* First Appellate District…
The City of Chicago and Defendants Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago appeal a final order of the circuit court in favor of the Plaintiffs, a collection of local business and real estate organizations. At issue is whether the circuit court erred by enjoining the Board of Elections from counting and reporting votes related to a referendum on the March 19, 2024, general primary ballot in Chicago commonly known as “Bring Chicago Home.” The referendum relates to a legislative effort to create a graduated transfer tax on real estate in Chicago where state statute requires voter approval whenever the City intends to raise the rate of taxation or impose a new tax. Because we conclude that the circuit court erred, we vacate the judgment of the circuit court and remand with instructions to dismiss the complaint for want of jurisdiction. […]
Like the parties, we are left guessing as to the bases for the circuit court’s ruling because the lower court gave no reasons for its ruling. Rather, the circuit court read the parties’ briefing verbatim in open court and then made its oral ruling: “I am going to grant their motion for judgment on the pleadings and grant the relief requested in the Complaint.” Three days later, the circuit court issued a written order that stated, “For the reasons stated in open court and on the record, Plaintiffs’ Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings is Granted.” […]
Illinois courts, however, have declined to exercise jurisdiction over challenges to referenda that are part of the legislative process. It is well settled that courts cannot “enjoin the holding of an election” on such a referendum. […]
This rule stems from two bedrock principles. First, Illinois’s constitutional system of government is one of separation of powers. In it “[t]he judiciary has no supervision over the legislative branch of government.” Id. Therefore, “[t]he courts can neither dictate nor enjoin the passage of legislation.” Id. The holding of an election for the purpose of passing a referendum to empower a municipality to adopt an ordinance is a step in the legislative process of the enactment of that ordinance. Courts do not, and cannot, interfere with the legislative process. […]
Second, we do not issue advisory opinions. Courts are empowered to rule on the validity of legislative enactments only after they have been enacted. “[U]ntil the legislative process has been concluded, there is no controversy that is ripe for a declaratory judgment.” […]
Plaintiffs further argue that the Illinois Supreme Court has recognized an exception to the rule against enjoining a referendum election where the challenge is based on noncompliance with the eligibility requirements for placing referendum questions on the ballot. However, no Illinois court has ever sanctioned a challenge to a referendum that was a step in the legislative process. […]
Thus, Plaintiffs’ complaint is premature. Fealty to our constitutional system of government and to well-settled concepts of justiciability requires us to decline to interfere with the legislative process. Accordingly, the circuit court erred when it exercised jurisdiction over the complaint. […]
Finally, we have allowed the City to participate in this appeal as if it was a party in all respects for two reasons. First, the City has a direct and substantial interest in this case and risked being unfairly prejudiced by the circuit court’s judgment if not allowed to appeal. Citicorp Savings of Illinois v. First Chicago Trust Co., 269 Ill. App. 3d 293, 299 (1995) (“[I]t is settled law that a non- party may bring an appeal when that person has a direct, immediate and substantial interest in the subject matter, which would be prejudiced by judgment or benefited by its reversal.”). Plaintiffs’ contentions to the contrary are without merit. The City has a clear and direct interest in defending the referendum, which is the product of a City Council resolution.
Second, the circuit court committed an abuse of discretion in denying the City’s petition to intervene. Under the Code of Civil Procedure, “upon timely application anyone shall be permitted as of right to intervene in an action *** when the representation of the applicant’s interest by existing parties is or may be inadequate and the applicant will or may be bound by an order or judgment in the action.” […]
The referendum is the result of a resolution passed by the Chicago City Council, and it is a step in the legislative process mandated by the Municipal Code. 65 ILCS 5/8-3-19; In re County Treasurer, 2017 IL App (1st) 152951, ¶ 17 (abuse of discretion to deny intervention where intervenors had a direct interest). Further, the only defendant in the case, the Board of Elections, asserted that it had no role in addressing whether the referendum complied with the Municipal Code or the Illinois Constitution, and thus it could not represent the City’s interest. See Kozenczak v. Du Page County Officers Electoral Board, 299 Ill. App. 3d 205, 207 (1998); 10 ILCS 5/6-1 et seq. (West 2022); Flood, 2016 IL App (4th) 150594, ¶¶ 18-21 (abuse of discretion to deny intervention where intervenor’s interests were inadequately represented). Against this backdrop, the City’s petition amply demonstrated its right to intervene, and the circuit court committed an abuse of discretion in concluding otherwise.
CONCLUSION
We offer this gentle reminder that seems warranted in light of some of the contentions raised by amici: we have decided this case exercising our best judgment in strict accordance with the law. Nothing in this decision is intended to suggest that we have any opinion one way or the other on the merits of the referendum at issue. That is a question wisely entrusted not to judges but to the people of the city of Chicago.
For all these reasons, the judgment of the circuit court of Cook County is vacated and the case is remanded with instructions to dismiss the complaint for want of jurisdiction.
Judgment vacated; remanded with instructions.
…Adding… Lots of lawyers thought the case against the referendum was a slam dunk, including Odelson…
“The referendum question was poorly written. The case law supports the fact that it’s illegal to have multiple questions in one question,” said Burt Odelson, who opposed Kasper in the Emanuel residency case. “It is in his favor. It would be a highly charged political decision if it was reversed . . . the appellate court should be unanimous.”
Though Kasper’s involvement in the litigation would appear to set up an almost cartoonish David and Goliath battle between Chicago’s homeless population and an associate of Springfield’s embattled former House speaker, Dorf argues that’s not the case.
“The problem with the Bring Chicago Home referendum is not one of good versus evil. It’s one of competence in drafting a referendum,” he said. “The Johnson administration really should have thought more before they drafted it. They drafted a referendum, which I think made for great press and really showed what he wanted to do. It was really aspirational, but it just was a bad referendum. And they could have done it in a way which would pass the law, and they didn’t do it.”
* Max Bever, Director of Public Information, Chicago Board of Elections…
“This afternoon, the Illinois Appellate Court reinstated the citywide referendum question to the March 19th Primary ballot in Chicago. The initial judgment of the Circuit Court of Cook County is vacated, and the case is remanded with instructions to dismiss the complaint for lack of jurisdiction.
All votes cast for the citywide question will be counted and reported by the Chicago Board of Elections on Election Night, March 19th.”
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Mar 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Sun-Times…
Former state Sen. Terry Link was sentenced to three years probation Wednesday for dodging $82,000 in taxes, escaping jail time after he cooperated for years with the FBI and helped prosecutors convict others for a bribery scheme.
“I admit I made a mistake,” Link told the judge before sentencing. “I didn’t go in there with the intent of cheating the government out of anything. … I accept the responsibility of what happened. I accept that this happened and I have to pay the consequences.” […]
Link has explained that his friend’s business was going under, his wife was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, and his son was struggling with drug addiction. So Link took money out of his campaign fund to help. The friend’s wife and son died within months of each other, and the friend died in December 2018 before he could repay the senator.
Meanwhile, Link failed to report the money taken from his campaign fund to the government as income. Link agreed when he pleaded guilty in 2020 to pay the amount he avoided in restitution.
O’Neill told Rowland on Wednesday that the FBI initially approached Link “before they had any information about the tax crime.” O’Daniel said that Link started out by providing “general background information” to the FBI so agents “better understood the mechanics” of the General Assembly.
* Illinois Answers…
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard stepped up efforts to distance herself from the cancer foundation bearing her name after the Illinois Attorney General’s office banned the nonprofit from raising money and indicated the latest paperwork it filed with the state failed to provide basic information.
In an appearance last week on a prominent national webcast, Henyard, who is also the Thornton Township supervisor, told former CNN host Roland Martin that she doesn’t “have a foundation” and doesn’t know anything about the state intervening in the operation of the Tiffany Henyard Cares Foundation. […]
But last year, Henyard told Illinois Answers Project and FOX 32 Chicago that she is “the face of the foundation” but also “my face is nowhere” near the operation or its leadership, which consists of people who work for her in south suburban government, including her boyfriend, according to court records. A new filing in a separate court case alleges the nonprofit has paid him to serve on the board but doesn’t specify how much. […]
State records show that in addition to working for the nonprofit, [Victor Osaque] filed the business registration with the state on behalf of a clothing store and restaurant in southeast suburban Glenwood that are owned by Henyard’s boyfriend, Kamal Woods, who traveled with her during the trip to Springfield.
Woods is listed as a director of the Tiffany Henyard Cares Foundation and worked as the Thornton Township Youth Program director, which paid $76,923 in 2023, records show.
* Leader Kimberly Lightford…
Standing alongside advocates, university professionals and students, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford outlined the data-driven findings of the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding at a press conference Wednesday. […]
The report follows Lightford’s passage of a 2021 measure to create the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding. Over the last two years, the 30-person commission studied if public institutions of higher education are in dire need of a new funding model when serving underrepresented and historically underserved student groups, including Black and Brown students, as well as students from low-income families. […]
The commission found on average, university systems in Illinois spend over double the amount on academic and student supports – the spending that most directly impacts student success – than at its less-resourced regional universities. Worse, these arbitrary and inequitable allocation decisions have compounded yearly due to a lack of equitable distribution.
“These recommendations are bold and speak to the needs of our students and the institutions that serve them,” said Christian Perry, director of policy and advocacy at Partnership for College Completion. “We are proud to support this report and educate people across Illinois to spread the word about how we can transform our higher education system and our state’s future economic vitality for the better.”
The commission outlined its proposed funding formula for public higher education, which would be calculated based on students’ needs, be driven to support historically underrepresented students and the universities that disproportionately enroll them, and get all universities to adequate funding within 10-15 years.
Click here to read the report.
* Illinois Health and Hospital Association…
Illinois’ more than 200 hospitals and nearly 40 health systems are powerful economic drivers for their communities and for Illinois, generating a statewide economic impact of $117.7 billion annually from spending on payroll, supplies and services, and capital, according to a new report released today by the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA).
Hospitals across Illinois serve their communities by providing lifesaving care; promoting community health and well-being; fostering neighborhood revitalization and enhancing public health and safety through community partnerships; and advancing health equity initiatives to ensure optimal health for all residents. The new report, “Illinois Hospitals and Health Systems: Essential to Illinois’ Economic Growth,” highlights these varied and important contributions while quantifying the hospitals’ economic impact.
Among the report’s key findings:
* One in 10 Illinois jobs is in healthcare.
* For every Illinois hospital job, 1.4 jobs are created in other sectors.
* For every $1 hospitals and health systems spend, an additional $1.40 is generated in the state and local economy.
“As strong community anchors, Illinois hospitals and health systems generate a tremendous amount of economic activity. They are major employers who provide good-paying jobs and large buyers of supplies and services,” said IHA President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi. “Their impact on the economy comes in addition to the work of providing essential healthcare services, enhancing individual and community health and well-being, and addressing health disparities so all individuals can achieve optimal health.”
Estimates of Illinois hospitals’ economic benefits were based on the Regional Input-Output Modeling System II (RIMS-II) developed by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The Final Demand multipliers, obtained from BEA RIMS-II, were applied to 2022/2023 Medicare cost report data of hospital jobs and spending to obtain the “ripple” effect of jobs and spending throughout the economy.
* Now on a t-shirt!…
* Here’s the rest…
* WTTW | More Than 3,500 Teenagers in Illinois Pre-Register to Vote, As New Law Goes Into Effect: State Election Officials: As of Tuesday, 3,570 individuals have pre-registered to vote, according to an Illinois State Board of Elections spokesperson. Of that total, 2,954 are 16 years old and 616 are 17 years old. […] Younger voters historically have had lower turnout in elections compared to older age groups, with the lowest voter turnout typically among voters ages 18-24.
* WSIL | Pinckneyville library asking for patron support after suspected vandalism: The library owes $2,500 to the city council after required renovations to windows in the children’s room. The library took to Facebook on January 7th to let patrons know about suspected vandalism that destroyed the building’s original windows. On February 29, the team announced on Facebook the windows had been fixed, but at a cost.
* Block Club | The CTA’s Oversight Board Is Filled With Political Insiders, Not Transit Experts: Board directors say they are independent of the CTA’s leadership. But board members ignored Block Club’s messages about how they were selected and how they view their roles. Instead, the board used a CTA spokesperson to respond to questions. […] For years, the board has been dominated by members with political connections and clout, including operatives for former Mayor Richard M. Daley, a Republican political consultant convicted for his involvement in a kickback scheme, former alderpeople, loyalists who have worked in city agencies and Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks.
* Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan council members exchange accusations of sexism, cronyism; ‘It’s a really bad look to create a boys club’: Picking an all-male committee quickly drew criticism from Taylor Ald. Lynn Florian, 8th Ward, Ald. Edith Newsome, 5th Ward, and Ald. Thomas Hayes, 9th Ward. Florian asked why there were no women, and only one experienced council member. […] “I think it’s just interesting that we decided to change this when you have a female mayor, and you put no females on the committee,” Taylor added.
* WCIA | Champaign school district releases statement, next steps after board member resignation: At the end of the meeting Monday night, Board member Jamar Brown announced his resignation, describing his second term as a negative experience. “The Unit 4 Board of Education is deeply grateful to Mr. Jamar Brown for his service,” Champaign School District Board of Education President Dr. Gianina Baker said in a statement to WCIA. “The Board will now follow its policy regarding filling the vacancy.”
* Daily Herald | Regional public safety facility pitched for former Route 53 extension property: “It’s been there vacant — just corn fields — for many, many years,” said Chuck Smith, chief of the Vernon Hills-based fire district. Smith would like to acquire the 34 acres to build a regional public safety training facility. His idea has support from several local entities and some state lawmakers.
* Sun-Times | Branching out? Streets and Sanitation boss reports 172% ramp-up in Chicago tree trimming: Over the years, the long wait to get a tree trimmed in Chicago has been a chronic complaint of alderpersons and their constituents. Not this year. Using twice as many crews and a grid-based system to blitz specific geographic areas, Streets and Sanitation’s Bureau of Forestry is on track to finally deliver on its ambitious plan to trim every tree in Chicago in the next five years and maintain that five-year cycle.
* Crain’s | Judge allows Art Institute to keep disputed artwork — for now: In a ruling last week, Judge John Koeltl sided with the Art Institute, granting it ownership of the drawing until oral arguments for a separate case brought by the Manhattan district attorney start this spring, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Back in January, the DA accused the museum of “willful blindness” to evidence that showed the drawing was stolen by the Nazis when it purchased the piece in 1966. “Russian War Prisoner,” created by artist Egon Schiele, was owned by Fritz Grünbaum, a Jewish cabaret star killed in a concentration camp in 1941.
* SJ-R | New report finds 2 Springfield hospitals in compliance with pricing transparency laws: Both hospitals in Springfield have been found compliant with federal law in a recent report in February from Patients Rights Advocate, a nonprofit group which pushes for transparency in the healthcare industry across America. In the sixth-annual study, Patients Rights Advocate reviewed 2,000 hospitals nationwide and found only 689 compliant, or only 34.5% of all hospitals. Springfield Memorial Hospital and HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield met compliance regulation with the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2021.
* Crain’s | VillageMD laying off dozens amid Illinois clinic closures: Chicago-based VillageMD laid off about 50 workers across two clinics, in Lincoln Park and suburban Wheeling, according to a recent layoff notice the company filed with the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity. VillageMD eliminated 24 positions at the Lincoln Park clinic and 25 positions at the Wheeling location.
* AP | Charges are dropped midtrial in ‘Hotel California’ lyrics case. Don Henley plans to fight on: In explaining the stunning turnabout, prosecutors agreed that defense lawyers had essentially been blindsided in recent days by getting 6,000 pages of communications involving Henley and his attorneys and associates. The material was provided to both sides only in the last few days, after Henley and his lawyers apparently made a late-in-the-game decision to waive their attorney-client privilege to keep legal discussions confidential.
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Caption contest!
Wednesday, Mar 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Review…
On Tuesday evening, Illinois Review hosted My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell as the election integrity advocate addressed a packed ballroom in Bolingbrook to discuss his latest initiative as voters prepare for the most consequential election in our nation’s history in November.
Lindell is on a nationwide tour to promote his Election Crime Bureau – an initiative that he has largely self-funded that provides tools and resources to grassroots activists free of charge in an effort to secure elections in communities and cities across the country. To date, Lindell has over 300,000 volunteers nationwide, including in Illinois.
* Mr. Lindell is at the Statehouse today and posed for photographs…
And yes, that’s Darren Bailey in the second pic. Rep. Marty McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) is in the top photo. Rep. McLaughlin is facing a super-tough general election against Democrat Maria Peterson.
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* CBS 2 story on February 26th…
Another migrant shelter in Chicago closes its doors.
CBS 2 has learned the Near South Health Center at 35th and Michigan is no longer housing new arrivals.
It’s the fifth shelter to close down this month.
There are still more than 12,000 migrants in 23 shelters across the city.
The number living in those remaining shelters is down to 11,795 as of yesterday afternoon. That’s far lower than the almost 15,000 shelter residents in late December, and about what the population was on October 23rd. However, back in October, 6,224 migrants were awaiting placements in shelters. That backlog was just 20 people yesterday.
* But this is what Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago) told 21st Show host Brian Mackey about the situation…
It has slowed down a bit. I would not be surprised if it doesn’t ramp up - the busing of people from Texas to here - as we get closer to the DNC.
The influx has definitely slowed down. According to city data, just 1,051 migrants have arrived in Chicago via Texas bus and by airplane since February 9th. For comparison, 6,643 folks arrived between January 3rd and February 9th.
And Sen. Peters is not the only one who wouldn’t be surprised if the pace increases as the Democratic convention nears. But will the city be caught off guard? What happens if the Texas floodgates re-open and Chicago has shut down even more shelters?
I suppose we’ll find out.
* As of Feb. 28th, 13,798 migrants had been resettled. That number has climbed to 14,165 as of yesterday. The city says the total number of migrants reunited with sponsors is now 5,043, up from 4,893 on Feb. 28.
The resettlement/reunited pace appears to be significantly slowing down. From Feb. 20-28, 1,320 were resettled. Since Feb. 28, just 367 have been resettled. And that’s relevant because evictions are supposed to begin next week…
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city has not yet decided whether it stick with next week’s deadline to begin migrant shelter evictions. […]
If the date is not moved again, migrant evictions would begin next Saturday, March 16.
Right now, there are nearly 12,000 asylum-seekers staying in 23 shelters run by Chicago and the state.
A whole lot of those asylum-seekers are children. Families should have been exempted from the start, perhaps with some limitations. But another mess could play out in front of our eyes.
* More from Isabel…
* Tribune | Migrants report shelter staff limits hygiene products and say they fear retaliation for speaking out: The reports of rationing hygiene products come after the Tribune last week reported that a shortage of essential supplies in the city’s shelters forced some parents to reuse dirty diapers on their babies. On Sunday, volunteers distributing boxes of diapers at a city shelter on the Lower West Side said migrants told them they were being retaliated against because they are accepting donated supplies amid the shortages. “There’s concern that when they talk to us or they take our supplies, they get in trouble,” said Southwest Collective founder Jaime Groth Searle.
* Axios | Most migrants living in Chicago shelters aren’t eligible to work: “Maybe 10% of those in shelters are eligible for work authorization, and, in the best case scenario, maybe half are eligible for rental assistance,” Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), who chairs the City Council’s Immigration and Refugee Rights committee, tells Axios. “I’m concerned that, by the end of April, this will lead to about 5,000 to 6,000 people out on the street and without the ability to work.”
* Tribune | North Shore residents providing care packages to displaced migrants: “The ‘Shop and Drop’ program started during COVID,” said Swanson. “Everyone thought maybe three weeks or a month and it would be over. Here we are four years later working through the same needs. Thankfully the infrastructure of distribution to those in need was in place.” […] The packages include water, non-perishable food items, personal hygiene products, first aid kits, winter clothing, baby items and children’s comfort items such as books/games/stuffed animals and a note of welcome and encouragement in Spanish is attached to each package.
* Maine Public | When work permits arrive, asylum seekers in Maine face varying paths toward economic independence: A recent study from Massachusetts, which is also experiencing a sharp increase in asylum seeker arrivals, found that new immigrants in that state can expect to make roughly $24,000 per year when the first start working, and that earnings tend to increase steadily.
* KUOW | Facing another hotel eviction, Seattle area asylum-seekers lean on religious groups to foot the bill: Councilmember Sarah Perry called on the Muslim Association of Puget Sound, which she said previously helped support refugees from Afghanistan, for help. The association will provide $60,000 for hotels for the next two weeks. […] Leadership at Plymouth United Church of Christ in Seattle said they would help with funding at the other end of that window, as asylum-seekers wait for county funding to kick in.
* Tucson kVOA | Federal funding to assist with asylum seekers expires in less than 30 days: At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the council discussed a plan inspired by what El Paso and San Diego are doing to manage street releases. […] The city also discussed working with the Department of Homeland Security to set up a controlled release spot instead of using the Greyhound bus station. They’re also considering busing migrants to Phoenix since they can provide more help.
* Sun-Times | Feds pin Chicago shooting on migrant with alleged cartel ties — but there’s no record of charges: But court records show that no charges have been filed in the Feb. 4 attack, and a CPD spokesperson said a suspect was released from custody without being charged. After the Sun-Times asked a marshals spokesperson about the case, a news release posted Monday to the federal agency’s website was taken offline. The spokesperson didn’t respond to a subsequent request for comment.
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* WGLT…
The electric automaker Rivian will eliminate one of its three shifts in Normal next month, saying it can meet this year’s modest production goals with only two shifts because the manufacturing plant is getting more efficient.
Rivian employs around 8,000 people in Normal – the bulk of them hourly manufacturing workers. A Rivian spokesperson told WGLT on Tuesday that “all hourly employees will be offered a job on one of the two available shifts as we will increase capacity per shift.”
It’s unclear if any of those hourly workers will see their total weekly hours change as a result. The hourly jobs will still be full-time roles. The Rivian spokesperson said they “gave hourly employees the opportunity to provide feedback regarding shift patterns and to submit their own shift preference. We are assigning shifts based on tenure, preference and operational needs.” […]
Rivian plans to make around 57,000 vehicles in Normal this year – the same as in 2023. High interest rates have cut in demand for EVs, including at Rivian, and founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said increasing demand is one of their key focus areas for the year. There’s also a broader skepticism about how quickly American transportation will electrify that’s led more established automakers to scale back or slow their EV investments.
* Crain’s…
The electric-vehicle maker said last month it expects to keep production at the plant flat this year at about 57,000 vehicles, although analysts had been expecting a production increase to about 81,000 vehicles. The plant in Normal, which employs about 8,000 workers, is shutting down for several weeks in April for retooling that will increase efficiency and reduce costs.
“The shift change will begin when we return from the April shutdown, during which we will transform our R1 production to integrate new engineering design changes that we expect will significantly reduce our cost,” a spokeswoman says. “All hourly employees will be offered a job on one of the two available shifts as we will increase capacity per shift.”
* Crain’s yesterday…
Electric-vehicle maker Rivian laid off about 100 workers at its assembly plant in Normal as part of a broader cost-cutting effort.
The Illinois layoffs are just a tiny fraction of its workforce here. Rivian employs more than 8,000 people in Normal, about 7,000 of whom are hourly workers who produce electric trucks, SUVs and delivery vehicles. But it also has engineers and designers at the facility, the company’s only production plant.
Rivian said Feb. 21 that it would eliminate 10% of its salaried jobs in an effort to cut costs and get to profitability more quickly. The company lost $1.52 billion on $1.32 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter. […]
The company is expected to preview its mid-size SUV, the R2, later this week in California. The vehicle, forecast to be priced between $40,000 and $60,000, is expected to be built at Rivian’s new plant under construction in Georgia.
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* Amanda Vinicky…
[I]n the Reproductive Health Act, or RHA, a law (Public Act 101-0013) Pritzker signed in 2019 and added to in 2023 (Public Act 102-1117). It “sets forth the fundamental rights of individuals to make autonomous decisions about one’s own reproductive health.”
Because of the RHA, “there won’t be an Illinois Supreme Court that comes out and rules what Alabama did,” said lobbyist Stephanie Vojas Taylor, who helped draft those portions of the law. […]
“What the RHA did before was basically say an embryo is not a person, it has no personhood — but it was only in the context of abortion,” Vojas Taylor said of the 2019 law. She added that after the Dobbs ruling, the 2023 additions to Illinois’ Reproductive Health Act made it so that the state was shouting “if you need an abortion, you can come here. We love women.” […]
In addition to defining terms of [assisted reproductive technology], the RHA also updated the state’s Parentage Act to lay out that legal arrangements like consent forms at fertility clinics or marriage or divorce agreements determine what happens to unused frozen fertilized eggs, or parents who “no longer wish to use any remaining cryopreserved fertilized ovum for medical purpose.” […]
“We actually have a pretty long history, a good statutory framework of IVF,” said state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, who sponsored the RHA and was among the first to require insurers cover infertility treatment.
* As you know, a bill sponsored by Rep. Cassidy would give a tax credit to doctors or families who move to Illinois to provide or obtain access to reproductive or gender affirming care. WBEZ has more…
[L]awmakers and reproductive rights advocates are bracing for the potential of patients and providers coming to Illinois for IVF treatment. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, said it’s still too early to tell, but they are keeping a close eye on what conservative lawmakers in other states do next.
“They achieved their goal in Alabama, but there’s probably five or six states that are just two or three steps behind,” Cassidy said. […]
Cassidy, meanwhile, is proposing that Illinois give a $500 tax credit to physicians and patients fleeing states that are limiting access to health care that is lawful in Illinois — which can include abortion, gender-affirming care and fertility treatments.
“As we’re giving a clear path for providers to bring their licenses and their talents here, that will help with the infrastructure issues as well,” Cassidy said. “I think we anticipate … some potential need to accommodate inbound patients. Will it be at the volume of abortion? Probably not. Like I said, it’s a much harder thing to travel for.”
* WAND…
Private insurance companies in Illinois can currently limit patients to four rounds of IVF treatment. State lawmakers removed the cap on infertility coverage for state employees last year. Although, a proposal in the Illinois House could expand private insurance coverage for the critical infertility treatments.
Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) told the House Insurance Committee Tuesday that the live birth rate for a single cycle of IVF is roughly 30%. She explained there are similar success rates for one to four cycles of IVF.
However, the success rate jumps to 65% for women who complete six cycles of IVF treatment. […]
“We don’t cap the rounds of chemo that you can do if you have cancer,” said Stephanie Vojas Taylor. “So, I’m not sure why we’re capping the rounds of infertility coverage for someone who has a medical diagnosis.”
* Politico…
Sen. Tammy Duckworth is bringing an Illinois doctor who specializes in reproductive health and in vitro fertilization as her guest to the president’s State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress Thursday night, highlighting her party’s efforts to protect access to abortion and in vitro fertilization.
She’s not the only one: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) is hosting Jen Welch, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois. Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04) is bringing Abby Favro, a constituent from Elmhurst and the chief development officer for Planned Parenthood of Illinois. And Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) is hosting Dr. Lisa Green, the CEO of FCHC in Harvey and an advocate on Black maternal health issues.
Duckworth has been focused on IFV for years, in part because she relied on IVF for the birth of her two children. “It’s thanks to doctors and health professionals like Dr. Amanda Adeleye that millions of Americans — myself included — have been able to have kids and grow our families, but Republicans intent on exerting even more control over women’s bodies are putting access to these treatments at risk across the country,” she said in a statement.
Her bill to enact federal protections for the procedure to the Senate floor last week was blocked by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican from Mississippi.
* More…
* CNN | Alabama lawmakers set to finalize IVF legislation, but experts say it’s going to take more work to protect fertility services: The new legislation does not address the issue of personhood at the heart of last month’s unprecedented ruling in a case stemming from the accidental destruction of frozen embryos at a fertility clinic, and experts say it’s going to take more work to protect fertility services in the state.
* Tennessee Lookout | Bill to protect IVF treatment, access to contraceptives dies in Tennessee House: But a majority of GOP members on the House Population Health Subcommittee dismissed the need to clarify the state’s abortion ban, which makes it a Class C felony for anyone who performs the procedure. “Even though we are talking about this being clarifying language, to me there’s actually more confusing language in this, in that the laws we currently have … both IVF and contraception is legal in the state of Tennessee,” said Rep. Brian Terry, a Murfreesboro Republican.
* WSJ | America’s First IVF Baby Is Fighting for the Treatment That Gave Her Life: Elizabeth Carr has always been a living symbol of fertility technology’s possibilities. Now she is the face of its challenges. Carr, 42 years old, is the first baby born by in vitro fertilization in the U.S. Over the years she has told countless audiences how the technology made it possible for her mother to have a baby.
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Poll has Bost up, but with caveats
Wednesday, Mar 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hmm…
Haley is now out.
* M3 Strategies polling memo…
BACKGROUND
M3 Strategies surveyed 473 likely voters in Illinois’ 12th Congressional District from March 2nd to March 4th. It has a margin of error of 4.48% at 95% confidence. Respondents were randomly selected from a pool of individuals who are likely to vote. All responses were generated via SMS to web survey.
KEY FINDINGS
• Congressman Mike Bost leads Darren Bailey on the initial ballot by 6%. Bost leads 45% to 39%, with 16% of voters still undecided.
• Congressman Bost wins older voters, taking those over the age of 65 by over 30%, while Bailey wins among all younger age groups.
• Bost and Bailey split Trump voters, each taking 43%. Bost wins voters who say they are undecided or will vote for Nikki Haley.
• When undecided voters are forced to choose, Congressman Bost’s lead grows to 8%, winning 54% of the vote to Bailey’s 46%.
• Both candidates are well-known and well-liked, pointing to limited room for growth from positive messaging.
o Nearly 77% of those over 65 view Congressman Bost Favorably, including 60% Very Favorably.
o Bailey’s highest favorable rating comes from those aged 31-45, with 71% viewing him Favorably.
• President Trump’s endorsement does not appear to be decisive in this race, with 64% of voters saying that it had no impact or they were not aware of it. 20% of voters said Trump’s endorsement made them more likely to vote for Bost, and 17% said it was more likely to make them vote for Bailey.
o Still, 29% of undecided voters and 18% of Trump supporters said they were unaware Trump had endorsed in the race.
• Asked about the frozen embryos created through “in vitro fertilization” (IVF), only 40% of likely Republican Primary voters in IL-12 believe that “Frozen embryos outside the Mother’s womb should be considered a child,” pointing to broad, bipartisan support for IVF.
And now you see why neither Bost nor Bailey want to comment on IVF.
Read the toplines and some crosstabs by clicking here.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Mar 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Tribune…
Sen. Laura Ellman, D-Naperville, and Rep. Anna Moeller, an Elgin Democrat, introduced companion bills Tuesday that would establish a permitting program to protect wetlands from pollution and draining.
Illinois is one of several states with no statewide protections for wetlands on private land. It relied on federal Clean Water Act protections until the conservative court severely curtailed them in Sackett v. EPA, a ruling that has been celebrated by real estate developers and industry but has greatly concerned environmentalists.
“We’re not trying to write or pass the perfect wetlands law of our dreams as conservationists. What we’re trying to do is step up where the federal government has now stepped back,” said Paul Botts, the executive director of the Wetlands Initiative, a Chicago-based conservation organization that advised on the bill.
If passed, the Wetlands and Small Streams Protection Act will empower the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to regulate land use around the state’s remaining wetlands, which can be valuable natural defenses against flooding and water pollution.
* Press release…
Today, Illinois Senator Laura Ellman (District 21) and State Representative Anna Moeller (District 43) joined forces with community advocates to announce the “Wetlands and Small Stream Protection Act” – new legislation protecting Illinois waters in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that rolled back crucial federal safeguards in the Clean Water Act.
Illinois law does not currently include a comprehensive program to safeguard waters and wetlands that are now no longer federally protected, leaving the few remaining Illinois wetlands vulnerable to development. In their May 2023 Sackett v. EPA decision, the Court left protections up to the states, prompting Sen. Ellman and Rep. Moeller to introduce SB3669 and HB5386. […]
When enacted, this legislation will reinstate vital protections for Illinois wetlands, creating a long-term Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) program to protect our state waters by:
-requiring that wetland developers apply to IDNR for a permit before destroying the wetlands and small streams on which the Supreme Court has now declared an open season,
-requiring avoiding wetlands destruction to the extent possible and compensating for the losses that their activity would have on floodwater retention, water quality, and wildlife,
-allowing the Illinois counties that have good wetlands protection programs to continue their good work, and
-charging applicants a modest fee that would help pay for the program.
* WAND…
Private insurance companies in Illinois can currently limit patients to four rounds of IVF treatment. State lawmakers removed the cap on infertility coverage for state employees last year. Although, a proposal in the Illinois House could expand private insurance coverage for the critical infertility treatments.
Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) told the House Insurance Committee Tuesday that the live birth rate for a single cycle of IVF is roughly 30%. She explained there are similar success rates for one to four cycles of IVF. […]
Rep. Will Hauter (R-Morton) argued that some people may abuse the insurance coverage instead of looking into alternative family planning options such as adoption or foster care. However, Croke stressed that people make very personal decisions about starting a family and the state should not prevent patients from receiving this coverage.
The plan passed out of the House Insurance Committee on a 11-2 vote and now heads to the House floor for further consideration. If approved by both chambers and Gov. JB Pritzker, House Bill 4112 could take effect on January 1, 2026.
* Sen. Mike Porfirio…
To protect our nation’s veterans from predatory business practices, State Senator Mike Porfirio has advanced legislation aimed at combating “claim sharks” who target veterans by offering veteran and military benefit services in exchange for financial compensation.
“Our veterans have sacrificed greatly for our country, and it is our duty to ensure they are protected from crooked practices,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “This bill will not only hold claim sharks accountable, but it will also establish a framework that promotes transparency, empowering veterans with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their benefits.”
Senate Bill 3479 aims to combat claim sharks who target veterans in their deceptive business practices by ensuring transparency regarding these businesses lack of VA accreditation. Some of their predatory practices include guaranteeing an increased disability rating or percentage increase, advertising expedited VA claims decisions, requesting login credentials to access a veteran’s personal information through secure VA websites and more.
Through this measure, veterans will be better informed about the services offered to them, reducing the risk of misleading or fraudulent advice. The goal is to provide veterans with an avenue of recourse against these deceptive practices and establish a more secure environment when seeking assistance related to their veteran or military benefits. […]
SB 3479 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and heads to the Senate floor for further consideration.
* WGEM…
Pharmacists from across Illinois rallied outside the state capitol Tuesday calling for legislation banning certain practices from pharmacy benefit managers (PBM), which they said hurt local pharmacies.
Illinois Pharmacists Association Executive Director Garth Reynolds said PBMs are prescription drug middlemen. Examples include Express Scripts, CVS Caremark and Optum Rx. They negotiate between insurance companies, drug manufacturers and pharmacies.
He supports a bill that would ban PBMs from steering patients to pharmacies they own or a mail-order service. It would also ban “spread pricing.” It’s a practice in which PBMs charge insurers or drug companies more than they pay pharmacies.
“Because of a lot of this restrictive economic structure, it makes it so that for each and every prescription, pharmacies more and more are being paid in the negative, and you can’t run a pharmacy, or any business let alone, on negative dollars coming in,” Reynolds said.
* Sen. Michael Hastings…
Residents across Illinois may soon have relief from noisy highways, thanks to a measure advanced by State Senator Michael E. Hastings. […]
Hastings introduced Senate Bill 3175 in response to a number of noise complaints he was receiving from residents in the 19th Senate District.
IDOT currently maintains a Type 1 program which studies the possible impact and mitigation effects on newly constructed highways. Hastings measure would require IDOT create and implement a Type 2 Noise Suppression Program by July 1, 2025 to provide noise abatement for existing highways.
He believes this expansion of the program would alleviate constituents’ concerns and help improve the quality of life for residents throughout the state.
“This legislation will move us one step closer in improving the quality of life for those who have been suffering from endless highway noise for years,” Hastings said.
Senate Bill 3175 passed the Senate’s Transportation Committee on Tuesday and will continue on for further consideration.
* The American Council of Engineering Companies…
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC Illinois) has unveiled its 2024 legislative agenda, calling for a renewed commitment to full funding for infrastructural development through Rebuild Illinois and modernizing research and education tax credits and other incentives that will help the state recruit and retain engineers who build the infrastructure that will keep the state at pace with a 21st century economy.
The legislative agenda prioritizes the continued funding of transportation and infrastructure projects by the state through the historic $45 billion Rebuild Illinois program. ACEC Illinois is urging the state and the legislature to reconsider the recently-released budget proposal that calls for a diversion of $175 million committed to fund bridge repair, road improvement and other critical need projects to pay for spending on public transportation operations in the Chicago region. These public transportation costs have been historically paid for by the state’s General Revenue Fund since they are not associated with capital improvements, repairs or upgrades.
According to the Transportation for Illinois Coalition, the $175 million loss in road funding would multiply to more than a $1 billion impact in lost road and bridge improvements over the next few years. The fiscal impact of such a roll back would limit plans by IDOT and other agencies, delay projects, slow the modernization of the state’s transportation network and have an enormous impact on the state’s ambitious infrastructure development program.
“The bipartisan Rebuild Illinois Program is a once in a generation opportunity to upgrade and modernize our state’s road transportation and physical infrastructure to meet current needs and the demands of the future,” said Kevin Artl, President and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. “Our legislative priorities aim to ensure that the progress so far made is protected and not diminished by infrastructure funding cutbacks or diversion and that incentives for research, training and workforce development are maintained to make Illinois a destination point for engineers from across the world to locate here and work on these critical projects.
Other key issues in ACEC Illinois’ 2024 Legislative Agenda include a call for continued appropriation of funds for training and retention of engineering talent through education tax credits that will provide for a tax credit of 10% of the salary paid by engineering firms to recent graduates of Illinois’ engineering schools and 5% of the salary paid to recent graduates of engineering schools outside of Illinois; and modernization of the state’s research and development (R&D) tax credits to match changes to the R&D credit at the federal level. ACEC Illinois also supports legislation that will protect and help diverse businesses succeed at the state level through diversity in contracting and calls for a resolution to urge Congress to take action to protect the USDOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program which is at risk due to recent legal decisions. ACEC Illinois also supports the Knowledge Transfer Act that promotes knowledge transfer, collaboration and greater communication between engineering companies, state agencies and the private sector. […]
ACEC-IL 2024 Legislative Agenda
-Preserve REBUILD Illinois: To keep Illinois’ promise to citizens to repair, maintain and upgrade Illinois’ infrastructure to support a 21st Century economy, ACEC Illinois will oppose efforts to roll back or divert funding for ReBuild Illinois capital investments.
-Maintain Funding for IDOT Engineer Student Loan Repayment Program: Legislation was passed last year to launch a pilot program to incentivize engineers trained in Illinois to work in Illinois. The state budget included funding at the pilot level, and ACEC requests re-appropriations of those dollars, as students graduate college and become eligible for the program, in order to see the program implemented.
-Modernize the State’s Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit (SB 163), (HB 4457): Research and Development (R&D) is critical to Illinois’ engineers as they work to modernize the state’s infrastructure. However, Illinois’ R&D credit is outdated and expires without state intervention. ACEC Illinois supports this initiative that increases the R&D credit by providing that the increase in research and development activities shall be based on an increase over 50% of the average of the qualifying expenditures for each year in the base period. This change modernizes the bill to match changes to the R&D credit at the federal level. Additionally, the bill makes the R&D credit permanent moving forward. The legislation is sponsored by Senator DeWitte and Rep. Joe Sosnowski.
-Retain Illinois Students of Engineering (RISE) Tax Credit (HB 2425) (SB 2282): Helping attract and retain engineers as the industry faces a shortage of educated talent, this legislation provides for a tax credit of 10% of the salary paid to recent graduates of Illinois’ engineering schools and 5% of the salary paid to recent graduates of engineering schools outside of Illinois. This legislation is sponsored by Rep. Marty Moylan and Senator Ram Villivalam.
-Knowledge Transfer Innovation Act (SB 3712): To ensure Illinois’ most innovative engineering firms can share their cutting-edge technology and design approaches with state agencies, this legislation allows for greater communication and knowledge transfer between the private and public sector. This legislation is sponsored by Senator Ram Villivalam.
-Protect Illinois’ Diverse Businesses: The USDOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program along with other local DBE programs are at risk due to the implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling last year to block considerations of race in university admissions. In Illinois, IDOT, Tollway and CDB have effectively and credibly used these programs to help Illinois businesses succeed and grow, and ACEC is calling for attention to this issue to ensure they are protected. The Resolution is sponsored by Senator Villivalam.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Mar 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Mar 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: Illinois Senate passes plan for ‘hybrid’ elected Chicago school board backed by CTU. Tribune…
- The bill would create a hybrid elected school board in Chicago this fall, with half of the members voted in by residents and the rest appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
- The bill includes a district map that lawmakers from both chambers have previously agreed on. It would create seven majority-Black districts, six majority-Latino districts, five majority-white districts and two in which no group has a majority.
- The Senate passed SB15 in a 37-20 vote. It now goes back to the House, which approved a similar plan last fall.
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Capitol News Illinois | Judges, ex-lawmakers, lobbyists wrote to support convicted ex-Madigan aide: And on Tuesday, Kness published 181 pages of letters, including nearly a dozen written by public officials both retired and still serving, along with many lobbyists and political heavyweights still active in Springfield. Among them was former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride, who noted he’d gotten to know Mapes over 20 years on the court, and that Mapes’ son Devin had been a judicial intern in his office. He also administered the oath for new attorneys when Devin was admitted to the bar.
* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson says no plans yet to again extend migrant removal deadline: “We’re doing everything in our power to demonstrate compassion. Now, as far as whether or not we will extend deadlines, we haven’t gotten to that point,” Johnson said at a Tuesday news conference. […] The policy could lead to the removal of as many as 5,673 migrant residents, Brandie Knazze, head of the city’s Department of Family and Support Services, said when the March 16 date was announced. Over 2,000 more people could be forced out by the end of April under the policy, she added.
* 21st Show | Senator Peters speaks on Black Caucus’ goals, migrant assistance, and Safe-T Act progress: Alongside financial and educational reforms, the Caucus is actively working on the Safe-T Act, a comprehensive package aimed at overhauling the justice system and enhancing law enforcement accountability. These initiatives reflect a broader commitment to tackling systemic inequalities and ensuring that the needs and interests of the Black community in Illinois are addressed and met with tangible actions and policies.
* Here’s the rest…
* Tribune | On eve of CPS contract negotiations, teachers union President Stacy Davis Gates invites civic leaders’ engagement: “We’re not gonna fight for the schools Chicago Public Schools students deserve. We’re gonna give it to them,” she said. Pending union delegates’ approval in a vote on a draft contract proposal to be sent to CPS Wednesday, Davis Gates hinted at likely union demands: A librarian and restorative justice coordinator in every school. “Less onerous” teacher evaluations. Adjustments to health care in the interest of reproductive justice. Expanded community schools and special education programs.
* WCIA | Bipartisan Illinois leaders call to put constitutional ethics initiative amendment on November ballot: WCIA reached out to House Democrats for comment but no one was available. We also reached out to House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch’s office for comment but have not heard back.
* WMBD | Gov. Pritzker announces federal funding to address food insecurity in Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker announced the $28.8 million at the Midwest Food Bank in Morton on Tuesday, declaring the funding a big step forward for providing nutrition to those in need. “Nearly 3.3 million Illinoisans live in a food desert, leaving families with few options when it comes to putting food on the table”, he said.
* WJBC | Illinois pharmacists rally outside of state capitol: Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, and other advocates rallied outside the Capitol Tuesday to call for regulation to weaken the influence of the pharmacy benefit managers, or PBM’s. More government regulation? “I usually don’t go for that as the primary response,” said Garth Reynolds, executive director of the Illinois Pharmacists Association, “but this is an area where there is so much unruly abuse. We need to bring in some structure to reel everything back in to a normal business relationship.”
* ABC Chicago | Former state Senator Terry Link to be sentenced Wednesday in tax evasion case: Link could be sentenced to a year in federal prison, but prosecutors are asking for probation instead. That’s because Link cooperated in a sting operation against State Representative Luis Arroyo, who was convicted of bribery.
* WMOK | The Illinois Chamber of Commerce Announces Additions to Legislative Affairs Team: The Illinois Chamber of Commerce announces two key additions to their legislative affairs team. Effective immediately, Keith Wheeler, has been appointed to the role of Executive Director of Government Affairs and Technology Council. Jordan Ryan is appointed as the Director of Legislative Affairs.
* Sun-Times | City Colleges brings back South Side nursing school: The University of Chicago clinical lab will consolidate existing labs at their medical campus and shift 350 jobs — plus an additional 200 — to the Washington Park neighborhood. The first floor of the facility will be rentable retail space, which officials said will help support restaurants and businesses, as well as the transit hub.
* Crain’s | The ‘Vader’ of Illinois election law could take down ‘Bring Chicago Home’: Michael Kasper, the attorney representing the Building Owners & Managers Association of Chicago and other real estate interests in the fight against Johnson’s so-called “Bring Chicago Home” ballot measure, is well-aware of his own reputation as one of Illinois’ most effective, and perhaps notorious, election lawyers.
* Tribune | Jury finds man guilty in slaying of CPD Officer Ella French: The verdict was read to a hushed courtroom with a heavy presence of deputies lining the aisles. Judge Ursula Walowski warned observers to remain calm and silent. Afterward, family members of French, Yanez and Blas hugged and cried. Yanez and Blas were both present for the verdict.
* Sun-Times | Gene Schroeder, oldest living Chicago Bear, says team needs new stadium, is ‘only going to get better’: He played six seasons with the Bears, and has spent the last six decades as a devoted fan. Now, having just turned 95 on Sunday, he’s believed to be the oldest living former player for the franchise. […] Schroeder laments the loss of that family dynamic in the game today. “That’s gone like dinosaurs,” he said. But he believes current general manager Ryan Poles has done an “absolutely outstanding job.”
* Crain’s | Chicago Bears promote senior exec for stadium development: Karen B. Murphy, the team’s senior vice president of business strategy and CFO, has been promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president of stadium development and COO, the team announced on March 5. She has been with the organization for 25 years after starting as a controller in 1999.
* Tribune | 26 of the best corned beef sandwiches in Chicago and the suburbs, including a stunning option from John’s Food & Wine: The corned beef is stunning at John’s Food & Wine in Chicago, where it is the chefs’ modern statement on not only the sandwich, but how to pay their cooks $36 an hour. Co-chefs and co-owners Adam McFarland and Tom Rogers opened their debut restaurant last October in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. They seem determined to hide how special it is. From the name, with all due respect to their fathers both named John, to describing their menu as seasonal new American.
* SJ-R | Millions could be invested in two Springfield neighborhoods: What to know: Through the new program, the Springfield Project and Springfield Urban League Inc. could receive up to $3 million to promote economic development in the neighborhoods. The funding, allocated to 10 cultural districts throughout the state, will be made available in 2025 when the five final districts are announced according to the governor’s office.
* Crain’s | Details of Rivian’s next-generation R2 model leak prior to unveiling: The R2 is a critical model for Rivian because it’s on a new platform designed for more affordable vehicles that will be built at a future Georgia factory in 2026, allowing the EV startup to compete in the under-$50,000 market, the company has said. According to purported source-code data from Rivian’s website posted on X, the R2 will start at $47,500 before shipping, have a range of up to 330 miles and be very similar in size to the Tesla Model Y compact crossover.
* SJ-R | Real or fake? Illinois students learning the dangers of social media ahead of election: According to the Pew Research Center, 44% of U.S. adults ages 18-29 routinely rely on Tik Tok for news — by far the highest consumption of any age demographic. More Americans overall have come to the video-sharing platform for news, increasing by more than 20% between 2020 and 2023.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Mar 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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* From the governor’s news conference today…
Q: In your State of the State address you called for a permanent elimination of the 1 percent grocery tax. But the Illinois Municipal League has come out against this plan, and many mayors across the state have said this would result in significant revenue loss that would force them to either implement a local grocery tax or cut services. How do you respond to these concerns?
Pritzker: They have the ability, will have the ability to reinstate a grocery tax locally, if that’s what they want to do. But this is about local control. And also eliminating a regressive tax on everyone in Illinois, but especially those who are disadvantaged, those were often left out and left behind. So yeah, I think we need to cut taxes, but especially for people who are just trying to go get food at a grocery store. It is time for us to eliminate it.
I want to say one other thing. We’re one of only 13 states left in the country that has a grocery tax. All the other states have gotten rid of it. And you ought to go look at the map and see what states are remaining. But I mean, we’re behind West Virginia at getting rid of a grocery tax, just to give you an example. We should be leading in this country. We should, I mean, Illinois is a state where we care deeply about working families, about those who are low income families and frankly, those who don’t have a job and may just have a little bit of money and go to the grocery store. And yeah, it’s only a dollar for every 100 that you spend. But that means a lot to people at the lowest end of the spectrum in terms of income. And so I’m pleased and proud to have put this proposal forward. And you know, always happy to talk to people about how we can help them locally to replace revenue, but the reality is I put $1.3 billion of state money more than in past years into local hands. And that’s on top of billions of dollars that the state already sends to local governments.
Q: But does this put local governments local municipalities in a position of having to either give the appearance of raising a tax on their own or having to cut services?
Pritzker: So, they’re not willing to step forward and say that they want a grocery tax at the local level? They want the state government to do it so they don’t have to admit that that’s what they want? Is that what you’re asking?
Q: They’re going to look like they’re either raising taxes or they’re cutting services because the state has taken away…
Pritzker: Go talk to the Republican state legislators who, when I eliminated for a year - during the highest inflation time that we’ve had in my lifetime, or at least in a long time - when I eliminated the grocery tax for a year, the Republican legislators said you should make that permanent. They yelled at me, they held press conferences telling me that I had done something terrible by only eliminating it for a year. And I thought about it for a long time and thought, yeah, this is the most regressive tax, the tax on food. So we should eliminate it. I frankly, I took their advice.
* Several Senate Republicans did indeed file a bill last year that would’ve not only permanently killed off the grocery tax, but would’ve replaced lost revenues…
Beginning August 1, 2023, the State Comptroller shall order transferred and the State Treasurer shall transfer from the General Revenue Fund to the State and Local Sales Tax Reform Fund, the amount deposited into the State and Local Sales Tax Reform Fund for the same month in calendar year 2021 from items that were subject to a 1% rate of tax in calendar year 2021. On August 1 of each year thereafter, the amount transferred from the General Revenue Fund to the State and Local Sales Tax Reform Fund under this paragraph shall be increased by the percentage change, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers as issued by the United States Department of Labor for the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.
The big problem with this, of course, is what if a large grocery store closes in one town and reopens in another? A municipality would then be receiving state money it didn’t deserve and the other would get the shaft.
It’s not a workable bill as-is.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup (updated)
Tuesday, Mar 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* The Senate voted 37-20 to pass SB15, which would elect the Chicago school board…
[From Rich: As Senate President Harmon explained today, ten elected members would represent the entire city for two years with ten members appointed. Then, after two years, those ten districts would be cut in half and all twenty members plus the chair would be elected. There’s more to it, but that’s the basic gist.]
* Press release…
The Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus today passed legislation to create an elected Chicago School Board, expanding representation and empowering communities with a greater say in how the state’s largest school system is run.
Under SB 15, 10 Board members will be elected in 2024 and 10 Board members and the Board Chair will be appointed by the mayor. Beginning in 2026, all 20 CPS Board members will be elected from subdistricts and the Board President will be elected citywide. These changes will give families and community members a direct say in the leadership of their schools, a right every other community in Illinois is already afforded.
“With today’s vote, we are bringing democracy to the people of Chicago,” said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford, Chair of the Special Committee on the Chicago Elected Representative School Board. “For the first time, leadership of Chicago Public Schools will be accountable to the voters, who will have the power to set a new course for our city’s education system.”
A map detailing electoral district boundaries, as well as demographic data and shape files, is available online at www.ilsenateredistricting.com. The map consists of 20 districts, including seven majority Black districts, six majority Latino districts, five majority White districts and two coalition districts. School board districts must be consistent with the Illinois Voting Rights Act, which ensures districts are crafted in a way that preserves clusters of minority voters if they are of size or cohesion to exert collective electoral power.
“At long last, families across Chicago will have a platform to make important decisions about their children’s education,” said Sen. Robert Martwick, Vice-Chair of the Special Committee on the Chicago Elected Representative School Board and sponsor of the legislation creating an elected school board in Chicago. “Representation matters, and I’m proud we are finally giving parents in Chicago the same rights as those in every other community throughout Illinois.”
The legislation establishes ethics requirements for Board members that mirror those for other school boards across the state, as well as conflict of interest provisions in line with the state’s existing Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act. It also calls for the creation of the Black Student Achieve Committee within the Board, following feedback from education advocates, parents and community members about the need to focus on the disparity in academic performance among Black students.
“With a budget of nearly $10 billion a year, this change doesn’t just impact families enrolled in Chicago Public Schools but every person who lives in our city,” said Sen. Omar Aquino, Vice-Chair of the Special Committee on the Chicago Elected Representative School Board. “Our communities will now have a direct say in deciding how public funds are spent, ensuring schools are better positioned to respond to the unique needs of each neighborhood.”
…Adding… Senate Republican Leader John Curran…
Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) released the following statement in response to the Senate passage of SB15 that enacts gerrymandered maps for hybrid Chicago School Board elections:
“I have and will continue to vote NO on any legislative or school board map drawn by politicians, rather than the people they represent. We stand with the thousands of opponents, citizens, parents, students, and teachers who want to end the process of gerrymandering that suppresses choice and disenfranchises voters in Illinois.”
* The bill passed out of committee on a 9-4 partisan vote earlier today…
* WTTW…
[F]or Eileen O’Neill Burke, locked in a fierce fight for the Democratic nomination for Cook County state’s attorney against Clayton Harris III, her last name has turned out to be a double-edged sword.[…]
“For the record – no, I’m not related to THAT Burke,” she posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, confident that she didn’t have to spell out her reference to former Ald. Ed Burke, convicted Dec. 21 on 13 counts of racketeering, bribery and extortion. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June. […]
After six years as a Cook County judge, O’Neill Burke had her eye on an appellate court seat. In 2015, O’Neill Burke contributed $500 to Burke’s main campaign account, her only direct contribution to Burke’s war chest, which he would eventually use to fund his criminal defense, according to records filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections. […]
In 2017 and 2018, O’Neill Burke’s husband, John Burke, an attorney at the law firm of Ice Miller, made four contributions totaling $1,250 to two campaign committees controlled by Ed Burke, according to records filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
* Tahman Bradley…
* Sun-Times…
Lurie Children’s Hospital has restored its electronic medical records platform after being down for over a month because of a cybersecurity threat, the hospital announced Monday evening.
MyChart remains offline, the platform patients use to communicate with providers, access medical records and test results and make appointments, according to a statement on the hospital’s website.
The hospital took its phone, email and electronic systems offline Jan. 31 because of a “criminal threat” from a “known criminal threat actor,” Lurie said in February. It has not explained what the threat was and how it affected its systems. The hospital has remained open and providing care.
Emails to and from external addresses and most of the hospital’s phone lines were restored last month. But the hospital’s electronic medical record platform, Epic’s MyChart, remains down.
* Here’s the rest…
* 25 News Now | Smaller school districts impacted most by teacher shortage: The conference at ISU’s Bone Student Center highlighted the state’s current geographical and subject areas lacking teacher applications. “We had an opening for special ed last year, and I believe we had zero applicants, so none. It’s difficult to fill those positions,” said Karen Engelman, a family and consumer science teacher at Cobden High School in southern Illinois.
* Capitol News Illinois | Funeral home director subject to ‘scary, filthy freak show’ complaint surrenders license: Moran Queen-Boggs funeral home director Hugh Moran signed a consent order on Friday, March 1, a copy of which was obtained by Capitol News Illinois. In it, he agreed never to reapply for his funeral director or embalmer license in the state.
* SJ-R | SIU School of Medicine scholarship challenged on race, gender identity discrimination grounds: The scholarship in question, the Tracey Meares Scholarship, is eligible to U.S. citizens in their fourth year of medical school in “good academic standing.” Where EPP founder and Cornell law professor William A. Jacobson takes issue are the race and gender identity-based criteria. Per the SIU School of Medicine website, the scholarship is open to students who are Black, Hispanic or Native American and those identifying as LGBTQ+. The award winner receives a $1,000 stipend to cover housing and travel costs throughout a four-week resident rotation.
* Crain’s | Rivian laid off about 100 Illinois workers: The Illinois layoffs are just a tiny fraction of its workforce here. Rivian employs more than 8,000 people in Normal, about 7,000 of whom are hourly workers who produce electric trucks, SUVs and delivery vehicles. But it also has engineers and designers at the facility, the company’s only production plant.
* Daily Herald | Hoffman Estates latest suburb asked to adopt Gaza cease-fire resolution: Schaumburg village board members heard from nine people last week asking they pass a cease-fire resolution, but ultimately chose not to act on a request, saying it was not relevant to the operations of the town. The decision led some advocates to verbally assail board members, leading them to recess their meeting.
* WCIA | Champaign Board of Education meeting erupts in heated discussion, ends with member resignation: After approving new business and listening to public comment, discussion began between board members, which quickly turned heated between Board Member Betsy Holder and Board President Gianina Baker. Holder requested more transparency within the district, wanting to specifically know what the district is spending money on. She pointed to a $38,000 monthly legal bill that she was told was “confidential information.”
* WCIA | Champaign School Board member resigns, citing ‘mistrust, missteps and misinformation’: Near the end of the March 4 meeting, Jamar Brown, Champaign Unit 4 School District Board Vice President, read a statement reflecting on many positive moments during his first term on the board. However, he called out his experience with his second term on the board as one filled with “mistrust, missteps and misinformation”. Brown noted that he saw a number of attacks pointed at the Champaign School District, but said what was “more alarming was the self-inflicted wounds we were doing to ourselves.”
* Tribune | Support staff at Crystal Lake D47 file unfair labor practice charge after district hires staffing firm: Crystal Lake Association of Support Staff, or CLASS, the union representing Chaix and more than 100 paraprofessionals across 12 schools in District 47, filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board in October after district administrators retained a recruiting firm to hire temporary employees. The union said the move was made illegally and without giving them notice.
* SJ-R | Springfield’s first cat cafe holds soft opening. Everything you need to know: The Cat’s Pyjamas, Springfield’s first cat café officially opened its doors to the public last Saturday and Sunday. After completing building repairs, the business welcomed a combined 130 patrons in a soft open during the weekend.
* AP | Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads logins restored after widespread outage: The outage comes just ahead of Thursday’s deadline for Big Tech companies to comply with the European Union’s new Digital Markets Act. To comply, Meta is making changes, like allowing users to separate their Facebook and Instagram accounts so personal information can’t be combined to target them with online ads. It’s not clear whether the outage is connected to any preparations Meta might be carrying out for the DMA.
* D Magazine | Here’s Why Jalapeño Peppers Are Less Spicy Than Ever: “As more growers have adopted drip irrigation, more high-tech farming tools to grow the peppers, they’ll tend to be milder,” Walker told me first, as a sort of throat-clearing exercise before the real explanation. “But there’s more to it than that.” The truth is more like a vast industrial scheme to make the jalapeño more predictable—and less hot.
* Sun-Times | CTA bus driver, passenger rescue 14 residents from burning South Shore homes: “We started banging on doors and yelling ‘fire fire fire!’ at the top of our lungs and just trying to wake as many people up and alert as many people as we possibly could,” Adamopoulos said, adding that he didn’t think about his own safety as he ran toward the flames. “The only thing I was focused on was getting the people out.”
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Mapes support letters released
Tuesday, Mar 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Click here for the full list…
* Tribune story…
A sitting state appellate judge, a former Illinois Supreme Court justice, multiple ex-legislators, and the Cook County Clerk all wrote letters of support for Tim Mapes, the former Springfield insider who was convicted of perjury last year in connection with a sweeping statehouse corruption investigation.
The letters were submitted ahead of Mapes’ sentencing last month but were made public Tuesday in redacted form on order of U.S. District Judge John Kness. Mapes, former chief of staff to powerhouse ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, was ultimately given 30 months in prison.
Many of the letters released Tuesday vouched for Mapes’ character and asked Kness for leniency.
Former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride, who received millions of dollars from Madigan-backed campaign contributions over three races for the high court, called Mapes a “man of many admirable talents.” […]
Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough wrote that Mapes is “a good person who worked extremely hard on behalf of the people of Illinois and helped make our State a better place … his commitment to helping our society’s most vulnerable has resulted in countless lives being changed for the better.”
* WBEZ…
Another ex-legislator urging Kness to show compassion to Mapes was former House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago.
“In my years working with Tim, I never had reason to question his honesty or his integrity,” she wrote. “I am hopeful you will take into account Tim’s years of meritorious service and the good he has done.”
Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello also went to bat for Mapes.
Costello asked Kness to “take into consideration all the positive things that Tim Mapes has done during his career in public service that has (sic) improved the lives of the people of Illinois.”
Seeing anything else in the trove of letters?
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Mar 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AG Raoul…
In recognition of National Consumer Protection Week, Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced the Top 10 consumer complaints his office received last year and highlighted his office’s work to protect consumers. For the third year in a row, complaints related to home repairs and remodeling topped the list. Complaints about identity theft moved up to the second spot.
“During National Consumer Protection Week, I encourage Illinois residents to visit my office’s website and social media channels to learn more about common consumer complaints and how to protect themselves from fraud and scams,” Raoul said.
In recognition of National Consumer Protection Week, Attorney General Raoul highlighted the most frequent complaints the Attorney General’s office received during 2023. […]
1. Construction/Home Improvement (remodeling, roofs and gutters, heating and cooling, plumbing) 2,091
2. Identity Theft (credit cards, data breaches, utilities, government document fraud) 1,885
3. Consumer Debt (residential mortgage lending, banks/financial institutions, collection agencies) 1,683
4. Motor Vehicle/Used Auto Sales (as-is used cars, financing, advertising, warranties) 1,678
5. Promotions/Schemes (phone scams, work-at-home scams, lottery scams, investment schemes, phishing) 1,343
6. Internet/Mail Order Products (internet and catalog purchases, TV and radio advertising) 1,249
7. Telecommunications (cable and satellite TV, telemarketing, wireless phones, phone service and repairs) 932
8. Motor Vehicle/Non-Warranty Repair (collision, engines, oil changes and tune-ups) 831
9. Motor Vehicle/New Auto Sales (financing, defects, advertising) 647
10. Government Agencies (Local agencies, state agencies, federal agencies) 513
Raoul urges Illinois residents who believe they have been the victim of any type of fraud to file a complaint by visiting his office’s website or contacting his office.
* The Question: Have you ever been the victim of one of these scams/issues? Explain.
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Keith Urban joins Illinois State Fair lineup
Tuesday, Mar 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WAND…
Country superstar Keith Urban is coming to perform at the Illinois State Fair.
Urban will take the stage Friday, Aug. 9.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, March 9 at 10 a.m.
The 2024 Illinois State Fair runs from Aug. 8-18 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. A full schedule of special days held at the fair can be found here.
* Looks like tickets start at $85…
* NBC Chicago…
The announcement comes just after legendary hard rock and hair metal band Mötley Crüe were revealed among the headlining acts at the Grandstand.
Urban also joins previously announced Illinois State Fair Grandstand 2024 acts Jason Isbell and country music star Jordan Davis. Additional Grandstand headliners will be announced at a later date, the state fair said.
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Mar 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* SB3757 will be heard in Executive Committee at 10:30 am. Ben Szalinski…
* Politico…
State Senate President Don Harmon will present the Chicago Elected School Board bill in Executive Committee today. The measure would have voters choose 10 board members, with the mayor appointing 10 others. It’s a measure that the Illinois House and Chicago Teachers Union and was backed by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The measure as it stands now still has some opposition from folks who want to see the 20 board members elected all at once.
* WAND…
Sen. Natalie Toro (D-Chicago) wants to require insurance companies to cover expenses for standard fertility preservation and follow-up services for any interested patient, even if they haven’t been diagnosed with infertility. […]
Many people have paid up to $15,000 for the procedure without insurance coverage. Another bill could require companies with more than 25 employees to provide insurance coverage for diagnosis and treatment of infertility.
“It’s not easy to pay. So, having that coverage and allowing that will allow a family, especially someone who may be sick, to be able to have children later in life,” said Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).
Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Frankfort) said a constituent faced a serious problem after she met with her doctor and planned for an IVF procedure. The woman called her insurance company to confirm the procedure was covered, but the insurer told her she had to go through an IUD procedure first. […]
Each of the proposals have been assigned to the Senate Insurance Committee.
Here’s links for Sen. Toro’s SB2623, Sen. Castro’s SB2572 and Sen. Hastings’ SB2639.
* WBEZ…
[L]awmakers and reproductive rights advocates are bracing for the potential of patients and providers coming to Illinois for IVF treatment. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, said it’s still too early to tell, but they are keeping a close eye on what conservative lawmakers in other states do next. […]
Cassidy, meanwhile, is proposing that Illinois give a $500 tax credit to physicians and patients fleeing states that are limiting access to health care that is lawful in Illinois — which can include abortion, gender-affirming care and fertility treatments. […]
On top of that, [Eve Feinberg, an infertility specialist at Northwestern’s Reproductive Medicine Center] says there aren’t enough physicians specializing in fertility medicine. She says the ruling from Alabama — and any similar moves from other states — may make more trainees want to come to states like Illinois that are working to safeguard the treatment.
“My ask would be to have some funding for fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology,” Feinberg says. “As these states are going to start to overturn, to enact these personhood amendments, I fear that if IVF is going to shut down, and it’s going to negatively impact training.”
* WTTW…
Proposed legislation in Springfield is looking to eliminate that mandate despite conflicting research from some national safety groups.
Republican state Rep. Jeff Keicher of Sycamore is sponsoring the bill. He said the road test for seniors doesn’t solve the problems on the road. […]
Ryan Pietzsch is the program technical consultant of driver safety, education and training with the National Safety Council. He said these numbers probably don’t show the whole picture. According to the group’s research, most young people are involved in single-car crashes while elderly drivers account for more accidents with more than one vehicle. […]
“We should provide for multiple-discipline approach, which addresses all elements of driver safety, including educating people on new vehicles,” Pietzsch said. “Think about the cars on the road today versus what they were when these drivers first started driving. So it’s not only the driver’s licensing, but that’s one element of it. It’s education. It’s safer roadways and access to medical care. So the safe-system approach is really what we should look at here.”
* WBEZ…
Around a dozen states, including Missouri and Iowa, have some form of digital ID option for residents, but this would be a first for Illinois. […]
The bill states that showing a digital ID does not serve as consent to be searched, but the American Civil Liberties Union has raised concerns about how that would be implemented.
Northwestern privacy law professor Matthew Kugler says it’s a fair point: “I might be concerned to hand my unlocked phone over to a police officer, even if I was pretty sure nothing in there could be used to prosecute me.”
Rep. Buckner says it’s possible the state could create a code on the ID that an officer could scan next to a car during a traffic stop. In that scenario, an officer would not need to take an unlocked phone back to a squad car.
* Heads-up…
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* Media advisory…
Rep. Spain to Present Ethics Reform Amendment Alongside Former IL Gov. Pat Quinn
Who: House Deputy Republican Leader Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) and former Democratic Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.
What: Leader Spain and former Gov. Quinn will discuss the pressing need for reform to state ethics regulations and present a bipartisan amendment to the Illinois Constitution recently filed by Spain.
When: 10:30 AM on Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Where: Capitol Blueroom in Springfield (event will also be streamed on Blueroom Stream).
Rep. Spain’s proposed constitutional amendment is here…
Amendments to Section 2 of Article XIII shall be limited to establishing and enforcing stronger ethical standards for candidates for or office holders of: (i) State office; (ii) offices in units of local government and school districts; and (iii) a position on a commission or board created by this Constitution.
* I asked Rep. Spain to explain his proposal…
We have lots of restrictions for ballot initiatives in Illinois. This resolution will allow referenda on ethics issues each election that are initiated by petition. Basically it gives more opportunities for citizen reform initiatives.
…Adding… Press release…
Today at the Capitol, Deputy House Republican Leader Ryan Spain (R-73rd District) was joined by former Democratic Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to propose an amendment to the Illinois Constitution that will give Illinois citizens the ability to establish and enforce stronger ethical standards on elected officials in the state.
“It was two years ago, on March 2, 2022, that former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan was indicted on federal racketeering and bribery charges for the network of corrupt behavior he oversaw,” said Spain. “While his trial is still pending, since then, we’ve seen his associates convicted in the ComEd Four trial and his closest confidant, Tim Mapes, convicted, and the rash of ethical lapses in Illinois continues to be a serious problem. However, the state legislature has failed to deliver needed ethics reform to clamp down on this behavior.
“Fortunately, there is a different way we can approach this problem by creating an avenue for Illinois citizens to use a petition initiative to enact anti-corruption measures. As March is National Ethics Awareness Month, this is the perfect time to draw attention to this issue and empower the people of Illinois to establish the more ethical government they deserve.”
House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 19 (HJRCA 19), which was filed by Rep. Spain on March 1, proposes to amend the Illinois Constitution to establish a petition process that will allow citizens to propose changes to state ethics requirements via ballot initiatives to be voted on by the voters of Illinois. Any ethics requirement approved by the voters would apply to candidates and office holders of state offices and local governments, as well as boards and commissions created in the state constitution.
In a show of the bipartisan nature of this proposal, Rep. Spain was joined by former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who, like Spain, has sought to champion ethics reform in Illinois.
“In 1976, I was part of a petition initiative called the Political Honesty Initiative to add ethics requirements to our state constitution,” said Quinn. “At the time, we collected 635,158 signatures to get the initiative on the ballot. Unfortunately, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the state constitution did not allow for a petition initiative process to amend the constitution for ethics matters. That is why this proposal is so important today. The legislature has shown it’s not able to adequately reform its ethical requirements on its own, so now is the time to give that power to the people of Illinois and allow them to hold government officials accountable through direct initiative action.”
As a constitutional amendment proposal, HJRCA 19 would need to be approved by both houses of the Illinois General Assembly by May 5. Once it passes that legislative hurdle, it would then be placed on the November 5, 2024, General Election ballot for Illinois voters to approve the use of the petition initiative process for ethics matters.
For more information about HJRCA 19, Rep. Spain or video of the press conference held today, visit RepRyanSpain.com.
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Open thread
Tuesday, Mar 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Mar 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: The White Sox and Bears are discussing a ‘financing partnership’ for two stadiums, developer says. The Sun-Times has the three elements of Related Midwest President Curt Bailey’s government subsidy plan…
• A “35- to 40-year extension” of bonds issued by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority backed by the same two-percentage-point hotel tax increase used to finance the renovation of Soldier Field.
• A “sales tax overlay district” requiring the city, state and county to forfeit part of the sales tax revenue generated within the project boundaries. That revenue would “primarily serve as backup … to make sure bond holders are still taken care of when there are outlier events like COVID or 9/11” that cause hotel tax revenues to plummet, Bailey said.
• A $450 million subsidy from the tax increment financing district created to bankroll infrastructure improvements needed to develop the site, which has railroad tracks running through it. Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf put a $900 million price on that work, but Bailey cut that estimate in half, and argued the entire investment is well worth the return.
Thoughts?
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Tribune | Early voting begins citywide as state officials predict 40% of ballots will be cast before March 19 primary: Still being contested is the Bring Chicago Home citywide referendum asking voters whether they support raising the real estate transfer tax on higher-end sales to secure consistent funding for housing and social services. A Cook County judge disqualified the referendum based on a lawsuit by real estate interests. If the ruling survives appeal, no votes on the referendum will be counted.
* Sen. Dick Durbin | This decision-making moment will determine O’Hare’s future: However, if United and American airlines had it their way, they would delay the satellite terminals and build only the part of the project that benefits them and doesn’t increase competition. This means putting off the construction of both satellite terminals to focus on the Global Terminal. For a price tag still in the billions of dollars, O’Hare would gain two new gates in 10 years.
* Tribune | Should Illinois become a ‘right-to-die’ state? Lawmakers consider end-of-life option for terminally ill adults: Proponents of the proposed law, including Suzy Flack, say it’s an option that could end tremendous suffering for some ill patients in their final days. The nonprofit Compassion and Choices, which advocates for the proposed Illinois law, says the measure would only apply to a narrow group of patients and strict regulations are designed to prevent misuse or abuse. The organization contends that “there have been no substantiated cases of abuse or coercion” since Oregon’s law went into effect in 1997, according to a statement on the Compassion and Choices website.
* Governor Pritzker will be at the Midwest Food Bank in Morton at 1 pm to annouce Illinois Eats grant awardees, click here to watch.
* Here’s the rest…
* WTTW | State Lawmakers Debate Top Takeaways From Pritzker’s Proposed Budget: “The governor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 is a good first step toward investing in educating our students, protecting our most vulnerable populations, and preparing for our future, but our work is far from done,” state Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) said in a statement. “I look forward to joining my colleagues in the General Assembly in having a robust discussion about this year’s budget.”
* Chalkbeat | Illinois advocates of career and technical education want more funding as demand for programs increase: This school year, at monthly meetings and during fall budget hearings, CTE advocates asked for a funding increase of at least $10 million from the Illinois State Board of Education. They believe CTE programs can help students get into high-salary jobs right out of high school, grow the state’s workforce and economy, and allow students to start their lives without a large amount of student loan debt. However, data on student outcomes is still unclear, even as school districts like Chicago and across the country continue to invest in CTE programs.
* Sun-Times | In Englewood’s Illinois House 6th District, its incumbent Sonya Harper vs. Joseph Williams: On the cusp of a fifth full term, Harper, 42, touted her longstanding efforts to expand community gardening and urban agriculture in a district desperately lacking groceries and healthy food options, co-founding the nonprofit Grow Greater Englewood.
* Center Square | Cook County’s gun ban upheld as challenge to statewide ban continues: In the ruling Friday in the case Viramontes v. Cook County, Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer issued a summary judgment against the plaintiffs and in favor of the county. Pallmeyer pointed to the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in the Bevis v. Naperville case where a three-judge panel said the city and state had a likelihood of success in defending gun bans.
* Tribune | Suburban mayors warn that Pritzker’s plan to eliminate grocery sales tax will hurt services or raise other taxes: The mayors of Algonquin, Barrington, Cary and Libertyville said the tax cut proposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker would hurt their ability to provide basic services. They say the governor should reconsider, or that the state needs to replace the full 10% that municipalities previously received from the state income tax.
* Tribune | Democratic bona fide accusations flare in state’s attorney race: She has two major donors from Citadel — Gerald Beeson and Matthew Simon. Both have given to both Democrats such as Paul Vallas and Rahm Emanuel locally and Republicans nationally. Beeson has contributed to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Kelly Loeffler and Thom Tillis in recent years, while Simon has given to the John Bolton Super PAC. […] “You don’t take money from these folks with these kinds of principles and values unless you share those principles and values,” Preckwinkle said. She also said O’Neill Burke had a “disastrous” presentation to county Democrats last summer. The party endorsed Harris.
* WGN | Cook County States Attorney candidates battle over wrongful murder conviction of Black boy: The candidates have key platform differences. On retail theft, Harris says he will continue current State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s policy not to prosecute retail theft under $1,000 as a felony while O’Neill Burke says she’ll use $300 as the threshold. On prosecuting police as defendants, O’Neill Burke wants to transfer those cases to a special unit. Harris wants his office to take on those cases.
* WGN | Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard vetoes resolution calling for spending investigation: Last month, members of the board of trustees passed a resolution that requires her to turn over the village’s financial records and calls for an FBI investigation. “To my staff, I apologize for all the mess that the board of trustees have created,” Henyard said at Monday night’s meeting. The mayor admits to a $2 million deficit, but trustees say it’s millions more. They vow to override her veto at next month’s village meeting.
* WBEZ | DCASE leadership still in flux as city braces for start of festival season: The city’s top cultural chief, Erin Harkey, is still on the job more than two weeks after she was terminated by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a mayoral spokesperson confirmed Monday. The spokesperson, Ronnie Reese, said that the first deputy commissioner, Jennifer Johnson Washington, would temporarily fill the role once Harkey departs.
* ABC Chicago | Shots fired at security detail outside home of former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot: According to the Chicago Police Department, the unmarked squad was hit around 3:15 a.m. near Wrightwood and Kimball in Logan Square. Police said no officers were hurt and that they did not return fire.
* WGN | CPS students help open container farm to provide fresh produce in the middle of South Side food desert: The young entrepreneurs will be responsible for operations at Bowen Harvest, overseeing crop planning, mineral and water management, lighting and temperature control and harvesting. In addition to an educational stipend they earn for their participation, students will get valuable lessons in science, technology, engineering, math and reading as well as exposure to real-world business concepts like profit and loss, marketing, food trends, partnerships and more.
* Jam Lab | Tips for spotting AI-generated images and videos:Jean le Roux is a research associate at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. He studies technologies like AI and how they relate to disinformation. He told Africa Check that because of the way the algorithms work in current AI-powered image generators, these tools struggle to perfectly recreate certain common features of photos. One classic example is hands. These tools initially really struggled with hands. Human figures appeared to have warped, missing or more fingers than expected. But this once-telltale sign has swiftly become less reliable as the generators have improved.
* Mashable | Elon Musk’s X has already backed off its new anti-trans hate policy: On Thursday, X updated its “Abuse and Harassment” policy to add a new section called “Use of Prior Names and Pronouns.” According to this updated policy, a post would receive reduced visibility if it misgendered a user or used their former name and the targeted user reported the post. However, over the past 24 hours, this new policy has already been changed. And the update completely alters how the policy is enforced.
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Mar 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Monorail!
Monday, Mar 4, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
The developer working with the White Sox to build a new stadium in the South Loop said Monday he is trying to forge a “financing partnership” with the Bears that could pave the way for Chicago to build two new stadiums at the same time.
“Wouldn’t it be unbelievable for our city if you were to see two amazing facilities for these great sports teams built at once?” said Curt Bailey, president of Related Midwest, which oversees the vacant 62-acre site known as “The 78,” where the new Sox ballpark would be built.
Now, scroll way, way down past the stuff they’ve already floated…
Pressed on where the money for both stadiums would come from, Bailey would only say, “We’re working on it.”
How about getting back to us when you’ve got that part figured out?
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Mar 4, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Sun-Times…
Big dollars also figure to flow into the Democratic race to replace outgoing state Rep. Kelly Burke in the 36th House district, which touches Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood but mostly encompasses the southwest suburbs from south suburban Evergreen Park to Palos Hills. Burke, who is also the mayor of Evergreen Park, opted against running for an eighth term in the House after recovering from colon cancer.
In another contest pitting establishment Democrats against a drive from the party’s left flank, Burke has endorsed attorney and Palos Township Democratic Organization founder Rick Ryan over Sonia Khalil, a Markham city worker and board member of the Arab American Democratic Club, which was founded by her father.
Both candidates said protecting women’s reproductive rights is the top issue in the race, though Ryan was against abortion rights when he ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2000.
Ryan, 57, said his view on the issue changed shortly after that race. But Khalil, 34, has hammered Ryan over his previous stance, declaring herself “the only candidate who is pro-choice” in the reliably blue district.
* Press release…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker and Innovate Illinois announced $680 million in combined cash match and strategic investments from public and private partners for the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub. iFAB was designated as one of 31 Economic Development Administration (EDA) Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs nationally and recently applied for Phase 2 Implementation Grants that would propel regional growth in technology and solidify Illinois’ position as a leader in biomanufacturing and precision fermentation. The significant cash match indicates a strong backing by stakeholders reflecting the incredible potential for expanding this industry in the region.
“Home to world-class institutions, modernized infrastructure, and first-rate research centers, Illinois is transforming technology, biomanufacturing, and innovation at every turn,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This designation positions Central Illinois to become a global leader in biomanufacturing and precision fermentation over the next decade — bringing economic development and good-paying jobs along with it. I want to congratulate everyone who took the iFab vision and turned it into a world-class, federally designated Tech Hub—you are helping create a better Illinois for all.”
iFAB exemplifies Illinois’ biomanufacturing prowess, with a strategic focus on fermentation as a biomanufacturing tool. iFAB, led by the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory (IBRL) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and 30 other key partners. The project’s ambition is to drive economic growth and innovation for a sustainable future by capitalizing on Illinois’ strength in agricultural production. […]
The project supports a wide range of applications in biomanufacturing, from novel ingredients to sustainable materials, addressing emerging market demand for sustainable products. iFAB’s integrated “lab-to-line” approach will catalyze economic development by positioning Central Illinois as a premier destination for biomanufacturing companies—moving bio-innovation from R&D to full-scale manufacturing.
* Does this mean Mayor Johnson’s finally getting a communications team?…
* KSDK…
Hundreds of shots were fired Saturday in Cahokia Heights, Illinois, and Camp Jackson Fire Station was caught in the middle of it, once again.
Assistant Fire Chief Sharon Davis said she was shaken and frustrated.
“Once or twice is an accident, but after that, they have to know what they’re doing,” she said. […]
“It was literally probably 300 rounds, cars were stopping. There were people that were walking, and they were looking around trying to figure out where to go. The business across the street, they were shutting their bay doors,” she said. […]
St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department has been contacted and has not responded with a statement.
* Meanwhile… at McKinley Park Library in the 12th Ward…
* Here’s the rest…
* Daily Herald | Suburbs lead in fatal bike, pedestrian collisions as Wheaton crashes prompt school to fundraise for light: The Illinois Department of Transportation reported 249 deadly vehicle collisions involving cyclists and pedestrians statewide in 2023. Of those, 104 occurred in the suburbs, about 42%, compared to 63 in Chicago, about 25%.
* WTTW | 5 Years After Chicago’s Consent Decree Took Effect, Little Urgency Surrounds Reform Push: CPD has fully met just 6% of the court order’s requirements, according to the most recent report by the team monitoring the city’s compliance with the consent decree released in November. Since the consent decree took effect on March 1, 2019, the monitoring team has billed Chicago taxpayers for more than $15 million through Aug. 31, according to bills analyzed by WTTW News. That team has unrestricted access to CPD officials, facilities and data as the team keeps tabs on efforts to remake the department.
* Center Square | Convicted ex-utility boss wants to pause SEC civil case: Former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore was convicted in May 2023 of bribery-related charges as part of a multi-year scheme to corruptly influence longtime former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation in Springfield. Prosecutors said that the utility paid out $1.3 million in jobs, contracts and payments to associates of Madigan over eight years. […] In the SEC case, Pramaggiore wants to put everything on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court decides a case focused on the federal bribery statute.
* Sun-Times | In Englewood’s Illinois House 6th District, its incumbent Sonya Harper vs. Joseph Williams: Williams was elected last year to the 7th District Police Council as part of the new community oversight system for the Chicago Police Department. The 34-year-old previously founded Mr. Dad’s Father’s Club providing mentors to students in schools across the South Side. Harper reported raising about $15,000 for her campaign in the last quarter of 2023, with a third of that coming from the CTU PAC. Williams has raised about $7,300.
* Daily Herald | Elgin to provide AI chatbot for residents to engage via text, web chat: The city council gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a contract with Citibot.io to provide web and text-based chat services that use the city’s source information. While the information from the chatbot is sourced from the city’s website, Elgin’s chief technology officer Aaron Cosentino acknowledged the site can be difficult to navigate and contains a lot of jargon with which residents might not be familiar.
* Crain’s | Walgreens, in need of a reset, plans a strategic review of its entire operation: Wentworth said Walgreens will evaluate the role of its more than 8,000 retail locations. The company has already embarked on shrinking that footprint as it seeks to optimize the retail segment’s performance. But at the TD Cowen health care conference, Wentworth said while the footprint may shrink, retail remains central to the company’s core strategy, whether it be a traditional pharmacy location or one that also offers health services through something like primary care provider VillageMD, in which Walgreens holds a majority share.
* Sun-Times | Early voting kicks off in all 50 wards; Chicago election officials optimistic about surge in numbers: As of Monday morning, 2,700 residents had voted early for the March 19 presidential primary, Chicago Board of Elections Chairwoman Marisel Hernandez said during a news conference Monday at the city’s downtown supersite. At this point in 2020, only 1,900 Chicago residents had voted in the presidential primary.
* Injustice Watch | A notorious Chicago cop wants to become a Cook County judge: Poulos’ tarnished track record includes two fatal shootings, omitting previous arrests on his application to become a police officer, inappropriate business dealings while he was on an extended leave of absence from the police department, and blocking undocumented domestic violence victims from applying for legal status.
* Crain’s | Johnson to carry on Lightfoot-era plan to revamp LaSalle Street canyon: The mayor has been trying to appease the business community after a rocky start. Just last week he announced plans to boost the Loop that include a Chicago Board of Trade museum. He also gave more than $1 million in grants to six downtown restaurants including the storied Ceres Cafe, where dealers used to flock in the heydays of the city’s trading floors.
* Tribune | UIC to open ‘Arch Madness’ vs. Southern Illinois in Missouri Valley men’s tournament: The Flames (11-20, 4-16) are seeded 11th in “Arch Madness” in their second season as a Valley member and their fourth season under coach Luke Yaklich. Coach Bryan Mullins’ Salukis (19-12, 11-9) are seeded sixth. Tipoff is approximately 8:30 p.m.
* AP | What to know about Super Tuesday and why it matters: This Tuesday, voters in 16 different states and one territory (Get it? “Super” Tuesday.) will be choosing who they want to run for president. Some states are also choosing who should run for governor or senator for their state, and some district attorneys, too.
* ABC Chicago | Nearly 4K women of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority meet in Chicago for central regional conference: Nearly 4,000 members of the organization are expected to attend the conference. The theme is “Soaring in the Chi: Culture. Opulence. Excellence.” The four-day event will include sessions and workshops that “enhance the sorority’s rich legacy of service and sisterhood, including several community events. It’s estimated that the conference will generate approximately $4 million for the local economy.”
* NYT | JetBlue and Spirit Call Off Their $3.8 Billion Merger: A federal judge in Boston blocked the proposed merger on Jan. 16, siding with the Justice Department in determining that the merger would reduce competition and give airlines more leeway to raise ticket prices. The judge, William G. Young of U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, noted that Spirit played a vital role in the market as a low-cost carrier and that travelers would have fewer options if JetBlue absorbed it.
* Fox 2 Now | Centralia, Illinois community college aims to diversify demographic of future welders: “A 300% increase in student welders here at Kaskaskia Community College is something they only hope to expand,” welding student Zoey Cook said. “Starting off in it, you feel intimidated because it is a male-dominated industry.” […] “When I came in, we had about one female welder per class,” Cory Wellen, associate professor of welding at Kaskaskia, shared. “It jumped up to where you’d have about five or six females through the program at the same time.”
* Vox | America has a good model for how to handle immigration: America: Since the Refugee Act of 1980, the United States has resettled more than 3 million refugees. That’s more than any other country, making America’s refugee resettlement program the largest of its kind in the world. That doesn’t mean it’s big enough, and the annual number of people admitted through the program — people fleeing war, persecution, or violence — has fluctuated over the years, especially recently. The Trump administration slashed the annual cap on refugee admissions to a historic low of 15,000, while the Biden administration raised it to 125,000. That’s just a small fraction of the world’s total refugee population of 36.4 million, according to the United Nations.
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* Daily Herald…
A tide of concern about recent migrant busing into Kane County reached its apex [last] week as residents packed a county board meeting to overflow status with calls to reject any move toward a formal sanctuary county proclamation.
Sanctuary cities are viewed as being welcoming to migrants, including those who make unauthorized border crossings. After waiting two hours to speak, County Board Chair Corinne Pierog told them they were too late.
Kane County already is a sanctuary county, Pierog said. She pointed to state legislation approved in 2017 and signed by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner.
“The Trust Act made 102 counties in the state of Illinois what you would consider a sanctuary county,” Pierog told the raucous audience. “You are asking if I’m advocating Kane County be a sanctuary county? That was already done by a Republican governor. I cannot undo state law.” […]
Citing a “humanitarian and budgetary catastrophe” for Chicago caused by a migrant influx in recent months, Illinois House Republicans and Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie still have active petitions on their websites calling for the repeal of the act. McCombie and other Republicans have also pushed bills to erase the Trust Act from the books.
* Something that always seems to get lost in the debate are these passages from Rauner’s press release…
The Northern District of Illinois federal court has found that immigration detainer orders from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are illegal. SB 31 reinforces that court ruling. Furthermore, under the TRUST Act, law enforcement shall not stop, arrest, search, detain or continue to detain a person solely due to immigration status. Instead, detainment will require a warrant issued by a judge. The new law will improve connectivity between immigrants and law enforcement, making Illinois safer for all residents. […]
The TRUST Act makes clear that Illinois will be a good partner with the federal government, and law enforcement will continue communicating with federal immigration and law enforcement officials. […]
SB 31 was the result of compromise and negotiations. It is supported by law enforcement, including the Illinois State Police, and immigration groups.
“The TRUST Act does not prohibit state and local law enforcement from working with federal law enforcement, and it does nothing to change law enforcement’s ability to arrest and detain individuals who commit criminal acts and hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Illinois State Police Director Leo P. Schmitz said. “No person should fear the police, and everyone in Illinois should feel welcome and safe to contact the police for safety.”
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Question of the day
Monday, Mar 4, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Cathy Griffith at the Effingham Daily News on the governor’s proposal to repeal the 1 percent grocery tax, all proceeds of which go to local governments…
Now Pritzker is calling for a permanent repeal of the tax without compensation to local governments, which legislators like Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, support.
“I said at the time he put a temporary stop to the sales tax on groceries that we should have stopped it permanently,” Wilhour said. “The penny tax on groceries is punitive for working families, and we should end it in Illinois.”
Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, also supports doing away with the tax but only with compensation.
“He is taking away millions of dollars from local towns, which will need to raise that money in other ways, mostly through an increase in local sales or property taxes,” said Halbrook in his emailed newsletter.
Not mentioned by Rep. Halbrook is that the General Assembly could vote to allow local governments to impose their own grocery taxes…
When it comes to saving municipalities’ finances from the budget hit they would take if the grocery tax is wiped out, Pritzker said his as-yet-to-be-formally-introduced plan has another component: giving municipalities the option to impose their own sales tax on groceries.
“If they want to impose a grocery tax on their local residents, they should be able to go do that,” he said. “I don’t think it’s the right thing to do, I wouldn’t do it locally. Having said that, I understand the need for the dollar, and if they feel like they need them they should think about imposing that tax on their own.”
The IML now says the tax raises about $325 million.
* The Question: Should the state budget reimburse municipalities for lost revenues from the tax’s elimination, or should local governments be given the ability to impose the tax on their own? Make sure to explain your answer. Thanks.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Gov. JB Pritzker proposed some changes to the state’s pension system during his budget/State of the State speech last month that will likely please the New York City-based bond rating agencies by giving them something they want, as well as his fellow Democrats by freeing up some money to spend on other things.
Every time the state’s credit is rated, the agencies ding Illinois’ notorious pension payment “ramp” devised in the previous century for only reaching a 90 percent funding level by 2045, instead of the widely adopted 100 percent. So, Pritzker proposed bringing the state to 100 percent funding three years later, in 2048.
To do that, the governor wants to take half the annual budget savings achieved after paying off two big state bonds and use it to pay down pension debt.
For instance, in 2017, $6 billion in general obligation bonds were issued to pay off a portion of the state’s budget impasse backlog. The state is paying $500 million a year on those bonds, which will be retired in six years. When that’s retired, $250 million a year would be devoted to the pension debt.
The state is also still paying off a $10 billion pension funding bond from 2003, which won’t be retired for another nine years. “Increasing the contributions in fiscal years 2030 through 2040 will help pay down the State’s pension debt more quickly and will save taxpayers an estimated $5.1 billion by fiscal year 2045,” an internal administration document claims. That’s well more than $200 million a year on average.
This is not a new idea, by the way. The state put a much smaller but similar debt-related plan into Senate Bill 1, the pension reform bill that was ultimately struck down as unconstitutional because it reduced pension benefits.
One benefit of this idea is more available cash. The governor’s office predicts that the annual compounded pension payment increase will be reduced from the current 2.6 percent rate to 1.85 percent. That’ll free up money to spend on other things.
A problem the state will face as it gets closer to the 2045 end date is that short-term stock market fluctuations will have to be made up in ever-briefer periods of time.
Right now, if the stock market tanks, the lost revenue can be made up over the next 21 years, so the cost can be spread out. But the closer we get to the end, the more expensive it will be to deal with negative market fluctuations.
Several states use what are called “fixed-length amortization strips.” Yeah, that one stumped me, too, but I checked in with former Republican state Rep. Mark Batinick, who is a bit of a pension geek, and with Governor’s Office of Management & Budget Director Alexis Sturm.
From what I gathered, if the market tanks, then catching up with that year’s required pension payment will be confined to a “strip” of funding that could extend well beyond 2045, or 2048. The same but opposite thing would happen if the market over-performs. The idea is to manage volatility and prevent spiking payments to the pension systems as well as big payment reductions.
Now, some will look at all this and say that it’s just a fancy way to reamortize the pension debt (“kicking the can”) without actually saying so. But former Rep. Batinick doesn’t see it that way.
“Current law may create situations where the annual payment is volatile due to short-term market conditions,” the Republican said. “Basing payments on a longer timeline makes sense.”
However, the governor also wants pension funds with members who don’t receive Social Security benefits (mainly in the Teachers Retirement System and the University Retirement System) to review Tier 2 pension benefits to see if they violate federal law, as many have suspected since the legislature passed the reform. That could require more state spending, as the systems find out if their benefits are comparable to Social Security’s benefits, as required by the feds.
On the broader pension issue, former Rep. Batinick had this to say: “When it comes to state pensions, both Republicans and Democrats need to look in the mirror and admit a hard truth. Republicans need to realize that while pensions are still a big line item in the budget, the problem is getting better, not worse. Pension costs are declining as a percentage of the budget. We are healing. Democrats need to realize that much of the money that has been available for new spending the last few years has come from that healing, not budget magic.”
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* Rick Pearson…
Click here for the full SCOTUS ruling.
* AP…
The justices ruled a day before the Super Tuesday primaries that states, without action from Congress first, cannot invoke a post-Civil War constitutional provision to keep presidential candidates from appearing on ballots.
The outcome ends efforts in Colorado, Illinois, Maine and elsewhere to kick Trump, the front-runner for his party’s nomination, off the ballot because of his attempts to undo his loss in the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden, culminating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. […]
Trump had been kicked off the ballots in Colorado, Maine and Illinois, but all three rulings were on hold awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision. […]
Conservative and liberal justices questioned the case against Trump. Their main concern was whether Congress must act before states can invoke the 14th Amendment. There also were questions about whether the president is covered by the provision.
* Governor Pritzker this weekend…
…Adding…Pritzker was asked today about his thoughts on the SCOTUS ruling…
I’m an attorney, but I am not a constitutional law expert. I will say that as I have said before, this is a matter for the courts to decide. That seems like they’ve made that decision, although they made it just on the Colorado determination. But I think it will apply to Illinois.
As I have said publicly, my view is that we will beat him at the ballot box. There’s no reason why, you know, politically, someone should be thrown off the ballot. Having said that, there may be a constitutional reason. And once again, I wouldn’t know Opine about that.
We’re gonna win here in Illinois and beat Donald Trump. And I think I said yesterday, or the day before, I think it will help Democrats that he’s on the ballot.
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It’s just a bill
Monday, Mar 4, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Center Square…
The Illinois Association of County Clerks said House Bill 4709 would make it more difficult to find polling places. The bill would allow school boards to deny county clerks access to public school buildings for use as polling places.
State Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, introduced HB4709 that would amend the current state statute that says if a county board chooses a school to be a polling place, then the school district must make the school available. The measure was assigned to the House Ethics and Elections Committee Wednesday with a hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
If passed, the school board would be able to deny a county board. Gretchen DeJaynes, Illinois Association of County Clerks former legislative chair and McDonough County Clerk, said it has been a godsend for clerks to use schools because they are Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. […]
Lakeview Junior High school is used as a polling place and Superintendent Andrew Wise said vote-by-mail numbers continue to increase. He said there are plenty of public buildings besides schools the county can use.
* Capitol News Illinois…
A bill pending in the General Assembly this year would give back roughly 1,500 acres of park land in DeKalb County to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. That tribe once occupied much of the Great Lakes region but was forcibly removed in the 19th century and is now headquartered in northeast Kansas. […]
The land in question makes up what is now Shabbona Lake State Park, located about 30 miles west of Aurora on U.S. Highway 30. The park is named after Chief Shab-eh-nay of the Prairie Band Potawatomi, a direct ancestor of Rupnick. […]
Chief Shab-eh-nay and about 20 to 30 other members of his extended family stayed behind on their land in Illinois. That is, until about 1850, when Shab-eh-nay took a trip west to check in with the rest of the tribe in Kansas to make sure they were settling in. […]
“Once he got back here (to Illinois), that’s when he discovered that people were living in his house,” Rupnick said. “They actually picked up his house and moved it to another location, and people were living in it. He tried to fight that through the court systems. They told him that he had abandoned his land, that the General Land Office had sold all of his land because he abandoned it. And they allowed the settlers and whoever else to live there.” […]
In recent years, Rupnick said, the tribe has purchased 128 acres and two homes on the original reservation, and they are seeking to acquire the rest of the property through a combination of state and federal legislation.
* Sen. Natalie Toro…
As a Chicagoan, State Senator Natalie Toro frequently bikes to and from work, home and businesses in the community. From these two wheels, she has noticed a glaring need for transportation plans to prioritize the safety of cyclists and introduced legislation to better describe safety features of existing bike paths and ensure cyclists are prioritized in future transportation plans.
“It can be jarring to follow a designated bike lane and then feel the rush of cars driving past you. Some lanes are shared with traffic or are not as separated as they appeared from routing services,” said Toro (D-Chicago). “My legislation will establish clear classes of bike lanes to avoid confusion for cyclists choosing routes they feel comfortable with.”
Senate Bill 3202 would allow cities and counties to create bicycle transportation plans. These plans may include estimating the number of cyclists coming through the area, allowing planners and developers to use a data-informed approach when determining the number of bike lanes needed and potential new routes. Additionally, Toro’s bill would create four different classifications of bikeways — exclusive, shared, semi-exclusive or completely separate from motorists and pedestrians. Local governments will be required to include maps of the existing bikeways and their classifications in the transportation plans, allowing cyclists to make informed decisions on the routes they take. […]
Senate Bill 3202 could be heard in the Senate Transportation committee as early as next week.
* Press release…
On Tuesday, March 5 at 11:30 a.m., Illinois State Senator Laura Ellman (District 21) and State Representative Anna Moeller (District 43), along with public health experts, environmental advocates and impacted community members, will hold a press conference to rally public support for their plan to protect Illinois waters after the U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned decades of federal clean water protections.
Illinois waterways and wetlands are now at risk from pollution and increased flooding unless the state takes action. Sen. Ellman and Rep. Moeller are introducing companion legislation (SB3669/HB5386) to ensure Illinoisans’ access to clean drinking water and protect wetlands so they can mitigate flooding across the state.
* Sun-Times…
It’s no coincidence that voters say they don’t have access to clear, unbiased candidate information, given the alarming, well-documented decline of local newspapers and media. […]
In many communities, local newspapers are trusted sources of information, as a 2021 Knight Foundation-Gallup survey found. “Compared with other sources of local information, Americans also say local news does the best job of keeping them informed, holding leaders accountable and amplifying stories in their communities versus social media, community-based apps and word of mouth,” a Knight Foundation analysis stated.
Recognizing the link between thriving local news and a healthy democracy, more news outlets are expanding beats on voting and elections, Veiga notes. But there’s still an urgent need to slow the rapid proliferation of news deserts that has America on track to have lost a third of its newspapers since 2005, according to the “State of Local News 2023″ from the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
Philanthropic support, like the $500 million Press Forward nationwide initiative, is important. Legislation can make a difference too, and Illinois has two ambitious proposals, introduced by state Sen. Steve Stadelman of Rockford, that are worth strong consideration from lawmakers: Senate Bill 3591, the Journalism Preservation Act, would require social media and tech giants like Google and Facebook to compensate local news organizations for content they share and profit from. Senate Bill 3592 would create the Strengthening Community Media Act with hiring incentives, including a tax credit for news outlets to hire more reporters and for small businesses that advertise with local news organizations.
* Rep. Sharon Chung filed HB5759…
Creates the Music and Musicians Tax Credit and Jobs Act. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may award credits to qualified music companies. Creates the Music Education Scholarship Act. Provides that the Board of Higher Education may award scholarships to applicants who are enrolled in or accepted for admission to an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree program in music education and who agree to meet certain teaching obligations. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates certain income tax credits for theater infrastructure projects. Amends the Live Theater Production Tax Credit Act. Renames the Act as the Live Music and Theater Production Tax Credit Act. Provides that the Act also applies to musical performances.
* HB4266 from Rep. Maurice West will be heard in committee tomorrow…
Amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Directs the Secretary of State to grant a waiver of the lobbyist registration fee for any not-for-profit entity with an annual budget of less than $5,000,000 that is classified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, including a waiver for any lobbyist that exclusively lobbies on behalf of such an entity.
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Open thread
Monday, Mar 4, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Mar 4, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: Downstate congressional race highlights the GOP’s hard move to the right. Tribune…
- Trump scored nearly 71% of the vote in 2020 in the deeply red 12th Congressional District.
- Congressman Mike Bost and Darren Bailey share the same conservative ideologies — support for gun rights, opposition to abortion and assailing Biden over immigration policy while vowing to push to close the nation’s borders.
- But Bailey, aligning himself with the Freedom Caucus, rips into Bost as a “establishment” Republican.
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Sun-Times | In Virginia, Gov. Pritzker steps up attacks on ‘stupid and ignorant’ Donald Trump: Gov. J.B. Pritzker, keynoting a fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Virginia, said Saturday Trump will “spew his hateful lies, his vitriol, his dark vision for this country, and he’ll do everything he can to claw his way back into office. But we’re not going to let him, are we.”
* Tribune | How would Illinois fare if Supreme Court rules in favor of GOP states’ efforts to regulate social media platforms?: Differences on the court emerged over how to think about the platforms — as akin to newspapers that have broad free-speech protections, or telephone companies, known as common carriers, that are susceptible to broader regulation. Chief Justice John Roberts suggested he was in the former camp, saying early in the session, “And I wonder, since we’re talking about the First Amendment, whether our first concern should be with the state regulating what we have called the modern public square?”
* Daily Southtown | Voters from Chatham to Kankakee to decide between Thaddeus Jones and newcomer Gloria White: Standing between Democratic state Rep. Thaddeus Jones and an eighth term representing the 29th House District in Springfield is Democratic candidate and financial adviser Gloria K. White, who is hoping south suburban voters want a change in leadership. […] Jones, through a spokesman, declined to be interviewed by the Daily Southtown and said he would send a written statement. On Friday, the spokesman said Jones decided to not provide any statement.
Governor Pritzker will be at U of I at 9:30 to celebrate Illinois Regional Tech Hub designees. Click here to watch.
And click here for some Cook County primary polling results.
* Here’s the rest of your morning briefing…
* Daily Herald | 49th District state House GOP hopefuls discuss being effective within Democratic majority: Hannah Billingsley of West Chicago and Aris Garcia of Streamwood are business owners who will face each other in the Republican primary on March 19.[…] [Garcia] said a key difference between conservative voters and Democrats is that conservatives won’t show up for a Republican candidate they don’t like while Democratic voters will show up for every Democratic candidate.
* BND | Prenzler and Slusser started as allies. Now they’re fierce primary opponents: They were once Republican allies. Slusser supported Prenzler in his successful bids to become treasurer in 2010 and 2014, and Prenzler appointed Slusser to replace him in 2016, when Prenzler was elected board chairman. But in recent months, both campaigns have leveled sharp criticism at the other, including claims of incompetency, corruption, dishonesty and political “dirty tricks.” The primary election is March 19.
* WBEZ | Unions target far-right Illinois state representatives: Wilhour’s opponent is Matt Hall of Vandalia is a former member of the Vandalia School Board. His campaign committee had $1,100 available at the end of 2023. But through the middle of February, State Board of Elections data show unions have donated $93,500 in cash and contributed roughly $63,000 in advertising and consulting services. Niemerg’s opponent is Jim Acklin – the acting mayor of Ogden, interim superintendent of Edgar County CUSD #6 and a former candidate for state representative. His campaign committee – Citizens for Jim Acklin – was created on February 8, 2024 and received $98,500 in contributions the following week – a majority of that from the IEA.
* Daily Southtown | Low tax collection rate in south suburbs shows need for development, changes in Springfield: Only 86.4% of billed taxes owed by residents were collected by local governments in the south suburbs, according to the analysis of the recently concluded 2022 tax year, far below the average tax collection rate in Cook County of 96%. That means Southland towns are losing out on $185 million in funds for services such as public safety, education and infrastructure.
* Tribune | Despite legal limbo, Bring Chicago Home’s champions, foes continue messaging battle in final weeks before March primary: Despite the fresh need to cut through voter skepticism over the ballot question’s relevance, Bring Chicago Home leaders maintain they are more animated than ever to win and are making the moral case to voters about the necessity of the measure. Standing in their way is the city’s powerful real estate and construction lobby, which has sought to attack the campaign’s credibility by arguing the tax increases would stifle the city’s growth with no guarantee homelessness would improve.
* Madison-St. Clair Record | Fourth District: Constitutional challenge to Pritzker’s COVID-19 emergency orders declared moot: The appellate court dismissed the appeal filed by dozens of Illinois school district employees, finding that the allegations are moot and no exceptions to the mootness doctrine apply. The plaintiffs’ case was consolidated with other similar cases filed by school employees from Kane County, McLean County, Peoria County, Piatt County, Vermillion County, Williamson County and Effingham County, according to the case docket.
* Sun-Times | Pritzker appoints former deputy governor Christian Mitchell to McPier board: Mitchell left the governor’s administration in January 2023 to become vice president for civic engagement for the University of Chicago. Under Pritzker, Mitchell oversaw environment, infrastructure and public safety since the beginning of the governor’s first term in 2019.
* Tribune | Former patients of Fabio Ortega say Endeavor Health failed to protect them from an abusive doctor: As Victoria stepped into Dr. Fabio Ortega’s exam room in the summer of 2017, she had no idea the gynecologist’s career was hurtling toward destruction. […] Nor was Victoria aware of Ortega’s previous history, including a patient who public records show had complained to Endeavor back in 2012, contending he had behaved inappropriately during an appointment.
* WaPo | Health-care hack spreads pain across hospitals and doctors nationwide: The Feb. 21 cyberattack on Change Healthcare, owned by UnitedHealth Group, has cut off many health-care organizations from the systems they rely on to transmit patients’ health-care claims and get paid. The ensuing outage doesn’t appear to affect any of the systems that provide direct, critical care to patients. But it has laid bare a vulnerability that cuts across the U.S. health-care system, frustrating patients unable to pay for their medications at the pharmacy counter and threatening the financial solvency of some organizations that rely heavily on Change’s platform.
* Sun-Times | Early voting for March 19 primary expands Monday across Chicago, Cook County: Beginning Monday, early voting sites will open in each of the city’s 50 wards, while 53 sites will open at dozens of village halls, courthouses, community centers and other venues across the suburbs. Chicago residents can vote early at any site in the city, and suburban residents can do so at any site in the county, regardless of their addresses. That changes on Election Day, when residents voting in person must do so at their home precincts.
* Tribune | With ShotSpotter staying in Chicago for the time being, dispute continues over the system’s usefulness: What’s more, Piza and the other investigators found, CPD officers dispatched via ShotSpotter alerts arrived at shooting scenes about 10 seconds faster than officers who responded to shootings with only 911 calls. But none of that necessarily led to safer streets, Piza said. “Gun violence did not change in ShotSpotter areas following installation of the software, shootings were not any more likely to be solved by police after the software was introduced.”
* Sun-Times | Unseasonably warm weather greets thousands taking the annual Polar Plunge: Over 5,000 people took a dip Sunday to benefit Special Olympics Chicago and Special Children’s Charities programs. Organizers said it was the largest attendance in the event’s 24-year history, raising $1.9 million.
* Tribune | Eclipse chasers head to southern Illinois for 2nd total solar eclipse in 7 years: ‘You get hooked’: This year’s eclipse will also be all the more special as other planets line up next to the celestial protagonists: Jupiter will be visible to the upper left, and Venus to the lower right. Others might be visible but dimmer, including possibly Saturn, Mars and Mercury.
* Lake County News-Sun | Highland Park native, wife donate $1M for permanent parade shooting memorial; ‘It’s always been the place I consider home’: The donation by Jon and Mindy Gray, current residents of New York City, is the first private contribution to the city’s endeavor to create a trauma-informed memorial. In addition to the donation, the Grays provided support to the Highland Park Community Foundation for immediate relief efforts after the shooting.
* Sun-Times | Statewide tornado drill set for Wednesday morning: The tornado drill will be conducted by the National Weather Service at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The event will include use of emergency signals on radios, according to the weather service. Sirens aren’t expected to be used, though they will be Tuesday during monthly siren testing.
* Evanston Round Table | Frank Cicero Jr., attorney who helped write the current Illinois Constitution, dies at 88: First in his family to go to high school or college, Frank was born in Chicago in 1935 to first generation Italian-American parents, Frank, Sr. and Mary Balma Cicero. His two sets of grandparents emigrated from Italy; one couple were Protestant Waldensians from the Alps and the other were Catholic Sicilians. In his retirement years, Frank devoted himself to understanding his parents’ different backgrounds–both Italian, but very different. With the curiosity of a trial lawyer making a case, he dug into his heritage and exploration of Italian Protestants. As such, he enjoyed his period as a trustee of the American Waldensian Society, and he completed his first book, Relative Strangers: Italian Protestants in the Catholic World (Academy Chicago Publishers, 2011).
* NBC Chicago | Casimir Pulaski Day is Monday in Illinois, but what does it celebrate?: Born in 1747, Pulaski fought for Poland’s freedom from Russia until 1771, when he was exiled to France, according to the Library of Congress. In Paris, he met American envoy Benjamin Franklin, who influenced him to help Americans fight for their independence and recommended that he be appointed a brigadier general in the Continental Army.
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Live coverage
Monday, Mar 4, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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