A lawsuit challenging a proposed state constitutional amendment on the November general election ballot saw its first hurdle. Plaintiffs argue the amendment violates federal law governing labor relations and the U.S. Constitution.
Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow denied the petition brought by the plaintiffs in Sachen v. the Illinois State Board of Elections, et al. The Chicago parents and teachers bringing the legal challenge to remove Amendment 1 from the ballot are represented by attorneys at the Liberty Justice Center and Illinois Policy Institute. Attorneys plan to appeal the decision.
Statement from Jacob Huebert, president of the Liberty Justice Center, a national nonprofit law firm:
“The state is asking voters to consider an amendment that contradicts federal law and is therefore unconstitutional. The parents and teachers bringing this legal challenge have the right to block the state from using public funds to promote an unconstitutional ballot measure. We will make this argument on appeal and continue to work toward removing this unlawful measure from the ballot.”
Statement from Mailee Smith, director of labor policy and staff attorney at the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization:
“We are committed to pursuing our claims in court and ensuring Illinois voters are not forced to vote on an unconstitutional amendment. The law is clear that Amendment 1 would do more than the state is allowed to do. Illinoisans deserve to have this addressed now. Not later. Not after their tax dollars have been wasted putting an unconstitutional measure on the ballot. We look forward to our next opportunity to argue on behalf of taxpayers.”
The lawsuit was filed on April 21, 2022, in the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court in Sangamon County.
Even accepting as true all of Petitioners’ allegations, there are no reasonable grounds to permit suit. Petitioner’s claims fail as a matter of law, and impermissibly seek an advisory opinion as to “constitutional issues … [which] may never progress beyond the realm of the hypothetical.” Slack v. Salem, 31 Ill. 2d 174, 178 (1964).
First, under Article XIV, section 2 of the Illinois Constitution, “[a]mendments approved by the vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house shall be submitted to the electors at the general election next occurring at least six months after such legislative approval, unless withdrawn by a vote of a majority of the members elected to each house.” Ill. Const. art. XIV, § 2(a). The requirements of section 2 are plainly met, and the constitutional command is clear. The proposal must be submitted to the voters for adoption or rejection. […]
Second, the Court has no power to restrain a referendum on the grounds that, if the proposed law were enacted, its enforcement would be unconstitutional. […]
Third, even if the Court had power to offer an opinion as to the prospective validity of an enacted Workers’ Rights Amendment, and even if Petitioners are correct that application of an enacted Workers’ Rights Amendment to private employees would be preempted by the NLRA, Petitioners plainly concede the Amendment would have valid applications, specifically application to public employees. … The Amendment would also prohibit the passage of laws restricting union security agreements, a subject about which “Congress …. left the states free to legislate.” These are plainly substantial applications of the Amendment. Petitioners offer no basis for preventing the Amendment’s submission to the voters merely because some anticipated applications may be preempted by federal law. The rule is exactly the opposite. […]
At most, federal preemption would merely render the Workers’ Rights Amendment dormant, not invalid, because it would still apply to situations not covered by the NLRA and would become enforceable even as to preempted applications in the event the NLRA were ever repealed. […]
Thus, the proposed Amendment would serve at least three permissible purposes. First, it would create rights for public employees, which Petitioners concede is not preempted by the NLRA. Second, it would restrain the power of the General Assembly to pass laws restricting union security agreements, a subject left open to the states. Third, it would act as a state-law failsafe to preserve rights for private-sector employees in the event the federal government ever decided to abandon the NLRA. There are no grounds for denying the voters the opportunity to decide whether to add the Workers’ Rights Amendment to the Illinois constitution.
Accordingly, the Petition states no reasonable grounds for filing suit. The Court has no power to pass on the validity of the proposed Amendment unless and until it is adopted by the voters. To do so would constitute an improper advisory opinion. … Moreover, even if the Court could entertain Petitioners’ challenges to the anticipated enforcement of the proposed Amendment, Petitioners plainly concede it has substantial applications unaffected by any federal preemption. Petitioners are therefore not entitled to an order prohibiting the placement of the proposed Amendment on the ballot. The Petition is denied.
* The Daily Herald endorsed Steve Kim for attorney general. But check out the soft-pedal job on the other GOP candidates…
His opponents — David Shestokas of Orland Park and Thomas DeVore of downstate Greenville — are talented attorneys and skilled critics of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s authority to mandate COVID-19 restrictions, but neither is apt to attract the broad support necessary to make them electable in November.
Um.
* CD1…
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) voted today to throw its support behind Jonathan Jackson, candidate for Congress in the 1st Congressional District race, giving him a full endorsement. The CTU is a 25,000-member organization of teachers, paraprofessionals, and clinicians that work in the Chicago Public School (CPS) system.
“I am honored and extremely grateful to receive this endorsement as I am a longtime supporter of the hardworking and dedicated members of the Chicago Teachers Union,” Jackson said in response to the endorsement announcement. “The importance of the roles CTU members play in our children’s education and thereby the future of the 1st District cannot be overstated.
* CD1…
Alderman Matt O’Shea of Chicago’s 19th Ward is announcing his endorsement of Pat Dowell for Democratic Nomination for Congress in the First District of Illinois.
“I have worked closely with Pat Dowell for the past 11 years. She is hardworking and dedicated to her constituents and is a person of great character. Pat will be a strong voice for our community in Congress,” said Matt O’Shea, 19th Ward Alderman.
* CD6…
Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) released a new ad highlighting his work to address gun violence and his pro-choice record. The ad will run on Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Hulu through Election Day as part of a six-figure digital ad buy. This is the latest in a series of digital ads the campaign is running to highlight Rep. Casten’s work to protect a woman’s right to choose, pass real gun safety measures, and lead the charge on ethics reform. […]
My Congressman Script
“18, a big year. Lots of milestones. Like voting for the first time. But not just for anyone. Sean Casten is working to pass real gun reform, like universal background checks, to protect our neighborhoods and our classrooms. He’s fighting to make sure women can make their own healthcare choices. And he’s leading the charge on ethics reform because we deserve leaders we can trust. Sean Casten. My Congressman. But I just call him Dad.”
Mike Lawrence, former director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and a longtime observer of Illinois politics, lives in the 15th Congressional District and says he is concerned.
“Some people are writing off Mary Miller’s candidacy – I’m not one of them. I think she can win. I don’t trust the polling that is being done. And I know in primaries, both parties draw their most extreme elements out to vote. And if Donald Trump comes and campaigns for her, she very well could win.”
Lawrence noted that in his flyers, Davis is playing up his support for Trump.
“The only reason I can think that he is doing this is to mitigate any damage that might be done to his candidacy if Trump does come to the district and campaign for Miller. But he runs the risk of alienating more moderate Republicans by doing this,” he said. […]
Former U.S. Rep. John Shimkus still gives the edge to Davis.
“So, you’ve got a lot of the new district that has been in the media markets that Rodney has served,” he said. “And that means they’ve seen millions of dollars in ads for and against him. Even though they didn’t have to vote for him, he’s a known commodity. In that new area I’d guess that other than Trump, they don’t know much about Mary.”
* We’ve seen more out of district endorsements this year than usual, but this one takes the cake…
Today, Jonathan Logemann, Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, announced the endorsement of former Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-IA) and former State Senator and candidate for Lt. Gov. and Congress Rita Hart (D-IA). Loebsack is a seven-term former Representative of Iowa’s Second District which covered Southeast Iowa including the Iowa side of the Quad Cities. Hart is a two-term former State Senator from Iowa’s 49th Senate District covering Southeast Iowa.
“It’s truly an honor to have the support of fellow educators and public servants Rita Hart and Dave Loebsack,” said Jonathan Logemann. “Dave and Rita each served their communities–locally in the State Senate, and nationally in Congress–with common-sense, results-driven leadership. Their work in bringing jobs and investments to their constituents is exactly what voters throughout Illinois’ 17th Congressional District expect from their next Representative. I am inspired by their lifelong commitments to education as well, both serving as educators in their communities.”
Four candidates who won court battles to stay on the June 28 primary ballot are now facing appeals by challengers. Supreme Court candidates Nancy Rotering, Mark Curran and Susan Hutchinson, and Cook County Sheriff candidate Carmen Navarro Gercone, were removed from the ballot when objectors argued they didn’t have enough signatures (in the high court races) or the qualifications (in the sheriff’s race). Judges overruled the decisions and all four were put back on the ballot. But now the objectors are appealing that decision.
The cases are on an accelerated court docket because of the approaching election. Briefs are due today and tomorrow, and the court could rule as soon as Monday. Depending on the outcome, the candidates could take their cases to a higher court.
And the contest is less than three weeks away: “At this point, their names already are on the printed ballots. If ultimately the courts remove them, votes cast for those candidates would not be counted,” Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections, told Playbook.
She also had the Indo-American Democratic Organization’s endorsement list.
* Speaking of the Supreme Court…
Former IL State Senator and Elected Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen Endorses Judge John Noverini for IL Supreme Court
CARPENTERSVILLE, IL - Honesty, integrity and ethical behavior are promised to voters by candidates running for public office. Citizens are ready to support candidates who have demonstrated during their careers solid professional competence and consistent adherence to core traditional principles. This is why former Illinois State Senator and Elected Kane County Board Chairman is encouraging residents to vote for Judge John Noverini for Illinois Supreme Court 2nd District in the June 28th Republican Primary.
“I respect our local long-time Kane County resident Judge John Noverini because he personifies the Code of Judicial Conduct in his character and behavior, regardless of circumstance. I trust that Judge Noverini will preserve, protect, and defend our Constitution”, stated Lauzen.
* DGA…
In a candidate profile, Illinois GOP gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin dodged a question about his top campaign contributors — trying to hide the well-known fact that megadonor Ken Griffin has been bankrolling his struggling campaign.
But Ken Griffin isn’t hiding his influence — in fact, he’s flaunting it. Griffin officially became the largest GOP megadonor in the country for combined federal and state campaigns this election cycle, a title he earned by dumping a record-breaking $50 million into Irvin’s campaign.
When asked who his top three campaign contributors were, Irvin employed the trusty old duck-and-dodge, saying his three main contributors are those who plan to vote for him, those who volunteer for him, and those who “contribute financially.”
Missing in that answer is $50 million worth of support from the wealthiest person in Illinois — a sum that constitutes the largest chunk of Griffin’s local spending. In return, Irvin concocts pay to play schemes to enrich Griffin and rewrites history to align himself with the megadonor’s platform.
“Richard Irvin will stop at nothing to hide from voters and obscure the truth,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Illinoisans deserve a transparent, honest leader — not one who ducks and dodges even when asked an easy, straightforward question. Illinoisans deserve better than Richard Irvin.”
* DGA…
With an endorsement from former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, Illinois GOP candidate for governor Darren Bailey is doubling down on his stance as the single uber-conservative, far-right extremist candidate in the race.
Following an interview with Bailey on his “War Room” podcast, Bannon said: “Darren Bailey in Illinois, Doug Mastriano in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Andrew Giuliani in the state of New York — I tell you, if you get these guys in office, you’re going to turn this thing around.”
Here’s a refresher on Steve Bannon: he’s the former executive chairman of Breitbart News who served as chief executive of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and chief strategist for the Trump White House — holding so much power over Trump and the administration that he was nicknamed “the Great Manipulator.” That’s who just endorsed Darren Bailey.
The far-rights of the far right think Bailey is the true conservative for Illinois, and he’s embracing their support. Earlier this month, he announced former Trump advisor Steve Cortes’ support of his campaign, and he’s still vying for Trump’s endorsement ahead of the June 28 primary.
“With another MAGA endorsement under his belt, Darren Bailey’s doubling down on his stance as the single uber-conservative, far-right candidate in this race,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Darren Bailey is far too conservative for Illinois — and voters know it.”
* This is so wild…
the richard irvin campaign is running an ad hitting darren bailey featuring a clip from a @WCIA3 news report…but they digitally altered the chryon to spell bailey's name incorrectly?
Democratic Secretary of State candidate Anna Valencia announced today that she has earned the endorsement of Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. The announcement comes as Valencia continues to build a broad, statewide coalition ahead of the June 28 primary election.
“Anna Valencia is a dedicated public servant with a proven track record of fighting for working families, and I’m proud to endorse her for Secretary of State,” said Treasurer Conyears-Ervin. “Anna’s passion for helping our communities—and her ability to deliver for them–are evident through her many accomplishments as Chicago City Clerk, such a modernizing city government and establishing the CityKey municipal ID program. As our next Secretary of State, she will build upon these successes to help Illinoisans across our state.”
* Open letter to MWRD President and Democratic candidate for Cook County Assessor Kari Steele…
Dear President Steele,
Given recent discussions about anti-semitic language used on Mr. Jackson’s show, we feel compelled to raise our own concerns about a long history of homophobic and anti-Trans rhetoric used by Mr. Jackson. Mr. Jackson has stoked fear that trans people are leading an attack to delegitimize cisgender identity, claimed that LGBTQ+ people seek to “indoctrinate” children, and used the term “gay” as a pejorative.
President Steele, while we recognize that this language has not come directly from you, Mr. Jackson regularly uses his show as a platform to promote your campaign. He is often your most vocal surrogate and recently spoke to the Chicago Tribune on the record on behalf of your campaign. You have not repudiated his comments in your capacity as an elected leader or as a political candidate.
We were heartened to see that you both issued apologies following revelations about Mr. Jackson’s anti-semitic statements. We feel you must also take steps to address the impacts on other communities, including ours.
In addition, there are members of the LGBTQ+ communities, of course, who are also Jewish and thereby have been targeted by this bigotry from multiple angles. It is our hope that you will acknowledge that harm and take steps to rectify it.
As you may know, the LGBTQ+ community has been severely impacted by overt bigotry and direct violence for decades, and in particular anti-Trans violence has been rampant in recent years. Already this year, at least 7 Trans people have been killed across the country. In 2021, we saw record violence against Trans and gender non-conforming people. It is important to note that Black Trans women in particular have been targeted for hateful attacks at disproportionate levels. As you see, Mr. Jackson’s kind of rhetoric can have real consequences for our community. This isn’t theoretical to us. Words and platforms like Mr. Jackson’s create a clear and present danger to vulnerable people.
Please see below for a detailed list of sample instances of homophobic and transphobic comments from Mr. Jackson on his show. If these are the things he is saying in the light of day on his radio broadcast, we are deeply concerned about what he is saying or doing in private. The Democratic Party is a big-tent party that stands for full respect and inclusion of its many diverse constituencies. We hope you stand up for this value, and for your LGBTQ+ constituents, by denouncing what your surrogate and campaign advisor Mr. Jackson has claimed.
Thank you for your consideration. We are open to a dialogue to discuss our concerns with you further.
Sincerely,
Brian C Johnson, CEO, Equality Illinois
Michael Ziri, Director of Public Policy, Equality Illinois Mony Ruiz-Velasco, Deputy Director, Equality Illinois Former State Sen. Heather Steans
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy
State Rep. Sam Yingling
Commissioner Kevin Morrison
Ald. Tom Tunney (44)
Ald. James Cappleman (46)
Committeewoman Maggie O’Keefe
Note: Mr. Jackson’s show begins daily with a song that includes the line “[Chicago Mayor Lori] Lightfoot seems more lesbian than Black.”
Feb 26, 2021
● “Eventually, removing gender will be an acceptable thing.” (00:39:50)
● “Being a man is part of life. Being a woman is part of life. Now they’ve added all of these adjectives in between, but literally, we are at a point where they are saying that it they are teaching children, that it is wrong to be a man or a woman.” (41:40)
● “Where are we that it is now wrong to be a man or a woman? Like, it’s not that we are not including all of the alphabet in between. After we include the [LGBT] alphabet in between, they want to eliminate the original letters.” (43:37)
● “So there’s M and there is F, right? We have always lived with male and female. We have now added LGBTQ and whatever else. I’m OK–I have learned to be OK with that. But the moment that the [LGBT] letters in between are now saying that they want to eliminate the bookends. I’m lost! Am I supposed to just be OK with this?! I don’t want my son to go to the store and not see Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head.” (43:47)
● “Are you literally telling me that we’re now at the point where Mr. and Mrs. makes people so uncomfortable…what about all the Mr. and Mrs. that love being Mr. and Mrs. or Mr. and Miss can?” (45:50)
● “There are way more people that identify as male and female than that do identify all those other letters combined, and how are all of those other letters combined now seeking to eliminate, minimize, emasculate–literally the two outsides [M and F]? Like, I feel like having this conversation, somebody’s gonna say I’m having hate speech.” (46:33)
● “Life has changed. I’m OK with that. But I am not OK with being told in any way shape or form that it is wrong to identify that being identifying something as a male or a female should make anyone uncomfortable.” (49:50)
● “There’s your truth and then there’s facts. Now you can add to the facts but until you can prove to me there’s no such thing as a man or a woman, then they’re trying to create an alternate reality.” (52:52)
● “I think it starts with a toy. I think it’s [a toy] because they want to educate and indoctrinate the next generation.” (53:17)
● “We are getting to a place that is bordering on obscene to me” (54:26)
● “I think it’s ludicrous that we have to defend the concept of a Mr or Mrs.” (56:00)
● “This right here is how you get to your Handmaid’s Tale. When you start deaffirming men and women, they are the majority.” (56:30)
● “This whole concept that there is this worldwide movement to eliminate gender, because somebody decides it’s the new, hot button issue to prove that you’re equal, it’s freaking crazy to me.” (57:33)
● “Are we really moving to a point where we’re saying there are no men and no women—that everything is just the same? And are we really accepting that? This is where a Maze Jackson would be meeting in the parking lot with Hillbilly Jim. ‘Hillbilly Jim, me and you, we’re on the endangered species list.’” (57:53)
55:19, September 27, 2021
“I don’t like [director Lee Daniels] either. I don’t like how he turned everybody gay.”
I’ve asked for comment from the Steele campaign. I’ll let you know if there’s a response.
Some of her colleagues in the Illinois state general assembly thought she was being “hyperbolic,” she says — maybe even “hysterical.” But the Chicago Democrat, a longtime reproductive rights advocate, saw the “fertile seeds” that the antichoice movement had spent years planting starting to blossom into a grave threat to abortion rights, and led an effort to build a “firewall” of laws to protect and expand access to the procedure — including the Reproductive Health Act she sponsored, which was signed by Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker in 2019 to make abortion a “fundamental right.”
That legislative push helped turn Illinois into a national leader in reproductive healthcare. It is also likely to soon make it a refuge for people in states as far away as Texas, who will face even less access to abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as it is expected to do. Indeed, Illinois already serves large numbers of out of state patients, who often face significant barriers to abortion even with Roe in place. But the state is bracing for a post-Roe surge: Cassidy and others in Illinois helped secure freedom of choice here in Illinois before reproductive rights came under existential threat nationally; now, healthcare advocates here are working to ensure they can meet patients’ needs after those threats come to pass. […]
“We are an island,” says Democrat Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, an Illinois state representative who as a freshman lawmaker helped get the Reproductive Health Act and other pro-choice legislation to Pritzker’s desk. “I think our sense of responsibility feels larger, because as an Illinois legislator, I now feel a responsibility to women outside of my own borders.” […]
In Connecticut, Democratic Governor Ned Lamont in May signed a law protecting people from out of state who seek or provide abortions there, allowing those facing legal action against them in another state for receiving or providing abortion care to sue for damages. “I am very appreciative to the majority of lawmakers in Connecticut who had the foresight to draft this legislation at a time when the right to a safe legal abortion in America is in jeopardy,” the governor said. Cassidy says she and her colleagues are looking not only at protecting providers, but trying to find ways to make it easier for abortion providers from states where the procedure is outlawed to “reestablish themselves” in Illinois. […]
The trouble is, they’re not only scrambling to meet the needs of those from outside their states — they’re fighting to ensure their own protections they’ve passed stay in place. “We can’t sleep on this firewall by any means,” Cassidy says. Challenges to the RHA and other Illinois laws will likely crop up in the wake of a Roe decision, Cassidy says, and rights like marriage equality could come under threat next. And the safeguards Illinois has in place could be dismantled by a single election — if Democrats lose their majority in Springfield, for instance, or if Pritzker loses reelection in November to one of the Republicans who have spent primary season trying to pass a conservative purity test. “We did everything we could do, but now we’ve got to keep doing it,” says Cassidy.
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* It really is everywhere. I know so many people with it…
I'm looking forward to tonight's debate. While I'm disappointed that I won't be able to participate in person due to ABC's COVID protocol, I'm excited to continue sharing our positive vision for Illinois' future via Zoom. Here's how to watch: https://t.co/nAvEdSk8Bppic.twitter.com/3xhXDR1Bti
Midcontinent ISO (MISO) faces a capacity shortfall in its North and Central areas, resulting in high risk of energy emergencies during peak summer conditions. Capacity shortfall projections reported in the 2021 LTRA and as far back as the 2018 LTRA have continued. Load serving entities in 4 of 11 zones entered the annual planning resource auction (PRA) in April 2022 without enough owned or contracted capacity to cover their requirements. Across MISO, peak demand projections have increased by 1.7% since last summer due in part to a return to normal demand patterns that have been altered in prior years by the pandemic. However, more impactful is the drop in capacity in the most recent PRA: MISO will have 3,200 MW (2.3%) less generation capacity than in the summer of 2021. System operators in MISO are more likely to need operating mitigations, such as load modifying resources or non-firm imports, to meet reserve requirements under normal peak summer conditions. More extreme temperatures, higher generation outages, or low wind conditions expose the MISO North and Central areas to higher risk of temporary operator-initiated load shedding to maintain system reliability.
MISO A capacity shortfall in the North and Central areas poses high risk of energy emergencies during peak summer conditions. The shortfall is largely driven by a peak demand increase of 1.7% percent and 3,200 MW less generation capacity than summer 2021
Southern Illinois is among the most vulnerable places in the country heading into the summer, according to a newly published forecast by the North American Electric Reliability Corp., a regulatory authority that monitors risks to the grid.
The area, along with large parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and other states linked to the regional grid, has been put on notice in the forecast that it is facing a “high risk of energy emergencies during peak summer conditions.” A major reason is that some of the coal plants that regulators assumed would keep running for another year or two are instead coming offline. Some plant operators are choosing to shut down rather than invest in upgrades for coal plants that do not fit with states’ and the federal government’s long-term goals for clean energy.
“We are seeing these retirements occur at a faster pace than expected,” said Jim Robb, chief executive of the regulatory authority. “The economics aren’t great, so coal plant operators are saying ‘uncle.’”
As demand across the Midwest is increasing, the amount of power available to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator grid that services a large swath of it has dropped, leading regulators to warn that outages could accompany extreme summer weather.
Retiring coal plants are just one of many challenges putting unprecedented stress on the nation’s electricity network.
“It’s a soup of things,” Robb said. “The grid is transforming. We are putting on a lot of new resources and learning how they behave.” That is compounded, Robb said, by prolonged stretches of extreme weather, the inability of utilities to get badly needed transmission lines built as they wrestle with land-use disputes, and difficulties delivering natural gas supplies to the power plants that are a crucial backstop to wind and solar energy when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. […]
Some political leaders and utilities in the Midwest are assuring residents that their connections to neighboring grids can provide a backup of energy to avoid blackouts if the Midcontinent system gets overstressed. But energy experts warn those power transfers may not be available in the event of a prolonged heat wave that stretches across many states, as California learned when part of its grid became overwhelmed in the summer of 2020.
The [Marie Newman dog poop] ad amounts to a little bit of proactive offensive defense.
Perhaps the largest issue in the campaign has been the fact that Newman is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly offering a staff job to a potential election opponent if he’d drop out of the race. However, Casten has pretty much ignored that in his own TV ads, instead focusing on positive aspects of his career.
Did Casten know that he could take the high road while an ally—in this case, the Democratic Majority for Israel super PAC—went low?
Casten denies that, and the super PAC so far hasn’t responded to requests for comment. But both the Casten and Newman camps confirm that the group has made a $261,000 cable TV buy for a spot that’s believed to focus on Newman’s ethical problems.
Under investigation for corruption. Is that really what we want in our member of Congress? The Office of Congressional Ethics was unanimous: There’s “substantial reason to believe” Marie Newman may have violated federal law by promising a taxpayer-funded job to an opponent if he agreed not to run against her. Newman even put it in a signed contract. Say ‘No’ to a corrupt politician representing us. Say ‘No’ to Marie Newman. DMFI PAC is responsible for the content of this ad.
Not a gigantic amount of money behind that ad so far, but oof.
Irvin has also run ads discussing his response to incidents of looting and rioting in Aurora in May 2020, but State Sen. Darren Bailey says that his opponent has misrepresented his actions during that unrest.
“When the riots broke out in Aurora, he told police to stand down,” Bailey said. “And nobody is talking about that.”
Officials enacted a curfew during that incident, which saw individuals engaging in violent clashes with police in the wake of the George Floyd shooting in Minnesota. […]
“He was a passionate supporter of Black Lives Matter,” Sullivan added. “When cop cars were being burnt, he said he was ‘conflicted’ on whether to take action.”
Irvin, who has said during the campaign that he does not support Black Lives Matter, defended his record on the FOID legislation.
“Those FOID card changes that Pritzker talked about were not enough to go beyond what we needed to fix,” he said. “It’s broken, and when I’m governor I’ll fix it.”
* OK, let’s take these one at a time, starting at the bottom of the story and working up. Here’s Irvin’s full quote on the problems with the FOID card system…
…And then myself, not just a year ago, my FOID card expiring during the pandemic and I wasn’t able to get a FOID card for a full year. Now there’s a Second Amendment here in this country that says that you know, all of our citizens, law abiding citizens, you know, have the ability to own to own firearms, and the FOID card system is broken and needs to be fixed to ensure that that Constitution that constitutional amendment is [garbled]
Not gonna speak to the constitutional issues, but the FOID backlog has been eliminated, according to Illinois State Police spokesperson Melaney Arnold…
Hi Rich,
Since the middle of January, ISP has met all statutory turnaround times for processing new FOID as well as FOID renewals.
FOID new - 30 calendar days
FOID renewal - 60 business days
Thanks
Melaney
Maybe the candidate should check things out before saying that the next time.
* Let’s move on to Sullivan’s accusation that Irvin said he was “conflicted” during the riots. The Sullivan campaign pointed me to a video excerpt from August of 2020. Click here to watch…
…around the ountry, destroy our downtown, you know, in a matter of minutes what it took us years to build. And as I sat there in the police situation room, which was our EOC Emergency Operation Center, and I saw the drones going overhead as you know, things on fire, police cars on fire, my downtown just on fire, people running around destroying things. You know, I was conflicted. In one sense, I’m the mayor and I’m saying ‘This can’t happen my city’ and I refuse to accept that this is happening. On the other hand, I recognize that unless there’s some type of disruption, you know, in what they want here in our country, things won’t change. Just to simply knock on somebody’s door and say, you know, ‘I want equity and fairness,’ you know, without disruption, without anything behind. It doesn’t work.
So, yeah, that’s accurate. And, frankly, I kinda like that Richard Irvin. Too bad he’s now running away from his past.
* Bailey’s claim that Mayor Irvin ordered the police to “stand down” comes from an interview that Jeanne Ives did of former Aurora Ald. Rick Lawrence…
I’ve seen his commercial. He talks a lot about what he did during the riot. Our police officers were told to stand down and not engage in the riot. And over 30 businesses were destroyed in Aurora. And so that’s the real record. It’s frustrating to watch you know a made-up character by a marketing department because that’s not the person that I know and it’s not the person I worked with.
I reached out to Lawrence via Twitter, Facebook and email. “How do you know this to be true?” I asked. “And when was this order allegedly given?” I have not yet heard back. I’ll let you know if I do hear something. Lawrence has tangled with Irvin in the recent past over Irvin’s alleged corruption. I don’t think his claim yet rises to the level of evidence in a gubernatorial campaign. But if there’s evidence or another witness, I’m all ears.
* Coverage roundup from yesterday’s Irvin press conference, which went a lot more smoothly than his previous one…
* Republican Irvin’s anti-crime plan rests on repealing law Democrats say he supported: Pritzker’s camp was referring to a letter Irvin sent to state Sen. Elgie Sims, one of the bill’s Democratic sponsors. The letter, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, commends Sims on his leadership on the bill’s passage and also lauds the measure’s goals. Irvin’s campaign told the Chicago Tribune in March that the letter wasn’t “laudatory,” and was simply Irvin “being polite to a state senator when asking for revisions to a law” that affected police in his city.
* Illinois governor candidate Richard Irvin promises to repeal criminal justice reforms: But while Irvin calls crime an epidemic, new statistics released by the Chicago Police Department show that shootings are down 15.6% from the start of this year through the end of May. Murders are down 7.7% compared to the same five months last year. Irvin also found himself on the defensive about his recent criticism of the FOID, or Firearm Owner’s Identification System, which he called “broken.” That despite praising Pritzker when he signed a bill in Aurora last August to expand background checks, a move in response to calls for gun reform after the mass shooting the Pratt manufacturing plant.
* Irvin promises to repeal criminal justice reforms, gubernatorial rival calls him a ‘fraud’: “I’m the mayor of a city — second-largest city in the state — who not long ago was one of the most violent cities in the state of Illinois, per capita with over 30 murders a year,” Irvin said. “Now make Aurora one of the safest large cities in America.” But Irvin’s rivals in the Republican primary said that claim is outdated, citing the most recent statistics about crime in Aurora. “Actually, criminal assault is up 129% in the city of Aurora. Aggravated assault up 44%. Violent crime up 38%. Those are the facts and he has to be held accountable for his record. Aurora is not even in the 100 safest communities in the state of Illinois. Mayor Richard Irvin is really a fraud,” said Jesse Sullivan (R), candidate for governor.
Why is Rodney Davis attacking Mary Miller’s Christian faith? When Miller talked with Tony Perkins about the border, she noted the lessons of the Good Samaritan. Now Davis twist her words to attack her on immigration. Davis cut out: ‘The role of our government is to enforce our laws.’ Davis should apologize. The fact is Davis voted for amnesty, not Miller. Mary Miller, strong on the border, Trump endorsed. Conservative Outsider PAC is responsible for the content of this advertising
They have a point, but when you’re explaining, you’re not winning.
Does Rodney Davis think you’re stupid? His pals say Mary Miller hates our military. Horse manure. Miller opposed Joe Biden’s woke military makeover plan loaded up with diversity training, gender perspectives, even a report on discriminatory uniforms. Perfect for a squish like Davis, not a conservative like Miller. President Trump backs Miller and says she’s strong for our military. Conservative Outsider PAC is responsible for the content of this advertising
Last March, the state’s child welfare agency received a report through its hotline that an 8-year-old girl in Uptown might be in danger.
Her parents had gotten into a fight at a restaurant, the report said, and an investigator with the Department of Children and Family Services was assigned to check on the parents and the child, Amaria Osby.
The investigator tried the girl’s home the next day, on March 24, but was unable to see anyone, the agency said. It was not until two months later, on May 24, that the investigator finally checked on the child.
“There were no noted concerns for physical abuse or neglect,” the agency said.
The next day, Amaria was dead, allegedly killed by her mother, Andreal Hagler, who also tried to kill herself.
Charles Golbert with the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian spoke out Wednesday on Amaria’s death. Her mother, 38-year-old Andreal Hagler, is now charged with her daughter’s murder. Prosecutors say she confessed to killing the girl.
“Amaria is the sixth child to die in Illinois (since last December) despite DCFS’ involvement with the families,” Golbert said. “This case screamed out for intensive mental health services for the mother, for drug services for the mother and at least some type of protective supervision plan.”
Police found Amaria dead in her uptown apartment last Wednesday.
Police said they found the mother high on PCP with a bag around her head when they arrived. According to prosecutors, Hagler told officers she felt her daughter didn’t love her anymore and loved her father more. She said she put the bag over Amaria’s head similar to how she had placed it over her own head, prosecutors said. […]
Records revealed that a caseworker failed to visit the Uptown home for two months. Investigators cited no concerns for abuse or neglect upon making contact two months later.
“When you have investigators laboring under untenable caseloads in an inept bureaucracy without the support they need, the ball is going to get dropped on investigations with tragic results like what happened here,” Goldbert said.
The public guardian told WGN News that DCFS has a current investigator vacancy rate of 21%, according to a consent decree. It’s supposed to be no more than 6%.
Audit: DCFS failing to track kids in care
When WGN News asked DCFS to explain that two-month gap from March to May, a spokesman said that contrary to policies, the investigator, in this case, did not continue to make attempts to see the family. The spokesman added that the employee and a supervisor are not performing child protection duties at this time and the department is determining appropriate personnel action.
“They dropped the ball and did not do anything for two months,” Golbert said. “Their own regs say that they have to see the child within 24 hours.”
DCFS administrative code says in cases like this, “Good faith attempts must be made every 24 hours or sooner, including weekends and holidays, until the child victim is seen, unless a waiver is granted by the Child Protection Supervisor.”
A DCFS spokesman said the investigator working on the case did not make attempts to contact Amaria’s family as the code requires – and thus, disciplinary action is expected against the investigator and supervisor in this case:
“Contrary to DCFS policies, the investigator in this case did not continue to make attempts to see the family. Both the supervisor and the investigator are not performing child protection duties at this time and the Department is determining the appropriate personnel action. The allegation in this case stemmed from an incident of domestic violence between caregivers, and the investigator noted no signs of abuse after speaking to the mother and daughter.”
“All of this is interrelated and goes to DCFS’ illegal investigator caseload ratios, and just the inept bureaucracy that it is,” Golbert said.
09/08/2017 A hotline report was made identifying Amaria, age 3, as the child victim. The mother was being investigated for allegation 60-Substantial Risk of Physical Injury/Environment Injurious to Health and Welfare by neglect. This allegation stemmed from a DUI charge where the mother was arrested and charged with child endangerment.
09/09/2017 The investigator visited the child and observed no signs of physical abuse or neglect. Amaria was entered into a safety plan with a family member.
10/30/2017 A worker saw the child and there were no signs of physical abuse or neglect.
10/31/2017 The Investigator and assigned Intact worker met with the family to initiate a transition to Intact Family Services.
11/04/2017 The investigation was completed, and the mother was indicated for allegation 60-Substantial Risk of Physical Injury/Environment Injurious to Health and Welfare by neglect stemming from the DUI arrest. The family continues to participate in and receive supportive services through the Intact Family Services program.
3/21/2018 The family continued to participate in Intact Family Services. The assigned Intact worker saw the family on 11/07/17, 11/ 15/17, 11/21/17, 11/29/17, 12/07/17, and 12/19/17,1/10/18, 1/30/18, 2/15/18, 2/28/18, and 3/21/2018. During this time the mother participated in substance abuse treatment and community service. When the Intact worker visited the home on 02/15/18, the mother noted that the child had a seizure on 02/03/18 and was in the hospital for 3 days. The visit with the family on 3/21/18 was the final home visit There were no noted concerns for abuse or neglect during any of the home visits and the Intact Family Services case was closed.
03/23/2022 A hotline report was made identifying Amaria as the child victim. The mother was being investigated for allegation 60-Substantial Risk of Physical Injury/Environment Injurious to Health and Welfare by neglect. This allegation stemmed from Amaria allegedly witnessing a domestic violence incident between the mother and father in a public setting. There were no allegations of abuse involving Amaria. Law enforcement responded to the scene of the incident at a restaurant and made no arrest and did not press changes related to the incident.
03/24/2022 An investigator made a good faith attempt to visit the child victim and family without succes.
05/24/2022 An investigator visited the family and spoke with the mother and the child. There were no noted concerns for physical abuse or neglect.
So, the DCFS worker didn’t follow clear rules. The supervisor apparently didn’t notice. The regional supervisor apparently didn’t notice.
* I told subscribers last week that House Republican Leader Jim Durkin had taken the highly unusual step of endorsing Sen. Win Stoller’s Republican primary opponent Brett Nicklaus. Durkin followed up with a check. Here’s Politico…
Intra-party politics and dysfunction are playing out in the Illinois Republican Party.
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin just gave $25,000 to Republican Brett Nicklaus, who’s challenging incumbent Win Stoller — a fellow Republican — for the 37th District state Senate seat.
You read that right. The House Republican leader is meddling in a state Senate GOP primary, doling out cash that might otherwise help Republican candidates fight off Democrats in the upcoming General Election. Republicans are a minority in Springfield, after all.
“It’s absolutely unheard of,” a GOP insider told Playbook.
Durkin’s move is retribution because Stoller donated to Republican Travis Weaver, who’s challenging House Rep. Mark Luft (who you might know for his other job as the mayor of Pekin).
There was a reason for Stoller’s move. He and Weaver are family friends. In fact, Weaver’s father is former state Sen. Chuck Weaver — who hand-picked Stoller to succeed him in the Senate. […]
And Rep. Toni McCombie is endorsing Nicklaus over Stoller, too. She gave Nicklaus $16,000. McCombie at one point had considered running against Stoller but was persuaded by leadership to stay in the House. That cleared the lane for Stoller to run without a primary. But his support for Travis Weaver changed that.
And for doing Stoller and the Senate Republicans that favor, Durkin wound up with an expensive primary race against one of his freshmen.
Illinois residents are eligible to receive part of a $100 million class-action settlement involving another tech giant.
As with the class-action complaint against Snapchat, Google was accused of violating the Biometric Information Privacy Act regarding its use of a face regrouping tool in the Google Photos app.
Google used the tool to sort faces it spots in photographs by similarity. However, according to the suit, the company did not receive consent from millions of users before using the technology.
As a result, Illinois residents who appeared in a photo on the app between May 1, 2015, and April 25, 2022, may be eligible for payment.
The University of Illinois Flash Index fell in May, declining to 105.7 compared to 106.0 in April.
The lower index reading does not mean the Illinois economy is contracting because any reading above 100 indicates growth.
“The uncertainty in the state and national economies discussed last month is still unresolved,” said University of Illinois economist J. Fred Giertz, who compiles the monthly index for the Institute of Government and Public Affairs. “Two contrasting pictures emerge. Unemployment is falling in Illinois to a post-recession low of 4.6% in contrast to 6.6% a year ago. Consumer spending remains strong, job openings are plentiful and tax receipts exceed forecasted levels.”
Giertz said that this suggests a growing economy, however, there is increasing concern about a recession in the next twelve months. This is based on the intention of the Federal Reserve to tighten monetary policy to deal with the unexpectedly high and persistent inflation along with the gradual reduction of various Federal stimulus programs that grew to unprecedented levels during the Covid crisis.
“The current situation is unlike most recent downturns in that the problem is largely supply induced rather than one of deficient demand. The Covid crisis resulted in supply chain problems and exits from the workforce. This has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.”
Individual income tax receipts were down substantially from the same month last year after adjusting for inflation because of the different filing months in the two years. Corporate and sales tax receipts were little changed. See the full Flash Index archive.
The Flash Index is a weighted average of Illinois growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending and personal income as estimated from receipts for corporate income, individual income, and retail sales taxes. These are adjusted for inflation before growth rates are calculated. The growth rate for each component is then calculated for the 12-month period using data through May 31, 2022. After more than two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, ad hoc adjustments are still needed because of the timing of the tax receipts resulting from state and Federal changes in payment dates.
The annual Paul Simon-Jim Edgar Statesmanship Award is presented to a former or current state or local government official in Illinois who has demonstrated a pattern of public service characterized by vision, courage, compassion, effectiveness, civility, and bipartisanship.
Former Governor Jim Edgar and the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute invite you to nominate an Illinois elected official who has displayed this kind of exceptional leadership.
We created the Simon-Edgar Statesmanship Award to shine a spotlight on remarkable public service that is taking place in our state and local communities. Please join us as we celebrate the Prairie State’s best traditions. Nominate an Illinois statesperson by June 1.
Today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker endorsed Democratic candidate for State Senate Mary Edly-Allen.
“I am thrilled to endorse Mary Edly-Allen for State Senate in Illinois’ 31st District,” said Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. “Mary has been a fierce advocate for women’s reproductive rights and critical investments in mental health care, childcare, and violence prevention programs that strengthen public safety. She has been an invaluable leader in the legislature, and I look forward to our continued partnership to keep Springfield on the side of working families.”
“I am honored to be endorsed by Governor Pritzer, who has been a life-long advocate for women’s healthcare. In 2019, Governor Pritzker and I worked together to strengthen Roe v. Wade into Illinois law to ensure that reproductive health care will never be in jeopardy in our state,” said Democratic candidate for State Senate Mary Edly-Allen. “Under the Governor’s leadership, I am ready to continue the fight for the health and safety of all Illinois families. Governor Pritzker’s endorsement serves as proof of my commitment to protecting a woman’s right to choose, supporting common sense gun reform, and being the hardworking, ethical leader our community deserves.”
Mary Edly-Allen has also been endorsed by State Senator Melinda Bush, AFL-CIO, Brady PAC, Gun Violence Prevention G-PAC, Giffords PAC, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Indo-American Democratic Organization, Lake County Federation of Teachers Local 504, LiUNA! Chicago Laborers’ District Council, Personal PAC, and The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.
* Press release from Edly-Allen’s primary opponent, Rep. Sam Yingling…
It is ironic that on the first day of LGBTQ+ PRIDE month Governor Pritzker attacked the only openly LGBTQ+ legislator outside the City of Chicago, State Representative Sam Yingling.
Yingling, who fights every day for the rights of all his constituents, straight and gay, every color and every creed said, “As a gay man, I am used to being bullied. But, I did not expect to be attacked on the first day of PRIDE month by a fellow Democrat.”
Yingling continued, “I was the first Lake County elected official to endorse Governor Pritzker in his contested primary four years ago. I have and will continue to support his legislative agenda. But let’s be clear, this is not about policy or our Democratic values. This is about the Governor making moves to control the Illinois Democratic Party. When I joined with 18 of my colleagues to replace former House Speaker Michael Madigan it was to start a new day where voters decide the outcome of elections.”
Gov. Pritzker has attacked Yingling and sided with Yingling’s opponent in the race for State Senate, Mary Edley Allen, who has voted against working families and the communities of color.
Mary Edly-Allen, who was a chosen candidate of Madigan, has opposed Democratic legislative priorities including: voting against minimum wage which had support from labor and working families. She refused to show up for work after losing her reelection as state representative, missing a series of important votes on budgetary matters, pandemic relief, and the Black Caucus’ historic SAFT-E Act. The Act’s narrow passage succeeded because Representative Yingling stood with the Black Caucus.
Thoughts?
This press release, by the way, was sent by the same PR firm which handled media for that mostly bogus hit on Sen. Melinda Bush, who is backing MEA.
Also, too, Yingling had plenty of backing from the Madigan crew over the years. C’mon, man.
Alderman Gilbert Villegas announced the endorsement of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White today in the race for the 3rd Congressional district of Illinois.
White, the only veteran elected a constitutional officer of Illinois, released the following statement:
“I’m proud to endorse fellow veteran Gil Villegas for Congress. I know he will be a tireless advocate for working families and will fight to protect our rights and communities” said Secretary Jesse White.
Villegas responded to the news.
“Jesse White is a man of honor, integrity, and commitment to public service and I’m so proud to receive his endorsement. There are few people in Illinois’ history who have served with such distinction and I will do my very best in Congress to live up to the example he has set for all of us,” said Alderman Gilbert Villegas.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin will not march in the Aurora Pride parade because event organizers have forbidden police officers from marching in the June 12 procession while in uniform.
Irvin also withdrew the city’s float from the parade, he said late Tuesday.
And city officials will conduct a gay pride flag-raising ceremony without the Aurora Pride organization, he said.
Irvin, also a Republican candidate for governor, said police officers and commanders disagree with an option to march while in a “soft uniform,” such as a polo shirt with police department insignia. Aurora Pride had suggested that last week after Irvin criticized the group’s decision about not allowing police uniforms and police vehicles in the June 12 parade.
All six Republican candidates for governor of Illinois have agreed to participate in a one-hour debate Thursday hosted by ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. Starting at 7 p.m., ABC 7 news anchor Alan Krashesky will moderate the forum among Darren Bailey, Richard Irvin, Gary Rabine, Paul Schimpf, Max Solomon and Jesse Sullivan. It will air live on ABC 7 Digital Channel 7.2 and stream on abc7chicago.com and the ABC 7 Chicago News app. ABC 7 will replay the debate on its main channel at 10:35 p.m. Friday. The appearance of all six candidates is a major improvement over the fiasco May 24 when NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and Nexstar Media WGN-Channel 9 held dual debates on the same night, splitting the field in half. Panelists Thursday will be ABC 7 political reporter Craig Wall and Univision Chicago news anchor Erika Maldonado. The debate also is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Illinois and Univision Chicago.
What’s likely to be the final GOP debate before the June 28 primary will be hosted by Salem Media news/talk WIND 560-AM June 23 at the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. Confirmed participants are Darren Bailey, Gary Rabine and Paul Schimpf. AM 560 news director Mike Scott will moderate the debate from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Panelists include AM 560 morning co-host Amy Jacobson and Illinois Radio Network’s Greg Bishop.
* Not unexpected at all…
After two direct questions, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker would not say he supports U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly's bid for a second term running the Democratic Party of Illinois. Control of the state party could be up for grabs as it courts the DNC to come to Chicago in 2024. pic.twitter.com/vtKuDuBL9g
Democratic candidate for Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced today that he wants the state to ensure that transgender and non-binary Illinoisans are able to access gender-neutral markers on their driver’s licenses as soon as possible.
In 2019, Illinois legislators approved a bill, giving residents a gender-neutral option on their identity documents. However, those Illinois residents wanting gender-neutral markers on their driver’s license or state ID card have to wait until 2024 when the state ends its contract with IDEMIA, the vendor that won a state contract to implement REAL IDs.
“The fact that a private company is receiving taxpayer money to administer our state’s REAL ID program and is ‘unable’ to provide a simple identity-designation change that is so important for the safety and security of the transgender and non-binary community is simply unacceptable,” said Giannoulias. “Every Illinois resident should have the right to obtain an official document that reflects and affirms who they are, and they should not have to wait five years after this law was approved to get it.”
The Secretary of State entered into a contract with IDEMIA in 2018 to administer the REAL ID program, lasting through 2024. IDEMIA has claimed that it is unable to add a gender-neutral marker – an “X” instead of “M” or “F” – to REAL IDs administered by the Secretary of State until the end of the current contract in 2024.
For the transgender and non-binary communities, having the proper gender marker on an identification is a matter of safety. In 2015, the National Center for Transgender Equality reported that 34 percent of trans and non-binary Illinoisans reported harassment when their gender identity didn’t match the gender on their identification.
More than 20 states have passed legislation allowing for gender-neutral options on state-issued IDs and driver’s licenses. Last week, New York announced that it would allow residents to choose an “X” as their gender marker on their state-issued IDs, beginning June 24.
Giannoulias vowed to closely review the current contract in place with the Secretary of State’s office, including examining what early termination provisions are in place or what contract amendments could be applied.
Giannoulias made the announcement at the beginning of Pride Month, adding that he would continue to fight for equality for members of the LGBTQ+ communities across the state.
Shortly after taking office as State Treasurer in 2007, Giannoulias changed office policy to allow office employees in same-sex domestic partnerships to receive the same health benefits as married employees and their dependents. At the time, the Treasurer’s Office had been the only constitutional office not to give health benefits to same-sex partners of state workers.
In 2010, the Treasurer’s Office became the first state constitutional office in Illinois to establish that LGBTQ+ employees in domestic partnerships would have all the
same rights and benefits as married employees, including unpaid time off to care for a sick partner or relative or for the birth or adoption of a child.
* I had to check twice to make sure that I wasn’t looking at a 2020 web page when I read the Daily Herald editorial board’s question of all state legislative candidates. Here’s an example posed to Democratic House candidate Matt Hanson…
Q: The graduated income tax is designed with the intent to reduce taxes for 97 percent of Illinoisans. Do you believe that will happen? Why or why not? What assurances can you offer voters?
I do not hold an office in Springfield at this time, but I am not aware that a graduated income tax is being discussed. Tax relief for middle class families and workers is my focus. Billionaire insiders and massive corporations paying little to no taxes need to pay their fair share. Incentivize work rather than wealth. This can be done by closing corporate loopholes and offering tax credits for middle class families.
* People’s Fabric has produced yet another big oppo dump. Like the last one, this is about 19th House District Democratic candidate Tina Wallace. Here’s the quick summary…
After the Northwest Side real estate agent was sued over her dog’s unprovoked mauling of a kennel worker, a judge found Wallace’s actions indicated “a wanton disregard for the safety of others.” She later unsuccessfully lobbied Alderman Raymond Lopez to change the city’s dangerous dog ordinance to prohibit kennel workers from suing in the future.
As before, this is a long narrative, but here is an excerpt…
Julia’s attorneys described this as a campaign “tailored for the precise purpose of embarrassment and harassment under the pretext of investigation.” They asked the judge to intervene. The judge agreed and granted a protective order prohibiting Wallace from sending any more letters.
Wallace even subpoenaed individuals not directly related to the case—at one point she attempted to depose Chicago Blackhawks player Bryan Bickell a year after winning the 2013 Stanley Cup. At that time, Julia worked for the Bickell Foundation, which was founded to help combat public misconceptions about pit bulls.
Julia’s lawsuit initially sought reimbursement for her medical bills and lost wages. Julia was uninsured and had racked up medical expenses exceeding $40,000.
After more than two years in court, she asked the court to allow her to also seek punitive damages, citing a “pattern of misrepresentations [that] has continued throughout this litigation, as Wallace represented under oath… that she had no knowledge of any bite, attack or injuries caused by her dog.”
The judge agreed that they met the bar to request punitive damages against Wallace, writing, “[T]he evidence establishes that Tina Wallace and Barriers Against Repeated Cruelty were aware that ‘Sam’ previously bit two other individuals, but failed to disclose this information to Found or [Julia]. The acts of Tina Wallace and [BARC] indicates a wanton disregard for the safety of others.”
After this ruling from the judge, the case was immediately settled. The exact terms of the settlement are unclear, but according to a source with knowledge of the case, who asked to remain anonymous, the first payment from Wallace’s liability insurance was $400,000—roughly ten times the initial damages sought.
More…
Besides the lying & callousness toward the victim, this bit of gaslighting was🤯.
Tina Wallace stopped a rescue from euthanizing a dog—after it's second attack on a human—then when the dog attacked someone again & she was sued, Wallace blamed the org for not euthanizing the dog. https://t.co/6zBqprTv9Rpic.twitter.com/p0TaAwjOTm
— The People's Fabric (@peoplesfabric) June 1, 2022
— Gov. JB Pritzker is endorsing state Senate candidate Mary Edly-Allen, a former state rep, in the 31st District Democratic primary against Sam Yingling, a state rep. “Mary has been a fierce advocate for women’s reproductive rights and critical investments in mental health care, childcare, and violence prevention programs that strengthen public safety.”
— Sam Yingling is out with a digital ad in his race for the state Senate in the 31st District that includes Lake County. The ad, titled, “Report Card,” addresses guns, abortion rights, and being an LGBTQ elected official. […]
— Pat Dowell has been endorsed by Posen Mayor Frank Podbielniak in her bid for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 1st District.
— Progressive or not: State House rep candidate Kevin Olickal says he’ll join the Illinois House Progressive Caucus if elected to represent the 16th District. His point: Incumbent state Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback didn’t join the caucus after tweeting that she would.
* CD17…
Former state representative and 17th District Democratic Congressional Candidate Litesa Wallace on Tuesday called on Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance to resist pressure from a right-wing Republican advocacy group and restore its support for the GenderCool Project, an educational group that supports transgender children.
Consumers’ Research, a right-wing Republican outfit opposed to LGBTQ rights and other Civil Rights, targeted State Farm and its support for the youth-led program which, among other things, provides books and other materials to promote understanding of transgender youth.
“State Farm is a valued employer and partner in Illinois. Consumers’ Research is a fake “research” group designed to grind Republican axes, which takes money from the tobacco industry and which is known for its vastly misleading propaganda reports. The GenderCool Project, meanwhile, provides some kindness and understanding to gender neutral, nonbinary and trans kids trying to make their way in a world of cruelty that we see getting crueler by the day. I urge State Farm to revisit their decision to appease this right-wing advocacy group. This is caving to the kind of bigotry that makes life so cruel for so many of our children.”
— The People's Fabric (@peoplesfabric) June 1, 2022
Yep.
* From the Daily Herald endorsements of Alexi Giannoulias and Rep. Dan Brady is this little gem…
Milhiser is the only member of billionaire Ken Griffin’s well-funded slate that Republican House Leader Jim Durkin has not endorsed.
Milhiser stresses time and again that as a career prosecutor, he knows how to root out corruption.
As Brady points out, Milhiser probably should be running for attorney general then. We agree.
Um, Leader Durkin isn’t endorsing Milhiser because Brady is a top member of Durkin’s leadership team.
* CD13…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker announced his endorsement of Nikki Budzinski in Illinois’ 13th Congressional district. Since being elected as the 43rd Governor of Illinois, Governor Pritzker has raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour, protected reproductive freedom, got the state’s fiscal house in order, and made education more accessible and affordable for all.
Governor Pritzker made the following statement: “I am proud to endorse Nikki Budzinski for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Nikki has dedicated her life to fighting for workers and working families and has a unique ability to bring people together from all walks of life to get big things done. Nikki was invaluable in our fight to raise the minimum wage to a living wage, and played a major role in expanding reliable, high-speed broadband to every corner of Illinois. With Republicans hellbent on taking us backward, it is more important than ever that we send strong Democrats like Nikki to Washington to fight the tide of rising right-wing extremism.”
Nikki Budzinski made the following statement: “When JB was running for Governor, he made a commitment to put Springfield back on the side of working people and in his first term, he delivered on that promise. Governor Pritzker shares my commitment to organized labor and working people. That’s why I was proud to work with him to increase Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 an hour. I look forward to building on that work in Congress as an advocate for working families.”
…Adding… Darnit. I promised Sen. Wilcox I would post this and then I forgot. Sorry about that…
McHenry Township Republicans will be hosting a candidates’ forum on Saturday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Richardson Farm, 909 English Prairie Rd, Spring Grove, IL.
These forums will be scheduled throughout the day at one of four stages located at Richardson Farm. Some of the forums including Republican Candidates for the United States Senate, McHenry County Board, Illinois Comptroller, Illinois Treasurer, Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois Attorney General, various United States Congressional districts, Illinois Supreme Court, McHenry County Clerk, McHenry County Treasurer, McHenry County Regional Superintendent of Schools, various Illinois General Assembly districts, and Illinois Governor.
Gubernatorial Candidates scheduled to be at the forum include Darren Bailey, Gary Rabine, Paul Schimpf, and Max Solomon. This portion of the forum begins at 6 p.m. at the Amphitheatre and will be the concluding event of the day.
In addition to hearing the candidates speak there will be food trucks, concessions, and a beer tent at the event. Grab your lawn chair and plan to spend the day at the Grand Old Party at the Farm!
For more information about the event please visit mchenrytownshipgop.com.
Just about everyone is going to be there, except Richard Irvin.
* More…
* Daily Herald endorsement: Giannoulias and Brady for Secretary of State: Anna Valencia has similar views. But she is handicapped by the fact she failed to disclose her husband’s lobbying activities on her ethics forms. She waved it off as an oversight, but she’s running for a position that has oversight of the registration and activities of lobbyists. That’s a difficult flaw to overcome.
Today, Governor JB Pritzker met with pro-choice advocates and service members from Illinois and Missouri to discuss the importance of protecting abortion rights and to reaffirm his commitment to safe, accessible reproductive health care for women everywhere. As radical Republican-controlled states surrounding Illinois implement harsh bans on women’s bodies, Illinois remains an island for reproductive freedom thanks to Governor Pritzker’s leadership.
“Whether you’re an active duty soldier, a single mom, a working woman, or just a woman who wants to have control over your future––we are with you.” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In Illinois, we trust women and so long as I am governor that will always be the case.”
“Illinois is a critical access point now and in a post-Roe future,” said Chief Medical Officer at Reproductive Health Services at Planned Parenthood of the St Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. “We have an opportunity to rebuild a broken system, a system that has never been equitable or accessible for everyone who needs it.”
Governor Pritzker stands with women in every corner of the state and nation in the fight for equal rights, including women faced with existing barriers to access like active duty and retired service members. While every single GOP candidate running for governor cheers on the Supreme Court’s imminent and disastrous decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Governor Pritzker recognizes that women’s bodily autonomy is on the ballot and remains resolute in his belief that all people deserve the right to make their own health care decisions and live a life by their own design.
A recorded copy of the event can be found at JBPritzker.com/live
* Richard Irvin was asked about the governor’s comments on the Republican gubernatorial candidates at his press conference today…
You know, it’s a shame that JB Pritzker is using something that is such an important issue for us to be talking about as political fodder. He does not have anything other to talk about then trying to make something like that about politics. He doesn’t want to talk about his failures in the state. He doesn’t want to talk about the fact that crime is spinning out of control in the state of Illinois. Taxes and wasteful spending is spinning out of control. He doesn’t want to talk about the corruption that has prevented us from going forward and progressing as a state. He wants to talk about things that are already determined to be codified law in the state of Illinois. He is using that as politics.
OK, on the “codified law” bit, but then Irvin was told that the state’s parental notification law ends today and was asked: “When you become governor will you reinstate it?” “Absolutely,” Irvin said, and then the press conference ended.
Seems like a contradiction, but maybe you disagree.
* Speaking of the PNA repeal, here’s the ACLU of Illinois…
Abortion access in Illinois expanded today with the end of the Parental Notice of Abortion (PNA) law. This measure required a minor seeking abortion care to notify a designated family member, often putting young people in unsafe and harmful family situations in further danger when they sought to access this health care.
“Prior to today, pregnant young people could make any medical decision without barriers except abortion. Now thankfully they have the same right to make a confidential decision about their health care as everyone else” said Emily Werth, staff attorney at the ACLU of Illinois. “Today abortion is treated just like all other forms of health care in this state.”
This end of the parental notification law comes at a pivotal moment in the fight for abortion rights. A draft opinion leaked from the Supreme Court early this month suggests a majority of Justices are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, eliminating access to abortion in much of the country. A number of states are rushing to pass – or preparing to enforce previously adopted – bans on abortion if Roe falls.
The Parental Notice of Abortion Act has been enforced in Illinois since 2013. During that time the ACLU of Illinois has run the Judicial Bypass Coordination Project which ensured that those effected by the law were still able to access abortion care in this state. Volunteers helped operate a hotline to answer questions on the law and provide resources, and pro bono attorneys and ACLU staff represented minors who needed to get a waiver from a court in order to have an abortion without forced family involvement.
“During the nearly nine years the harmful law was in effect we helped more than 625 young people get the court approval they unfortunately needed to have an abortion. Only one of our client’s judicial bypass waiver requests was ever denied by a judge. All people, regardless of their age, know what decision is best for them. And everyone should have the right to decide for themselves,” Werth added.
The measure taking effect today is HB370 – the Youth Health and Safety Act. The bill which repeals the Parental Notice of Abortion Act was sponsored by Senator Elgie Sims and Representative Anna Moeller, and was approved by the General Assembly in October of 2021, and signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker in December 2021.
It's May 31st and I spent the holiday weekend in Chicago and have dinner plans tonight at 6:30. Feels weird to not be in a suit and tie and working at the Statehouse all weekend and tonight. Not bad, mind you. Not bad at all. Just… really weird
* Both use a focus group theme. Click here and here for the background on the first one…
* And I don’t believe there’s any need to supply any background for this one…
The only thing I would say about these ads is that, taken together, the word “Bailey” is either spoken or flashed on the screen a total of nine times, while the word “Irvin” is said once and then flashed on the screen in the paid-for slots at the end of the spots.
Two years ago, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin quietly co-founded a consulting firm with a top city aide, who’s also a lifelong friend, and two men from Virginia.
The arrangement has raised several potential conflict of interest issues for Irvin: There’s a mayor going into business with a city employee who is so close to Irvin that the mayor calls him a stepbrother. There’s the employee skirting through a process requiring city approval for side jobs. And there’s the two Virginia men, who went on to get a $15,000 city contract without their ties to Irvin being disclosed. […]
That scrutiny now includes questions about the consulting firm Aurora Dynamic Solutions, based two blocks from City Hall. Irvin owns it with Michael Pegues, who Irvin hired right after being elected mayor in 2017 to be Aurora’s chief information officer. While the two are not related by blood, Irvin considers Pegues a stepbrother because Irvin’s biological father — who did not raise Irvin — at times raised Pegues, and Irvin has said he and Pegues have been close since childhood.
Irvin never announced his ownership in Aurora Dynamic Solutions, and it isn’t disclosed on the state ethics form he filed when he ran for governor. As of Tuesday, the consulting firm had a half-finished website that’s designed to be hard to Google but — if someone could find it — advertised a wide swath of services, including government consulting.
Go read the whole thing. The Irvin campaign makes a valid point that their guy has lost money on this company. But he’s also keeping the company alive, including paying for office space, until he leaves politics.
GOP candidate for governor Richard Irvin may portray himself as a political outsider ready to clean up corruption, but his past tells quite a different story.
Two years ago, Irvin co-founded a consulting firm with a top city aide and two men from Virginia, the Chicago Tribune reported. The firm’s conflicts of interest are endless, from the mayor of the second-largest city in the state going into business with a city employee so close that he calls him a stepbrother, to said city employee dodging the formal reporting process for side jobs, to the Virginia men scoring a $15,000 city contract without disclosing their ties to Irvin.
And to make matters worse, Irvin never reported his ownership in the firm, and it isn’t disclosed on the state ethics form he filed at the start of his gubernatorial campaign. The business isn’t even in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office.
This is just the latest example in a long string of corruption and pay to play scandals. There’s Scientel, which donated over $100,000 to Irvin’s campaign and committees connected to him, and in return, received millions in city contracts and permission to build a high frequency trading tower that sparked concern it would interfere with fair access.
There’s the time Mayor Irvin arrived at the scene of an arrest of his then-girlfriend, accused of hitting a security guard at a marijuana store — promising the charges against her “would be taken care of.”
And now, there’s apparently a sham consulting firm he founded with a city aide and two Virginia men that scored city contracts during Irvin’s mayoral term.
“While Richard Irvin parades around as an anti-corruption political outsider, the exact opposite is true,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Time and time again, we’ve seen Irvin bend the rules to enrich himself, his friends, and his donors. That’s how he behaved as mayor of Aurora, and that’s exactly how he’ll behave as Governor. Illinoisans deserve better.”
Lightfoot, in a statement from her campaign via supporter Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32d, “welcomed” Vallas to the race:
“Paul Vallas running and losing has become a stunt. Chicago doesn’t want his failed experiments that closed schools, hurt already struggling neighborhoods and ignored police misconduct that cost the City millions. He hasn’t been taken seriously by voters because his outdated and destructive ideas would only make the most challenging issues facing the city worse.”
* American Jobs and Growth Fund was formed in Delaware in mid-April. It apparently hasn’t yet filed for 501(c)(4) status with the IRS. It’s impossible to tell who is behind this, but have a look and maybe ask yourself who would have a lot of money to burn on a hit that they do not in any way want to be connected with…
Mayor Richard Irvin promised to reduce violent crime in Aurora. But as mayor, homicides have nearly doubled. Rapes have increased. Aggravated assault increased. Even arson. And while activists burned Illinois cities, Richard Irvin told voters ‘I support Black Lives Matter strongly and passionately.’ He also said, ‘I believe this past summer was a wake-up call to America.’ It’s time Mayor Irvin had a wake-up call. Tell Mayor Irvin to do something about rising crime.
…Adding… From Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
We are absolutely in no way involved with that org or that ad and I am happy to unequivocally say that on the record.
*** UPDATE *** If you click here, you’ll see that the advertisement agreement form is signed by Eva Mah, who’s with Axiom Strategies. As we’ve already discussed, that firm does work for Jesse Sullivan’s campaign and earlier this year it created an independent expenditure committee in Illinois to oppose Richard Irvin. The firm has a history of consulting for both candidates and their allied super PACs.
So, why would Sullivan want to hide his involvement? Well, Sullivan has pledged to run a “positive-focused campaign.” This way, he can kinda sorta keep that promise and still benefit from a negative hit.
In the spot titled “Sh*t,” Congresswoman Marie Newman’s campaign dismisses attacks from one of Sean Casten’s SuperPACs, Democratic Majority for Israel, which is dumping six figures in a campaign to erase a lifelong Democrat and progressive woman from Congress.
The ad features Newman walking her dog and dismissing false attacks on her from Casten’s dark money allies as “Sh!t,” then pivots to the differences between her and Casten: “So here’s the truth: I grew up here, and have been a lifelong progressive Democrat. Casten voted for anti-choice Republicans like George Bush. I’ve always fought to protect reproductive rights, an economy for all, and universal health care. Sean Casten hasn’t. I don’t accept corporate money, while Casten has taken a million dollars from corporate PACs.”
The new Newman ad references Casten moving to this area just a decade ago and buying his way into Congress - accepting nearly $1 million in corporate contributions and relying on SuperPACs spending six figures to attack his female opponents. The ad goes live across Illinois’ new 6th District June 1st.
Sean Casten regularly encourages SuperPACs to engage in his congressional campaigns to tear down progressive women. Mr. Casten is currently under Federal Election Commission investigation for allegedly “illegally [colluding] with a SuperPAC funded by his wealthy father in airing $130,000 worth of ads attacking a Casten primary rival then, Kelly Mazeski.”
He and his SuperPAC are now spending six figures to tear down Congresswoman Newman. This formula has played out in PA12, TX28, and OR05 where a dark money SuperPAC spends six to seven figures to tear down progressive women fighting for working families in their districts.
Hi, I’m Congresswoman Marie Newman, and unfortunately, you’re going to hear a lot of s*** about me from my opponent, Sean Casten. So here’s the truth: I grew up here, and have been a lifelong progressive Democrat. Casten voted for anti-choice Republicans like George Bush. I’ve always fought to protect reproductive rights, an economy for all, and universal health care. Sean Casten hasn’t. I don’t accept corporate money, while Casten has taken a million dollars from corporate PACs. I approve this message because unlike Sean Casten, I’ll always fight for our progressive values.
Yeah, I know it’s after hours, but I was looking through A-1s and saw the press release, so I figured you might wanna rate it tonight.
In March, Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith was cited an eighth time on a contempt of court order for failing to appropriately place a teen who was in the agency’s care into the proper setting. What should be done to address the agency’s shortage of proper shelter for children in DCFS care? What other reforms do you believe are needed at DCFS?
Former Governor Bruce Rauner decimated social services at DCFS, intentionally cutting 500 residential beds and refusing to pass a budget for over 700 days. Making improvements to this state agency is not like flipping a light switch: it requires ongoing investments and efforts.
As Governor, I’ve sought outside input on strategies and tactics to improve DCFS. As a result of those recommendations, we’ve increased DCFS’s budget by over $340 million, launched aggressive efforts to hire hundreds of additional staff, and eliminated the DCFS abuse and neglect reporting hotline backlog––reducing the percentage of calls requiring callbacks from 50% in 2019 to under 1% now.
DCFS has also overhauled its technology, led trainings for every staff member, and is working hard to create needed placements for children. Importantly, DCFS has bolstered its provider network and intends to hire an additional 360 DCFS staff this year and next. The agency has made improvements––but there’s still work to do––and those who seek to use our most vulnerable as political pawns don’t deserve to lead our state.
There’s still a lot of work to do, governor. A lot.
It’s heartbreaking to see a state agency repeatedly endanger the lives of our most vulnerable children. The public has a right to know how long J.B. Pritzker has known about the horrific problems inside his agency and why he defends his hand-picked director who continues to be found in contempt of court. This isn’t a partisan issue; it’s an issue of incompetence, corruption and lack of compassion. We need new leadership at the top in Illinois to fix the problems at DCFS.
Priority one: Fire the current director of DCFS who, as of April, has been found in contempt of court nine times for failing to protect our most vulnerable children. We need competent leaders who can drive improvements inside DCFS, and partners in the General Assembly willing to remove any barriers to reform.
Fire the director and hope for the best, apparently. And since the contempt fines are being tossed out by the appellate courts, I’m kinda wondering if these contempt findings are really worth anything.
As Governor, I will immediately initiate a thorough review of the operations of DCFS. From that review I will make an assessment of every aspect of DCFS and from that assessment make the reforms necessary. Reforming DCFS will be one of my top priorities as Governor.
There is no agency of Government more important than the one that protects children and there is no bigger failure of the Pritzker Administration in its management of DCFS.
Like so many other agencies, the Department of Children and Family Services is missing leadership from the Governor’s Mansion that demands results and holds agency directors accountable. I am open to establishing a dedicated revenue stream that will fund the necessary shelters for DCFS care.
Money is not really an issue at DCFS these days, unless you cut taxes. Then it becomes an issue everywhere in government.
The crisis at DCFS is very personal to me and my family – my wife Monique and I made the decision to be foster parents and have welcomed two incredible foster kids into our home. Other politicians will say they’re pro-life or pro-family – we’re living it.
The problems at DCFS, sadly, go deeper than a quick fix. It takes a culture change at the top, and the solution isn’t just going to be throwing more money at a broken system - they’ve tried throwing more money at the system, but nothing changes. Fixing this broken system is going to require partnering with and empowering the faith and civic leaders in our state; they are the key to solving this crisis. It will also require recruiting great families to foster our most vulnerable children, which is something I am uniquely suited to do, as a foster parent.
The state already partners with faith and civic groups. Outside groups deliver the services. And while being a foster parent is a hugely commendable endeavor, fostering children with such severe violent behavioral issues that they wound up stuck in psychiatric hospitals with no place to go is a whole other story.
Governor Pritzker today signed historic and equity-focused nursing home rate form legislation (HB246) that will improve care for nursing home residents across Illinois. The legislation holds facility owners accountable by tying new funding to improving care for vulnerable Illinoisans.
The reform principles include increased funding that is tied to staffing levels, a proven predictor of improved health outcomes for residents; a new pay scale for certified nursing assistants that increases wages based on years of experience; and funding connected to improving key quality measures. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services first introduced these reforms in March 2021, and they were also included in the Governor’s budget for this fiscal year.
Illinois will become the first state to implement this reform model, as well as the first to incentivize better nursing home staffing at this magnitude. For the first time in Illinois, there will be a direct tie between funding for nursing home industry and quality measures, including the hiring of staff.
“Since day one of my administration, I’ve made it clear that everyone deserves quality, affordable healthcare,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With today’s signing, Illinois will no longer tolerate an emphasis on profits over people, especially at the expense of our most vulnerable Illinoisans. When it comes to taking care of our seniors, Illinois is setting a new standard—the highest in the nation. This is what accountability looks like.”
“Under HB 246, we are carving the path for well-funded, well-staffed nursing homes with workers who have the training to provide quality care,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “I have had the opportunity to hear from nursing home workers, who shared what it’s like to be stretched thin and how transformative this legislation can be. With this bill, we are building a better future for residents and workers alike with their voices at the forefront.”
Medicaid customers, and especially Black and Brown nursing home residents, are more likely to live in understaffed facilities, making equity a driving force behind the changes in the nursing home rate reform legislation. COVID-19 disproportionately affected nursing homes in vulnerable, often Black and Brown communities, further widening the inequities that exist within long-term care. But the need for change in the nursing home Medicaid payment system in Illinois began long before the pandemic.
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) spends over $2.5 billion annually to care for the roughly 45,000 nursing home residents who are enrolled in the Medicaid program, which accounts for nearly 70% of nursing home residents in the state. The legislation ties new funding to accountability and transparency for nursing facilities by adopting the federal Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM), which is designed to more accurately reflect the clinical care needs of residents and requires the disclosure of all individual nursing home ownership interests.
Accounting for federal matching funds, Illinois will invest more than $700 million in Medicaid funding in the nursing home industry through a combination of new revenues generated by simplifying and expanding the existing nursing home assessment tax, and by allocating additional general revenue funds.
Additional funding will be dedicated to addressing increased costs at nursing facilities due to labor shortages and wage increases, with an adjustment of $4 per resident day for facilities that serve an above average percentage of Medicaid customers. Medicaid funding to support the new wage scale for certified nursing assistants will increase funding for wages by as much as $8 per hour, depending on a worker’s role and length of service in nursing homes.
The Medicaid program will repay nursing homes that opt in for their share of the cost of the wage scale increase. For some facilities, Medicaid will fund virtually the entire cost of the scale. The scale is structured so that CNAs will receive an increase for each year of their experience in Illinois nursing homes.
For those with at least one year of experience, their wage will increase by at least $1.50 per hour, and Medicaid will pay its share of that $1.50 increase. The pay increase goes up by $1 for each year of experience, topping out at a $6.50 per hour increase for those with six or more years of experience in nursing homes. The legislation also allows for a $1.50 per hour wage increase to accompany qualifying promotions, which is in addition to the experience-based wage increases. Medicaid will fund its share of this increase too, up to 10-15% of nursing home CNAs.
* CMS…
Reforms sought to update business and labor practices of nurse staffing agencies have been signed by Governor JB Pritzker.
The pandemic increased demand for nurses and nurse aides, causing healthcare facilities in Illinois to increasingly rely on temporary contract nurses referred by nurse staffing agencies to fill staffing needs
HB 4666 amends and modernizes the Nurse Agency Licensing Act to bring transparency around fees charged, increase Nurse Agency reporting on their pay and labor practices, and expand protections for workers referred by nurse agencies. The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) is responsible for regulation and oversight of nurse staffing agencies pursuant to the Nurse Agency Licensing Act.
“This bill critically protects temporary nurses and nurse aides’ right to change jobs or get hired directly by a healthcare facility. It will also increase stability and transparency in the healthcare industry in the state. As the pandemic illustrated time and time again, healthcare workers and the healthcare industry are critical to the well-being of the people of Illinois,” said Illinois Department of Labor Acting Director Jane Flanagan.
The operational changes include the following provisions:
• Nurse staffing agencies are prohibited from entering into covenants not to compete with nurses and certified nurse aides.
• Nurse staffing agencies are prohibited from requiring the payment of liquidated damages, conversion fees, employment fees, buy-out fees, placement fees and or other compensation, if the employee is hired as a permanent employee of the health care facility.
• Nurse staffing agencies must disclose new contracts with facilities to IDOL within 5 business days of the effective date (protected from FOIA).
• Wage rates paid to nurses and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) must match wage rates identified on the contract. Failure to do so allows IDOL to recover underpaid wages for the worker.
The new reporting requirements include the following:
• Nurse staffing agencies must submit quarterly reports related to average charges to health care facilities to IDOL.
• IDOL must publish yearly a report by county of average amounts paid to employees and charged to health care facilities.
The changes take effect July 1, 2022.
* Sen. Hunter…
A lack of diversity amongst health care professionals can lead to disparities in treatment, which is why State Senator Mattie Hunter sponsored a new law to incentivize representation in health care.
More than half of practicing physicians are white, and only 17% are Asian, 6% are Hispanic, and 5% are Black.
“Diversity in the health care industry is so important, and it is proven to benefit patients’ quality of life,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “When patients have professionals that look like them, there is increased trust, communication, and an enhanced understanding of values.”
The law creates an Equity and Representation in Health Care Workforce Repayment Program, which will provide loan repayments and scholarships for health care professionals who serve in Illinois medical facilities.
Increasing diversity in the health care sector is a priority of the program, especially in medically underserved areas.
“Unfortunately, medical professionals’ implicit bias can be a huge barrier for patients of color, LGBTQ patients, and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds,” Hunter said. “This measure combats a lack of representation by providing scholarships for those who can help diversify the field.”
This measure builds upon measures in Hunter’s health and human services package, which was signed into law last year.
House Bill 4645 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect in January 2023.
* Sen. Stadelman…
State Senator Steve Stadelman joined domestic violence prevention advocates Tuesday to celebrate the recent signing of a law he championed to protect and empower survivors of domestic violence and abuse.
“The burden of trauma and abuse can weigh heavily on the lives of victims coping with their grief, and this law can help them take the first steps towards healing,” Stadelman (D-Rockford) said. “We are empowering survivors by giving them the choice to file for protective orders in the comfort and safety of their own home. By doing this, we are giving them the chance to move forward at their own pace.”
Stadelman’s measure, Public Act 102-0853, gives people the option to file a protective order either online or in-person. The law also requires any court in a county with a population above 250,000 to offer the option of a remote hearing to the petitioner for a protective order. It allows both the petitioner and the respondent to appear for related hearings remotely or in-person – and the courts would also have the discretion to grant or deny the request for a remote hearing.
Any and all types of protective orders would be covered under this law.
“We know from speaking with survivors that one of the most frightening and intimidating processes they engage in is seeking an order of protection,” said Manager of the Rockford Mayor’s Office of Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Prevention Jennifer Cacciapaglia. “Providing options for survivors to engage in this process in a more survivor centered trauma responsive way is imperative to our overall efforts to improve our response to survivors across the state, and this legislation is a step in the right direction.”
The law allows both the petitioner and the respondent to appear for related hearings remotely or in-person – and the courts would also have the discretion to grant or deny the request for a remote hearing.
Senate Bill 3667 was signed into law earlier this month.
* Sen. Villanueva…
State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) celebrates the signing of a measure she sponsored to expand women’s access to healthy pregnancies and fetal development.
“Modern lifestyles make nutrient-deficient diets extremely convenient, which presents great risk to soon-to-be mothers lacking access to steady sources of necessary vitamins and minerals,” Villanueva said. “Expanding insurance coverage to include prenatal vitamins will increase access to supplements that lead to safer pregnancy and healthy births.”
The new law requires insurance policies that already cover prescription drugs to also cover prenatal vitamins. Prenatal vitamins when prescribed by a licensed physician can have many health benefits to both mother and child that range from supplying more oxygen to the baby to preventing bone loss in the mother.
“These supplements can be vital to the safety and wellness of mothers and their children,” Villanueva said. “This is a commonsense piece of legislation protecting pregnant women and tearing down financial barriers to quality care strategies, and I am proud to have been the sponsor of this law.”
The new law was signed Friday and took effect immediately.
* Sen. Collins…
State Senator Jacqueline Collins successfully championed a new consumer protection measure, this time tackling predatory arrangements in litigation finance between legal funding companies and consumers.
“When a person has to seek legal remedy for an injury or wrongdoing, their ability to live comfortably hinges on financial stability,” said Collins (D-Chicago). “We have to make sure companies offering aid through legal funding transactions do not extort the people they serve under the guise of helping them stay afloat during difficult times.”
Litigation finance occurs when a legal funding company buys a portion of a plaintiff’s upcoming settlement to directly help the plaintiff make ends meet in exchange for repayment plus interest upon the claim’s success. The new law signed Friday creates the Legal Consumer Funding Act and places restrictions on these lawsuit funding agreements, which are meant to help a person get through their day-to-day life without missing vital expenses such as rent, utilities, medical expenditures and other necessities while they pursue legal remedy.
Though Illinois allows litigation financing, the Legal Consumer Funding Act requires legal funding companies to be licensed in the state and establishes punishment for violations of the law. Additionally, these types of agreements are subject to Senator Collins’ Predatory Loan Prevention Act placing a 36% annual interest rate cap on all consumer loans.
“These regulatory methods prevent legal funding companies from charging exorbitant amounts and preying on the vulnerability of consumers,” Collins said. “Promoting integrity among financial legal companies helps maintain the equitable practices I’ve been fighting for as a legislator.”
The new law took effect immediately.
* Sen. Sally Turner…
Legislation introduced by State Senator Sally Turner (R-Beason) that would provide victims of child sex crimes with additional privacy protections was signed into law on May 27.
Senate Bill 2942 clarifies that a judge can use his or her discretion to clear disinterested parties, excluding media, from the courtroom during the victim’s testimony even if the victim is over 18 years of age as long as the crimes were committed while the victim was still a minor.
“I was both shocked and appalled when my local State’s Attorney told me that a victim of a child sex crime was forced to share the intimate details of the worst day of their life in a room full of strangers and the accused’s former cellmate just because they had turned 18 by the time of the trial,” said Sen. Sally Turner. “This legislation will guarantee that a judge has the power to provide these victims with the privacy and discretion that they rightfully deserve. I’m thankful to be able to play a small role in ensuring that our legal system doesn’t unnecessarily add to the victims mental and emotional anguish.”
Under previous Illinois statute, a minor victim of a sex crime is afforded the right to testify without the presence of so-called disinterested parties. However, due to a lack of clarity within the statute, there was uncertainty on whether those privacy protections extended to victim’s who turned 18-years-old by the time of their trial.
“Having personally prosecuted cases involving victims of childhood sex assault, I’ve observed how the judicial process adds to their trauma and that of their families. To a person, they’ve relayed their dismay at the thought of sitting in front of a bunch of strangers to talk about the most horrific events in their life and asked why strangers would be allowed to view videos or pictures captured of them during those moments,” said McLean County State’s Attorney Don Knapp. “No legislation can magically wipe away that trauma. But I am confident that this legislation can lessen the additional trauma our most vulnerable victims suffer when having to come to court to testify. I am honored that Senator Turner asked me to write this bill and thank her and the entire General Assembly for acknowledging the need to search for methods to help victims of these horrific crimes.”
To safeguard the constitutional rights of defendants, the judge must find that particular parties do not have a direct interest in the case and must put their basis for that finding into the record. The new privacy protections and procedures are effective immediately.
Got a Republican in that one, but no House members.
When we asked Bailey if there was “any daylight at all” between himself and the actions of former President Donald Trump, whom this editorial board long has regarded as pernicious to the future of the Republican Party, he answered “none.” Given Trump’s refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of the last election, that’s problematic. And, frankly, it is hard to imagine level-headed Chicago Republicans voting for someone who called their city “a crime-ridden, corrupt, dysfunctional hellhole,” all of our self-evident problems notwithstanding. Especially not when the candidate has supported what he calls a “New Illinois” movement, arguing that the rest of the state should separate from Chicago.
“Those of us in rural Illinois have different values and a very different way of life,” Bailey told the political reporter Rich Miller in 2020.
We reject that kind of dangerous, divisive talk and we argue it disqualifies Bailey. Illinois must remain unified. Chicagoans are not different creatures from the rest of the state. Our values have far more in common than Bailey seems to think.
But I want to also address Darren Bailey, and I think address much of the sort of right-wing views inside our existing parts of the Republican Party, a large part of the Republican Party. The fact of the matter is, dumping on the city of Chicago is not going to make anybody safer, whether they live in southern Illinois, central Illinois or the city of Chicago and Cook County. It’s a fundamental excuse. It is built on a long-standing dog-whistle tradition. And if you want to be governor of the state of Illinois, you have to be governor of the city of Chicago, the governor of Peoria, the governor of Bloomington, the governor of Carbondale, the governor of Champaign, the governor of so many other small towns that exist in the state of Illinois. And your job is to represent everybody. So dumping on a city and playing into the right-wing narratives and the dog-whistle politics of the past isn’t going to make things safer or better for anybody. This is just, again, a long standing tradition, whether it’s coming from some folks in the Republican primary here in Illinois, or whether it’s coming from Governor Abbott, that has existed for decades [including other cities like New York, LA and the Bay Area]. And just like public safety policy over the last few decades, it is built on failure. And so I’m disgusted and annoyed because I want to do whatever we can to make sure that people, no matter their zip code, no matter what part of the state they live in, no matter what part of the country they live in, have the safety, the dignity and the life they deserve. And what we aren’t going to do is build that on the backs of a dog-whistle politics that has been failing us over and over again.
* The Question: Should gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey’s comments on Chicago be disqualifying? Make sure to explain your answer.
…Adding… Statement from the Bailey campaign…
Senator Bailey has stated multiple times that Joe Biden is the President. We were answering a vague question on what we believed was based on policy where President Trump put Americans, working families, law and order, and taxpayers first. At earlier publicly recorded forums, we were the only candidate who stated we wouldn’t audit 2020, but would instead focus on election integrity measures moving forward. The Board retroactively added the word “actions” into the question to change the meaning. Everyone who answered the question talked about policy. Senator Bailey is a supporter of President Trump and the America First Agenda. He proudly voted for him in both elections, but he is clearly his own man in how he handles himself and sets policy agendas.
…Adding… Also from the Bailey team…
This is a quote from Suntimes from last year and has been Bailey’s stance since the filing.
“Many times when two people are in a relationship or there’s a marriage and someone’s not happy, someone finally says I’m not happy. To me, that’s what that resolution was. It was a warning shot. “I am going to fight to make Illinois stronger from the north to the south from the east to the west as a whole and to make Chicago the great city that it should be,” Bailey said Tuesday. “But unfortunately, it’s being held hostage with liberal terrible ideas.”
The facial recognition company Clearview AI agreed in a settlement this month to stop selling its massive database of photographs culled from the internet to private firms across the United States. That decision is a direct result of a lawsuit in Illinois, a demonstration that strong privacy laws in a single state can have nationwide ramifications.
The Biometric Information Privacy Act of Illinois sets strict limits on the collection and distribution of personal biometric data, like fingerprints and iris and face scans. The Illinois law is considered among the nation’s strongest, because it limits how much data is collected, requires consumers’ consent and empowers them to sue the companies directly, a right typically limited to the states themselves. While it applies only to Illinois residents, the Clearview case, brought in 2020 by the American Civil Liberties Union, shows that effective statutes can help bring some of Big Tech’s more invasive practices to heel.
Technology companies are in a feverish race to develop reliable means to automate the identification of people through facial scans, thumbprints, palm prints and other personal biometric data. The data is considered particularly valuable because unlike, say, credit card info or home addresses, it cannot be changed. But as these data companies profit by deploying the technology to police departments, federal agencies and a host of private entities, consumers are left with no real guarantees that their personal information is protected.
Facial recognition software, in particular, has been shown to fail too often at identifying people of color, leading in some cases to wrongful arrests and concerns that the software could put up additional barriers to people seeking jobs, unemployment benefits or home loans.
Because the United States lacks meaningful federal privacy protections, states have passed a patchwork of laws that are largely favorable to corporations. By contrast, Europe passed the General Data Protection Regulation six years ago, restricting the online collection and sharing of personal data, despite a tremendous lobbying push against it by the tech companies.
I didn’t fill out the paperwork for the Facebook settlement, but, in full disclosure, I did sign up for a settlement against RayBan…
A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act regarding biometric facial geometry allegedly collected from consumers who used the Virtual Try-On Application Tool on RayBan.com. The case is Vo v. Luxottica of America Inc., Case No. 2019-CH-10946, currently pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Chancery Division. The proposed Settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by the Defendant, and the Defendant denies that it violated the law. The Court has not decided who is right or wrong. Rather, to save the time, expense, and distraction of litigation, the parties have agreed to settle the lawsuit. That Settlement has been preliminarily approved.
I used that app several times when I was looking for new shades.
I wanted to highlight for you an interesting development that just happened this week related to election security. Illinois Congressman Mike Bost, Laura Pollastrini and Susan Sweeney with help from Judicial Watch filed a federal lawsuit against the Illinois State Board of Elections related to the counting of ballots AFTER election day. Illinois Democrats passed a law that says mail in ballots must be counted up to 14 days past the election day in November, even if the mailed ballot is NOT postmarked. At the very least, this lawsuit helps highlight this truly ridiculous delay in election results and election integrity issue. You can read the Tribune story on this HERE.
* Irvin campaign…
Today the Irvin for Illinois campaign received the endorsement of former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and current Co-Executive Chairman of Winston & Strawn Dan Webb.
“Richard Irvin understands that to improve the lives of Illinoisans, we must make our state a safer, stronger and less corrupt place to live, work and visit,” Webb said. “His successful track record of reducing crime by prioritizing support and resources for our law enforcement and judicial systems shows that he is the best candidate to lead Illinois in this endeavor over the next four years. I am proud to endorse him for Governor and look forward to supporting and following his campaign to take back Illinois.”
In 1990, Webb received international attention for his successful prosecution of retired Admiral John Poindexter for his role in the Iran–Contra affair. Here in Illinois, as U.S. Attorney, Webb led Operation Greylord for the U.S. Department of Justice, which resulted in the successful prosecution of 76 corrupt judges, police officers, court clerks, and lawyers in Cook County. He has been appointed by courts to act as a Special Prosecutor or in a similar capacity on five occasions, including the recent prosecution and conviction of Jussie Smollett for staging a well-publicized fraudulent hate crime in Chicago.
* GOP AG candidate Dave Shestokas…
Every candidate speaks of crime reduction; the Attorney General is THE ONLY OFFICE THAT CAN AFFECT CHANGE IMMEDIATELY. Dave will. As your elected lawyer and the state’s chief law enforcement officer, the office has the responsibility and autonomy to right wrongs, protect citizens from roaming criminals, lax prosecutors, and election irregularities. Make Crime Illegal Again is not a slogan. It’s a promise.
Dave’s Plan his First Day in Office:
1. Reprioritize the first duty of the office is to represent the people, not the government.
2. Reassign Assistant Attorneys General to monitor and initiate prosecutions when local states attorneys don’t. (i.e. Kim Foxx Cook County, Eric Rinehart Lake County, and across the state.)
3. Create a Law Enforcement Liaison Office and hotline to alert the OAG of local prosecutors’ neglect.
4. The Illinois AG Act directs that it is to prosecute election offenses. David as AG will. It is critical to providing legitimacy to everything else that government does.
The Attorney General shall be the legal officer of the State, and shall have the duties and powers that may be prescribed by law.
Emphasis added.
* Speaking of Shestokas…
* Valencia campaign…
Democratic Secretary of State candidate Anna Valencia announced today that she has earned the endorsement of the United Steelworkers Local 1899. In a statement announcing their endorsement, the union noted Valencia’s working-class background and that members of her own family earned a living working in the Mill. The announcement comes as Valencia continues to build a strong and diverse coalition of supporters and endorsers.
“Anna will bring vigor and vision to the office of the Secretary of State,” the Union’s statement reads. “Like she did in the Chicago City Clerk’s office, she will improve services through modernization, technology, and transparency. With creative leadership and the development of such programs as the Illinois DMV app, self-service kiosks, and digital driver’s licenses, Anna will provide Illinoisans with a Secretary of State’s office that works for them and one that they can be proud of.”
Local 1899 represents nearly 1,500 members and is an affiliate of United Steelworkers, North America’s largest industrial union with 1.2 million members. The United Steelworkers have a proud heritage at Granite City Works, and Local 1899 is known as a leader and activist Union in District 7 and throughout the International Union.
… Republican Senate candidates’ opinions on climate change vary widely, by Daily Herald’s Jake Griffin [Geneva investment manager Bobby Piton claimed oil companies were responsible for creating a “climate change hoax” to prevent access to something he referred to as “free energy,” but did not elaborate on what that was.]
— Congressman Chuy Garcia is endorsing Democrat Fernando “Sergio” Mojica for 13th House District, citing Mojica’s “unique background and decades of work in Chicago communities.” Mojica is running for the seat now held by House Majority Leader Greg Harris, who isn’t seeking reelection.
— Karin Norington-Reaves, a Democratic candidate for Congress in IL-01, is out with a new digital ad that has Rep. Bobby Rush giving her resounding endorsement.
— Assessors race: Former Congressman Luis Gutiérrez and a group of Latino leaders have written a letter calling out “offensive comments about the Latino community” made by Maze Jackson, husband of Cook County assessor candidate Kari Steele. At least some of those signing the letter have endorsed incumbent Assessor Fritz Kaegi. In a statement, Steele responded, saying, “As I said before, I unequivocally reject any hateful rhetoric. My husband has pledged to do better. While the comments referenced by this letter occurred before his pledge, I am disappointed that they were said, and I expect him to do better moving forward.”
* From Heather Wier Vaught’s weekly newsletter…
Chicago Delays Early Voting: The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners announced a delayed start to early voting, but will have the super-site ready this week. […]
Cash Flows In Supreme Court Race: Four Republicans and three Democrats are running for the Supreme Court’s Second District, a seat formerly held by Justice Robert Thomas and currently held by appointed Justice Michael Burke. Two candidates have already broken the contribution caps on the race setting the stage for an expensive primary and general election. Lake County Circuit Judge Daniel Shanes and Kane County Circuit Judge John Noverini have both filed self-funding notices with the State Board of Elections, which lifted caps on contributions to all candidates. Shanes leads the pack in funding after reporting $244,000 on hand at the end of March. Noverini raised over $127,000 by the end of March, but he has only added about $4,000 since. On the Democratic side, Lake County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Rochford leads the pack with more than $375K. Previously the most expensive race was the retention campaign for Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride’s campaign, in part due to spending by Citizens for Judicial Fairnes,s a Ken Griffin-funded campaign opposing Kilbride’s retention. Everyone should keep an eye out for spending from Citizens for Judicial Fairness, even though Griffin’s independent expenditure committee has not involved itself in the Supreme Court race to date.
* CD1…
Today, Democratic candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 1st District Karin Norington-Reaves released a new digital video about the creation of the Chatham Education and Workforce Center which she created to honor the memory of Dr. Betty Howard, killed by gun violence on May 29 in 2014.
“It was one of the greatest honors of my lifetime to pull together the forces of Chicago’s philanthropic and business sectors to create the Chatham Education and Workforce Center from the ground up,” said Norington-Reaves. “I know that giving communities hope through economic opportunity reduces crime and gun violence–that’s the approach that I’m going to take with me to Congress.”
In an interview on Fox 32 Chicago on May 27th, Marie Newman claimed that only 3% of documents related to her bribery scandal have been released, and that the remaining documents deem it a “zero merit case.”
Casten for Congress Spokesman Jacob Vurpillat issued the following statement in response to Newman’s claim:
“If 97% of the documents related to her corruption exonerate her, then voters deserve to see these documents immediately. Congresswoman Newman is either safeguarding critical information from voters or purposefully misleading them in an attempt to downplay the bipartisan House Ethics Committee investigation into her bribery scandal.
“There is no question that the right thing to do is to release the documents, as well as the details of her secret settlement with the man she is accused of bribing. The only question is whether or not Congresswoman Newman has enough respect for voters to do it.”
On December 7th, Newman campaign manager Ben Hardin claimed “information will be made public on January 24th and that it will be definitively clear that there was no ethical wrongdoing.”
On January 24th, the House Ethics Committee decided on a bipartisan basis to extend its review into Newman’s bribery scandal following a report from the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics that found “substantial reason to believe that Rep. Newman may have promised federal employment to a primary opponent for the purpose of procuring political support.”
* CD13…
Rich,
Illinois Public Media, WAND News, and the League of Women Voters of Champaign County will host an Illinois 13th Congressional District debate between Republican primary candidates Regan Deering, Matt Hausman, Terry Martin, and Jesse Reising on Thursday, June 2 in the WILL-TV studios located in Urbana, Illinois.
This debate will air on WILL-TV and WSIU-TV and simulcast on radio on WILL-AM 580 and -FM 90.9 out of Urbana, WSIU-FM out of Carbondale, and NPR Illinois (WUIS-FM) out of Springfield. It will air on COZI-TV the following night.
The governor signed a plan into law Friday led by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton to invest in child care services for workers with non-traditional schedules, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel and more.
“Finding reliable child care can be difficult for first responders and other third shift emergency workers,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “By creating the Off-hours Child Care Program Fund, Illinois is working to increase accessibility for parents in public service who work non-traditional hours.”
Under Glowiak Hilton’s law, the Department of Human Services is required to establish and administer an Off-Hours Child Care Program to assist first responders and other workers with access to off-hours, night, or sleep time child care. The program is appropriated $2 million in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget.
“Many state child care facilities don’t offer services outside of normal work hours,” Glowiak Hilton said. “This measure will help fund child care for hardworking individuals serving our communities.”
Under the law, DHS must implement the program by July 1, 2023.
* Sen. Peters…
Youth in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services are one step closer to receiving the financial resources they need to be ready for adulthood thanks to a measure championed by State Senator Robert Peters
“I’m pleased that we are taking this step to ensure that the state will be proactive at helping youth in care build a strong future during their final years of care,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “We need to do all we can to ensure that they have access to a financial head start before they have to live on their own.”
The new law, formerly known as SB 3470, will require DCFS to save or invest a minimum percentage of a youth’s benefits once they reach the age of 14. This will ensure that when DCFS no longer serves as the financial representative of the youth, they will have some money to help them transition into a successful adult life.
The minimum percentage that DCFS will be required to invest are:
● 40% for youth between the ages of 14-15
● 80% for youth between the ages of 16-17
● 100% for youth between the ages of 18-20
The law will also require the DCFS to take defined actions when applying for and managing certain federal benefits that the department receives on behalf of any youth in care.
“State services should help empower youth and give them strong support to enter our society,” Peters said. “We should not be sending young people out into the world without the resources they need to live independently, and we must ensure that they are able to make the transition into adult life.”
The measure was signed into law Friday and takes effect immediately.
* Sen. Munoz…
Assistant Majority Leader Tony Munoz (D-Chicago) spearheaded a measure to help reduce the number of stolen car parts by requiring people to keep record of the sale of catalytic converters that was signed into law Friday.
“The rise in crime in Chicago and across Illinois was addressed this legislative session,” Munoz said. “This new law will decrease catalytic converter thefts by closing the loophole many found a way around.”
The new law adds catalytic converters to the definition of recyclable metal, requiring record keeping on the purchase of catalytic converters. The license plate number of the vehicle, photographs or video of the seller, a verified name and address of the seller, and a signed declaration by the seller stating that the catalytic converter was not stolen are required.
In addition, the measure prohibits a recyclable metal dealer from purchasing a catalytic converter with a value over $100 with cash.
According to a recent State Farm study, Illinois ranks in the top five states in the nation for catalytic converter thefts.
“I’m hopeful innocent people won’t be affected by this senseless crime anymore,” Munoz said. “We need to keep our streets safe, and this is one way we will do that.”
The new law takes effect immediately.
* Sen. Martwick…
A measure advanced by Senator Robert Martwick to address Illinois’ ever-growing teacher shortage by bringing back retired educators was signed into law.
“There are thousands of classrooms across the state where students are left without a fully qualified instructor during the school day,” said Martwick (D-Chicago). “We need to put teachers in classrooms to ensure our children thrive.”
The new law, formerly known as Senate Bill 3465, amends the Chicago Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension code by allowing retired CPS teachers to return to work without it affecting their pensions. Schools are able to submit documentation with their regional superintendent to request help from retired educators in a “subject shortage area.” This emergency measure will remain in effect until June 30, 2024.
“Although our students have returned to in-person learning, we will not make up for pandemic learning loss without qualified teachers in classrooms to guide and support them,” Martwick said. “I am pleased that we are taking this step to remove a barrier that prevents retired professional educators from returning to schools during this epic shortage.”
SB 3465 was signed into law Friday and takes effect immediately.
* Sen. Crowe…
To streamline the detection process and determine hereditary risks for breast and ovarian cancers in women, a new law by State Senator Rachelle Crowe requires insurance companies to cover the cost of genetic testing kits.
“Early detection through genetic testing is essential for women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancers,” said Crowe (D-Glen Carbon). “By offering genetic testing at no cost, Illinois can offer comfort and stability to individuals who are at the most risk.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the genes most commonly detected in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. About 3% of breast cancers, approximately 7,500 women per year, and 10% of ovarian cancers, an estimated 2,000 women per year, result from inherited mutations.
Once a test is recommended by a health care provider, Crowe’s law requires insurance coverage for costs associated with genetic testing for the BRCA1 and 2 genes. The measure applies to Illinois residents with individual or group insurance policies issued on or after Jan. 1, 2024.
The Illinois Insurance code requires individual and group insurance health plans to cover annual cancer screenings for women who have tested positive for BRCA1 or 2 mutations. However, the code did not require health insurance plans to cover the gene mutation testing. Some insurance companies have specific genetic testing criteria or do not cover genetic testing in certain situations, even when considered medically necessary.
“By codifying the coverage into law, Illinois is creating a consistent, reliable process for genetic mutation testing for at-risk women,” Crowe said. “Hereditary breast and ovarian cancers pose significant threats to women’s health, and preventative medical treatment can be implemented once the risks are determined.”
House Bill 5334 is effective Jan. 1, 2024.
* Sen. Fine…
State Senator Laura Fine’s (D-Glenview) measure to ensure caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia are trained on how to best treat these specific conditions is now law.
“Before this law, caregivers were not required to receive substantial training on how to specifically care for patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s,” Fine said. “This important change will ensure our loved ones receive treatment specialized to their specific, changing conditions to achieve their highest quality of life possible.”
Over 230,000 people in Illinois are living with Alzheimer’s. Many take part in the Community Care Program, which allows seniors with or without these conditions to receive in-home and community-based services from their own homes. Employees that provide these services are currently required to complete 12 to 24 hours of training, but training specific to dementia and Alzheimer’s patients is optional.
Fine’s law requires employees and contractors with the Department of Aging Service who provide direct service to individuals in the Community Care program to complete at least two hours of training on Alzheimer’s and dementia prior to the start of their employment. Fine believes that condition-specific training is essential to ensuring adults living with these conditions are able to be cared for properly and better understood.
“We want our loved ones with Alzheimer’s and dementia to have access to the best care possible. This training prepares caregivers to respond to issues patients and their families may experience because of their conditions,” Fine said. “This will ensure all Alzheimer’s and dementia patients have access to the highest quality care possible and are able to receive informed support from their caregivers.”
Senate Bill 3707 was signed by the governor May 27, 2022. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2023.
* Sen. Koehler…
A new law championed by State Senator Dave Koehler will keep Illinois on track toward a greener future by expanding recycling opportunities for renewable energy technology.
“Sustainable energy isn’t really sustainable when it requires technology that can’t be reused and is difficult to recycle,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “As we look to expand the widespread use of renewable energy, we have a responsibility to safely dispose of any associated waste.”
As much as one million total tons of solar panel waste is estimated to accumulate in the United States by 2030, and the U.S. is expected to have the second largest number of retired solar panels in the world by 2050, with as many as an estimated 10 million total tons of panels.
States such as California, Hawaii, New Jersey, North Carolina and Washington have already implemented strategies to address this excess waste, and Illinois would join these states by creating a Renewable Energy Component Recycling Task Force under Senate Bill 3790. The task force will be responsible for investigating options for recycling and other end of life methods for renewable generation components and energy storage devices, and is required to report its findings to the General Assembly by March 1, 2023.
“Our hope is that the task force is able to find new, innovative ways to recycle and reuse materials from our solar panels, ultimately increasing the sustainability of solar energy in Illinois,” said Koehler.
The legislation was signed Friday and goes into effect immediately.
* Sen. Villa…
Under a newly-signed law sponsored by State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago), school boards across the state will have the option to include safe firearm storage in their safety education curriculum.
“Guns are the leading cause of death of children in Illinois,” Villa said. “By giving students the opportunity to learn about safe, responsible firearm ownership, we are giving them the tools to protect themselves and others.”
Under House Bill 5193, safe gun storage will be added to existing safety education instruction taught in schools in Illinois. Automobile safety, CPR training, safety in the home, and safety while carrying out vocational training or work are all examples of what is already included in statewide safety education curriculum.
Under current law, when not in use, firearm owners in Illinois must keep their guns temporarily inoperable with a designated device or mechanism, kept in a securely locked container, or in a location that a minor under the age of 14 would not reasonably have access to. House Bill 5193 would bring this information to classrooms discussing safety in the home in an effort to raise awareness of firearm safety among young adults and to educate them about responsible firearm ownership.
Schools are not mandated to teach safety education, but if they elect to offer it they are required to teach all existing components.
“When firearms are not stored safely and securely, there is always a chance they may fall into the wrong hands, whether that be the hands of small children who don’t understand, or the hands of those who may be a danger to themselves or others,” Villa said. “Promoting positive messages about proper gun storage has the potential to save lives.”
The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
* Sen. Cunningham…
State Senator Bill Cunningham sponsored legislation that makes it easier for callers to reach 911 during an emergency was signed into law Friday.
“This new law helps children during times of an emergency,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “We are removing barriers that hinder people from calling 911 and we are making it easier for first responders to locate the caller.”
Under current law, multi-line telephone systems require dialing “9″ or another number to reach an outside line. Places like businesses, hotels and government buildings use these systems to handle two or more calls coming in at the same time. Under the new law, MLTS vendors and manufacturers must configure new systems to support direct dialing 911.
This goal of this legislation is protect people and specifically children. Back in 2013, a women was killed in a hotel room by her estranged husband. Her daughter attempted to call 911 four times, but the calls never went through because the hotel’s multi-line telephone system required her to dial “9” before making an outbound call. Illinois will follow suit with other states who have already passed this legislation.
House Bill 5502 will also update regulation on multi-line systems to provide accurate information about the caller’s location within a building or complex. Far too often, large hotels or complexes use multi-line systems and it is difficult for emergency response to get an exact location on the caller. This is ensures people needing help during an emergency are able to be located by first responders.
“This legislation will save lives and could save your child’s life,” Cunningham said.
House Bill 5502 is effective immediately.
* Sen. Johnson…
Schools fees will be waived for low-income students with veteran or active military parents under a new law championed by State Senator Adriane Johnson.
“Veterans and active military members endure many hardships, and families with young children are finding it difficult to keep up with school fees,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “By offering support to our heroes and their families, we can assist them through difficult financial times.”
Johnson’s law allows school boards to waive fees for students with a parent who is a veteran or an active member of the military with an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, which is an estimated $55,500 for an average family of four.
“Education is critical for children to succeed,” Johnson said. “With this law, Illinois is working to ensure low-income students in military families are able to continue learning without financial burden.”
The law, previously Senate Bill 3867, is effective immediately.
* Sen. Belt…
People will have an additional opportunity to become an organ donor thanks to a measure championed by State Senator Christopher Belt that was signed into law Friday.
“Organ donors save countless lives every year,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “After living on dialysis for a year, I received a kidney transplant in January 2010. I know the importance of giving people more opportunities to become organ donors.”
House Bill 4696 allows the Department of Natural Resources to offer online hunting license holders the opportunity to be redirected to the First Person Consent Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. On average, 300 people die each year waiting for an organ donation. More than 4,700 Illinois residents are waiting for an organ or tissue donation. In 2020, there were 7 million Illinoisans registered as organ donors.
The first-person consent law provides an opportunity to save more lives and ensures that your wish to be an organ/tissue donor is honored. Prior to the first-person consent registry, many Illinoisans who signed the back of their driver’s license as a donor were unaware that family consent was still required in order for donation to occur.
“Hunting is a huge industry in Illinois,” Belt said. “Hunting license holders will soon be able to sign up to be organ donors in an easy, efficient way.”
The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2023.
* Sen. Van Pelt…
Building upon efforts to address maternal and infant mortality in the state of Illinois, the governor signed into law a measure led by State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) to expand access to prenatal services.
“Maternal mortality is a serious matter both in our state, and across the country, especially for Black women,” Van Pelt said. “Making prenatal and perinatal services more accessible can set those expecting up for a healthy delivery.”
Maternal mortality rates increased by 14% since the beginning of the pandemic, with Black women facing maternal mortality rates nearly three times that of white women.
Regular prenatal care for mothers helps to reduce the risk of pregnancy complications, keep track of the baby’s development, and more.
Under this measure, the number of providers a person could potentially choose for care is expanded.
Managed care organizations will pay for preventative prenatal services, perinatal healthcare services, and postpartum services rendered by a non-affiliated provider, as long as that the provider has not rejected a contract offered in good faith within the last twelve months or had a contract terminated for cause.
“Carrying a life inside of you is a precious experience, and every mother deserves quality care,” Van Pelt said. “Laws like this that ensure care for expecting mothers is how we save lives and change statistics.”
House Bill 5013 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect January 1, 2023.
* Sen. Castro…
Care providers for Illinois residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities will see specific funding go to their wages thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).
“Ensuring people who care for our state’s most vulnerable residents are properly compensated will help address high turnaround in this workforce,” Castro said. “I am proud to have worked on this legislation to hold employers accountable when it comes to passing along funding increases to their workers.”
Developmental service providers are vital in community residential settings, where they help residents with daily personal care like eating and hygiene as well as teaching life skills and attending to complex medical needs. While funding for these services has increased over recent years, starting wages remain barely above minimum wage, and vacancies remain high. This disparity is because the state does not always require agencies to pass wage increases through to the workers.
The law, formerly known as House Bill 4647, will require developmental services that are licensed through the Illinois Department of Human Services to certify that all legislatively or administratively mandated wage increases are passed on to the employees.
“Care providers are the backbone of our intellectual and developmental disability community. This law will help ensure hard workers are directly receiving funding that is meant for them,” Castro said.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed the law Friday. It goes into effect Jan. 1, 2023.
Apparently, only Senators pass laws. Or at least, according to my inbox. /s
* I’ve had several opportunities to work with Laurie Glenn over the years on stories. This is pretty darned cool…
Laurie R. Glenn’s work to stimulate cultural, artistic, political, social and philosophical debate and discussion between French and U.S. leaders, thinkers, artists and organizers is being recognized with the National Order of Merit from France.
Awarded by the President of the French Republic, and founded 3 December, 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle, the National Order of Merit is an institution of the French Republic born in the middle of the 20th century, the second national Order after the Legion of Honor. Its purpose is to reward “distinguished merit” and encourage the lifeblood of the country.
It is rare for a non-citizen of France to receive the Order of Merit. Recent American honorees include poet Joseph Brodsky, composer Quincy Jones, writer Toni Morrison, technology magnate Bill Gates, and film directors Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. Laurie R. Glenn will be the most recent addition to the American list of Honorees.
On June 2, 2022 in Paris, France, Army General Benoît Puga the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor Chancellor of the National Order of Merit will pin Glenn at a reception with diplomats, civic leaders and French nationals. Fabrice Rozie, the former Cultural Attaché in New York and Chicago nominated Glenn.
In addition, Ms. Glenn conducted workshops in 2017 and 2018 with the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle on using research as a tool for building power and influence on social policy issues.
As a result of her services with the US Embassy in Paris worked with the German Marshall Fund with leaders of inclusion for several years on leadership development in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.
The job market in Illinois will continue to polarize, with most growth in high- and low-wage occupations, increasing the need for government and the private sector to support work with family-sustaining benefits, a bipartisan task force established by the state Legislature said Tuesday.
The 36-member panel said Illinois could “be a national leader in aligning business and worker needs through defining and enhancing job quality.” It said state government should realign its grants in workforce training and other programs to support jobs with benefits such as health insurance and family leave policies.
The panel’s report sidestepped the issue of mandates on the private sector but called on companies to implement such innovations as “portable” benefits that people can carry from one job to the next and paying workers a subsidy for commuting costs.
Summary of key findings and trends Work Challenges
1. Illinois continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic but recovery has been uneven. As of April, unemployment is down to 4.6 percent in Illinois, but that number is much higher for Black men and women (13.4 percent and 11.4 percent) compared to other groups, illustrating ongoing challenges with equity and job access. New business openings in Illinois continue to increase, with the rate sitting just below its pre- pandemic baseline.
2. Shifts in the Illinois economy away from manufacturing have translated to a loss of middle- wage jobs and a polarized labor market. Over 95 percent of Illinois workers live in urban areas, and although there are wide gaps in the unemployment rate across urban and rural counties, all areas of the state have experienced a hollowing out of middle- wage jobs.
3. Projections indicate growth in lower-wage and higher-wage jobs, further polarizing the labor market. The loss of middle-wage jobs is expected to continue over the next ten years. This highlights the need for policy innovation and business practices to improve the quality of low-wage jobs and create stronger on- ramps to high-wage jobs.
4. Illinois also continues to see gaps in postsecondary access and completion for Black, Latinx, low-income, and rural students. Bachelor’s degree attainment serves as a launch pad to higher-wage jobs, but equity gaps and the costs of accessing four-year colleges have grown prohibitive.
5. Unionization continues to decline, and non- traditional and gig work continues to increase. Nearly 14 percent of the Illinois workforce were part of a union, a number that has continued to decline. Although gig work is difficult to define and track, national estimates are that 16 percent of the workforce participates in some form of temporary work. […]
Summary of Task Force Policy Recommendations Job Quality, Benefits, and Labor Standards
1. Adopt a statewide job quality measurement.
2. Use a job quality measurement mechanism to award state funding.
3. Extend benefits to more people through models that: a. are not tied to any particular job b. support contributions from multiple employers or clients c. cover any worker, including independent contractors and other non-traditional workers.
4. Create paid leave benefit programs to improve economic security for workers when they need to care for themselves and their families.
5. Encourage employers to expand the scope of benefits to include as much employee support as possible, including defraying costs such as transportation.
6. Fund, pilot, and evaluate co-enforcement strategies in sectors with high instances of violations.
7. Consider enacting retaliation protections and stronger penalties for misclassifying employees.
The business community recognizes that the workforce is its primary asset and taking care of workers in a new post-pandemic environment is a top priority. Talent attraction and retention are essential to success and competing in an ultra-competitive global economy, which is why business groups including the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association are disappointed by the outcome of the Future of Work Task Force Report following a deeply flawed process that undermined efforts to have important conversations about improving work for future generations of Illinois residents.
Established in 2021 to assess the current realities of the state’s economy and labor market amid the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify future trends and practices to address the challenges business and workers face, the Task Force has a legal responsibility to operate within specific statutory guidelines allowing for transparency and public participation. However, since the Task Force began meeting last fall there have been numerous statutory violations, which have been brought to the attention of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which was supposed to provide administrative support, as well as Task Force Co-Chairs and members. These violations are particularly troublesome as this report will be sent to the General Assembly with the intent that recommendations will be implemented through potential legislation.
Many of the violations stemmed from a failure to meet specific requirements set forth by the authorizing legislation, including:
· Failure to appoint all Task Force members until after the legal deadlines to do so.
· Several meetings were held before all the required Task Force members were appointed.
· The Task Force routinely failed to provide public notice of meetings by omitting meeting locations and times.
Additionally, the final report to be voted upon was provided to the full Task Force at 6:45 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. vote on the very same day. While the vote only required a majority of the quorum present it should be pointed out that only 17 of the 35 stakeholders voted to approve the report. Further, while DCEO was required to provide administrative support to the Task Force under the statute, two of the Task Force managers charged with planning meetings, developing meeting subject matter, and deciding who could participate were contract lobbyists. This includes one lobbyist who was paid by the Economic Security Project, raising potential conflicts of interest if the group also provided recommendations for the report. DCEO did not respond to questions about these arrangements.
Most of the report’s recommendations were never discussed and none were approved by the entire committee prior to the compiling of the report itself. Disappointingly, many of the recommendations in the report would harm Illinois’ chances to win on the key future growth industries outlined in the state’s 5-year economic development plan. Despite best efforts for meaningful participation, the business community did not get an opportunity for a full and fair hearing of recommendations because of the process and the conflicts of interest of the task force managers. Because of this, the report is not a legitimate starting point to discuss future legislation.
The pandemic has led to fundamental shifts in business operations for many industries, new ways businesses interact with their customers and clients, and, most importantly, how businesses engage, operate, and build their workforces. While the outcome of this Task Force process was profoundly disappointing, the future of work is a critically important conversation that will continue long past the release of this report and the business community remains deeply committed to improving the future of work for generations of Illinois residents and to working with policymakers on these critical issues.
…Adding… DCEO referred me to a letter it sent to the groups back in February. Click here to read it.
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association testified before a joint hearing of the House Public Utilities and Energy & Environment Committees today regarding the impact rising energy costs will have on manufacturers and to propose ideas to help ease the pressure.
Manufacturers use one-third of all energy consumed in the United States to produce vital products including food, medicine, furniture and electronics. It is estimated families in central and southern Illinois will soon be paying an extra $626 a year in electricity costs, while manufacturers will likely pay anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars more in higher electric costs. These added costs come amid rising inflation and a global supply chain crisis already challenging the state’s manufacturing industry. On top of higher costs, concerns about adequate energy supply have led to warnings of potential brownouts this summer, which may force manufacturers to close during peak demand times.
“While it may be too late to prevent higher costs and brownouts this summer, action must be taken now to mitigate ongoing pain for Illinois manufacturers and families already struggling to make ends meet due to rising inflation and economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic,” said Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “Illinois policy makers can no longer ignore warnings about rising energy costs and decreasing reliability as renewable energy resources fall short of making up for capacity lost as fossil fuel power plants are eliminated. As lawmakers were told today by electric grid operators, capacity pressures are expected to get worse before they get better.”
To address these issues, the IMA suggests the following:
· The General Assembly should require the Auditor General to conduct an immediate audit of Illinois’ Renewable Portfolio Standard to understand why the state has routinely failed to meet its goals. Created in 2007, the first goal was set at 20 percent renewables by 2020, and later amended in 2016 to 25 percent by 2025, and again was changed last year to 40 percent by 2030. As it stands, renewables make up less than 10 percent of the state’s energy supply. After spending billions of dollars, Illinois should be better positioned.
· The state should immediately task the Illinois Commerce Commission with the creation of a Resource Adequacy Plan to better understand where we stand and where we are headed. This commission should gather generators, utilities, the business community, and other stakeholders to explore our baseload capacity needs and supply. This is important because Illinois will have shed 6,910 MW of electricity between 2011 and the end of 2022. This capacity has not been replaced, and MISO grid operators have testified they expect to lose one-third of their baseload capacity in the next two years. Illinois cannot make informed energy policy decisions unless we have a clear vision of the issue.
· Some steps may be possible to ease the immediate pain. This includes amending the Clean Energy Jobs Act to redirect the $180 million in Energy Transition Funds to offer rebates to customers to offset these higher costs. These funds should be provided to all customers – residential, commercial, and industrial based on their pro-rated share of the higher costs.
· Illinois has four plants scheduled to close in 2022 – two in June and two in December. While MISO does not have the ability to require these plants to remain operational, Illinois should work with the operators, FERC, and others to encourage these plants to remain open and approve new gas plant operations such as the one proposed in Pawnee to help ease energy supply concerns.
Manufacturers are leading the way in finding innovative ways to harness energy, with pioneering companies developing new technologies that make energy more affordable, reliable, and cleaner with every passing year. Over the last decade, the nation’s manufacturing sector has reduced emissions by 21 percent while increasing economic output by 18 percent. But manufacturers, our communities and Illinois families need stability and certainty moving forward. The manufacturing industry stands ready to work with policy makers to find solutions.
* I asked a couple of groups for their responses. Here’s Jack Darren at the Sierra Club…
The unfortunate price spikes coming to Ameren customers this fall are the result of global market volatility caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine, and national and regional trends away from aging, dirty coal plants. Thank goodness Illinois passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021 to put us on a path to independence from fossil fuels and these price spikes by ultimately building 100% of the power supply Illinois will need right here in Illinois, built by our workers earning good wages. Illinois is now better situated than most states for the long term because we have a funded, long-term plan in place to make us independent of and resilient to these spikes in fossil fuel prices.
To dismantle our nation-leading energy plan for the future now, just as Illinois is beginning to implement it and employers from around the world are beginning to invest in clean energy projects here, would be an historic mistake that would recommit us to the dependence on fossil fuels and future price shocks. Defunding CEJA’s equity, workforce development, and just transition programs for coal communities to make payments to large businesses would be a giant step backward to the days when our energy policies were dictated by lobbyists and communities and consumers paid the price.
We do need action this summer to help consumers deal with the rising costs of fossil fuels. Ameren can expand energy assistance programs to help more customers directly, and energy efficiency and demand response programs that are doubly effective, helping participants reduce use and lowering market prices by reducing peak demand. Ameren can speed approvals for the thousands of megawatts of solar projects ready for construction, and MISO can approve new transmission capacity to help get clean energy online faster. We’re ready to engage with stakeholders on these and other solutions that can expedite Illinois’ transition to a clean energy future, and the protections that will deliver for consumers and future generations.
* And here’s the Illinois Environmental Council…
The Illinois Manufacturers Association has put forth proposals that are designed to both exacerbate the impacts of climate change and expand the racial wealth gap. Neither of those is the right direction for Illinois. At the hearing Thursday, the regional grid operator testified that there are enough CEJA-enabled renewable energy projects waiting in the queue for approval to avoid any price increases driven by reliability concerns. Instead of going backward, we should be focused on getting those job-creating projects built in an equitable way.
…Adding…. Media advisory…
In partnership with the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, several community organizations will be hosting a rally and press conference on Wednesday, June 1 to call on Ameren to take action to protect consumers and the power grid across Illinois. Communities in Central and Southern Illinois are facing rising electricity costs as a result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Ameren’s resistance to programs that save on energy, and efforts by fossil fuel companies to slow the transition to affordable, clean energy. Environmental, consumer, and community advocates with the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition will rally together to demand that Ameren take meaningful action to empower consumers to utilize policies enshrined in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) to generate enough power to meet peak demand for electricity while also delivering power at a reasonable cost to consumers and small businesses.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at 10:00 AM Central Time
WHO:
Scott Allen, Citizens Utility Board
Sangamon Valley Group of Sierra Club Illinois
Faith Coalition for the Common Good
WHAT: Rally and press conference calling on Ameren-Illinois to act swiftly to protect Illinois customers and our electric grid amidst rising electricity costs
WHERE: Ameren-Illinois Offices, 200 W Washington Street Springfield, Illinois 62701
* The Belleville News-Democrat asked gubernatorial candidates: “Who are your top three campaign contributors?” Here’s Richard Irvin’s response…
We have three main contributors to our campaign to take back our state: people who tell us we have their vote, people who volunteer to put up signs or make phone calls to get our message out, and people who contribute financially to help us fight back against the millions of dollars. J.B. Pritkzer and his Democratic allies are spending on false TV ads attacking us. I’m proud to count Troopers Lodge #41, the Illinois FOP Labor Council, the Chicago FOP, the Aurora police union, and countless law enforcement leaders around the state as supporters of our campaign. I’m also proud to be supported by former Congressman John Shimkus and many other conservative leaders around Illinois.
Apparently, Ken Griffin is the man who must not be named.
Two additional candidates round out the primary field, Gary Rabine, a highly successful owner of multiple businesses from McHenry, and state Sen. Darren Bailey, a farmer from downstate Xenia whose career in the legislature was most noted for his expulsion from the House floor when, then a state representative, he refused to abide by rules at the height of the pandemic requiring all members to wear face masks.
Be aware: We are not indifferent to the optics or the complications posed by Irvin’s well-publicized, well-financed backing by Illinois’ richest person, hedge fund manager Ken Griffin. Irvin still has far to go to prove that he is indeed his own person, willing to lead according to the dictates of his own conscience and insights and not those of a well-heeled financial backer.
But we hope he gets more opportunity in a broader campaign to show his full personal political profile.
…Adding… The Tribune endorsed Paul Schimpf (I did not make that up), used a quote from my publication to disqualify Bailey from consideration and had this to say about Griffin and Irvin…
As politically engaged Illinoisans, Griffin and Uihlein are entitled to spend their money as they see fit. But we see troubling issues with both of their preferred candidates. […]
But we’re troubled by what occurred when Irvin arrived on the scene while officers were arresting his then-girlfriend, accused of hitting a security guard at a marijuana store last year. According to a police report, he said that the charges would be “taken care of.” He’s insisted he meant that the woman would be afforded an attorney but we’ve heard phrases like “taken care of” a few too many times before in Illinois politics and we need a better explanation.
We’re similarly troubled by Irvin’s frequent reticence when it comes to being frank with the media (although he did show up for us and answered our queries), his sometimes prickly temperament in the face of fair questions, and by a lack of a consistent worldview that could appeal to moderate Democrats and Republicans looking for a common sense candidate they can trust to safeguard their economic futures and solve some of the state’s problems.
If Irvin is willing to separate from Trump and appeal to moderate, common sense voters, including centrist Democrats, he should find the courage to say so, clearly, without weaving and dodging, flip-flopping and hedging his bets.
Matteson, IL, May 31, 2022-Today, Rep. Robin Kelly announced she will run for re-election as Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
“Today, I am honored and excited to announce I will be running for re-election as Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois,” said DPI Chair Rep. Robin Kelly. “I couldn’t be prouder of the progress we’ve made together in the last fourteen months and with a full slate of fantastic Democratic candidates gearing up for this fall’s midterm election, now is the time to reaffirm our commitment to a party that is inclusive, transparent, and active in everything we do. I ask all State Central Committee candidates to join me as we continue to fight for Democratic values for all in Illinois.”
Chair Kelly was elected in March 2021 as the first woman chair and first Black chair in DPI history. Since her historic election, Chair Kelly has overhauled the party, reorganizing the party structure to bring in new voices while hiring a new team of staff and vendors as well as instituting a successful new fundraising structure.
“Before I was elected, party power in Illinois was concentrated in the hands of too few people,” said Chair Kelly. “Now, not only do diverse voices guide our work, but I am proud to show up for Democrats in every corner of Illinois. We need a party chair who listens to others, works collaboratively, and never forgets that it is the Democratic voters of this state who must ultimately guide our work for the benefit of all Democratic nominees. I humbly ask for a full term to continue our work together toward these goals.”
Under Chair Kelly’s leadership, the Democratic Party of Illinois has taken significant steps in modernizing the party and providing foundational services common among other state parties nationwide. Accomplishments include:
• Raised more than $1.9 million in federal and non-federal money under a new, diversified fundraising structure including a grassroots donor program, which bolsters the Party’s pre-Coordinated campaign budget to over $4.2 million cash on hand.
• Lowered Party administrative costs to save tens of thousands of dollars annually while bringing in more specific-to-state party expertise.
• Expanded data and technology trainings for candidates, staff, and activists every month, plus a brand-new candidate training program run in conjunction with the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association to focus on building the strongest bench of candidates statewide.
• Built out a traditional and social media outreach strategy to center the DPI as the standard-bearer of the Democratic message while holding Republicans accountable, including building an email list from scratch of more than 100,000 people (and growing) to reach Democratic voters where they are.
• Building out a statewide organizing team recruiting and connecting volunteers with local campaigns and party organizations.
• Re-engaged with the national Democratic Party, including the election of Chair Kelly as a representative of the Midwest Caucus to the Executive Committee of the DNC, support for the bid for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and an application for Illinois to be included as a 2024 early state primary.
The chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois is elected by a weighted vote of the Democratic State Central Committee, who are individually elected in the June 28 primary. The chair must be a sitting State Central Committeeperson. Chair Kelly has no opposition in her re-election campaign as State Central Committeeperson from Illinois’ Second Congressional District.
Kelly was elected party chair in 2021 after Michael Madigan stepped down from his 23-year reign. Kelly defeated Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris for the job, creating some intraparty tension that continues to bubble up. Kelly was backed by Sen. Dick Durbin, and Harris was endorsed by Gov. JB Pritzker.
For months there was buzz that the relationships between Kelly and Pritzker, and Durbin and Pritzker, were chilly — though all parties were publicly professional about it all (maybe through gritted teeth).
And now the top party job is up for grabs again.
Pritzker has enlisted former Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes to recruit allies to run for seats on the Democratic Central Committee. They will be elected during the June 28 primary. Winners will then pick the party chair. […]
Pritzker has given $20,000 to Liz Brown-Reeves, a former Madigan aide turned lobbyist, for her race to join the Democratic Central Committee in a contest against Katherine Daniels, the sitting chair of the Adams County Democrats. Daniels is endorsed by the Sangamon County Democratic Party, which is headed by longtime Durbin ally Bill Houlihan.
The Sangamon County party is meeting this week to try to overturn that endorsement of Adams County resident Katherine Daniels. Stay tuned.
* In the meantime, Brown-Reeves has reported raising more than $41K so far and is putting that money to work. She already sent out one mailer featuring the governor, and here’s her second piece…
* And she lined up Secretary White’s endorsement…
As early voting begins for the June 28th primary, Secretary of State Jesse White endorsed Liz Brown-Reeves (D-Springfield) for Democratic State Central Committee in the 15th Congressional District.
“I have known Liz since she was a college student at SIU Carbondale and have followed her professional career in Springfield for the last twenty-two years. It’s extremely important to have strong, experienced Democrats in our party that have a comprehensive knowledge of downstate politics,” said Secretary of State Jesse White. “Liz is a go-getter and hard worker. Her enthusiasm is infectious and is much needed in our party, especially downstate. Liz has dedicated her life to helping elect Democrats and she will be a significant addition to the Democratic Party of Illinois,”
Secretary White joins the long list of supporters for Liz Brown-Reeves that includes Governor JB Pritzker, former Senator Andy Manar, Senator Doris Turner, former State Representative Julie Curry and House Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman.
“Jesse White is a hero in Illinois politics. His groundbreaking, people-first approach has been the model in Illinois state government. To receive the endorsement of Secretary White is a tremendous honor and I vow to continue to his legacy in every part of Illinois - including the reddest ones in our State,” said Liz Brown-Reeves.
More information on Liz and her campaign can be found at https://www.facebook.com/LizBrownReevesforIL15.
A mailer featuring White is forthcoming.
Needless to say, this much time, energy and money going into a state central committeeperson race is extraordinarily rare. As an example, Gov. Pritzker has so far only given one committee, Friends of Chakena Perry, more money than Brown. Legislators with primaries received $5K.
The long Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer and is perhaps best known in Chicago as the beginning of its long, hot season of gun violence. The morning-after news coverage typically notes the holiday “was the most violent weekend of the year so far,” or some such thing.
You’ve probably seen the polling that shows crime isn’t the super-hot political issue it’s often portrayed to be. But don’t kid yourself. It’s still high enough on voters’ lists to make a difference, usually coming in second behind economic issues.
That’s one reason why Gov. J.B. Pritzker sent out a press release last week touting his violence reduction efforts, including “surging” $18 million in new state funding for a thousand summer jobs in Chicago for kids in “high-risk” situations. He claimed in the release that $10 million has already been released to groups ahead of the summer.
The governor’s office told me the Illinois Department of Human Services has sent $83 million “out the door” this fiscal year to community providers for anti-violence efforts. It also says $27.2 million is “heading out in the next month, before the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
That spending, the Pritzker administration says, is up from the $60 million spent by IDHS in all of last fiscal year. In addition, the administration points to $113 million in grants available to groups through the department’s notice of funding opportunity process.
Considering that the city of Chicago alone is directly spending $1.7 billion this fiscal year on law enforcement, these are relatively modest programs. But the state money is still a decent pile of cash.
And because the state largesse is being spent by individual grant recipients, there’s always the danger it could be misused or misdirected.
Just ask former Gov. Pat Quinn, who took an enormous amount of political heat for the way some of his $54 million anti-violence Neighborhood Funding Initiative Program money was spent in 2010, leading up to the election.
Quinn was slammed for various silly attempts to keep kids off the street, up to and including paying kids to march in a parade with the governor. Nothing much ever came of the various probes into the program, but, even if there was no criminal intent, its execution was a complete mess and ill-conceived. The last thing Pritzker needs is a re-run.
Some Democratic state legislators have been pushing news media outlets to write stories about how their favored anti-violence groups haven’t received more funding, but the governor’s office has resisted in certain instances where the groups would likely draw unfavorable attention from those very same media outlets.
The Pritzker people have taken a different approach than Quinn, and hopefully (for the governor’s own sake and for the state’s) they won’t be making the same sort of mistakes as the last Democratic governor.
Even so, it’s likely that somebody will screw up somewhere and wind up on the front page of a newspaper or the leading item during a TV newscast. Violence interruption and prevention programs rarely get the benefit of the doubt from the news media. From the coverage, it would be easy to conclude that Quinn’s program had far more downsides than upsides. Because of that, it took years and years before the state legislature was willing to give the concept another chance.
On the other hand, if there’s too much caution, then not enough grant money arrives in time for the summer, which would be a PR disaster. It’s also worth noting that it often takes a month or more for groups to complete the paperwork and navigate the various processes to actually receive grant monies after the cash has been awarded by the state.
So, even though the state can claim the money is “out the door,” the funds may not yet be available to spend.
But this should be more than just about the fact the state is spending money. It’s crucial these programs actually show some real, tangible results.
Chicago and most smaller cities in this state have been gut-punched by violent crime. Police officers and replacement recruits are in short supply here and throughout the country. Violence interruption and prevention needs to show tangible results, not only for the present, but for the future. Convincing the General Assembly to support more programs down the road could turn out to be nearly impossible if this fails.
* First, some news. As you may remember, the state’s prejudgment interest statute was pushed by the trial lawyers and initially opposed by the governor, who then struck a compromise, which business and medical groups still opposed. The law was declared unconstitutional today. Click here to read the order. Also, the governor signed several bills into law today. Click here to read the list.
* Jerry Garcia and David Grisman will play us out…
The tall dark man that rode by his side
Lay dead beside him there
There’s no one to write to the blue-eyed girl
The words her lover had said
Mom, you know, awaits the news
She’ll only know he’s dead
A gun raffle scheduled as part of the Lake Villa Township Republican Club’s annual fundraiser next month has been postponed indefinitely.
Club officials informally agreed via phone to hold off on the raffle for now, according to Dick Barr, vice chair of the Republican organization and a Lake County Board member.
The action comes in the wake of recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas. The Uvalde shooting earlier this week claimed the lives of 19 elementary schoolchildren and two teachers.
“It was a unanimous sentiment, in light of the tragic events, out of respect for the families of all affected, that this is not the right time for the raffle,” Barr said Friday.
City Clerk Anna Valencia denied she used her position to help her lobbyist husband secure business opportunities — while former state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias defended his family’s failed bank on Thursday after the two squared off in a forum of Democratic candidates for Illinois secretary of state. […]
“I’m not the first woman running for office that has to say my husband doesn’t speak for me. I am my own person, my own woman. Period,” Valencia said. “And I decided that if my husband and I — if I win this race, my husband will have, and I, a strong firewall and will not do business with anyone in the state of Illinois.” […]
The secretary of state’s office oversees lobbyists, including statements of economic interest. And Giannoulias told reporters “people are sick and tired of lobbyists, the cozy relationship between lobbyists and elected officials.” But Giannoulias also insisted the campaign contributions he has accepted from lobbyists pose no conflict.
“Because, again, if you look at our ethics package — I’m not trying to be cute here. An elected official should not be allowed to lobby a different branch of government,” Giannoulias said. “I didn’t say they [elected officials] should not take money from lobbyists. I’m saying that they should not lobby other kinds of government.”
Weak answers from both.
* CD17…
Today, Jonathan Logemann, Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, announced the endorsement of Rockford United Labor. RUL is the local labor council for the Illinois AFL-CIO, which has previously endorsed Jonathan’s campaign, and represents over 20,000 workers in the Greater Rockford area. With nearly 120,000 union members and their families residing in IL-17, Jonathan’s momentum with organized labor has far and away surpassed all other candidates, as the endorsement from RUL represents his 15th from organized labor.
…Adding… I forgot about this one. Sorry…
Jackie Grimshaw, one of former Mayor Harold Washington’s top legislative aides and the Vice President of Government Affairs for the Center for Neighborhood Technology, is endorsing State Senator Jacqueline Collins in her bid for Illinois’ 1st Congressional District.
“I’ve known Jacqui Collins since we worked together on Harold Washington’s mayoral campaign, and I believe she will continue his fight for progressive policies that serve families of every race, creed, and economic status,” Grimshaw said. “I urge everyone in the 1st District to support Jacqui in her bid.”
Both Jacqui Collins and Jackie Grimshaw got their first real taste of politics working on the revolutionary mayoral campaign of Harold Washington. The first Black mayor of Chicago, Washington pursued aggressive policies to help uplift the city’s minority residents and built bonds between Chicago’s Black and Latino communities. In a forward-thinking move, he created the city’s environmental affairs department.
“Before Harold Washington was elected mayor, he represented Illinois’ 1st District in Congress, and I would be overjoyed by the opportunity to continue his legacy,” Collins said. “Washington was a trailblazer who helped inspire me to run for elected office.”
* More…
* 13th Congressional District Democratic candidates face off in debate: “I think we need to go further and support red flag laws to support our law enforcement officers. Making sure those who shouldn’t have weapons, law enforcement has an ability to stop,” Democratic candidate Nikki Budzinski added.
* Three newcomers seek GOP nomination for state Senate District 49: Felicity Joy Solomon said she is tired of state legislators doing “whatever they wanted to do.” She belongs to a group called the Kingdom Conservative Party, which requires its candidates to sign a pledge to follow the group’s platform, she said. Solomon lives in Shorewood. Solomon is self-employed as a life coach. She is also the pastor of a Christian house church.
Gov. JB Prizker is expected to attend the Memorial Day ceremony Monday, May 30 at Lions Park Memorial Bandshell in Mount Prospect, the Journal has learned.
Following the parade leading to Lions Park, 411 S. Maple St., Pritzker is expected to make a few nonpolitical comments during the ceremony, which is expected to start at 10 a.m.
I hope you are well and that you have fun Memorial Day plans for once!… not that session isn’t fun.
I am hoping you can share something on the blog, as a favor. (Please do NOT name me).
Paul Phillips, who you may know, works under Senate Operations and is in charge of the mail room and handles all the supplies and paper for the Senate. If you don’t know Paul, he is the kindest human you will ever come across. He greets everyone with a warm smile and a hello whenever you run into him throughout the Capitol or the Stratton building. His warm soul, positive attitude, and kindness is so refreshing. He is truly a light. I recently learned that his young family has been going through an extremely hard time. His wife, Tiffany, was diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension, and is in need of a double lung transplant. Paul and Tiffany have two young children. The fact that Paul and his family have been struggling with this terrifying reality is absolutely heartbreaking. The crazy thing is, you would never know it. Paul continues to have a smile on his face and the most positive of attitudes. It truly goes to show what kind of person Paul is.
Below is a link to a Go Fund Me page that was created to help Paul and Tiffany Phillips. As they have an uphill battle ahead of them, I would sincerely appreciate your help in sharing.
Would-be marijuana shop owners breathed a sigh of relief Friday morning as a Cook County judge lifted a stay that had delayed state officials from issuing nearly 200 licenses for cannabis dispensary operators. […]
Removing the stay will allow the state Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to begin issuing licenses to 185 candidates who had been awarded them in a 2021 lottery that was itself delayed months as the state struggled to implement rules for the drawing. Lawsuits, COVID-19-related delays and administrative gaffes ground the process to a near halt.
WAH Group LLC, which had disputed the results of the lottery, this week withdrew its opposition to releasing the licenses. WAH Group will continue to litigate the rules for the state to conduct “corrective lotteries” for another 50 or so licenses later this year, attorney Mazie Harris said Friday.
This stay was just so ridiculous. WAH Group won a license in a lottery last August, for crying out loud.
By law, the first 75 licenses were supposed to have been issued almost two years ago, but were delayed by problems with scoring the license applications.
“People are super excited to move forward,” said attorney Ryan Holz, who represents businesses in line to get new licenses, and some who were excluded from the license lotteries.
But, he cautioned, there’s also a real concern that businesses that were excluded may ask for a new court order to hold up the licenses again.
Circuit judges shouldn’t have this much power.
…Adding… IDFPR…
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) announced the Circuit Court of Cook County has lifted the stays that enjoined 185 Conditional Adult Use Cannabis Dispensing Organization Licenses to applicants selected in three lotteries in 2021.
In anticipation of receiving further guidance in a related federal case, IDFPR anticipates releasing detailed information on next steps for applicants as soon as that guidance is issued. The federal case concerns objections to the state’s residency requirements for dispensary owners.
“Today is a key development towards our ultimate goal of creating the most diverse, inclusive, and robust adult use cannabis industry of any state in the country,” said Mario Treto, Jr., Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. “We stand ready to swiftly move forward in ensuring Illinois’ standing as a national leader in the advancement of cannabis equity.”
To ensure fairness for all applicants and correct any errors in the lottery process, IDFPR is also working on finalizing plans for three corrective lotteries to be held in June (one for each of the cannabis dispensary license lotteries held in 2021). Details on those lotteries will be announced by the Department when finalized. Those updates will be available on IDFPR’s Adult Use Cannabis Program webpage.
* Democratic congressional candidate Jonathan Jackson’s latest campaign mailer not only confuses his father with his brother, but it spells his famous father’s first name wrong…
* The Peoria Journal-Star asked candidates “What help do small businesses still need due to pandemic?” Here’s Richard Irvin’s response…
When J.B. Pritzker ordered our business to close their doors, we worked quickly in Aurora to provide local businesses with the support they needed. But local governments can only do so much when Springfield keeps trying to raise taxes on small businesses. Cutting income taxes and delivering property tax relief will be an enormous help to small businesses in Illinois – and give them the support they need to recover from the pandemic.
Local property tax collections are about equal to state revenues. By far the biggest property tax driver is education spending. The state already picks up most of the tab on K-12 pension costs. So, unless you have a magic plan to drastically reduce the state’s teacher pension costs (which Irvin doesn’t, as far as I can tell), the only meaningful relief at the local school level is to provide more state investments. And that costs money, which you won’t have if you cut state income taxes.
This whole “The taxes are too high and the spending is too low” argument is very common, but quite tiresome.
I believe that protecting the health of our citizens is the most important thing I can do as Governor, while also doing everything possible to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on our economy. I have worked to save lives AND livelihoods and have always followed the science to ensure our economy would reopen when we had the proper tools to mitigate the spread, like masks and vaccines. We created the nation’s largest state program of its kind, providing grants and other support to over 12,000 small businesses. We led with equity and prioritized hard-hit industries in awarding state funding, including businesses that didn’t qualify for federal funds and businesses in disproportionately impacted areas of the state. While Republicans ignored science, encouraged people to inject bleach, lied about the dangers of COVID, and promoted conspiracy theories, I was assisting small businesses and helping workers and their families weather the health and financial impacts of the pandemic.
Yeah, OK, but the question was about what small businesses still need. No answer. At all.
The biggest thing small businesses need is leaders who represent them, rather than the corrupt virtue-signaling insiders in Springfield. Government is too often focused on making sure the insiders get their cut. We saw that in the past two years, and we’ve seen it for the entirety of J.B. Pritzker’s term.
I’ve been an entrepreneur and job creator, helping small-business owners all over the world create the jobs of the future. I know what it takes to foster a business-friendly environment, from lower taxes to regulatory certainty, and I will bring that commitment to growth here to Illinois.
Small businesses deserve the right to earn a living, without fear that they could be shut down again at any moment. I will deliver that for Illinois – as the first step of making our state the best in the nation to hold a job, raise a family, or run a business.
The question was about what small business still need because of the pandemic, Jesse.
Sullivan claimed he could save $10 billion in the state budget, citing only a planned hiring freeze, planned pension reforms and local government consolidation.
Griffin, who has feuded politically with the first-term Democratic governor, has given Irvin $45 million in his bid to win the GOP nomination for governor and the right to face Pritzker on June 28.
In an invective-filled statement Thursday, Griffin said the TV attacks show Pritzker fears facing Irvin in the fall.
“I don’t care about the governor’s pathetic attacks against me. I started one of the most important businesses in the world at the age of 21 right here in Chicago. And unlike J.B. Pritzker, I’ve endured real challenges and made real sacrifices in writing the success story of Citadel,” Griffin said.
“J.B. Pritzker was gifted a life of tremendous wealth. It’s disappointing that a man born with a silver spoon has accomplished so little, especially as governor. Pritzker’s policies have driven the largest crime wave in the history of Illinois,” Griffin said. “Richard is the exact opposite of J.B. and has already done more for the people of Illinois than silver spooned billionaire J.B. Pritzker ever will.”
…Adding… In case you’d rather not click on that account to read the full statement…
- Bailey Campaign Statement on Richard Irvin, the hand-picked candidate for Governor of hedge fund mogul Ken Griffin, just telling the girls and parents of Illinois that he is fine with allowing boys and men to invade female sports competitions.
During Tuesday night’s undercard debate, NBC 5’s Mary Ann Ahern asked, “Should [men] be banned from being able to participate in women’s sports.” Irvin tried to squirm and equivocate, just as he does whenever asked whether or not he voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. But Ahern pressed him, thankfully, and his answer was shocking. He declared, “the governor should not have a say.”
Next door to Illinois, the solid General Assembly of Indiana just voted to override the veto of a squish Governor Eric Holcomb. Richard Irvin openly promises to be just that kind of sellout. In reality, we should not be surprised at Irvin’s extremist stance. He wants to permit boys and men to ruin female sports because he subscribes to the far left, liberal agenda of the Democrat Party he has supported for years, voting as a Democrat in 7 of the last 8 elections in Illinois. Richard Irvin reveals his true, radical self, from supporting militant BLM to lavishing praise on J.B. Pritzker to sacrificing our girls at the altar of woke, politically correct madness Illinoisans deserve better than a career Democrat who plays tough on TV. Darren Bailey is the true conservative champion in this race who will stand up to keep our communities safe and protect our children from a radical political agenda.
Huh. I thought Sen. Bailey was all about local control. I mean, he said this that very same evening…
Government needs to be pulled out of our schools. Get the unfunded mandates out of the way and let local school boards and parents come together and decide how they want to educate their children in their schools.
* The Irvin campaign sent me to the debate video. This starts at the 42:40 mark…
Mary Ann: Should transgender girl athletes be banned from participating in women’s sports? Mr. Irvin?
Irvin: Each sport agency has to determine what’s best for the competition and fairness in their particular agency.
Mary Ann: Should, again, the question is, should transgender girl athletes be barred?
Irvin: It’s about fairness. It’s about making sure these competitions are fair for everyone. Each organization, whether it be basketball, whether it be football or whether it be swimming has to determine what is fair and who should compete. It should be totally local and the governor should not have a say. This shouldn’t be something we should legislate from the governor’s office. It should be something we determine that parents and local school districts are allowed to make for themselves.
And Irvin’s position would do nothing to protect those athletes’ interests at the state level.
