* Finke…
On a party line vote, a House committee Monday sent the constitutional amendment to bring a graduated state income tax to Illinois to the full chamber for a vote.
The amendment’s proponents, however, dodged questions from House Republican Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs about whether there are 71 votes in the House to approve the amendment and place it on the November 2020 ballot for voters to consider.
Also, House committees have so far not taken up any of the three companion bills that were approved by the Senate which set the rates that would be in force with the graduated tax, that would eliminate the estate tax in Illinois and would provide some property tax relief if the state puts more money into K-12 education. […]
It was Durkin, who is not a regular member of the committee, who cut to the critical question of whether the supporters of the graduated tax believe they have the necessary 71 votes lined up to put the issue on the ballot. Neither the amendment sponsor, Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, nor representatives from Pritzker’s office would directly answer the question.
* It’s looking like they have the votes…
All six Republicans on the committee sided with Reick, while all nine Democrats supported the amendment — even one who had stated publicly he was leaning against voting for a graduated tax amendment.
That legislator is Jonathan Carroll, a Northbrook resident who is widely believed to be a swing vote in the 74-member Democratic House caucus. To be put on the ballot, the amendment, which has already passed the Senate, needs 71 votes in the House.
“I still have strong reservations on this,” Carroll said, calling it “way too important of an issue” not to be brought for a full floor vote. He also said his committee vote does not mean he would necessarily vote for the amendment when it comes before the full House.
* Rep. Carroll approvingly posted what I think is an Illinois Policy Institute cartoon on his Facebook page over the weekend…
And then he pulled it down.
…Adding… It is indeed an IPI mailer. Click here to see it.
* The House may not get to the rate bill this month. We’ll see…
House Democrats are still negotiating with the governor’s office over the rate structure and potential property tax relief, a key issue for some holdouts.
Illinois income tax calculator: How would Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax affect you?
“They want to use that leverage to extract as much property tax relief as they can,” Rep. Robert Martwick, a Chicago Democrat who’s sponsoring the proposed constitutional amendment, said before Monday’s hearing. “When you’ve got a rate structure that’s going to get you enough to close the structural deficit and a little more, then you have to figure out where it fits into the list of priorities.”
Asked during Monday’s committee meeting how a rate proposal in the House will differ from proposals from Pritzker’s administration and the Senate, Martwick said he expects it will be “substantially similar to what we’ve seen.”
I still think the better way is to do everything at once and get it over with.
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Do better
Monday, May 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politifact…
Referring to a graduated income tax, Pritzker said “states with a fair tax create jobs and grow their economies faster than we do.”
To support that claim, a Pritzker spokeswoman pointed us to five states — two with large populations and three that border Illinois — that levy their income tax at graduated rates and saw greater economic growth than Illinois over the past five years, according to federal data.
But that tiny sample overlooks what else those datasets show: GDP and employment increased at faster rates than Illinois’ in nearly every other flat-tax state as well, along with a number of states that levy no income tax at all.
Experts told us a graduated income tax is not likely to solve Illinois’ every economic ill, as Pritzker suggested, nor drive workers and businesses away in droves as critics of his proposal predict.
We rate Pritzker’s claim Half True.
#FacePalm
Dude, try to stick to the facts.
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* Rodney Davis e-mail to supporters…
Friend,
In downstate Illinois, we’re proud of our communities. We work hard, and we welcome everyone who obeys the law. Sanctuary Chicago has other ideas though.
That’s why Chicago Democrats want Betsy Londrigan elected. Her boss J.B. Pritzker - says Chicago should remain a sanctuary city forever and that we should defend all sanctuary cities everywhere. And they want her in office, so there’s no resistance to their plan to block law enforcement in downstate Illinois.
We cannot allow our communities to be made into “sanctuaries” for crime. Sanctuary cities are dangerous because they prevent the removal of criminals. If you agree, then sign your name now to oppose any extension of “sanctuary” status to downstate:
Chicago has always wanted to impose their will on us, and this time it’s no different. With the support of J.B. Pritzker, Betsy Londrigan wants to make us a vassal state of the city, and sanctuary status is just the first step.
Meanwhile, Eastern Bloc leader Rep. Brad Halbrook was on Fox News this morning. Click here to watch it.
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Our sorry state
Monday, May 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Moody’s…
Three years after our municipal finance analysts last evaluated U.S. states’ recession preparedness, Moody’s has published an update (attached) that looks at four fiscal and credit variables and determines how well states can weather a moderate recessions without significant adverse credit impact. Our new criteria shows 22 states strongly prepared for the next recession, with 26 states moderately prepared, and two – Illinois (rated Baa3/stable outlook) and New Jersey (A3/stable) – weaker in recession preparedness.
“While current economic conditions are strong, states are aware that a downturn will come eventually and are building reserves to prepare,” said Emily Raimes, Vice President and Senior Credit Officer at Moody’s. “While most states have healthy reserves and inherently strong fiscal flexibility, Illinois and New Jersey both have low levels of reserves relative to the potential revenue decline in our recession scenario. In addition, they both show weakness in their pension risk scores.”
Moody’s rated the states on the following credit factors:
Revenue Volatility – 25%
Coverage by Reserves – 25%
Financial Flexibility – 30%
Pension Risk – 20%
Moody’s adds that while fiscal expansions at the federal level has offset state revenue shortfalls in previous recessions, the economy will enter the next recession with less fiscal space than before the financial crisis. Wide federal budget deficits, a rising debt burden, and a polarized political environment have reduced the fiscal space of the United States (Aaa/stable) compared with its position before the most recent recession. The federal government therefore might not be in a position to help states in the next recession as it has in the past.
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* I’d really like to see Think Big spend some money on district-by-district polling, but here you go…
Today, Think Big Illinois released a new poll showing that marijuana legalization enjoys broad support from Illinoisans across the state. When asked whether marijuana should be legalized, taxed, and regulated just like alcohol, 60% support it, with 35% opposing. Support spans across the state – 60% in the city of Chicago, 68% in suburban Cook County, 60% in the Collar counties, and 54% Downstate.
“As discussions in Springfield continue surrounding marijuana legalization, it’s clear that Illinoisans are strongly in favor of legalization,” said Quentin Fulks, Executive Director of Think Big Illinois. “Legalization would help end the era of mass incarceration, while creating much-needed revenue for our state. Legislators should do what Illinoisans are calling for and enact this commonsense measure to make Illinois a more safe, just, and equal place for all our residents.”
* From the polling memo…
• Six out of ten voters support legalizing recreational marijuana, taxing it and regulating it (60% support vs. 35% oppose). Notably, a plurality of voters strongly supports legalizing marijuana (41% strongly support, 19% somewhat support, 7% somewhat oppose, 27% strongly oppose and 6% don’t know).
o What voters heard: Do you support or oppose legalizing recreational marijuana, taxing it, and regulating it just like alcohol? [IF SUPPORT/OPPOSE] Is that strongly or somewhat?
• Legalizing recreational marijuana enjoys broad support across the state.
o City of Chicago: 60% support vs. 33% oppose
o Cook County Suburbs outside Chicago: 68% support vs. 26% oppose
o Collar Counties: 60% support vs. 37%oppose
o Downstate: 54% support vs. 40% oppose
• Our findings are consistent with the recent independent Simon poll. Statewide, 66% of respondents favored or strongly favored legalization, while 32% opposed it, the Simon Institute poll found.
Interesting that support is stronger in the Cook County suburbs than in the city.
I take some issue with the question because the proposal on the table doesn’t regulate cannabis like alcohol. There is no three-tiered system (brewer, distributor, retailer), for example, and home grow is now imperiled.
Also, remember that it’s almost always unwise to directly compare one pollster’s results to another’s. The best practice is to average the results.
* Methodology…
Global Strategy Group conducted a statewide telephone survey between April 29, 2019 and May 1 among 802 Illinois registered voters. The survey had a margin of error of +/-3.5%. Care has been taken to ensure the geographic and demographic divisions of the population of registered voters are properly represented.
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Ethics bill starts to come together
Monday, May 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the former Illinois News Network…
A package to address how ethics complaints against state lawmakers are handled at the Illinois statehouse is coming together, but it likely won’t include full independence for the legislative watchdog. […]
State Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, said she’s been working with various lawmakers and staff attorneys on an omnibus bill that will include rights for those alleging ethical violations.
“We just want to make sure that we’re not making a problem where there isn’t a problem and that we have a clear solution on how to go forward,” Willis said. […]
As to the ethics complainants’ rights provision, “we’re doing our best to do that,” Willis said.Willis said removing the requirement the Legislative Inspector General get permission to investigate certain allegations against lawmakers won’t be included in the package of ethics reforms.
“We’ve already cleared it for anything with sexual harassment, they do not need to [get permission], but other issues we understand the life of a legislator better than somebody else does,” Willis said.
State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville, said she’s pleased complainants’ rights will be addressed in the package, but said that the Legislative Inspector General should be made fully independent.
“I think that an inspector general, it’s their job to know the lives of legislators, and so if they’re going to investigate it they probably have enough of an idea whether or not something should be investigated,” Stava-Murray said.
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Chuck Sweeny
Monday, May 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Chuck was an unapologetic Rockford booster, a smart and unreformed curmudgeon and a friend and mentor to many. He cannot ever be replaced…
Longtime Register Star reporter and columnist Chuck Sweeny died early Monday after collapsing at home.
Sweeny, a Rockord native, was 70.
* React is starting to roll in…
Rep. Cheri Bustos (IL-17) offered the following statement:
“My heart aches for the Sweeny family, the staff at the Register Star and the city of Rockford – what a loss. Chuck was a pillar of the Rockford community and truly served the public through journalism. With his columns, Chuck never held back and always called it how he saw it – he was candid, colorful and fair. Gerry and I send our deepest condolences.”
* And…
This post will likely be updated.
* Sen. Stadelman was a former Rockford TV anchor…
State Senator Steve Stadelman issued the following statement regarding the passing today of veteran Rockford Register Star political columnist Chuck Sweeny:
“Having worked with Chuck for many years as a fellow journalist and more recently as an elected official, I saw from more than one perspective that his reporting and commentary was insightful, fair and incredibly well sourced. As a reader, I always appreciated his ability to inject humor into the often tense public discourse. Like any good newsman, Chuck would not use the word ‘institution’ lightly. But through decades of helping the public understand government, local history and the civic issues of our times, he was just that — a Rockford institution.”
* RRStar…
Sweeny was also a musician and had played electric piano in several bands that performed around the region. Ron Holm, who played in an Americana rock ‘n’ roll band with Sweeny in the 1970s and 1980s, said if Sweeny heard a tune on the radio, he would “just play it. He was utterly remarkable; he performed by ear.”
Cherene Sweeny, Sweeny’s wife, said she’ll miss conversations with her husband — “all the political and national issues. He liked to read about everything. And Rockford was really important to him.”
Sweeney’s younger sister, Mary Douglas of Carol Stream, said her brother “just remembered everything.” And she remembered his fondness for trains. “He had a model train in the basement” when they were kids growing up in Rockford, she said.
Scott Christiansen, former Winnebago County Board chairman, said Sweeny was fair in his editorial coverage. “Let’s just say we would argue some, but I never felt he was totally unfair. If he disagreed, he would still tell the other side.”
* Gov. Pritzker…
“Today we mourn the loss of a beloved figure in Illinois’ journalism community. I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Chuck Sweeny, who dedicated his life to his hometown paper for over three decades.
“Chuck tackled issues at every level of politics: no issue was too small to matter or too large for dissent. He was courageous in his advocacy and steadfast in his passion for Illinois. My heart goes out to the city of Rockford and the Register Star family as they grieve one of their finest.”
* Comptroller Mendoza…
The Rockford area needs strong advocates and Chuck Sweeny rose to the occasion. You did not need to agree with all his columns to respect the passion he brought to his job. He asked good questions when I visited the Register-Star’s editorial board. I send my most heartfelt condolences to his family, his friends and his fans.
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* Capitol News Illinois…
Illinois House Republican leadership will brief their members Monday on a balanced budget proposal that they say the governor’s office won’t listen to, according to an internal caucus memo obtained by Capitol News Illinois on Friday.
“While Governor Pritzker has been occupied hosting cocktail parties, the House Republican Caucus budget team has been working diligently to ensure we are on sound footing offering a budget plan that doesn’t rely on additional tax increases on Illinois families and small businesses,” Deputy Republican Leader Tom Demmer, of Dixon, said in the memo. […]
A one-page summary of the House Republican budget also includes a one-time fund sweep of $375 million from an income tax refund fund, as well as $175 million from a Pritzker-backed plan to incentivize the payment of delinquent taxes. The proposal also includes $212 million in revenue from a state sports gambling expansion.
Steve Brown, a spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan, D-Chicago, called the recent news conferences “mumbo jumbo” and pointed to the working groups as ongoing bipartisan budget negotiations.
“Republican leadership probably needs to be checking with their colleagues because as far as I know Republicans have been in all of the budget working groups that have been meeting both on the budget and on capital. I don’t know why they’d feel like they’ve been excluded,” Brown said. “I know the governor is talking with Republicans, so I’m not really clear what they’re being left out of. I don’t really think there is anything but we’re always happy to have their ideas and, hopefully, their support for the budget that gets put together.”
They’re proposing to use a one-time $375 million sweep to fund permanent spending, which is done a lot, but is never a good idea. You gotta replace that money the following year.
* Related…
* Parents of students getting private school scholarships lobby lawmakers to keep program: Lilia Guevara’s 13-year-old son is going to San Miguel school in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. She said her visit with her representative, Democrat Theresa Mah didn’t go well but her Senator, Tony Munoz, was very receptive.
* ‘Tax holidays’ for gambling in Illinois have gone on too long
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Capital bill roundup
Monday, May 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hannah Meisel at the Daily Line takes a deep dive into the newly proposed capital bill…
RTA Chair Kirk Dillard, a former GOP state senator from Hinsdale, told The Daily Line Friday that mass transit should get approximately one-third of all transportation dollars, and suggested unions who are weighing in on the process would be smart to advocate for more money for mass transit.
“The building trades — electricians, ironworkers, carpenters — ought to take note if they want full employment, 85 percent of new construction within the last decade took place within half a mile of mass transit,” Dillard said. “The best possible investment for organized labor is mass transit.” […]
[Local 150 spokesman Ed Maher] said he wouldn’t be surprised to see mass transit’s funding figure increase as the capital bill moves through the legislative process. […]
But one of the larger tax increases is on alcohol. Under Friday’s framework from the governor’s office, the state would raise $120 million per year by increasing the liquor gallonage tax on beer and cider from the current 23.1 cents to 27.7 cents, from the current $1.39 on wine to $2.05 and from the current $8.55 on distilled liquor to $12.60.
Pat Doerr, the managing director of the Hospitality Business Association of Chicago, told The Daily Line Friday that the proposed tax hike would take Chicago’s already highest-in-the-midwest tax on booze to even new heights roughly after a trifecta of tax increases at the state, county and city levels within the last 12 years.
Lots more in there, so click here.
* Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady seemed upbeat on Friday, but one of his members was definitely not…
Republican Sen. Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods said he was “shocked” at the administration’s capital proposal, which he said doesn’t reflect what he’s heard in hearings and closed-door meetings.
“I’m not sure of anybody in my party that could support a package of this size with those taxes that are laid out there like that,” he said.
Pritzker’s outline includes doubling the state gas tax to 38 cents per gallon from 19 cents; tiered increases in vehicle registration fees based on the vehicle’s age; a $250 annual registration fee for electric vehicles; a $1-per-ride tax on ride sharing; and a 7% state tax on cable, satellite and streaming service.
Other taxes being discussed include a new 6% tax on daily and hourly garage parking, a 9% tax on monthly and annual garage parking, and an increase in taxes on manufacturers and importing distributors of beer, wine and spirits.
* Related…
* Pritzker Proposes Massive Building Plan, And The Tax Increases To Pay For It: Reaction from interest groups was generally positive on the spending side, but with reservations about taxes. “One particular concern in the governor’s plan is the reliance on a new media streaming tax for non-transportation construction,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Todd Maisch said in a statement. “The Chamber believes this will be an unreliable foundation for funding because it will be complex, unpopular and possibly unconstitutional.”
* Gov. Pritzker Includes $1B For I-80 Upgrades In Proposed Budget: This news may mean that I-80 won’t need to become a toll road after all.
* “Rebuild Illinois”: Gov. Pritzker’s $41.5 billion capital spending plan in the making: Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) says the new plan is exciting, but he hoped it could have come sooner to allow more work to be done on roads and bridges. “We’ve kind of missed the construction season this year. We should have done this in February if we were going to actually be relevant to this year,” said Koehler. “But it’s important we do it right, we do it thoroughly.”
* Health leaders ask for safety net hospital funding in the capital bill: “Our safety net hospitals and our community health centers across the state do not have the resources to make capital improvements to transform our delivery systems to address the breadth of health care needs that exist today.” Larry McCulley, Chair of IPHCA’s Board of Directors.
* Illinois road plan would mean tax spike booze, streaming media services: Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois President Bob Myers said he was surprised by the proposed increase, which the organization opposes. “Everybody just looks at the state tax, but if you take into consideration the city of Chicago tax, and the Cook County tax, those folks in that area are paying 61 cents per gallon for their beer, so you add another 4.6 cents per gallon and obviously everybody is paying more,” Myers said.
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Cannabis roundup
Monday, May 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* By far the most troubling aspect of watching the cannabis legalization bill this year is the willingness of the opposition to just make stuff up. The majority of their arguments against the bill are little more than bogus fear-mongering.
Whether it’s foreign drug cartels descending upon Christian County, or how weed consumption causes irreversible, untreatable ED, or whatever, the level of anti-Reefer Madness is, well, maddening.
* The rampant misinformation is contributing to the trend of pundits declaring the proposal to be on life support. Finke…
It’s a lot to digest, especially in the context of everything else that’s going on. At this point, recreational cannabis may be the Pritzker agenda item most likely to be postponed until later.
Politico…
At this point, Illinois appears to be the best bet for getting a full legalization bill across the finish line, but it’s still iffy with two weeks left until adjournment.
* The latest from the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board is a good example of fear-mongering…
But we’ve said the right approach for lawmakers was to take their time, thoroughly examine the experience of other states that have completely legalized cannabis and consider how to minimize unwanted consequences. Nothing we have seen in this legislative session in Springfield has diminished the attractions of the slow road.
And yet, they do not critique a single line from the proposed Illinois legislation. Instead, they pull out stuff like this…
One argument for legalization is that it would kill off the black market — channeling sales through regulated suppliers and yielding tax revenue to the state. But things haven’t gone as planned in California, which opened up legal commerce at the beginning of 2018. Experts say that the black market still accounts for up to 80 percent of sales.
OK, but how will Illinois’ proposal turn us into California? The Tribsters don’t say. They just try to scare people.
* But if they can drag out California, I can drag out Colorado. A report released last August by the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division stated this…
Colorado’s preexisting illicit marijuana market for residents and visitors has been fully absorbed into the regulated market
People have been growing and/or selling weed in tourist-heavy Colorado for at least half a century, long before the 2011 legalization. So, eliminating the domestic illicit market in six years is quite an accomplishment. The criminal networks remain, the study found, but those networks focus on exporting to states that have not yet legalized the product. You know, states like, well, ours.
The only way we’re going to stamp out these vast and entrenched criminal networks is through thoughtful, effective legalization. If the Tribune has some ideas to add to or subtract from the bill, then it should speak up. The bill’s drafters have based their language on what has worked and what hasn’t worked in states like California and Colorado (among others). I disagree with some of their ideas, like allowing prohibitionist municipalities to opt out, which, as California discovered, helps existing criminal networks operate without competition. I highly doubt the Trib and its followers would support an opt-out ban to stamp out illegal sales, and you gotta pass a bill to make a law so opt-out remains.
* Former Colorado Department of Revenue Executive Director Barbara Brohl sent a memo to some Illinois legislators recently after being contacted by a reporter who wondered why law enforcement in Boulder had told him there was still a black market in that state. Here’s an excerpt from what she says she told him…
1. There are opponents and proponents to legalization and that it is important not to rely on anecdotal information, but to rely on actual studies, like the ones that the [Colorado Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division] has commissioned.
2. While the Colorado demand is satisfied by the regulated industry, there is still a black market in Colorado that is growing unlawfully and shipping out of state. I explained that in the last couple of years there have been a number of busts by law enforcement because there has been more focus on them and that the state legislature had officially capped the number of plants that could be grown in any one residence to 12 (thus a bright line test for law enforcement), and had appropriated funds from the marijuana tax fund to local law enforcement to increase resources to go after these unlawful grows (thus increasing the number of busts).
3. That taxation has not been a deterrent to consumers purchasing in the regulated environment. Consumers appear to be more interested in:
* Purchasing legally (remember purchasing from your neighbor is still illegal).
* Purchasing in a place that is safe - well-lit, security, etc.
* Purchasing product that is safe - tested for potency, homogeneity, mold, microbials, contaminants, pesticides, etc.
* Purchasing product that is clearly dosed and marked.
Those last four dot-points are crucial.
Think about beer. American beer consumers take it for granted that the brew they drink today tastes the same as it did the last time they drank it. They naturally expect breweries are regulated enough so consumers are always drinking quality, uncontaminated products. And they have long been able to see how potent a beer is by casually glancing at the label.
Right now, under the black market, none of that is possible.
And imagine if every time you wanted a beer you had to find a lawbreaker who was willing to sell it to you. Maybe you get cheated or robbed or arrested, or at least forced to hang out with shady mopes. And if you do succeed, you could very well be funding an often violent national criminal network. And then you have to worry about getting busted while carrying it around. Is it any wonder why people don’t mind paying taxes to purchase and possess a legalized product?
* Related…
* Illinois expungement proposal for pot convictions one of nation’s broadest: Illinois would go farther than California in at least one respect when it comes to helping people clear records and reduce barriers to employment, education and housing, O’Keefe said.
* Archdiocese opposes legal pot — so does drug firm where top church executive works: Betsy Bohlen received $145,000 in compensation while on the board of Insys Therapeutics, an embattled pharmaceutical company that has said legal marijuana could hurt its profits.
* Sen. Linda Holmes: Facts vs. fear in legalization debate: After four years of inaction, Springfield is finally having serious conversations about fixing our financial problems, reforming the criminal justice system, and improving safety for people of all ages. Legalizing cannabis makes inroads in all three areas.
* Moylan: Don’t boost another addiction-for-profit industry
* David L. Nathan, Doctors for Cannabis Regulation: Cassidy is right: Teen cannabis use is down since pot legalization: As physicians, we follow the best scientific evidence, not cherry-picked data. The people of Illinois deserve to know the facts. It’s time for Illinois to join with the growing number of states that recognize that the legalization, regulation and taxation of adult-use recreational cannabis promotes public safety, while its prohibition hinders it.
* Ammons Wants Stronger Reforms In Cannabis Bill: “If I have a marijuana charge, and I may have robbed a bank and they found a little marijuana on me, and they charged me with that up-charge. Take away the marijuana charge. I’ll still deal with the bank robbery,” she said.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
If you want to see how times have changed this legislative session, take a quick look at Senate Bill 1591.
The Illinois and Chicagoland chambers have been pushing legislation all session to offer state incentives to data centers. A data center basically stores massive amounts of electronic information. Illinois has been a national leader for data center locations because the Chicago region is a national Internet hub, connecting the country’s east and west, and has a reliable and plentiful electricity supply. Only two states, Virginia and Texas, have more data centers.
While companies have continued building lots of new data centers in and around Chicago at an aggressive pace, they started having trouble filling them last year because other states have been so aggressively recruiting the facilities. Apple, one of the richest corporations in the world, snagged a $208 million tax break to build a $1.3 billion facility in Iowa.
So, the chambers and others decided to propose incentives to protect what Illinois already has and spur some new growth. SB1591 provides exemptions from and credits for a host of state and local sales and use taxes to lower costs for building and running large data centers (including the massive amounts of electricity they use) with at least $250 million in capital investment and 20 full-time employees.
The measure was not gaining a lot of traction and then proponents asked the construction unions to chat. The unions listened and suggested some changes to make the bill more labor friendly.
The unions recommended an amendment containing “responsible bidder” requirements, which assure that the contractors meet certain levels of qualifications (and that usually means unionized workers). The provision was added, as were Project Labor Agreements, which require building contractors to enter into labor agreements before commencing work. An income tax credit was also added for projects in areas hit hard by poverty and unemployment.
All of a sudden, the bill took off. Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady, who has been looking for union support ever since anti-union Gov. Bruce Rauner was defeated, even signed on as a co-sponsor. The bill sailed out of the Senate on a unanimous roll call.
This development would have been unheard of during the past four years. It’s not that Rauner was totally averse to subsidies, but he staunchly opposed things like responsible bidder requirements and PLAs. And Brady wouldn’t have dared crossed Rauner by signing onto a bill like that because Rauner never would’ve forgotten it.
One of the best ways to get a bill rolling this year is to invite organized labor into the mix. Not only can it help pass a bill because both Democratic legislative leaders are trying to do whatever they can for unions after four years of Rauner’s attempts to destroy them. The support can also help convince Gov. J.B. Pritzker to sign it into law. This data center bill is just one example of many. At last check, people pushing a bill to regulate coal ash were trying to figure a way to bring the unions in to counter the industry’s pushback.
This is a big reason why securing labor’s endorsement of the cannabis legalization bill is deemed so crucial by some, even if some proponents were initially resistant.
If you look at Rep. Marty Moylan’s, D-Des Plaines, House resolution urging the General Assembly to slow down the legalization process, you’ll see a bunch of pro-union Democrats are co-sponsors, including Reps. Natalie Manley, Monica Bristow, Bob Rita, Katie Stuart and Fran Hurley, to name just a few. Not to mention that Rep. Moylan himself has been consistently endorsed by labor over the years.
Make this bill a union priority and you attract votes, or at least you make it more difficult for pro-union legislators to oppose it.
There is one big downside. African American and Latinx legislators have been battling with the predominantly white trade unions for years to integrate their memberships. There’s a reason why that income tax credit for impoverished areas had to be added to the data center bill when labor signed on. And the unions’ entry into the cannabis legalization movement was not exactly met with joy.
However, some very wealthy companies are descending upon Illinois to get a piece of the legalization pie and a good argument can be made that this state needs to make extra sure it doesn’t hand out licenses to print money to employers who pay their workers a pittance and only offer folks part-time jobs without benefits.
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