The Illinois Freedom Caucus today held a press conference to discuss some of the majority party’s misguided legislative priorities as the legislative session moves closer to adjournment.
Some of the measures not considered before the Committee deadline include:
• House Resolution 51 – Mandates a forensic audit of state spending, hiring, procurement and contracting
• House Bill 2178 – Repeals the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) directly contributing to higher energy prices
• House Bill 1575 – Lowers the gas tax to 19 cents per gallon
• House 2979 – Increases the standard income tax deduction to $150,000
• House Bill 2599 – Reduces the individual income tax rate from 4.95% to 3.75% and the corporate tax rate from 7% to 6%
• HB3625 – Bans Tik Tok on State Devices
• House Bill 2986 – Prevents the rate of growth of general fund spending from exceeding the rate of growth of the Illinois median household income.
• House Bill 1640 – Creates the Efficient School District Commission to make recommendations on where reorganization and realignment of school districts into unit districts would be beneficial.
• House Bill 2136 – Ends the legislative pension system for new members
• House Bill 3825 – Allows for resident tuition at local non-Chicago school districts within ¼ Mile of district line
• House Bill 1600 – Protects Firearm ownership for tenants
• House Bill 2610 – Allows children at daycare facilities to be exempt from vaccine mandates on the basis of religious exemptions
“We recognize we are in the minority and the likelihood of our bills getting passed is slim to none, but the ideas we are presenting are substantive and should at least merit a discussion,” said State Representative Chris Miller (R-Oakland). “Illinois is in the bottom five in unemployment, and we lost more than 100,000 residents last year. We have former legislators facing federal indictments and a culture of corruption that is legendary. We need to focus on the real problems facing our state, which is what our legislative agenda seeks to do.”
* The Question: Do you support any of these bills? Explain.
Illinois risks a “catastrophic” security breach of highly confidential personal data on millions of residents unless it soon upgrades outmoded computer systems based on 1980s technology.
That’s the bottom line of a report from newly installed Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias that takes a hard look at the status of Common Business Oriented Language, or COBOL, systems his office now uses to store and process Illinoisans’ data, including their home addresses, vehicle registrations, Social Security numbers and organ donor information. […]
A Giannoulias spokeswoman said security concerns prevent her from discussing any actual attack, but Dave Drucker, spokesman for longtime Secretary of State Jesse White, who retired in January, said there, indeed, have been “many” such attempted hacks.
“No records were broken into, but there were numerous efforts to do so” in recent years, Druker said. “We applaud the Giannoulias administration for pushing security.
* IDES…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.5 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +10,700 in February, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The January monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +14,300 to +12,300 jobs. The January revised unemployment rate was 4.5 percent, unchanged from the preliminary January unemployment rate. The February payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.
In February, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment included: Government (+5,900), Leisure and Hospitality (+5,100), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+2,700). The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll declines included: Professional and Business Services (-3,000), Information (-3,000), and Construction (-1,100). […]
The state’s unemployment rate was +0.9 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for February, which was 3.6 percent, up +0.2 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -0.1 percentage point from a year ago when it was at 4.6 percent.
And in the wake of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s election in November 2014, some of [now vice president of external affairs for ComEd Keisha Parker’s] colleagues wondered wondered whether there had been a power shift in Springfield. “I just asked Em if Madigan is still in the driver’s seat? I mean what about Rauner???” a colleague asked in one email shown to the jury.
Parker responded: “You know Daddy is in charge. (Rauner) who??!!”
Parker testified that by “Daddy,” she meant Madigan.
* Press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul presented the proposed budget for the Attorney General’s office for next fiscal year to lawmakers today in Springfield. Raoul announced to a legislative committee that his office collected nearly $1.6 billion in revenue on behalf of the state through litigation and collection efforts in 2022. The revenue collected for the state by the Attorney General’s office shows that for every dollar of taxpayer funding the office received in Fiscal Year 2022, it generated $39.52 for the state. […]
In 2022, the Attorney General’s office was able to bring in $304 million through collections litigation, including cases involving the collection of funds for damage to state property, child support enforcement, fines and penalties. The Attorney General’s office also collected more than $807 million through tobacco litigation and more than $456 million in estate tax revenues.
In addition to recoveries for the state, the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Bureau mediated more than 20,000 complaints in 2022. The bureau provided more than $8 million in mediated savings for Illinois consumers and secured more than $207 million through enforcement actions.
* ALPLM…
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened a major new exhibit Thursday that explores the elusive idea of “home” and the many different ways Illinoisans have made this state their home over the centuries.
“Here I Have Lived: Home in Illinois” will also introduce visitors to
• Black Hawk, the Sauk leader who refused to be driven away from the land where he grew up
• Oscar Micheaux, a farm boy who broke barriers for Black artists in Hollywood
• Michelle Obama, who started out in a Chicago bungalow and wound up in the White House
• Louisa Phifer, who ran a farm and raised seven children while her husband served in the Civil War.
“Here I Have Lived” features multiple people from Springfield, including a forward-thinking socialite, an immigrant friend of the Lincolns and a witness to the racial violence of 1908.
The exhibit runs through Jan. 21, 2024, in the museum’s Illinois Gallery, a space used for highlighting Illinois history as part of the ALPLM’s role as the state historical library. The exhibit is free with regular museum admission.
* The McLean County GOP throws in everything but the kitchen sink…
Dear [Redacted],
If you don’t think that CRT (critical race theory) and DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) policies and practices are impacting kids in Illinois public schools, then consider the following facts:
1. Time is being pulled from critical areas of education to make room for CRT and DEI, and recent school report cards show it.
2. Standards are being eliminated, so no child feels excluded or left behind.
3. Gender-affirming behaviors are practiced and promoted in the classroom, and traditional Christian values are being forcefully rejected.
4. The most explicit form of sex education is being introduced to children at the most tender ages.
5. Children whose parents remove them from objectionable lessons and activities are “punished” with excess workloads while others attend thought- and behavior-influencing events.
6. Kids are routinely calling each other “racist” for the slightest slip of the tongue.
These are just a few instances where social radicals are erasing our children’s innocence and indoctrinating a generation of children in our public school systems. How long will it be before our children are forced to attend “drag queen” story hour or an “adult cabaret” performance for the sake of tolerance? Wokeism is poisoning the brains of youth, and their childhoods are being stolen.
Suppose we don’t act to stop forced conformity by electing good school board members in the April 4th election. In that case, it won’t be long before parents are accused of crimes against society, and our children report us to school authorities for various “undesirable” social behaviors such as child discipline and gun ownership.
Parents – indeed, all citizens – need to understand and think clearly about the political, economic, and moral issues of our day. Each of us must show courage and fortitude in protecting children.
Parents must be informed about the nature of CRT and DEI and how they impact children. Join the Republican Party of McLean County this Saturday morning in learning more about these evil influences. Attend our Critical Race Theory brunch on March 18 from 9-11 AM. Education Specialist Jonathan Butcher of The Heritage Foundation will speak on the “Critical Race Theory” issue as it impacts our schools and our children.
Since UpRising Bakery & Cafe owner Corinna Sac announced plans to close the Lake in the Hills store by the end of the month, online donors have raised more than $34,000.
While the infusion of cash could keep her open, doing so by donation “is not sustainable” in the long run, and she is weighing her options, Sac said.
[…]
As of Wednesday, Sac said she was considering a few options: staying open in Lake in the Hills; moving to a smaller, accepting location; or closing.
If she closes, Sac said, she would ask the fundraiser creator to either return the online donations or ask if donors are OK with her using some funds to pay off final bills, Sac said.
That would be up to her, [Anti-Defamation League Midwest Regional Director David Goldenberg] said, noting the donations did not come with any ties.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Reuters | Union workers can’t sue under Illinois biometric law, court rules: The Illinois Supreme Court unanimously held that campus security workers at Roosevelt University in Chicago must bring claims that the school used their fingerprints for timekeeping without their consent in union arbitration rather than court.
* Pantagraph | Cooperating ex-guard gets 6 years in Illinois inmate’s death: A contrite Willie Hedden, the last of three ex-correctional officers convicted in the beating death of an Illinois prison inmate, was sentenced Wednesday to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to civil rights violations and obstruction and testifying against his codefendants.
* Sun-Times | 4 Chicago cops placed on desk duty amid allegations seized guns were mishandled: Ephraim Eaddy, first deputy of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, said the oversight agency is “actively investigating the actions of the involved officers and made a recommendation to the Chicago Police Department to relieve the officers of their police powers.”
* Crain’s | Biden budget may ease CTA, Metra fiscal pain — but only a bit: At issue is the roughly $350 million a year the three agencies collectively get annually from the federal government in what is known as Section 5307 Urbanized Formula Funds. The money has been earmarked solely for transit capital and capital maintenance programs under terms of a law adopted during the Reagan presidency that banned their use for fuel, pay for vehicle drivers and other operational costs. But Biden wants to loosen that provision.
* Sun-Times | DuPage County’s new tool in fighting domestic abuse: a QR code that points to help: The idea came from John Caldwell, a fire medic with the Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District. Caldwell said paramedics often are called to treat people they suspect have been injured by an abuser. They try to give the victim a “tear sheet” that lists agencies that can help them.
* Daily Herald | Proposal for marijuana shop near Buffalo Grove High School faces opposition: But it will need a zoning variance from the village board, since it falls short of the minimum 1,000-foot distance from schools required under village code. The distance from the building to the high school’s property line is 918 feet. Buffalo Grove trustees Monday barely approved sending the application to the planning and zoning commission for further consideration, with trustees Eric Smith, Joanne Johnson and Gregory Pike voting in favor and Andrew Stein and David Weidenfeld opposed.
* Tribune | Paul Vallas’ and Brandon Johnson’s 100-day plans for Chicago: More beat cops vs. ‘Treatment Not Trauma’: Johnson, a Cook County commissioner, said he will double youth employment and vowed to pass “Treatment Not Trauma,” a City Council ordinance to repurpose vacant police salaries to send social workers and medical specialists to nonviolent mental health crises calls, and “Bring Chicago Home,” a plan to raise the real estate transfer tax on properties above $1 million to fund homelessness services. Vallas, the former Chicago Public Schools CEO, said he would place more Chicago police officers on local beats, “address this issue” of recently incarcerated citizens and open school campuses through the dinner hours, weekends and holidays for community programming and services.
* Chicago Reader | The ladies who sing from the back: These Chicago background vocalists have helped the likes of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Otis Clay sound their best. Here their own voices take center stage.
* WCIA | Barbecue sauce, drug incinerator, moon habitat, radar face off in Illinois Maker’s Madness: “The diversity of products that have made it to this final round demonstrate the dynamic nature of our state’s manufacturing sector, as well as the versatility of the women and men who work on our factory floors,” Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association said. “Whether it’s delicious sauces created by a champion pitmaster, housing for astronauts on the moon, a portable drug incinerator to fight narcotics abuse, or a compact sensor to assist drivers and improve road safety, voters have a great field to choose from.”
Thank you for asking about the ACLU of Illinois’ position on HB2123, which creates civil liability for “digital forgeries” (deepfakes). While we acknowledge the real harm that is caused by deepfakes, particularly those of a sexual nature, this bill language creates a sweeping new cause of action against a relatively new form of communication that will have the real impact of chilling or silencing vast amounts of protected speech.
House Floor Amendment 1 does make improvements to the original bill language, but does not address the core of our concerns. With the exception of sexually explicit deepfakes, which cause a unique harm, these cases can and should be brought under existing tort law, including defamation and false light. Existing tort laws include decades of precedent and First Amendment protections for political speech, parody, and artistic expression that a new civil remedy fails to provide. Political speech, in particular, is considered highly protected speech and would be actionable under this legislation. This should be a concern to all of us.
Lastly, the remedies, which include temporary restraining orders and immediate takedown of speech prior to a final verdict, are, as drafted, an unconstitutional prior restraint (judicial suppression of material without first determining if it is unlawful). The First Amendment severely limits the ability of the government to do this.
We have been in conversations with the sponsors and proponents and have suggested alternative language options, including to specifically address the unique harms caused by deepfakes of a sexual nature. We hope that we can continue those conversations to address harmful deepfakes within the boundaries of the First Amendment.
Newly adopted House Amendment 3, we’re told, does not change the organization’s position.
* Sen. Robert Peters…
“Individuals sentenced to probation should be afforded the same liberties as ordinary citizens, as long as the liberties are unrelated to the circumstances that landed them on probation,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “Alleviating restrictions on cannabis drug use under supervision for those on probation is a positive step toward true reform.”
Currently, a court can order a person on probation to refrain from using drugs, including substances such as alcohol and cannabis that are legal in Illinois.
Senate Bill 1886 stipulates a court cannot order that a person on probation, conditional discharge, or supervision refrain from having cannabis or alcohol in his or her body unless the presence of an intoxicating compound is an element of the offense charged or the person is participating in a Problem-Solving Court.
“By definition, probation means a person is released for good behavior under supervision,” said Peters. “A person who has demonstrated good behavior shouldn’t be punished for engaging in legal activities.”
Senate Bill 1886 passed the Senate Executive Committee and will now head to the Senate floor for further consideration.
* SB2260, also from Sen. Peters, is heading to the Senate Floor…
With the intention to expand upon domestic violence laws, State Senator Robert Peters passed a measure through committee on Wednesday to protect victims of gender-based violence.
“Current domestic violence laws unfortunately have loopholes that can cause incarcerated survivors to get their resentencing request dismissed,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “Expanding upon current domestic violence laws and including protections for victims of gender-based violence helps survivors during their fight for freedom.”
Under current law, relief from judgement following a domestic violence incident is applied when the survivor’s offense was related to having previously having been a victim of domestic violence.
Senate Bill 2260 expands the relief from judgment process for resentencing to include certain offenses committed by a victim of gender-based violence who was unable to present evidence of gender-based violence at trial.
“Supporting survivors of gender-based violence advances true social justice,” said Peters. “Incarcerated survivors should be given a clear path to request resentencing.”
Senate Bill 2260 passed the Senate Special Committee on Criminal Law and Public Safety and will now head to the Senate floor for further consideration.
Two of the youngest members in state legislature history had their first bills pass in the Illinois House this week.
Reps. Brad Fritts and Nabeela Syd, both 23 years old, had bills move to the Senate. House Bill 2963 from Fritts, R-Dixon, passed unanimously on Tuesday and pertains to his hometown’s park district authority to install and operate solar panels at its facilities.
Syed, D-Palatine, received bipartisan support for House Bill 3643 on Wednesday. The bill establishes that students 17 years or older will have their individualized education program plans tailored to promote voter registration. IEP plans are for students ages 3 to 21 who have been diagnosed with disabilities or developmental delays, according to the state board of education.
Some House Republicans expressed concern about involving educators in voter registration. The majority, including Coffey, did support the bill.
* Sen. Tom Bennett advances his bill to remove roadblocks for teachers…
The Illinois Senate Education Committee voted unanimously to advance legislation from State Senator Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) that would remove one of the biggest issues stopping prospective teachers from making it to the classroom. His legislation would suspend the current edTPA requirement, a much-criticized evaluation program that has regularly been cited as a major factor in the worsening teacher shortage. […]
Under current law, prospective teachers are required to pass the edTPA requirement to complete their education program. The edTPA standard has been criticized for being difficult, inaccurate in predicting future performance, expensive for education students, and for taking too much time away from in-classroom training. The requirement has also been blamed for keeping diverse teachers out of classrooms.
Senate Bill 1488, filed by Bennett, would waive the edTPA requirement through August 31, 2025. The legislation would also create the Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force, which would be tasked with developing a new evaluation system for teaching students. The task force would be required to present its findings no later than August 1, 2024.
* Rep. Manley…
I'm happy to announce the unanimous passing of some of my bills in the House of Representatives. As they head to the Senate, I thank my colleagues for their support! Honored to serve as your Representative for the 98th District of Illinois. pic.twitter.com/sQ23LyBdsp
* This bill is in the Rules Committee. Press release…
KIDS TOO, commonly known as the Me Too movement for kids, announced today that they are joining forces with other child advocacy organizations to demand that Illinois Legislators pass HB 3290. This legislation, sponsored by Representatives Katie Stuart, Jehan Gordon-Booth, Amy Elik and Michelle Mussman, is designed to criminalize educators who commit a sexual act toward students ages 18-22 attending classes at a public or nonpublic secondary school.
Educator sexual abuse is pervasive in schools across America, with 1 in 10 children experiencing sexual misconduct by a school official before graduating from high school, according to the US Department of Education. Illinois made news headlines in 2018 regarding its largest school district, Chicago Public Schools, when the high volume of sexual abuse cases and misconduct by educators in CPS was revealed.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was created to serve as an independent oversight body for Chicago’s public, contract and charter schools. Among other focus areas, OIG investigates allegations of sexual misconduct, releasing annual reports with insights on allegations, handling of cases and outcomes. In addition, Faith’s Law legislation and its trailer bill, signed by Illinois Governor Pritzker in 2021, ensures training for educators about grooming tactics and allows school districts to request and receive more in-depth educator employment histories.
In Faith’s Law, however, one loophole for predatory educators did not get closed and still remains: Current Illinois law allows sex between teachers and students older than 17. HB 3290 seeks to close this loophole; last week, however, HB 3290 was assigned to the Rules and Regulations Committee, often known in lawmaking circles as the place where bills are sent to never see the light of day.
* Rep. Canty…
Members of law enforcement, firefighters, and correctional officers who sustain a catastrophic injury in the line of duty will be able to select any health insurance plan provided by their employer under a bill passed by state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights.
“Our first responders put themselves in harm’s way every day to keep our communities and our families safe. When the worst happens, we are morally obligated to support these heroes to the greatest possible extent,” Canty said. “This bill helps first responders who’ve suffered catastrophic or fatal injuries in the line of duty pay for the health care and treatment they need.”
Currently, under the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act, local governments are only required to pay premiums for “basic” health insurance plans, even if it is not the most favorable plan for the injured, and even if the injured was on a different, more expensive plan at the time of injury. House Bill 3249 would require public employers to offer employees eligible for health insurance benefits under the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act who face a catastrophic injury the choice of any health insurance plan available to currently-employed full-time law enforcement, correctional or correctional probation officers, or firefighters.
“This bill is a common sense solution that treats our first responders with the dignity and respect they deserve,” Canty said. “I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this essential legislation, and I urge the Senate to pass this bill and support first responders across Illinois.”
House Bill 3249 passed the House with no opposition, and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
In the latest poll conducted by Victory Research on March 20-22, Paul Vallas saw his lead over Brandon Johnson shrink from six points to two, 46.3% to 44.2%, from the previous poll conducted March 6-9. […]
While nearly 10% of voters remain undecided, 15.5% say they could still change their mind.
More here, but some trends outside of the 3.45 MoE are emerging as voters get to know the two candidates better.
By far the most important trend is that even after several high-profile endorsements by Black leaders, Vallas’ support among Black voters has dropped by 13 points since the last poll taken March 6-9. Johnson’s Black support is up by 11 points.
Johnson’s support is rising among women (up 4 points), men (up 6 points), age 46-60 (up 5.5 points), and progressives (up 11 points). Again, at least some of this is because people are just finding out who he is (and are overcoming their anger/disappointment that their first round candidate lost).
Vallas is up among men (4 points), White voters (10 points), Latino voters (6 points) and conservatives (10 points). His support among women is essentially unchanged, which is not a good sign.
And undecideds are down from 16 to 10.
…Adding… I chatted last night with an elected official who said the same exact thing, but I didn’t check all three of the pollster’s results today. Vallas is in the mid 40s, where he has been pretty much the whole time. Is 45-46 a Vallas ceiling? The elected thought it was and that Johnson would overcome it. We’ll see…
Victory Research has done three polls of a Johnson-Vallas runoff:
2/12-15: Vallas 46, Johnson 33 3/6-9: Vallas 45, Johnson 39 3/20-23: Vallas 46, Johnson 44
Vallas steady at 46 while Johnson is consolidating support. Looking to be a very tight race. https://t.co/Z6cBRY86HE
* Eric Zorn makes a good point today that Johnson’s endorsements are almost all expected in one way or another. Vallas’ backing, however, has included some shockers, including Jesse White. Whether it does him any good or not is yet to be seen.
* Oh, for Pete’s sake…
In debate, Brandon Johnson says the CTU never called for the removal of police officers from CPS schools, but the union signed a 2020 resolution asking the school board to phase out SROs. (CBOE shot it down, but LSCs did vote individually to remove some): https://t.co/HmWySrqd2Ipic.twitter.com/9LYPtzS7pX
Mayoral candidate Paul Vallas will be endorsed Thursday by leaders of Cook County Democratic Women, a grass-roots organization that works to ensure that women have a presence and a strong voice in national and local elections.
* And now let’s look at Senate Bill 2339, which was introduced back in 2018…
Provides that if a law enforcement officer detains a minor for an act that if committed by an adult would constitute vehicular hijacking, aggravated vehicular hijacking, or possession of a stolen motor vehicle, the officer shall deliver the minor to the nearest juvenile officer as provided under the Act. … Provides that should the court order detention, the minor shall be detained, pending the results of a court-ordered psychological evaluation to determine if the minor is a risk to himself, herself, or others.
The bill was sponsored by then Sen. Tony Muñoz. It was amended in the House and then died in the Senate. Brandon Johnson weighed in at the time…
More legislation that criminalizes black children? This is stale & reinforces the attitudes that have led to the mass incarceration of Black people in our nation. Tired of being scapegoats to ignite fear and outright fantasies about the nature of crime in our city #VoteNo#SB2339
Chicago is dealing with a major spike in carjackings, with the Chicago Tribune recently reporting that vehicle thefts are up 55% since last year, the largest increase of any U.S. city. But when the state senate unanimously passed a bill to remove loopholes that allowed carjacking suspects to be immediately released with little penalty, Brandon Johnson spoke out against it.
Johnson’s opposition to this common sense public safety measure, coupled with his embrace of the extreme “defund the police” movement, raises significant questions about whether he can be trusted to make Chicago safer according to State Senator Antonio Munoz, who was the lead sponsor of the car theft legislation. Senator Munoz is announcing his endorsement of Paul Vallas for Mayor.
“Chicago has a serious crime problem and we need a Mayor who will side with the victims, not with the perpetrators like Brandon Johnson has done over and over again,” said Senator Munoz. “Brandon Johnson’s approach of defunding the police and opposing stricter penalties for carjacking is the last thing Chicago needs, and that’s why I’m supporting Paul Vallas for Mayor.”
Senator Munoz will be available for comment, if you would like to schedule an interview please contact xxx@xxxxxx.com.
Johnson’s extreme position on crime is clearly out of the mainstream in Chicago, with numerous public opinion polls showing that public safety is the number one issue and residents want more police presence in their neighborhoods.
“Carjacking is an epidemic in our city and it’s shocking that Brandon Johnson tried to stop legislation to ensure that car thieves are held accountable,” said Vallas. “I’m proud to have Senator Munoz’s support because he has a real record of making our community safer, and Brandon Johnson has proven that he can’t be trusted to reduce crime.”
Separately, Johnson’s campaign has manufactured an endorsement and claimed it’s Vallas’.
Context: Oppo research revealed Vallas on a conservative radio show a few years ago claiming Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot “act like dictators” for their pandemic executive orders.
The oppo prompted Republican Darren Bailey to talk about it on his Facebook live page, which Johnson’s team is calling an endorsement for Vallas. Bailey didn’t endorse anyone.
Johnson’s team isn’t giving up on pinning the Republican label on Vallas, who was officially endorsed Wednesday by former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. Vallas was Quinn’s running mate in his failed 2013 race against Bruce Rauner. Though Vallas’ more recent stumble might be spending too much time on conservative talk shows.
It’s right that Bailey didn’t endorse Vallas, as we discussed yesterday. But Bailey didn’t just “talk about” Brandon Johnson. Bailey said that if Johnson was elected, “it’s going to be a dark day.”
Also, it’s not just that Vallas spent a lot of time on talk radio shows, for crying out loud, it’s what he said on those shows and in other venues. For instance…
After enacting $5.4 bi. in permanent tax hikes Pritzker thinks he can fool voters by offering $1 bi. in temporary election year tax relief. Meanwhile proposed state budget is unbalanced for 21st straight yr despite in $8.1 new Fed COVID relief.@MaryAnnAhernNBC@AmyJacobson@wttw
Vallas: Pritzker of course just announced that he’s lifting the mask mandate. You know, the science, it’s like, it’s more political science.
“Political science” was a common phrase used by covid deniers. Just sayin.
* An excerpt from the Sun-Times story on Johnson’s meeting with the Crain’s editorial board…
“Of course, we need the support of Springfield and the City Council [for things like the transaction tax]. … Yes, there’ll be some push and pull on this,” Johnson said.
“That’s why I’m best suited for this position. … I am collaborative. I have relationships in Springfield. My opponent has to figure out how he’s going to convince Democrats to work with him.”
He noted he “used to work” for Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and that Johnson’s three kids “grew up together” with Speaker Chris Welch’s children.
Johnson contrasted his relationship-building approach to Paul Vallas, whose Republican supporters condemned Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his stay-at-home orders during the pandemic.
“You certainly can’t expect the governor to respond to someone who calls him a dictator,” he said.
Johnson could probably offer to babysit the Speaker’s kids for free anytime, anywhere and he still couldn’t pass that transaction tax. It’s folly. But, yeah, decent point about Vallas. A case can be made that New York City’s mayor hurt the Democratic Party last year by focusing on their soft on crime ways. Vallas could be much, much worse.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Chalkbeat | Chicago school leaders foresee declining revenue but promise more investments: A district report last fall noted the city has shifted costs onto the district and could offload more expenses amid a transition from mayoral control to an elected school board. The report described the district’s financial outlook as “fragile” and warned of a potential $628 million deficit by 2026, which represents about 6% of this year’s $9.5 billion budget.
* Sun-Times | Johnson won’t identify ‘plan B’ for revenue if City Council, legislature resist tax hikes: Johnson’s plan to help bankroll an array of new social programs is the cornerstone of his anti-violence strategy. It initially included a “Metra city surcharge” to raise $40 million “from the suburbs.” It still includes taxes on high-end home sales and financial transactions; a revived employee head tax; increased taxes on jet fuel and hotel rooms; and “new user fees for high-end commercial districts frequented by the wealthy, suburbanites, tourists and business travelers.”
* ABC Chicago | Vallas, Johnson spar over Kim Foxx’s performance and policing in schools: “She has led with an incredible amount of integrity. She’s been part of the type of reform that’s needed,” Johnson said. But, Vallas voiced his concerns about Foxx. “She has not been aggressive at keeping dangerous criminals off the street, and the data clearly states it,” Vallas said. … “He remains a paid employee from the Chicago Teachers Union. At the end of the day, what has he run? What has he managed? He’s voted on budgets. He’s never managed a budget,” Vallas said. “We all know someone like Paul who has failed over and over again and continues to be allowed to fail up,” Johnson said.
* CBS Chicago | Johnson, Vallas get heated in attacks on each other’s positions in roundtable forum: One question raised at the forum to which the candidates’ positions has not made headlines before was whether Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has made Chicago safer. Neither Johnson nor Vallas directly answered the question, but their responses did not suggest they are on the same page about Foxx.
* CBS Chicago | What would Vallas, Johnson do to reverse downtown retail exodus? Both are short on specifics: “Michigan Avenue may have a vision for how they can revitalize – but yet the city regulatory department seems to be an obstacle,” Vallas said. Is Vallas short on specifics? Yes. But so is Johnson. “I’ve thought about this a lot,” Johnson said at a mayoral question-and-answer session earlier this week. “This is really about attracting innovative corporations to the city of Chicago.”
* The Crusader | Coalition of women in ‘spirit of Mayor Washington’ endorses Johnson: Among the scores of women attending a press conference at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in support of Johnson, was Dr. Jacqueline Jackson, wife of Reverend Jesse Jackson. She told the Chicago Crusader, “We intend to win with Brandon because he’s the best man for the job and I’ve always been for the very best.”
* Read Paul Vallas’ answers to Crain’s candidates’ questionnaire : “From the outside, from information that is publicly available, one might reactively advance proposals for spending and program cuts. But that would make proposals and prioritize solely on the basis of the portion of the iceberg that is above the surface, knowing that the greater mass warranting consideration is beneath the surface. This is further complicated by the fact that the city data is routinely flawed or fluffed, that most portions of the city operate without data-driven program and policy performance metrics and milestones, and more at the margin but not inconsiderable, a practice we came to learn in the last cycle of budget hearings of funds appropriated for specific purpose which the administration did not allow expenditure and implementation.”
* Tribune | Public safety and environmental concerns are at the forefront in 10th Ward runoff: Chico and Guajardo made the April 4 runoff out of the five candidates in the Feb. 28 general election. None of the five won a majority of the vote, forcing the runoff between the top two vote-getters. Chico garnered 40.5% of the vote in February while Guajardo got 26.5%, or about 1,000 fewer votes than Chico, but she’s been steadily beating Chico in fundraising.
* The Hill | Chicago mayoral race underscores city’s racial divisions: “Chicago has always been a city that has been very explicitly divided by racial politics,” explained Twyla Blackmond Larnell, associate professor of political science at Loyola University Chicago and faculty affiliate for the school’s Institute for Racial Justice. “Race is definitely one of the major cornerstones of how politics gets done in the city,” she continued. “Power is divvied up according to racial groups, but also you have to account for who in those groups has access to the social, economic and political resources that are needed to win elections as well.”
* The Triibe | What anti-CTU rhetoric in the mayoral runoff election reveals about Chicago: According to several people who spoke to The TRiiBE, anti-CTU rhetoric during the election is grounded in a perceived fear that if Johnson becomes mayor, the issues that CTU has been organizing around for more than a decade, such as education, housing, and healthcare, would lead to the disruption of the city’s status quo and the interests of Chicago’s elite.
* Block Club | 36th Ward Candidates To Debate Northwest Side Ward’s Issues Thursday In Ukrainian Village: Villegas is headed to a runoff April 4 after failing to garner a majority of the votes to secure reelection to his third City Council term. As alderperson, the retired marine has pushed for a universal basic income program and to reinstate the City Council’s Office of Veterans Affairs. He’s also endorsed a plan to reopen the closed 13th Police District in West Town, which was closed in 2012 as part of a citywide consolidation of police resources.
* Lynn Osmond, Larita Clark | Don’t forget tourism in the economic development equation: We all agree that Chicago is a great destination to live, work and play. As we look to the future, we want to work with the next mayor to continue to build a positive narrative about Chicago. This does not mean ignoring our challenges; rather, it is about recognizing our strengths while working to address our weaknesses. We need to share the positive stories about the city we love and talk about why Chicago is a great place to visit.
* Block Club | Tickets, Signs Not Stopping Illegal Parking In Bike Lanes Where 2 Cyclists Killed, Northwest Siders Say: The 3800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue near North Kilbourn Avenue — which has seen two cyclists killed since 2019, car crashes, illegal parking and ongoing construction — has been set to receive concrete curb barriers since the second half of 2022 as part of the city’s bike safety upgrade to the area — but less than half of the Milwaukee stretch has completed barriers.
* Subscribers were given more info earlier today. Press release…
Today, the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) has released details of its unprecedented effort to prevent extremist conservatives from implementing regressive platforms on school and library boards throughout the state. As national groups continue to funnel dark money into Illinois to prop up fringe candidates, DPI is fighting back to defend its values of diversity, equity and inclusion that make our education system stronger for our children.
“Illinoisans deserve to know the truth about candidates’ ideologies before they head to the ballot box, and DPI will make sure voters have the resources they need to make their decision,” DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez said. “As conservative groups attempt to mask their radical agenda behind supposedly nonpartisan candidates, DPI is committed to supporting credible candidates who will oppose efforts to ban books, revise history, and limit reasonable sex education. We can’t afford to sit back while kids and families are at risk.”
Following an extensive analysis of over 500 districts, DPI has identified 84 recommended and 74 opposed candidates in school and library board races across the state. Opposed candidates include those affiliated with extreme national conservative groups as well as those aiming to implement anti-equality, anti-truth agendas in their districts. Some of their radical political platforms include banning books, teaching revisionist history, ignoring common sense public health measures, and blocking comprehensive sex education.
This unprecedented plan will include mail and digital advertising sent to a base of Democratic voters in target districts, reaching hundreds of thousands of individuals and households in Illinois. The paid communications program will highlight extremists on the ballot, support credible community advocates that DPI recommends, and direct voters to DefendOurSchoolsIL.com, where they can find additional information about races in their districts. In addition, the Party is supporting direct voter contact efforts through consultation and candidate training led by DPI’s Regional Political Organizers. DPI will invest nearly $300,000 statewide to support recommended candidates and expose fringe candidates.
“We’re providing organizing support alongside direct mail and digital communications to make sure we reach voters where they are, especially in these typically low-information races. Many extreme national groups know that they can hide their regressive agendas behind so-called nonpartisan candidates due to a lack of access to clear and accurate information about the names appearing on ballots,” DPI Executive Director Ben Hardin said. “We’re proud to implement this innovative program to make sure voters everywhere can support candidates who align with their own values despite efforts from right wing groups to disguise their real platform and take over our school boards.”
This initiative is launching as DPI implements a new party building directive under the leadership of Chair Hernandez to provide year round support to Democrats through grassroots organizing and continuous voter engagement.
The Illinois House on Wednesday approved a measure that would allow the Illinois secretary of state’s office to deny grant funding to public and school libraries if they ban books or fail to devise policies against removing titles from their stacks.
The 69-39 party-line vote in the Democratic-led House reflected the partisan divide on the book-banning issue both in the state and nationally. The bill will now move to the Senate for consideration.
Illinois has not seen as many cases of book bans or attempted bans as states that lean more Republican, according to some research. But according to the secretary of state’s office, citing figures from the Chicago-based American Library Association, there were 67 attempts to ban books in Illinois in 2022, up from 41 the year before.
Democrats say book bans often discriminate against the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups, while Republicans have argued that some titles need to be out of the reach of children if they contain pornography or obscene imagery.
During debate between state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, and Stava-Murray, the question of parental rights was raised.
“Could you ask if that they not be taken to the library,” Stava-Murray said.
“I don’t think they should be completely kept from the library because there may be one or two books, I think they should be able to go to the library like every other kid,” Davidsmeyer said.
“And you’re not confident that your parenting has instilled in your children their own ability to choose their own books?” Stava-Murray said as Republicans booed.
“I know for a fact that my parenting will allow my children to pick the right book,” Davidsmeyer said.
Huh. For some reason, they left out Rep. Stava-Murray’s retort…
“I know for a fact that my parenting will allow my children to pick the right book,” he said.
“So then let the other children read the books too,” Stava-Murray replied.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias on Thursday plans to announce $21 million in grants to police departments and task forces across the state in an effort to tamp down on a three-year surge in armed carjackings.
More than half of that funding is earmarked for the Illinois State Police and the Chicago Police Department as the city grapples with some of its highest numbers of carjackings in at least a generation.
“It’s destroying communities,” Giannoulias told the Sun-Times ahead of the grant announcement. “It’s causing people to leave the state, making people second-guess putting their kids in the backseat. It can happen at 10 in the morning or 2 in the afternoon.
“We want to give law enforcement every resource we can to help identify and prosecute these criminals,” said Giannoulias, the first-term Democrat elected last year to replace the long-serving former Secretary of State Jesse White.
* Press release…
In an effort to combat the surge of carjackings and motor vehicle thefts in Illinois, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is awarding grants totaling more than $21 million to six police organizations.
The funding originates from the Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council, which is overseen by Secretary Giannoulias’ office. The Secretary of State’s office convenes regular meetings of council members and awards funding to assist law enforcement entities – including the Secretary of State Police – to combat carjackings and prevent motor vehicle thefts.
“There is no single solution, but these grants give law enforcement needed financial resources, which will provide a greater sense of focus and effort to recover stolen vehicles and prevent carjackings that have been occurring all too frequently throughout our state,” said Giannoulias. “People doing something so routine as getting in their car and driving shouldn’t have to fear that they’ll be robbed of their vehicle at gunpoint. Working together, we will continue to not only make our roads safer but also our communities, neighborhoods and business districts.”
“ISP’s expressway safety enforcement effort brings together the full force of patrol, investigations, license plate readers, air operations, and other assets,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “These grant funds will energize and sustain those efforts to pursue violent offenders and keep reducing violence.”
“Partnership is essential as we work to prevent and investigate vehicular hijackings and motor vehicle thefts,” said Interim CPD Superintendent Eric M. Carter. “This grant funding will help us bolster these efforts and create a safer Chicago.”
“The Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Taskforce (ISATT) will use this money to expand our investigations into crimes related to vehicular hijacking, auto theft, insurance fraud, rogue tow operators and recyclable metal left,” said Secretary of State Police Lieutenant Adam Broshous, Director of ISATT. Lieutenant Broshous noted that nine of the 22 sworn officers that make up ISATT are part of the Illinois Secretary of State Police.
In 2022, there were 1,655 reported carjackings in Chicago, more than triple the amount in 2012, according to city figures. Meanwhile, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reports that Chicago saw auto thefts rise 55% in 2022, an increase greater than every other city in the nation. In 2021, the NICB reported there were 13,856 auto thefts in the city, which increased to 21,516 auto thefts in 2022. Statewide, vehicle thefts rose from 28,557 in 2021 to 40,505 in 2022, according to NICB’s most recent data.
Over the course of the next several weeks, Giannoulias will provide the police organizations the below grants. These initial funds are earmarked for use in the upcoming year, and organizations can request full or partial grant renewals over the next three years to continue efforts to prevent carjackings and motor vehicle thefts:
Expressway Safety Enforcement Group (ESEG) $10,264,503
Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force (ISATT) $3,381,759
Metro East Auto Theft Task Force (MEATTF) $2,456,527
Greater Peoria Auto Crimes Task Force (GPACT) $2,150,700
Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force (TCAT) $1,841,000
Chicago Major Auto Theft Investigations (CPD) $1,451,011
[Total] $21,545,500
The Secretary of State’s office collects an annual $1 assessment on automobile insurance policies from the insurance industry to fund grant awards. In addition, the Illinois General Assembly appropriated an additional infusion of $30 million last year to combat statewide carjacking and motor vehicle theft.
The council is made up of 11 members who discuss strategies to prevent carjackings, motor vehicle theft and recyclable metal theft. This council fell under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority from 1991-2017. Since 2018, the council’s work has led to 4,726 recovered vehicles valued at $92 million.
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…
Today, Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) announced $20 million in grants have been awarded to 116 non-profit organizations across the state through the 2022 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). The funding will be used to help organizations strengthen efforts to protect against public safety and security threats. Many of the grantees are places of worship, reproductive health providers, cultural institutions, and education centers who were deemed at high-risk of a terrorist attack.
“As Governor, my top priority has always been—and will continue to be—keeping Illinoisans safe,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This $20 million investment will provide grantees—from mosques and synagogues to education centers and cultural institutions—the resources they need to enhance safety measures amidst the rising tide of extremism. From Skokie to Peoria, Illinoisans deserve to be able to congregate safely with their communities, and that’s exactly what the Nonprofit Security Grant Program achieves.”
“When the nonprofits that provide spaces to worship, create, and educate are secure, our communities grow and thrive,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “In Illinois, we stand against extremism and hate. These statewide grants are part of our sustained commitment to help broaden protective measures so all Illinoisans can feel safe and well.”
Funds must be used for target-hardening activities, which include active shooter trainings, the purchase/installation of security equipment on property owned or leased by the not-for-profit organization, and the hiring of contracted security personnel. Security enhancements must be for the locations that the not-for-profit occupies at the time of the application, and the projects must be fully completed during the three-year (36 month) performance period.
“At a time when threats against cultural and religious institutions have occurred in record numbers, this critical security funding is particularly important,” said State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield). “I am grateful to Governor Pritzker and IEMA for getting these resources to the places they are needed most.”
“Though we have taken historic steps to make Illinois the most welcoming state in the nation, there has been a rise in anti-Semitism, anti-Asian American hate, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and hate crimes,” said State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago). “We must stay vigilant and provide as many tools in the toolbox as possible to root out hate. In that vein, I am grateful to the advocates and the work that was done to allocate resources to organizations in our communities to protect our constituents from harm.”
“The 116 non-profit groups will be able to immediately purchase and implement safety measures at their facilities,” said IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. “Security equipment, facility hardening, and other operational actions are just some ways these groups are increasing safety measures for their organizations.”
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the IEMA Office of Homeland Security will continue to identify all expanding threats and work collaboratively with partners to monitor all enhancements and document proven successes.
* We talked yesterday about prosecution witness Tom O’Neill’s testimony against the ComEd Four. Today, let’s look at his cross-examination. Tribune…
“Did Mike McClain ever tell you that Speaker Madigan was guaranteed to support ComEd’s legislation?” McClain’s attorney, Patrick Cotter, asked at one point. O’Neill responded no.
To my eyes, that kinda plays in to the prosecution’s case. The feds claim the reason for the alleged bribery scheme was to make sure a sometimes hostile Madigan did what the defendants wanted.
On cross-examination, O’Neill admitted that at no time during the years he was General Counsel did anyone at ComEd suggest that Madigan would do as they wanted in the Assembly because he was being given contracts and jobs for his political allies.
Yeah, but he may not have been in that particular loop.
ComEd’s former top lawyer confirmed Wednesday that he — not ComEd executive Anne Pramaggiore — made the decision in 2011 to hire a law firm with political ties to Michael Madigan as ComEd tried to pass a key bill in Springfield.
So given that Pramaggiore is now on trial for an alleged bribery conspiracy revolving around Madigan, her defense attorney sarcastically asked Thomas O’Neill whether he then went to Pramaggiore, confessed and said, “I lost my head and I just bribed Mike Madigan.”
O’Neill confirmed he did not. […]
And when asked by Doherty defense attorney Gabrielle Sansonetti whether O’Neill believed the effort to hire Reyes Kurson “was connected to legislation,” O’Neill told jurors, “No, I did not.” […]
The [Reyes Kurson] contract was originally signed in 2011, one day before the Illinois General Assembly overrode a veto by then-Gov. Pat Quinn to pass EIMA. But O’Neill said he didn’t believe the bill was in danger.
Legislative leaders were committed to overriding Quinn, he said.
It may not have been bribery to O’Neill’s eyes at the time, but he wasn’t part of the alleged cabal.
After getting O’Neill to agree that McClain could be “a bit of a pest,” McClain attorney Patrick Cotter on cross-examination said to O’Neill, “At the end of the day, you did what you wanted to do with Reyes Kurson. You cut their hours.” “Yes,” O’Neill responded.
“Did you intend to bribe Mr. Madigan by hiring Reyes Kurson?” Cotter asked. “I did not,” O’Neill said. […]
In cross-examination, Pramaggiore attorney Scott Lassar, a former U.S. attorney for Illinois’ Northern District, pointed out that [Juan Ochoa’s appointment to ComEd’s board] was being pushed by Madigan as a favor to other politicians. U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez wanted Madigan’s help in getting Ochoa appointed. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel also went to bat for Ochoa with ComEd, Lassar said.
Likewise, Joe Dominguez, who was ComEd’s CEO at the time (Pramaggiore had been promoted to CEO of all Exelon-owned utility companies and was Dominguez’s boss), had met with Ochoa and backed the appointment, Lassar said. “That was my understanding, yes,” O’Neill replied.
Exelon CEO Chris Crane also sided with Pramaggiore.
“There are fights you pick and fights you don’t. … I thought it was something we could handle,” O’Neill answered [when questioned by prosecutors “couldn’t you have said no” to the contract].
On cross-examination, Lassar and Cotter both zeroed in on whether O’Neill felt that the hiring of Reyes’ firm was a bribe.
When Cotter asked if O’Neill had “a corrupt intent” when he hired the firm, prosecutors objected and O’Neill did not answer. Cotter then asked, “Did you hire Reyes to bribe Michael Madigan?”
Although a “due diligence” background check conducted on Ochoa also pulled up items from Ochoa’s past – including a property he owned that was foreclosed upon after he’d stopped paying the mortgage – O’Neill said those concerns weren’t top of mind.
O’Neill said he was more concerned with a person close to Madigan having access to exclusive information about ComEd that the utility’s executives only disclosed to board members in their quarterly meetings.
But in a call with Pramaggiore and the CEO of ComEd’s parent company, Exelon, O’Neill said Pramaggiore acknowledged “the Madigan connection,” and said she was “for that.”
“She wanted to go forward (with Ochoa’s appointment),” O’Neill said. “She thought it was important.
* Isabel’s coverage roundup…
* Sun-Times | Defense tries to flip the script in ComEd bribery trial, casting corruption charges as ‘classic, honest, legal lobbying’: When O’Neill took the witness stand Tuesday, prosecutors sought to link the contract for Reyes Kurson to legislation that then passed and drastically improved ComEd’s financial position. Defense attorneys did not get a chance to cross-examine O’Neill until Wednesday, though. Once they did, they tried to offer jurors a different perspective that revolved around “classic, honest, legal lobbying,” a multi-year campaign to pass legislation, and personal connections.
* Tribune | Ex-ComEd lawyer testifies request to put Juan Ochoa on utility’s board came from Michael Madigan: In one of the central allegations in the government’s case, Tom O’Neill, ComEd’s former chief lawyer, testified that Madigan wanted former McPier chief Juan Ochoa to get placed in a rare vacant seat on the company’s board in late 2017 and that CEO Anne Pramaggiore was behind the move because Ochoa’s resume came from Madigan. “I did discuss that I had some concerns about someone (recommended by) the speaker’s office being on the ComEd board,” O’Neill said of a conversation with Pramaggiore where he cited “optics” and the possibility that an ally of the speaker would have access to exclusive company information that could go before the board.
* Crain’s | Trial covers flurry of anguished emails over ComEd contract with Madigan ally: ComEd’s legal department, which O’Neill ran, had concluded it didn’t have much work Reyes Kurson was equipped to do and sought to cut back the firm’s hours under its contract with ComEd. McClain, through many emails, negotiated on Reyes’ behalf, addressing detailed items like renewal options and fees. O’Neill, in his second day on the witness stand in a trial that’s expected to last another six or seven weeks, said he was surprised at what a headache the relatively low-priority contract became.
* Bloomberg Law | Ex-Exelon Counsel Testifies About ‘Pressure’ in ComEd Four Trial: McClain was pestering O’Neill and arguing with him over the minutia of the terms of the firm’s contract, and O’Neill said he didn’t understand why the speaker would be so interested in ComEd’s contract with the Reyes Kurson law firm. “I started to wonder if he was using speaker’s name for impact,” O’Neill said.
* ABC Chicago | Prosecutors try to connect Mike Madigan to various utility contracts, hirings: “I’m sure you know how valuable Victor is to our Friend,” McClain wrote in an email to Pramaggiore dated January 20th, 2016. He added that: “I know the drill and so do you. If you do not get involved and resolve this issue of 850 hours for his law firm per year then he will go to our Friend. Our Friend will call me and then I will call you. Is this a drill we must go through?” “Our Friend” is, according to the indictment, one of the ways McClain often referred to Mike Madigan, who in 2017 appears to have exercised his influence with the utility once again.
* NBC | ‘Blue wall’ Democrats urge the White House to give Chicago the 2024 DNC convention: A band of governors, members of Congress and mayors from Illinois to Minnesota to Kentucky signed a letter Wednesday that was first made available to NBC News, calling on both the White House and Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison to choose Chicago.
* Chalkbeat | Chicago schools poised to vote on keeping police on campuses: There are 59 police officers stationed across 40 Chicago Public Schools. Each school will convene a safety committee of administrators, staff, parents, and students before Local School Councils vote by June 2, Chou said.
* WAND | Construction to begin on center for youth in custody in Lincoln: The new center, which was originally announced in February of 2021, will be located at the site of the former Lincoln Developmental Center. Two cottages for housing youth will be renovated with additional cottages for programming and administrative use. A new 27,000 square foot building will serve educational, recreational, and dietary needs.
* Northwest Herald | Legislative action doesn’t always represent the finish line: Some actions, while technically laws, generally stipulate how government operates itself. Often this involves creating a task force responsible for producing a study and perhaps recommendations for further action. It’s impossible to complete the journey without the initial steps, but we don’t celebrate everyone who simply starts the marathon. There are too many examples of task forces that missed reporting deadlines or generated proposals with no chance of passage.
* AP | Musicians fight threat of Tennessee anti-LGBTQ, drag bills: Love Rising, a concert held on Monday in Nashville, featured Grammy-winning artists like Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Hayley Williams and Brittany Howard alongside drag performers and trans and queer singer-songwriters. The following night, the effort continued with a second show, We Will Always Be, featuring a showcase of LGBTQ artists in collaboration with Black Opry.
* Crain’s | United to start air-taxi service to O’Hare in 2025: United is partnering with Archer Aviation, a maker of electric vertical takeoff and landing craft, to provide the service from Vertiport Chicago, a helipad at the Chicago Medical District campus just west of downtown. Pricing details weren’t announced, but United executives have previously said the cost will be similar to Uber’s Black Car service, or about $100 to $150 at rush hour.
* The Atlantic | How Ivermectin Became a Belief System: Since fall 2021, Daniel Lemoi has been a central figure in the online community dedicated to experimental use of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin. “You guys all know I’m not a doctor,” he often reminded them. “I’m a guy that grew up on a farm. I ran equipment all my life. I live on a dirt road and I drive an old truck—a 30-year-old truck. I’m just one of you.” Lemoi’s folksy Rhode Island accent, his avowed regular-guy-ness, and his refusal to take any money in exchange for his advice made him into an alt-wellness influencer and a personal hero for those who followed him. He joked about his tell-it-like-it-is style and liberal use of curse words: “If you don’t like my mouth, go pray to God, because he’s the one that chose me for this mission.”
* Illinois is apparently last in the nation for opportunity zones…
First, IRS data confirms the geographic reach of OZs is enormous. Nearly half of all OZs–roughly 3,800 communities–had received investment through 2020, less than three years after the policy took effect. For comparison, it took NMTC investment 18 years to achieve the same reach. pic.twitter.com/BwydW6Y3s5
Tillamook Creamery plans to expand its operations in 2024 by opening a new ice cream manufacturing facility in Decatur, Illinois, the Tillamook County Creamery Association announced on Tuesday. […]
The proposed Decatur plant was previously owned and operated by Prairie Farms, which used the location for ice cream production prior to closing the facility in 2022. TCCA said that it will spend the next 18 to 24 months upgrading the facility and bringing it up to its manufacturing quality standards.
State Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, said while he never felt intimidated by Madigan, he’s glad he’s not been asked to testify. He said the “ComEd Four” trial is on the top of mind of all legislators at the Illinois statehouse.
“And it’s a real life experience being played out to teach all of us a lesson,” Ford told WMAY.
Ford contends things have changed under new Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside.
“Speaker Welch is a collaborator. He works with his caucus and he does everything to get input and consensus on issues,” Ford said. “Madigan, he worked for consensus too, but … there were some things where he probably just persuaded and wanted it to happen because it was in his estimation time for it to happen.”
State Rep. Wayne Rosenthal, R-Litchfield, who is back in the legislature after eight years away, remembers Madigan always having somebody else being the messenger. He hopes the revelations from released tapes and the criminal cases bring changes to how the people’s business is handled in Springfield.
“When people look at that and they know that that gets highlighted, then maybe it changes their way of doing business,” Rosenthal told The Center Square. “We won’t know for sure for a while, but I think it’s got the opportunity to do that.”
Mayoral candidate Paul Vallas reported another big fundraising haul above $1 million just a few days after reporting a similarly big haul, extending his contribution domination in the runoff.
According to the latest A-1 report filed by Vallas For Mayor this morning, the campaign reported over $1.4 million in contributions from a long list of investors, unions, political action committees and individual contributors. It also further solidified Vallas as the choice of Chicago’s business leaders.
Dude can’t walk down the street without people throwing money at him these days.
Brandon Johnson, the real Democrat for mayor, today released a new TV ad –– “The Difference” –– highlighting the stark choice for Chicagoans this election. In the new spot, Johnson touts his public safety plan and how he will invest in a stronger Chicago without raising property taxes by making wealthy corporations pay their fair share.
I’m Brandon Johnson, the real Democrat for mayor, and here’s the difference.
I’m the only candidate for mayor with a plan to make Chicago safer by finally going after the root causes of crime.
And I’m the only candidate for mayor who won’t raise your property taxes.
My plan invests in our neighborhoods by making wealthy corporations pay their fair share.
The difference is real.
I’m Brandon Johnson, asking you to vote for a better Chicago.
* Sierra Club Illinois…
Today, Sierra Club Illinois announced a lawsuit against Prairie State Generating Co. (PSGC) for operating the Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC) without a permit. Sierra Club’s lawsuit urges PSGC to cease operations until it obtains a lawful CAAPP (also known as a Title V) permit required by the Clean Air Act. The Prairie State coal plant is one of the dirtiest and deadliest plants in the United States.
“No plant is above the law, especially one that is among the most polluting coal plants in the country,” said Christine Nannicelli, Senior Campaign Representative for the Beyond Coal Campaign of Sierra Club Illinois. “PSEC’s owners, like the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) and the Northern Illinois Municipal Power Agency (NIMPA), are actively pursuing federal taxpayer subsidies and investors to install carbon capture technology at the plant. Prairie State should instead be focused on complying with basic environmental laws like the Clean Air Act, not pushing for more taxpayer subsidies for risky, expensive technologies.”
In 2021, Prairie State exceeded federal limits on mercury emissions for a month, prompting a Violation Notice from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), which was issued in January 2022. In 2022, Prairie State emitted almost twice as much carbon dioxide as the next biggest greenhouse gas polluter in the state, and has been the number one contributor in Illinois to ozone-forming nitrogen oxide pollution for the last six years. Soot pollution from the plant contributes to 76 premature deaths each year, making it one of the deadliest coal plants in the country, according to a recently released study on soot pollution from coal plants by the Sierra Club, which used triennial emissions inventory data.
“Prairie State is now on notice that it can no longer operate in violation of the Clean Air Act,” said Megan Wachspress, Staff Attorney with the Sierra Club Environmental Law Program. “A Title V permit is a fundamental operating requirement for major stationary sources under the Clean Air Act. These permits include limits on how much mercury, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide a plant is permitted to emit and impose monitoring and reporting requirements. The people of Illinois must also have the opportunity to comment on the terms of the Title V permit to ensure the IEPA protects their health from Prairie State. By filing this lawsuit, Sierra Club aims to protect Illinoisans and our environment from the Prairie State coal plant’s egregious, decade-long mismanagement and deadly pollution.”
The Prairie State coal plant is owned by nine utilities that serve 277 municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives across eight states. The plant owners signed contracts directly or indirectly committing themselves to paying off the $5 billion price tag to build PSEC.
…Adding… From Prairie State…
The statement below should be attributed to Alyssa Harre, Vice President of External Affairs & Organizational Strategy for Prairie State Generating Company:
“Prairie State, a not-for-profit owned energy campus, is operating legally under a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). To comply with this permit, Prairie State installed and has maintained more than $1 billion in state-of-the-art emissions control technology and continuous emissions monitoring system.
This action by the Sierra Club’s California-based Environmental Law Program is a politically motivated attempt to circumvent the Illinois regulatory process, the consequences of which will bring instability to our electric grid to the detriment of the consumers we serve.
Prairie State remains committed to working with the IEPA to maintain compliance with environmental regulations and will not let this lawsuit distract from our mission of providing value to the communities served through the continued production of reliable and affordable power, all while providing jobs and maintaining economic prosperity for hardworking men and women across downstate Illinois.
As the lawsuit was filed today, March 22, Prairie State is currently reviewing the Sierra Club’s complaint and will respond through the appropriate channels.”
* Illinois State Board of Education press release…
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has highlighted Illinois as a national leader in advancing students’ mental health using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds set aside for state use. The national education organization featured the Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH) Statewide Initiative, which is a collaboration between the Illinois State Board of Education and the Center for Childhood Resilience at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and other key partners, at its legislative conference in Washington, D.C., on March 21. The annual conference convenes state education agency leaders from all 50 states and additional U.S. territories to highlight best practices.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) today announced $175 million in available grant funding through the Back to Business (B2B) program. Following state recovery for businesses totaling nearly $1.5 billion, the latest American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) -funded opportunity is designed to provide additional support for the hardest-hit sectors, including restaurants (B2B Restaurants), hotels (B2B Hotels), and businesses or organizations in the creative arts sector (B2B Arts). To provide hands-on support and raise awareness about the program, the State has mobilized a network of more than 100 community navigators across Illinois.
“In the three years since COVID-19 brought our state, our nation, and our world to a standstill, Illinois businesses have come back swinging—in part thanks to our Back to Business program,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “My administration is committed to helping small business owners move past survival and onto long-term success—and this latest investment of $175 million in B2B grants does exactly that.”
As outlined in statute, B2B Arts and B2B Restaurants grant award amounts will be determined by revenue declines, as reflected on tax returns, and funding for hotels will be allocated by number of rooms. Applications are open from April 5 through May 10, 2023 and awards are expected to be made several weeks after the deadline date. All eligible applicants will receive a grant as long as the business meets eligibility requirements and submits proper documentation and attestations.
The program design is based on legislation establishing the Restaurant Employment and Stabilization Grant Program ($50 million), Hotel Jobs Recovery Grant Program ($75 million) and the Illinois Creative Recovery Grant program ($50 million). The funding is designed to offset losses and support job retention in the hardest-hit industries. […]
DCEO has enlisted a robust network of more than 100 community navigators to conduct outreach and provide technical assistance in the hardest hit communities. Community Navigators will be conducting outreach, hosting webinars, and supporting prospective applicants to prepare before the application opens on April 5, 2023. This is in addition to available small business support available through Illinois’ network of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs).
In order to manage a high volume of applications in a timely manner, DCEO has enlisted a program administrator – the National Community Reinvestment Coalition Community Development Fund (NCRC CDF) – to support with application review, provide technical portal support for applicants, manage the development of the application portal and provide support in processing payments.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Fox 2 | Illinois strengthens regulations on health insurance companies following Blue Cross Blue Shield investigation: Under the new rules, health insurance companies will need to clarify the distance a doctor is from a patient in their directory in two ways. One listing includes the distance between the patients address and the provider if a straight line was drawn between the two. The other is the distance and time it takes to drive to the provider’s office from the patients house. Before these new rules, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois was only including the former on their directories.
* Fox 2 | 2nd Illinois prison guard sentenced: According to the release, the government presented further evidence that Sheffler, as the lieutenant and senior officer to co-defendants Hedden and Banta, not only participated in the assault but had a duty to intervene to prevent it. The assault resulted in serious bodily injury to Earvin, including multiple broken ribs, a punctured mesentery (tissue in the abdomen), and other serious internal injuries, and resulted in Earvin’s death in June 2018.
* HuffPost | Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker Takes Swipe At Chicago Mayoral Candidate Paul Vallas: Pritzker campaign spokesperson Natalie Edelstein replied with a statement that both defended Pritzker’s conduct and took a subtle jab at Vallas, homing in on his affinity for right-wing talk radio. “Throughout the pandemic, Governor Pritzker spent every day fighting to save people’s lives and livelihoods,” Edelstein said. “He did it by following the advice of the nation’s best virologists and epidemiologists, many of whom are at Illinois’s world-class research institutions and hospitals.” “Leadership requires making tough choices and not pandering to the loudest voices driven by politics,” she added. “The next mayor of Chicago may be called upon to lead in a similar type of emergency and residents deserve to know if their next Mayor will listen to experts or instead to right wing talk show hosts when making decisions about people’s lives.”
* Tribune | Naperville stopped ticketing students at school. But it’s still pushing a 3-year-old case about AirPods to trial.: Her attorneys asked the judge at the end of February to dismiss the case, noting that the original ticket accused her only of having the classmate’s AirPods, not of intentionally taking them, which is required to prove theft. In response, prosecutor Joseph Solon Jr. updated Naperville’s allegation to state that Harris had “knowingly” taken the classmate’s AirPods. Judge Monique O’Toole set a hearing for next month to give Harris’ attorneys time to formally respond.
* Crain’s | State Farm nearly matches last year’s record pay for CEO despite deep losses: Unlike most companies its size, State Farm doesn’t pay its executives in stock as well as cash. As a mutual insurer, it’s technically owned by its policyholders and doesn’t have publicly traded shares to distribute to execs. So in recent years, State Farm has dramatically increased cash payouts to execs. In 2019 Tipsord’s total compensation was $10 million. That soared to about $20 million in 2020 and then $24.5 million in 2021, a record-setting payday for a State Farm CEO.
* Bob Seidenberg | ‘Neither solicited, nor requested,’ candidate says, turning back two large donations: Second Ward City Council member Krissie Harris said earlier today she has already taken steps to return a pair of $6,000 donations — the most allowed individuals under election law— that critics have maintained were being used to buy influence in Northwestern University’s stadium project. … Harris said the donations came in at a time when she had gone to the hospital for medical treatment, with members of her campaign team holding off notifying her about the money.
* AP | Federal Reserve raises its key rate by a quarter-point: At the same time, the Fed warned that the financial upheaval stemming from the collapse of two major banks is “likely to result in tighter credit conditions” and “weigh on economic activity, hiring and inflation.”
* Tribune | Chicago’s runoff election: Everything you need to know about races for mayor and aldermen: April 4 is the date of the runoff election and the deadline for a mail-in ballot to be postmarked in order for it to be counted. April 18 is the last day that mail-in ballots (postmarked by April 4) may arrive at the offices of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners to be included in the count.
* Tribune | Emergency injunction filed Tuesday to prevent imminent vendor lockout at Little Village Discount Mall: But for merchants, there’s a glimmer of hope, however temporary: They are now waiting on the Cook County Circuit Court to schedule an emergency hearing on their motion for a temporary restraining order. If vendors are locked out of the mall, the complaint filed Tuesday states, they would potentially face irreparable harm and suffer the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars of merchandise and goods, given that they operate on small margins and day-to-day sales.
* AP | 119K people hurt by riot-control weapons since 2015: The vast majority of the data comes from cases in which a person came to an emergency room with injuries from crowd control weapons and the attending doctor or hospital staff made the effort to document it, said the report’s lead author, Rohini Haar, an emergency room physician and researcher at the University of California School of Public Health in Berkeley.
* WSJ | Job Listings Abound, but Many Are Fake: Hiring managers acknowledge as much. In a survey of more than 1,000 hiring managers last summer, 27% reported having job postings up for more than four months. Among those who said they advertised job postings that they weren’t actively trying to fill, close to half said they kept the ads up to give the impression the company was growing, according to Clarify Capital, a small-business-loan provider behind the study. One-third of the managers who said they advertised jobs they weren’t trying to fill said they kept the listings up to placate overworked employees.
* Tribune | Fast-food giant McDonald’s named founding promotional partner of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race: The televised Cup Series event on July 2 will feature a 12-turn, 2.2-mile racecourse, with top NASCAR drivers navigating Grant Park on closed-off streets lined with temporary fences, grandstands and hospitality suites. McDonald’s will have branding on a section of the course, at the start/finish line in front of Buckingham Fountain and additional locations throughout the event’s footprint.
* Sun-Times | Dare I say it? The White Sox get more media attention in town than the Cubs do.: The Sox have been much more interesting than the Cubs for several years. Now, my definition of interesting and your definition of interesting might be completely different, especially if you fall heavily on the Cubs side of the Cubs-Sox demarcation in Chicago. Many Chicagoans do. But from a newspaper writer’s perspective, it’s not even close. The Sox are compelling. The Cubs aren’t.
The mayoral race in Chicago is going to really be interesting, I believe, for the future of Illinois. I’ve said it before, Brandon Johnson has the capability to be as bad if not worse than Lori Lightfoot. And interestingly enough, just yesterday, Pritzker kind of took a swing at Paul Vallas, the other gentleman. Basically, Paul Vallas is being supported by the police unions and Brandon Johnson is being supported by the teachers unions. And the teachers unions have spent, I think, upwards of $2 million supporting him. I want you to think about that, Chicago Teachers Union and the Illinois Education Association is doing the same thing supporting the same caliber of candidates across the state. So think about that. […]
So anyway, those are the things that I kind of wanted to mention be watching for the election coming up for the Chicago mayor’s race because that will be a tale that we will be able to tell if Chicago is remotely ready for change. If they elect Brandon Johnson, it’s going to be a dark day for not only Chicago, but Illinois I believe.
* Bailey didn’t actually “endorse” Vallas, but it was close enough for the Johnson campaign…
“I am proud to support a campaign that is opposed by Republican Darren Bailey. I was proud to support Governor Pritzker when Darren Bailey attacked our governor. And I am proud to support Brandon Johnson when Darren Bailey attacks our next mayor,” said Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “The choice is clear Chicago. Vote for the real Democrat, Brandon Johnson.”
“Paul Vallas followed up insulting Governor Pritzker with an endorsement from Trump Republican Darren Bailey. It is yet another example of why Paul Vallas is wrong for Chicago,” said State Sen. Omar Aquino. “Both Darren Bailey and Paul Vallas have said they think Chicago is a ‘hellhole.’ Enough. Paul Vallas must disavow all extremist right-wing support or admit he is unfit to represent Chicago’s diverse communities.”
“Darren Bailey compared abortion to the Holocaust and Paul Vallas said he is fundamentally opposed to abortion,” said State Rep. Kelly Cassidy. “Paul Vallas and Darren Bailey are two peas in a pod. This is just more proof that Paul Vallas is wrong for Chicago.”
“Both Paul Vallas and Darren Bailey have called our city a ‘hellhole’ and we all know that’s a dog whistle attack on our Black and Brown communities,” said Ald. Pat Dowell, Chair of City Council Budget Committee. “If you don’t love the people of Chicago, then you shouldn’t run for mayor or governor.”
Bailey’s endorsement was made this morning in a Facebook live post, where Bailey also commented that the Chicago mayoral race would be “interesting for the future of Illinois” before directly and repeatedly attacking Brandon Johnson. Bailey said if Brandon Johnson is elected “it’s going to be a dark day for not only Chicago but Illinois” while lifting up Paul Vallas and his backers.
* His spouse, Cindy, is also still stumping. This event was in GOP Sen. Jason Plummer’s district, which the Bailey’s live in. Maybe there’s something to the rumors about her state Senate campaign? I dunno, but stay tuned…
Thank you Marion County, for your continued pursuit of Freedom! I am grateful to my wonderful wife Cindy for speaking on my behalf! My granddaughter Claire accompanied her for the first time! God bless!!!
* This argument, particularly the last excerpted paragraph in Hannah Meisel’s report, is basically the heart of the government’s bribery case. ComEd had to do what Madigan wanted or it could “provoke a reaction”…
On Oct. 26, 2011, the General Assembly overrode then-Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto on the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act, also known as “Smart Grid.”
The override vote came one day after O’Neill agreed to execute a contract with the law firm Reyes Kurson, headed by Democratic operative and bigtime Madigan fundraiser Victor Reyes.
[Former ComEd general counsel Tom O’Neill] described himself as having “relented” after months of inquiries from McClain about whether ComEd’s legal department was going to retain Reyes Kurson, even in the middle of working “around the clock” on the Smart Grid veto override effort. […]
O’Neill was pushed to renew Reyes Kurson’s agreement in the coming months, he told the jury, noting McClain was “engaged, active, relentless at a point” in making the push. […]
Prosecutors sought to firm up O’Neill’s perception by next showing the jury an email McClain wrote to [then-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore] two days later. In the email, McClain admonished Pramaggiore that she had to get involved with the Reyes Kurson contract renewal, or else “provoke a reaction from our Friend” – a nickname McClain used often when speaking of Madigan.
So, I am trying to get my arms around it if you would allow me.
In 2011,we agreed to a contract with them for 850 billable hours of work for each year for three years. I am going through my notes so please forgive me. I may not be exactly accurate.
So, in 2011, because the contract began in the Fall there were no billable hours.
In 2012, we hired them for only 280 hours.
After you learned that we were terribly short on the hours in 2012, you may a concerted effort to use them more and they billed 910 hours in the calendar year, 2013.
In 2014, again with your efforts they billed 1,130 hours. In 2015, they billed 690 hours.
So, forget the exact three year contract for a minute. Three years at 850 hours would be approximately 2,550 hours. 2,550. If you add up the billable hours that my notes reflect, again, you probably have exact numbers they have billed 3,010. 3,010.
I think you said you liked their work.
So, I know you are concerned about how many hours to “guarantee” them. Do you intend to offer something less than 850 per year or could you give me some idea? I know I will hear about it no matter what.
So, I am not displeased. There is no doubt that the company has kept the spirit of their word with this Law Firm. They love working for the company. I think you are professionally okay with their work.
I just would like to get up to speed when you are ready.
I am sure your people may have different numbers or maybe I have done a better job than I thought.
Please advise when it is convenient. I know that Victor is nervous about keeping this relationship. He often talks to me about how great it is to work with your people.
McClain attorney Patrick Cotter promised jurors last week they would “hear no words” linking job recommendations from Madigan with any piece of legislation. The explicit connection has yet to be made, but prosecutors have seemed to work methodically to link the hiring pressure described by O’Neill to key bills.
“Well, I hate to bring this to your attention but I must,” McClain wrote [to Pramaggiore]. “Sorry. I am sure you know how valuable Victor is to our Friend.”
McClain added, “I know the drill and so do you. If you do not get involve [sic] and resolve this issue of 850 hours for his law firm per year then he will go to our Friend. Our Friend will call me and then I will call you. Is this a drill we must go through?”
Pramaggiore wound up forwarding McClain’s email to O’Neill without comment. O’Neill said he also wound up forwarding a separate email to Pramaggiore, without comment, that discussed ComEd’s consulting contract with Roosevelt Group, Reyes’ separate lobbying firm.
“Because I felt he was double-dipping,” O’Neill said.
Pramaggiore’s mantra, according to O’Neill, was essentially, “What’s important to the speaker is important to ComEd.” […]
The defendants’ attorneys contend that the so-called scheme was nothing more than legal lobbying, part of the state’s high-stakes, often-messy politics where myriad interest groups and stakeholders compete for access to lawmakers. […]
Though the contract was unusual because it guaranteed an amount of hours, O’Neill was careful to say that Reyes Kurson did perform for ComEd and that the utility was generally happy with their output.
* As an aside, check out this email. ComEd briefed Moody’s and S&P about their 2011 “formula rates” bill. One of the top items the ratings agencies asked about was “Madigan’s view.”
* Isabel’s coverage roundup…
* Sun-Times | Quinn endorses Vallas over Johnson in April 4 mayoral runoff: Quinn endorsed Vallas for mayor after extracting a promise to renegotiate the proposed franchise agreement with Commonwealth Edison that Lightfoot tried and failed to ram through the City Council in the waning weeks of her administration. Quinn called the ComEd bribery scandal surrounding Madigan — showcased by the ongoing federal corruption trial of the so-called “ComEd four” — the “biggest utility scandal in American history.” “People in Chicago and all over the ComEd service territory were bilked out of millions of dollars by a bribery scheme that went on for nearly a decade. We need a mayor of Chicago who’s gonna be tough on that kind of corporate crime just like street crime. Paul is the best person to do that. I know Paul 40 years. He’s not a shrinking violet,” Quinn, driving force behind the Citizens Utility Board, told the Sun-Times Wednesday. “We should call in the ComEd executives for hearings at City Hall to get to the bottom of what they were doing for almost ten years and specifically ask them why, in light of what they just testified the other day — that they were making record profits in 2022 — why they are not giving refunds to consumers and businesses from their ill-gotten profits,” Quinn said. “They made those profits through illegal conduct and bribery. That franchise agreement should be held up until it’s re-done … so consumers are treated fairly and the company doesn’t get away with highway robbery.”
* Capitol News Illinois | ComEd’s former top lawyer paints Madigan confidant as ‘double agent’ in testimony: O’Neill knew McClain had other corporate clients aside from ComEd as a contract lobbyist, but he also got the impression that Madigan was one of McClain’s clients. “By the way he conducted himself…he represented the speaker’s position on matters, to the point where it seemed like the speaker was his primary client,” O’Neill told the jury Tuesday.
* Center Square | In bribery case, prosecutors shift focus to former utility leader: Prosecutors spent several hours with O’Neill on the stand going through the passage of energy legislation in Illinois as they worked to establish a foundation for their case against former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker, former ComEd consultant Jay Doherty and former lobbyist and state lawmaker Michael McClain. All four have pleaded “not guilty” to conspiracy, bribery, and willfully falsifying ComEd books and records. ComEd is the state’s largest electric utility.
Today in unexpected Illinois "It's just a bill" news…On St Patrick's Day State Rep Cabello (R-Freeport) filed legislation to return the State's legal drinking age to 18? https://t.co/j1du4zkFYI
Today, State Representative Margaret Croke’s legislation to require the other party or intended parent to a pregnancy to pay at least 50% of the pregnant person’s expenses passed the Illinois House. The bill would require at least 50% of a pregnant person’s health insurance premiums not covered by an employer or government program and any medical costs incurred after conception until, and including, costs related to delivery to be covered by the other intended party. […]
The legislation, called the Pregnancy Expenses Act, would be incorporated into the Parentage Act of 2015, which currently allows for a parent to recover “reasonable expenses” incurred during the pregnancy if an action is brought within two years of a child’s birth. The bill is modeled after a similar piece of legislation passed in Utah last year.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where it is sponsored by State Senator Sara Feigenholtz.
* Illinois PIRG, Friends of the Chicago River…
Legislation to phase out the use of single-use plastic polystyrene foam foodware starting in 2024 advanced out of the Illinois House Thursday afternoon on an 67-43 vote.
The EPA estimates that Americans throw away almost 70 million plastic foam cups every day. Twenty-two million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes each year and just over half of that ends up in Lake Michigan alone. Already, eight states and roughly 200 cities and municipalities have enacted bans on polystyrene foam containers.
HB2376, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, is a priority for the Coalition for Plastic Reduction, a coalition of more than 35 organizations across Illinois.
In response to the favorable vote, Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River, a partner organization in the Coalition for Plastic Reduction, said:
“Illinois’ lakes and rivers are among its greatest assets. But plastic pollution puts our waterways at risk, polluting our drinking water and harming wildlife. We can’t recycle our way out of our plastic pollution problem. We need to stop it at its source. Phasing out single-use plastic polystyrene foam foodware is an important step toward addressing single use plastic pollution. We thank Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz for championing HB2376 and call on the Senate to follow the House’s lead in passing this critical legislation.”
The Illinois legislation, HB 1616, amends a previous bill passed in 2019 to extend the deadline for permitting and construction of a pilot pyrolysis or gasification facility in a locally zoned and approved site in either Will County or Grundy County by two years, from 2025 to 2027.
On March 14 the Illinois legislation was set for a third reading in the House. If it passes the House vote, it will move to the Senate. The deadline for it to move forward is March 31.
However, environmental groups are raising the alarm that the push to ease the path for certain kinds of chemical recycling processes could have serious public health and environmental consequences.
“The petrochemical industry is lobbying hard across the country to build chemical recycling plants, which they claim turn hard-to-recycle plastics back into monomers – the basic building blocks of plastics,” three environmental NGOs noted in a statement released March 15. “However, the reality is that pyrolysis, gasification and similar chemical recycling technologies are much closer to incineration in that they all result in burning plastics to create energy.”
* HB2791 was most recently referred to the Health Care Availability and AccessibilityCommittee….
Proud to carry a bill that will help alleviate medical debt.
“The CFPB estimates that Illinois residents owed about $2.5 billion of the $88 billion in medical debt that was on the credit records of 43 million Americans in 2022.”https://t.co/nzk2Fkh5Jx
The Illinois House Tuesday approved State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich)-sponsored legislation creating a pathway for victims under 13 years of age to avoid appearing in open court when providing testimony in abuse cases.
House Bill 2607 passed without any opposition. The measure establishes a presumption that the testimony of a victim who is a child under 13 years of age shall testify outside the courtroom and the child’s testimony shall be shown in the courtroom by means of a closed-circuit television. The presumption could only be removed if the defendant proves the child will not suffer emotional distress by providing testimony in the courtroom.
“Protecting our kids should be our highest priority,” Niemerg said. “Kids should not have to be placed in the same room as their abusers when they give their testimony. We currently make allowances for kids to testify remotely in certain circumstances, but this legislation would make this practice the norm. It is a good idea that is long overdue. The safety and mental well-being of our kids are paramount. I appreciate the strong bipartisan support this legislation has received. I will continue to build support for it in the Senate.”
House Bill 2607 moves to the Illinois Senate for further consideration.
* Illinois Manufacturers’ Association…
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) Education Foundation is pushing for passage of several bills designed to build a workforce of the future by increasing education opportunities and removing barriers that prevent students from exploring jobs in the manufacturing industry.
Nationally, there are nearly 800,000 open jobs in the manufacturing industry, including tens of thousands of available jobs in Illinois. The IMA Education Foundation is dedicated to working with employers, educators, and lawmakers to enact policies that help attract, retain, and grow a skilled workforce. These efforts are vital to ensuring Illinois can continue to experience strong economic growth in the coming decade, as more and more baby boomers are expected to exit the job market and companies will seek to fill the resulting knowledge and experience gaps. […]
2023 IMA Education Foundation Legislative Agenda Items:
- HB 3590: Establishes an advisory committee under the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to make recommendations on removing barriers preventing students from participating in career development experiences. The advisory committee will include representation of several key agencies including the State Board of Education, the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, the Department of Insurance and the Illinois Community College Board. The recommendations must include ways the state can establish a system of providing liability insurance for high school and community college students who are working with employers, including on manufacturing floors, during career development experiences.
- HB 3307: Allows students to take two years of career training education in place of two years of a foreign language that is currently part of the State’s high school graduation requirements.
- HB 3308/SB1450: Creates the Manufacturer Child Care Center Incentive Pilot Program. This pilot program will allow 10 manufacturers to open on-site, employee-only childcare centers at no cost to their employees. The employer is required to follow staffing, medication, background check and liability insurance requirements, but provides an expedited approval process.
- HB 3287/SB991: Creates stipends for manufacturing employees who also serve as teachers by providing financial incentives through stipends from ISBE, subject to appropriation, for a manufacturing employee, in the amount of one-half of the salary of the employee that is employed by a manufacturing company and working within a school district as a licensed career and technical education teacher.
- HB 3286/SB992: Creates state stipends for teacher externships. Requires ISBE, subject to appropriation, to provide stipends for teachers who participate in externships with a manufacturing company in this State. The externships experience is designed to give teachers the opportunity to spend time outside of the classroom and in manufacturing facilities.
The Illinois House sent 41 bills to the state Senate on Tuesday ahead of a scheduled Friday deadline.
The measures, among others, included a ban on polystyrene food containers, bills focusing on gender inclusivity in state law and a requirement that expectant parents have a “duty” to split pregnancy-related costs, including for abortions. […]
The long-debated idea of building a cargo-oriented airport and shipment center in Chicago’s south suburbs could get another look under one bill that passed the House.
House Bill 2531, by Rep. Will Davis, a Homewood Democrat, calls on the Illinois Department of Transportation to establish a process for prequalifying entities that could offer a public-private agreement to develop such a project.
* SEIU Healthcare…
Illinois home care workers are raising the alarm on a looming workforce shortage that is creating a crisis for Illinois seniors who depend on home care to remain living safely at home. On Thursday, March 23, hundreds of home care workers and seniors will rally in the Statehouse rotunda calling for passage of an $18 per hour minimum wage and a revamped paid training program for home care workers serving seniors through the Community Care Program (CCP). […]
Program speakers will call on the General Assembly to create lasting industry change by supporting legislation this session that would lift pay to $18 per hour (SB 1980/HB 2718) and create standards for paid training for home care workers serving seniors through the Community Care Program (SB 2004/HB 3021).
EVENT DETAILS
WHO: SEIU Healthcare home care workers from across Illinois
A Springfield lawmaker wants to make it easier for agriculture students to skip class – as long as they are learning and getting experience in their fields.
The bill would allow students at a 4-H or FFA competitions or exhibitions to be marked at school as “in attendance” instead of absent.
Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) is the sponsor of the bill. She said it’s important to let students learn through experience without being penalized for missing class, as events can often conflict with school days. […]
The bill is also co-sponsored by Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City). The bill passed the Senate Education Committee Tuesday.
* Sen. Mike Simmons…
To expand coverage of preventative screenings for liver disease, State Senator Mike Simmons advanced legislation from the Senate Insurance Committee on Tuesday.
“The best chance at fighting any disease is early detection,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “This bill will provide liver disease screenings to people who need them, regardless of their health insurer status. Identifying liver disease early improves long-term health outcomes, especially for those most at-risk.”
Senate Bill 1282 requires Medicaid, private insurance plans and government employee insurance plans to cover preventative screenings for liver disease for individuals who are at high risk for liver disease. These screenings may occur every six months, and plans will be prohibited from imposing a deductible, coinsurance, co-payment or any other cost-sharing requirement.
According to the CDC, in 2021, 56,585 adults in the U.S. died from liver disease, making it the ninth leading cause of death. […]i
Senate Bill 1282 passed out of the Senate Insurance Committee Tuesday and awaits further consideration.
The Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission (TIRC) was formed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2009 to investigate claims of torture by former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge or officers under his supervision. TIRC examines claims of tortured confessions and determines whether sufficient evidence of torture exists to merit judicial review. Convicts whom the Commission refers to court then receive a new hearing on whether their confessions were the product of torture and whether they deserve a new trial.
* The last paragraph in this excerpt of a recent Tribune story caught my eye…
A Cook County judge last year moved cases involving allegations of torture by a former Chicago police detective to Will County, because the detective was married to another sitting Cook County judge. […]
But in a surprise move nearly a year later, the special prosecutors assigned to cases connected to former CPD Detective Kriston Kato are taking aim at a 15-year-old statute enacted in the wake of allegations surrounding notorious ex-CPD Detective Jon Burge that created a torture commission to investigate claims of police abuse. […]
The defense attorneys have filed a motion to disqualify Fabio Valentini and Maria McCarthy, former prosecutors now in private practice, from serving as special prosecutors on the case. […]
“They’ve charged the taxpayers about half a million dollars for work on this case already to try to strike down (the) statute,” said Jennifer Bonjean, a defense attorney representing a man who has accused Kato of coercing a confession by torture. “They’re trying to invalidate the crown jewel legislation that responded to our terrible history of police brutality led by Jon Burge.” […]
Among other arguments in their motion, the special prosecutors contend that the commission’s ability to refer cases to judges for a hearing violates the Illinois constitution’s separation of powers clause by infringing on judicial authority. They make a similar argument to that made by prosecutors challenging the elimination of cash bail by the Illinois legislature.
This is a puzzler for sure. Special prosecutors who’ve already allegedly billed half a million bucks for their work now want the whole process dissolved?
Consequently, and for the following four reasons, this Court should dismiss the [Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission’s] referral of the Kevin Murray matter:
• The [Administrative Review Law], which the TIRC Act specifically incorporates, prohibits evidentiary hearings during judicial review;
• the ARL does not authorize the remedies [granting a new trial or vacating a sentence] that Murray seeks in connection with the TIRC referral;
• because TIRC determinations are not “final decisions” and because the TIRC referrals are not “justiciable matters” (i.e., matters where parties with concrete and adverse legal interests have litigated those interests in a civil forum) the circuit court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to conduct any review of those determinations under the TIRC Act; and
• because the TIRC Act requires the circuit court to hold an evidentiary hearing on a TIRC referral, the TIRC Act is unconstitutional where it violates the separation of powers provision in the Illinois Constitution, Ill. Const. 1970. art. II, § 1, because it abrogates the inherent authority of the judiciary to dismiss a TIRC Act claim prior to an evidentiary hearing.
We asked if you’ve ever called your state legislator.
Randy Bukas, Freeport city manager: “Called my state legislators on a number of issues. What’s really nice is when they call me about a municipal issue that’s pending and how it would impact the community.”
Graham Grady: “Called legislators who represent Cook County asking them to support a funding campaign for Brookfield Zoo and the Botanical Gardens.”
Christine Walker: “Called then-state Rep. Julie Hamos when insurance repeatedly denied speech therapy to my son when he was diagnosed with autism. Turns out it was happening throughout Illinois.”
Chris White: “Called my state for help when a health system denied Paxlovid to my kid who was eligible due to their disability.”
I think most people don’t realize how varied the job of a state legislator can be.
* The Question: Have you ever called your state legislator? Explain.
Kane County Republicans are rallying to block a $2 million grant they believe is a Trojan horse that will introduce Democratic influence into how local elections are run.
Just so we’re clear here, this grant was received by the Republican county clerk.
Kane County Clerk John A. Cunningham today proudly announced that the Kane County Clerk’s Office was named as a Center for Election Excellence by the nonpartisan U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, a recognition that the Clerk’s Office is committed to leadership in election administration and looking to develop even more resilient, trustworthy, and voter-centric election administration practices.
Clerk Cunningham said, “I am honored that our office was selected as a Center for Election Excellence. We are one of only ten election authorities in the country to receive this honor. Our office has been a model for other election authorities in Illinois and across the country, and our recognition as a Center for Election Excellence reiterates that. […]
The U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence is a nonpartisan program that brings together election officials, designers, technologists, and other experts to envision, support, and celebrate excellence in U.S. election administration.
Cunningham added, “As a former president of the National Association of County Recorders and Clerks, I built a network of hundreds of election authorities across the country. I understand the value of collaboration, sharing best practices, and discussing innovation and automation. Kane County was the first election authority in Illinois to have a Votemobile and more recently automated Vote by Mail processing equipment. We are proud to be trendsetters in Illinois and across the nation. We look forward to working with the other Centers of Election Excellence to develop new and innovative ways to improve elections for the voters and to help other jurisdictions across the country raise the bar of election administration.”
* Which brings us to the Kane County GOP’s response…
Friends of you haven’t heard, our clerk, Jack Cunningham was awarded a $2 million dollar grant from the US Alliance….
The term has become a catch-all to describe private entities donating millions of dollars to fund the official government vote-counts in the 2020 elections. Chief among them was Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose non-profit, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), gave $350 million to 2,500 election departments across 47 states.
Election officials mainly used the money to buy masks, plexiglass dividers, and other resources to mitigate risks related to the Covid-19 pandemic during the 2020 election.
Following former President Donald Trump’s failed reelection bid, some Republicans pointed to the Zuckerberg donations as influencing the outcome. As a result, several GOP-led states, like Florida, have banned such donations.
Of course Florida banned them. It’s the state where wild conspiracy theories go to be stopped by statutes.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), co-chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, today reintroduced the “End Zuckerbucks Act” in the 118th Congress. This bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations from directly funding official election organizations through donations or donated services.
[Deputy Kane County Clerk John Duggan] said the $2 million grant likely would go toward the replacement of aging voting machines. […]
David Young, who won his seat on the county board in November as an “America first conservative,” said he sees a lot of red flags about the grant. He’s concerned, for instance, that the center may push the clerk’s office to purchase election equipment from specific vendors.
Former Illinois Governor and Taxpayer Advocate Pat Quinn will announce his endorsement of Paul Vallas for Mayor of Chicago on Wednesday. Quinn and Vallas will also discuss the effects of increasing taxes in gentrifying Chicago communities, as well as the current Com Ed corruption scheme and its impact on the city’s utility consumers.
* From Toni Preckwinkle…
Cook County Board of Commissioners President and Cook County Democratic Party Chair Toni Preckwinkle today called on Paul Vallas to directly address his statements attacking Democratic leaders, including Governor Pritzker, President Biden and President Obama.
“Paul Vallas’ right-wing attacks on Democratic leaders like President Biden and Gov. Pritzker are shameful,” said Preckwinkle. “Chicagoans deserve to know if their next Mayor will listen to the experts or right-wing talk show hosts. Paul Vallas must make it clear today: Why does Paul Vallas frequently attack Democrats? Does Paul Vallas side with his Trump Republican donors or does he stand with Democrats across Illinois?”
In recent weeks, news outlets have reported on Vallas’ criticism of top Democrats like Joe Biden and Barack Obama and his far-right social media activity. Now, newly unearthed comments show Vallas on right-wing talk radio, podcasts, and social media calling Gov. JB Pritzker a “dictator” who was “trying to fool voters” by providing tax relief and followed the “political science” when lifting mask mandates.
At last night’s WGN Mayoral Debate, moderator Tahman Bradley asked the candidates how they would hold repeat gun offenders accountable for their crimes. While Paul Vallas described in detail how he would utilize federal charging statutes to take repeat gun offenders off the streets, Brandon Johnson refused to provide any answer at all, raising questions on whether or not he would prioritize prosecuting dangerous criminals to the full extent of the law.
Below is a transcript of the exchange:
Bradley: Mr. Johnson, same question, 60 seconds, what should be the consequences for people repeatedly arrested and charged with gun crimes?
Johnson: Look, here’s the problem. Someone like Paul Vallas that wants to continue to give someone like me a lecture about what I know vs. what he knows is ridiculous, but I’m familiar with that.
As the Chicago Tribune reported: “At one point, Johnson was asked what consequences individuals who are repeatedly charged with gun crimes should face but he did not answer the question.”
Johnson went on to once again wrongly state that it takes two years to become a Chicago police officer, which has been thoroughly debunked by Vallas and the press. He did not address the serious issue of repeat gun offenders being let off on misdemeanors, which Vallas believes is contributing to the city’s crime problem.
“We already know that Brandon Johnson wants to defund the police, but now he won’t even say whether he would push prosecutors to pursue all possible criminal charges against the repeat gun offenders who are terrorizing many of our communities,” said Vallas. “As Mayor I will work with the city, county, state and federal prosecutors to ensure that we are doing everything possible to put repeat violent offenders in jail and get them off our streets and away from our residents. If Brandon Johnson doesn’t agree with that, then that’s absolutely disqualifying.”
* If you want a comparison of how much better Vallas’ 2023 campaign is than his 2019 mayoral campaign, just check out this Tribune story from September of 2018…
Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas has come under fire for the failure of his administration to launch an investigation into how a pedophile became a trusted mentor at a West Side elementary school after sex abuse crimes committed by the school employee and volunteer came to light 18 years ago while Vallas was the city’s top schools official. […]
The statement from Vallas’ campaign also said, “It seems if these community members’ allegations that the principal of Johnson School was aware of — and covering up for — Lovett’s criminal activities were earnestly believed, they would have endeavored to do more than simply send faxes.”
[Vallas] argued that CPS test scores have “plummeted” with only 6% of Black students meeting state standards in math and 11% measuring up in reading.
“It’s abysmal. They’ve lost ten years of gain, in large part because the schools were shut down for 15 consecutive months despite the fierce opposition by Janice Jackson, the CEO who ultimately left in frustration.
Vallas continues to use the pointy wires spin. We’ve discussed this topic before, but let’s look at it yet again. From the governor’s office last month…
Illinois evaluates schools based on multiple measures of performance, including growth, student attendance, climate and culture surveys, and graduation rates. Illinois has among the most rigorous proficiency standards in the nation. Evaluating schools based on growth in addition to proficiency gives us a more holistic understanding of school quality because even if a student starts school below grade level due to living in poverty, a good school can still help that student achieve significant growth. […]
• Illinois has some of the most rigorous learning standards in the nation: ranking fourth most rigorous for 4th grade reading and fifth most rigorous for 8th grade reading. In Illinois, a student needs to earn a level of 4 or 5 to be considered proficient. In comparison, the rigor of Florida’s standards ranks 39th and 42nd, respectively, and a student only needs to earn a level 3 on the state assessment to be considered proficient.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Sun-Times | Mayoral debate: Vallas and Johnson ‘lecture’ one another on the CTU, Donald Trump and ‘working class’ roots: Paul Vallas on Tuesday branded his runoff opponent Brandon Johnson a “wholly-owned subsidiary of the Chicago Teachers Union” that “wreaked havoc” on the city and students by keeping schools closed for 15 months during the pandemic. Johnson countered that Vallas was linked to members of the “extreme Republican Party who did not believe the pandemic was real” and was backed by donors “who also financially supported Donald Trump.”
* WBEZ | Vallas and Johnson ‘lecture’ one another on the CTU, Donald Trump and ‘working class’ roots: Johnson pressed the attack on Vallas as a closet Republican who “fundamentally opposes abortion” and is “supported financially by people who also financially supported Donald Trump.” He argued that Chicago “deserves someone who comes from the working class” and “understands the value of working class people.”
* WTTW | City’s 2022 Overtime Bill Stands at $441M, With $210M Going to Police — Resulting in Sharp Increase Over Last Year: The Chicago Police Department spent at least $210.5 million on overtime, 56% more than in 2021 and more than double the $100 million earmarked for police overtime set by the Chicago City Council as part of the city’s 2022 budget, according to data obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request and confirmed by the department as accurate on Friday.
* WBEZ | Nicole Lee and Anthony Ciaravino face off in Chicago’s first Asian-majority ward: For decades, Chicago’s Chinatown leaders and residents worked to consolidate their political voice under one ward instead of being split into two or three wards for so long. They finally got their wish last year when the ward maps were redrawn — with support from the Black and Latino caucuses — to create the city’s first Asian-majority ward. The 2020 Census showed that Chicago’s Asian population had grown 31% between 2010 and 2020, especially in the greater Chinatown area that includes neighborhoods like Bridgeport and McKinley Park.
* Crain’s | Investors sue Lightfoot administration over scuttled deal next to Michael Reese site: The complaint spotlights the conflict between city’s role in determining the fate of real estate projects and its long-running effort to inject new life into the vacant 50-acre site just south of McCormick Place. It also comes as the outgoing mayor and the team behind the Michael Reese redevelopment project — now dubbed Bronzeville Lakefront — are set to begin infrastructure work on the Michael Reese site, key steps toward construction of a mixed-use campus meant to help revitalize a dormant swath of land near the lakefront.
* Press release | U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley endorses Brandon Johnson for mayor: “On April 4, the people of Chicago have the opportunity to elect a mayor committed to pursuing bold policies that will make real, positive change for everyone in Chicago. Brandon Johnson will be that Mayor, and I am proud to endorse him,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.
* NYT | In Chicago Mayor’s Race, a Former Teacher Rises With Union Support: Loved and loathed, the teachers’ union has emerged over the last dozen years as a defining voice on Chicago’s political left, putting forth a progressive vision for the city that extends well beyond its classrooms. After highly public fights with the last two mayors that led to work stoppages, union leaders see in Mr. Johnson a chance to elect one of their own, a former teacher who shares a goal of rebuilding Chicago by spending more on schools and social programs.
* Sun-Times | Medical debt is devastating Illinois families, a new report shows: The report from the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Legal Council for Health Justice and Community Catalyst describes multiple instances in which patients racked up big bills and the emotional toll that takes because they didn’t know hospitals could have offered them financial assistance. Mandating the screening of patients and identifying those who could benefit from financial help could help alleviate the problem, the authors found.
* The Southern | Abortion opponents from across Illinois protest in Springfield: Organizers of the state’s March for Life said that’s one reason why abortion opponents from around the state gathered Tuesday in Springfield, rather than Chicago, where past events have been held. They hoped to meet with lawmakers and in particular to lobby against legislation aimed at anti-abortion pregnancy centers.
* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights mayor calls accusations of coziness with Bears ‘offensive’: The latest criticism came Monday night during the public comment portion of a village board meeting, when resident Debbie Fisher suggested Mayor Tom Hayes and others would personally benefit from the Bears’ proposed $5 billion makeover of the 326-acre racetrack property.
* WTTW | South Suburban Officials, State Lawmakers Renew Calls for Peotone Airport: An Illinois House committee this month easily passed a measure (HB2531) that would require the state transportation department to proactively seek out developers with the interest and potential of building out the state’s land into a cargo airport within six months of the proposal becoming law.
* Shaw Local | Annual report shows how not alone Illinois dementia caregivers are: The Alzheimer’s Association found that dementia caregivers report higher rates of chronic conditions, including stroke, heart disease, diabetes and cancer compared with caregivers of people without dementia or non-caregivers. Here in Illinois, 64.2% of caregivers reported at least one chronic condition. In my case, I’m still being treated for breast cancer.
* Tribune | Medical debt in Illinois disproportionately affects Black and Latino communities, advocates say: The series highlighted that the number of undocumented seniors 65 and older will increase 1,300% in the next decade and that most are blocked from accessing social programs that many seniors rely on, such as food stamps, public housing, Medicare and Social Security — programs that they pay billions into every year.
* Shaw Local | ISBE data on recovery spending can empower voting public: Sanders’ newsletter reported the 11 program areas have total funding of $748.5 million, representing 10% of Illinois’ almost $8 billion in federal relief. The websites explaining the programs are full of details, which is great for understanding the public administration approach, but the ISBE also is wisely looking to highlight individual success stories.
* Sun-Times | City Council urged to postpone declaration of independence: The Better Government Association and the League of Women Voters have long urged the City Council to shed its rubber-stamp reputation and establish its own rules, committee lineups and chairs, taking back the power they have ceded to the mayor.
* Tribune | Chicago and Cook County each call for 1,000 election judges before April 4: The required training and one long day of work will earn judges $250 and technicians $385. She encouraged veterans, students, those who are bilingual and all residents registered to vote in the county to apply. The county will hold training sessions for people who sign on as election workers through March 28, she said. Online training will also be offered, Michalowski said.
* WAND | Gov. Pritzker names Bria Scudder Deputy Governor: Scudder previously worked in the Governor’s Office as First Assistant to Christian Mitchell, the former Deputy Governor. Mitchell stepped down from his role earlier this month.
* Sun-Times | Notebaert Nature Museum workers urge support for union: The organizing campaign was made public Tuesday in a letter signed by 19 employees of the museum. It asks fellow workers to support the effort and urges museum managers to “honor our legal right to organize a union without facing intimidation or coercion.”
