Afternoon roundup
Monday, May 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I really do like the direction Jeremy Gorner is taking the Tribune’s Statehouse bureau. That shop has produced yet another high-quality story…
While failing to get a budget done by its self-imposed deadline, the Illinois General Assembly passed measures addressing issues ranging from abortion rights to full-day kindergarten during its spring session, which this week goes into overtime.
It was the first full session since the November election, when Democrats won victories in every constitutional office and expanded their overall supermajority in the General Assembly. Despite the single-party control, legislators didn’t complete their work Friday as scheduled and will reconvene Wednesday to get back to work on a spending plan that became complicated by the spiraling costs of a health care program for immigrants.
Here’s a look at some of the bills heading to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
It’s a comprehensive look and well worth your read.
* Heather Wier Vaught…
The law that prohibited out-of-state donations to judicial committees and capped contributions at $500K was permanently enjoined on May 18. The order followed an agreement between the Attorney General and plaintiffs, in which the Attorney General opted not to appeal and the plaintiffs agreed not to file a motion to recover legal expenses.
* This is the very definition of “do-nothing.” From Block Club Chicago…
From the time buses full of migrants began arriving in Chicago last summer, city officials scrambled to find them places to stay. And even when they did, officials often failed to communicate their plans to alderpeople, advocates or other community residents.
Yet as the pace of arrivals built into a humanitarian crisis, the City Council committee responsible for overseeing immigration issues didn’t ask questions or propose solutions.
In fact, for more than a year, the council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights didn’t meet once, though it is tasked with making sure immigrants are treated humanely.
By the time the committee finally convened in late April, the migrant crisis was overwhelming Chicago’s social service systems. With nowhere else to go, families ended up sleeping on police station floors. City officials have turned shuttered schools and park field houses into makeshift shelters, and more migrants are on the way from border states.
But the committee still didn’t take any action.
Hilarious. Not.
* Illinois PIRG…
Legislation to phase out the use of single-use plastic polystyrene foam foodware in state facilities passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly last week and is being sent to Gov. Pritzker for his signature. Also last week, Oak Park became the first municipality to pass a ban on polystyrene foam foodware as part of a broader ordinance tackling single-use plastic waste.
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.
Under the state legislation passed last week, sponsored by state Sen. Laura Fine and state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, no state agency may purchase polystyrene foam foodware after January 1, 2025, and no vendor with a state contract may distribute any foam products to customers after January 1, 2026. Under the ordinance passed by Oak Park, restaurants may not sell or distribute polystyrene foam foodware after January 1, 2024.
The Coalition for Plastic Reduction, a coalition of more than 35 organizations across Illinois championed legislation that would phase out foam foodware statewide starting in 2024. That legislation passed the state House but not the state Senate. The coalition plans to push for the full statewide ban in next year’s legislative session.
* Appellate Justice Jesse Reyes has been gearing up hard to run for the Supreme Court. In the meantime, here’s the Illinois Latino Agenda…
The Illinois Latino Agenda (ILA) is calling on the Cook County Democratic Party to slate a Latino for the Illinois Supreme Court in the 2024 primary election when Justice Burke’s term officially expires. ILA and other networks believe that there are plenty of well qualified Latinos with experience in judicial matters to warrant slating a Latino candidate for the State’s highest court.
Last fall, more than 25 Latino leaders from the community, government, and private sectors, were unified in voicing their disappointment with the Illinois Supreme Court’s appointment to fill the Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court Anne Burke vacancy. The Court denied the historic opportunity to appoint Illinois’ first Latino Supreme Court Justice when it selected Justice Burke’s recommended nominee.
“The Illinois Supreme Court sorely lacks Latino representation in a state where Latinos make up 18% of the population and are one of the fastest growing demographics” Jose M. Muñoz, Co-Chair of the Illinois Latino Agenda, said. “We demand a fair opportunity to elect the first Latino Supreme Court Justice with the support of the Cook County Democratic Party.”
Cook County’s District 1, where the latest appointment was made, has a Latino population that is 26% and growing. The Cook County Democratic Party stands at the forefront of rectifying an inequity that has existed for far too long by slating a Latino candidate that would create a truly diverse elected Supreme Court
“The Illinois Judiciary has a growing number of Latinos, the most it has ever had in its 205 year history, yet a Latino has never sat on the Illinois Supreme Court,” said Juan Morado Jr., Chair of the Latino Leadership Council and Illinois Latino Agenda member. “There is undoubtedly a pipeline of Latino Judges that the Cook County Democratic party can slate for Illinois’ Supreme Court and we strongly urge them to do so.”
“If there was ever a time to bring true diversity and equity to the Illinois Supreme Court, the time is now,’ said Sylvia Puente, Co-Chair of the Illinois Latino Agenda and President and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum. “Latinos are embedded in Illinois, our communities contribute to our state’s economy and culture, and we deserve to be represented at all levels of government, the Illinois Supreme Court should not be an exception.”
Other stakeholders, including political leaders and bar associations, are expected to make their own statements in the upcoming days.
The Illinois Latino Agenda (ILA) is a coalition of 26 Latino leaders, most of whom head Chicago’s largest Latino-serving organizations.
* Harsh judgement on Proft’s part, but all HGOPs were individually asked to sign the letter and these did not…
* And congratulations to all of us for surviving Mass Death Day!…
Luc Montagnier is, indeed, still dead.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* WCIA | Illinois may crack down on generic drug price gouging with proposal advanced in legislature: In the bill, price gouging is defined as “an increase in the price as 30% or more within the preceding year, 50% or more within the preceding 3 years, or 75% or more within the preceding 5 years.” It also must be found the price hike burdens consumers because of little to no competition in the marketplace. The bill does exempt if companies raise the price because of production cost increases.
* WTTW | Illinois Bills Look to Crack Down on Deepfakes and Doxing, Would Allow Civil Suits: Illinois lawmakers are working to catch up with artificial intelligence developments and social media by passing a pair of bills cracking down on deepfakes and doxing. Both measures give victims the ability to bring a civil lawsuit against an alleged perpetrator — a step that has raised alarm from civil liberties advocates and media groups like motion picture and cable organizations.
* Crain’s | New EV registrations: GM, Ford, Rivian chip away at Tesla’s share: EV registrations numbered 257,507 for an increase of 63 percent. Total industry registrations were just over 3.69 million, Experian said, an increase of 8.4 percent.
* Chicago Tribune | Threats of violence don’t belong in the state Capitol. Sen. Neil Anderson must apologize: Nonetheless, the language used by Republican Sen. Neil Anderson of Andalusia during the debate over a bill introduced by Democrat Rep. Katie Stuart was shocking, to say the least. Stuart’s bill, which was debated Thursday, provided (with certain conditions) that “any multiple-occupancy restroom may be identified as an all-gender, multiple-occupancy restroom and designated for use by any person of any gender.”
* Sun-Times | I’ve been riding CTA all my life. It’s time for a reckoning on public transit’s problems.: “I’ve been riding the CTA since my mother was pregnant with me,” Natalie Moore writes. “I don’t mind the peddling, whether it’s music, socks or incense sticks. … But when safety and cleanliness become problems, change must be afoot.”
* Crain’s | Aldermen revive effort to make COVID-era outdoor dining program permanent: The program was twice extended for a year, but when Lightfoot sought to make the program permanent, the effort fell apart amid pushback from the City Council that the ordinance would take them out of the decision making process and because powerful interests had lined up on opposing sides of the closure of a portion of Clark Street in River North.
* Sun-Times | University of Chicago’s new international police academy teaching policing successes of New York, Los Angeles, not Chicago: Homicide rates plummeted in those cities over the past 30 years. “We haven’t seen that same success in Chicago, where murder rates have remained stagnant for 30 years. That needs to change,” said Kristen Mahoney, director of the new academy.
* Sun-Times | From inside Cook County Jail, chess spreads across the globe: Chicago hosted an international conference on teaching chess to detainees in jails and prisons. Officials from the International Chess Federation and corrections agencies from around the world are exploring how chess can be used to help rehabilitate incarcerated people.
* Crain’s | CEO pay disclosures are getting weird: Michael Pykosz’s compensation as CEO of Oak Street Health dropped by $50 million to a “negative” $48.4 million last year. Anders Gustafsson did better at Zebra Technologies, but his pay was a negative $17.5 million. Dover CEO Richard Tobin finished $13.7 million in the hole.
* Community Voices | Springfield’s African American History Museum grows with addition of Executive Director Nalo Mitchell: Nalo Mitchell is the Executive Director of the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum. She sat down with Vanessa Ferguson on Community Voices to discuss how she plans to increase outreach in the community and provide inclusive exhibits. She also shared information about the many things to see in the museum and how her family history ties into one of the featured exhibits.
* County Herald | Illinois Law Enforcement Raises Record $1 Million at #CopOnARooftop Event for Special Olympics: The #CopOnARooftop event, which has become an annual tradition, brings together law enforcement personnel, Dunkin’ franchisees, and volunteers who camp out on rooftops of participating Dunkin’ locations. The purpose of the event is to raise funds and awareness for the Special Olympics Illinois.
* SJ-R | Budzinski, joining local Reps., banned from entering Russia: Following new sanctions from the Biden administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation released a new list of political and corporate leaders banned from entering the country. Joining former President Barack Obama and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, among the 500 added officials on Friday was U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield.
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* News-Gazette…
Danville police are declining to release information about damage recently done to a building identified as the future site of a new abortion clinic.
“Due to coordinating efforts with federal authorities, we will not be releasing information at this time,” said Danville Deputy Police Chief Josh Webb. “The initial release of information will come from either the FBI or the U.S. Attorney’s Office once they have a press release prepared.” […]
The property was sold in March to Indianapolis-based McGhee Investment Group, which has the same address as Clinic for Women, an Indianapolis abortion provider. […]
Damage done to the Danville building followed a May 4 passage of an ordinance by the city council that would ban the shipment of abortion pills and other items intended for abortions.
* Urbana-Champaign Reproductive Justice passes along allegations from the National Abortion Federation…
More from the alleged suspect is here.
*** UPDATE *** The News-Gazette has updated. Was he trying to be a suicide bomber?…
Philip J. Buyno was charged with terrorist threat, burglary, conspiracy to commit arson, attempted arson and criminal damage to property in excess of $10,000.
According to a court filing by Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy, Buyno “intended to cause or create a risk and created a risk of death or great bodily harm by using his vehicle as an incendiary device to burn down the building” at 600 N. Logan Ave., Danville.
The filing also states Buyno drove a vehicle loaded with flammable material into the building at 600 N. Logan, intending to damage the building by fire.
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It’s just a bill
Monday, May 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Capitol News Illinois…
While rank-and-file lawmakers awaited the budget details Friday, several other major, wide-ranging initiatives were filed in a similar last-minute fashion. That included an expansive cannabis regulatory bill, a change to Illinois’ strongest-in-the-nation biometric privacy law, a broad elections bill and an ethics proposal prohibiting political donations from red light camera companies among other reforms.
CANNABIS: A bill that aims to implement a variety of reforms to Illinois’ burgeoning cannabis industry would change dispensary operations and restrictions on craft growers. […]
The amended Senate Bill 1559, among other things, would increase canopy space for craft growers from 5,000 square feet to 14,000 square feet. It would also allow dispensaries to operate drive-thru windows and offer curbside pick-up services, making sure they prioritize medical patients.
BIOMETRIC PRIVACY: Business groups balked Friday after Democrats dropped a bill that would change Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, a first-of-its-kind law that allows individuals to sue companies over improper collection or storage of information such as fingerprints or facial scans. […]
Friday’s amendment to House Bill 3811 stipulates that “the same biometric identifier from the same person using the same method of collection has created a single violation,” but business groups said the language was too vague. They also assailed the proposed fine increase for negligent violations from $1,000 to $1,500 and decried the addition of another type of biometric data to the law – electronic signatures – as a giveaway to trial lawyers.
* SB281 passed through the GA on Friday in shell bill HB2862. The Labor Tribune…
The Illinois AFL-CIO and Chicago Workers Collaborative stood with legislators, advocates and workers on Latino Unity Day to urge the passage of the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act (SB281).
“Passing the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act is a crucial step to address the uptick we are seeing in workplace deaths among Black and Brown workers,” said Senator Robert Peters, the bill’s Senate sponsor. “We cannot continue to ignore the plight of these workers and their families. We must take action to ensure that they are protected from exploitation and unsafe working conditions.” […]
The Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act would support workers by improving safety standards, and mandating equal pay for equal work after a 60-day grace period. It creates a whistleblower right of action to allow worker advocates to bring enforcement actions against abusive employers. […]
The Illinois workforce includes 650,000 temp workers, 85 percent of whom are people of color. Data shows that temp workers are seriously injured at three times the rate of direct hire employees. Furthermore, these workers face high rates of wage theft and are paid, on average, $4 per hour less than their direct-hire colleagues doing the same or comparable work.
* Bloomberg…
Lawmakers are advancing pioneering legislation that would protect people traveling to Illinois seeking abortions from being tracked by out-of-state police.
The bill, approved by the Illinois Senate Friday night, would prohibit local police from sharing data collected by license plate readers with out-of-state law enforcement departments that seek to use it in abortion-related investigations.
An increasingly hostile abortion access landscape, combined with an explosion of law enforcement surveillance technology, has created new risks for pregnant people traveling to obtain abortions even in states where it is legal. Privacy advocates have warned that automated license plate readers (ALPRs) especially, which are used by traffic and law enforcement officials to identify law-breaking drivers, could be a powerful tool for investigators looking to track people’s movements into abortion-friendly jurisdictions. […]
Illinois’ legislation, which is now going back to the House for final adjustments before being sent to the governor, applies not only to law enforcement agencies, but to private businesses or even individuals that have access to license plate reader data.
* State Journal-Register…
Senate President Don Harmon introduced an amendment to House Bill 3062 earlier this week, which sets courtrooms in Sangamon and Cook counties as the only locations where actions alleging constitutional violation brought-on by legislation or executive orders can be heard.
Harmon, along with Gov. JB Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, have often been at the center of recent constitutional challenge lawsuits. The bill passed on a 37-16 vote and now returns to the House for a concurrence vote as part of next week’s extended session.
“These cases are all going to end up in Springfield or Chicago,” he said during floor debate Friday evening, referring to the Illinois Supreme Court’s presence in both cities. “It’s our judgment that it is best to simply, streamline that process and make sure these cases are all heard in an organized fashion.”
Spirited debate led by Senate Republicans claimed the bill would be unfair to many downstate communities due to the extended travel time needed to make it to these courtrooms.
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Question of the day
Monday, May 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy…
In recent months, some individuals have published fake news about the Illinois Republican Party’s policy on endorsements in primary elections. First, it was said that the State Party sent mail in last year’s gubernatorial primary in support of one of the several gubernatorial candidates and against other Republican candidates for Governor. That claim is false. Pursuant to longstanding policy, the State Party did send mail supporting State House candidates in last year’s primary, but did not send any mail in the primary in support of, or against, any gubernatorial candidate.
More recently, it has been claimed that the State Party recently established an “Endorsement Committee.” That claim also is false. Several months ago, I appointed an “Endorsement Policy Committee” to review our current policy of not endorsing in statewide primaries and compare how that is handled in other states including Virginia. That Committee has never met. And, a majority of the State Central Committee appear not to support reviewing that policy at this time.
Therefore, our current policy of not endorsing in statewide primaries will continue for the foreseeable future.
* The Question: Should the Illinois Republican Party take more or less of a role in statewide primaries? Explain.
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* Inside Climate News…
Increasingly, warehouses crop up beside neighborhoods, exposing people living nearby to exhaust fumes from starting, stopping and idling trucks. And these diesel plumes carry a host of potential health threats to the public, including low birth rates, respiratory illnesses, even dementia.
These are the findings of a recent report from the Environmental Defense Fund, an advocacy group that, using proximity-mapping technology, found that about 15 million people live within a half mile of a warehouse in 10 states it examined, including more than one million children under 5 years old. […]
The problem is especially acute in Illinois as a freight-handling, crossroads transportation hub where the study showed nearly two million people, including 138,000 children under 5, live within a half mile of a warehouse. […]
The Environmental Defense Fund tallied 17,600 warehouses in the 10 states it examined, 2,401 in Illinois, with the homes of Black, Latino, Asian and American Indian people disproportionately affected. […]
The pattern of unequal warehouse distribution holds across all states, the study found, but in Illinois, the disproportionality is double what would be expected given the state’s population. The same was found to be true for Colorado and Massachusetts.
* Last month, Warehouse Workers for Justice released a report detailing air pollution in Joliet and Elwood. Herald News…
Warehouse Workers for Justice on Wednesday released a report saying air pollution in residential areas in the vicinity of the Joliet and Elwood intermodal facilities is at unhealthy levels and urging a move to electric trucks.
The report comes after a study by WWJ monitoring pollution from particulate matter 2.5 in the air at four locations in Joliet and Elwood over eight weeks.
“This report was born from health and safety concerns of warehouse workers and local residents living close to warehouses, highways and ports who are growing increasingly worried about levels of chronic lung conditions like asthma and [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] in the area,” Madison Lisle, co-author of the report, said at a news conference.
One participant in the study said that more than 1,000 trucks could be counted at one Joliet intersection in a two-hour period.
* Sun-Times Editorial Board…
In the closing days of the Illinois General Assembly, some lawmakers are supporting a dubious idea: adding managed toll lanes to a section of Interstate 55 between the Dan Ryan Expy. and I-355.
What transportation planners really should be doing is focusing on clean air, reviving public transit — in line for big post-pandemic funding cuts — and finding other low-cost alternatives to driving. Transportation is the No. 1 source of greenhouse gas emissions in Illinois, and it also releases particulate matter and other pollutants. Expanding interstates is not going to fix that. […]
I-55 does suffer from traffic congestion, especially where the road shrinks from three lanes to two. Intermodal facilities on the Southwest Side have added to the truck traffic. But urban planners have long known that adding lanes to deal with congestion also puts more vehicles on a particular road — which in this case would increase vehicle emissions on the Southwest Side. And where is the discussion of adding infrastructure for electric vehicles?
The most successful route to reducing congestion is to provide people with alternatives, including safe, reliable and frequent public transit. Any move for public-private financing demands a lot of discussion to make sure it benefits the taxpayers.
* Sen. Rachel Ventura cited pollution from semi-trucks for her “no” vote on the Peotone Airport bill. WJOL…
Illinois lawmakers have passed legislation which takes steps toward the development of a new airport. If the governor signs the bill, it will direct the Illinois Department of Transportation to create a list of qualifications for proposals to build a cargo airport in Peotone. The project has been debated for around 40 years. IDOT has spent nearly $100 million acquiring land in the area over the years.
But Joliet State Senator Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet) voted against House Bill 2531 – which would bring a new freight airport to Will County. Ventura spoke out during Senate debate against the bill, citing increased cargo truck traffic along with local opposition from the Will County Farm Bureau and a majority of Will County Board members.
In response, she released the following statement:
“If this airport is built, the residents of Will County are going to face increased truck traffic on our roadways and interstate highways. This cargo airport is going to bring more freight into the region that will be transported to intermodal yards via roadways instead of using railways. Overall, the airport is a bad deal for Will County residents who are likely to see more congestion, more accidents, more pollution, and higher property taxes to pay for road repairs.”
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* Background is here if you need it.
* From the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act…
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to conflict with the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004 and the rules promulgated thereunder.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to apply to a contractor, subcontractor, or agent of a State agency or local unit of government when working for that State agency or local unit of government.
* I received this email on Friday…
Hello Mr. Miller,
Thank you for everything you all are doing over at Capitol Fax. An amendment was just filed on BIPA reform. But, the bill does nothing to protect small fingerprint vendors and locksmiths, who follow the rules to a T and are true stewards/SMEs of the law, from frivolous lawsuits. Fingerprint vendors are vertically integrated throughout the state in healthcare, cannabis, FOID/CCL, gaming, DCFS, etc. See the attached listing of areas where fingerprint vendors are integrated. BIPA is not complicated law at all, but the locksmith Act exemption in BIPA doesn’t really have any teeth. BIPA even has an exemption for subcontractors of government agencies, but you still need to defend against an expensive, frivolous lawsuit. The exemptions are, effectively, rather circular. I think that those who flout the law or are not in compliance should pay a dear price for violating consumers. However, licensed, regulated entities who follow the law should not be subjected to damaging or crippling causes of action brought by nationwide law firms that are frivolously seeking a settlement from Illinois small businesses. […]
I think a “simple” fix would be to amend the Locksmith Act or JCAR rules to allow the “aggrieved” to seek relief through IDFPR or injunctive relief. This way BIPA is not watered down and the locksmith act exemption gains the teeth that the 2008 legislature intended. Again, thank you for your blog and stellar journalism .
* I followed up and asked about what he called “circular” exemptions…
BIPA allows a private right of action. The locksmith act does not provide a private right of action or any consumer relief. BIPA points to the locksmith act and the locksmith act rules point to BIPA. The circular logic is licensees can maintain their IDFPR license, follow all the BIPA rules (written notifications, obtain consent in writing, retention schedule), and still be sued even when the plaintiff/lawyer knows that the rules were followed. It’s a loophole and it’s incredibly damaging to small businesses. While they can be successful in defending themselves in court by showing how they followed the rules, the legal fees and insurance claims are abundant. These matters last months or even years. The IDFPR exemption lawsuit loophole should be closed and I think it can be by giving IDFPR a stake in ensuring BIPA is being conformed to among its licensees. This leaves BIPA intact, as it should be.
* From the original House floor debate in 2008…
Rep. Ryg: Senate Bill 2400 creates the Biometric Information Privacy Act which will be applicable to private entities doing business in Illinois. It sets collection and retention standards while prohibiting the sale of biometric information. It provides exemptions as necessary for hospitals, organ donation efforts, licensed fingerprint vendors working with State Police doing background checks and private subcontractors working for a state or a local unit of government and banks that are covered under Federal Law.
The bill passed the House unanimously. Here’s one reason why…
This Bill is especially important because one of the companies that has been piloted in Illinois, Pay By Touch, is the largest fingerprint scan system in Illinois and they have recently filed for bankruptcy and wholly stopped providing verification services in March of 2008. This pullout leaves thousands of customers from Albertson’s, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Jewel Osco, Shell, and Sunflower Market wondering what will become of their biometric and financial data. The California Bankruptcy Court recently approved the sale of their Pay By Touch database. So, we are in very serious need of protections for the citizens of Illinois when it comes to biometric information. I know of no opposition to the legislation and I’ll attempt to answer any questions.
There were no questions.
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Better management, please
Monday, May 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WCCU TV…
People across the state are waiting on refunds after installing solar panels to their homes and businesses in an effort to lower their electric bills. […]
FOX Illinois contacted [the Illinois Power Agency] and it responded with a statement saying how the organization went through a change in administration, which caused other areas to be impacted: “the need to create a new portal and build a new, larger team, incentive payments have not been processed in as timely or urgent a manner as we’d hoped.”
This lasted from July 1st to September 1st of 2022, and more than 2,000 families are waiting in line plus more who applied during that pause.
The IPA blamed its vendor, Energy Solutions, and claims its backlog is being whittled down.
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* Center Square…
Republicans decry end of scheduled session without budget from Illinois Democrats […]
Friday, on the last day of scheduled session without a budget, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, said Republicans have not been invited by the Democratic majority to help craft the budget.
* Capitol News Illinois…
House Republicans’ lead budget negotiator Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, said members of her party have been essentially uninvolved or uninvited to budget negotiations throughout the spring session.
“We have attempted numerous meetings with the House Democratic budgeteer, with the speaker and the governor,” Hammond said at a Capitol news conference. “Only one group has met with us on more than one occasion; that is the governor and his team. No negotiations with others have occurred.” […]
Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, said he expected the budget to once again be filed “at the last minute” and quickly pushed through by the supermajority party, a customary process in recent years.
* Mike Miletich was the only one of this bunch to run the Senate Republicans’ statement…
“Our budgeteers have been meeting throughout the budget process and the Leader and the budgeteers plan to continue conversations,” said Senate Republican Leader John Curran’s (R-Downers Grove) spokesperson Whitney Barnes.
I’m told that Curran has met with the governor and the Senate President and the SGOP’s budgeteers have sat down with the SDem’s budgeteers.
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It’s almost a law
Monday, May 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Fox Chicago…
An anti-carjacking initiative, crafted by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, has been approved by the state’s General Assembly.
Although the bill is awaiting Governor JB Pritzker’s signature, it mandates automakers selling vehicles in the state to establish a 24/7 hotline for tracking carjacked cars or cases involving kidnappings. […]
With 488 carjackings occurring in Cook County from January to date, 88% of cars are recovered within 72 hours.
Sheriff Dart believes this initiative will lead to a decline in carjackings, and the tracking service would be provided free of charge to car owners.
* Center Square…
A bill that passed the Illinois Legislature requires school principals to report bullying to parents within 24 hours. Some opponents say that is not feasible.
House Bill 3425, sponsored by state Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, passed the Illinois House in March. The measure passed the Senate earlier this month. Some school associations opposed the bill, saying a 24-hour time limit puts an undue burden on schools.
Mark Klaisner, president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, told The Center Square that the 24-hour deadline is not feasible. […]
In conversations Klaisner has had this spring, he said school administrators tell him “we’re all about stopping bullying and working with parents.” The problem, he said, “is we can’t always ensure that there will be a 24-hour turnaround in reporting back to the parents, especially if the bullying is happening after school on social media.”
* Effingham Daily…
After spending several years advocating for laws protecting stranded drivers from injury or even death, Distress Bandanna announced that both houses of the Illinois General Assembly have voted in favor of Senate Bill 2028, which would amend the state’s driver safety protocols to include new information and guidance for drivers who are stranded and those who might come across stranded vehicles on the road.
Both Illinois House and Senate voted unanimously to pass SB2028 on May 16.
If the bill is approved by Gov. J.B Pritzker, the state’s safety protocols for stranded drivers would be updated and new language would be added to the Illinois Rules of the Road by the Illinois Secretary of State.
According to the bill, the updated protocols, among other things, advise drivers on how to pull safely out of traffic and into a safe location, use hazard lights, when to stay in a stranded vehicle, and when and how to safely exit a stranded vehicle.
* Crain’s…
Among the health care measures sitting on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk awaiting signature is a measure making behavioral telehealth permanent for Illinois Medicaid recipients. Senate Bill 1913 has been approved by both houses of the General Assembly.
The bill allows Illinois Medicaid patients to continue to receive behavioral health telehealth care remotely. The state already has made delivery of substance use disorder and mental health treatment via telehealth permanent under commercial insurance plans in 2021.
“As soon as Governor Pritzker announced in February the formal end date of his COVID-19 public health emergency orders, the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health leadership knew that the continuance of telehealth services for Medicaid patients would enter an uncertain, unwelcome legal gray area,” Illinois Association for Behavioral Health CEO Jud DeLoss said in a statement.
“Within hours we had legislation written and swiftly recruited state Sen. Laura Fine and state Rep. Jenn Ladisch Douglass to serve as legislative champions, who expeditiously advanced the bill.”
* WTTW…
Revenge porn, or the non-consensual sharing of sexual images, has been a felony in Illinois since 2014. In 2019, in the wake of since-resigned state Rep. Nick Sauer posting images of naked women without their consent, Illinois allowed victims to sue for civil damages.
The deepfake legislation (House Bill 2123) piggybacks onto that law, adding “digitally altered sexual images” to it.
A victim of a sexual digital forgery can sue for $10,000. […]
The proposal (House Bill 2954) seeks to create a civil liability when someone non-consensually posts private information online with the intent to “harm or harass” and with “reckless disregard that the person whose information is published would be reasonably likely to suffer death, bodily injury or stalking” and that sharing the information would cause a person to “suffer significant economic injury or death” or that it would cause the individual to “suffer a substantial life disruption.” […]
Both measures passed the House and Senate without opposition and require signatures from Gov. J.B. Pritzker before becoming law.
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Since 2018, Uber and Arizona State University have provided 5000 qualified drivers and their families with 100% tuition coverage.
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We can stop talking about this now
Monday, May 22, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
From Illinois law: “No unit of local government shall levy any tax on stock, commodity or options transactions.”
That statute has long been targeted for elimination by the Chicago Teachers Union and its allies. The CTU reliably shuns any proposal to increase property taxes across the board, instead pushing often-times “magical” solutions as alternatives. It’s one way the union has maintained its popularity among Chicago voters.
And new Mayor Brandon Johnson, who spent much of his career working for the CTU, made it clear during his inaugural address that he will eschew property tax increases, lumping them in with onerous fines and fees.
“We have a structural deficit,” Johnson told his audience. “And we have to invest in people. And we have to do that without breaking the backs of working people with fines, fees and property taxes.”
During the campaign, Johnson proposed a 1%-2% “Big Banks Securities and Speculation Tax” that would raise $100 million. So, naturally, there’s worry he will try to use his considerable contacts in the General Assembly and CTU’s clout to persuade Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reverse his position on allowing Chicago to impose a transaction tax and ease the city’s structural deficit.
When he was asked last month about the transaction tax, Pritzker said, “Obviously, what we all want is a thriving financial services economy in the state and the city. I have not stood for a transaction tax, because I think it would be easy for those companies’ servers to move out of the state.”
The financial services industry employs thousands of Illinoisans. And one of the leaders of that industry left Chicago in a huff last year. Citadel CEO Ken Griffin abruptly announced his move to Florida after shutting down funding for his preferred Republican gubernatorial candidate, Richard Irvin. Griffin and Pritzker have exchanged verbal jabs ever since then, and Pritzker has repeatedly full-on attacked Griffin’s Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
It’s not a stretch to believe Griffin would love to see more Illinois-based companies relocate to Miami. Crain’s Chicago Business, citing “multiple industry sources,” recently reported that investment firm Guggenheim Partners, which has strong Chicago ties, “is on the verge of deciding to move its headquarters to Miami, the Florida city to which Citadel recently decamped.”
And lots of heads turned last week when Bloomberg reported that CME Group CEO Terry Duffy indicated the company could leave Chicago. CME has already sold all of its real estate in the city and the state, Duffy said.
“In our leases, we have a language in there that says if there’s something that’s ill-conceived from the city or the state, that our leases are null and void,” Duffy said on a Bloomberg podcast. “We’re in a very strong position. If we had to leave, we could leave.”
Duffy did make it clear that “we like Chicago,” saying he wants to be “part of the solution, not a part of the problem.” Also, if you listen to the podcast, Duffy made a point to say he realized that campaign rhetoric often changes when people assume office and have to govern.
And Johnson’s own campaign website claims: “We should raise revenues from activities that won’t leave and cost us jobs.”
While Duffy has strong, lifelong ties to Chicago, he is clearly not happy with how the city has been run. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Duffy said: “Three o’clock in the afternoon, my wife got carjacked right in the city of Chicago, and it’s absolutely insane what’s going on here.”
Duffy said he was also upset with the response he received from then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot about how the homicide rate was falling. “I said, ‘Don’t go there. Please don’t go there.’ One is too many.”
I would assume Duffy has been inundated with offers to move his company elsewhere since the progressive Johnson’s election. Company headquarter locations are very often subject to the whims of the CEO.
Duffy said during his most recent interview he hadn’t yet talked with the new mayor. “I’m hopeful that he reaches out, I don’t care if it’s me or whoever, and talks about these things.”
So, I reached out to the two legislative leaders to see where they stood on allowing home rule units like Chicago impose a tax on electronic transactions.
Spokespersons for both Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Chris Welch said their bosses opposed the idea.
This thing is off the table.
…Adding… The Chicago news media freakout over a proposal by a couple of fringe groups continues unabated in Crain’s Chicago Business…
When pressed for insight on the mayor’s own attitude toward these proposals, a senior adviser told Crain’s, “if we were for these ideas, we would have said it.” And yet, given many opportunities to express opposition to these measures, the adviser said only: “Everybody should have a right to put their ideas into the public square.”
That’s not exactly comforting. Nor is the pushback from some observers who have been quick to argue these are merely fringe ideas that would be dead on arrival in Springfield, where many of these measures would have to be blessed before they could be implemented. Messaging matters — especially at a time like this, when investor and employer faith in Chicago as a great place to do business is faltering. If the mayor truly isn’t considering things like a city income tax, a wealth tax, a financial transactions tax or any of the other ideas contained in this report, he ought to say so, loudly and unequivocally.
Oh for crying out loud…
“We put out a plan that we had to [argue about internally] a hundred different times. It was about $800 million. This is $12 billion. So it has nothing to do with what we’re trying to do,” Johnson’s senior adviser Jason Lee told the Sun-Times.
The final amount was “based on our kind of sober analysis of what might be feasible. … Their employee head tax is proposed to raise $100 million a year. Our head tax was proposed to raise $20 million a year. … They raise $2 billion off the income tax alone. We didn’t have an income tax in our plan. We didn’t think that was the right thing to do. They have a wealth tax. We don’t have a wealth tax.”
Chicago had four years of a mayor saying everything “loudly and unequivocally,” and she still flip-flopped on a regular basis after hemming herself in.
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Open thread
Monday, May 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* It’s Monday! Hope you all had a relaxing weekend. What’s going on?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, May 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | While stymied on a budget, Illinois legislators addressed issues including abortion, book bans and south suburban airport during spring session: Also sometimes known as “crisis pregnancy centers,” these anti-abortion nonprofits operate across the country and often open near or even next to clinics where abortions take place. The bill allows the Illinois attorney general to investigate claims that a pregnancy center engaged in fraud, deception or false pretense, and centers that violate the law could be fined up to $50,000.
* Daily Herald | Four years in, Rebuild Illinois has been a success — but more can be done: Rebuild Illinois has generated $2 billion in additional transportation funding annually. As a result, four years into the six-year program, Illinois has repaired 5,000 miles of highway, restored nearly 500 bridges, constructed more than 700 safety improvements, and supported 3,800 local transportation projects.
* WBBM | Bill to extend telehealth services for Medicaid recipients awaits Pritzker’s signature: Like so many things during the pandemic, treatment sessions for Medicaid recipients battling mental health and substance abuse went online. With the end of the state’s COVID emergency orders, state lawmakers have passed a bill allowing those services to continue.
* Effingham Daily | Bill aims to protect stranded Illinois drivers: After spending several years advocating for laws protecting stranded drivers from injury or even death, Distress Bandanna announced that both houses of the Illinois General Assembly have voted in favor of Senate Bill 2028, which would amend the state’s driver safety protocols to include new information and guidance for drivers who are stranded and those who might come across stranded vehicles on the road.
* WTTW | Critics Say Chicago’s Elected School Board Won’t Reflect the District’s Student Population Unless Map is Redrawn: “There is very little difference between the original map released and the current map,” activist Eli Brottman testified at a Friday hearing on the second attempt, despite input and sample maps he and others provided. “It feels as if the General Assembly is not using that feedback.”
* WIFR | New bill worries some local shop owners: Erik Carlson owns Buckbee Weed Co. in Rockford and worries if the bill and the tweaks added to it become a law, his business will take a major hit. He says it would ban the sale of hemp products in businesses that aren’t classified as licensed dispensaries.
* Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson’s pick for deputy mayor for community safety signals strategy change: Garien Gatewood will focus on “the other aspects of public safety beyond law enforcement that are so critical to our agenda,” Johnson’s senior adviser Jason Lee says.
* Crain’s | Johnson’s labor allies move to undo Lightfoot’s 11th-hour McPier board pick: The measure — pushed by allies of new mayor Brandon Johnson and organized labor groups headed by the Chicago Federation of Labor — would reverse Lightfoot’s decision, announced in the final days of her tenure, to place her deputy mayor for economic development on the board that oversees the city’s McCormick Place convention center and Navy Pier.
* Chicago Mag | Yesterday’s Radicals Have Become Today’s Establishment: Brandon Johnson’s mayoralty is seen as the culmination of teachers union militancy that began in 2012, when his predecessor Rahm Emanuel closed 50 schools. But as Johnson pointed out, the union movement that produced him has such a long history in Chicago that yes, it is striking that we’ve waited so long for one of its members to become mayor.
* Tribune | While DNC coming to Chicago might provide good vibes, experts say economic boost might be overhyped: Much has been written about the squishiness of pre-convention economic benefits, along with the costs cities end up eating themselves getting ready for the pomp and circumstance. While boosters have predicted economic returns of $150 million or more to cities that hosted them recently, economists say those numbers have been overblown.
* The Triibe | ‘Fox and Friends’ staged Naperville interview criticizing Mayor Brandon Johnson: One of the men, Lavondale “Big Dale” Glass, is an assistant director of violence prevention for Project H.O.O.D., a nonprofit whose founder endorsed Vallas. The other man, Andre Smith, was paid more than $10,000 by Vallas‘s campaign committee, and told The TRiiBE he ran field operations for the campaign. Glass told The TRiiBE that he didn’t work for Vallas’s campaign and was not aware Smith had been a paid Vallas operative.
* NYT | As Rahm Emanuel Pushes Japan on Gay Rights, Conservatives Bristle: The U.S. ambassador has enthusiastically embraced his host country. But critics say he has overstepped diplomatic bounds with his advocacy on equality.
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Live coverage
Monday, May 22, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Your weekend briefing
Saturday, May 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Let’s start with the Tribune’s session coverage. The whole article is good, but here’s a sample…
The various internal Democratic caucuses are still meeting and discussing their budget priorities “to see if there’s any overlap,” [Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, D-Chicago] said.
“Nobody’s ready yet,” he said. “I think there’s still a lot to be worked out.” […]
The size and relative inexperience of the Democratic caucus, Welch’s short tenure and a new team of budget negotiators have contributed to missing the deadline Democrats set for themselves, said Democratic Rep. Fred Crespo of Hoffman Estates, a member of both the moderate and Latino caucuses in the House.
”We have 78 members that represent so many different interests,” Crespo said. “You have experienced members that understand how the system works. We understand that we might want something or need something and it takes a while to get that. We have new members that are experiencing this for the first time. So there’s some growing pains.”
”We have to manage all the members to understand that there’s a finite number of dollars, and there’s only so many things that we can do,” Crespo added.
Crespo said the cost overruns in the expanded immigrant health care program are an example of what can happen when new ideas aren’t fully evaluated through the regular committee hearing process before being approved.
Go read it all.
* On to the Pantagraph. Subscribers have been briefed on these two points…
Only a few details have been shared with rank-and-file lawmakers, lobbyists and the public about the proposed spending plan.
Hospitals are expected to receive a 10% increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates, their first in several years though lower than their initial 20% ask. […]
Pritzker told reporters earlier this month that it was up to the legislature to find a solution [for the noncitizen health care cost issue], though he suggested that instituting co-pays and less generous reimbursement rates could help control costs. Other suggestions include limiting future enrollment in the program.
Lawmakers, however, have appeared unwilling to include a legislative fix in the budget, instead hoping that DHFS can control costs administratively.
* Tina Sfondeles also has a must-read…
The Illinois General Assembly had planned to adjourn on Friday, but Democratic leaders blew that self-imposed deadline, failing to reach agreement on the state budget. Health care costs for undocumented immigrants was the key sticking point. […]
With parents, teachers and community advocates complaining in separate hearings this week in the House and Senate, the [Chicago elected school board map] is expected to change once again, according to a source close to the negotiations. The goal is to vote on a final version next week. […]
But the changes aren’t enough for some advocates, including Eli Brottman, a consultant who has testified at each hearing. Brottman on Friday argued at a House hearing that there still aren’t enough Latino majority districts, communities of color are in some cases split apart in certain districts, and there are no Asian plurality districts. […]
The Chicago Teachers Union is among a coalition of groups, including Pilsen Alliance, Raise Your Hand, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization and the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, among others, who have created their own proposed map. They are urging lawmakers to revise the current map to look more like their proposal, which they say better reflects the actual population CPS serves.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Most Democrats haven’t seen anything resembling a draft budget either, as the group of top lawmakers negotiating the state’s spending plan is intentionally small.
The most recent revenue estimate from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget anticipates about $50.4 billion in revenues for the upcoming budget year, even after April revenues plummeted more than $1.8 billion from one year ago.
One point of contention among Democrats in negotiations is an anticipated $1.1 billion in spending on health care for non-citizens aged 42 and older who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid if not for their citizenship status.
The governor’s office had budgeted $220 million for that program, creating an $880 million budget pressure. Members of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and Progressive Caucus have called for expanding the program to noncitizens between the ages of 19 and 42, at an estimated cost of $380 million next year.
While advocates for the noncitizen health care expansion have called those estimates overblown, the program has far exceeded estimates through its implementation and two expansions.
* SJ-R…
Amid budget negotiations, lawmakers have passed hundreds of bills this week - several of which have local implications. The ones producing perhaps the most tense debates pertain to all-gender bathrooms and one opening the doors for the firearm industry to be held liable for consumer fraud. The governor has indicated his support for the latter, planning to sign the bill into law when it arrives on his desk.
Led by Senate President Don Harmon, a bill permitting punitive damages in a wrongful death lawsuit passed the Senate on Thursday. If House Bill 219 goes into law, the family of Earl L. Moore, Jr., who allege he was murdered by two Springfield EMS workers, could seek those damages in addition to compensatory damages.
* More on the wrongful death lawsuit bill from Hannah Meisel…
Illinois is one of 16 states that does not allow for the recovery of punitive damages in wrongful death cases, although the state does allow for plaintiffs in personal injury cases to seek punitive damages.
“It’s only when the plaintiff has died from his or her injuries that punitive damages are precluded,” Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said Thursday during a brief debate on House Bill 219. “The awarding of punitive damages should not turn on whether the injuries were severe enough to kill the plaintiff.”
HB 219 would take the standards for seeking punitive damages in personal injury cases and apply them to Illinois’ Wrongful Death Act. The bill is an initiative of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, which has historically been an ally to Democrats.
The state’s business community mounted a swift but ultimately ineffective opposition campaign against the bill after it popped up earlier this week, citing increased liability costs.
* Also SJ-R on the venue shopping bill…
Senate President Don Harmon introduced an amendment to House Bill 3062 earlier this week, which sets courtrooms in Sangamon and Cook counties as the only locations where actions alleging constitutional violation brought-on by legislation or executive orders can be heard. […]
“These cases are all going to end up in Springfield or Chicago,” [Harmon] said during floor debate Friday evening, referring to the Illinois Supreme Court’s presence in both cities. “It’s our judgment that it is best to simply, streamline that process and make sure these cases are all heard in an organized fashion.” […]
“The reality is we’re trying to legislate venue shopping because certain constitutional officers in the state, frankly, are having a lot of their decisions challenged by the people that they’re supposed to serve,” [Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville] said, later calling the legislation an “affront to democracy.”
Republican Caucus Whip Sen. Sally Turner of Beason asked if whether the bill would place more pressure on the Fourth District Appellate Court in Springfield in terms of an increased workload. Harmon noted that a number of these constitutional challenges are already consolidated in Sangamon County, so an increase in justices or staff would not be likely.
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Evening news roundup
Friday, May 19, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square…
Last month at an Illinois Chamber of Commerce event in Springfield, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, was asked if they’d really end session early as scheduled.
“May 19th is the goal, that’s for sure,” Welch said. “If we can get a budget on the board May 19th that’s fiscally responsible and compassionate, we’ll get out of here on May 19th. Does that answer your question?”
Separately attending the event last month, Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, was asked the same question.
“We’re out of here May 19th,” Harmon said.
The Senate will be outta here tonight, but it’s coming back Wednesday. Oopsie. The Senate President’s spokesperson at least weekly reminds me that he doesn’t do predictions. His boss might wanna consider following suit. /s
* Hmm…
* Here’s the link to the full presser mentioned in another post…
* Center Square…
Illinois Democrats seek to allow noncitizens to be police officers in state
The bill originally passed the House without a single dissenting vote and has several Republican co-sponsors.
The bill was amended in the Senate, which allowed the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police to move from opposed to neutral. It’s even backed by the Chicago FOP.
And the concurrence motion in the House passed tonight 100-7.
* Press release…
The Illinois Early Literacy Coalition celebrates the passage of SB2243 (Lightford/Mayfield), one of several bills in the ‘Literacy & Justice for All’ bill package. The bill was approved by the Illinois Senate earlier today and will soon be sent to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
“Teaching children to read is the most fundamental function of a public education system, and yet, every year, students are slipping through the cracks without mastering even basic literacy skills. Every child deserves the instruction and support that meets their needs to become a proficient reader. This initiative moves Illinois off the sidelines and into the action to fight for every student to have access to the literacy instruction they deserve,” said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D – Maywood).
Most states have taken on literacy reforms, but not all of those efforts have actually moved the needle on literacy outcomes. SB2243 directs the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to create a comprehensive, statewide literacy plan in collaboration with stakeholders by January 31, 2024. ISBE would also be charged with developing tools and supports for districts and educators, such as a curriculum rubric, district literacy plan template, and teacher training modules. Finally, the bill would add transparency around a language and literacy subscore to the licensure test for elementary teachers (grades 1–6).
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Cook County Record | IL gives up defending likely unconstitutional, politically motivated limits on judicial campaign contributions: Following that order, court documents indicate Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, also a Democrat and noted ally of the governor, opted not to appeal, and ultimately agreed not to continue to defend the law in court. A motion filed on May 17 indicates that concession was made as part of a deal, in which the plaintiffs agreed not to force the state to pay their legal bills for being forced to sue over the law.
* SJ-R | Not done yet: General Assembly continues past scheduled adjournment: Friday was the original adjournment day for the spring session, but with no budget introduced as of that morning and hundreds of bills still requiring final action, an extension is necessary. … Lawmakers have until May 31 to pass the budget before all bills passed would require a three-fifths constitutional majority with an immediate effective date.
* Crain’s | Legislature goes into overtime as lawmakers finalize budget — but other bills are moving: Another measure would allow individuals convicted of a felony to serve as an estate executor, allowing those not currently incarcerated to carry out the terms of a family member’s will. House Bill 1268 passed the House 80-34 Thursday after clearing the Senate on a 43-8 vote.
* WAND | Illinois lawmakers extend session for potential budget votes next week: House Republicans told reporters Friday night that they’re upset about the lack of time management from the majority party. … “Our budgeteers have been meeting throughout the budget process and the Leader and the budgeteers plan to continue conversations,” said Senate Republican Leader John Curran’s (R-Downers Grove) spokesperson Whitney Barnes.
* WQAD | Here’s what cleared through the Illinois General Assembly on Friday: Those include a requirement that schools teach a unit of Native American history and a bill allowing individuals convicted of a felony to serve as estate executors. Another measure would classify ride-share companies as “common carriers,” which would subject them to liability in cases of accident or injury, like other forms of public transportation.
* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois’ optional all-gender bathrooms bill heads to governor: Justin Sia, a Chicago attorney, testified in committee this week that he came up with the idea for the bill while in law school at Loyola University. He described it as “a pro-family, pro-business and pro-safety bill that permits, not mandates, public and private entities to install gender inclusive, multi-stall restrooms.”
* WIFR | ‘Zachary’s Parent Protection Act’ close to becoming an Illinois law: Zachary’s Parent Protection Act (SB2034), entitles up to six weeks of unpaid leave for small business employees and up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for employees of large businesses in the case of child loss. Currently, parents are only entitled to use up to 10 work days of unpaid bereavement leave.
* WCIA | Bipartisan proposal would give emergency crisis mapping data of schools to Illinois first responders: “Making sure the proper authorities have an up-to-date map and layout of the school would undoubtedly increase response times and action in times of emergencies when all of us know that every single second is precious,” State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said.
* Center Square | Measure to lift moratorium on nuclear power in Illinois one step away from Pritzker’s desk: Senate Bill 76, if concurred by the Senate and signed by Pritzker, would delete language in state statute that says no construction shall commence on any new nuclear power plant located within the state. The legislation also gives energy companies an option to invest in the construction of traditional, large nuclear reactors or new, small modular reactors.
* 25 News Now | Voting along party lines, State Senate approves CIRA tax change: The legislation creates a new property tax for McLean County landowners living outside Bloomington-Normal, while the property tax would be lowered for Twin Cities landowners. The chairman of the airport board said even with the change, the airport would collect the same amount of taxes.
* Center Square | Measure to protect children from social media ‘influencer’ parents passes Illinois Statehouse: The bill provides that a video blogger who features a minor child in 30% of their content shared on online platforms like YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, or others must set aside 15% of gross earnings on the video content in a trust account to be preserved for the benefit of the minor upon reaching 18 years old. The measure also would allow the child to request the deletion of the content upon turning 18.
* CBS Chicago | Illinois lawmakers pass bill making it easier to sue gun manufacturers: The legislation amends the state’s current Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to clarify that businesses in the firearms industry are subject to civil liability if they engage in unlawful business and marketing practices.
* Center Square | Illinois business, health care, tech groups denounce proposed changes to Biometric Information Privacy Act: During a news conference Friday, representatives from several groups, including the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce denounced a proposed change that was made late Thursday, the day before session was scheduled to adjourn. An amendment filed with House Bill 3811 includes a 50% increase in the minimum penalty businesses face for violating BIPA that can be awarded in future cases. The amendment remains in a Senate committee.
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Legislature to return Wednesday
Friday, May 19, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch issued a joint statement on progress toward an agreed budget.
“When we came to Springfield in January, we made it clear that our top priority was a fiscally responsible budget that prioritized hardworking Illinoisans. That continues to be true. Conversation is ongoing and negotiations are productive. We are committed to passing a good, balanced budget for the people of Illinois.”
Both chambers will return next week to finish work for the spring session. The Senate is scheduled to return Wednesday and Thursday. The House is scheduled to return Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
* But, wait. WGN TV just told its audience that the budget is already passed…
Illinois lawmakers wrapped up a busy week in Springfield Friday after passing the state’s budget by the democratic imposed May 19 deadline.
…Adding… Press release…
On the last scheduled day of legislative session in the Illinois House, and no news of a potential state budget agreement in sight, Minority Leader Tony McCombie released the following statement:
“We have made every effort to be at the table. Now, with extra days in the session schedule we will continue to make ourselves available. There is much to accomplish and too much on the line to disregard our caucus from this process.
“We want to govern, so I say it again: don’t disregard our value.”
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* Senate Amendment 1 to HB3903 bars campaign contributions from red light, speed cam and some others…
No vendor that offers or provides equipment or services for automated traffic law enforcement, automated speed enforcement, or automated railroad grade crossing enforcement systems to municipalities or counties, no political action committee created by such a vendor, and no vendor-affiliated person shall make a campaign contribution to any political committee established to promote the candidacy of a candidate or public official. An officer or agent of such a vendor may not consent to any contribution or expenditure that is prohibited by this Section. A candidate, political committee, or other person may not knowingly accept or receive any contribution prohibited by this Section.
“Vendor-affiliated person” means anyone with an ownership interest or distributive share above 7.5 percent, or is an executive employee, or is the spouse, minor child, or other immediate family member who lives with the person.
Back to the proposal…
No member of the General Assembly and no officer or employee of a municipality or county shall knowingly accept employment or receive compensation or fees for services from a vendor that provides automated traffic law enforcement system equipment or services to municipalities or counties.
There’s also a 2-year revolving door provision.
And…
Beginning 6 months before it installs an automated traffic law enforcement system at an intersection, a county or municipality may not change the yellow change interval at that intersection.
It also requires municipalities and counties to conduct a statistical analysis to assess the safety impact of each automated traffic law enforcement system within a year and requires them to conduct those studies after they install new systems.
It also allows IDOT to revoke any permit for the cams “if any official or employee who serves that county or municipality is charged with bribery, official misconduct, or a similar crime related to the placement, installation, or operation of the automated traffic law enforcement system in the county or municipality.”
* Crain’s…
A bill intended to undo former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 11th hour appointment of right-hand man Samir Mayekar to the McPier board has abruptly surfaced in Springfield and appears to have a good chance to pass.
The measure — pushed by allies of the new mayor Brandon Johnson and organized labor groups headed by the Chicago Federation of Labor — would reverse Lightfoot’s decision, announced in the final days of her tenure, to place her deputy mayor for economic development board that oversees the city’s McCormick Place convention center.
The move to install Mayekar in the coveted board seat rankled members of Johnson’s transition team, current members of the board and union leaders who believed the incoming mayor should be afforded the opportunity to make the appointment and was likely to tap someone friendlier to the labor movement for the position.
…Adding… From the Chicago Federation of Labor’s Bob Reiter…
Lori Lightfoot has been incredibly supportive of the convention and tourism industry, as well as, our folks who work in it. This is a policy difference on late term appointments and not reflection on our relationship with her. And to be clear, this is not an initiative of or an ask of Mayor Johnson.
As subscribers know, there’s more to this bill.
* The House Executive Committee has approved Amendment 1 to SB1559. That’s the cannabis omnibus.
I assume this post will be updated. As always, keep an eye on the live coverage post for instant updates.
…Adding… The Senate has an amendment making changes to the The Public-Private Partnerships for Transportation Act. They’re allowing the tollway and units of local government to work with PPPs instead of just IDOT. The proposal also clears the way for leasing existing toll roads and using the PPPs to repair roads and add lanes and ramps to any tollway (like Local 150’s plan, for instance). It will also allow the tollway to use proceeds from the sale or lease of assets to provide funding for a PPP agreement and to “receive unsolicited proposals for a project.”
The amendment also completely deletes this provision from existing law…
Any new transportation facility developed as a project under this Act must be consistent with the regional plan then in existence of any metropolitan planning organization in whose boundaries the project is located.
…Adding… John Amdor testified against deleting that regional planning provision…
A major point of why we do regional plans in the first place is to ensure that we’re coordinating our major infrastructure investments to achieve shared regional growth. And we believe that eliminating requirements, that consistency would be really detrimental to the public interest.
It’s a huge bill, so maybe some of y’all can find more stuff.
…Adding… The revenue omnibus has a provision to terminate tax credits if investment or job creation and retention requirements aren’t met in 10 years.
The Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois Act is expanded to include financial incentives for electric vehicle or component or renewable energy manufacturers that intend to convert or expand, in whole or in part, from traditional manufacturing and will make at least a $500 million capital investment and retain 800 full-time employee jobs at the project. Hmm.
It also has a $500 volunteer emergency workers tax credit and a bunch of other stuff.
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Afternoon roundup
Friday, May 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* State Week | Not so fast on a new budget: The past few weeks have made putting a new state budget together more complicated. Estimates predict a drop in revenue, while lawmakers are also dealing with sticker shock for certain programs. It has resulted in a delay on approval of a new spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The General Assembly set May 19 as the adjournment date. But the timeline for wrapping up the spring session and passing a budget is now less clear.
* WTAX | Beyond the last day: “We to date have not seen a draft copy of any budget yet. We are approaching our deadline. We are due to be out of session (Friday). I was wondering if anyone in the chamber has seen a draft copy or when one might be available,” Keicher said, “or also any revenue estimate upon which that budget is going to be based.” Hernandez only said, “The chair will inquire,” and that’s the last we heard about that.
* Capitol News Illinois | Native American history, ride-share regulation measures clear General Assembly:Even though it became clear this week that the General Assembly’s spring legislative session would go longer than scheduled as lawmakers finalize a budget, several measures cleared the legislature by its original Friday adjournment date. Those include a requirement that schools teach a unit of Native American history and a bill allowing individuals convicted of a felony to serve as estate executors. Another measure would classify ride-share companies as “common carriers,” which would subject them to liability in cases of accident or injury, like other forms of public transportation.
* Joe Cahill | Call the Bears’ bluff on subsidies: Anyone, it seems, except politicians in the northwest suburbs, who apparently believe the team won’t come without generous taxpayer subsidies. State legislators who represent the area in Springfield are pushing a bill in the Illinois House that would authorize the village to give the Bears a special deal on property taxes. Village officials haven’t spoken out on the bill, but it’s unlikely the legislators would float the subsidy measure if local leaders weren’t onboard.
* Crain’s | Peotone airport is back, but will it get off the ground?: “What you don’t want is, ‘If you build it, they will come,’ right? Just building the thing and hoping that people will show up to essentially pay for the airport having been built,” Pritzker said in an interview earlier this month with The Daily Line. “You need to make sure that you’re building it because you have interest from cargo carriers who are committing to make that a cargo airport.”
* Shaw Local | Lawmakers push to expedite reopening of Peru hospital: Thursday, state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) and state Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa) said in a statement they’re working with Gov. JB Pritzker to expedite OSF HealthCare’s application to acquire some St. Margaret’s Health units, including the former Illinois Valley Community Hospital.
* BGA | Supreme Court FOIA Ruling Limits Transparency; Significantly Broadens Exemptions to FOIA: “At a time when the need for government accountability is greater than ever, the Illinois Supreme Court with this ruling has taken a step backward. The language of the court’s ruling may seem narrow, but its implications are vast,” said David Greising, president of the Better Government Association. “The ruling will have the effect of blocking access to public records. They are called public records for a reason, and creating hurdles to access is not in the public interest. The BGA’s policy team will work with good-government protectors in the General Assembly to develop legislation that will repair the damage done by the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
* Crain’s | Johnson names his deputy mayor for community safety: Mayor Brandon Johnson has tapped Garien Gatewood to serve as the city’s deputy mayor for community safety, a position charged with formulating the progressive mayor’s strategy to address the root causes of crime. Gatewood currently serves as the director of the Illinois Justice Project, a nonprofit policy organization focused on criminal justice reform. He was appointed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, a state agency that develops strategy to address public safety.
* Michael Petrilli and David Griffith | What Brandon Johnson can do to improve Chicago schools: In principle, Johnson should close at least some chronically underenrolled schools when the school closure moratorium ends in 2025 (or nominate school board members who will do so). And he should at least consider allowing charter schools to use some of the unoccupied building space, as New York City has done. Yes, closures are unpopular. But research shows that students benefit when the worst schools are closed. And if Johnson really cares about funding equity, then he ought to care about charters’ long-standing facilities woes.
* Sun-Times | More respite centers in Hispanic neighborhoods key to reducing migrant crisis tensions in Chicago, mayor’s floor leader says: Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa wouldn’t say where the new centers could be, only that the administration was “very close to moving on a number of locations, some big and some small, primarily in Spanish-speaking communities.”
* TMA Applauds Increased Support for Manufacturing in Springfield: State senators that scored 100% on TMA’s Legislative Scorecard include: Dan McConchie (R-26), Dave Syverson (R-35), Neil Anderson (R-36), Win Stoller (R-37), Sue Rezin (R-38), John Curran (R-41), Sally Turner (R-44), Steve McClure (R-50), Chapin Rose (R-51), Darren Bailey (R-55), Terri Bryant (R-58), and Dale Fowler (R-59).
* Aurora Beacon-News | Organizers aim to host Pride Parade in Aurora after receiving preliminary injunction in connection with lawsuit against city: City officials said they were unable to get enough Aurora police officers to work overtime or extra-duty shifts to provide adequate security for the parade. The city has said it can’t compel off-duty employees to work security at special events.
* 25 News Now | Catalytic converters stolen off Peoria school buses Wed. morning: Peoria Public Schools and Peoria Police are investigating the theft of 10 catalytic converters off district buses earlier Wednesday. […] Cages covering the converters are being installed on buses to prevent future thefts. The suspects failed to steal from other vehicles because they had cages on them.
* SJ-R | Beck-Griffith ‘heartbroken’ she didn’t have chance to discuss library’s future with mayor:Summer Beck-Griffith said she was “disappointed but not shocked” after being dismissed as Lincoln Library’s director Monday. Her real regret? Not having a chance to talk about the public library’s future with Mayor Misty Buscher.
* Tribune | Biden EPA pushes for federal regulation of toxic coal ash dumps threatening drinking water in Illinois, Indiana and other states: One of the sites that would come under federal oversight is the Waukegan Generating Station on Lake Michigan, a former ComEd coal plant ringed by two unlined ash ponds and an unlicensed landfill. Another is a Joliet quarry where ComEd and other companies dumped coal ash until NRG Energy overhauled a nearby coal plant in 2016 to burn natural gas.
* Sun-Times | BP refinery hit with $40 million fine, agrees to spend $200 million on pollution control: BP agreed to pay a $40 million penalty and spend almost $200 million on environmental controls to settle government allegations that the company released excessive toxic chemicals at its Whiting, Indiana, oil refinery on Lake Michigan.
* Block Club | Chicagoans Tell Fox News To ‘Shut The F— Up About Chicago’ With New T-Shirts: The idea for the shirt was hatched amid a Twitter backlash to a Fox News segment on Chicago’s new mayor — filmed more than 30 miles west of the city in suburban Naperville.
* Sun-Times | Want to test drive the NASCAR Street Race course? Crews wrapping up downtown repaving: For those interested in testing out the 2.2 mile, 12-turn course — and those willing to obey traffic signals — begin driving east along Columbus drive, directly south of Buckingham Fountain, where you’ll find the starting line.
* NBC Chicago | Here’s What AI Thinks an Illinoisan Looks Like — And Apparently, Real Illinoisans Agree: A stereotypical person in Illinois, according to the post, appears less distinctive, and rather ordinary. In fact, one commenter compares the man from Illinois to Waldo.
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Dems’ BIPA change assailed by business groups
Friday, May 19, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The law firm of Mayer Brown…
In what is becoming a pattern, the Illinois Supreme Court recently issued another decision interpreting the Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”) to expand potential liability for businesses. The court held in Cothron v. White Castle that each time a business collects or discloses an individual’s biometric data without first obtaining BIPA-compliant consent, a separate claim accrues under BIPA. BIPA authorizes statutory damages of $1,000 for “each violation” of the statute—and $5,000 if the violation is found to be intentional or reckless.
* From the majority opinion…
White Castle estimates that if plaintiff is successful and allowed to bring her claims on behalf of as many as 9500 current and former White Castle employees, class- wide damages in her action may exceed $17 billion. We have found, however, that the statutory language clearly supports plaintiff’s position. […]
(T)here is no language in the Act suggesting legislative intent to authorize a damages award that would result in the financial destruction of a business.
We respectfully suggest that the legislature review these policy concerns and make clear its intent regarding the assessment of damages under the Act.
* An amendment was filed today by Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Cunningham…
(A) private entity that, in more than one instance, collects, captures, purchases, receives through trade, or otherwise obtains the same biometric identifier or biometric information from the same person using the same method of collection in violation of subsection (b) of Section 15 has committed a single violation of subsection (b) of Section 15 for which the aggrieved person is entitled to, at most, one recovery under this Section.
However, the amendment also increases penalties by fifty percent. That’s just one of the complaints, many of them legit, from business groups.
* Press release…
Leading business, healthcare and technology groups are united in opposition to proposed changes to the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), which fails to enact needed reforms and would instead increase financial damages against businesses and further suppress security, innovation and economic growth.
A coalition including the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Illinois Railroad Association, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Illinois Trucking Association, TechNet and National Federation of Independent Business Illinois is urging lawmakers to reject the proposal, which is contained in an amendment made to HB3811.
The proposal undermines months of negotiations intended to limit the impact of BIPA, which has been routinely abused in order to extort businesses for financial gain where no harm has ever been alleged. The legislation represents a 50 percent increase in penalties that can be awarded on future settlements. Furthermore, there is no standard to prove harm which is the definition of a frivolous lawsuit.
“Just when we thought BIPA couldn’t get any worse for businesses in Illinois, lawmakers unveil a proposal that will only increase abuse of this law by trial attorneys,” said Mark Denzler, President and CEO, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “To say this is a disappointing end to negotiations understates the true harm this proposal will cause if enacted.” […]
In the 15 years since BIPA was enacted, more than 1,500 frivolous lawsuits have been filed by class action lawyers against manufacturers, retailers, hospitals, nursing homes, entertainment venues, hotels, and other businesses by claiming violation of employee or consumer rights even though there has been no harm to individuals, theft of identities or nefarious intent. Of those more than 1,500 lawsuits, the vast majority occurred after a 2019 Illinois Supreme Court decision in Rosenbach v. Six Flags, which held that a plaintiff need not demonstrate any form of harm beyond a violation of the law.
Examples of entities sued by trial lawyers under BIPA:
• US Department of Homeland Security
• The Salvation Army of Cook County
• Lutheran Senior Services
• Council of Jewish Elderly
• Nursing homes
• The Art Institute of Chicago
• School bus companies
• Colleges
• Ambulances
• Hospitals
This year, the Illinois Supreme Court issued two additional rulings that exponentially expand the scope and costs of BIPA lawsuits. The first, Tims v. Black Horse Carriers, Inc., eliminated the possibility of a one-year statute of limitations for claims under BIPA, ruling that a “catchall” five-year statute of limitations applies to these cases, dramatically increasing the timeframe for which complaints can be brought. […]
Needed changes include: updating the law to require proof that actual harm occurred to individuals before imposing fines; establishing a “notice and cure” period, which would allow businesses to address any potential issues in instances where there has been no actual harm; giving the Attorney General authority to provide companies with advisory opinions on whether or not their compliance efforts meet the requirements of the law; limiting the statute of limitations for legal action to one year; and allowing biometric identifiers to be used for security purposes such as managing access to controlled substances, preventing organized retail theft and other violent crimes, and accessing sensitive facilities, including electric plants and refineries.
Legislators should also provide for electronic consent as well as “evergreen” consent, which would operate similarly to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule, which allows a single waiver to encompass multiple instances in which information is shared.
They had been negotiating for weeks, but apparently got the rug pulled out from under them last night.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, May 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* HB1342 is in the House for concurrence on two amendments…
One-pager…
House Bill 1342 is a comprehensive public transit measure that includes the following proposals:
- Would allow public transit agencies to suspend problematic riders provided the rider commits or provides a reasonable apprehension of assault, battery, sexual assault, or violations of public indecency.
- Would provide that after July 1, 2026 CTA, PACE, and METRA should only purchase buses that are zero-emission.
- Would create a program requiring RTA to distribute 25,000 pre-loaded $20 fare cards to domestic violence providers to assist victims and their dependents.
- Would require the CTA to work the City of Chicago to provide rides to participants in the One Summer Chicago program.
- Would require the RTA to publish a report on all reduced fare and free ride programs as well as estimated cost of various expansion of those programs.
- The study would include looking into the impact and feasibility of providing year- round reduced or free transit fares, including to veterans, returning residents, students and youth, and people who experience low-income.
- RTA would also be required to issue reports monthly on staffing levels, scheduled and delivered services, and safety on the system – including the number of incidents of crime.
* Sen. Robert Martwick…
Legislation passed by State Senator Robert Martwick will secure the finances of the Cook County Pension Fund and protect taxpayers.
“Thanks to the incredible dedication and fiscal discipline implemented by President Toni Preckwinkle and her administration, the Cook County Pension Fund is one of the few pension systems in the state whose fund balance has improved over the course of the last decade,” said Martwick (D-Chicago). “This measure ensures that retirees will receive the benefits they have earned and protects taxpayers from future property tax increases by codifying these fiscally responsible practices.”
The measure makes various changes to the Cook County Pension Fund, most notably requiring an actuarially determined contribution and adjusting benefits to ensure compliance with the social security safe-harbor provision.
Martwick’s measure would require the CCPF to retain an actuary in good standing who would create an annual report to ensure the Fund is properly funded. […]
House Bill 2352 passed in the Senate Friday.
* Background is here. Alzheimer’s Association Illinois Chapter and AARP Illinois…
We oppose Senate Amendment #3 to HB2450 because it unilaterally reduces critical dementia training for physicians and healthcare providers. Two years ago, alongside allied legislators, the Alzheimer’s Association Illinois Chapter negotiated with the Illinois State Medical Society to add critical dementia training for healthcare professionals.
Our organizations learned of this new amendment that cuts in half the frequency of dementia training without ever allowing us a seat at the table.
To be clear – our organizations strongly support the addition of cultural competency continuing education for healthcare providers – but this must not come at the expense of weakening training of healthcare professionals on how to serve best those who are our most vulnerable citizens of Illinois.
The Alzheimer’s Association and AARP are disappointed with this new measure but will continue working on solutions to safeguard critical dementia training in Illinois.
* WLDS…
A bi-partisan group of State Senators are calling on a bill to be voted on this week that would hope to increase safety in public schools.
Senate Bill 2577 would allow a public school to obtain crisis response mapping data and provide copies of the crisis response mapping data to appropriate local, county, State, and federal first responders for use in response to emergencies. The bill also would require the State Board of Education to provide grants to schools to cover the costs of obtaining the crisis response mapping data.
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell joined the senators at the Capitol on Thursday explaining the importance for first responders to know where to respond in a school building should a crisis arise: “There’s no doubt that access to standardized maps at all of our schools across the county and across Illinois would be extremely beneficial. It would help save time and potentially lives depending upon the emergency. When there is an emergency call especially when there is a threat of any kind at a school, multiple agencies are going to respond. Even if one of those responding agencies is familiar with the school, the other police and fire departments that respond may not be. If we have standardized maps that are available and in the hands of the schools, our dispatchers, and on all of our platforms; we’ll be able to react much quicker to mitigate the threat.” […]
The bill is being co-sponsored by both Jil Tracy and Steve McClure. The first reading of the legislation came last Tuesday and still awaits a full vote.
* Sen. Laura Fine…
State Senator Laura Fine, chair of the Senate Behavioral and Mental Health Committee, is leading a measure to ensure Illinoisans can have annual mental health wellness visits covered under their insurance at no additional cost.
“Just as people need yearly physical checkups to make sure their health is in order, people need annual checkups for their mental health,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “Covering these annual visits will encourage people to seek necessary treatment for their mental health.”
House Bill 2847 would require health insurance plans under the Insurance Code, State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, and the School Code to cover annual mental health checkups and wellness visits starting in 2025. It also encourages the Illinois Department of Public Health to engage in an educational campaign to bring awareness to the public regarding mental health and wellness. These initiatives will continue to normalize prioritizing and treating mental health concerns, leading to greater well-being throughout the state. […]
House Bill 2847 passed the Senate on Thursday.
* Rep. Mary Beth Canty…
Grocery stores located in food deserts would be eligible for grants from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity under legislation passed by state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights.
“Poor access to affordable, healthy foods contributes to poor nutrition and perpetuates health disparities, leading to higher rates of obesity and other chronic ailments. Food deserts are primarily found in Black and brown communities and low-income communities, perpetuating a cycle of poor health outcomes for our most vulnerable residents,” Canty said. “Incentivizing grocery store development in food deserts helps to prevent chronic illness and combat the negative health outcomes associated with food insecurity, especially for low-income and historically marginalized communities.”
Food deserts are geographic areas where residents have few to no convenient options for securing affordable and healthy foods — especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Senate Bill 850 requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, subject to appropriation, to provide grants and other forms of financial assistance to privately-owned grocery stores, co-operatives, non-for-profit grocery stores, and grocery stores owned by a unit of local government, school district, or community college district located in or to be located in a food desert. The bill also provides for a study of food insecurity in urban and rural food deserts.
“Food deserts touch every area of the state, including rural, urban, and suburban areas. Everyone, no matter their race, background, financial circumstance, or zip code deserves access to nutritious food,” Canty said. “I am grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for passing this important legislation, and I urge the Governor to sign the bill and reduce food insecurity across the state.”
Senate Bill 850 passed the House with bipartisan support.
* Sen. Linda Holmes…
Many homeowners have something lurking in their basement or garage that could be disposed of, but there hasn’t been a means to get rid of it safely: unused household paint. Legislation sponsored by State Senator Linda Holmes that would establish a program to dispose of household paint passed the Senate on Friday.
The Paint Stewardship Act in Senate Bill 836 creates a means for consumers to dispose of household paint in Illinois. No state resources are in place today to deal with this waste. Under this law, manufacturers of architectural paint will create and submit a plan to the Illinois EPA to establish the program. […]
Under this program, manufacturers will pay a fee to the Illinois EPA to set up a paint collection site, service or event, which will allow residents to drop off unused paint to specified locations free of charge. Those collection sites or events will be within a 15-mile radius for 90% of Illinois residents. […]
Similar programs in other states with paint stewardship laws include California, Minnesota, Colorado and New York. They have collected 62.6 million gallons of paint.
Senate Bill 836 passed the Senate today.
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* Sun-Times…
Tempers flared on the state Senate floor Thursday during debate of Democratic-led measures, including a bill that clears the way for gun manufacturers to be sued and another that would allow businesses to create multi-capacity bathrooms open to all genders — an idea one Republican warned will spark violence.
State Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia, told lawmakers that he would “beat the living p—” out of any man who walked into a restroom with his daughter.
“This is gonna cause violence, and it’s gonna cause violence from dads like me,” the Moline firefighter and paramedic said to some cheers from fellow Republicans during floor debate on the measure. […]
The legislation, which now heads back to the Illinois House, would allow businesses to construct all-gender multi-capacity restrooms, but it would not require them to do so. The restrooms would include floor to ceiling stall dividers with locks and toilets instead of urinals, among other provisions.
* WTTW…
State Sen. Kim Lightford, D-Maywood, said those who have problems with gender neutral bathrooms have a problem with the LBGTQ+ community.
“And it sounds like these are the same people who act as if they don’t have family members or friends who are members of the LBGTQ community,” Lightford said. “It sounds like it’s people who don’t understand that life is evolving. People are changing and growing and not afraid to be who they are and as a society we ought to offer options. So if you do not want to go in that particular bathroom, then just don’t frickin’ do it. Don’t go in the bathroom, don’t’ take your kids in the bathroom, just don’t use it.”
Nobody is forcing anyone into a unisex restroom. And nobody is forcing anyone to build any, either. The idea is to establish strong regulations in case somebody wants to build such a thing. Also, keep in mind that this bill is backed by the Illinois Pipe Trades Association, Chicago Plumbers Local 130, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, the American Institute of Architects, the Illinois Public Health Association, the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation and the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
* AIDS Foundation Chicago and Equality Illinois…
We applaud the Illinois Senate for passing HB 1286 and urge the Illinois House to act expeditiously to send the bill to the governor. Simply, the bill reduces red tape and eliminates unnecessary regulations by allowing businesses to adopt gender-inclusive multi-occupancy restrooms, if they want. The bill is not a requirement. If a business chooses to do so, they must follow strong privacy and safety parameters established by the legislation. Thank you to our legislative champions State Sen. Celina Villanueva and State Rep. Katie Stuart.
This bill has been the subject of so much disinformation and violence, including threats of physical harm against Rep. Stuart earlier this year and transphobic violence advocated by a state senator during debate Thursday. This violent language is appalling and emblematic of what trans and gender-expansive people experience in their daily lives. According to the US Trans Survey in 2015, 58% of trans respondents in Illinois avoided using a public restroom because they were afraid of confrontations or other problems they might experience. The violent language like that used by the state senator gives license to transphobic actors to harm trans people. Enough is enough.
Illinois is a welcoming and affirming state. The Illinois House can forcefully act against such hate and violence by swiftly passing the common-sense and permissive HB 1286.
…Adding… What he’s saying about the bill is just completely untrue. Illinois already legalized that in the Kitty Litter Omnibus Act of 2021 /s…
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Question of the day
Friday, May 19, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s just a bill (actually, two bills) and there’s no push on to pass these measures right away. With that in mind…
State Representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) today has filed HB 4098, the result of a significant amount of Subject Matter hearings of the Illinois House Personnel and Pension Committee, of which she is Chair.
“Members of the General Assembly are taking the state of Illinois’ pensions situation very seriously, and the members of the Personnel and Pension Committee have devoted numerous hours listening to experts testify about the issues that we face with our Tier 2 pension system,” stated Kifowit. “It is time to stop talking about fixing our system, it is time for action. This bill encompasses a beginning point to a more comprehensive discussion on true solutions that need to be enacted as soon as possible for the state of Illinois.”
“It is not lost on any member of the General Assembly that fixing our pension system comes at a cost, but that cost compounds every year that we fail to address the needs of the employees of the state of Illinois,” continued Kifowit. “The purpose of holding additional Subject Matter hearings throughout the summer and fall will be to have discussions with regards to the expenses and revenues needed to achieve a sound pension system”.
HB 4098 encompasses many different components that have been discussed in the Personnel and Pension Committee along with input from various stakeholder meetings throughout the session.
Most notable is the discontinuation of the General Assembly Retirement System (GARS) and the Judges’ Retirement System. Future members would be offered enrollment into the existing State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS).
“These two systems are the worst funded in the state of Illinois,” stated Kifowit. “The only reason why these two systems were created is to provide better benefits than the average state employee. That is unacceptable and there should be no avenue for additional perks to elected officials.”
Additionally, HB 4098 creates a statewide Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) and expands the Pension Buy-Out program to more participants, while meeting the safe harbor provision over an eight-year time frame and creating an average COLA percentage over a three-year running average rather than a year-to-year calculation. It also creates a tiered retirement age schedule.
Furthermore, HB 4098 changes the target funding percentage from 90% to 100%, and identifies a funding of $1 Billion a year when two issues of bonds are retired. This shift allows additional funding that is already accounted for in the current budget. However, over the proceedings of the future Subject Matter hearings, additional revenue will be discussed to achieve 100% funding by 2050 or earlier.
“This legislation is the first substantive step towards fixing our Tier 2 system, identifying dedicated revenue sources, and ensuring that benefits are fair for our workers that give so much for the state of Illinois,” stated Kifowit. “I look forward to input from all stakeholders as we hold meetings throughout the summer and the fall.”
Kifowit has also filed HB 4099, which adjusts the pension age for individuals who provide various security duties for the state of Illinois. This bill will also be considered in full throughout the summer and fall months.
“These individuals work in very stressful situations and we need to evaluate HB4099 in conjunction with HB4098 to ensure that they receive the proper pension they deserve,” stated Kifowit.
Minority Spokesperson, Representative Steve Reick (R) is listed as Chief Co-sponsor on both bills.
* The Question: Your thoughts on these provisions? Please stick to the proposed bills. Don’t go off on tangents or spew rants.
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* Chicago Tribune…
A group of licensed cannabis transporters have filed suit against Illinois regulators, claiming the state is allowing unlicensed operators to transport marijuana. […]
Thirteen transport companies filed the suit Tuesday in Sangamon County against the Illinois Department of Agriculture and its director, Jerry Costello II. An spokeswoman for the agency said it does not comment on pending litigation, but is not aware of any illegal transporters.
A transportation license allows the holder to deliver cannabis from a grower to retail stores around the state. It was seen as the easiest way for minority owners to break into the legal cannabis business. Transporters have the lowest barriers to entry and are much less costly to start than a cultivation or retail facility.
But many weren’t able to get hired because state law allows growers to ship their own products. Only 31 transport companies have been licensed, plus the 21 big cultivation centers.
* From the lawsuit…
Specifically, on January 5, 2023, Plaintiffs are aware of a Chicago cannabis transport delivery that was conducted in what appears to be a non-complaint Honda Odyssey minivan. […]
On February 24, 2023, Plaintiffs are aware that SB IL Grow conducted a cannabis transport and delivery to Green Rose Chicago, a licensed cannabis dispensary located at 612 N. Wells Street in Chicago, Illinois. That transport was memorialized via an “Illinois Adult Use Marijuana Transportation Manifest.” […] As of February 24, 2023, SB IL Grow had not yet been approved for transport operations by the IDOA. […]
On information and belief, the IDOA was aware of and approved SB IL Grow’s cannabis transport and delivery to Green Rose. […]
Following this email, Mr. Thompkins spoke to Ms. Davis-Franklin and Ms. Johnson via telephone. During that call, Ms. Davis-Franklin and Ms. Johnson indicated that the IDOA did not have the staff necessary to enforce the CRTA and/or the Transport Regulations. Ms. Davis-Franklin and Ms. Johnson further confirmed that the IDOA had not issued a single fine to a licensed transporter or other entity for violation of the CRTA’s transportation provisions or the Transport Regulations. […]
Despite having definitive evidence of unlawful transport operations, on information and belief, the IDOA has not taken any disciplinary action against any parties involved in these illegal transports because it does not have the staff to do so.
As a result, illegal cannabis transporters are acting with impunity, jeopardizing the safety of the Illinois public and essentially blocking licensed Illinois transporters, like Plaintiffs, from participating in the Illinois cannabis industry.
* CBS Chicago…
Legally in Illinois, marijuana is supposed to be transported in a vehicle with cameras, GPS, and no rear windows or markings.
But illegal deliveries are allegedly happening by those without licenses in minivans and other noncompliant vehicles – with little consequence. […]
CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar spoke to legal cannabis transporters, who say they will be forced out of business if the state does not enforce its own standards.
Those transporters also say they have evidence of illegal drop-offs. They add that without regulation and enforcement from the state, there really is no incentive for growers and dispensaries to hire the transporters.
* Green Market Report…
Specifically, the 13 transporters allege that the state doesn’t have the manpower to enforce rules that prohibit licensed marijuana farmers from transporting their own crops to retailers and manufacturers, and gave two instances in which the plaintiffs said just such a thing had happened – and that regulators knew about it and did nothing.
“Despite having definitive evidence of unlawful transport operations, on information and belief, the IDOA has not taken any disciplinary action against any parties involved in these illegal transports because it does not have the staff to do so,” the suit asserts. “Instead, the IDOA is knowingly and willfully allowing entities to illegally perform cannabis transports in Illinois.”
“As a result, illegal cannabis transporters are acting with impunity, jeopardizing the safety of the Illinois public and essentially blocking licensed Illinois transporters, like plaintiffs, from participating in the Illinois cannabis industry,” the suit states.
* Related…
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Since 2018, Uber and Arizona State University have provided 5000 qualified drivers and their families with 100% tuition coverage.
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* The incomperable Yvette Shields at the Bond Buyer…
The [Illinois Sports Facilities Authority] has about $415 million of outstanding debt mostly tied to the 2003 reconstruction of the Chicago Park District-owned Soldier Field to benefit the Bears. Much of the debt issued in 1989 for the authority-owned Guaranteed Rate Field, home to Major League Baseball’s Chicago White Sox, has been retired.
With interest, ISFA owes $743 million of debt through 2032. Debt service this year totals $53.5 million and rises to $56.8 million next year. It hits $60 million in 2025 and $64 million in 2026 before holding steady at $67.5 million for three years. It then ramps to $78.6 million in 2030, $86.5 million in 2031 and $90.5 million in 2032.
The authority’s 2014 bonds become callable next year and the state budget signed in 2021 gave the authority room to extend debt to 2033 from the current cap of 2032 by keeping the state’s “advance” on hotel taxes in place a year longer.
The additional one year doesn’t provide much breathing room and likely would still leave the city to cover shortfalls because of the growing debt service payment ramp. “It doesn’t the solve the total impact,” [ISFA Chief Executive Officer Frank Bilecki] said.
ISFA sees an additional five years as needed to smooth out a steeply rising debt service schedule, but that would require state approval. While the structure would remain in place, the city and state would be refunded for their $5 million subsidies. […]
Under the complex structure a “state advance” of up to 60% of a 5% statewide hotel tax is pledged to the bonds but the agency must repay most of that advance at the June 30 fiscal year end. The authority’s revenues come from a local 2% hotel tax, a $5 million annual state subsidy and a $5 million city subsidy.
Chicago hotel taxes will fall $9 million short this year, the second shortfall in a row. No way will they be able to meet those higher bond payments.
Thanks, Mayor Daley.
* Another way of raising revenues would be to expand the hotel/motel tax. From the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association…
The hotel industry supports home sharing - the rights of property owners to rent out a room in their home - and we have advocated for ordinances that officially legalize such short-term rentals. But we also believe short-term rentals should abide by the same laws as hotels and every other business. Most importantly, the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association believes that short-term rentals should be subject to the same hotel taxes, which would raise new revenue for the state.
AirBNB already collects the tax, but others appear not to be doing so.
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It’s almost a law
Friday, May 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* AP…
The firearms industry, including gun sellers, could be sued for alleged violations of Illinois law including marketing to young people under legislation Illinois state senators approved Thursday.
The House previously approved the bill and it now goes to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, also a Democrat, who said that he will sign it. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, a Democrat, spearheaded the proposal.
“Gun violence is a public health epidemic, and those who encourage unlawful use of a firearm or target sales of firearms to minors worsen the scourge of gun violence in our communities,” Pritzker said in a statement. “This legislation finally protects Illinoisans from predatory actions by the firearms industry.”
Republican lawmakers objected to the proposal during Thursday’s Senate vote, saying it was too broad and would lead to court challenges.
* WAND…
Illinois lawmakers have approved a bill requiring public schools to allow students to celebrate their cultural, ethnic, or religious identity during graduation ceremonies.
Sponsors and advocates say Native American students are often given eagle feathers and other tribal regalia to show pride and gratitude for their academic achievement.
Lawmakers filed this proposal following an incident last year when a Native student was told he couldn’t wear an eagle feather and Native beads with his cap and gown. Nimkii Curley was forced to watch his classmates graduate while he sat in the bleachers. […]
Senate Bill 1446 passed out of the House on a 104-7 vote and now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.
* NBC Chicago…
Legislation that would make school meals free for all students in Illinois has passed both the House and the Senate, paving the way for the bill’s likely passage.
The “Healthy School Meals For All” legislation would provide state funding to Illinois schools to improve their offerings of healthy meals, while maximizing use of an existing federal program.
Advocates say the expansion of free meals for all students both combats hunger and helps reduce the stigma students often face when qualifying for free or reduced lunch programs.
Minnesota, Colorado, Maine, New Mexico and California have all passed similar legislation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure free school meals for all students.
* The Center Square…
A measure that is one step away from the governor’s desk would allow certain immigrants to become police officers in the state of Illinois. […]
Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, supports the bill and said during debate that history shows people from different backgrounds have been law enforcement officers for a long time. […]
The Fraternal Order of Police has been in support of the legislation being enacted, which Harmon said is nothing new. […]
The Senate amended the bill so it must return to the House before it can be sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker for approval.
* Daily Herald…
The Illinois Senate on Thursday passed an amended version of a bill that would allow businesses and public institutions to provide multioccupant all-gender bathrooms if they so choose.
House Bill 1286 would change current state law, under which single-occupancy bathrooms are automatically designated for all genders, but multioccupancy bathrooms must be designated as male or female.
While the measure had already passed the House on March 23, the amended version heads back to the chamber for consideration before it can be sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Justin Sia, a Chicago attorney, testified in committee this week that he came up with the idea for the bill while in law school at Loyola University. He described it as “a pro-family, pro-business and pro-safety bill that permits, not mandates, public and private entities to install gender inclusive, multi-stall restrooms.”
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Open thread
Friday, May 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Well, we made it to Friday! What’s going on?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, May 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | Democratic dissension over spending priorities to push state budget talks past deadline: As things stood late Thursday, it would not be procedurally possible for both chambers to approve a budget by the end of the day Friday, when the spring session was scheduled to adjourn. It wasn’t clear if legislators would work into the weekend or return to Springfield next week.
* Sun-Times | Democrats’ all-gender bathroom, gun lawsuit bills prompt heated debate — with GOP warnings of court challenges, violence: State Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia, told lawmakers that he would “beat the living p—” out of any man who walked into a restroom with his daughter. State Senate Majority Leader Kim Lightford said GOP critics “don’t understand that life is evolving.”
* Crain’s | Illinois biz leaders in uproar over last-second lawsuit bill that’s set to pass: The measure is pushed by the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. It provides for punitive damages in wrongful-death judgments, which the state currently doesn’t allow, but exempts hospitals, doctors, state and local governments and lawyers. That leaves a select assortment of businesses vulnerable to potentially much higher judgments.
* CBS Chicago | Cannabis license holders of color say they need help from state lawmakers: “We’re failing because there’s no access to capital,” said Rickey Hendon, a cannabis license holder. “And this narrative that there’s all this money out there for Black and brown people is just not true.”
* Bond Buyer | Chicago transit talks with state lawmakers remain on track: “All the conversations we’ve had to date with state legislators have been very positive,” said CTA CFO Jeremy Fine, speaking Tuesday at an “Innovations in Infrastructure” conference hosted by the University of Chicago and Bond Dealers of America.
* Capitol News Illinois | Environmental bills seek to improve soil health, ban state use of polystyrene foam containers: Senate Bill 1701 from Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, creates a structure for the state to assess soil health through a newly created “Illinois Healthy Soils Initiative.” These assessments would happen under the purview of the state Department of Agriculture as well as local soil conservation districts with the goal of identifying “voluntary and incentive-based strategies that improve healthy soils” as well as improving coordination on soil health strategies.
* Evanston Now | Evanston must be a ‘yes in my backyard’ city: The Margarita has been a shelter since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, but now, Connections for the Homeless is buying the facility and is asking council to approve a special use permit and operating agreement to turn temporary usage into something long-term.
* Crain’s | What’s ahead for Sam Zell’s successors: After the news of Sam Zell’s death at age 81 broke yesterday, it didn’t take long for two of his three public real estate companies — Equity Residential and Equity LifeStyle Properties — to name his successors. Within hours, Equity Residential, a real estate investment trust that owns apartments, disclosed that board member and former CEO David Neithercut, 67, would succeed Zell as the company’s chairman. Following a similar playbook, Equity LifeStyle, a mobile-home park REIT, revealed a couple of hours later that its former CEO and current vice chairman, Thomas Heneghan, 58, would succeed chairman Zell.
* Daily Southtown | Southland now home to ‘world’s best Pilsner,’ second best maibock after area breweries win at World Beer Cup: Horse Thief Hollow, 10426 S. Western Ave. in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood, earned first place gold for its brew “Little Wing,” beating out 128 other entries in the International Pilsner category.
* Tribune | Photographs shine a light on how a lack of masking is pushing Chicago residents with disabilities out of the public sphere: “Essentially, I have been forced to shield in my home,” Doherty said. “This is an opportunity for me to leverage my skill as a photographer to call attention to how disabled and immunocompromised people are being marginalized by the pandemic and policy and how that’s still going on. We’ve essentially been forced out of public life, so I had to try to find a way to do photography again from my home.”
* Sun-Times | Chonkosaurus, where are you? The hunt for Chicago’s celebrity snapping turtle: A team of journalists and an expert from the Field Museum set out this week to find the renowned reptile that had recently been spotted on the Chicago River.
* Tribune | Liam Hendriks’ return might be the only thing to look forward to for shellshocked Chicago White Sox fans: Still, there is no denying it would be nice to give Sox fans a chance to greet Hendriks with a long and loud ovation in his first game back. There haven’t been many moments to savor in this nightmarish start to the season, and watching Hendriks running in from the bullpen for the first time would be a sight to behold.
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Live coverage
Friday, May 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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