* Background is here if you need it. NAACP of Illinois…
Illinois State Conference President Teresa Haley offers a statement in response to a video excerpt disseminated by former DuPage County President Patrick Watson on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. Watson received an unprecedented and embarrassing “Vote Of No Confidence” by his Branch members on November 14, 2023. Illinois Branch Presidents met on December 13, 2023 and unanimously supported Haley’s quintessential leadership skills. Haley’s heartfelt sentiments are appended below:
“First and foremost, I express my sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or offended by my comments. I love and value all members of our communities—including immigrants. I have worked tirelessly to advocate for the underserved and the voiceless. I remain focused on denouncing injustices, racism, and discrimination. I am empathetic to the plight of all people, and I proudly serve as a beacon of hope to the hopeless. I embrace the mission of the NAACP, which is to “Achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and accelerate the well- being, education, and economic security of Black people and all persons of color.”
Quintessential, adj.
perfectly typical or representative of a particular kind of person or thing
I’m guessing the AI alibi has been abandoned.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Welp…
*** UPDATE 2 *** From a national NAACP spokesperson…
The NAACP stands firm in our commitment to advancing racial justice and cultivating a society where human dignity is respected. As of December 13, NAACP Illinois State Conference President Teresa Haley has been suspended. As an internal matter, there will be no additional comment at this time. The NAACP will continue to foster an environment that is reflective of our mission and respective of our membership.
So, she was suspended on the 13th, but the board voted unanimously to support her on the 14th? Checking on that.
*** UPDATE 3 *** I asked for clarification on the dates from the national NAACP…
The notice of suspension from NAACP National was dated on December 13th.
…Adding… I asked ICIRR earlier today for a statement. This is from them and the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network…
The Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network (SIAN) and our statewide coalition partner the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights reject the statements made by Illinois NAACP president Teresa Haley at a meeting in October, in which she referred to migrants in Chicago as criminals and “savages.”
Divisive rhetoric damages communities. It reinforces harmful stereotypes, which in turn hurt entire groups of people. True apologies must include strategies to begin dialogue, deliberate actions to repair relationships, and commitment to share accurate information. We don’t heal alone but in community. Our leaders need to work in solidarity to advocate and create better policies, and to make our cities better for all of us.
SIAN has worked diligently to advocate for immigrants and refugees who have arrived in Springfield within the last year, many of whom were originally sent to Chicago by bus from Texas. At SIAN, we know that the NAACP has a history of supporting immigrants and refugees in our country that we ought to honor and remember. We have worked with our NAACP siblings to fight injustice and racial profiling and to protect our immigrant youth, as we know most of our Illinois DACA recipients and migrants applying for asylum and refugee status are people of color coming mostly from the Global South.
We should not be calling groups of people rapists, inciting fear at migrants’ arrival, and calling cities to refuse Venezuelans seeking shelter happens when we still must contend with the supremacist, structural values of scarcity, silo-planning and thinking, and the predicament that marginalized communities must fight each other for a tiny piece of a pie. We know that immigrants, refugees, and other historically excluded communities live together at the margins. We have shared spaces and built families together while fighting injustice, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and oppression. When we lift one group, when we support and elevate communities, we must also lift up our neighbors and other marginalized peoples.
SIAN serves immigrants and refugees, children and families, who have come to Illinois after surviving life-threatening living conditions as well as environmental, economic, and political turmoil. In a welcoming state like Illinois, we encourage our organizations, leaders, and institutions to serve immigrants and refugees with compassion, understanding, respect, and attention to the many intersections of being and experience of marginalization our communities encounter.
We need to understand and identify a manufactured crisis when we see it. This moment of Illinois being targeted for our welcoming values is a perfect example of how oppression works against immigrants and people of color. When the humanity, safety, and survival of children and families are at stake, we need to stop seeing ‘us’ versus ‘them.’ We instead need to see communities as whole, fully human, deserving of our respect and assistance–and our policies have to reflect this. We hope that our historical partners at NAACP chapters across the state join us in this analysis as we strive to move forward together.
*** UPDATE 4 *** OK, this is getting weird…
NAACP Illinois State Conference
President Teresa Haley will hold a Press Conference on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at the NAACP’s Office:
801 South 11th Street
Springfield, Illinois 62703
The media is invited to attend, arriving no earlier than 10:45 a.m. Thank you.
*** UPDATE 5 *** Press release from the state council…
Effective 8:10 p.m., President Teresa Haley’s Press Conference is cancelled, in accordance with the recent request from the National NAACP Office. Ms. Haley stands by her heartfelt apology and will not provide any further comments at this juncture.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Block Club Chicago…
The city has begun impounding “rogue buses” that do not follow established guidelines for dropping off migrants coming to Chicago. […]
The city towed and impounded the first bus under the new order at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office said in a statement Thursday.
Mayoral advisor Jason Lee said the “main trigger” for impounding the bus was the lack of a necessary permit through the Chicago Department of Transportation, but that it also arrived outside the city’s drop-off window.
Another bus carrying migrants in Chicago also arrived after the 5 p.m. curfew, but ended up not stopping and ultimately left the city, Lee told reporters ahead of a special City Council meeting Thursday morning regarding Chicago’s sanctuary city status.
* Press release…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation were joined by local officials and community leaders to celebrate the latest milestones on the $251.8 million replacement of the Interstate 57/74 interchange, a signature project of the historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program. As it moves into its next phase, the overall project will positively impact safety and mobility while positioning the region for long-term economic growth. […]
The I-57/74 project is replacing a traditional cloverleaf interchange built in 1965 that no longer meets current traffic volumes and demands. The new interchange will feature a design that includes two flyover ramps to improve traffic flow and efficiency: Eastbound I-74 to northbound I-57 and westbound I-74 to southbound I-57. To add capacity, a third, auxiliary lane will be added to both directions of I-74 between Prospect Avenue and Duncan Road.
* Sun-Times…
Four people convicted of conspiring to bribe then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to benefit ComEd want their fast-approaching sentencings put on hold as the Supreme Court considers a separate case, arguing its ruling could prove “fatal” to the verdict against them. […]
The ComEd defense attorneys insist in their six-page filing that “the Supreme Court’s decision in Snyder is certain to impact [the ComEd] case, and it has a substantial chance of requiring dismissal of the charges, acquittal or, at a minimum, a new trial.”
In dispute in the ComEd case is whether the federal program bribery statute criminalizes only bribery, as opposed to also criminalizing so-called gratuities or rewards. Another point of contention is whether a bribery conviction under the statute requires proof of a “quid pro quo.”
Federal prosecutors in Chicago insist that it does not.
The filing is here.
* Press release…
State Rep. Anna Moeller’s work to protect young women seeking reproductive health protections is being honored by a respected statewide civil rights organization.
Rep. Moeller, D-Elgin, will be recognized Dec. 14 at a ceremony in Chicago as an honored guest at the ACLU of Illinois Annual Legislator Awards. This was the first ceremony held in person to recognize civil liberties legislation since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel…
Illinois veterans will be able to adopt a pet without paying fees on Jan. 1, thanks to a new law from State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel. […]
Across the state, pet adoption fees vary widely depending on the organization, ranging from $50 to $275. Loughran Cappel’s new law requires animal shelters and animal control facilities to waive the adoption fee for military veterans in Illinois.
* More…
* SJ-R | Illinois Innocence Project, UIS grad help exonerate man wrongfully imprisoned for 35 years: The two provided evidence to a Cook County judge that Beals wasn’t the perpetrator of Campbell’s death, but the target of attacks by a local drug supplier. At least five witnesses confirmed to the IIP and Nirider that Beals was indeed the target, with photographic evidence showing five bullet holes in his car, aiding in his claims of innocence.
* Tribune | Aldermen block plan to put sanctuary city question to Chicago voters: Beale, Lopez and Moore have been plotting the mini-rebellion for several weeks, with Johnson’s allies outmaneuvering them by using to their advantage the fact Chicago only allows three referendum questions per election. One spot is already reserved for the “Bring Chicago Home” referendum that would increase the real estate transfer tax for some to fund homelessness services, a major plank of Johnson’s progressive agenda.
* WBEZ | The harrowing journeys of migrants are revealed in the quiet spaces of Chicago: More than 25,000 migrants and asylum seekers have arrived mostly from South and Central America since late August of last year. They are fleeing the collapse of their economies, the lack of jobs and food, and as one social worker puts it, “misery.” Many came here on a bus from Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Chicago and other sanctuary cities that embrace immigrants would provide much-needed relief “to our small, overrun border towns.” The buses haven’t stopped since.
* Crain’s | Jewel, Mariano’s parents brace for feds’ decision on merger in January: Progressive lawmakers and the Teamsters union both urged the antitrust agency this week to veto the deal after its yearlong probe. The FTC has until Jan. 17 to decide on their deal under a timing agreement the companies reached with the agency, according to a court filing in a class action brought by consumers opposed to the deal. The agency’s deadline hasn’t been disclosed previously.
* Sun-Times | Want to volunteer for the Democratic, Republican conventions? Here’s how to apply: Both conventions will need thousands of volunteers — from airport greeters and drivers to party and event staff, and local folks stationed in the hotels housing delegates providing advice and guidance to the visitors on sightseeing, restaurants and how to get around town.
* Daily Herald | Will Prestige’s new equipment pass the smell test?: A Mount Prospect animal feed producer that neighbors say has inundated nearby residents with a “burnt cheese” odor for four years will be allowed to operate during the daytime over the next three weeks. Mount Prospect conducted an inspection Wednesday of the $300,000 odor mitigation equipment installed by Prestige Feed Products, 431 Lakeview Court, village attorney Allen Wall said at a hearing in Cook County Circuit Court later that day. Wall said the inspection “seemed to go very well.”
* Sun-Times | Tony’s Place: A healthier La Russa is back, wants to state where he fits with White Sox: Hired at age 76 by chairman and good friend Jerry Reinsdorf before the 2021 season to lead the White Sox beyond the wild-card finish manager Rick Renteria led them to in 2020, La Russa’s Sox went 93-69 with an AL Central title. In 2022, La Russa didn’t feel well. His pacemaker needed attention, and unbeknownst to most everyone, he was dealing with cancer.
* The Hill | News media outlets slashed record 2,700 jobs in 2023, with more expected: Data from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas found media companies overall have made 20,324 cuts so far in 2023, the highest year-to-date total since 2020. In the “news” subcategory the firm tracks, 2,681 jobs have been cut, including those in broadcast, digital and print. That total surpassed the 1,808 cuts announced during 2022 and 1,511 announced the year before.
* WaPo | Bigots use AI to make Nazi memes on 4chan. Verified users post them on X: An antisemitic post on Elon Musk’s X is not exactly news. But new research finds the site has emerged as a conduit to mainstream exposure for a fresh wave of automated hate memes, generated using cutting-edge AI image tools by trolls on the notorious online forum 4chan. The research by the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), shared with and verified by The Washington Post, finds that a campaign by 4chan members to spread “AI Jew memes” in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack resulted in 43 different images reaching a combined 2.2 million views on X between Oct. 5 and Nov. 16, according to the site’s publicly displayed metrics.
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* CBS News…
The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to block an Illinois law banning assault-style weapons, leaving the measure in place while proceedings before a federal appellate court continue.
The decision from the justices marks the second time they have declined to halt Illinois’ statewide ban, which a gun rights advocacy group and gun shop owner argued violates the Second Amendment. It has also left in place a similar ordinance in Naperville, a suburb of Chicago.
The unsigned order from the court rejecting the request from the pro-Second Amendment organization comes on the heels of the latest spate of shootings, on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus and in Austin and San Antonio, Texas. The shootings have reignited now-familiar calls from President Biden for Congress to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
* Courthouse News…
For the second time, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday turned down an opportunity to pause an assault weapons ban in Illinois implemented in response to a deadly shooting. […]
The National Association for Gun Rights, a gun store, and the store’s owner sued Naperville — and later Illinois — claiming the new ordinance violated the Second Amendment. Two lower courts refused to block the regulations, leading to the group’s first trip to the Supreme Court’s emergency docket.
The justices’ denial left the law in place while the challenge was under review. While this case was proceeding two other lower courts upheld the law in five different cases challenging the ban. The Seventh Circuit consolidated all six cases.
In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court declined to grant preliminary relief, finding that the gun advocacy group was not likely to prevail on its Second Amendment challenge.
The gun advocacy group then returned to the high court for relief. The group says the law would ban the most popular rifle in America, and therefore, in unlawful because it bans weapons in common use.
Click here to read the Court’s order.
* NPR…
The court’s action on Thursday, leaving the Illinois law in place, is not a decision on the merits of the case; as of now, there have been no conflicting decisions by lower appeals courts, and the justices may well have felt there was no need to intervene without such a conflict.
This post will likely be updated.
…Adding… GPAC…
Gun rights groups continue to try to block the new law, even after repeated failures. And they continue to get nowhere. They asked the Supreme Court for relief before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the new law and the Supreme Court said no. Now after the Court of Appeals has upheld the law they’ve gone back and asked again. Not surprisingly the Supreme Court again said no. No amount of flailing around by losing lawyers alters the basic fact that sale in Illinois of these destructive weapons continues to be blocked completely.
…Adding… Protect Illinois Communities…
Once again, the US Supreme Court has refused to listen to requests from extremist organizations to block the Protect Illinois Communities Act, a commonsense gun safety measure to keep assault weapons off of our streets. This law helps save lives, and every day it remains in place is a step toward keeping weapons of war out of our neighborhoods.”
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* Illinois PIRG…
For the second time in a month, utility regulators at the Illinois Commerce Commission on Thursday handed down decisions that portend the beginning of a new era of consumer- and climate-focused utility oversight in Illinois.
“We applaud Chairman Doug Scott and other members of the Illinois Commerce Commission for making a decisive pivot away from the more utility-friendly approach of the past,” said Illinois PIRG Director Abe Scarr.
The five-person commission, recently overhauled by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, set new rates for the electric utilities ComEd and Ameren. Notably, the Commission rejected ComEd and Ameren’s grid plans, finding that the utilities failed to meet the standards set by law, and ordered them to re-submit compliant plans next year. The Commission rejected significant planned utility spending based on the lack of compliant grid plans.
The commission set Comed’s authorized profit rate, known as the return on equity (ROE), at 8.9% over the next four years. ComEd initially proposed a 10.5% ROE in 2024, which would escalate over four years to 10.65% in 2027. Illinois PIRG submitted expert testimony recommending a 6.5% ROE, arguing that state policies virtually guarantee ComEd’s profits, so it does not need a high ROE for financial health. Miniscule differences in profit rates can translate into hundreds of millions of dollars on customer bills.
“As it did with the gas rate cases, the Commission took important steps to rightsize ComEd and Ameren’s spending levels and limit their impact on customer bills. It also set a much lower profit rate than proposed by ComEd, saving customers hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Scarr. “We are pleased the Commission invited further consideration of profits rates under multi-year rate plans and will continue to make our case to the Commission that Illinois utilities can remain financially healthy with significantly lower profit rates.”
The Commission also denied Peoples Gas’ motion to “clarify” and reverse portions of the Commission’s November decision regarding the failing Peoples Gas pipe replacement program and authorize an additional $134 million in 2024 spending, which would raise its already record-breaking rate hike by an additional $8.1 million.
“We hope Peoples Gas now has the clarity it needs: while it maintains its fundamental service obligation to maintain public safety, it can no longer operate accountability-free and waste billions of dollars on a pipe replacement program that fails to achieve its public safety objective,” said Scarr. “We look forward to working with the commission and other parties to enact meaningful reforms to the program next year.”
Since the November decision, Peoples Gas and its allies had mounted a pressure campaign targeting the Commission. It included suggesting the legislature intervene, threatening the pending confirmation of three commissioners and sending more than 20 letters in support of the motion from unions, contractors, and others, each requiring an ethics report from the Commission in compliance with its “ex-parte” communications rules. Commissioner Scott directly addressed these ex-parte communications, asking members of the public to use more appropriate means of communicating with the Commission.
That last paragraph is quite something, but the two linked examples are an op-ed by two high-level labor leaders and a tweet by Local 150.
…Adding… CUB…
In an unprecedented ruling in favor of electric customers, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) today reined in reckless spending by ComEd and Ameren, said no to excessive profit rates and lowered the electric utilities’ rate-hike requests by hundreds of millions of dollars. After a decade in which electric utilities exploited lax oversight, scandal, and rampant rate hikes to reap excessive profits, the ICC made it clear that ComEd and Ameren must be held accountable to their customers and provide more affordable electric service. Today’s ICC ruling delivered an important message: Utilities need to prove that their grid plans will actually benefit consumers. Clean energy is about lowering costs for electric customers in the long run, not giving a blank check to Ameren and ComEd.
Also CUB…
Less than three weeks after receiving a record rate hike, Peoples Gas tried to bully the ICC into raising costs, yet again, for the utility’s beleaguered customers by manufacturing a fictitious emergency. We’re grateful that regulators saw through these blatant theatrics and protected Chicago consumers, who have been buffeted by spiraling heating bills, from another money grab by the utility.
Peoples Gas has reaped record profits for six straight years – and that was before it obtained its record rate hike last month. No company that has amassed such a staggering fortune should ever threaten to neglect public safety and lay off workers. If Peoples continues to put jobs in jeopardy as a form of political extortion, the unions that represent the utility’s employees should put the blame where it belongs – on Peoples Gas, not on the state regulators entrusted with holding the company accountable.
For the past decade, Chicago families have been suffering through a heating affordability crisis, as People Gas bills skyrocketed to pay for the company’s bloated pipe-replacement program. Peoples Gas customers pay an average of $50 in fixed monthly costs before they ever turn on the heat or the stove. Nearly 200,000 households have been assessed a late fee, and 160,000 families have fallen behind on payments by more than 30 days.
Given all this financial woe, the ICC did the right thing when it put a moratorium on discretionary, non-emergency pipe-replacement, pending further investigation. Nonetheless, Peoples Gas responded by trying to hold its workers and public safety hostage as a ploy to coerce another rate hike out of financially burdened customers. We urge regulators, lawmakers, and the public at large to continue to stand strong and resist cynical attempts to pit the utility’s workers against its customers when it is obvious that both are being made victims of the company’s greed.
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* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Contract Lobbyist is a tie. Liz Brown-Reeves…
Liz Brown is everywhere all the time. If you need something done you can call her and know it’s handled. She’s a superstar staffer turned lobbyist who knows everyone and knows who to call to ensure your issue is at the top of the list. If you’re looking to succeed in Springfield she’s someone you need to have on your side.
And Dave Sullivan…
Just take a walk around the Capitol early morning or late into the evening you will see him. He ALWAYS greets everyone with a smile and very respectful to Staff & LA’s all while working multiple clients difficult agendas.
* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best In-House Lobbyist is also a tie. Mark Denzler with the Illinois Manufacturers Association…
He spent 2,000 miles on a bus to promote manufacturing. Traveled to London with the Governor on a trade mission. Helped lead efforts on REV to land Gotion and Stellantis with 7,000 good jobs. And his peers named him Speaker of the Third House. Not a bad year.
* And Jen Walling with the Illinois Environmental Council…
I cannot think of another lobbyist that is more passionate about their cause than Jen. Professional and knowledgeable, Jen has taken on some heavy hitters on big issues and prevailed. I couldn’t think of a better leader for the environmental movement.
Congratulations to our winners and to everyone who was nominated!
* On to today’s categories…
Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist
Best Legislative Liaison
As always, explain your nominations or they won’t count. And please do your very best to nominate in both categories. Thanks!
* And here’s your daily reminder to click here and help buy Christmas presents for foster kids served by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. Thanks!
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* The Federalist is still spouting 2022 talking points…
Illinois Cooks Up Cashless Bail And Discovers It’s A ‘Perfect Recipe For Lawlessness’
The story is ridden with errors…
Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, a rare Democrat speaking out against the end of cash bail in the Land of Lincoln, told Fox News’ “America Reports” in October that innocent people are being “hunted down like prey.”
“[T]hings like robbery, burglary, arson, assault, even threatening elected officials like myself, do not warrant you being held on bond anymore in the state of Illinois, and criminals are taking note,” Lopez told the cable news outlet.
Um, all but one of those crimes are detainable offenses, including threatening elected officials. Assault, defined as “conduct which places another in reasonable apprehension of receiving a battery,” has long been a Class C misdemeanor, but past “assaultive behavior” is a factor judges can use to detain someone.
And then the article talks about somebody who was arrested and is still being detained by the feds on “14 federal felony counts of interstate communication of a threat to injure.”
The article goes on to note that the same person had been arrested by the Perry County sheriff’s office and released after two days behind bars. The sheriff blames the SAFE-T Act, but the person was released on a charge of resisting arrest, and the important underlying charge related to the threats was “dropped due to a lack of a specific target.”
Sure sounds like the local sheriff messed up and blamed state law.
* Meanwhile, in reality…
In Sangamon County, the average daily number of people in custody at the jail was 323 before the Pretrial Fairness Act took effect and has ranged between 220 and 240 since then, according to Sheriff Jack Campbell. It’s obvious the new law is the reason for the drop, he said.
The reduction has meant less crowding in the facility, less stress among inmates and higher morale among the jail staff, Campbell said. […]
It is “too early to tell” the long-term impact, [Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser] said, but he collected statistics that show Sangamon County judges are agreeing with prosecutors almost 70% of the time when the State’s Attorney’s Office has requested detention. There have been 99 petitions for detainment so far, and 69 were granted, he told Illinois Times Dec. 13.
The rate is similar to numbers released Dec. 11 by the state administrative court office, which is overseen by the Supreme Court. For 71 of the state’s 102 counties – a number that doesn’t include Sangamon and mostly consists of smaller counties – judges had issued decisions on 1,445 petitions for detention. Of those, 976 (67.55%) petitions were granted, and 469 were denied. Another 51 petitions were waiting to be heard
* And in southern Illinois…
[Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez] said if someone violates their pretrial release conditions, they can face sanctions. If a defendant continues to violate them, prosecutors can petition to revoke bail.
Cervantez also said that since the start of the SAFE-T Act, he has not seen crime increase in Jackson County.
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* HB4266 filed by Rep. Maurice West…
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.
* Rep. Kimberly du Buclet filed HB4269 yesterday…
Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that, on and after January 1, 2030, no person shall sell or offer for sale in the State a new washing machine for residential, commercial, or State use unless the washing machine: (1) contains a microfiber filtration system with a mesh size of not greater than 100 micrometers; and (2) bears a conspicuous label that is visible to the consumer, in the form of a sticker or any other label type, that includes a specified statement. Provides that a person or entity who violates this prohibition shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000 for a first violation and not to exceed $30,000 for each subsequent violation.
* HB4268 is another bill fromRep. Du Buclet…
Creates the Climate Corporate Accountability Act. Provides that, on or before July 1, 2024, the Secretary of State shall develop and adopt rules to require a reporting entity to annually disclose to the emissions registry, and verify, all of the reporting entity’s scope 1 emissions, scope 2 emissions, and scope 3 emissions. Provides that a reporting entity, starting on January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, publicly disclose to the emissions registry all of the reporting entity’s scope 1 emissions and scope 2 emissions for the prior calendar year, and its scope 3 emissions for that same calendar year no later than 180 days after that date. Provides that the Secretary of State shall contract with an emissions registry to develop a reporting and registry program to receive and make publicly available disclosures. Provides that, on or before January 1, 2025, the Secretary of State shall contract with the University of Illinois, a national laboratory, or another equivalent academic institution to prepare a report on the public disclosures made by reporting entities to the emissions registry. Provides that the emissions registry, on or before January 1, 2025, shall create a digital platform, which shall be accessible to the public, that will house all disclosures submitted by reporting entities to the emissions registry. Provides for enforcement of the Act. Effective immediately.
* HB4258 from Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado…
Amends the License to Read Act. Defines terms. Provides that no contract or license agreement entered into between a publisher and library shall preclude, limit, or restrict the library from performing customary operational functions or lending functions, restrict the library from disclosing any terms of its license agreements to other libraries, or require, coerce, or enable the library to violate the Library Records Confidentiality Act. Provides that nothing in the amendatory Act affects existing contracts that are in effect on the effective date of the amendatory Act. Sets forth remedies. Contains a severability provision. Effective immediately.
* HB4263 from Rep. Jed Davis…
Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that the photograph of each minor for whom the Department of Children and Family Services is responsible under the Abused, Dependent, or Neglected Minors Article of the Act shall be transmitted to the clerk of the circuit court of the county in which the minor resides for placement in the court file. Provides that the photograph shall be taken within 6 months before transmission and shall be accessible by the judge who is to decide the placement, custody, or other disposition concerning the minor.
* Rep. Amy Elik…
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that, if the Illinois State Police denies an application for or revokes and seizes a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card because an individual has been a patient of a mental health facility, the notice to the applicant or card holder of denial of an application for or revocation of the person’s Firearm Owner’s Identification Card shall include the date or dates of admission of the person to the mental health facility and the name of the facility. Provides that, if the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Review Board does not, within 90 days of the filing of the applicant’s appeal of a denial of a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card or revocation of a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card, render a decision on the appeal, the failure to render a decision shall constitute a rejection of the appeal, and the applicant or card holder may appeal to the circuit court for relief. Provides that the cost for replacement of a combined Firearm Owner’s Identification Card and concealed carry license is $5 if the person has changed his or her address. Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act to make conforming changes.
* Rep. Barbara Hernandez filed HB4264 earlier this week…
Creates the Good Samaritan Menstrual Products Act. Prohibits a person, manufacturer, or distributor from being held liable for damages incurred resulting from any illness or disease contracted by the ultimate user or recipient of an apparently usable menstrual product due to the nature, age, condition, or packaging of the menstrual product that the person, manufacturer, or distributor donates in good faith to a nonprofit organization for ultimate distribution to an individual in need of such menstrual product. Prohibits a nonprofit organization from being held liable for damages incurred resulting from any illness or disease contracted by the ultimate user or recipient of an apparently usable menstrual product due to the condition of the menstrual product. Sets forth exceptions. Effective immediately.
* Rep. Chris Miller…
Amends the Reproductive Health Act. Provides that consent to a termination of pregnancy is voluntary and informed only if: the physician who is to perform the procedure, or the referring physician, has, at a minimum, orally, while physically present in the same room, and at least 24 hours before the procedure, provided the woman with specified information; specified printed materials prepared and provided by the Department of Public Health have been provided to the pregnant woman, if she chooses to view these materials; and the woman acknowledges in writing, before the termination of pregnancy, that the information required to be provided has been provided. Provides that if a medical emergency exists and a physician cannot comply with the requirements for informed consent, a physician may terminate a pregnancy if he or she has obtained at least one corroborative medical opinion attesting to the medical necessity for emergency medical procedures and to the fact that to a reasonable degree of medical certainty the continuation of the pregnancy would threaten the life of the pregnant woman. Provides that a physician or other person who violates the provisions shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.
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Open thread
Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s goin’ on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: Chicago spent almost $1M on Brighton Park migrant base camp.Sun-Times …
- Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office says the $985,621.21 of taxpayer money didn’t go to waste because the land at 38th Street and California Avenue “has been assessed and further prepared for future use.”
- Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Johnson’s deputy chief-of-staff, said the city wouldn’t be reimbursed by the state.
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Illinois Answers | Illinois Taxpayers Shell Out Hundreds of Millions as Prison Reform Lawsuits Grind On: Progress has been slow as the bill to taxpayers keeps rising. Court-ordered audits show the IDOC continues to fail to provide basic care to inmates — a point underscored by the Illinois Answers Project in interviews with more than a dozen people who are incarcerated. The state has paid more than $13 million in legal fees and fines so far as part of the settlements and faces an ultimate tab of hundreds of millions of dollars to fulfill settlement requirements. Separately, a report published earlier this year estimates the state has a multibillion dollar backlog in maintenance expenses to repair its dilapidated prisons, some of which date to the 19th century.
* Post-Tribune | Supreme Court agrees to review former Portage Mayor James Snyder’s public corruption case: Snyder was elected mayor in 2011 and reelected in 2015. He resigned in February 2019 after his first conviction on the IRS and garbage truck charges; in a second trial a jury confirmed the guilty verdict in the garbage truck case. Snyder was indicted in November 2016, on the same day former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich, who is serving a 12-year sentence in federal prison, was indicted on public corruption charges. Federal attorneys argued in a November filing that Snyder does not deserve to have his conviction on a public corruption charge involving garbage truck contracts reviewed because earlier court rulings in the case indicate Snyder received a bribe of $13,000 in regard to a contract for garbage trucks.
* WTTW | Sponsor of State Law Targeting Crisis Pregnancy Centers in ‘Shock and Dismay’ After AG Backs Off Legal Fight:“If the attorney general wasn’t prepared to defend the law — even a little bit — it never should have been introduced,” said Lisa Battisfore, president of Reproductive Transparency Now.
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* The Southern | Williamson County commissioners talk Paid Leave Act, plan to adopt policy Dec. 15: “It’s going to be a bookkeeping nightmare,” was the consensus of the County Commissioners as they discussed the policy to be adopted by the county that would keep them within the new Paid Leave for All Workers Act. They discussed how the first 40 hours could be pulled from sick time, would need to be used within the year and would not require a doctor’s note. The decision to accrue sick leave or give it out as a lump sum at the beginning of the year was not determined during the meeting.
* Daily Herald | Suburbs scramble to exempt public safety employees from state’s on-demand paid-leave law: The announcement was publicly applauded by a number of legislators and civic leaders. While their comments focused on the benefit to those employees receiving this right for the first time, they didn’t reflect the specific concern suburban municipalities and fire protection districts have been trying to address this fall.
* Chalkbeat | Illinois’ education budget might be tighter over the next several years, say officials: That’s because local revenue projections are modest and federal COVID relief dollars are set to run out, state finance and budget officials told board members. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget has predicted the Illinois State Board of Education can expect to receive an additional $425 million in revenue next year.
* Illinois Times | Elimination of cash bail seems to be working: “It’s a fairly orderly process,” Matthew McLoughlin, campaign coordinator of the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, told Illinois Times, adding that naysayers so far have been proven wrong. “The courts have slowed the process down. “The big thing here is the dramatic pronouncements made last year of chaos in our communities have turned out to be patently false. We’re thrilled with the implementation of the law.”
* Crain’s | Johnson says city close to clearing migrants from police districts: As of Wednesday morning, city officials reported 354 asylum seekers were living in police district stations, with another 221 living at O’Hare International Airport. By Wednesday afternoon, Johnson said that number was reduced and that all but one of the city’s 22 police districts had been cleared of migrants.
* Tribune | Oak Park, which has been providing shelter for migrants, will require them to move out of hotel, YMCA by Jan. 31: The approximately 160 people at The Carleton of Oak Park hotel and the West Cook YMCA are to be notified of the eviction date this week. They will be asked to work with a case manager or village staff to find new shelter and possibly move them to another city or state if they have stable housing there, according to a memo from the village Emergency Operations Center. For anyone who can’t find shelter, the village will help relocate them to the Chicago shelter program, the memo states.
* Crain’s | Prosecution begins closing arguments in Ed Burke trial: After the media frenzy surrounding the testimony of FBI mole Danny Solis on Tuesday, the crowd inside the 25th-floor courtroom at the Dirksen Federal Building had simmered down by the time Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur addressed the jury Wednesday afternoon. Understated and methodical, MacArthur laid out the 19-count federal indictment that named Burke as well as his chief of staff Peter Andrews and local developer Charles Cui.
* Block Club | MAT Asphalt Agrees To $1.2 Million Class-Action Settlement With McKinley Park Neighbors: The settlement, agreed upon in early November, applies to any resident who lives within a half-mile radius of MAT Asphalt, 2055 W. Pershing Road. The facility is situated across the street from McKinley Park and makes hot-mix asphalt, among other industrial products. […] With the settlement agreement, lawyers from the Detroit-based law office of Liddle Sheets Coulson P.C. are now requesting that neighbors interested in the payout file a claim form to receive compensation from the settlement fund. The form must be postmarked by Jan. 22.
* Sun-Times | Judge vacates murder conviction of Chicago man wrongfully imprisoned for 35 years: Beals was convicted in the 1988 murder of 6-year-old Demetrius Campbell in Englewood. At the time, Beals, a 22-year-old student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, was home in Chicago during Thanksgiving break. He was approached by a drug dealer and they argued, according to news accounts at the time. Attorneys say Beals got in his car and drove off. Bullets fired in Beals’ direction hit two bystanders, the boy and his mother, Valerie Campbell. Despite three witnesses describing a different offender, Beals was convicted, namely on Campbell’s testimony. She said she saw Beals in the argument and believed he fired the shots. Beals maintained his innocence.
* Sun-Times | Heartland Alliance cuts 65 jobs and shuts affordable housing division: Ed Stellon, the group’s chief external affairs officer, said the nonprofit is “managing a very severe cash flow challenge.” He said the layoffs were among 125 workers who got temporary furloughs in recent months. “It’s just a terrible situation for them,” Stellon said.
* NBC Chicago | Illinois’ New Laws: Transit bill includes reduced fares, requires zero-emission buses: The legislation will provide free fare cards for victims of domestic violence, with state agencies partnering with The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, according to the language of the bill. The legislation also included several provisions aimed at younger Illinois residents. Both PACE and Metra will be required to offer youth job opportunities and internship programs as part of the bill, and participants in the “One Summer Chicago” program, which provides employment opportunities for Chicago residents age 14-to-24, will also receive reduced-fares on transit.
* WAND | Illinois lawmakers, industry experts discuss future broadband expansion: Roughly 234,000 Illinoisans are unserved and lack access to basic broadband service. However, about 132,000 people live in underserved locations across the state. “How are we going to reach 100% coverage for all Illinoisans? That’s a really big hurdle,” said Greg Claus with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “This is the first time a grant program has been set up to connect all homes and businesses.”
* Sun-Times | CTA boss says Yellow Line crash conditions are isolated, not systemwide: Brushing aside criticism that he has remained silent since the crash, CTA President Dorval Carter said National Transportation Safety Board rules prohibit him from commenting on the investigation. But he tried to allay speculation about a potential design flaw.
* Our Quad Cities | Pat O’Brien, Moline 6th ward alderman, dies: Pat O’Brien was a longtime resident of Moline. He served eight years as the 2nd Ward Alderman for the city until 2005. In 2021, he was elected as the 6th Ward Alderman. Pat was also the former President of the Council on Community Services and also served as President of the Moline Preservation society. His co-workers and friends describe him as selfless.
* WREX | Illinois Comptroller Mendoza shares safe holiday shopping tips: In a recent release to Illinois residents, Comptroller Susana Mendoza encourages safe shopping for the holidays. Providing tips to the public, the state leader charged with fiscal control calls for consumer caution. “That perfect present you picked out for a loved one may end up costing you dearly if you aren’t careful,” states Mendoza.
* Tribune | Anti-Cruelty Society sees uptick in adoptions after waiving fees for December to reduce overcrowding: Pistachio is one of 158 animals that has been adopted from the Anti-Cruelty Society animal shelter since it waived adoption fees for the month of December in its “Home for Howlidays” promotion to encourage and remove one financial barrier to adoption. The large-scale promotion aims to combat overcrowding at the shelter, which has seen in the past two years animals, particularly big dogs, linger at the shelter.
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Live coverage
Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Live coverage is back, sorta. This will be different than the old Scribble Live feed because Twitter broke itself and almost everything else it touched. These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of posting lagtime, but it’s much better than nothing. We are also limited to just 20 Twitter sources. The service may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees about this. You can still click here or here to follow breaking news the way we’ve done since Twitter stopped Scribble Live from working…
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Live Ed Burke Trial Coverage
Thursday, Dec 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of a lagtime and you have to refresh the page every now and then. The service we’re using may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees. You can still click here to follow the Ed Burke trial on Twitter. Posts without a Twitter author name below them are from online news sources via Bing…
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