. The agencies of state government had been significantly hollowed out. And if you would talk to our state agency directors, they would tell you that they walked into situations where sometimes the basic functions of government required by law weren’t being performed, because of the hollowing out that has occurred. So, we’re in the process here of making government more efficient and effective with the dollars that we have, and making sure that we’re restoring services that people deserve.
* The Question: Should the governor’s office release the document containing the 6.5 percent agency spending reductions exercise? Make sure to explain your answer, please. Thanks.
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* From a House Republican press release…
The Governor also allocated funds to account for the rise in the minimum wage for state employees, but Bourne claimed the number used in the budget address was unrealistic and much lower than the true cost.
“Last year the Pritzker administration said compliance with the minimum wage increase would cost $270 million in FY21 alone, meanwhile groups representing human service providers across the state have estimated the compliance cost to be closer to $400 million,” said Bourne. “Despite those published numbers last year, the Governor’s office contends that the minimum wage hike would cost only $68 million in general revenue funds in FY21. It’s an unrealistic figure that suggests the Pritzker administration is hiding the minimum wage hike’s true cost. We need clear and transparent numbers that accurately reflect real budget expenditures, particularly in relation to costs associated with the minimum wage. Making intentionally low cost estimates only perpetuates unbalanced budgets and a dishonest budgeting process.”
The Pritzker administration did, indeed, estimate FY21 costs at $270 million.
But this criticism directly contradicts some of the other points the GOP has been making about how there’s plenty of money to balance a budget. In that very press release above, for example…
“Additionally, regardless of what voters say about the Governor’s graduated income tax, Illinois is already bringing in the most revenue in State history. We should be able to construct a balanced, responsible budget on the current revenue levels.”
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* A.D. Quig at Crain’s…
Alaina Hampton, a former political staffer and campaign manager for House Speaker Mike Madigan and the Madigan-controlled Democratic Party of Illinois, says the PAC, People for Women’s Empowerment, is being run by people with more allegiance to Madigan than to empowering women.
State and city lobbyist Tiffany Elking, who has ties to Madigan, filed paperwork to launch the PAC in January. While she says the group was not created to benefit the speaker, she would not elaborate on what candidates or causes the group might support. The PAC has yet to disclose raising or spending any money.
“Women in Illinois politics, my colleagues, have long discussed the idea of a PAC to support women candidates. But the People for Women’s Empowerment PAC is my brain child, with invaluable input from the six other founding board members,” Elking said in an email. “That’s it. Meanwhile, we are currently developing our action plan. Stay tuned.” […]
Hampton pointed out that Elking, a former assistant counsel to Madigan, was among a group of women to publicly support then-House Majority Leader Lou Lang when he was accused of sexual harassment before an investigation into his behavior began. The Skokie Democrat resigned from the Legislature in January 2019 to become a lobbyist.
That show of support for Lang had a chilling effect on those who might have experienced harassment, Hampton said.
That Lang press conference still upsets some folks to this day. But there are some fine people on that group’s board, and even Hampton says she hopes they end up doing some good. Becky Carroll’s comment…
“While there are some great organizations in Illinois working to prepare women to run for re-election, like IWIL (Illinois Women in Leadership), virtually nothing exists that focuses exclusively and effectively on giving women the resources they need to run a successful campaign,” she said. “This new entity might be able to help fill that gap. Let’s see how they raise their money and who they invest those dollars in.”
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Feb 20, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I had my garage wired to charge my gas/electric car several years ago and it didn’t cost much. But some folks ain’t gonna be happy about this bill…
Illinois lawmakers moved forward Tuesday with legislation that would require high-voltage outlets to be installed in most new construction, renovations, and a significant portion of all parking garages to allow for electric car charging.
House Bill 4284 is similar to a mandate in California. It requires any new residential construction to have a dedicated circuit that runs to the garage or all parking spaces to make it “electric vehicle ready.”
The measure “provides that a new or renovated residential building is required to have a certain percentage, based on the number of units in the residential building, of its total parking spaces either electric vehicle ready or electric vehicle capable,” according to the text of the bill.
Any new residential property with six or fewer parking spaces would have to have a dedicated outlet for each spot under the terms of the bill.
The bill is here.
* Email…
Good morning Rich!
Sandy Bury here, Mayor of the fine Village of Oak Lawn. Oak Lawn is the poster child for a community that is thriving while struggling to manage staggering pension debt and unfunded mandates by Springfield. We have done this by lowering property taxes, paying down debt and growing our economy organically.
We are always looking for innovative ways to make ends meet and our “Push Tax” of a penny a push on video gaming is a way to maintain services without raising property taxes. It charges players of video games a penny a push on gaming machines. Using our Home Rule authority this amusement tax became law on January 1st in Oak Lawn.
We immediately were subjected to threats of litigation, mafioso-style threats to retaliate against our local businesses (by removing all machines but one) and a misinformation campaign by insiders in the gaming industry.
While the new tax is clearly unpopular with those with ties to gaming, every resident I have spoken with supports this. No one wants to see property taxes increase for our seniors and hard working families who are just hanging on. Several municipalities have asked for a copy of our ordinance and are eager to implement their own version. The “push tax” is showing signs of spreading like a virus throughout our struggling communities.
Last month, the amount wagered on video gaming in Oak Lawn exceeded our entire yearly municipal tax levy at more that $16 million - yes, in one month. The “push tax” will be used in Oak Lawn to help fund pensions, pave roads, repair streets and educate the public regarding gambling addiction. The Village estimates it will bring in a little more than $1 million yearly.
To date, no one has said this tax is illegal. But Bob Rita would like to make it so. He has introduced HB5065 to shut this tax down and protect the interests of his powerful friends. I am writing to ask your help in getting the word out about this. It’s simply outrageous that our legislators are working against the municipalities they represent in support of powerful interests.
Sincerely,
Sandra Bury
Mayor of Oak Lawn
The bill is here.
* Alex Nitkin at the Daily Line…
Former Ald. Danny Solis (25) did not violate state election law when he spent $220,000 in campaign funds on his personal legal defense amid a sprawling federal criminal investigation, state election officials ruled on Wednesday.
The Illinois Board of Elections rejected a challenge filed by Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25), Solis’ successor and longtime political rival, who alleged in a November legal filing that politicians’ common practice of using campaign funds for legal fees is “illegal and disgraceful.”
Sigcho-Lopez argued that if election law prohibits politicians from using campaign funds for personal expenses like clothes, haircuts and club memberships, they should not be allowed to use it for “legal expenses not related to their campaigns for political office.” […]
Sigcho-Lopez has one week to decide whether to he wants to appeal the board’s decision in Illinois Appellate Court. Regardless, the alderman said he planned to take his argument to Springfield by advocating for a new law prohibiting campaign funds from being used to pay legal fees, he said.
I’m thinking that, since campaign committees spent $5.3 million on legal fees last year alone, this idea probably isn’t going anywhere. We’ll see.
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* Carol Marin caught up with Rob Blagojevich, the brother of the former governor…
Shame on JB Pritzker for not being a friend and for not being an honorable person. He wanted something from my brother and when he didn’t get it now he’s moved on and he’s now bitter against my brother.
That doesn’t make much sense. Pritzker wasn’t appointed state treasurer and now he’s governor and he’s bitter?
* NBC 5’s Mary Ann Ahern confronted the governor about this today…
[Rod Blagojevich’s] brother told us yesterday you were his friend and you wanted the Senate seat and now you’re not his friend and what’s your reaction to that?
It’s not a big deal, but Pritzker didn’t want the Senate seat, he wanted to be appointed treasurer if Alexi Giannoulias, as rumored at the time, followed Obama to the White House.
Pritzker’s response…
Well that’s not accurate. [Cross-talk] This was more than 10 years ago, what you’re talking about. I spend every day focused on trying to root out the corrupt politicians in the state, to make sure that we’re passing ethics legislation, real reforms in our state so that politicians don’t go after, trying to enrich themselves and instead are focused on the business of the people of our state.
That’s… not a very good response. At all.
* Back to the questions…
Ahern: But can you see where the public says, I know it was years ago, but you were on the tapes, too. You were on the tapes as well. And so how did they say you’re different?
Pritzker: There were hundreds of people who were recorded, to be clear. And let’s also make sure we also understand, what happened more than ten years ago has nothing to do with where we are today in this state. So many challenges, and I outlined many of them yesterday. I think we ought to be focusing on the challenges of today and those include challenges around the budget and challenges around addressing corruption that exists still in this state. More than a decade after he went to prison we still have politicians in this state who are on the take. We’ve got to get rid of them, we’ve got to make sure we find them out, we’ve got to make sure they get prosecuted.
Obviously, being on a surveillance tape is not evidence or even an indication that somebody committed a crime. But he needs a much better answer than this because Rod ain’t going away.
* Meanwhile, this is a surprisingly popular view online…
It’s one of the most ridiculously stupid conspiracy theories out there. So, Rod’s gonna wait until after he served years in prison to dish the dirt? People were saying much the same thing before his book came out and it was a bunch of self-serving nothing.
Not to mention, Blagojevich has been out of the loop since he was arrested in December of 2008. Madigan wouldn’t even talk to the guy for two years before that. So, we’re looking at something like 14 years ago, but Madigan never, ever trusted the coiffed one going back to his time in the House.
That being said, I would expect Blagojevich to publicly go off on Madigan and probably Gov. Pritzker at some point. The man can’t help himself. He also has a reputation for not having a close relationship with the truth, but lots of reporters eat up everything he says.
* This, though, is my all-time favorite, which was handled nicely by a civilian…
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Mike’s Just Getting Started
Thursday, Feb 20, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In 2016, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in three debates.
In 2012, Mitt Romney famously beat President Obama handily in their first debate.
What do those moments have in common? Debate performances did nothing to change the outcome of the election.
In 2020, you know you’re a winner when you draw attacks from every single candidate on the stage. You know you’re a winner when instead of counting you out, members of Congress from New York, California, and New Jersey throw their support behind your campaign.
Last night, Mike stepped onto the debate stage for the first time in 10 years. He was the center of attention, fielded attacks from every candidate, all the while being the only person on stage to fearlessly and consistently share his message that he is the best candidate to beat Donald Trump and unify the American people in November.
Everyone came to destroy Mike last night and get under his skin - and it didn’t happen. Instead, Mike delivered the line of the night to Senator Sanders: “What a wonderful country we have. The best known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses.”
As Mike rises in the polls and his presence across the country grows, other candidates are getting viscous - but the divisive energy we see on social media and on stage won’t propel Democrats into the White House.
Last night was a warm up. Mike has the vision, comprehensive platform, and national investment to take the fight to Donald Trump.
That’s how Mike wins. That’s how Democrats win.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Illinois Credit Union League is the primary trade association for Illinois credit unions. Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives that focus on their members and the communities they serve. Credit unions function like other financial institutions in many ways: they offer checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards, as well as personal, home, and auto loans, free ATMs, and more. However, credit unions exist as member-owned cooperative institutions. This means that when you join a credit union, you are more than just a member - you’re an owner, and your voice matters. Interested in finding the credit union that’s right for you? Visit ASmarterChoice.org to discover all the advantages that membership holds.
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* From the SoS…
Dear Mr. Miller:
The attached list has been compiled in response to your recent FOIA request for a list of people who are currently banned from entering the Illinois Statehouse and/or Statehouse complex. Please note that the individuals on this list were not banned from the capitol complex. However, they would only be allowed access to the complex if they were escorted by or under surveillance of law enforcement officers. Access to the capitol complex may be restricted for a number of reasons, including: threatening comments or behavior directed at state officials or employees; inappropriate communications with a state official; inappropriate or suspicious behavior on the capitol complex; as required by an order of protection; conduct related to discharge from State employment; found in a restricted area of the capitol complex; threats of damage to property located on the complex; release from a secure State psychiatric hospital to which the individual had be committed pursuant to a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity for a crime of violence on the capitol complex.
Nathan Maddox
Senior Legal Adviser
Office of the Secretary of State
Click here for the full list. Former Rep. Jack Franks is on the list as is a person named William J. Kelly.
…Adding… You may have noticed the name “Captain Cautious America (formerly Anderson, Mark A.)” on the list. Here’s some background…
Of course, he can’t become president until he turns 35. But he has other ideas to work on until then.
A nursing student, he says he has been studying several sexually transmitted diseases. He believes he has conjured a cure for several of them.
“It was just simple mathematics and an understanding of antibiotics,” he says.
He hasn’t shared his secret with any public-health officials — “just people in my own circle,” he says — but he would gladly relay his calculations and formulas to the U.S. government. Then government-backed researchers and scientists could mass produce the cure, which not only could help Americans but be sold overseas.
…Adding… As some commenters have noted, Derek Potts is also on the list…
A 39-year-old man found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2004 fatal shooting of a Capitol security guard soon will be released from a locked state psychiatric hospital and transferred for at least five years to an outpatient, residential treatment center in Chicago, a Sangamon County judge ruled Tuesday.
The decision from Associate Judge Jack Davis II came after a 3½-hour hearing and over the objection of State’s Attorney Dan Wright, who said he wasn’t convinced of Derek Potts’ remorse and remained concerned Potts could hurt others again.
Davis acknowledged what he called the tragic loss of William “Bill” Wozniak to the rural Petersburg man’s widow, several other relatives and Capitol-based police, all seated in the courtroom audience. Davis said Wozniak was a “five-star family man” and a “dedicated public servant.”
…Adding… William Kelly just sent me an e-mail…
That’s news to me
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* From the beginning of Gov. Pritzker’s budget address…
My friends, not long ago I shared with you news of our state’s progress over the last year and my genuine confidence that our future is bright and that Illinois is growing stronger each day.
I know I have a reputation for being a bit of an irrepressible optimist – something somewhat unusual among those who have held this job recently – but I believe that the cynics had their years in power and that the people of Illinois suffered because of them.
Being a cynic is easy.
Cynicism, after all, demands only that you believe in the worst and do nothing to stop it from happening.
It’s optimism that’s hard. Because optimism demands hope, and patience, and faith…and most importantly, action.
* From the middle of his address…
I want to give you one stark example of why a change in approach was so desperately needed. Bruce Rauner went to war with labor unions, and one consequence of that was millions of dollars in costs for the state due to litigation and back pay. In contrast, when I came into office I negotiated substantial health care savings and finalized fair contracts with state workers. As a result, the upcoming fiscal year’s budget will spend $175 million less, and we will save $650 million over 4 years.
Lowering the wages of workers, trying to bankrupt the state and seeking to destroy government … didn’t work.
Also, trying to separate Chicago from the rest of Illinois, whether rhetorically or literally, will not solve the economic challenges of downstate Illinois. Quite the opposite. Some of you need to stop pretending that one part of Illinois can exist without all the others. We are … one Illinois.
There are realities about running a state and caring for our people that we have to face with more clear-eyed resolve, with a focus on unity and far less partisanship. Our future genuinely does depend on it.
That “one Illinois” bit provoked a standing ovation.
* A bit later…
There is an old saying that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. And the second best time to plant a tree is today.
* The end…
It’s become something of a political sport in this state over the last several years to present our fiscal issues as insurmountable. I’m here to tell you, they are not.
Our budget challenges are hard, no doubt about it – but it’s a myth to think they were ever easy. Our state has grown and changed so much over the years and the complexities of running our government have evolved with it. Our future will not be built on the shaky rhetorical foundation of those who keep rooting for us to fail.
Every decision we make about how we spend the money our citizens trust to our keeping is, at its root, a deeply moral undertaking.
These lines on a budget spreadsheet – they give peace to sleepless nights worrying about medical bills, they are delivery on a deferred dream, they stand between poverty and prosperity. A road that is properly repaired and maintained is a car accident than never happens. A strong education system is the slingshot to success allowing a child to thrive. Fully funding public safety means a life saved, a crime solved and a justice system that is more equitable and fair.
Every worry that we erase, every dream that we fund, every obstacle we remove is a small bit of happiness that we give back to our citizens. Sometimes we forget that in 2020.
We can add happiness back into people’s lives. The pursuit of happiness is the real rhetorical and moral foundation of our government. The founders were optimists too, it turns out.
With that singular focus at the heart of all that we do, with an eye to our future and with prudence and responsibility as our guiding lights, I submit this budget proposal, and I urge the General Assembly to work with me in the pursuit of happiness for all Illinoisans.
I do not know of another American politician today who projects such optimism.
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Budget coverage roundup
Thursday, Feb 20, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
For nearly two years during his campaign for governor, J.B. Pritzker pointed the finger at then Gov. Bruce Rauner for holding the state’s budget hostage for the Republican’s “Turnaround Agenda.”
Now, the Democratic governor is doing a turnaround of his own — and Republicans are accusing him of taking a my-way-or-the-highway approach.
Pritzker’s second-year budget includes putting nearly $1.4 billion in reserves, including funding for education — unless his preferred graduated income tax amendment passes this November.
In a sense, there are two budgets — one Republicans and Democrats alike would call balanced. But there’s another — included in the 2021 budget book and discussed in lawmaker briefings — that includes the uncertain world of a graduated income tax.
Rauner wouldn’t sign a budget until he got what he wanted and his veto had to be overridden after a devastating two-year stalemate. Pritzker is proposing a budget that appears to at least come close to balancing on paper, but will expand spending if his tax changes are approved.
Kinda different.
* More…
Republican leaders in the General Assembly argued that the choice between the two budgets is a false one, and Pritzker’s address was nothing more than a sales tactic for the graduated tax.
“The reserves he’s calling for are a marketing plan to sell his (graduated tax) increase,” Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, said. “If those resources weren’t there, I don’t think this is the way he would have approached the spending plan and it’s not a way we would approach it.”
OK, but a state law is already in place to raise tax rates on the top 3 percent if the voters approve the constitutional amendment. He, therefore, has a right to do what he did, regardless of the criticism.
* Even so, some of his ideas aren’t being met with open arms…
Pritzker’s $42 billion budget proposal would deliver a $350 million increase for K-12 schools for 2020-21 only if voters pass the amendment. If not, he proposes boosting the school budget by $200 million — a sum that, once divided among the state’s 2 million children, would amount to $100 extra spending per child. Proposed increases for public universities and community colleges would similarly be held back. […]
Robin Steans, executive director of Advance Illinois, a group that helped lobby for a revamp of the state’s school formula in 2017, called the proposal “devastating.”
“This two-tiered budget — with some dollars immediately available and authorized, and some dollars held in reserve pending passage of a constitutional amendment enabling a progressive income tax — is a significant blow to our children and the adults who are committed to shaping their futures,” she said.
Mark Klaisner, president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents, said that, because the formula prioritizes districts that struggle most with local property revenues, schools that need it most would still see an increase. The tricky part is the timing.
“Some people will say, How do we handle staffing? Or, will we have to let people go in November,” Klaisner said. “It’s a matter of planning.”
* More react…
Democratic Rep. Will Davis of Homewood, the House sponsor of the evidence-based funding formula legislation that then-Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law, said he has concerns about Pritzker tying the state’s increase to its share of funding education to the passage of the graduated income tax.
“We worked hard to get the education funding formula in place, and I don’t want to see it take any steps backwards,” Davis said. “We’re going to have some serious and some tough conversations about shifting those dollars around and putting things where we think they should be. … As much as we think that’s the great equalizer, then we’ve got to make sure it’s the real priority here in the state.”
Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park said in an interview with public radio and TV that his Democratic caucus will likely try to preserve the $350 million education funding increase whether voters approve the graduated income tax or not.
* Many, but not all, of Pritzker’s proposed “cuts” are actually cuts to proposed increases if his tax plan goes down…
* Proposed increases for universities and community colleges wouldn’t materialize.
* A hiring freeze for state agencies would be implemented around Dec. 1.
* Local governments would see cuts of 5 percent each in sales tax and income tax revenue that is shared by the state.
* A rate increase scheduled for the Department on Aging’s community care program would be postponed.
* Money for state employee group health insurance would be cut by $400 million, possibly leading to longer payment cycles.
* More from Hannah…
Another big-ticket item Pritzker’s proposed budget would hold in reserves is $400 million to pay group health insurance costs for state employees.
Republicans objected to this strategy. State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) said that logic could lead Illinois back down the path of fiscal instability the state is still recovering from after two years without a budget under former Gov. Bruce Rauner.
“We’re still going to accrue those liabilities,” Demmer told reporters. “State employees are still going to go to the doctor in fiscal year 2021. The difference is the governor saying that if the tax increase doesn’t pass, he’s not going to pay them. But that’s exactly the kind of problem that led us to have the ballooning unpaid bill backlog, and he’s proposing to go right back into this playbook.”
Subscribers know more about what this would do to the bill payment backlog.
* The Sun-Times attacks the pension cutters…
No sooner did Pritzker present these two clashing budgets on Wednesday than his critics dismissed his entire argument. The real solution to the state’s financial problems is not a graduated income tax, they said, but a reduction in pensions for current state employees and retirees.
Can we please dismiss this canard for once and for all?
This editorial page has argued for reducing pension benefits as well, but the courts have made clear that iron-clad language in the Illinois Constitution prohibits this. And even a change in the state Constitution for this purpose likely would be impossible, violating provisions of the U.S. Constitution.
The Illinois Policy Institute claims it just wants “benefit reforms,” not cuts. But its favored plan, which was also backed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, would allow state and local governments to cut pension and retiree health insurance benefits going forward for current employees.
* Related…
* State’s cut of pot jackpot will hit $127 million, Pritzker’s new budget predicts: Nearly $100 million of that cash is expected to come from retail sales between July 1 and June 30, 2021. Of that, $36 million will go toward the state’s General Revenue Fund and another $10 million will be put toward the state’s massive bill backlog. Roughly $25 million more will fund the Restore, Reinvest and Renew Program, which was established to finance initiatives focused on unemployment and preventing violence and recidivism. The remaining money will be used to fund mental health and substance abuse services, public education and awareness campaigns and a police grant program. The other $27 million in projected tax dollars will come from wholesale sales and be used to fund the regulation of the program.
* Black caucus supports Pritzker’s budget plan, calls for added minority community investment
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* Robert Herguth and Mark Brown at the Sun-Times…
Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and several of his closest political allies are named in a new federal subpoena seeking records on a former ComEd lobbyist and his consulting work for a tiny southwestern suburb, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
A significant focus of the subpoena is Raymond T. Nice – a longtime campaign worker for Madigan’s Southwest Side Democratic organization who became an “independent contractor” for the village of Merrionette Park in 2015, according to records and interviews.
Delivered by an IRS agent and dated Friday, the subpoena asks Merrionette Park officials for copies of contracts with Nice, as well as invoices “and payment records, including but not limited to records that explain the purpose(s) and work product for which payment was made, records of wire transfers, copies of checks (front and back) and/or records of cash payments.”
The subpoena also asks that, by March 4, village officials turn over all “correspondence with, or other communications (such as internal email messages) documenting communications with, Michael Madigan, Michael McClain, Timothy Mapes, Kevin Quinn and/or Marty Quinn.”
The Tim Mapes angle is new.
* Some background on Nice from a WBEZ report last December…
After retiring from Cook County, Raymond Nice supplemented his public pension checks with a job representing Commonwealth Edison’s interests in county government.
For Nice – a longtime campaign operative for Illinois House Speaker and state Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan – the job paid as much as $60,000 a year on top of his annual pension of more than $70,000, records show.
Nice answered to ComEd lobbyist and City Club of Chicago President Jay Doherty. Earlier this year, Nice disclosed that his work involved talking to county officials about ComEd’s business operations “when requested by Jay Doherty.”
But records show Nice’s job ended on July 1 – weeks after FBI agents raided the nonprofit City Club’s offices in the Wrigley Building in mid-May as part of a broad public corruption investigation into ComEd.
Authorities sought documents about Madigan and ComEd as they probed allegations the giant power company had hired multiple politically connected consultants – including some with ties to Madigan – under deals that demanded little or no work, WBEZ has reported. A source involved in the investigation has told WBEZ the feds are looking into suspicions that Doherty served as a “pass through” for ComEd’s deals with clout hires.
* From 2014…
The succession of Madigan supporters in the same job is not an isolated phenomenon, and extends to positions on appointed boards.
Consider the Cook County Employee Appeals Board, a once-a-month post that until very recently paid about $35,000 per year. The board, long known as a haven for the politically connected, passes judgment on appeals filed by disciplined county workers.
One seat on the board has been occupied by members of Madigan’s army since 2006, when former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger appointed Mary Morrissey to the seat. Morrissey is a longtime paid soldier and donor to Madigan who for years served as the political director in the various campaigns of his daughter Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
In 2011, Morrissey resigned her post on the board and took a job as deputy chief of staff to the younger Madigan. Taking her place on the board was the retiring deputy recorder of deeds for Cook County, Raymond Nice, who was appointed by County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Nice, 58, made about $118,000 per year as deputy recorder of deeds. He is a longtime precinct captain, paid political worker and donor to Madigan. Nice resigned his board appointment after four months because of a prohibition on collecting his county pension while collecting the county paycheck.
As I told you late last year, Speaker Madigan only requested a tiny handful of appointments from newly elected Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2015, and Nice was one of them.
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