* Press release…
In anticipation of a potential leadership change in the Lake County Democratic Party, today 101 precinct committeepeople candidates (nearly all unopposed in the March primary election) announce their commitment to support Lauren Beth Gash to lead the party. Lauren Beth Gash has now likely secured the weighted vote necessary to become the next Chair of the Lake County Democrats.
Each elected precinct committeeperson may vote for the Lake County Democratic Party Chair. Each committeeperson’s vote is weighted by the amount of votes cast in the Democratic primary election in their precinct.
The committeepeople candidates announcing their support for Gash hail from every one of Lake County’s 18 townships and include residents of the 6th, 10th and 14th Congressional Districts. These Democrats supporting Gash include significant representation of Lake County’s sizable African American, Latino and Asian communities.
Gash is now expected to be elected Chair of the Lake County Democrats during the County Convention, if a leadership change in the party does occur.
“It does not surprise me that Lauren has consolidated support from such a broad, diverse cross-section of Lake County Democrats so quickly,” said Fremont Township Democrats Chair Matt Lowry. “Under Lauren’s leadership, I am fully confident that our party will be united as we approach the critical 2020 elections.”
In addition, even more community leaders are adding their names to the list of Gash’s supporters for Lake County Democratic Chair.
“I will always be grateful for the work Lauren has done to welcome Lake County’s Muslim community into the Democratic Party’s coalition. She truly embodies the adage that ‘diversity is our strength; unity is our power’. Lauren has my strong endorsement to lead the party in the years ahead,” said Vaseem Iftekhar, founder of the Northern Illinois American Muslim Alliance, who also announced today his endorsement of Gash.
The current party chairman, Sen. Terry Link, has not yet said when or even if he will resign, although his resignation is expected sometime in the foreseeable future. As subscribers know, Sen. Melinda Bush has also expressed a strong interest in the position.
Gash’s full endorsement list is here.
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* Press release….
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) filed an objection to the appointment for the replacement of disgraced former Rep. Luis Arroyo in the Illinois House’s 3rd District. Please find the objection attached.
Click here to read the challenge. [Fixed link]
*** UPDATE 1 *** From Rep. Eva Dina Delgado…
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin’s petition is misguided and further evidence of the partisan culture in Springfield that lacks solutions. While clouds of indictments and insider deals catch headlines, the real narrative here is that I am the most qualified candidate to represent the 3rd Legislative District and there was not one vote cast against my appointment. My appointment followed the law every step of the way, and I am confident that my qualifications as an attorney, community leader and experience in the public and private sectors will withstand any challenge. While this filing is disappointing, I remain focused on representing the interests of the hard working people of the district I am honored to represent.
* Sun-Times…
“A clean break from the arrested legislator is required to re-establish the General Assembly’s trust with its constituents,” Durkin wrote in his letter challenging Delgado. “Had the votes of Mr. Arroyo not been part of the selection process, this appointment would not be called into question.”
In the letter, Durkin said that the appointment process that resulted in Delgado replacing Arroyo, who was hit with a federal bribery charge, “calls into question the integrity of the process and the House itself.
“The candidates who were vying to replace Rep. Arroyo and who were not chosen, were victims of a corrupt process,” Durkin wrote. […]
“The public’s distrust of its government to illegal actions of its officials hinders the ability of the government to provide the services it is constitutionally tasked with carrying out,” the letter reads. “Everything it does, even if legitimate and legal, will be viewed in a negative light should the individuals who are arrested for illegal activities have a part in the selection process.”
* Tribune…
Despite his public statement before the selection, Madigan had been silent on the subject since. Spokesman Steve Brown said in an email Tuesday that Madigan will review Durkin’s petition “and take the appropriate action required by House rules.”
Delgado, an attorney and former Chicago Police Board member, pushed back against the idea that she was Arroyo’s choice for the position, noting that he circulated nominating petitions for another candidate.
“I wouldn’t have participated in the process if Arroyo had been involved in any way,” she said. “Part of the reason I even stepped up to do this is I didn’t want the district to go a whole year without being represented.”
Delgado said she met briefly with Madigan last week but did not discuss the possible qualifications challenge. “As far as my qualifications go, I think they stand for themselves,” she said.
*** UPDATE 2 *** I told subscribers about this earlier today, but here’s the Daily Line…
[Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville] told The Daily Line that upon reading news last week that Madigan was waiting for someone else to file a qualifications challenge to Delgado, she felt called to take action.
“Literally no one asked me to do this,” Stava-Murray said. “I did it myself and it was because if I’m a member and if I see wrongdoing, then it’s incumbent upon me to follow through and see that it’s investigated. I take ethics extremely seriously and it’s important that people can trust that their government representation is there for them and not because of a conflict of interest.”
Stava-Murray said she would be happy to work with Delgado if an investigation clears her of the cloud surrounding her appointment, and acknowledged serving her last week was “awkward,” as it was the first time the two had ever met.
Stava-Murray, who made headlines even before being sworn in as a legislator last year for vowing to vote “present” instead of voting for Madigan for House Speaker, said she served Delgado Wednesday morning as House members waited for Gov. JB Pritzker to make his State of the State address in front of the chamber.
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* This is the first time a chamber has overridden a veto by Gov. JB Pritzker…
State Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, released the following statement after the Illinois House overrode the governor’s veto of House Bill 3902 on Tuesday, which would protect local jobs and industries in the region and keep Illinois businesses competitive in the field of aviation repair:
“Today, the Illinois House sent a strong, bipartisan message that we value good-paying jobs in our state and will do what it takes to protect them. With major concerns about people and businesses leaving Illinois, it is our responsibility to protect industries and jobs, including the more than 3,400 jobs in aviation repair across our state.
“I came to Springfield to put local jobs, people and families over politics, even if it means standing up to a governor of my own party. While some party leaders may not have wanted me to do this, I overrode the veto of the governor because he chose to misrepresent this issue and play politics with legislation that directly impacted hundreds of local jobs in the Metro East that people depend on to support their families.” […]
Bristow sponsored House Bill 3902 which reinstates a tax credit that will allow aviation repair stations across the state to remain competitive and continue providing high paying jobs and economic growth in their communities. By overriding the governor’s veto of the bill, Illinois will once again join 36 other states with similar legislation and keep Illinois from losing businesses and jobs to neighboring states. The legislation will directly impact local businesses such as West Star Aviation in East Alton, which provides maintenance and repair services for private aircraft and employs more than 500 Metro East residents.
The billionaire governor probably couldn’t sign that bill without taking heat, even though it overwhelmingly passed both chambers with only one legislator voting against it (appointed Sen. Patrick Joyce).
The override passed 107-0 with two voting “Present,” suggesting that he didn’t work against it. The motion now moves to the Senate.
Rep. Bristow is a Tier One target and President Trump won her district by 16 points four years ago, which may help explain her rhetorical heat.
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* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Revenue announced today it collected nearly $240 million through its tax amnesty program. Over $60 million of the funding collected through the program will go to local governments, with roughly $7.5 million going to the City of Chicago. Governor JB Pritzker proposed the amnesty program as part of last year’s budget, and the Office of Management and Budget estimated the program would recover $175 million in outstanding tax liabilities.
Although the program ended in mid-November, the department expects to verify tens of millions more towards unpaid liabilities. As of January 31, IDOR had verified $237,090,718.07 in qualified amnesty payments from 63,006 taxpayers. The department is continuing to process and certify tax amnesty payments over the next several months to ensure that the payments comply with the provisions of the program.
“The Tax Amnesty program proved to be successful, and we are pleased so many taxpayers took the opportunity to come into compliance and earn a clean slate with the state of Illinois,” said Acting IDOR Director David Harris. “Today’s announcement is further evidence that Governor Pritzker crafted a financially responsible balanced budget, and we’re pleased that a bipartisan majority agreed and moved forward with this fiscally responsible approach. Our mission at the department is to ensure all taxpayers are treated fairly. By encouraging taxpayers with liabilities to pay what they owe, we build trust in the system while raising revenues the state can use to invest in our future.”
The Illinois Tax Amnesty Program allowed qualified taxpayers to pay off any outstanding state tax liability and have corresponding penalties and interest forgiven. Eligible taxpayers would have incurred a tax liability after June 30, 2011 and before July 1, 2018. Taxpayers were required to fully pay their tax liability to participate in the program, submit original returns for any unfiled periods and amended returns for periods being adjusted. Payments for liabilities related to the business income tax, the sales tax, and the individual income tax accounted for over 90 percent of the receipts under the program.
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Caption contest!
Tuesday, Feb 4, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Herald & Review…
Michael Carrigan, the former president of the Illinois AFL-CIO and Decatur city councilman, has been appointed to the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Carrigan’s natural curiosity, desire to be involved and trying new things, led to his climb up the ranks of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 146. He served as an officer, then split his time as the training coordinator for apprenticeship program and as an agent for the local, before becoming the local’s business manager in 1992.
“As an agent and business manager, I became more and more involved in going to Springfield and following the legislature and bills that affected labor and electrical industry,” Carrigan said. “That’s when I learned the in and outs of moving legislation.”
That led to Carrigan becoming secretary-treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO before being named its president in 2007. After 12 years, Carrigan retired from the union leadership post at the end of 2019.
* As most of you know by now, Carrigan’s successor at the AFL-CIO is Tim Drea. I went to college with Drea, and it occurred to me that Tim should be “honored” with a caption contest. Here you go…
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* Speaker Madigan talked to reporters today after the House Democrats caucused. First up, why did he decide to release the Jack Franks search warrant…
Let me speak generally to the matter of Jack Franks. My interest and the interest of my office throughout has been the welfare and the privacy of the victim. And our investigation proceeded at all times at the wishes of the victim.
Early on, we notified Mr. Franks, that he should not go into the Capitol building, that he should not contact our employees. Later, we made sure that the Capitol Police knew that he should not come into the Capitol Building without an escort.
And then I was the one that called the Sangamon County State’s Attorney, advised the Sangamon County State’s Attorney that I wanted my attorney to come over and speak to him about a potential criminal event. That all happened. So my attorney and my human resources director met with the state’s attorney, the state’s attorney advised that we should work with the state police, which we did.
In terms of the matter of turning over the documents that’s a difference of opinion among lawyers. But throughout all of this, again, my interest is the welfare and the privacy of the victim.
* Madigan was then asked if Franks was such a danger that he had to be escorted by the police, why didn’t Madigan notify Franks’ constituents and colleagues about what was happening…
We are proceeding under the usual rules of these matters, which is, number one, to to protect the welfare and the privacy of the victim. And then at the appropriate time, we notified law enforcement. Once we notified law enforcement, the matter is in the hands of law enforcement.
And as I said earlier, I was the one who placed the ball at the Sangamon County State’s Attorney.
* “Why respond to a FOIA?” Madigan was asked. “I thought the General Assembly was exempt from FOIA”…
Well, again, this is a matter of a difference of opinion among lawyers, which I’m sure the lawyers will work through. So with all of that, thank you.
The GA isn’t totally exempt from FOIA. Several news organizations, you’ll recall, FOIA’d the Sandoval Statehouse search warrant from the Senate. But, yeah, it’s unusual to see MJM’s office respond to a FOIA so quickly, if at all. (Many thanks to Hannah Meisel for the audio recording.)
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Arroyo pleads “not guilty”
Tuesday, Feb 4, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* More in a minute, but this is unexpected…
Some background…
Federal prosecutors filed a charging document on Jan. 17 known as an information, which typically indicates that a defendant plans to plead guilty.
According to the criminal complaint, Arroyo began paying bribes in August to a state senator who has been cooperating with the feds since 2016. That senator has been a cooperating witness for the FBI even before it was revealed he had filed false income tax returns. The unnamed senator’s cooperation began again afterward, but the complaint says he has not been promised anything in exchange for working with the feds.
…Adding… And right after this, the judge adjourned…
…Adding… Press release from earlier today…
Below is the statement of Nidia Carranza, Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 3rd District, on former State Rep. Luis Arroyo’s arraignment today on bribery charges:
“It is long overdue that Luis Arroyo is brought to justice. When parents of my special needs students met with him to ask for more funding for special education, he turned on the TV to tune them out. He is a corrupt politician who underserved our community, and must be held accountable.
“But the 3rd District is not out of the woods yet. The same corrupt donors, politicians, and lobbyists who backed Arroyo have hand-picked his successor: a corporate lobbyist and People’s Gas executive who is price-gouging Chicagoans on their gas bills in the middle of winter. I denounced this rigged appointment process, but my opponent willingly accepted the tainted position and has stayed silent on the corruption and harm caused by her predecessor.
“It’s time to turn the page on corrupt insider deals. I’m running because the people of the 3rd District don’t need more pay-to-play lobbyists representing them in Springfield. They need a fighter who knows their struggles, who has a track record of fighting back, and who will work hard every day for working people.”
…Adding… Cameron has covered a lot more of these than I have, so I defer…
…Adding… Seidel…
Arroyo’s arraignment before U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger lasted roughly five minutes. Though he pleaded not guilty through his lawyer, Michael Gillespie, he also waived indictment by a grand jury that would find probable cause for the charge against him.
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* Kelsey Landis at the BN-D…
As the state grants more licenses this year, growers will continue scaling up. Operations such as 4Front Ventures will try to fill the maximum square footage allowed by the state, [Kris Krane, president and co-founder of 4Front Ventures] says.
Cultivation centers can grow up to 210,000 square feet of canopy space, or the amount of space dedicated to growing plants. In July, the state will award 40 licenses to “craft growers,” who can cultivate up to 5,000 square feet of canopy space.
“Grams per square foot of canopy space” is becoming the industry standard for measuring output, Krane said. 4Front Ventures has built out 14,000 square feet of its 94,000-square-foot facility near Chicago. Cultivators can produce 425 grams per square foot in 6,500 square feet of canopy space.
To meet demand, Krane said his company would need a 400,000 square-foot space.
“Nobody’s able to keep up with demand right now,” Krane said. “It’s just not possible.”
Dude is using just 15 percent of his available space and less than 7 percent of his legally allotted space and yet he’s talking pie in the sky plans about needing a space that’s more than four times as large as what he has now.
Fill up your own grow center first, my man. Then get nearer to the state max. And then maybe start talking about a need for larger options. Until that time, I don’t want to hear about it.
* I asked Joe Kienzler at the Illinois Department of Agriculture about some chatter I’d heard that growers may be deliberately not cultivating as much product as they could. Why would they do something like that? Perhaps to pressure the state into doing what Krane suggested above - and doing it before the state approves social equity applicants. Paranoia will destroy ya, so I’m not buying into that yet without some hard evidence. Here’s Kienzler’s response…
The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act allows cultivators licensed for adult use to expand from 100,000 square feet to 210,000 square feet. While most did expand in anticipation of legalization, on the whole cultivators did not expand to the full 210,000 square feet right away, in order to wait for the market to adjust to have the necessary capital to fund a full expansion.
Construction and expansion cost money. I get that. The growers should do what they can to reach the max as quickly as they can and not even mention their desire for more until they complete those basic steps. /rant
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While Trump Spins, We Win
Tuesday, Feb 4, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
While chaos and uncertainty reign over Iowa, Mike’s continuing to focus on the issues that matter to the greatest number of Americans and matter to states that reflect America’s diversity.
Like building intergenerational wealth and closing the economic gap between white and black Americans.
Like tearing down decades of racist policies that prevent home ownership and access to capital to build small businesses that help communities thrive.
Like ending the gun violence, and the public health crisis that surrounds it, that disproportionately communities of color.
Like addressing deep inequities in environmental justice made worse by Trump’s EPA deregulation and improving access to clean water and air.
Like addressing disproportionate access to health care and ensuring that all families have an opportunity to flourish.
While Donald Trump spins his way through the State of the Union during black history month, Mike is barnstorming the nation visiting cities like Compton, Philadelphia, and Detroit.
Learn more about Mike’s Greenwood Initiative here: https://www.mikebloomberg.com/2020/policies/economic-justice
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Feb 4, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) launched the first annual “Makers Madness” contest, a bracket-style tournament in which voters will decide what product is the Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.
The competition is designed to highlight the many different products manufactured in Illinois, ranging from food products and furniture to automobiles and components for the aerospace industry. Statewide, manufacturing generates more than $304 billion in economic output, contributing 12 percent to the state’s Gross Domestic Product – the largest share of any industry in Illinois.
Nominations are now being accepted at www.makersmadnessil.com, where all voting will take place. Voting to narrow the field to the Top 16 products will begin on February 26. Weekly matchups will follow, culminating in an awards ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion on April 1, when the Coolest Thing Made in Illinois will be named.
“From combines and bulldozers to American flags and macaroni and cheese, Illinois manufacturers make some of the most iconic products in the nation. Manufacturers make the world a better place every single day by creating products that help feed the world, save lives, and explore planets beyond our own,” said Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “This contest is designed to not only showcase the many amazing things made in Illinois but to also highlight the great careers available in manufacturing, ranging from product designers and robotics specialists to cyber security experts and human resources professionals.”
Manufacturers employ 592,200 women and men in Illinois at an average salary of $88,691, providing $52 billion in wages and benefits. However, the industry is facing a worker shortage and skills gap as 300,000 baby boomers are set to retire in the coming years. The IMA worked in partnership with the Governor and lawmakers last year to extend the Research & Development tax credit and establish a new apprenticeship tax credit, which will allow manufacturers to jump-start their efforts to build a pipeline of workers to help fill the next generation of manufacturing jobs.
* The Question: What is (or should be) the coolest thing made in Illinois?
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* Hannah Meisel at the Daily Line…
Advocates continued to call for state officials to reverse the transition of 19,000 adopted children and former foster children to Medicaid managed care that took place Saturday.
The same change is set to take place in April for 17,000 current foster children.
Against this backdrop, a joint Senate panel will hear from foster and adoptive parents Tuesday morning in Springfield, as well as representatives from the Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Health Care and Family Services.
The Senate Human Services Committee and the Special Committee on Oversight of Medicaid Managed Care is set for a 10:30 a.m. hearing on both this weekend’s transition and progress for the coming transition for foster kids on April 1. […]
Saturday’s transition follows criticism from the child welfare community last week after Pritzker’s State of the State address did not mention foster children or child welfare more broadly.
Kyle Hillman, the director of legislative affairs for the Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, told The Daily Line that he felt it was an extension of the “wait-and-see” approach he felt the Pritzker administration is taking on child welfare.
“I think it’s incredibly disappointing considering the amount of challenges that we’re currently having within the child welfare system, not to highlight that in the State of the State,” This is an opportunity to speak to the legislature on what their priorities need to be and I think we were incredibly disappointed that DCFS is not one of their priorities.”
* Hannah is covering the hearing…
*** UPDATE *** OK, fine, but if the system is so good then why did that Sunday meeting even have to take place?…
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Unclear on the concept
Tuesday, Feb 4, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some bizarrely false information was recently posted on the widely read Second City Cop blog…
Opening the State Constitution?
This is the first we’re hearing of this and it needs thorough researching and verification. Opening the State Constitution via a back door method which would end up screwing up all current and future pensioners:
When FOP Board Members like Donahue, continue to support their progressive political pets, like Senator Rob Martwick, they are supporting opening the Illinois Constitution. Opening the Illinois Constitution will allow these progressive politicians to change the state’s pension clause.
The FOP has continually claimed politicians like Martwick and Madigan are fighting to protect or pensions and that’s what makes them “qualified” to be recommended by our Union. Donahue has thrown 10’s of thousands of dollars of our dues, at Martwick and Madigan to “protect our pensions.”
The interesting part of this is, politicians like Martwick and Madigan have been pushing the Graduated Income Tax or also known as the Progressive Tax , since 2016. If the Graduated Income Tax passes, the Illinois State Constitution will be opened up so the wording can be amended to change the flat tax to a progressive tax. What Donahue isn’t telling the members is that while the Sate Constitution is open, to amend the tax clause, it will also be open to change the state’s pension clause. That piece of paper that states, “Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any unit of local government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired,” is all that’s standing in the way of politicians, like Martwick, from completely gutting our pensions.
Once they get their Graduated Income Tax passed, they can use that as a back door to change our pension clause to diminish or impair our pensions. So Donahue is supporting a politician who is not interested in protecting our pensions, but is pushing to open a door for them to walk right in an take it.
So they can use the Graduated Income Tax as a crowbar to amend the Constitution to comply with the new passed law? If we’re understanding this, it would circumvent the Constitutional Convention vote that is required to be held every 20 years and endanger all pensions immediately.
That just couldn’t be more false. I don’t know how anyone could even remotely believe it. One amendment does not “open up the constitution” to further changes. If it did, the Tribune would be loving the governor’s proposal. Instead, it complains that the governor won’t also agree to a pension amendment.
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Feb 4, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* NPR Illinois…
Income of about $1.4 billion a year for Illinois workers would be generated if paid parental leave became law — that’s according to a report out today from a pair of Illinois think tanks.
Paid-leave legislation was introduced last year, and state Rep. Mary Flowers, a Chicago Democrat, told NPR Illinois she would introduce a version of that again this legislative session.
The report’s lead author Jill Gigstad says, “Ultimately, paid parental leave is first and foremost about the health and well-being of newborn children, adopted children and their parents. But it also has a lot of economic impact as well – positive impacts.”
The study comes from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois’ Project for Middle Class Renewal.
The study is here.
* Press release…
Last fall State Representative Tim Butler (R-Springfield) introduced legislation (House Bill 3940) to ban so-called “sweepstakes” machines in Illinois. The legislation was filed in the wake of revelations regarding a former House Member’s advocacy for the machines. Even though sweepstakes machines look, operate, and are marketed almost exactly like legal video gaming machines, they operate outside the strict requirements of Illinois’ video gaming law.
A growing chorus of bipartisan legislators have been pressing the case for the legislation as the concerning realities of sweepstakes machines have continued to be exposed. On Friday, Butler, joined fellow State Representatives Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), Jaime Andrade (D-Chicago) and Keith Wheeler (R-Oswego) in sending a letter to House colleagues seeking to grow the number of cosponsors to ban the machines.
The letter states:
“In many instances these machines have been known to be located in businesses which have been denied a video gaming license. These machines have been located in communities which have banned the use of video gaming machines in their towns. Sweepstakes machines are even marketed as ‘slot-style games’ offering ‘jackpots’ to players… Yet, sweepstakes machines are unregulated, the owners are not subject to background checks, and the machines do not pay state or local taxes.”
“The argument that this is corollary to winning a Big Mac in a scratch-off at McDonald’s is completely bogus,” said Butler. “It is obvious to anyone that has seen one of these ‘sweepstakes’ machines that they are clearly setup as gambling machines designed to skirt the law. I find that very concerning because it puts consumers at risk. The 2012 video gaming law was setup with important consumer protections like requiring operator background checks, limits on the number of gaming terminals and guaranteed chances for players to win to ensure they are not being cheated.”
So far, HB 3940 has 27 sponsors in the House. Butler and his fellow chief sponsors hope that number will expand further, particularly in light of recent lobbying efforts in favor of sweepstakes machines despite the scandal surrounding the machines.
That last part is true. At least one sweepstakes lobbyist was at the Statehouse last week working members.
Elements of the industry tried to bribe their way in. If that isn’t a gigantic red flag, I do not know what is. Former Rep. Luis Arroyo is being arraigned today on that alleged bribery. He’s expected to plead guilty.
* Center Square…
An Illinois lawmaker is proposing an additional 10 percent sales tax on what she calls “assault weapons” but an advocate says her novel definition of the term would mean nearly all firearms would be hit with the tax.
A firearm sale in Illinois already includes federal taxes, state sales taxes, and local taxes. Chicago’s assesses a $25 per gun fee that’s long-faced a legal challenge.
State Sen. Ann Gillespie’s Senate Bill 2468 would impose a 10 percent retail sales tax on what she calls “assault weapons” and their magazines, which she refers to as a “large capacity ammunition feeding device” that would hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
Her definition of a qualifying gun is anything that would accept one of those magazines, something Todd Vandermyde with the Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois says would encompass the broad majority of guns sold.
“Every modern handgun that’s not a revolver or a Derringer comes into play,” he said, adding that the tax would nearly immediately face a court challenge upon passage.
* Related…
* Amid corruption investigations, some look to give Illinois’ attorney general more power to investigate: Former Attorney General Lisa Madigan did look into possible criminal neglect surrounding the legionnaire’s deaths at a veterans’ home in Quincy under the administration of former Gov. Bruce Rauner. That pre-election announcement was seen by the Illinois Republican party as a political move.
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More questions about the Jack Franks probe
Tuesday, Feb 4, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Greg Hinz…
So if McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks was so dangerous he had to effectively be banned from the Capitol, why weren’t other officials and Franks’ constituents told?
That’s the most prominent but by no means the only question in the wake of the remarkable news over the weekend that Franks, who was a Democratic state representative before getting the McHenry job, is the subject of a probe of sexual harassment and stalking being conducted by Illinois State Police. […]
Among those not in the know was House GOP Leader Jim Durkin, whose spokeswoman confirms that the House’s official opposition chief “had no idea” and is “as shocked as anybody else.”
When I asked Madigan spokesman Steve Brown why all of this was kept quiet, he replied, “The first thing we were trying to do is protect the privacy of the individual” as well as protect her physical safety. “I think the actions we took were the appropriate actions,” Brown said.
* An area Senator is also concerned about how the allegations were kept secret during the investigation…
* I told subscribers about this yesterday afternoon. Here’s the Center Square’s Greg Bishop…
The Sangamon County State’s Attorney said House Speaker Michael Madigan ignored a nondisclosure order contained in the search warrant served on Madigan’s office last week seeking information related to sexual harassment allegations involving a former state lawmaker. […]
Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright on Monday requested the case be under seal moving forward. […]
In the filing, Wright said the warrant “contained an explicit order that the ‘issuance and execution of this Search Warrant shall not (in bold) be disclosed and that any such disclosure could impede the investigation being conducted and thereby interfere with enforcement of the law.’ ”
“The January 29 Order of nondisclosure was entered to preserve the integrity of an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the Illinois State Police … and to protect the rights of any suspects and victims,” the filing said.
“ISP Investigators state that they repeatedly instructed recipients of the Search Warrant that the January 29 Order prohibited disclosure,” Wright said in the filing. “Nevertheless, the recipients of the Search Warrant disclosed the Search Warrant on January 31, 2020, in response to a Freedom of Information Act … request received on that same date.”
“Despite the plain language of the Court’s January 29 Order, the recipients disclosed the Search Warrant although they were not otherwise required to make such disclosure,” the filing said. “Immediate public access is not presumed until after return is made to the Court and filed with the Circuit Clerk.”
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Should Illinois go first?
Tuesday, Feb 4, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
Before knowing the extent of Iowa’s debacle, Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted that Illinois should be first to hold a Democratic primary. “If you’re looking for a state whose people represent the diversity of America, look no further than Illinois. It’s time for the most representative state in the country to be the first in the nation.” He linked to a 2016 NPR story that lists Illinois as “the perfect state” to host the first Democratic presidential contest.
We spoke to Anne Caprara, Pritzker’s chief of staff, late last night — given she knows something about waiting on Iowa. In 2016, Caprara worked for Priorities USA, Hillary Clinton’s super PAC. “I remember that that result went late into the night and it was a very close win by Hillary. So, I think there was a general sense coming out of Iowa that nothing had been decided,” she told Playbook.
And we can say the same today. Like her current boss, Caprara sees Illinois as being a better fit for the Democrats’ first foray into presidential primaries. “We are the most representative of the rest of the country. We have a rural population, urban population and representation of literally every ethnic group in the country and all sorts of business and manufacturing. It makes sense that Illinois should help decide who the Democratic nominee is.”
That NPR story is here.
Thoughts?
…Adding… Caskey had some pretty funny insights into this topic last night. A sample from his thread…
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* Press release…
The Illinois State Board of Elections [yesterday] notified 59 local election authorities that 774 former inmates of the Illinois Department of Corrections may have had their voter registrations erroneously canceled due to a data-matching error involving both agencies.
Matching based on information forwarded to the State Board of Elections incorrectly categorized the individuals as currently incarcerated when in fact they had completed their sentences and been discharged. The State Board of Elections has worked directly with the Illinois Department of Corrections to identify the affected individuals, whose records were among more than 126,000 shared between the two agencies between 2014 and 2019.
Under Illinois law, voting rights are suspended during an inmate’s period of incarceration but are restored upon release, though the individual must re-register to vote. This includes those who are released on parole, on mandatory supervised release and on condition of electronic monitoring.
The Board of Elections has provided each election authority with voter information on the affected individuals so that their registrations can be reviewed for reinstatement by the start of early voting on Feb. 6. It is possible that some of the cancellations are for reasons unrelated to this data error and known only to the local election authority.
The Board of Elections and Department of Corrections are committed to ensuring this does not happen again. Both agencies are currently revising their data sharing agreement and matching parameters to avoid this error in future data exchanges. Upon identifying the potential problem in November 2019, the Board ceased sharing IDOC matches with local election authorities and began the process of identifying individuals who may have been affected by the error. Because Illinois allows for voter registration on Election Day and the casting of provisional ballots for those whose registration status is in question, the affected registrants would have had the opportunity to re-register and/or cast provisional ballots at their polling places if they wished to vote in an election after the error occurred.
Countywide totals are here.
* Sun-Times…
It’s just the latest voter registration-related headache for the state.
Late last month, Republicans and some Democrats called for an investigation into how 545 self-identified non-citizens were mistakenly registered to vote as part of the Illinois’ automatic voter registration program. And last week, the Illinois secretary of state was told to stop allowing 16-year-olds to start the voter registration process.
Despite the series of gaffes, voters shouldn’t be concerned about the integrity of the state’s voter registration system, Dietrich said.
”The earlier issue with [automatic voter registration] has been fixed — we know that we’ve tested it we’re continuing to monitor it,” Dietrich said. “This is something that’s different, this had nothing to do with the voter registration process, it had to do with our mistake that may have led to these jurisdictions cancelling registrations who should not have had their registrations cancelled.”
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