Pritzker highlights budget accomplishments
Saturday, Apr 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The governor’s remarks as prepared for delivery…
Thank you for joining us this morning. It’s a terrific day.
We end this legislative session with enormous and historic victories for the people of Illinois:
Gas, grocery, and property tax relief, more support for local government than ever before, a massive improvement in staffing for our nursing home residents, short and long term debt reduction, and a balanced budget for the fourth year in a row.
We’ve achieved our state’s strongest fiscal position in generations, and we prioritized the education, public safety, health, and welfare of the residents of Illinois. Just a few years ago some people said what we’ve achieved was impossible. But it’s true. Our bill backlog is paid off. Our pension liabilities are reduced. Our rainy day fund is recovering. And we are delivering $1.8 billion of direct tax relief to the people we serve.
This budget is for all those who are worried about the rising cost of groceries, which seem ever more expensive each time you go to the store.
It’s for those who can only put $10 at a time into your gas tank, because filling up the whole tank stretches you too thin.
It’s for those who have been straining under the weight of property taxes, only to see them increase without a break.
It’s for our teachers, who have taken on so much these past two years of the pandemic — and who have volunteered to help students in need by spending their own money on them.
It’s for the 97 percent of income tax filers who will receive a direct check to help pay their monthly bills.
This budget – and its $1.8 billion in tax relief – is for you, the people of Illinois.
I have always believed state government ought to, first and foremost, lift up the working families of Illinois and those who have too often been left out and left behind. This budget prioritizes them.
We’ve accomplished a lot in this budget, and I want to thank some of my partners in the General Assembly:
Speaker Chris Welch and President Don Harmon; House budget leaders Greg Harris, Will Davis, Lisa Hernandez, and Mike Zalewski, and Elgie Sims and Bill Cunningham in the Senate, and their staffs; and I want to express my gratitude to the members in the General Assembly who have once again joined me in the unglamorous but vital work of righting our fiscal ship and serving the best interests of the people of Illinois.
For the fourth straight year, I’ll sign into law another balanced budget that continues to reverse the damage inflicted by decades of fiscal mismanagement. Responsible budgeting in Illinois is now the rule, not the exception.
Let me tell you what that looks like:
We’re improving our schools and our classrooms by investing in our teachers and our children. With this budget, Illinois school districts will see an extra $518 million with full support for Evidence Based Funding and paying for textbooks, classroom upgrades, counseling staff and teachers.
We’re making childcare more affordable than ever before, and we’re providing scholarships for college as well as career and technical education for more than 155,000 students.
We’re making it more attractive and affordable for small businesses in Illinois by revitalizing commercial corridors and creating jobs by extending our incredibly popular Main Street Grants program — helping small cities and towns up and down the state. We’re suspending licensing fees for bars and restaurants and giving them grants to assist in their recovery. Our hospitality industry is bolstered with its own grants program. And we’re investing in employer training and renewing tax credits to attract and grow new businesses while providing new benefits to startups.
This budget will make this a safer state for all who call Illinois home. We’re hiring the largest state police cadet class in history, funding the Gang Crime Witness Protection Program, and providing mental health support for police across the state. Through our Reimagine Public Safety program, we’re tackling the root causes of violence with an expansion of our successful youth summer jobs initiative and proven violence intervention programs. Illinois has never seen an effort this robust to fight and solve crime.
On the day I was sworn into this office, I said that we are going to restore fiscal responsibility to this state.
Because of the foundation we’ve laid over the past three years, we’re able to put unprecedented one billion dollars into the state’s Rainy Day Fund, and put an extra $500 million into our pensions — saving taxpayers nearly two billion dollars. And most importantly, we can do all of this AND return 1.8 billion dollars in tax relief to the families who need it most.
I want to end this morning on a success that got lost in the flurry of news over the past two weeks.
Not long ago, interest payments to cover our state employee health insurance surpassed $274 million – not the debt itself, but the interest alone — the consequences of kicking the can down the road for decades.
This legislative session, Democrats teamed up to pay off that lingering liability. That frees up more than a quarter of a billion in taxpayer dollars every year for priorities we all care about, like tax relief, and school funding, and mental health care, and addiction treatment, and public safety.
Lots of politicians talk about getting rid of waste; the people standing here today are actually doing it.
Today, in Illinois, we’re using state resources as they should be: not sending hundreds of millions of dollars to creditors for interest, but instead supporting schools and roads and public safety. To make our residents’ lives better. To make our future brighter.
Before I turn things over, I want to take a moment to express my profound appreciation for Leader Greg Harris. The State of Illinois is unquestionably stronger because of his service. This is the last full budget he will have negotiated before he retires, and what a testament to his years of hard work, dedication and focus on the most vulnerable people of our state. Greg, we couldn’t have done this without you.
* Pritzker was asked about the process of passing a budget late at night on the last day of session…
Well, first of all, there have been hearings for months on all of the various aspects of this budget. I introduced the budget back on February 3, when I held the state of the state and budget address. That is the fundamental underpinning of the budget that passed. The basics of this budget have been known by everybody, Republicans and Democrats since then. There have been hearings that have quizzed various agency heads about their needs at their departments. We’ve had people from outside organizations coming in to talk about new programs like EIC to make sure that families, working class families, families that really need help, are addressed in this budget. This has been known for quite some time. So this false idea that there’s some, you know, 3000-page budget that got introduced late at night, that’s just, it’s ridiculous. Everybody knows that each section of that budget has been reviewed by committees for months now.
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More budget react
Saturday, Apr 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Additional react is here if you missed it. Posted in the order received…
Senate President Don Harmon D-Oak Park, issued the following statement after the Senate voted to pass a balanced budget that pays down debts, invests in education and police, and provides nearly $2 billion in tax relief for Illinoisans:
“This budget continues our practice of responsible budgeting and providing strength through stability. It pays our bills, sets extra aside and provides billions in relief for those who need it the most.
This is a great budget that reflects the needs and priorities of the people of this great state.”
* ACEC-IL…
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-IL) released the following statement regarding the preservation of gas tax revenues for infrastructure projects included in the state’s budget:
“We applaud Governor Pritzker and the legislature for passing a budget that provides a solution to the motor fuel tax issue that maintains the state’s commitment to prioritize infrastructure projects throughout Illinois,” said Kevin Artl, president and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. “It’s important to strike a balance for consumers who are feeling pain at the pump, while also keeping the state on track to revitalizing our bridges, roads and highways. Engineers across the state applaud Illinois policymakers for their thoughtful leadership on this issue.”
* IML…
The Illinois Municipal League (IML) issued the following statement after the General Assembly approved a State Fiscal Year 2023 budget that includes an increase to the Local Government Distributive Fund, from the current distribution rate of 6.06% of individual income tax collections to a rate of 6.16%, which will provide additional funding to cities, villages and towns:
“We thank the governor and leaders in the House and Senate for prioritizing this investment in our cities, villages and towns. Years of revenue cuts from the state have placed great pressure on local budgets, forcing many municipalities to consider tax and fee increases, service cuts and even layoffs as they struggle to make ends meet,” said Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe of Decatur, IML President. “This additional funding will help ease some of those burdens so communities can better meet the needs of our residents.”
“It’s important to note that while municipalities received federal COVID relief dollars, their use was restricted to water, sewer and broadband projects and could not be used for purposes such as personnel, pension payments or debt payments. The funds provided through LGDF can be used on a much broader array of items, including public safety,” Brad Cole, IML Executive Director. “While there remains a long way to go before LGDF funding is fully restored, this is a step in the right direction.”
* Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association…
The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association has released the following statement after the General Assembly approved the Fiscal Year 2023 state budget, in which hotels are set to receive $75 million in aid to assist with pandemic recovery efforts:
“As a vital component of Illinois’ economy, the pandemic decimated our state’s hotel industry, with record low occupancy rates and sustained losses due to the massive decline in conventions and tourism. This $75 million in aid is an important lifeline for our industry, allowing hotels to rehire workers and fully re-open their doors as travel begins to rebound,” said Michael Jacobson, president & CEO, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association. “We appreciate the support of the legislative leaders and the members who championed our cause, especially House Majority Leader Greg Harris, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, Rep. Kam Buckner, Rep. Terra Costa Howard, and Rep. Lamont Robinson as well as Sen. Elgie Sims, Sen. Bill Cunningham, and Sen. Sara Feigenholtz. As the industry rebuilds, we look forward to welcoming travelers back to Illinois and helping to lead the economic recovery of our state and local communities.”
* IFRA…
Josh Sharp, CEO of the IL Fuel and Retail Association, is issuing the following statement on actions taken by the Illinois Legislature to authorize two gas tax increases for 2023 and require fuel retailers to post signs at their own expense.
“By delaying, instead of simply eliminating, the annual gas tax increase for six months, the Legislature is guaranteeing two gas tax increases for next year; one in January and another in July. That is not relief for Illinois taxpayers, that is conveniently kicking the can down the road until after an election.”
In addition to the two gas taxes now coming in 2023, the Legislature also approved legislation requiring gas stations to post a 4X8 sign on pumps to inform motorists about the six-month “suspension” of the gas tax increase that was slated for July 1st. Gas stations will have to post the signs or face criminal penalties and fines of up to $500 per-day.
“The idea that fuel retailers would have to reach into their own pockets to tell their customers about legislation approved in Springfield and then face heavy fines if they don’t is completely absurd.
There is no Constitutional authority for the State of Illinois to make these ridiculous requirements and if the Governor signs this bill into law, we plan to challenge this requirement in court. It is not the job of our members to run free political advertising for lawmakers who want to pat themselves on the back for simply delaying a tax increase six months.
Voters need to know that the taxes Illinois imposes on a gallon of gas aren’t changing, they’re not being lowered. On July 1 when this new state budget takes effect, the motor fuel tax will remain exactly what it is today. That’s Springfield’s definition of “relief” – taxing you more but doing it later and hoping that no one notices until after an election.”
* AARP Illinois…
At the close of the 2022 Spring Legislative Session, AARP Illinois commends the General Assembly for passing several measures that will significantly enhance the lives of older adults and their loved ones across the state.
For decades, nursing home residents have experienced a severe crisis in quality of care with abuse and neglect.
This is why we fought so hard for reforms to increase staffing and improve quality of care to ensure nursing home residents’ safety and well-being. We are thrilled to see the passage of the Nursing Home Compromise Reform Bill, which invests in and retains quality frontline line staff who provide critical care to Illinois Medicaid nursing home residents. The measure also requires greater transparency of nursing home ownership and revenue.
On behalf of our 1.7 million members and all older adults in Illinois, AARP Illinois also spent four years leading an “Enough is Enough” campaign to pressure lawmakers to address the state’s decades-long fiscal crisis. That is why we are pleased to see a balanced budget this year that takes steps to improve the state’s fiscal health, including a $500 million pension payment, $1 billion for the rainy day fund, and nearly $900 million for the group health insurance bill backlog.
The budget fully funds the state’s Community Care Program, adds an additional $4 million for caregiving and includes property tax rebates and expands the earned income tax credit to those who are 65 and older.
Several measures passed this session will give Illinois residents the equity they deserve and ability to care better for the people they love. SB3490 ensures that LGBTQ voices are represented in state programming and policymaking. The increase in the Community Spouse Asset Allowance means people won’t have to feel forced to give up their belongings when a spouse enters a nursing home and uses Medicaid. And SB 1405 makes sure no one in a nursing home will ever have to die alone again.
And finally, HB 2775 is a triumphant end to housing discrimination that has persisted for years. This bill ensures that renters can no longer be turned away for using Social Security, veteran’s housing benefits or other sources of income if they are otherwise qualified.
With these important measures approved, AARP is committed to making Illinois affordable for those 50+ by working diligently for consumers on pocketbook issues, including efforts to lower the cost of Rx drugs, improve opportunities to keep more of your hard-earned income and assets, expand home and community-based services and keep utility bills in check.
We urge Governor Pritzker to sign these bills into law so that older adults and their families can begin feeling the impact as soon as possible.
* The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence…
After over a decade of largely stagnant funding following recession budget cuts, Illinois made a historic investment today in allocating $70.9 million in general revenue funds for domestic violence services. This increase demonstrates the power of the community of survivors and service providers who passionately advocated for survivors’ needs. We thank Representative Kelly Cassidy, Senator Peters, Representative Mussman, Representative Barbara Hernandez, the Women’s Caucus, and the Latino Caucus for their leadership in championing the needs of domestic violence survivors.
This investment will help address the growing need for services seen throughout the state, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline was contacted by more than 32,000 individuals seeking assistance. These contacts mark over an eight percent increase in communication from 2020, in turn a record-breaking year. With the state’s investment, community-based service providers will be better equipped to meet the growing needs of survivors, particularly around housing, legal advocacy, counseling, and violence-prevention.
State funds will help expand community outreach and provide life-saving education on domestic violence resources. Service providers will be able to start addressing unmet needs for services, particularly shelter and housing. Survivors will have a stronger safety net to meet basic needs as well as the enduring emotional, financial, and legal needs stemming from survivorship. Lastly, these funds will help providers pay their staff the thriving wage they have earned in working as essential workers throughout the pandemic.
Domestic violence programs remained open throughout the pandemic, providing a critical safety net for survivors. With limited funding, service providers struggled to maintain an adequate and equipped staff. With this investment, service providers will be able to sustain and increase their capacity to continue providing essential quality services.
The Network is grateful to the Illinois Legislature for making this investment towards addressing and ending gender-based violence. The Network looks forward to seeing this investment in gender-based violence services continue through legislation in future sessions to help support survivors and service providers. The Network and the gender-based violence community will continue to advocate alongside survivors to push for improved community safety and resources.
* Americans For Prosperity - Illinois…
AFP-IL State Director Jason Heffley released the following statement in response to the budget’s passage:
“At AFP-IL, we fight to break down barriers Illinois families face to reach their potential, and despite the rhetoric, this budget fails to remove any barriers families face in this state. Relying on one-time federal money to ‘balance’ the budget, calling temporary tax freezes tax relief, and failing to address the systemic problems the state’s bloated government has created is not a way to build a state budget. Our activists will continue to call for greater accountability from state government, starting with permanent tax relief for families in the state with the highest tax burden in America.”
* Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus…
“Tourism is one of Illinois’ largest and most critically important industries, and destination organizations throughout the state continue to drive economic recovery during the most challenging circumstances we’ve ever faced. The approved budget builds on last year’s strong budget for tourism and is another necessary step to providing the stability we need to attract visitors and business to Illinois–which, in turn, brings customers for our local small businesses and economic security for our communities. Visitors are future residents and talent and we must continually invest in tourism and destination marketing to maintain a competitive position.
“ICCVB is grateful to Governor Pritzker, his Administration, and the State Legislature for their continued support as this budget makes clear that funding for tourism and destination marketing efforts by the Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (ICCVB) and its partners is essential to our State’s broader economic recovery. The Governor and legislators have listened to the hard-hit travel & tourism industry and have helped put the industry on the path to economic recovery from COVID-19. This investment is the necessary fuel we need to drive growth now and with urgency. Our elected leaders are listening and have responded.
“In addition to the state’s investment in tourism marketing, the budget includes a combined $140 million that has been appropriated from the State Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the Tourism Attraction Development Grant Program ($15 million), the Hotel Jobs Recovery Grant Program ($75 million) and Restaurant Employment and Stabilization Grant Program ($50 million). This level of support is critical to important sectors and partners that have been decimated by the pandemic. We are especially grateful to our champions, Senate Tourism Committee Chair Sara Feigenholtz and House Tourism Committee Chair Lamont Robinson for their continued leadership. They haven’t just supported our requests, they are our strategic partners and understand the value that tourism brings to the entire State of Illinois.
“We have a long road ahead of us but the continued commitment to tourism and the promotion of Illinois is vital to get us back on track and to our pre-pandemic levels. Every $1 spent on tourism promotion results in $11 for our state, which is why we need leisure travel, meetings & conventions, group business, and sports tourism to thrive and to stay competitive against other states on a national level and as we compete on a global stage.”
* Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy…
“Instead of permanent solutions for working families like real tax cuts and reduced spending, Democrats passed temporary election-year gimmicks, a massive increase in spending, and pay raises for politicians. In the face of record inflation and a crushing tax burden, Democrats gave taxpayers a handful of candy and told them to suck it up. They failed to provide real relief to taxpayers and all but guaranteed tax increases when the federal bailout money goes away.”
* Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights…
As the Illinois General Assembly session ended early Saturday morning, immigrant leaders in Illinois celebrated major wins while committing to continue the fight for community resources.
“This year ICIRR members ratified and advocated for a state platform that brings our communities closer to FULL CITIZENSHIP - that means going beyond immigration papers and pushing for policies at all levels of government that allow our families and neighbors to live lives with dignity and respect,” said Lawrence Benito, Executive Director of ICIRR. “Today we’re celebrating landmark wins for ITIN filers receiving tax relief and expanded healthcare to low-income residents aged 42-and-up regardless of immigration status. At the same time, we advocated for $53 million in funding for the Immigrant Services Line Item, and that final number came in under our demand. We will continue to organize with our 100+ statewide members to ensure that this funding source, which has provided tens of thousands of undocumented Illinoisans with direct assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, is made whole.”
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* Press release…
As the spring legislative session ends, negotiators representing organized labor today announced agreement on delaying temporary employer tax increases and worker benefit reductions, but an impasse in discussions to address a historic deficit in the state fund that provides unemployment insurance benefits to workers.
Representatives of five key labor organizations announced that negotiations among labor, business, legislators and Gov. Pritzker’s administration over solutions to eliminate what remains of the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit of $4.5 billion had reached an impasse.
Negotiators announced support for stop-gap action delaying temporary triggers in state law that will increase costs for businesses and decrease benefits for workers. However, if no action had been taken by the end of the year, the so-called “speed bumps” in the unemployment insurance law would drive up costs in the system by $409 million in tax increases on employers, and $318 million in benefits for jobless workers.
“We just saw the Legislature and Governor provide $2.7 billion in federal pandemic relief funding to the unemployment insurance program,” said Pat Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer with the Illinois AFL-CIO. “But without an agreement on structural reform to protect workers, employers and taxpayers, Illinois’ unemployment fund will be bankrupt again in a couple of years.
All parties need to get back to the bargaining table and find a real solution that protects workers and taxpayers, gives businesses stability and certainty and finally gets honest about the revenue needed to support our unemployment system.”
This is the third time Illinois has faced a multi-billion-dollar hole in its unemployment trust fund in the past 18 years, but the $4.5 billion debt is the state’s largest ever – initiated by widespread unemployment from the pandemic economic shutdown, but cemented by a revenue structure that has seen little change since 1980.
Labor negotiators have urged all involved to focus on more than just providing relief to businesses through federal ARPA funding. Because the system is chronically underfunded, economic crisis events create large deficits – and too often, workers and taxpayers are expected to bear the burden of bailing out the system. The labor groups will urge negotiations focus on ending the historic underfunding of the UI system that results in huge debt challenges during economic slowdowns.
The state had already delayed the automatic “speed bumps” (benefit cuts and tax increase) that would take effect without a deal until July 3rd. An amendment to SB157, which cleared both chambers early this morning, delays that action until January 1, safely after the November election.
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Quick end of session wrap-up
Saturday, Apr 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WBEZ…
Wrapping up their spring session, lawmakers staged an all-nighter – a rarely seen 20-hour behemoth of a day in Springfield filled with bluster, brief naps at their desks, and long speeches that resulted in a finalized, $46 billion-plus spending plan as sunrise approached Saturday.
Unlike Congress, the state legislature doesn’t have the filibuster. But that effectively is what Republicans resorted to before an audience of sleeping Illinoisans in trying to slow down a budget plan that drew praise from Wall Street and, in the end, Republican votes for parts of the package.
But in the end, Democrats – with their House and Senate supermajorities – muscled through a plan put together by Gov. JB Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside. The timestamp on the final budget vote was 5:52 a.m Saturday.
“Boy, you guys hate that we’re balancing the budget and paying our debts, don’t you?” House Majority Leader Greg Harris, D-Chicago, said, needling the cast of House Republicans who sacrificed their REM sleep to blast the plan in speech after speech after speech.
* Capitol News Illinois…
The Fiscal Year 2023 spending plan also provides for the statutorily required $350 million in additional funding for public schools through the Evidence Based Funding formula that was originally adopted in 2017. Higher education would see increases as well.
The portion of the state’s income tax going to local governments would increase from 6.06 percent to 6.16 percent. […]
Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, who is running for treasurer, said the pandemic-related revenue windfalls have allowed Democrats to grow funding faster than year-after-year revenues.
“And when this one-time revenue dries up, the only thing you’ll know how to do is go back and raise taxes yet again,” he said.
As long as they didn’t put too many new items into the spending base or permanently subtract too much money from the revenue stream, Demmer would be wrong.
* Tribune…
The GOP dismissed the majority party’s tax relief plan as an election-year gimmick. […]
Loathe to vote against tax breaks before facing voters later this year, however, Republicans nearly all voted in favor the proposal.
Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie said Democrats were trying to “buy” votes, and then participated in this alleged bribery scheme by voting for the tax cuts.
* That was not confined to the budget…
Another bill sponsored by Delgado received bipartisan support. It would codify that victims of carjacking or vehicle theft wouldn’t have to pay for tows, speeding tickets and other fees that accumulate on their vehicles after they’re stolen.
Republicans contended that owners of stolen vehicles already have ways to avoid paying such fines, and the bill does nothing to go after perpetrators.
“This, as presented on the floor, does nothing to bring down crime, does nothing to promote public safety and, in fact, is not holding the (criminals) accountable for the laws that they broke along the way. This is absurd. This is not what we need to do to bring down crime,” said state Rep. Avery Bourne, a Republican from Morrisonville who is running for lieutenant governor in the June 28 primary.
Not mentioned anywhere in the story is that, after blasting Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado’s “absurd” bill, Rep. Bourne voted for it. Indeed, not a single Republican voted against it.
* Back to WBEZ…
In another development during the legislature’s final session day of the spring, Democrats also voted to curtail fundraising in judicial races — a vote that took a not-so-subtle swipe at GOP mega-donor Kenneth Griffin by moving to complicate any attempt he may harbor to funnel millions of dollars into judicial campaigns.
The measure’s sponsor, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, described his legislation as a campaign-finance step designed to keep dark money out of Supreme Court races and other judicial elections.
Contributions from a single source to independent expenditure committees — political funds unaffiliated with individual candidates that can spend on their behalf — would be capped at $500,000 per election cycle.
Republicans were quick to point out that independent expenditure committees were crucial in the 2020 defeat of Democratic state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride. One of those funds, Citizens for Judicial Fairness, spent millions of dollars against Kilbride’s retention on the high court.
State campaign records show $4.5 million of the group’s receipts came from one source over two days in October 2020: Chicago hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin, who also is bankrolling Irvin’s Republican gubernatorial campaign to unseat Pritzker this fall.
State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst, who voted against the measure, said the legislation wasn’t truly about protecting the integrity of the judiciary but rather about preventing a replay of Kilbride’s defeat, particularly when control of the Supreme Court is up for grabs this fall.
“This is once again in Illinois the political machine that’s in power is trying to protect its own,” she said.
Mazzochi is right. But her party’s opposition is based on preserving the influence and power of the state’s wealthiest resident, who is also her party’s single largest financial benefactor.
…Adding… Comptroller Mendoza…
llinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza applauds the legislature for passing a FY ’23 budget that saves for the future, utilizes extra revenue to support working families, and addresses the pension shortfall and other structural issues.
“I am very pleased and thankful to see an infusion of $1 billion into the state’s Rainy Day Fund,” said Comptroller Mendoza. “We know this is an important signal to the credit rating agencies that Illinois is getting its fiscal house in order and planning for the future.” Illinois celebrated two credit upgrades last year – the first upgrades in more than 20 years.
The budget also mandates an extra $45 million a year to be placed in the Rainy Day Fund starting in FY ’23. The budget expands the Earned Income Tax Credit for low- and moderate-income taxpayers.
The budget includes an additional $200 million pension payment, which brings the total pension payment beyond what is required, to $500 million dollars. This will save taxpayers more than $1.8 billion.
Comptroller Mendoza recently announced that her office had paid down the bill backlog to what is now “accounts payable.” Illinois has been paying its bills in about 15 business days since July 1, 2021 – down from a crushing 210-business-day bill payment cycle in Nov. 2017 – a result of the 2015-2017 budget impasse.
The shortened General Revenue Fund bill payment cycle, along with the two credit upgrades, happened before the state received ARPA federal stimulus payments.
“Overall, I believe this budget adds greatly to the momentum we have built toward further credit upgrades, which will mean further savings for taxpayers,” said Comptroller Mendoza.
Comptroller Mendoza thanks Gov. JB Pritzker as well as Sen. Michael Hastings, Rep. Michael Halpin, Sen. Elgie Sims, Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris, Rep. Michael Zalewski and all the legislators who supported reviving the Rainy Day Fund.
She looks forward to working with legislators to continue strengthening the Rainy Day Fund and Pension Stabilization Fund through further legislation.
...Adding… Irvin campaign…
As Springfield Democrats proudly closed out the end of legislative session with a number of significant issues left unresolved, Aurora Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin released the following statement:
“Instead of committing to real solutions to combat crime and deliver permanent tax cuts, J.B. Pritzker pushed election year gimmicks that don’t reverse his anti-police, pro-criminal policies but do set up his campaign to permanently raise taxes after the election. The people of Illinois are paying a steep price for a governor who will do anything to win re-election, even if it means mailing checks to voters right before hitting them with the largest income tax hike in state history. It’s time to take back our state.”
The remaining issues left unanswered by Governor Pritzker include the following:
• No reversal from Pritzker’s anti-police, pro-criminal policies while crime surges throughout the state;
• No permanent tax cuts for Illinois residents (instead quite the opposite: increases in state spending to push for higher taxes when the federal money runs out);
• No comprehensive ethics reform to root out corruption from Mike Madigan’s criminal enterprise;
• No substantive changes to the Department of Children and Family Services after the director has been found in contempt of court eight times and vulnerable children are put in danger; and
• No plan to fully replenish the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, forcing tax hikes and benefit cuts.
* IFT…
Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) President Dan Montgomery issued this statement today after the state legislature passed a Fiscal Year 2023 budget.
“The FY23 budget passed today is further proof that Governor Pritzker prioritizes public education at every level. Budgeting for the annual $350 million increase to the evidence-based funding model puts our state one year closer to achieving equitable funding and eliminating disparities in districts statewide. Budget increases for community colleges and universities are an important step towards the much-needed reinvestment in public higher education and making college more affordable.
“We applaud the governor and lawmakers for crafting a budget that invests in public schools and vital services and provides relief for Illinois families. The pandemic will have a lasting impact on students, educators, school staff, and our communities. But by expanding the earned income tax credit, cutting grocery and gas taxes, and offering property tax rebates, this budget will provide the economic support that families desperately need right now.
“The IFT looks forward to continuing our work with Governor Pritzker as he focuses on the state’s economic recovery.”
…Adding… Responsible Budget Coalition…
The Responsible Budget Coalition issued the following statement in response to the FY 2023 state budget approved by the General Assembly.
As a coalition of the state’s leading advocacy, human service, community and labor organizations, we judge any budget by these principles: It must contain adequate revenue, fairly raised, and it must avoid cuts to vital programs and services.
The FY 2023 General Fund Budget passed by the General Assembly increases year-to-year spending on Education, Healthcare, Human Services, and Public Safety–which collectively account for over 95 cents of every dollar Illinois spends on public services through its General Fund. That is a welcome development, given that Illinois has been cutting its spending on those core services in real, inflation-adjusted terms for over two decades. We also applaud an important step towards tax fairness, a more than $100 million dollar expansion of the Illinois Earned Income Credit which will cover older and younger workers as well as undocumented immigrants who pay taxes, and provide more money to all credit recipients. For these reasons, the budget passed by the General Assembly and supported by Governor Pritzker is a major step in the right direction, and we urge the governor to sign it.
But for the state to continue playing a positive role in making Illinois more equitable —whether addressing short term challenges like those caused by the pandemic, or long-term challenges, like poverty or structural racism–it needs the ongoing fiscal capacity to do so. Creating that fiscal capacity must remain a priority in the coming fiscal years, especially as federal pandemic relief funding expires.
As we look towards next year, we hope to re-engage the General Assembly in a broader conversation about Illinois’ still unfair tax system, one that does not provide willing political leaders with the financial resources to make the change we all seek for people in our state who are struggling the most. Until then, we appreciate a budget that takes important steps to help people in need.
* Illinois Pork Producers Association…
This week, leadership from IL Pork, IL Beef, IL Corn, IL Soybeans and IL Farm Bureau worked to increase the Illinois State budget request by $750,000 from the General Assembly’s FY23 budget toward the IL Dept of Agriculture (IDOA). These funds would be used to provide additional field veterinarians and proactive foreign animal disease prevention measures necessary to protect Illinois agriculture in the event of looming foreign animal disease outbreaks.
“With the recent announcement by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirming the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a small backyard flock in Mclean County, the need for these funds is immediate,” says Illinois Pork Producer Association’s Executive Director, Jennifer Tirey. “This recent outbreak proves that a foreign animal disease does not discriminate based on the size of a livestock farm. The devastation could impact the smallest backyard hobby farms, farmers that sell their product at a farmers’ market, small meat processors or our larger producers. We’re also concerned about the potential of an African Swine Fever outbreak in Illinois swine herds. The impact of any of these animal disease outbreaks to Illinois agriculture would be detrimental and being underprepared would only worsen the impact.”
Today, IDOA only has one field veterinarian on staff to serve the entire state of Illinois. Adding veterinarians could mean regionally-defined service areas, even allowing field staff to support vet work on specific species-related issues.
“We believe the collaborative response from our five groups empowered our request,” says Tirey. “We are incredibly grateful to the legislators who stand for the best interests of Illinois agriculture and Illinois farmers.”
Adds Josh St. Peters, Executive Vice President, Illinois Beef Association, “Earlier this winter the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) expressed this issue as a concern to our organizations and we are happy to see the funding secured and look forward to working with the department to protect the ag industry from potential foreign animal disease outbreaks,” he says. “Director Costello, IDOA leadership, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Patrick Joyce (D-Essex), Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) and Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) are greatly appreciated by the Illinois ag community for their partnership.”
…Adding… Press release…
The Illinois General Assembly approved a state budget that includes $2.5 million in funding for the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program, otherwise known as Children’s Savings Accounts. Parent leaders and advocates of the Financial Inclusion for All Illinois coalition have long called for an investment in the future of Illinois’ children and families. Advocates celebrate that the program, which was signed into law in 2019, will finally be funded in 2023.
After the budget is signed into law, all children born or adopted after December 31, 2022, will receive a $50 seed deposit in a Bright Start 529 college savings account. However, parents must claim this seed deposit by their child’s 10th birthday. Advocates warn that only 30% of Illinois families will be able to claim the deposit without further investment and effort by state officials to make the program more robust, accessible, and equitable. The statewide CSA program will be managed by the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office.
“I have advocated for a statewide Children’s Savings Account program for nearly a decade. In 2019, when the program was signed into law by the Governor, we thought our fight was over. But the pandemic hit, and the program was never funded. We are glad to see this appropriation so that the program can finally get started. It will also take more funding in future years to ensure that all families who could benefit will be able to participate.”
– Rosazlia Grillier, Co-President Emeritus of POWER-PAC IL
Children’s Savings Accounts (CSAs) are proven to boost hope for the future, especially among children who may not already have college-going aspirations. They are also proven to reduce maternal depression, improve early childhood outcomes, and, with the right features, promote equitable access to higher education. The savings accounts can be used for books, computers, college or university tuition, and at other post-secondary institutions like trade schools.
“As a parent of three children, I have spent years advocating for a CSA program. I didn’t go to college, but my son was lucky enough to receive a scholarship. Once the CSA program is fully funded, we will be sure that more families like mine will have hope for the future and an investment in their children’s potential early on. Thank you to our legislative champions, Senator Pacione-Zayas and Representative Collins!”
– Liliana Olayo, Co-President of POWER-PAC IL
During the Illinois General Assembly’s legislative session, Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas and Representative Lakesia Collins, champions for the statewide CSA program, also passed a bill to prioritize equity in the program implementation. Once signed into law, the measure requires the State Treasurer’s Office to collect socioeconomic, geographic, racial and ethnic data on program participants to understand whether the program is reaching community members who face systemic barriers to wealth-building and would most benefit from a jump-start in their college savings. It also gives the Treasurer’s Office the option to provide automatic bonus deposits in the accounts of children from financially insecure households.
“Thank you to the Illinois General Assembly for ensuring that this program can kick-off in 2023. The pandemic has caused many families to lose hope – but this CSA program restores some of that hope for children across Illinois. Our coalition urges legislative leaders to continue to invest in this crucial program over the long-haul.” –
Amy Eisenstein, Financial Inclusion for All Illinois Coalition Manager with Heartland Alliance
Financial Inclusion for All Illinois is a coalition committed to expanding access to the tools Illinois families need to build financially secure futures. Its Children’s Savings Account Committee includes leaders from Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), POWER-PAC IL, Woodstock Institute, YWCA Metro Chicago, VOCEL, Start Early, Legal Action Chicago, Chicago Urban League, I-PROMOTE IL, Children’s Home and Aid, and Heartland Alliance.
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Organized retail crime bill clears Senate
Saturday, Apr 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sen. Glowiak Hilton…
To support retailers, update prosecuting resources and promote statewide economic growth, the Illinois Senate adopted a measure led by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) to curb organized retail crime and hold ringleaders accountable.
“Organized retail crimes across the state have disturbed residents, wreaked havoc on businesses and stunted growth within local economies,” Glowiak Hilton said. “By advancing the Organized Retail Crime Act, Illinois has an opportunity to enact one of the most comprehensive crime-curbing efforts in the nation.”
In partnership with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the office of the attorney general, Glowiak Hilton’s initiative defines organized retail crime as a criminal charge and gives prosecutors additional resources to charge crime ringleaders. Specifically, the measure codifies ORC as the theft of retail merchandise with the intent to sell.
Under the proposal, prosecutors would have new opportunities to bring charges against offenders regardless of where the crimes takes place. For example, if the conspiracy, theft and selling occurred in different jurisdictions, each jurisdiction would have the ability to prosecute the entire crime. The Illinois attorney general would also have the ability to prosecute via a statewide grand jury.
“The measure targets individuals stealing for profit, not anyone engaging in petty shoplifting,” Glowiak Hilton said. “Deterring retail crime starts with supporting law enforcement, holding criminals responsible and making it tougher to resell stolen goods.”
To prevent stolen goods from being sold online, the measure also creates the Integrity, Notification and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act, or the INFORM Act, to require third-party sellers to verify users’ identity with bank account numbers or other personal identifying information. Sellers who do not comply may be suspended.
As amended, House Bill 1091 moves for concurrence consideration in the House.
* IRMA…
On behalf of retailers across the state, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) applauds lawmakers in the Senate for their bipartisan support and passage of HB1091, a comprehensive proposal to combat organized retail crime that has plagued neighborhoods across Chicago and communities throughout the state.
Crafted by IRMA in partnership with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, the measure represents one of the most sweeping efforts in the nation to combat organized retail crime by addressing the problem from multiple angles. This includes providing prosecutors with more tools to hold criminals accountable, dedicating state funds to investigate and prosecute the criminal rings carrying out these brazen thefts, requiring more oversight of third-party marketplaces where stolen goods are sold, stronger rights for victims of organized retail crime and the creation of a statewide intelligence gathering and sharing platform to allow retailers and law enforcement agencies to better coordinate.
“Organized retail crime robs our communities of tax dollars, threatens the safety of employees and customers, and puts our communities at risk of further crime including illegal firearm purchases, human trafficking and terrorism. By passing this measure, Illinois lawmakers are sending a message to criminals that these brazen thefts will not be tolerated and they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said Rob Karr, president & CEO, IRMA. “I want to personally thank Attorney General Raoul for his partnership and tireless work on this issue and offer our appreciation to Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton and Rep. Kam Buckner for their leadership as well as every lawmaker who voted in favor of this important measure.”
The bill creates and defines the violation of organized retail crime, providing the emphasis and focus required to combat this dangerous form of retail theft, which is performed by criminal groups with the goal of reselling stolen items to fund illicit activities. The legislation specifically targets those organizing these crimes, which is defined as an individual who knowingly recruits, organizes, supervises, manages, finances or otherwise directs others to commit organized retail crime, which includes smash and grab robberies as well as the looting of supply chain vehicles. Prosecutors would be given wider discretion to bring charges regardless of where the crime takes place. For instance, if the conspiracy, theft and selling all occurred in different jurisdictions, each jurisdiction would have the ability to prosecute the whole crime.
In addition, organized retail crime could be prosecuted by the Attorney General via the Statewide Grand Jury. This would give law enforcement officials another avenue by which to hold leaders of criminal rings accountable. Further, victims of organized retail crime must be given at least seven days’ notice of all court proceedings, which must be sent to the establishment where the crime occurred as well as any persons the victims designate.
To support these efforts, the proposal calls for earmarking state funds on an annual basis to create new positions in the Attorney General’s office and various State’s Attorneys offices dedicated to investigating and prosecuting retail theft and illicit trade.
“Organized retail crime is committed by sophisticated criminal enterprises that harm our communities in ways that extend beyond lost revenue and stolen products. These complex operations rely on theft and resale of stolen products to fund and perpetuate the cycle of violence through even more dangerous illegal activities like trafficking drugs and firearms,” Raoul said. “The Organized Retail Crime Act will give my office and other law enforcement agencies the additional tools needed to continue to disrupt these criminal enterprises and combat the rise in organized retail crime. I appreciate Senator Glowiak Hilton’s leadership on this matter and the bipartisan support for this effort.”
The legislation builds on the work of the Attorney General’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force, which is designed to investigate these crimes and trace them to their source. In December, the task force and the Chicago Police Department Force recovered stolen goods worth millions of dollars during a sting operation. IRMA also works with the United to Safeguard America from Illicit Trade (USA-IT) Coalition, which aims to address organized retail crime at the national level.
Increasingly, goods stolen during the execution of organized retail crime are often sold on third party electronic marketplaces. The proposal would require these online marketplaces to verify the identity of high-volume sellers using bank account numbers, taxpayer IDs or other information. Those sellers would be required to provide valid contact information, and marketplaces would be required to suspend the activity of third-party sellers for non-compliance. This is a vital public safety component as these sales are used to fund illegal activity including drug trade, weapons smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism. The proposal is identical to the agreed proposal being sponsored in Washington, D.C. by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.
A recent study by the Retail Industry Leaders Association found that as much as $68.9 billion in products were stolen from retailers nationwide in 2019, with retail crime resulting in $125.7 billion in lost economic activity and 658,375 fewer jobs. It’s estimated that retail theft costs federal and state governments nearly $15 billion in personal and business tax revenues, not including sales tax losses. These are conservative estimates as some jurisdictions discourage organized retail theft complaints and prosecutions.
* Chicagoland Chamber…
The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce released the following statement after the Illinois Senate passed HB1091, a comprehensive proposal to combat organized retail crime:
“The impact of violent crime has been felt across the Chicago area, including the suburbs, and addressing it remains a top priority of the business community as both an economic and social imperative. Doing so requires bold action by our lawmakers, which is why we applaud the bipartisan legislation put forth by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the Attorney General’s office to combat organized retail crime and illicit trade. By providing the tools and resources needed to hold these criminals accountable, we can establish stronger protections for those impacted by organized retail crime, including Chicago’s retail, tourism, and hospitality sectors that have been particularly affected. The additional investment enables law enforcement to investigate these particular cases efficiently and effectively so we can better safeguard our communities and prevent further crime that threatens jobs and economic opportunity,” said Jack Lavin, president & CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.
* IRMA dot points…
Focuses on Organized Retail Crime The proposal creates and specifically defines a violation of organized retail crime (ORC). ORC is usually committed by two or more individualswho work together to steal merchandise with value over the current retail theft threshold and resell the item(s) for profit to fund other illegal activities such as gun, drug, and human trafficking.
Deters Smash-and-Grab Thefts Smash-and-grab thefts occur when a group of individuals rush into a retailer and destroy retail property or threaten retail team members while stealing a great amount of inventory in a short period of time. This sometimes involves the use of vehicles and other tools to gain entry into the retailer or to the merchandise.
Deters Supply Chain Thefts Individuals are increasingly involved in stealing merchandise while it is in transit between the manufacture and distributor and the retailer. This involves raiding delivery trucks and cargo containers on trains.
Reduces Criminals’ Ability to Avoid Prosecution The proposal provides jurisdiction to any state’s attorney where any element of ORC takes place to prosecute the whole crime. For instance, if the conspiracy, theft, and selling all occurred in different jurisdictions, each jurisdiction would have the ability to prosecute the whole crime. It also provides the Attorney General the use of the statewide grand jury to prosecute ORC.
Provides Dedicated Enforcement ResourcesThe proposal seeks to provide annual funds to the Office of the Attorney General for additional investigators and attorneys to focus exclusively on ORC. It also provides grant money to states attorneys across Illinois whose communities tend to be the focus of ORC. This grant money will be used to add additional states attorneys dedicated exclusively to ORC.
Addresses Online Fencing ORC rings increasingly use technology and the anonymity of online third-party marketplaces to sell their stolen goods. The proposal requires online third-party marketplaces to verify the seller and the goods offered for sale and the seller to provide contact information. This action will help police outlets used to monetize stolen merchandise, which often funds other illicit activities including gun, drug and human trafficking. The proposal mirrors an agreement that was reached on the federal level by stakeholders and currently sponsored by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.
Enhances Public and Private CoordinationThe proposal calls for a formal collaboration of all stakeholders involved in addressing ORC. The collaboration is designed to provide real-time information and intelligence-sharing and collaboration between asset protection investigators and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners involved in combating ORC related issues at the local, regional, and national levels
Requires Timely and Proper Notice The proposal requires timely and accurate notice of court proceeding to retailers that are victims of ORC, ensuring they can participate in the legal process.
The following changes were made at the request of stakeholders
• Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) provisions were removed;
• A threshold was included for ORC which is consistent with retail theft;
• ORC only applies to two or more individuals rather than one individual; and
• The legislation specifically targets those organizing these crimes, which is defined as an individual who knowingly recruits, organizes, supervises, manages, finances or otherwise directs others to commit ORC.
…Adding…. IRMA…
Moments ago, the IL House passed the ORC legislation by a vote of 96-5. Earlier this morning the IL Senate passed the legislation by a vote of 42-10.
…Adding… AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today applauded the Illinois General Assembly’s bipartisan passage of legislation to combat the rise in organized retail crime and disrupt the criminal enterprises that engage in and profit from organized retail theft.
Attorney General Raoul initiated House Bill (HB) 1091 to address organized retail crime in partnership with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA). The legislation closes gaps in current Illinois law that criminals exploit and provides law enforcement with more tools to address organized retail crimes.
“Organized retail crime is committed by sophisticated criminal enterprises that harm our communities in ways that extend beyond lost revenue and stolen products. These complex operations rely on theft and resale of stolen products to fund and perpetuate the cycle of violence through even more dangerous illegal activities like trafficking drugs and firearms,” Raoul said. “House Bill 1091 will give my office and other law enforcement agencies the additional tools needed to continue to disrupt these criminal enterprises and combat the rise in organized retail crime. I appreciate Senator Glowiak Hilton and Representative Kam Buckner’s leadership on this matter and the bipartisan support for this effort.”
“Organized retail crime threatens our local economies and public safety,” Glowiak Hilton said. “HB 1091 gives prosecutors additional resources to hold perpetrators accountable and expands the comprehensive approach to help stop the rise in organized retail crime across the state. I am proud to work with Attorney General Raoul and our other partners on this effort.”
“By obstructing these criminal networks at their core, we are going after the individuals who are behind this growing public safety issue,” Buckner said. “I would like to thank Attorney General Raoul for his work in making the passage of this proposal today a reality.”
“Organized retail crime robs our communities of tax dollars, threatens the safety of employees and customers, and puts our communities at risk of further crime including illegal firearm purchases, human trafficking and terrorism. By passing this measure, Illinois lawmakers are sending a message to criminals that these brazen thefts will not be tolerated and they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Rob Karr, President & CEO of IRMA said. “I want to personally thank Attorney General Raoul for his partnership and tireless work on this issue and offer our appreciation to Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, Sen. John Curran and Rep. Kam Buckner for their leadership as well as every lawmaker who voted in favor of this important measure.”
House Bill 1091 creates and, for the first time, specifically defines organized retail crime in state law. Organized retail crime and retail fraud are often mistakenly viewed as being isolated incidents, however, organized crime rings are often behind these acts. Organized criminal enterprises connected to the drug trade, human trafficking and other criminal activities target big box stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, auto dealerships and other retailers to carry out sophisticated theft operations, and these operations cross county and state borders. Enterprises use boosters and mules to coordinate thefts of large amounts of merchandise, which is then resold below market value using online marketplaces in order to fund the enterprise’s other illegal activities.
The legislation puts in place stronger oversight of those taking advantage of these online marketplaces and creates a statewide intelligence platform to help retailers and law enforcement agencies better coordinate their enforcement efforts. Additionally, the legislation requires online marketplaces to verify the identity of high-volume sellers. This will help police outlets used to monetize stolen merchandise, which often funds other illicit activities including gun, drug and human trafficking.
The proposal also aims to reduce a criminal’s ability to avoid prosecution for organized retail crime. House Bill 1091 would allow any state’s attorney where any element of organized retail crime takes place to prosecute the whole crime. Those participating in smash and grab robberies, as well as looting of supply chain vehicles such as trains and cargo trucks, could also be prosecuted for organized retail crime. Additionally, the legislation would provide the Attorney General’s office to utilize the statewide grand jury to prosecute organized retail crime. In addition, the legislature appropriated $5 million to the Attorney General’s office to allow the office to award grants to State’s attorney’s offices and law enforcement agencies that investigate and prosecute organized retail crime.
House Bill 1091 builds on the work of Attorney General Raoul’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force. The Organized Retail Crime Task Force is the first statewide, public-private collaboration of its kind in Illinois and is designed to foster cooperation among retailers, online marketplaces, law enforcement agencies and state’s attorneys dedicated to targeting organized retail crime enterprises. The task force allows Raoul’s office to utilize data and tips provided by retailers and partner across jurisdictions with law enforcement agencies to investigate organized retail crimes and trace thefts to the source. For example, the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, with support from Chicago law enforcement recovered more than $1 million worth of stolen goods from several Chicago-area storage units during December 2021. Raoul’s goal in establishing the task force is to continue to improve communication among public and private entities and utilize a multifaceted approach to combatting organized retail theft and related criminal activity.
House Bill 1091 passed the Illinois Senate and House today on bipartisan votes. The legislation will now head to the governor for his approval.
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* Jason Meisner, Dan Petrella and Jeremy Gorner…
Illinois state Rep. Thaddeus Jones, who doubles as the mayor of Calumet City, is under federal criminal investigation for tax issues involving his campaign funds, according to a law enforcement source and records obtained by the Tribune.
The U.S. attorney’s office issued a grand jury subpoena in January to the Illinois State Board of Elections seeking records on three campaign funds controlled by Jones, according to a copy of the subpoena provided to the Tribune via an open records request.
The subpoena, dated Jan. 7, was pursuant to an “official criminal investigation” and sought quarterly campaign reports dating back to 2015 for the funds “Jones for Mayor,” “Jones for State Representative,” and “Citizens for Jones,” which is a political action committee that Jones heads.
The grand jury asked for underlying data supporting the quarterly reports, as well as emails or other communications that election officials had with Jones or the funds, and “any and all complaints” filed against the committees, according to the subpoena. The FBI was the underlying investigative agency on the investigation, according to the document.
His Citizens for Jones committee recently filed 10 amended reports.
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Pritzker appoints two members to PRB
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Background is here if you need it. There was no press release, but the governor appointed two members to the Prisoner Review Board today. One is former US Attorney Rodger Heaton, who was also Bruce Rauner’s last chief of staff. The other is attorney Robin Shoffner.
From the Senate Republicans…
State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) released the following statement after Governor Pritzker made two new appointments, Rodger Heaton and Robin Shoffner, to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board:
“The Prisoner Review Board plays a critical function in our state’s public safety, and I’m glad to see the Governor is taking steps toward addressing recent vacancies. For over three years, Governor Pritzker sought to avoid oversight and accountability by allowing his controversial appointees to fulfill his agenda until even Democrats had enough of his gamesmanship. It is my hope that the Governor learned from his mistakes and allows these individuals to undergo the proper Senate confirmation process. Transparency is foundational to a healthy democracy, and this should be about sound public policy, not politics. I look forward to vetting and reviewing these appointees to ensure they are best suited for this very important position.”
The board now has a quorum, at least.
…Adding… Senate Executive Appointments is meeting tonight and the committee may take up the new appointees plus two previous PRB appointees.
…Adding… Heaton and Shoffner were both unanimously confirmed by the Senate. The PRB now has a quorum and a Republican majority.
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No longer just a bill
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Pritzker…
Governor JB Pritzker issued the following statement on the full passage of Senate Bill 257, a nation-leading piece of legislation that expands protections for survivors of sexual violence in the military.
“Survivors of military sexual violence deserve robust protection and that should not end when they leave their workplace. With this bill, our state will lead the nation, prioritizing victims’ safety and recovery, and holding perpetrators accountable,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I want to applaud Leader Tony Munoz and Representative Stephanie Kifowit for their dedication to the protection of those serving in the military from sexual violence.
“Since I took office, my administration has delivered on a commitment to providing survivors of sexual violence with the protections and resources necessary for recovery. I am thankful to the General Assembly for their partnership in building on this work and ensuring survivors of sexual violence receive the support and compassion they deserve.”
* Carpenters…
Workers around the state have new protections to help ensure they are paid what’s owed to them under new legislation that passed the Illinois General Assembly on Friday.
HB5412 makes a primary contractor liable for the failure of a subcontractor to pay wages owed to its workers. The subcontractor would in turn be required to compensate the primary contractor for any wages, damages, interest, penalties or attorneys’ fees as a result of the subcontractor’s failure to pay wages.
Advocacy for the new primary contractor liability law was led by the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council to hold cheating subcontractors accountable and level the playing field for contractors who play by the rules. The bill’s lead sponsors were House Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans, Jr. (D-Chicago) and Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).
“All of us in the Carpenters Union are thrilled to see the Legislature take action on this landmark legislation,” said Gary Perinar, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council. “We have been leading the fight against worker exploitation in every state, and Illinois is showing that hardworking men and women are valued and protected here. When workers are getting ripped off and not paid what they are owed, that should outrage every single person on a job site. I thank Senate President Don Harmon, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Leader Evans, and Senator Castro for their unwavering commitment throughout this process to support working families.”
In the construction industry, wage theft and tax fraud most often comes in two forms: paying employees in cash, and purposely misclassifying employees as independent contractors. In addition to the losses suffered by workers, wage theft and tax fraud forces the state to lose out on key revenue because cheating subcontractors are not paying income taxes, employment taxes for Social Security and Medicare, and contributions for workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance. A recent study from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute said 20 percent of construction workers in Illinois are victims of payroll fraud. Factoring in lost wages and benefits, this costs the state $186 million in lost revenue every year. In addition, a new study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center found that 34 percent of the families of construction workers in Illinois are enrolled in at least one safety net program at an annual cost of over half a billion dollars in public funds.
HB 5412 seeks to close the state’s tax fraud and wage theft loopholes and provide protections for exploited workers.
“If a worker gives his or her time on a job then they deserve to be paid no matter what,” said Rep. Evans, the House sponsor. “Bad actors who use workers, benefit from workers, and fail to pay workers will not be tolerated in the State of Illinois.”
Added Sen. Castro, the bill’s Senate sponsor: “Construction jobs are unique in that they often feature various subcontractors under one general contractor whose job it is to make sure all laws, including wage-related ones, are being followed. This measure will ensure that the hardworking individuals who are employed by subcontractors receive fair compensation should that subcontractor fail to pay them.”
* Yesterday…
Governor JB Pritzker issued the following statement after the full passage of House Bill 246, which reforms nursing home rates to incentivize higher staffing levels and quality improvements at facilities.
“For 45,000 vulnerable seniors in nursing homes across the state, the passage of HB 246 will mean improved care and accountability in the places they call home. For the first time, increased funding for nursing homes will be tied to staffing levels at these facilities, ensuring new funds go directly to improving care for our seniors instead of profit for owners and allowing us to hold bad actors accountable.”
“This legislation is the product of more than a year of hard work led by my Department of Healthcare and Family Services along with our partners in the General Assembly, stakeholders, and industry leaders. I applaud their work to protect our seniors and the leadership of Senator Gillespie and Representative Moeller to move this bill forward in the General Assembly.”
* WAND…
A bill adding two years to the state employee pension buyout program is going to the desk of Gov. JB Pritzker.
Pritzker announced Thursday House Bill 4292 has moved through the General Assembly. He released the following statement:
“I want to applaud Representative Bob Morgan and Senator Rob Martwick for leading the effort to add an additional two years to our state employee pension buyout program, which would be extended to June 30, 2026, under this legislation,” Pritzker. “Since the expansion we implemented early in my administration, the program has already led to overall liability reductions of $1.4 billion.
“My administration has always supported every constitutional action to address our pension structures while honoring promises made to retirees. This session alone, we are set to invest $500 million beyond the state’s required pension payment, reducing unfunded liabilities by $1.8 billion for taxpayers. I’m pleased to see the General Assembly send this legislation to my desk and look forward to our continued partnership in responsibly managing the state’s pension obligation.”
* Another…
The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) State Lodge issued the following statements concerning the passage of Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4667, legislation that allows all active duty and retired Illinois correctional officers to carry concealed firearms while off duty, a right that all other Illinois law enforcement officers have had for years under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004:
“The Illinois FOP has been fighting for nearly two decades to get the same rights for correctional officers as for other police officers in Illinois, and the day of equality has finally arrived,” said Illinois OP Corrections Lodge 263 President Scot Ward. “Now more than ever in this dangerous, anti-public safety atmosphere, it’s vital that all public safety officers have an equal chance to protect themselves and their families from violent threats while they are off duty or after they are retired.”
“More than any other law enforcement professionals, correctional officers and their families face constant threats from dangerous, convicted felons who would not think twice about assaulting the men and women who helped to keep them confined in jails or prisons,” said Illinois FOP State Lodge President Chris Southwood. “This right to equal self-protection is long overdue, and will doubtlessly help to keep many hard-working correctional officers and their families safer in Illinois.”
The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is the most respected and most recognized police organization in the country. The Illinois FOP, chartered in 1963, is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing more than 34,000 active duty and retired police officers - more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide. Visit www.ilfop.org for more information.
* More…
Gun Violence Prevention PAC President and CEO, Kathleen Sances issued the following statement in response to the passage of new legislation (HB 4383, SA 2) that will make ghost guns illegal in Illinois:
“Gun violence continues to pose a significant threat to people across Illinois, which is why I commend the efforts of the Illinois General Assembly today, as they took action to make ghost guns illegal. This legislation provides law enforcement with another tool to keep these dangerous weapons off our streets and makes our communities and neighborhoods safer.
“Ghost guns help dangerous individuals work around all of the significant gun control policies and regulations that we’ve fought so hard to put in place, which puts lives directly in the hands of violent actors. But now, thanks to all of the champions who stood up against the corporate gun lobby that puts profit over lives, we are one step closer to stopping gun violence in Illinois.
“I want to thank Representative Buckner, Speaker Welch, Senator Collins, and President Harmon for standing up and rejecting violence. Until our communities are safe for everyone — especially those that have been plagued by violence for decades due to severe disinvestment in critical programs and services that are proven to end violence — we will keep fighting to end gun violence, no matter what.”
The legislation now heads to the Governor’s desk. Illinois would become the twelfth state to enact a law to protect residents from ghost guns. The newly passed legislation protects Illinoisans by:
Immediately prohibiting the sale of unserialized gun parts that can be turned into guns.
• Existing unserialized gun parts must be serialized in 6 months.
• Existing unserialized guns must be serialized in 6 months.
Requiring serial numbers on guns manufactured with a 3D printer.
• Existing 3D-printed guns must be serialized in 1 month.
• Going forward, 3D-printed guns must be serialized during the manufacturing process.
Creating standards for serialization for existing unserialized firearms at federally licensed firearms dealers and other federal licensees authorized to imprint serial numbers.
• Unique serial numbers will be applied to firearms.
• Licensees must keep records outlining pertinent details of the serialized firearm.
* Press release…
On April 7, 2022, HB4430—Increasing Access to PrEP and PEP sponsored by State Representative Kelly M. Cassidy—passed the Illinois House on concurrence with a vote of 72-30. This bill specifically prioritizes pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which are two highly effective prevention methods in reducing the risk of acquiring HIV. The bill will soon be sent over to the Governor Desk for the final step in the state legislative process.
Once signed into law, HB4430 would enact the following reforms:
• Allow pharmacists, under a standing order, to initiate lifesaving pre-and post-exposure
prophylaxis medication and care to the communities most vulnerable to HIV.
• Aid pharmacists in referring individuals to ongoing preventative care and giving them the ability
to connect patients to laboratories for additional tests to determine if PrEP is the most appropriate course of care. Pharmacists will continue to facilitate connections to ongoing medical care and social support services.
With Governor Pritzker’s signature, Illinois will become the 8th state in the nation to make HIV prevention care more accessible by expanding access through pharmacies.
“The passing of HB4430 is momentous as we are truly changing lives and circumstances for many Illinoisians who’ve been too often left out and left behind,” said State Representative Kelly M. Cassidy (D-Chicago). “This win exemplifies our power to change once we engage the whole community, from medical providers to community advocates. We are one step closer to our goal of getting to zero new cases of HIV transmission by 2030, but work does not stop here. Together, we must continue listening and addressing the needs of our community.”
Supported by a broad coalition, including AIDS Foundation Chicago, pharmacists, medical providers, HIV & LGBTQ advocacy groups, and community advocates, HB4430 will work to offset the persistent barriers that those most vulnerable to HIV, especially in Black and Latinx communities, face in accessing equitable health care and HIV prevention drugs.
The Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL) dashboard illustrates that all genders, races, racial and ethnic groups and geographic regions in Illinois are affected by HIV; however, they are not affected equally/
“This bill will cut down on waiting times and provide potentially life-saving care to thousands of Illinoisans,” said State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago). “Doing so will especially help reduce new HIV transmissions among Black cisgender women, LGBTQ+ people, Latinos, and those who lack health insurance.”
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* Center Square…
Chicago Public Schools are not allowed to enforce their COVID-19 vaccine or testing mandate on teachers and other staff who sued the district over the policy, a judge ruled Friday.
Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow issued a temporary restraining order in the case brought by six CPS staff. […]
Plaintiffs said their constitutional and statutory rights of due process are being violated by the policy.
“Plaintiffs raise a legitimate issue as to what authority the Board has to implement a policy that mandates vaccination given the IDPH is the entity that has “general supervision of the interest of the health and lives of people of the state,” Grischow wrote. “As this court previously held, vaccines and testing are forms of quarantine which are subject to due process.”
She said CPS has not cited any statutory authority to create such a policy.
“Plaintiffs have due process rights in need of protection which must be afforded to them before they can be excluded from the public school building and prevented from performing their world duties due to their decision not to be vaccinated or submit to testing for COVID-19,” she said. “When a right such as the one being violated here is alleged, irreparable injury is satisfied.”
Unreal.
The TRO is here.
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* Senate President Don Harmon today on the floor…
For the last I don’t know how many months on our visits to the Capitol, we have been protected by the team from SHIELD, testing us every few days to make sure that we are safe to be with our friends in the Capitol.
I will tell you that in more than a decade playing baseball, I have not expectorated in front of anybody on the planet as much as I did in front of these folks. And I also know that I was not the only one. They processed the saliva for hundreds of people a day, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
So as we wrap up the session and hopefully never trouble them again, I thought it was appropriate for us to thank them by inviting them over to the Senate gallery. So with us today are Kevin Mayer, Shawn McGee, Andy Ellis, Yaa Kwakye, Sue Lee, Natasha Roy and Elizabeth Badmus. I want to thank you and I’m sure the entire Senate wants to join me in thanking you for your service. [Applause.]
I’d like to add my thanks as well. They were always courteous, friendly and helpful. I never heard any of them complain about anything.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the synopsis of Senate Floor Amendment 2 to HB1568…
…a State policeman, investigator for the Secretary of State, conservation police officer, investigator for the Department of Revenue or the Illinois Gaming Board, investigator for the Office of the Attorney General, Illinois Commerce Commission police officer, or arson investigator under the Tier 2 provisions is entitled to an annuity calculated under the alternative retirement formula, in lieu of the regular or minimum retirement annuity, only if the person has withdrawn from service with not less than 20 years of eligible creditable service and has attained age 55 (instead of age 60), regardless of whether the attainment of age 55 (instead of age 60) occurs while the person is still in service
From today’s Senate floor debate…
Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro): I’m actually supportive of your bill here. But when pension changes were made a few years back, the [correctional] officers that fall under the same SERS issue now have to work until they’re 67 years old. 67 years old in a prison is extreme. Why did you not add those additional individuals to this bill?
Sen. Rob Martwick (D-Chicago): Thank you, Senator Bryant. And I think you make a valid point. I personally would agree with you. They weren’t added in this bill because this bill was designed for recruitment and retention of police officers that are addressing crime in our streets. And so that was the intention of it. I will tell you that I will give you my word, I will be happy to work with you on legislation in the future to bring correctional officers in. I think that they should be entitled to some sort of purchase credit and all that. It is not contained in this bill, but I will be happy to work with you on that in future legislation.
Sen. Bryant: Thank you. I appreciate that help. It’s extremely unfair to have correctional officers working until they’re 67 years old when we know that the life expectancy of a correctional officer is 59 and a half. So we basically set them up to not be able to draw their pension until far beyond their life expectancy. So I’ll take you at your word, I support you on this bill and would appreciate if you’d support me in the future on a bill.
The bill passed 42-2 (Republicans Syverson and Wilcox were the only opponents). It now goes to the House for concurrence.
…Adding… Cost…
* Press release…
A measure to help medical professionals get more tests into the hands of individuals who battle opioid addiction cleared the General Assembly thanks to State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago).
“This measure will help save lives,” Peters said. “We still have a long way to go, but removing these penalties is a responsible way to address the opioid crisis and to create real public safety for all instead of continuing the misguided policies of the past.”
House Bill 4556 is designed to expand on a 2019 law, the Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction Act, which authorized government agencies and non-governmental organizations to create needle and hypodermic syringe exchange programs. This measure would increase the number of persons and professions in the medical community who would not be penalized for possessing a limited residual amount of a controlled substance as part of the drug testing process.
Additionally, the supplies would be required to be stored at a medical office with limited access and would be available to designated workers such as an advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant.
“We need to ensure that all communities in our state are protected and that they know what is going into their body,” Peters said, “I’m glad that the General Assembly is taking this important step to make sure that people will not be left to the wolves of the fentanyl overdose crisis.”
The measure passed the Senate on Thursday.
* Press release…
The Illinois chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after the Illinois Senate passed HB 4729, legislation that would require the Department of Public Health to develop and implement a comprehensive 2-year statewide secure gun storage public awareness campaign. The bill now moves to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk to be signed into law. State Representative Maura Hirschauer, a former Moms Demand Action volunteer, sponsored the legislation while it was in the House of Representatives.
“We’re proud that our lawmakers continue to prove their commitment to gun safety by prioritizing legislation, like this bill, and taking meaningful action to address our state’s gun violence crisis,” said Cameron Baltrum, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Illinois. “Secure storage education is a lifesaving measure that can reduce prevent gun violence by preventing youth access to firearms, which can address school shootings, unintentional shootings, and gun suicide, before it happens. It’s critical that all gun owners are informed about the importance of secure storage – Governor Pritzker should quickly sign this bill into law.”
Nationwide, an estimated 54 percent of gun owners don’t lock all of their guns securely and it’s estimated that 4.6 million children live in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded gun.. Gun owners can make their homes and communities safer by storing their guns securely — unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition.
According to Everytown’s new gun law rankings report, Illinois has the sixth strongest gun safety laws in the country and is a national leader in enacting gun violence prevention laws. Learn more about gun violence in Illinois here.
* Press release…
Crime survivors will soon have a new voice in public safety policy making thanks to the efforts of State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago).
“I fundamentally believe that public safety must belong to the people,” Peters said. “This measure will center crime survivors and put them at the center of the conversation without fear of repercussion.”
House Bill 4736, which would help invest in community-centered public safety by creating a Crime Reduction Task Force to develop and propose ways to reduce crime across the state. The Crime Reduction Task Force would be made up of a bipartisan group of senators and representatives, alongside law enforcement, advocates, legal and criminal justice professionals and survivors. The measure would also establish a co-responder pilot program.
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority would also establish a grant program open to organizations and units of local government to assist in the creation of anonymous tip hotlines or other systems to crime victims and witnesses. Additionally, this measure makes improvements to the state’s existing witness protection, which requires the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to create a program to assist victims and witnesses who are actively aiding in the prosecution of perpetrators of certain crimes.
“Everyone in every zip code should feel comfortable being able to walk down the street,” Peters said. “No matter where you are, or who you are or where you live you should deserve to feel comfortable and safe. This measure does that by expanding witness protection and by incorporating the voices and needs of stakeholders and survivors.”
The measure passed the Senate on Thursday.
…Adding… Press release…
The Illinois Senate adopted a plan by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) 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,” Glowiak Hilton said. “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 proposal, the Department of Human Services would be 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 subject to appropriation.
“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.”
House Bill 1571 passed both chambers and moves for final consideration by the governor.
* Another release…
ELGIN – A new payment system will drive meaningful reform for safer nursing home care in Illinois under a measure introduced by State Rep. Anna Moeller now headed to the Governor.
Rep. Moeller, D-Elgin, led the effort in the Illinois House with a 113-0 vote Thursday night on House Bill 246, a negotiated reform package after years of concerns about unsafe, unhealthy conditions in Medicaid-funded nursing homes across the state.
Concerns from patient and worker advocates about low wages and staff shortages led to intensive legislative hearings and discussions over the past year, and ultimately this compromise package aimed at holding nursing homes accountable to provide safer living conditions for residents. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the problem, with the Illinois Department of Public Health estimating nearly 8,000 residents and 100 staff members died – accounting for nearly one-quarter of all COVID-19-related deaths to date.
The new package:
• Provides more than $700 million in increased funding, more than $500 million of which comes from federal matching dollars
• Shifts funding to ensure workers receive higher pay, and facilities receive more funding as they hire more staff and improve safety ratings
• Ties for the first-time nursing home funding to health equity, increased staffing levels and accountability
• Requires increased ownership disclosure of nursing home facilities and systems
Rep. Moeller noted in comments to her colleagues that all of the hours of negotiations among nursing home operators, patient and worker advocates, lawmakers and the Pritzker administration were made worth it after hearing a number of horror stories in hearings last year from patients and their families about deplorable, dangerous living conditions.
“This is the culmination of several years of hard work, negotiation and listening to families of residents in nursing homes to understand how the conditions are affecting the quality of life for the most vulnerable in our communities,” Moeller said. “I want to thank Governor Pritzker, Healthcare and Family Services Department Director Theresa Eagleson and her staff, Senator Ann Gillespie, Senate and House Staff, IHCA, Leading Age and AARP for their work in negotiating and advocating for these reforms. Because of resistance in the industry, these reforms took many years to introduce.”
“This is a bill that we can all be very proud to vote for tonight. It’s one step in a long process to ensure that the most vulnerable in our state receive the best quality care and the safest facilities in our nursing homes.”
* Another…
The Southland Reactivation Act, championed by State Representative Anthony DeLuca (D-Chicago Heights) and State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex), passed the Illinois Senate on Friday.
“This will help bring new business to the Southland by incentivizing the revitalization of commonly overlooked properties,” Joyce said. “This legislation is a major victory for our Southland community.”
The act would create a tax abatement incentive to property developers who purchase commercial and industrial property in the Southland. The bill targets commercial and industrial properties that have shown a clear pattern of economic stagnation or decline of real estate taxes as a result of depressed conditions. The property must be located in Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Rich, Thornton or Worth Townships in Cook County.
“The Southland Reactivation Act is an exciting economic tool we can use to attract investment to our community,” DeLuca said. “By encouraging businesses to move into the area and create jobs, we’ll create an environment that expands the local tax base and drives down property tax costs on homeowners.”
Identified properties that meet qualifying criteria would be assessed at 50% of the last known equalized assessed value. For the first year a property is certified as a southland reactivation property, the aggregate tax bill liability for the property cannot exceed $100,000. Discounts on the liability would decrease gradually, but continue for a total of 12 years.
“South suburban municipalities are thrilled with the passage of the Southland Reactivation Act and look forward to having a new economic development tool in our toolkit to get tax exempt and long vacant commercial and industrial property back on the tax rolls”, said Kristi DeLaurentiis, South Suburban Mayors and Managers Executive Director. “This innovative law will allow communities to address blight and bring in new investment, new jobs, economic recovery and tax base growth benefitting everyone.”
The Southland Reactivation Act is contained in Senate Bill 3189. The legislation passed the Illinois Senate and now heads to the governor for further action.
* Another…
To make housing more accessible to families with nonwage income, State Representative LaShawn Ford and State Senator Ram Villivalam passed legislation to prevent housing providers from discriminating against a prospective applicant’s source of income.
“Source of income fair housing protections will have a major positive impact on ensuring a more just and equitable housing market across our state, as well as addressing systemic racial and economic segregation,” Ford said.
House Bill 2775 adds “source of income” to the Illinois Human Rights Act’s protections against discrimination in real estate transactions, making it a civil rights violation to refuse to consider an individual for housing solely based on their source of income. Over half of Illinois households have been susceptible to source of income discrimination because they earn non-wage income, such as social security, retirement income and public assistance. In addition, about 99,000 households who use Housing Choice Vouchers to pay their rent often experience source of income discrimination.
“No one should be denied housing when they have the means to make the rent,” Villivalam said. “Too often, individuals on government assistance, single mothers receiving child support or seniors on fixed incomes are turned away solely based on where they receive their income each month.”
Sharon Norwood helped advocate for the legislation based on her own past struggles to rent a home using a Housing Choice Voucher.
“Having statewide source of income protections will help people avoid what happened to me. I had to give up my voucher, because I could not find a landlord to rent to me in the community I wanted my family to live in,” Norwood said. “Once I gave up my voucher, I did find a landlord who rented to me, but I was paying a lot more rent than I could afford because of it.”
The legislation was advocated for by the Illinois Coalition for Fair Housing, which has more than 130 organizational members, including Access Living, Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Housing Action Illinois, HOPE Fair Housing Center, Housing Choice Partners, Illinois Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-IL), Northside Community Resources, Shriver Center on Poverty Law and Working Family Solidarity. Background information and a list of all coalition members are available at https://www.housingchoicepartners.org/soi-campaign.
“For far too long our neighbors utilizing Housing Choice Vouchers to help pay for their rent had to endure the disrespect caused by source of income discrimination and the resulting exclusion from the communities that were always theirs. Today the State of Illinois said ‘no more’,” said Michael Chavarria, Executive Director of the HOPE Fair Housing Center.
Passage of HB 2775 brings Illinois in line with the 19 other states across the country that have similar laws. In Illinois, Chicago, Cook County, Naperville and Urbana already have source of income fair housing ordinances.
The coalition that advocated for passage of the bill urges Governor Pritzker to sign the bill into law as soon as possible.
* And…
To help ensure construction workers are properly compensated, State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) spearheaded a measure to allow construction workers employed by a subcontractor who fails to pay them to seek remedy from the primary contractor.
“Construction sites can involve a complicated network of multiple subcontractors and dozens of workers,” Castro said. “When subcontractors fail to pay their workers, we have a duty to ensure there is a mechanism in place for workers to receive their hard-earned wages.”
In a typical construction project, commercial property owners or developers will hire a primary, also called a general, contractor to oversee a project. The general contractor will hire and coordinate with subcontractors, such as ones specializing in painting, window installation, electrical and more. Subcontractors employ their own workers to carry out their part of the project.
Under House Bill 5412, if a subcontractor fails to pay an employee, goes bankrupt or cannot pay their employee for any other reason, that employee can file a legal claim with the general contractor for any unpaid wages and benefits. Additionally, it requires the subcontractor to compensate the general contractor if this happens.
“Unfortunately, people experience the very real burdens of wage theft when companies cheat their way out of paying out a paycheck,” Castro said. “This measure will not only ensure hardworking men and women are paid for their labor but also incentivize general contractors to be better business partners with their subcontractors and have a vested interest in their success.”
The legislation includes exemptions for residential rehab and small commercial projects and does not include projects where a homeowner acts as their own general contractor. Additionally, it adds a statute of limitations for when complaints can be filed and creates a task force to consider innovative ways to bring bond reform to the construction industry.
HB 5412 passed the Senate Friday.
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Your weekly COVID-19 update
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Cases are up by 28 percent since last Friday. The 7-day rolling daily average for new cases is now 1,541 compared to 1,204 last Friday, which is also a 28 percent increase. The case positivity rate is up 23.5 percent, from 1.7 percent to 2.1 percent. The test positivity rate is up 35 percent, from 1.7 to 2.3. Those are still pretty darned low, though. The lagging indicators are still lagging. Hospitalizations are still plateaued, with 500 reported last Friday and 502 reported today (it was 470 on March 25). ICU usage has dropped by 15 percent after a rise of 14 percent the week before. Ventilator usage is essentially unchanged after a 21 percent drop the week before. Deaths are still trending down (18 percent drop compared to 20 percent the week before). Vaccinations are up 138 percent from last week, likely because the second booster show has been approved for some folks. From IDPH…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 10,786 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 71 deaths since April 1, 2022.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,080,436 cases, including 33,465 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since April 1, 2022, laboratories have reported 505,189 specimens tested for a total of 57,898,053 since the beginning of the pandemic.
As of last night, 502 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 62 patients were in the ICU and 24 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
A total of 21,509,463 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 19,926 doses. Since April 1, 2022, 139,480 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 76% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, more than 68% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and more than 50% is boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data indicates that the risk of hospitalization and severe outcomes from COVID-19 is much higher for unvaccinated people than for those who are up to date on their vaccinations.
The preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 85 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Illinoisans. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total tests from April 1– 7, 2022 is 2.1%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from April 1-7, 2022 is 2.3%.
The case rates for COVID-19 are no longer declining and are rising in some areas of the state and have plateaued in other areas over the last 2 weeks. However, hospitalizations and deaths continue to remain low at this point in time. Given that the spread of COVID-19 is not showing signs of further waning, it is critically important that those who continue to be at high risk for serious illness take the following precautions:
• Getting vaccinated and staying up-to-date on recommended booster shots is the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones and friends.
• If you are in an area with rising COVID-19 infections, wear a mask if entering indoors spaces with other people present and consider avoiding large gatherings.
• Stick to well-ventilated areas if you are not wearing a mask indoors around others people.
• If you feel flu-like symptoms, self-isolate and stay home from work; and obtain a test as quickly as possible.
• If you test positive, talk to you provider immediately so you can get COVID-19 treatment within 5 days of starting to feel sick. Also, communicate about the positive result with any persons you have been in close contact within two days of falling sick or testing positive.
• Continue to frequently wash your hands and cover coughs and sneezes.
In addition, on March 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidance that authorized a second booster dose for certain segments of the population at least four months after the first booster dose. This applies to adults over 50 years of age, and to immunocompromised individuals over 12 years old. The CDC also recommended a second booster dose with an mRNA vaccine for all those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for both their primary dose and their first booster, four months after their first booster dose. Those who already received an mRNA booster dose after their initial Johnson and Johnson primary vaccine do not need an additional booster unless they are either over the age of 50 years or immunocompromised.
The State of Illinois remains strongly positioned to respond in the event of a new COVID-19 surge. The State stockpile of tests is nearly fully replenished, with more than 1.5 million rapid tests on hand, and a half a million more on the way in the coming weeks. The State has also instructed hospitals, schools, and local health departments to consider their current testing capacity and take all preparations necessary. The State is also in communication with pharmacies and healthcare providers about increasing their inventory of the various FDA-approved treatments in case of another surge. 99.4% of Illinoisans have a pharmacy or clinic providing or dispensing treatment within 20 miles of where they live.
All data are provisional and are subject to change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
The federal government has established a new website that provides an all-purpose toolkit with information on how to obtain masks, treatment, vaccines and testing resources for all areas of the country at: https://www.covid.gov/.
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Everything old is new again
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WMBD…
An amendment filed this week would require gas retailers to post a 4×8 inch sign on pumps, sharing that the tax increase is suspended. Non-compliance would be a petty offense and result in a $500 dollar fine each day.
“You can’t force businesses or any person to utter speech that they disagree with, or they don’t want to say,” Sharp said.
Sharp called the measure political.
“I think the reasoning behind it is so that the General Assembly can attempt to leave Springfield and say that they did something about high gas prices, when in fact they really didn’t,” Sharp said.
* As I told subscribers earlier this week, the same thing was done in June of 2000…
SB 1310 provides that a sign shall be placed on each pump by the motor fuel retailer that states; “As of July 1, 2000, the State of Illinois has eliminated the State’s share of sales tax on motor fuel and gasohol through December 31,2000. The price on this pump should reflect the elimination of the tax.” This sign shall be at least 4 inches by 8 inches and any retailer failing to display this sign shall by guilty of a petty offense and be fined $500 for each retail premises violating the sign requirements.
That statute is still on the books.
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* From the More Perfect Union website…
New evidence reveals Amazon’s culpability for the deaths of 6 workers in a warehouse collapse last year in Edwardsville, Illinois. Documents obtained by More Perfect Union show that the support beams in Amazon’s warehouse weren’t anchored to the ground — a grave violation of international building code.
When a tornado struck the Amazon facility on December 10, 2021, the warehouse collapsed killing six people. One of them was a 26-year-old delivery driver named Austin McEwin. The McEwin family has since filed a lawsuit against Amazon, and is represented by Jack Casciato of Clifford Law Offices. The attorneys on this case filed a FOIA with the West County EMS & Fire Protection District, and learned that the support beams in the warehouse were not properly anchored to the ground, violating international building code and leading to the deadly collapse.
“Looking at the base of the columns more closely, I could find no weld or bolted connection at the base of any column,” reads the report. “An examination of several of the empty pockets where columns once stood also did not reveal any indication of positive securement of the columns at or below the finished floor level.”
The investigation also revealed that Amazon began receiving severe weather warnings about an impending tornado near Edwardsville as early as December 9, 2021, a full day before the tornado struck. Instead of sending workers home, Amazon forced workers to stay through the storm, placing profits over people and costing six workers their lives.
A spokesperson for the Clifford Law Offices confirmed today that they are making the allegation.
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A missed opportunity
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The pension-funding angle is the absolute right fiscal take, and I made this very point to subscribers today. But if this was the obviously more politically popular option, the governor, Democratic leadership and the Republicans would’ve already demanded it. Hannah Meisel…
Two Democratic legislators who spoke on the condition of anonymity told NPR Illinois that the planned $50 [tax refund] checks were not terribly popular within either Democratic caucus, and predicted it wouldn’t be all that popular with constituents either.
One of the members said it was a total miss to not use the extra revenues — “a once in a lifetime opportunity” — to make a much bigger lump sum payment into Illinois’ pension systems than the $200 million contained in the budget deal. Along with $300 million in federal stimulus money committed to the state’s pension fund last month, the state will be saving an estimated $1.8 billion over the next few decades. But the member said it could have been much more.
“Every crisis we’ve had in this state financially has been caused by surging pension debt when we have down years,” the Democrat said. “And when we have down years, we’ve either cut spending on pensions, which has only made that problem worse, or we’ve cut back on essential services like education, healthcare and human services.”
The other Democratic member agreed, echoing Republicans’ favorite recent criticism to use against Pritzker.
“I think for people that make a substantial amount, a $50 or $100 check is not going to make much of a difference in their lives,” the member said. “I think those individuals might prefer to see the state putting that money to a different use, [like] investing in critical human service programs. It feels a little gimmicky.”
Of course it’s gimmicky. But one-time money should only be used for one-time things. Making an argument for putting that temporary cash into the permanent spending base will put us right back into trouble.
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Campaign notebook
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Darren Bailey sticks by his story…
Bailey, for what it’s worth, said that he pulled a Democratic ballot that year in an effort to thwart the potential nomination of Hillary Clinton. It was part of an effort spearheaded by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh known as “Operation Chaos.”
The Irvin campaign dismissed this explanation, with spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis saying that “the facts show he never could have been a part of any ‘Operation Chaos’ since that took place a month after the Illinois primary.”
Bailey spokesman Joe DeBose, however, said that Bailey did indeed participate “in Operation Chaos with thousands of Republicans, which Rush Limbaugh started talking about in 2007″ even if it was not an “official” operation until after the Illinois primary.
* Press release…
Dan Brady announces the endorsement of the Associated Firefighters of Illinois for his campaign for the Republican nomination for Illinois Secretary of State.
“As someone who has spent their legislative career supporting our first responders, I am honored to have the endorsement of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois” Said Brady. “Their endorsement adds to the growing momentum of our campaign.”
* Marni Pyke…
Allegations that gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan’s petitions contain hundreds of fake signatures are untrue and a “political stunt” by McHenry County businessman and Republican rival Gary Rabine, a Sullivan spokesman said Wednesday.
The Rabine campaign filed an objection on March 21 to Sullivan’s petitions with the Illinois Board of Elections contending they show “an utter and contemptuous disregard” for Election Code provisions.
“There is evidence of roundtabling … when a group of circulators sit around a table falsely signing petitions in the name of voters to submit to election authorities,” the objection states. […]
“Jesse Sullivan and (running mate) Kathleen Murphy will be on the ballot,” Sheinbaum said. “This fishing expedition is nothing but a last-gasp political stunt from a floundering opponent’s campaign.” […]
“In my opinion, Rabine has a long way to go,” said Pat Durante, former top aide to U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde and a veteran DuPage County GOP strategist. But “this is a very powerful challenge.”
A couple of examples are here and here.
* Patch…
DuPage County voters now have the option to get on a permanent vote-by-mail list that will allow them to receive vote-by-mail ballots for every election. Previously, voters had to apply for a new mail-in ballot for each election.
The change, effective for the first time in 2022, comes after the Illinois General Assembly passed a law in 2021 to make permanent vote-by-mail signup an option.
“Permanent vote-by-mail increases voting choices. Nothing else is taken away,” DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek said in a news release.
Kaczmarek added, “Voters may still vote in person on Election Day or during Early Voting. Also, voters may continue to choose a one-time-only mail ballot.”
* Politico…
Anna Valencia has come out with a series of policy initiatives in her bid for Illinois secretary of state. She wants to create a DMV online payment portal, launch an app, stand up self-service kiosks to renew vehicle registrations, and implement “blockchain solutions to protect data.” The goal, her campaign said in a statement, is to “modernize government.” (It’s not an oxymoron.) Valencia led a similar modernization effort in the Chicago City Council, where she serves as clerk, by instituting electronic voting. Policy initiatives spelled out here
* Tribune…
As state Rep. Kam Buckner of Chicago prepared recently to plead guilty to driving under the influence charges leveled against him in Springfield, the 36-year-old called the arrest a learning experience from which he planned to grow.
It was Buckner’s second guilty plea to DUI charges under strikingly similar circumstances, public records show. The first occurred nearly a decade earlier in Urbana. In each case, police said they found Buckner asleep behind the wheel of a running car. […]
Buckner pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in September 2010, and was sentenced to 24 months of court supervision and 200 hours of public service, according to Champaign County court records.
Buckner said he has not hidden the 2010 DUI, and said he has also spoken about it publicly, just like he has the 2019 Springfield case.
“It’s a moment that I wasn’t proud of, right, it’s a moment that I can’t take back,” Buckner told the Tribune this week. “It’s a moment that I can only learn from both personally, spiritually, professionally, which I have done.”
Getting this out of the way now, well ahead of the mayoral race, will do far less damage. I mean, it’s coming out anyway. Control it.
* There are a ton of court cases decreeing that this is not a hard and fast requirement for candidacy statements…
A Republican candidate from North Aurora has dropped out of the race for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District seat, a spokesman said Thursday.
Susan Starrett formally withdrew from the contest late Wednesday afternoon. In a statement sent through a spokesman, Starrett said family medical issues prompted the decision.
“Be assured that I’ll never stop looking for ways to fight for the conservative values I believe so strongly in, but family will always come first, as it has today,” Starrett said. […]
Both [petition objections] alleged the candidacy statement she submitted to the Illinois State Board of Elections with her nominating petition wasn’t notarized as required by law.
* More…
* IL GOP spokesman refuses to step back from duties while running for state rep
* Businessman Willie Wilson to run for Chicago Mayor: Sources say announcement will come Monday at press conference
* Lopez Rules Out Reelection Bid for City Council, Says He Is ‘All In’ with Mayoral Bid
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* Republican secretary of state candidate John Milhiser…
Last night, WCIA released a story chronicling Democrat candidate for Secretary of State Anna Valencia’s history of pushing city contracts to clients represented by her husband. The story states that “over the course of several years, official and personal correspondence shows clear evidence that Valencia spent a significant portion of her time in office paving the way for projects that directly benefited her husband.”
John Milhiser released the following statement on this latest update:
“If these are the actions of Governor Pritzker’s preferred Secretary of State, then what else is being condoned in Illinois government? These are not the actions of a public servant, but those of a career politician, taking advantage of taxpayer dollars for personal gain. I have spent my career investigating and prosecuting crime and corruption, and as Secretary of State I will end this culture of corruption that has been allowed to continue during the Pritzker Administration.”
* The timeline from Mark Maxwell’s story…
Thursday, March 16, 2016 – Orange Barrel Media (OBMSMG LLC) registers in Ohio.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017 – Orange Barrel Media LLC registers as foreign corporation in Illinois.
Thursday, October 12, 2017 – Orange Barrel Media changes name to IKE Smart City LLC.
Thursday, January 11, 2018 – IGNITE Consulting LLC (dba IGNITE Cities) registers in Illinois.
Thursday, May 31, 2018 – Valencia’s office forms an unpaid “partnership” with Spins, LLC and Black Dog Corporation to provide “healthy food options” to teens at an event with the City Clerk’s office. The partnership provided public exposure for two companies that have paid her husband $52,000.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018 – Ignite Cities promotes Valencia’s speech at a City Tech Collaborative Event.
Thursday, July 12, 2018 – Ignite Cities’ George Burciaga shares a stage with Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia where Burciaga talks about becoming profitable.
Saturday, July 14, 2018 – Ignite Cities posted a photo of Valencia with former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel praising the rollout of the CityKey.
Saturday, July 21, 2018 – Burciaga posts a picture to Twitter with Valencia, mentions Microsoft and MasterCard, companies his firm would later list as partners. After Ignite partnered with Mastercard, Mastercard’s program launched a new card “City Key” that is similar to Chicago’s CityKey, but also allows for electronic fund transfers.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018 – Illinois Medical District puts out RFP for Innovation District Broadband Project.
Monday, October 15, 2018 – Burciaga and McKinney sign a $50k consulting contract between Illinois Medical District and Ignite Cities, where [Valencia’s spouse Reyahd Kazmi] works as Managing Director. The contract vaguely describes “business development services within the Illinois Medical District.” The consulting services included “The alignment of CEO’s initiatives with global partners to reframe smart district offerings that can scale, replicate, and become profitable for the Illinois Medical District.”
[Date Redacted] – Documents reviewed by Target Three investigators show Kazmi Advisors LLC signed a consulting contract with Ignite Cities for a flat monthly fee. Nothing in the document prohibited Kazmi Advisors, LLC from charging lobbying or consulting fees to additional companies involved in the same deal.
Monday, March 4, 2019 – IMD and Ignite Cities announce the launch of the country’s “first ‘smart’ medical district in a press release. The announcement includes a public statement from Kazmi.
Monday, September 30, 2019 – Reyahd Kazmi and Anna Valencia congratulate Dr. Suzet McKinney on the launch of a new Starbucks in the Illinois Medical District. A press release lists AT&T as one of the other companies to open there soon.
Monday, November 11, 2019 – Valencia emails MasterCard about “printing keys for the returning citizens.” She says, “I’m waiting on my royalties from MasterCard for stealing our name.” MasterCard’s City Key initiative is spelled almost identically as the city of Chicago’s CityKey.
Thursday, November 21, 2019 – Illinois Medical District CEO Dr. Suzet McKinney signs a contract with IKE Smart City, LLC to install digital kiosks at prime locations around the city. The contract offers IMD a higher share of revenue if the government agency assists IKE Smart City in getting the “necessary approvals” to install the devices. Public records show Kazmi is a registered lobbyist for IKE Smart City, LLC.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 – Burciaga presents Ignite Cities’ public-private partnership plan to put 20 IKE digital kiosks up in the Illinois Medical District. IKE proposes spending $2M up front and $600k per year to maintain the kiosks. Burciaga offers IMD 20% of ad revenue from kiosks, and estimates the deal will net IMD $3 million in revenue. Burciaga’s presentation listed corporate logos from “partners” Crown Castle, Cisco, Verizon, MasterCard, AT&T, Quantela, and Microsoft, though the extent of those companies’ involvement or consent remains unknown.
Monday, January 27th, 2020 – Anna emails MasterCard officials to set up a January 28th meeting to discuss how the credit card company can “grow existing efforts from a payment perspective,” and “next steps for technical integrations.”
Thursday, May 14, 2020 – Valencia aide advises her to use personal email to send invitations for a meeting with the head of the Illinois Medical District, and recommends to avoid using the Office of City Clerk government logo. Valencia responds, “I want my logo.”
Monday, June 15, 2020 – Valencia receives email praising a “productive meeting to discuss opportunities to align efforts between the IMD and the OZ Consortium.” An investment strategy document is attached.
Sunday, July 4, 2021 – New Orleans mayor’s office awards contract to investment firm JLC Infrastructure. The mayor’s office copies Burciaga in the email.
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 – Valencia lobbies Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to review her “strategy and prospectus” for the Illinois Medical District, which had already signed a deal with her husband’s firm.
Thursday, October 1, 2020 – Valencia attends Accelerator for America advisory council Zoom call with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Shamina Singh, Founder & President, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, was also in attendance.
Thursday, October 29, 2020 – Valencia receives an email from Accelerator for America about a Memorandum of Understanding and “investment strategy” with Obsidian Investment Partners for the Illinois Medical District project.
Monday, December 14, 2020 – Valencia rejects a meeting with Chicago Alderman Michael Scott to discuss the Illinois Medical District project because she doesn’t have the MOU yet. Scott’s wife Natashee Scott was previously Valencia’s senior advisor.
Monday, September 20, 2021 – Kazmi Advisors LLC signs lobbying contract offering “political advising” and “relationship management” to Ohio-based OB365 LLC (Orange Barrel Media LLC).
Friday, September 24, 2021 – George Burciaga connects New Orleans city officials with Anna Valencia and suggests that she help promote the city ID program which would provide “access to city services, relief funding and banking services.”
Saturday, September 25, 2021 – Valencia enlists the help of her Chief of Staff and two other government aides to join the conversation.
Monday, September 27, 2021 – Valencia aide schedules a meeting with the mayor of New Orleans’ office for the next month.
Tuesday, December 14, 2021 – City of New Orleans dismisses ‘conflict of interest’ accusations that Ignite Cities was rigging smart city contracts.
Thursday, January 21, 2021 – City of New Orleans asks Burciaga for help explaining the “scope of services” in a smart cities project.
Monday, January 24, 2022 – Kazmi lobbies the City of Chicago Parks Department on behalf of Orange Barrel Media (aka Orange Barrel Media) and offers some sort of revenue sharing deal.
Tuesday, January 25, 2022 – Chicago Park District official describes Kazmi’s pitch as “primarily a marketing opportunity for the OBM company.”
Monday, February 14, 2022 – Kazmi reaches back out to Park District officials and says he is “putting together possible locations with revenue numbers.”
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 – NBC 5 Chicago reports Valencia and Kazmi failed to disclose his income as a lobbyist.
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 – Valencia “admits to honest mistake” in omitting husband’s lobbying income in ethics forms, according to NBC 5 Chicago. Ethics complaint filed against Valencia and Kazmi for failing to disclose lobbying clients.
Friday, March 25th, 2022 – NBC 5 Chicago reports Valencia modified ethics forms to note husband’s lobbying income.
Friday, April 1, 2022 – US Ignite LLC files lawsuit against Ignite Cities alleging trademark and patent infringement.
Monday, April 4, 2022 – Target 3 investigators ask the Valencia campaign why Kazmi’s lobbyist registration documents are missing important information about his role on a state board.
On three separate occasions, Kazmi registered as a lobbyist and did not disclose his position on a state board. As a result, his name did not appear on the Secretary of State’s lists of lobbyists who hold public office. The law states lobbyists could face fines or potentially be barred as a lobbyist in Illinois for each violation.
The Secretary of State’s office does not respond to questions seeking comment about Kazmi’s incomplete registration forms.
Tuesday, April 5, 2022 – The Illinois Medical District tells Target 3 it is “no longer considering” installing the digital kiosks. A spokesman says, “Logistical challenges were encountered that made it difficult to implement the project.” He explains a snazzy promotional video that was updated to include digital kiosks “started as an imagined vision of the long-term goal.” He says it “shouldn’t have been an assumption that we were going to include every single thing in that video.”
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 – Kazmi amends his state lobbyist registration form to note that he serves on a state board on Governor Pritzker’s Youth Budget Commission.
Thoughts?
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* Press release…
[Yesterday], U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) called on Marie Newman and Iymen Chehade to publicly release the details of the settlement at the heart of the US House of Representatives investigation into Rep. Marie Newman for promising federal employment to Mr. Chehade in exchange for his political support.
“I first ran for Congress in 2018, in part in response to the ethical lapses of Donald Trump,” said Rep. Casten. “Public service is a trust, and our entire democracy is jeopardized when voters have reason to believe that any elected officials are placing our personal self-interest above the public good. Ethics matters.”
“Until now, I have declined to comment on the investigation into Marie Newman to give her the opportunity to clear the record herself. It has been over five months since the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics unanimously voted to further the investigation into Marie Newman. Five months of silence is unacceptable. It is time for her to level with the public.
“Here are the facts:
• The nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics found “substantial reason to believe” Marie Newman bribed a political opponent. (Page 1)
• Congresswoman Newman signed a contract with Iymen Chehade, promising him a taxpayer-funded job paying at least $135,000 (Page 11).
• In email exchanges shortly before the contract was signed, OCE’s investigation revealed that Mr. Chehade proposed he would not ‘announce or submit his candidacy’ for the 3rd Congressional District in exchange for the position Congresswoman Newman later promised him (Page 10).
• Iymen Chehade is now on Marie Newman’s campaign payroll and was paid over $54,000 between July 1 and December 15th last year. (Source)
“On multiple occasions, Congresswoman Newman has dismissed these credible charges against her as partisan – taking zero accountability even as a left-leaning ethics organization has repeatedly expressed alarm at her actions.
“In eight days, the next quarterly FEC report is due. Congresswoman Newman still faces questions voters deserve to know the answer to. How much of the money entrusted to her by her campaign donors has she promised to pay Iymen Chehade? Has she made any promises to pay him with taxpayer-provided funds? Does the settlement provide Mr. Chehade with any input on her policy positions or impact on her votes, as suggested may be the case based on her email exchanges with Mr. Chehade? What did Mr. Chehade commit to provide Congresswoman Newman in exchange for the cash payments?
“Rep. Newman can answer these questions, and owes it to the voters to do so. They have given us their trust. They deserve the truth. That starts with releasing the details of her settlement with Iymen Chehade and releasing Chehade from his non-disclosure agreement so he may fully cooperate with the investigation.”
* Lynn Sweet with react and some more context…
Newman’s campaign has not answered repeated requests to explain if there was a connection between the lawsuit settlement and Chehade’s new job. On Thursday, Newman campaign spokesman Ben Hardin said in response to Casten’s disclosure call, “Our campaign cannot legally comment on the settlement that Rep. Casten is referring to.” […]
Chehade said in a statement, “It’s disappointing” that Casten “is using a labor agreement as a cheap tool for political gain at a time when so many working people in Illinois are facing hardships.” […]
The OCE report included an e-mail exchange between Chehade and Newman. At 1:57 a.m on Oct. 27, 2018, Chehade sent his employment proposal to Newman, where he states he agreed not to run for Congress and “in exchange,” Newman will hire Chehade, as her chief foreign policy adviser to focus on Palestinian-Israeli issues.
He made the highly unusual demands for him to never have to meet with any representative from the Israeli government and to have the final word on her policy positions.
Chehade’s statement equating his sweet little “labor agreement” to struggling workers is just absurd.
* Related…
* Press release: Casten Lambasts GOP Hypocrisy on Today’s Gasoline Prices & Energy Efficiency: Imagine a world where the Republican party praised the President for raising the price of oil by 24 percent. That sounds crazy, right? And yet it’s exactly what happened two years ago this month when Trump threatened to remove U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia unless they cut oil production. Oil prices are not set by the President; they are a function of global supply and demand. But when the President pressures another country to slash supply, the price at the pump – and oil industry profits – surge accordingly. That’s exactly what happened in April of 2020. The GOP praised Trump’s approach. What’s more, nearly 50 of my Republican House colleagues wrote a letter directly to the Saudi Crown Price demanding that he cut crude output. They wanted higher oil company profits, so they forced a reduction in supply to make it happen. Fast forward today: the same Republicans who pressured Saudi to cut oil supply and increase prices just two years ago are now berating President Biden for using the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to BOOST supply AND opposing every effort to boost our energy efficiency and cut fossil fuel demand. So why, you might ask, would a party that fought to raise oil prices two years ago also be fighting to raise the price of oil today? Because given a choice between your wallet and the fossil fuel industry, the GOP will always take from you to subsidize them.
*** UPDATE *** The gloves are definitely coming off…
Congresswoman Marie Newman’s campaign spokesperson Nick Uniejewski released the following statement in response to Congressman Sean Casten’s call for her to disclose a settlement agreement:
“As Rep. Casten is aware, this settlement can not legally be discussed. Voters should, however, be aware of several recent lawsuits encompassing Rep. Casten, after being accused of an effort to enrich himself at others’ expense as well as the current federal investigation in which Rep. Casten is accused of a federal felony for illegally coordinating his campaign and his father’s Super PAC against former female primary opponent Kelly Mazeski.”
“Casten’s fossil fuel company, Recycled Energy Development (RED) was sued in 2015 and 2016 for gross mismanagement and using investors’ money to line his family’s own pockets. After allegedly transferring money to his own family, misreporting on financial reports, and shafting individual investors, the lawsuits were settled.”
“If anyone has a pattern of questionable ethics in this race, it’s Rep. Casten. The unanswered questions about Rep. Casten’s ethics, transparency, and accountability need to be answered:
• Rep. Casten never answered questions about his current and active FEC complaint and investigation into the allegation of a federal felony where he, his campaign, and his father’s Super PAC illegally coordinated to oust a progressive female primary opponent, all under one roof.
• Sean Casten has never had to answer for his numerous lawsuits where he is accused of fleecing investors, in some cases draining them of their entire retirement savings.
…Adding… From the Casten campaign…
Hey Rich,
I saw Newman’s response to our release and wanted to clarify something. There is no “federal investigation” into Rep. Casten. A Newman donor did file an FEC complaint against our campaign, but to say that Rep. Casten is being “investigated” for anything isn’t just misleading, it’s factually wrong.
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Budget proposal coverage roundup
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* More background and context is here if you need it. Sun-Times…
The day before the General Assembly is set to adjourn, Democratic leaders on Thursday announced they had reached an agreement on the state budget, touting more than $1.8 billion in tax relief for inflation-strapped residents.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined state Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch at a statehouse news conference to share details of the plan, repeatedly using phrases such as “fiscally responsible” and “collaborative leadership” to describe what Pritzker dubbed “a responsible, compassionate budget.”
But Illinois Republicans had other words, blasting the budget’s underlying framework as “untenable,” and accusing Pritzker of painting “a rosy picture” and relying on “an avalanche of federal bailout cash.”
In their 16-minute news conference outside of the governor’s office, Pritzker and the Democratic leaders never mentioned the amount of overall spending called for in the budget proposal, which had not yet been filed.
* Tribune…
“Over the last few weeks, especially over the last 48 hours, we have engaged in a true give-and-take, which led to genuine compromise,” Pritzker said. “It honestly felt that we all came into this process committed to a fiscally responsible spending plan that improves our state’s finances and helps people in an hour of genuine need.”
Democrats are looking to defend their control of state government in November and are eager to present a unified front during an election year when the state’s financial picture is brighter than it has been in decades.
But the party faces potential headwinds from rising inflation and crime, issues Republicans have been hammering all year as they seek to cut into the Democrats’ legislative supermajorities and recapture a statewide office. […]
Welch disputed the notion that Republican lawmakers weren’t included in budget talks, saying House Republicans participated in budget hearings Wednesday and Thursday and voted in favor of the Democrats’ revenue proposal.
“They haven’t been left out of the process,” Welch said. “When they choose to participate is totally up to them.”
* WGEM…
Welch said people should recognize that lawmakers are getting a budget out much earlier than normal. The spring session usually ends on May 31, but Democrats scheduled a shortened session to allow people time to campaign before the primary election on June 28.
The Speaker said Democrats were intentional in allowing Republicans and the press a full day to review the initial budget proposal. Welch noted that Republicans participated in a budget hearing Wednesday and were invited to a meeting Thursday where GOP members had no questions for Democrats.
* Center Square…
Business tax incentives are also in the Democrats’ proposal.
State Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, said the consumer tax cuts are temporary, but the business incentives are permanent.
“That’s a fair way to assess it, I would say,” Zalewski said during a committee hearing this week. “The business tax credits are already in statute and we’re extending them, I would say.”
* This is Majority Leader Greg Harris’ last state budget…
Feel free to caption it.
* More…
* Includes $1.8 billion in tax relief that includes direct checks to most Illinoisans
* Voters to Get Preelection Tax Relief
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Open thread
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s the scheduled spring session adjournment day. How are you feeling?
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*** LIVE COVERAGE ***
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Today’s live coverage post is sponsored by the Illinois Hospital Association. Follow along with ScribbleLive…
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