I’d like to take a moment before we begin to recognize the incredible bravery and dedication of our first responders. Already in the 51 days I’ve served as governor, we have laid a State Trooper to rest, seen five police officers injured after running into a workplace shooting that took five lives, mourned a Godfrey district firefighter who died in the line of duty, and another law enforcement officer shot today while executing a warrant. All of Illinois grieves for the fallen, and our prayers are with their families and those injured in the line of duty. We owe all of them a debt of gratitude.
Thanks for joining us.
My administration has begun negotiations over the fair income tax so we can finally put Illinois on course toward firm fiscal footing. As I said throughout the campaign, Illinois’ flat tax system is unfair to the middle class and those striving to get there. People like me should pay more and people like you should pay less. That’s what the fair tax will do.
Before I get into the details, it’s important to talk about how Illinois got here, and what our choices are.
I was sworn in just 51 days ago, and the first thing I did was begin to dive into the details of the state’s precarious fiscal condition. It was worse than we thought. Over the ensuing weeks our work showed that the damage done in previous years was beyond the assumed $2 billion deficit and even beyond the $2.7 billion in the Comptroller’s excellent report. As our study showed, Illinois actually faces a $3.2 billion-dollar budget deficit next year, and that the prior four years had left the state with nearly $10 billion of additional late payment debt – on top of the $5 billion backlog at the beginning of the last term. The state has been operating with a multi-billion-dollar structural deficit that has a tremendously destabilizing effect on our state’s economy, businesses, jobs and the future of our working families. I don’t know anyone in Illinois that thinks we can any longer just whistle past the graveyard and ignore the fiscal challenges we face. And no one thinks the right answer is to replay the last four years of gridlock and dysfunction.
So my administration has been diligently working on a comprehensive approach to solving the problem and getting our state on track to economic growth and balanced budgets.
Instituting a fair tax as I’ve proposed, will improve the arc of our state’s finances forever and make our system more fair for everyone.
It’s wrong that I would pay the same tax rate as someone earning $100,000 – or even worse pay the same tax rate as someone earning $30,000 – which is why 33 states and the federal government use lower rates for lower earnings and higher rates for higher earnings.
As I outlined when I addressed the General Assembly, those who oppose this choice have very few options to stabilize our finances.
They might choose to cut education, public safety, environmental protection and other government services by 15 percent. That means larger class sizes, higher costs for kids going to college, more hollowing out of critical human services, and fewer State Police. Most damningly, this would lead to a very predictable increase in your local property taxes. This type of thing was tried, and it failed – resoundingly. And this approach certainly won’t create good paying jobs and build the Illinois we deserve or we want for our children.
Another choice they could make is to raise taxes by 20 percent on every person in the state of Illinois. To generate enough revenue, they would need to raise the state income tax on the working poor and the middle class from today’s 4.95 percent to at least 5.95 percent. For a mom making $61,000 that would mean a tax increase of $521 per year. All while the wealthy aren’t paying their fair share.
There is a better, more fair way. And it protects working families. My proposal accomplishes several goals that I outlined from day one.
First, the fair tax would eliminate the budget deficit, balance future budgets and reduce the pension liability by producing revenue of $3.4 billion.
Second, under this plan, everyone who earns up to $250,000 will pay the same or less than what they’re paying today. That’s 97% of Illinoisans. In some cases this reduction will be very modest, and in some cases, especially for families with children, it will amount to hundreds of dollars. That’s real money that working families can use for an emergency car repair, groceries to feed their kids, or child care expenses.
Third, working families are buried under a property tax system that asks them to carry too much of the load. My proposal provides much needed property tax relief with a $100 million increase in the property tax credit. A single homeowner who makes less than $250,000 will see an increase in their property tax write-off of 20 percent. A couple who makes less than $500,000 will also see a property tax write-off of 20%. To be clear, approaching property tax relief in this way benefits homeowners and doesn’t jeopardize schools or local communities.
Fourth, included in this proposal is a new tax credit of $100 per child for families raising children, especially those families who most need it. Single parents earning less than $40,000 a year will get the full credit, and single parents who earn more than $40,000 will get the credit on a sliding scale up to $80,000. For two-income families, they get $100 per child up to $60,000 a year on a sliding scale up to $100,000.
Fifth, this proposal keeps Illinois competitive with our neighbors. Most families in Iowa and Wisconsin pay more in income taxes under their current tax systems than they would if they lived in Illinois under our proposed fair tax.
Now, there are those who want to scare people by claiming that this proposal will cause residents and businesses to flee Illinois. They couldn’t be more wrong. They ignore the fact that people and businesses are fleeing our state now under our current regressive tax system, yet states with fair tax systems on average grow faster and create more jobs than Illinois.
It’s time we stabilized our state’s finances, so we can give businesses and new entrepreneurs the certainty that Illinois has its fiscal house in order. This fair tax proposal is fiscally responsible and makes Illinois a more predictable place for existing businesses to operate, and for new businesses to start and grow.
In the weeks ahead, we’re looking forward to discussing and debating this proposal with members of the General Assembly on both sides of the aisle. I respect the right of opponents to disagree with this proposal. But they should do so in good faith with a specific counter proposal. Not pie in the sky. We should all demand that they tell you specifically what they support that will address a $3.2 billion-dollar budget deficit, pay down $15 billion of debt from unpaid bills, and protect working families.
The principle options for fixing state finances are:
1. Make a drastic 15 percent cut to schools, public safety, transportation, and universities.
2. Raise income taxes by 20 percent on the middle class and everyone else in Illinois. Or
3. Implement a fair income tax that only raises taxes on 3% of people in Illinois.
Pritzker’s projected graduated tax revenue is equal to about a one percentage point increase in the existing flat tax, from 4.95 percent to 5.95 percent on everybody.
The state government could also cut spending by 15 percent across the board for K-12 and higher education, DCFS and other social services, the Illinois State Police and other public safety programs, DNR, agriculture, health care and on and on and on. It’s not a direct comparison, but to give you a kinda rough idea what that would look like, think of the impasse’s cuts and deficit/backlogged spending after a 1.25 percentage-point reduction in the income tax.
Now, they could conceivably cut spending by less than that, but some folks I’ve spoken with today don’t believe that even the $3.4 billion raised by the graduated tax produces enough revenue to fix the structural deficit and make the necessary investments in education, etc. So, for argument’s sake, let’s stick with that.
* The Question: Your choice? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
* Posted in the order they were received. Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider…
More tax hikes will not solve Illinois’ fiscal problems. Pritzker’s proposed $3.4 billion tax increase will lead to even more out-migration of Illinois families, businesses, and jobs. Tax-and-spend Illinois Democrats cannot be trusted with more of our tax dollars. That is why Illinois Republicans stand united against the Pritzker-Madigan tax hike and will continue to support reforms that will lower taxes, create jobs, and make our state thrive once again.
* From the pro-Pritzker dark money group Think Big Illinois’ Executive Director Quentin Fulks…
“Today’s proposed tax rates are an important step toward creating a fair tax system that works for everyone, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that outside groups funded by the wealthiest Illinoisans are quick to launch desperate, false attacks. While these outside groups and their wealthy donors will do or say anything to avoid finally having to pay their fair share, the fact is Illinois needs a fair tax to modernize our tax code, boost the economy, and address the dire financial situation we’ve been left in after years of irresponsible governance and mismanagement.
“Under the fair tax system, 97% of Illinoisans will receive tax relief, with only families making upwards of $250,000 a year paying more. This structure will also lift the burden off middle-class and working families and provide $100 million in property tax relief, but that won’t stop opponents from fighting to prevent Illinoisans from even having the opportunity to vote to implement a fair tax.
“False attacks from those whose bottom lines will be hurt by a fair tax will undoubtedly continue, but Think Big Illinois remains committed to standing with working families and educating Illinoisans about how a fair tax will help them, their communities, and our state.”
* AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch…
“Under Governor Pritzker’s fair tax plan, millionaires would pay more while working people pay less. Public services and schools would get needed reinvestment and the state could pay its bills.
“Raising needed revenue from those who can afford to pay a little more—while cutting or keeping taxes low for 97 percent of filers—is the fair tax reform that’s long overdue in Illinois.
“Our union will work with lawmakers to pass the legislation needed to put the fair tax plan on the 2020 ballot.”
* linois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery…
The Illinois Federation of Teachers applauds Governor JB Pritzker’s commitment to working families and putting Illinois on a more fair, prosperous path forward.
This fair tax proposal, which provides relief for more than 97% of taxpayers, will be a welcome change for our members and the communities we serve.
It’s no secret that Illinois’ dire financial situation has taken decades to develop and was made exponentially worse in recent years. Solving our problems will take both time and real structural change. The Governor’s proposal asks the wealthy to pay their fair share so we can invest in schools, higher education, and vital services – and that is something the IFT supports.
As Governor Pritzker has noted, alternatives to this plan would be raising taxes on everyone, including those who can least afford it, or cutting public education and services to the bone in a Rauner Replay.
That is unacceptable. It’s time for change. Our current tax system is unfair and unsustainable, and this is a strong first step. We look forward to working with the administration and lawmakers to build the future we all deserve.
I’ll post ‘em when I get ‘em.
…Adding… Americans for Prosperity-Illinois State Director Andrew Nelms…
“Giving lawmakers a graduated income tax would be like giving them a blank check. Make no mistake, this is a tax hike on Illinois job creators that will only drive jobs out of our state and hasten residents’ departure. Illinois’ political landscape is strewn with broken promises when it comes to taxes. When the Illinois Senate passed the temporary income tax increase in the middle of the night in January, 2011, politicians told the people of Illinois that it would partially expire in 2015 and roll back even further in 2025. Then, over Independence Day weekend in 2017, lawmakers raised the income tax permanently. But they still want even more of our hard-earned money.
“Don’t be fooled – Illinois lawmakers have consistently raised our taxes and are now pretending to lower them. As we’ve said time and again, the last thing we should do right now is let lawmakers wield greater power to levy higher taxes. Taxpayers shouldn’t fall victim to the hope of a meager property tax credit in exchange for giving Springfield politicians a blank check to raise income tax rates, add brackets, and reduce the thresholds at which higher rates apply in the future.”
* Illinois Network of CILs…
In order to build a strong and inclusive state, our government needs adequate revenue.
Today Governor Pritzker released a plan that would lower individual income tax rates for 97% of Illinois individual taxpayers. Those who earn less than $250,000 would pay less, and those earning more would pay higher rates. Illinois CILs applaud this proposal.
If enacted, this reasonable proposal will not only bring relief to tens of thousands of taxpayers with disabilities, it will help secure the empowerment and civil rights of all people. For too long, Illinois has been unable to properly fund so many urgent priorities, including programs that support Independent Living. The Governor’s plan represents a giant step forward.
…Adding… Senate Republican Caucus…
Without guaranteed protections for middle class families, we are opposed to the governor’s $3.4 billion tax increase.
I’m not sure what that means, so I’ll ask.
* Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan…
“The Fair Tax proposal is responsible, sustainable and practical. The Illinois AFL-CIO commends Gov. Pritzker for taking bold action with this proposal. We have long supported a progressive tax system to alleviate the burden on the middle class and move our state forward.”
* LiUNA Vice President and Midwest Regional Manager John F. Penn…
“We are pleased that Gov. Pritzker is again following through on his commitment to stand with working families, including the hardworking men and women of the Laborers’ Union, who help build our state’s roads and schools and who serve the public at all levels of government. Asking the wealthy to pay their fair share will offset a tax cut for 97 percent of taxpayers – anyone who makes less than $250,000 per year – and will put Illinois back on the path to fiscal stability. Illinoisans deserve a fair tax structure like the one proposed by the Governor today.”
* Kristina Zahorik, President of the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association…
Illinois has been desperately awaiting two critical changes from an Illinois governor. First, we needed bold leadership. Second, we needed a legitimate path toward stability for the state. JB Pritzker delivered on both of these needs today.
The IDCCA stands with the Governor and applauds his refreshing, straightforward honesty about our fiscal challenges. He’s shown true leadership by proposing a way to cut or stabilize taxes for 97 percent of our residents while adjusting taxes on millionaires who’ve financially fared quite well throughout the years.
We understand that passing a Constitutional Amendment for a fair tax won’t be easy. So we’re ready to offer more than simple lip service. We’re already working with our network of volunteers, activists and partners to support the plan as it becomes an election issue. Rank and file Democrats will work exceptionally hard to build support for a fair tax amendment in 2020.
* IMA…
“Today’s massive tax hike proposal will further harm the state’s manufacturing sector, which has already lost more than 300,000 jobs since the turn of the century. Illinois cannot afford to lose more of these good, high-paying middle-class jobs,” said Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “Taxing and spending are not the answer to our daunting challenges. The governor’s plan will vault Illinois to the 3rd highest corporate tax rate and 8th highest individual tax rate in the United States. Given that we already face the highest property taxes in the nation, the most glaring part of today’s announcement is what is not included: there is no mention of property tax relief for job creators or curtailed government spending.”
* IEA President Kathi Griffin…
“The Illinois Education Association supports a Fair Tax for Illinois. Surveys show voters support a Fair Tax for Illinois. It is imperative that we redirect Illinois to a path of economic recovery that will help our students access the tools and resources that will allow them to reach their full potential. This will strengthen our institutions of higher education, allow our public schools to thrive and strengthen communities throughout Illinois. It is perplexing that we are one of only nine states that hangs on to the flat tax while more than 30 other states have graduated tax rates. Our structure is woefully regressive. Gov. Pritzker’s plan will put us on a better path – a path to not only recover from the two-year budget impasse, but also to grow and stabilize our economy.”
…Adding… A couple more…
The Responsible Budget Coalition applauds Governor JB Pritzker’s push for a Fair Tax. A Fair Tax would give relief to working families while raising much-needed revenue to fund essential state services.
Under Illinois’ current flat tax, wealthier residents do not pay their fair share of state and local taxes. Furthermore, the regressive tax structure perpetuates the state’s dire financial circumstances, an untenable situation made worse by the years-long budget impasse. Illinois’ revenue deficiencies have forced unconscionable cuts to vital services and a chronic failure to pay our bills on time. More revenue is needed in order to put Illinois on a path to fiscal health.
A Fair Tax would bolster our economy and raise billions in revenue to fund our schools and social services. A more just tax system is long overdue. Join us in supporting this necessary measure. Call your Illinois senators and representatives and tell them to support a Fair Tax.
* And…
“The Illinois Chamber realizes that Governor Pritzker has inherited real and serious fiscal problems,” said Chamber President and CEO Todd Maisch. “Unfortunately, his plan for a new tax increase is very unlikely to solve them. Taxing businesses and business owners without restraining state spending nor taking measures that will spur economic growth sends exactly the wrong message to job creators who are already questioning their commitment to Illinois. When they choose to move investment across state lines, government loses tax revenue and our communities take a hit.
“It is important to note that the increase on the ‘2.7 percent’ of taxpayers the governor is targeting will pay much more than the $3.4 billion net income the plan claims it will generate. They will also pay for the ‘tax relief’ afforded to other taxpayers. Clearly, this plan will trigger a serious reaction from employers, especially since the plan only addresses the perceived budget deficit and does not make any meaningful dent in Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills nor the future spending demands of progressive members of the governor’s party. The plan should be viewed for what it is: merely a first installment.”
* Secretary of State Jesse White and Ald. Walter Burnett endorsed Toni Preckwinkle for mayor yesterday. Lori Lightfoot was not impressed…
“We need someone who’s going to run the city of Chicago who has experience,” White said. […]
“Toni Preckwinkle is the epitome of those entrenched political interests, so it’s not surprising to me that she is seeking people who she has worked with for decades,” Lightfoot said.
I do not remember the last time a Democrat said something harsh about Secretary White. Burnett? Sure. White? Nope.
* Secretary White responded today…
Unfortunately, Lori Lightfoot seems to feel like she has to attack everyone who disagrees with her. That’s no way to get things done and that’s not what Chicagoans expect in their elected officials. Like Toni, I’m honored to have been re-elected by my constituents for making real change in Illinois. And I’ve done it by working together with the concerned citizens and other elected officials.
* Toni Preckwinkle…
Corporate lawyer Lori Lightfoot’s attack on Jesse White is almost as disgusting as her making millions as co-owner of a law firm that represents Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, and big polluters. Secretary White is a three-time military veteran — he served as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division, the Army Reserves, and the National Guard. And as Secretary of State Jesse White has implemented countless programs to improve the lives of Illinoisans including reforming the teen driving program which reduced teen driving deaths by 54 percent. Unfortunately, Lori has made it clear that, instead of listening to folks who disagree with her, she will instead point fingers and attack. That’s no way to lead a city.
* Meanwhile, Lightfoot is staying on message…
Today, Chicago mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot released a new TV ad, “Why.” The ad questions the motivations behind Toni Preckwinkle’s recent attacks on Lightfoot and points to Preckwinkle’s history of regressive tax hikes and old-school machine politics. The ad is Lightfoot’s third of the campaign, and second of the runoff. Lightfoot released her first TV ad of the runoff, “Change,” on March 1.
“Why is Toni Preckwinkle launching a ‘full blown,’ and ‘incorrect’ attack against Lori Lightfoot?” asks the narrator. The ad then features news stories about Preckwinkle’s ties to the broken Chicago machine and history of regressive taxation. “An entrenched political insider won’t lead Chicago forward. It’s time to bring in the light,” the narrator concludes as the ad features footage from Lightfoot’s election night celebration.
Tonight, former teacher Toni Preckwinkle and corporate attorney Lori Lightfoot square off in the first televised debate of the runoff.
The spotlight will be on Lightfoot, whose record is now starting to come into focus for Chicago voters.
Here are five questions she must answer for Chicago voters tonight:
* Does she think it was progressive to defend a Wall Street bank being sued for racial discrimination or to make a profit as equity partner of a firm that represents Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, Wall Street banks, and corporate polluters?
* If she is such a progressive, why would she accept the endorsement of two anti-immigrant aldermen, Anthony Napolitano and Nick Sposato?
* Why did she represent Republican politicians trying to protect their power?
* What was her justification for overruling her own investigators to justify police shootings?
* Why did a political operative for Alderman Scott Waguespack say that she promised him a powerful position on the council if it wasn’t true?
Mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot is leading rival Toni Preckwinkle in nearly every category and has a lead of 30 points more than three weeks before the April 2, according to an internal poll provided by Lightfoot’s campaign.
Lightfoot is leading among union households, self-described liberals as well as those who voted for Bill Daley or Jerry Joyce; Amara Enyia or Willie Wilson; and Susana Mendoza or Gery Chico.
The Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 endorsed Lori Lightfoot for mayor at a press conference on Thursday. Lightfoot announced the endorsement at the historic formerly all-Black firehouse on 35th and Calumet. Today marked Lightfoot’s second union endorsement. The Illinois Education Association Region 67 endorsed Lightfoot in February.
“It’s my great pleasure to accept this endorsement, and I’m humbled by it,” said Lightfoot. “Our first responders do a tremendous job in our communities and are really part of the fabric of our neighborhoods. We need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to provide them with the support and resources that they need. It is a great honor to be here at this historic firehouse and accept the support of this important group.”
“We are here to throw our support behind Lori Lightfoot for mayor,” said Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 President Jim Tracy. “She comes from a union home and understands the importance of unions and their roles in lifting up the middle class. Lori understands Local 2’s needs when it comes to our staffing, antiquated rigs, and the need for more ambulances. We all understand the roadblocks ahead when it comes to pension payments and higher property taxes, and Lori strikes a balance that can take care of the economic development downtown, and in turn, take care of some of the blighted communities such as Englewood and the West Side. We need that economic development to make the city a more fair and balanced place, and Local 2 is here to support our next mayor, Lori Lightfoot.”
A McHenry County sheriff’s officer was shot and critically wounded while serving a warrant at a motel in Rockford Thursday morning, sparking a high-speed chase that ended with a crash south of Bloomington, according to police and law enforcement sources.
Reports from troopers involved in the chase, which reached speeds over 100 mph, said the suspect crashed his car near Lincoln around 11:30 a.m. but refused to leave his car. One report said he was pointing a rifle out the car.
A SWAT team has been called in, and all lanes of I-55 remained shut down as of 1:15 p.m.
* From the Illinois State Police a few minutes ago…
UPDATE. 55 is still closed. We are now directing traffic I 55 north to I 155 north to Route 136 east to I 55. This is the McLean exit on 55.
Be careful driving home if you’re heading north. And if you’re going to the Chicago area, you might wanna consider taking 72 over to 57.
A McHenry County Sheriff’s deputy working on behalf of the U.S. Marshals has died following a shooting Thursday morning in Rockford.
Gov. JB Pritzker tweeted, “The people of Illinois join the family of the fallen officer in mourning his loss, and with our deepest gratitude for his courageous service.”
Illinois State Police in Logan County also confirmed his death around 2:30 p.m. Wedneday.
A state lawmaker and a major advocacy group are pushing stiffer penalties for short-staffed nursing homes as a way to limit deadly sepsis infections and boost overall care. […]
Collins and AARP Illinois are supporting the legislation partly in response to the findings of an investigation published in September by Kaiser Health News and the Chicago Tribune. The investigation found that about 6,000 Illinois nursing home patients a year who were hospitalized had sepsis, with roughly 1 in 5 dying. […]
There is little agreement on how many caregivers should be employed by nursing homes, nor any federal regulations setting a rate per-resident. A recommendation from a 2001 federal study suggested 4.1 hours of total nursing time per resident.
Illinois, like most states, has a lower legal standard: requiring at least 2.5 hours of direct care daily for residents. Yet, the joint KHN Tribune investigation found that at least a fourth of Chicago-area nursing home residents live in facilities that aren’t consistently providing that much care.
* The Senate Democrats put out an advisory yesterday specifically saying Sen. Morrison “might” be moving her Tobacco 21 bill. When she found out it wasn’t ready, she didn’t call it. It’ll pass eventually…
‘Tobacco 21’ bill stalls in Illinois Senate
Legislation raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products in Illinois was expected for a vote in the state Senate on Wednesday, but the sponsor decided to hold back because of hesitation on the part of new members.
State Sen. Julie Morrison, a Deerfield Democrat, said freshmen in her party had questions about the Tobacco 21 initiative. She said those members did not feel comfortable voting on the bill without being fully informed, so she held the measure. […]
About two weeks ago, state Rep. Camille Lilly, D-Oak Park, who sponsors the House version of the bill, said advocates were going to try a different approach this session.
“What we’re doing this time is running it through the House first, because we have more people to deal with,” she said. “In the Senate, there’s only 56 people — there’s 118 in the House. It’s easy to get it through the Senate.”
Legislation has been introduced in Springfield that would rescind a statewide ban on rent control.
We understand the good intentions behind the bills, HB 255 and HB 2192. We get why the Lift the Ban Coalition, a group of community organizations, has ramped up an effort to build public support for scrapping the 22-year-old ban. […]
Rent control would seem to be the easy fix. Just cap what landlords can charge.
But it’s a superficial and ultimately counterproductive fix, as the experiences of other cities have shown. And there are better ways to address the problem of too little affordable housing in Chicago.
The governor is planning a 2 o’clock press conference. Watch the live coverage post for immediate updates.
…Adding… House GOP Leader Jim Durkin…
The House Republican Caucus stands united in opposition to a $3.4 billion tax increase on Illinois families and businesses.
…Adding… Applying the top rate to all income once that income hits $1 million is unusual. Usually, graduated taxes only apply to income earned above a certain rate. That is the case with Pritzker’s plan until taxpayers reach a million bucks. So, I’m assuming those close to that level will do whatever they can to avoid reaching a million dollars on paper, because that would hugely jack up their tax bills. But, hey, they could also hire somebody or give some cash to charity to stay below a million.
Also, the state’s current corporate income tax rate is 7 percent. This proposal would raise that rate to 7.95 percent.
The current personal income tax rate is 4.95.
…Adding… If your property tax bill is $6,000 per year, you currently receive a $300 annual state income tax credit. That credit would rise to $360 under this plan. Sixty bucks a year ain’t a lot of relief.
…Adding… Ideas Illinois Chairman Greg Baise…
“We can’t trust Springfield politicians – the same people who in the last 8 years have raised taxes twice – with a blank check,” Ideas Illinois Chairman Greg Baise said. “Today’s proposal is just a massive jobs tax on Illinois families and will destroy the Illinois economy and further accelerate people fleeing the state.”
Key Questions for Governor Pritzker
Are you going to lock these rates into the Constitution, so voters know EXACTLY what they are voting on?
Illinois has had 2 tax increases in the last 8 years - can you promise that these tax rates will not change?
Have you done an analysis on what this jobs tax will do to job creators?
In the past, you have said that this will pay for schools, infrastructure, pensions, and social services along with a property tax break – is this enough money because the math doesn’t seem to add up.
Do you trust the legislature to be responsible or will this be another blank check to raise taxes whenever they want?
…Adding… Factor in the Personal Property Tax Replacement tax on corporations, and the rate corporations pay will rise from its current 9.5 percent (8.5 percent for partnerships, trusts, and S corporations), to 10.45 percent (9.45 percent for S corps etc.). That’ll give us one of the highest in the nation.
…Adding… SEIU Illinois State Council President Tom Balanoff…
“Illinois’ current tax code puts undue burden on the working people of our state, making it harder for them to put food on the table for their families and get ahead. Governor JB Pritzker campaigned on a promise to overhaul this unfair system, and today he is making good on that pledge.
“Governor Pritzker’s plan lowers tax rates for 97 percent of Illinois taxpayers while making sure the wealthy pay their fair share. This proposal will put our state on the path towards fiscal sustainability and good governance.
“The janitors, healthcare and home care workers, security officers and more of SEIU support Governor Pritzker’s fair tax plan, which will make Illinois a better, more equitable state for working families.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will participate in the state’s upcoming meetings with rating agencies to outline his pension and budget proposals, which have prompted warnings they could drive further credit deterioration.
The meetings are set for next week, according to market sources. Illinois is the lowest-rated state by several notches with its general obligation debt at Baa3 with a stable outlook from Moody’s Investors Service, BBB with a negative outlook from Fitch Ratings, and BBB-minus and stable from S&P Global Ratings.
Pritzker will attend the meetings with the finance team unlike his predecessor, Bruce Rauner, who left that task to his budget and capital markets team. […]
The state’s low ratings leave it with little room to maneuver to avoid a cut to speculative-grade status.
Several analysts said there’s no standard when it comes to a governor’s attendance at rating meetings but one said there “is value” in hearing directly from a new leader on his or her vision.
Well, at around that same time, Baise was being prepared for surgery to have a stent put into an artery near his heart. That artery was 99 percent blocked. He’s returning in a few weeks to have another less severe blockage dealt with.
Baise and I are old pals, and I didn’t write anything on the blog that I wouldn’t have said to his face. Although, obviously, I wouldn’t have said it to his face while he was lying on a hospital bed during surgery and if somebody had told me what was going on I would’ve at least waited a day or two to launch on him. Or three.
He told me this morning that people warned him via text not to read the blog because it might upset him. So, of course, he read the blog. It didn’t upset him. I’ve often said that I can always trust Baise to tell me exactly what he believes. And he’s always heard the same from me.
But he still had a little fun trying to make me feel just a wee bit guilty today, even though he sounded great. Here’s how our phone conversation began…
Me: Shouldn’t you be resting?
Him: You #@*%$@-&*$#%$!!!!
Good times.
* The point here is that people often think of political players as cartoon characters. But these are real people with real families and real lives of their own. You can have your disagreements, but in the end we’re all human beings.
Baise went back to work almost right away. I’m not kidding. He’s quoted in a story that was published yesterday.
Keep on keeping on, Greg. Here’s to a long and happy life.
The Peoria Republican, who resigned from office four years ago amid allegations of fiscal misconduct, entered a plea in a downtown Chicago courtroom on behalf of his campaign committee to a Federal Election Commission violation for inadequately keeping paperwork. Schock himself didn’t plead to anything. The committee, as an entity, was found in violation.
To be dropped were what’s left of nearly two dozen allegations against him claiming years of criminal activity. […]
A $25,000 fine was levied and he faces six months of supervision under the program, during which he must cooperate with the rest of the terms of the deal. Schock, 37, must repay his main campaign committee and the IRS money as outlined in the agreement.
Schock also acknowledged erring in his responsibility to accurately report expenses — including for mileage reimbursement — for his campaign committees. Three of those committees will collectively receive $67,956 according to the deal. He also stated in the document that he didn’t report income from the resale of some tickets, including to the World Series and Super Bowl, on his tax returns to the tune of $42,375. Both were items prosecutors had raised during the criminal case.
In an interview on Wednesday, Schock said that he is relieved that his four-year legal fight is over and blamed “a rogue prosecutor” for pursuing a case “without merit.”
“I have been trying to survive the last four years. When you go toe-to-toe with the federal government, they have an unlimited budget and most Americans don’t,” he said. “It’s come at significant cost to me financially and professionally and now that this is behind me, I’m looking forward to pursuing opportunities in the private sector. I’ll always have a heart to serve, that doesn’t’ mean I have to run for office. There are other ways to serve your community.” […]
Schock said the agreement to have his campaign committee plead guilty to a misdemeanor is mostly a technical matter.
“So they want me to say what I said four years ago? Okay. I mean, when I left office I said I could have done a better job of back-office functions,” he said, conceding that between his congressional office work, committee assignments and work to elect other Republicans to Congress, he’d been less than careful with his paperwork.
Having the deal secured, Schock then returned fire. He said the Justice Department should investigate the prosecutor in Springfield in charge of the case against him.
Schock was referring to the one-time lead prosecutor on his case Timothy Bass, who was in the running to become the next U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois at the same time he was pursuing Schock, his biggest “catch.”
Instead, President Donald Trump tapped John Milhiser for the Springfield-based post.
“I’ve been wronged in this process by a prosecutor who saw me as his ticket to stardom and who was allowed to go unchecked,” a relieved Schock said in the lobby.
[Director of Legal Studies at Illinois State University and former attorney Tom McClure] explains, “If you look at the agreement that was singed by everyone he acknowledges that he basically scalped tickets for over $42,000 worth of profits and that he evaded income taxes. So, he acknowledges some things that were clearly criminal acts.”
But it is his campaign committee, Schock for Congress, that leaves this situation with a misdemeanor charge, not Schock.
“I think that was something that Aaron Schock the man, instead upon. I think Aaron Schock had an excellent defense attorney and he held firm on this,” McClure said.
In the agreement, Schock admitted “he had a regular practice as a public officeholder of obtaining event tickets at face value” and then reselling them at a profit. He also copped to inflating mileage reimbursement claims and owing his own campaign $67,956 for claims that “in whole or in part were unsupported by adequate records.”
A bill levying a 7-cent tax on plastic and paper shopping bags advanced out of the state Senate’s revenue committee Wednesday with its sponsor promising to bring an amended proposal back to the committee in the coming weeks.
There was unanimous approval to advance the bag tax, Senate Bill 1240, from five Democrats and two Republicans present at the committee. […]
The Illinois Retail Merchants Association filed in support. Rob Karr, IRMA’s president, said the group is supportive because of the comprehensiveness of the plan in its promotion of solid waste management.
He also said every bag tax passed around the country thus far has given a portion back to retailers to administer the cost.
The Illinois Restaurant Association filed in opposition to the bill. Currently, SB 1240 does not contain exemptions for carry-out bags used at restaurants, which are part of the legislation in Chicago.
A state lawmaker is urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to release emergency funding and appoint a full board for Western Illinois University as the school prepares to lay off 132 employees.
“Western is struggling, as most state universities are right now, and having a full board in place would help to ensure the university’s success,” said Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb). “I am asking Governor Pritzker to take immediate action to fill six vacant positions on the board so Western can move forward. Additionally, I am asking him to release funds in an effort to reduce the negative impact not only to the university, but our area.”
I checked with the comptroller’s office…
There are no funds being held up. Our office prioritizes payments to higher ed. WIU, SIU, EIU, all the state colleges get their payments together earlier than they were getting their state funding in years past. Same with MAP grants.
* So, I asked a House Republican spokesperson what funding Rep. Hammond was talking about. Andrew Flach…
Until a supplemental appropriations is brought forward, a good first step would be to appoint a full board of trustees followed by expediting the remaining operational funds owed to the university for this fiscal year and prioritizing the campus’ deferred maintenance projects.
Thursday, Mar 7, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
The following is a paid advertisement.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker claims one of the reasons Illinois should axe its flat income tax protection is to reduce income inequality.
The numbers aren’t on his side.
States with progressive income taxes are home to higher income inequality than states without progressive income taxes. And the gap isn’t improving. From 2007 to 2017, states with and without progressive income taxes saw inequality rise at the same rate.
So why hasn’t Pritzker’s preferred tax regime reduced income inequality? One reason is that progressive income taxes have such a negative effect on the economy that they tend to make everyone worse off. Take Connecticut, the only state in the past 30 years to adopt a progressive income tax. Its poverty rate spiked 47 percent in the decade after its tax change while falling in the rest of the nation.
Not only will Pritzker’s progressive tax result in middle-class tax hikes – it won’t do a thing about income inequality.
The number of African-American students enrolled at public colleges and universities in Illinois has fallen nearly 26 percent in recent years, while enrollment among other minority groups increased. […]
The latest annual [Illinois Board of Higher Education] report examined the five-year period from 2013 to 2017. During that period, enrollment among African-American students in Illinois fell 25.9 percent, to 54,370 students.
Over that same period, enrollment among Hispanic students grew 6 percent, to 95,167. Asian student enrollment grew 1.9 percent, to 28,745, and enrollment among all other underrepresented groups, including Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and disabled individuals, grew 5.1 percent, to 12,439.
The decline in African-American enrollment was especially sharp in the state’s community colleges, which saw drops of just more than 30 percent. The drop-off was less extensive among undergraduates at public universities, where African-American enrollment fell 14 percent.
* It’s just a bill, of course, but kind of interesting…
State workers would be required to live within the state of Illinois under a new proposal by State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview).
“State workers’ salaries are paid by Illinois taxpayers,” Fine said. “It just makes sense that if you’re going to be paid by income, sales, and property taxes that Illinois residents pay, then you should be subject to those same taxes.”
Senate Bill 1639 establishes a requirement that to work for any state agency within Illinois, a person must live in the state. The measure would not affect employees who work for a contractor that has a contract with the state, and allows for a three-month grace period.
The bill passed the Senate Committee on State Government and now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
A suburban lawmaker is receiving bipartisan support to put the brakes on fellow Democrats’ and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s push to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois.
“The people of Illinois are going to be safer when it’s legalized,” the new Democratic governor told the Daily Herald’s editorial board Monday.
Democrat Marty Moylan of Des Plaines disagrees, and so do 34 lawmakers in both parties co-sponsoring his House Resolution 157 to slow the process.
Moylan and legalization opponents including the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police will participate in a rally against the proposed law Wednesday at the Capitol in Springfield.
“The more information you have about this bill, the more people are against it,” Moylan said, adding that he is worried about a spike in impaired driving. […]
Asked about preventing “driving while stoned” crashes, Pritzker said those are “happening now. If nothing changes, it’s still happening now.” He noted that researchers are developing products similar to a Breathylzer that police can use to test for marijuana.
Wake me when he gets to 59 total co-sponsors. Without that, this is yet another publicity stunt from a publicity stunt master.
* Speaking of publicity stunts, there he is today…
* Meanwhile, a columnist who apparently can’t pick up a phone and doesn’t come to Springfield says he somehow has a “sense” for why the legalization bill hasn’t yet been introduced…
My sense is three problems are gumming up the works and that lawmakers are no longer as confident of passage since the confetti was swept up after Pritzker’s victory party.
The first obstacle is the federal government. Donald Trump is a teetotaler and seems in no rush to undo federal restrictions on interstate transport or on banking laws that permit the deposit of cannabis proceeds.
Complicating matters is a new attorney general; more than three months passed between Jeff Sessions’ departure and William Barr’s confirmation, which undoubtedly left Illinois lawmakers waiting to see what position the Department of Justice would take on state’s rights.
The second is the number of states that have already enacted legalized cannabis. Heading into 2019, it seemed as if Illinois would simply climb aboard the pot train and join in the swelling number of states to put it on the books. It appears now lawmakers in Springfield have looked closely at states that have enacted and discovered myriad complications such as whether legalization supersedes no-smoking rules such as hotels. Legalization may have been popular, but it’s been anything but seamless.
Last but not least has been pushback from law enforcement. Police and sheriff’s associations were rightly concerned about how to reconcile legalized cannabis with keeping the roads safe from impaired motorists. The lack of comprehensive legislation suggests lawmakers are, to their credit, taking such concerns seriously.
Where to even begin with this gigantic “traffic jam of uninformed drivel” (as one co-sponsor called the column today)?
The president has always been an issue and former AG Sessions wasn’t exactly pro-legalization, either. Lawmakers have been working on this for almost two years, and there is more support in the GA than in past years. Four years ago, Moylan’s resolution would’ve had maybe 70 co-sponsors and Speaker Madigan’s staff would’ve been helping Marty collect even more. These days, Madigan supports legalization. And law enforcement has been pushing back forever.
One reason they haven’t introduced language yet is they’re still negotiating the bill and working out details. Also, there’s the issue of the lack of involvement by the governor. The sponsors are unwilling to move forward until they get some things worked out with the 2nd Floor. Pritzker says he’s all for it, but it’s time he puts his effort where his mouth is.
Illinois lawmakers want answers about how 2-year-old Ta’Naja Barnes slipped through the state care system designed to protect her and was instead allowed to die of starvation and neglect in a Decatur home.
A House of Representatives Adoption and Child Welfare Committee hearing on Tuesday shined a spotlight on the nine-month active involvement of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in Ta’Naja’s case. Lawmakers heard how a Decatur organization, Baby TALK, had called a hotline to report concerns about Ta’Naja and her 1-year-old brother on Nov. 6, after the case had been closed, but the allegations did not fit criteria to pursue further investigation. […]
Ta’Naja’s cold body was found Feb. 11 wrapped in a urine-soaked blanket in a Decatur home police officers described as filthy and rodent-infested. Her mother, Twanka L. Davis, 21, and the live-in boyfriend of Davis, 25-year-old Anthony Myers, have both been charged with first degree murder alleging they caused the child’s death through a combination of starvation and neglect. […]
Ta’Naja’s biological father, Dartavius Barnes, told reporters last week that he had tried to obtain custody of his daughter and even thought of kidnapping her to remove her from what he knew to be poor conditions.
Six months of DCFS aftercare services, designed to be provided when a child is returned home, began in March when Ta’Naja was placed with Barnes instead of in August when she was returned to her mother. Ta’Naja’s younger half-brother was placed with Myers and Davis in March; he had been allowed to sleep in a heated room with his parents, while Ta’Naja was left alone in a bare, freezing room. The boy has since been taken into state custody.
Rep. Delia Ramirez pointed out that the six months would have ended on Feb. 8, three days before Ta’Naja’s death, if they had started when she was returned to Davis and Myers.
We now know that during the time that Ta’Naja was involved with the Department of Children and Family Services from December 2017 to October of 2018, she had three different case workers [from social service provider] Webster-Cantrell Hall.
State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, who is not a member of the committee but called the hearing, asked if caseworkers are notified that a child has been in and out of DCFS if the agency gets a call about a family.
Dyer-Webster said there is not.
“The history of the family’s involvement with DCFS is already on the computer,” she said. “The worker has to go and put that identifying information (in) to find it.”
DCFS has taken several initial steps to address some of the IG’s findings; among the steps DCFS has taken are: reducing caseloads, implementing new technology, collaborating with the Department of Human Services to provide critical services that support children and families, and moving higher-risk cases back to DCFS from private agencies.
DCFS promised to shift higher-risk cases to in-house employees way back in 2017.
In a surprise move for a high-profile public corruption case, federal prosecutors in Chicago have agreed to drop all charges against former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock if he pays back money he owes to the Internal Revenue Service and his campaign fund.
The stunning deal, known as a deferred prosecution agreement, was announced Wednesday during what was supposed to be a routine status hearing for Schock before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly.
According to the agreement, Schock, 37, must pay $42,000 to the IRS and $68,000 to his congressional campaign fund. If he does so — and stays out of any new trouble — prosecutors would drop all felony counts against Schock, leaving him with a clean record.
Schock, once considered a rising star in the Republican Party, resigned in 2015 amid the federal investigation into his use of his campaign funds and House allowance to pay personal expenses ranging from an extravagant remodeling of his Washington office inspired by the British television series “Downton Abbey” to flying on a private plane to attend a Chicago Bears game.
Schock’s lawyers say in a motion filed in U.S. District Court that prosecutors and investigators repeatedly asked potential [grand jury] witnesses “irrelevant and highly invasive questions” about Schock’s personal relationships and sexuality, including whether he is gay.
Prosecutors denied allegations Schock’s attorneys made in March that investigators crossed legal lines by recruiting a confidential informant from Schock’s staff.
That informant brought documents to the feds without a warrant.
The federal judge overseeing the criminal case against former Rep. Aaron Schock leveled an unusual public complaint Tuesday that he was misled by a prosecutor on the case.
Judge Colin Bruce, of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, also ordered the prosecution to conduct a review of all its court filings in the matter for potential inaccuracies.
The increasingly odd corruption case filed against former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock took another bizarre turn Thursday when local prosecutors were removed from the case by their superiors in Washington, D.C.
The news came in the form of a motion filed by Springfield-based federal prosecutors who asked for a delay in a status hearing scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday at the U.S. Courthouse in Urbana. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Hansen sought the delay because “the Department of Justice (in Washington, D.C.) is in the process of reassigning the prosecution of this matter to a different prosecution team outside the Central District of Illinois.”
The dismissal of the Central District prosecution team comes just a couple weeks after the judge presiding over the case — U.S. Judge Colin Bruce — was removed by Chief Judge James Shadid for engaging in impermissible ex parte email communications with a paralegal with whom he worked while he was an assistant U.S. Attorney.
…Adding… Schock speaks…
Former Illinois Congressman Aaron Shock speaks to reporters after federal prosecutors in Chicago agree to drop his corruption charges. Shock, who must now comply with deferred prosecution, was asked if he was targeted by prosecutors. @WBBMNewsradiopic.twitter.com/FhDGgDmx2t
A whistleblower whose #MeToo allegations prompted Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan to fire a longtime political operative has put another big spotlight on a former Madigan staffer, detailing in a federal document an allegation that the ex-staffer sexually harassed two women — “but nothing was done in response.”
The allegation against Travis Shea, detailed in Alaina Hampton’s federal lawsuit against the Democratic Party of Illinois and Madigan, claims Shea, who is now a lobbyist, “sexually harassed and/or assaulted” two women. […]
In the federal document, Hampton’s lawyers were responding to a question about their claim that defendants “have ignored and/or disregarded other reports of sexual harassment of female employees and volunteers working for the [Defendants].” […]
In response, Hampton’s lawyers said “she [Hampton] came to learn that other females employed by the Speaker had been sexually harassed and/or assaulted by a male co-worker, Travis Shea,” the document alleges. “Both females reported Travis Shea’s sexual harassment and/or assault directly to attorney Heather Weir Vaught but nothing was done in response. In fact, Mr. Shea remained on the Speaker’s staff for an additional two years thereafter. Plaintiff’s investigation continues.”
Shea is now a lobbyist at Michael Best Strategies. According to his profile, Shea focuses on the state budget, state bonding, capital budgeting, economic development and gaming. He previously served as an analyst for the speaker, but also worked for the Democratic Party of Illinois on campaigns across the state.
* Speaker Madigan’s office denied Hampton’s allegation that nothing was done…
In February 2018, the Office of the Speaker released a summary of past complaints of discrimination and harassment. That document included descriptions of two allegations involving Travis Shea. Both women were consulted prior to the release and requested confidentiality. To date, neither has given permission to disclose any personal or identifying information.
In 2015 and 2016, Heather Wier Vaught was contacted with allegations of workplace intimidation against Mr. Shea, once in a personal setting, another in her official capacity as the House Democratic Ethics Officer. Each woman alleged Mr. Shea had intimidated them and threatened to “make or break” their careers.
Former Chief of Staff, Tim Mapes, and Mr. Shea’s supervisor, Jessica Basham, were immediately notified of Mr. Shea’s alleged behavior. Mr. Mapes met with Mr. Shea, and he was told the alleged behavior must immediately cease. He was reprimanded and advised such alleged behavior would not be tolerated. Additionally, Ms. Basham met with Mr. Shea and made it clear he was not in a supervisory role and told he would not be given additional responsibilities.
To further determine whether other staff experienced issues with Mr. Shea, or if there were additional concerns that needed to be addressed, Ms. Basham held meetings with each member of the unit and inquired if there were issues they would like to bring to her attention. No other issues were identified at that time.
Speaker Madigan was not made aware of the allegations. Had the allegations been brought to the Speaker at the time, he would have terminated any employment relationship with Mr. Shea, as he has done on other occasions upon learning of such incidents.
In September 2017, Hampton claims she had talks with the Chicago Teachers Union about working on a campaign for state representative, according to court documents. In October 2017, she was under the impression CTU was ready to offer her a position, but just a week later Hampton was asked by a CTU lobbyist “if she was ‘on the outs’ with Ald. Marty Quinn as someone had informed [CTU Political Director] Stacy Davis Gates that such was the case.”
Hampton didn’t hear back from CTU after that conversation, the filing states.
“We’re frankly baffled we’d even be mentioned here,” said CTU spokeswoman Chris Geovanis. “We take orders for any hiring decisions from no one. We are quite capable of making our own hiring decisions.” Geovanis claimed Hampton had already done work for an opposing campaign in that race. […]
Hampton also said she pitched campaign work from her consulting firm to three other aldermanic campaigns: Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd Ward, and John Arena, 45th Ward, and 46th Ward challenger Erika Wozniak, according to last week’s filing.
Joanna Klonsky, a spokeswoman for Waguespack, Arena, and Wozniak told WBEZ in a statement: “As set forth in documents attached to a recent court filing, and as, in fact, is the case, Alaina Hampton’s non-employment by the campaigns of Ald. Waguespack, Ald. Arena and Ms. Wozniak Francis was unrelated to the events described in her lawsuit against Michael Madigan and others.”
…Adding… It turns out that Klonsky was actually speaking on Hampton’s behalf in the above quote. I’ve asked for a more clear statement.
…Adding… From Ms. Klonsky…
None of Ms. Hampton’s interaction with any of these three campaigns were affected or influenced in any way by the allegations in her suit or the defendants in that case.
…Adding… Again from Klonsky…
Ms. Hampton’s reference to Mr. Shea, as the court filing clearly reflects, was in response to the Madigan defendants’ specific request for such information of which she was aware.
A new poll — paid for by a pro-business group opposing a graduated income tax — finds President Donald Trump has a higher favorability ranking in Illinois than both Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
The We Ask America poll was commissioned by the not-for-profit dark money group Ideas Illinois, which is led by former Illinois Manufacturers’ Association head Greg Baise. The group is working hard to publicly oppose Pritzker’s plan to push for a graduated income tax, which the governor wants on the 2020 ballot. […]
The poll of 800 voters was conducted between Feb. 24 and 27, using a mix of automated calls to landlines and live cell phone calls. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46 percentage points. We Ask America did not release the crosstabs — including the gender or ages of those who were polled.
The poll asked about the job performance of Pritzker, who has only been in office since Jan. 14. It found that 37 percent said they approved of the governor’s job performance, while 36 percent disapproved. Among Republicans, 69 percent disapproved, while only 16 percent approved. Among Democrats, however, 57 percent approved of his performance, while only 13 percent disapproved. Of independent voters, 29 percent approved of Pritzker’s job performance.
Voters were also asked about Trump, and 41 percent said they approved of Trump’s performance, while 56 percent disapproved. The president’s approval is at 86 percent among Republicans, while his disapproval was at 89 percent among Democrats. Among independents, 42 percent approved, while 51 percent disapproved of his performance. The net job approval — the approval minus disapproval — for the president is at minus 15 percent. The latest Morning Consult poll had Illinois at -23 net approval for a poll conducted in January.
Where to begin?
Yes, 41 percent approved of Trump’s job performance compared to 37 percent for Pritzker. But that’s not how you judge who’s more popular. Trump’s disapproval rating of 56 percent was higher than his approval rating. Pritzker’s disapproval rating (36) was below his approval rating (37), giving him a +1 net approval. And +1 is far better than -15 every day of the week. And since 56 is much higher than 36, you could just as easily say that Trump is far more unpopular than Pritzker.
Also, while only 3 percent appeared to not have an opinion of the president’s job performance, 27 percent had no opinion of the governor’s performance. That makes sense because he’d barely been in office a month when the poll was taken.
* To be clear, 37-36 approve/disapprove numbers are not anything to write home about, particularly a few months after winning by 16 points. A We Ask America poll taken in January of 2015 showed that newly inaugurated Gov. Bruce Rauner’s approve/disapprove numbers were 52/23. A month later, another pollster had Rauner’s approve/disapprove rating at 43/28.
So, if this new poll is right (and it’s only one poll, snapshot in time, yadda, yadda) Pritzker is definitely not starting off with the people at his back.
While nearly half of Illinois voters (45%) are not sure of their opinion of Pritzker’s recent budget proposal, those that do have an opinion are not in favor. Less than one-quarter of voters (22%) support it, while one-third of voters (33%) oppose his budget proposal. Only 17% of Independents and 6% of Republicans support his budget, while 31% and 63% oppose the budget, respectively. Among Democrats, 37% support and 13% oppose it.
In other words, it’s a big “Meh” from voters. I can’t disagree with them.
House Speaker Mike Madigan remains very unpopular. Just 18% of Illinois voters have a favorable opinion of Madigan, while 41% have an unfavorable opinion. Even among Democrats, Madigan is under water with just 26% having a favorable opinion, while 30% have an unfavorable opinion. Independents have a highly unfavorable opinion of Madigan, with just 13% expressing a favorable opinion but 44% an unfavorable one. Among Republicans, he sits at 13% Favorable/54% Unfavorable (41% Very Unfavorable).
Favorability and job performance are different measures, but -23 is obviously bad. The best thing Madigan has going for him is that 41 percent don’t have any opinion about him. He’ll take that all day.
With the strong support of Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois State Police (ISP) is taking wide ranging steps to improve operations, firearms services processes, and information sharing to aid law enforcement officials statewide with enforcement of Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card revocation laws. These first steps are part of ISP’s continued commitment to improving the enforcement of existing gun laws in Illinois.
“While the weaknesses of our nation’s background check system remain daunting, we must take whatever steps we can, large and small, to strengthen the fabric of these systems because any improvement could be the one that makes the difference,” said Brendan F. Kelly, Acting Director of the Illinois State Police. “While we simply cannot do it alone, we must increase sharing of information, the quality and value of information shared, and most importantly enforcement. Mailed letters are not enough.”
ISP Information Sharing
Access to firearms data within the Department and outside the Department by law enforcement agencies and state’s attorneys cannot be limited and siloed at the expense of public safety. FOID revocation and Firearm Transfer Inquiry Program (FTIP) data must be readily accessible to all Illinois law enforcement agencies. To that end:
· The ISP Firearms Services Bureau is providing the entire current list of individuals with revoked FOID cards to every District and Zone Commander within the ISP.
· Every ISP Patrol and Zone Commander has been instructed by the Director to deliver to each sheriff, police chief, and state’s attorney in their respective zone a current electronic list of all individuals with revoked FOID cards within each jurisdiction and confirm receipt of the list.
· The Firearm Services Bureau has been directed to share FOID card revocation data and FTIP data with the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center (STIC) for appropriate dissemination to state and local law enforcement.
· The Firearm Services Bureau has been directed to require its IT vendor to modify the secure law enforcement web portal to include a FOID revocation list accessible 24/7 to all Illinois law enforcement with a mechanism to log each agency’s date of access.
· The Department is working with our federal partners to ascertain the scope of criminal cases that may have a federal identification number associated with a fingerprint record, but no correlating state identification number for Illinois.
· The Department is working with state entities like the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) to determine if funding to law enforcement agencies and courts can be tied to substantial compliance with criminal record submission requirements.
Quality and Value of Information Provided by ISP
Firearms Services Bureau eligibility determinations for FOID, Firearm Concealed Carry Licenses (FCCL), and FTIP must be standardized, thorough, and inspected. Furthermore, thousands of general notices that simply indicate an individual has a revoked FOID card are not useful data in a law enforcement environment with unending demands and limited manpower. Potential threats can only be assessed and prioritized if law enforcement has useful context and detail. To that end:
· The Firearms Services Bureau has been directed to require all firearms eligibility analysts to follow a standardized FOID/CCL protocol and a comprehensive checklist when conducting and completing FOID/CCL application reviews.
· The Firearms Services Bureau has been directed to increase quality assurance measures for FOID, FCCL, and FTIP transactions to include random reanalysis of approvals, scrutinizing those samples, reporting results to the Director monthly, and taking immediate corrective action as needed.
· The Firearms Services Bureau has enhanced the FOID revocation list shared with all law enforcement to indicate if the revoked FOID has been returned and/or if a Firearm Disposition Report has been submitted to ISP. This information is critical for law enforcement to determine whether a revoked FOID card holder has complied with Illinois law.
· The Firearm Services Bureau has enhanced the FOID revocation list shared with all law enforcement by adding descriptors that include the reason for revocation, such as a felony charge, a clear and present danger determination, an order of protection, mental health prohibitor, or other regulatory reasons for revocation. This will enable law enforcement to properly vet and triage the law enforcement response for a revoked FOID card.
· The Firearms Services Bureau has enhanced the FOID revocation list shared with all law enforcement to include FTIP history which indicates firearm purchase history as well as the number of firearm purchases utilizing FTIP.
Increasing Enforcement
Enforcement must be increased through greater training and awareness among law enforcement stakeholders of FOID laws and penalties, use of FOID data in routine law enforcement, and implementation of specialized gun violence task forces. To that end:
· The Director is working with sheriffs, police chiefs, and state’s attorneys to increase awareness of FOID provisions and penalties.
· The ISP Academy has been directed to review current training of new cadets as well recurring training requirements regarding FOID laws and update as needed.
· The Director’s designee on the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board(ILETSB) will encourage ILETSB to review local police training requirements on FOID laws.
· ISP officers in Patrol within each District have been directed to always query FOID revocation status when conducting patrol enforcement activity.
· ISP officers in Investigations within each Zone have been directed to always query FOID revocation status when conducting an investigation.
· The ISP Communication Services Bureau has been directed to require all telecommunicators to query FOID revocation status when officers are conducting enforcement or investigation activity.
· The Firearms Services Bureau has been directed to provide each ISP Investigative Zone with a list of revoked individuals who may have provided false information on a FOID or CCL application to determine if an investigation and request for charges of Forgery may be warranted on a case-by-case basis.
· Each Zone Commander has been directed to review the most current revocation list with local state’s attorneys to determine if investigation and citation for violation of various FOID laws is warranted on a case-by-case basis.
· The Division of Operations has been directed to immediately triage the FOID revocation list by Zone, develop a plan of action for the highest risk individuals, work with sheriffs and local police to plan enforcement actions as appropriate, work with state’s attorneys to seek search warrants as appropriate, and conduct ISP-only enforcement operations as appropriate.
· The Division of Operations has been directed to plan for more specialized enforcement over the long term. In late January 2019, the Office of the Governor requested from ISP the funding, manpower, and new cadet requirements necessary to establish a potential gun violence task force that would include FOID related enforcement to be submitted as part of the budget for FY 2020. That proposal was submitted February 8 and included in the Governor’s budget proposal.
· As part of these efforts, Gun Liaison Officers will be designated in every Investigative Zone to collaborate with local law enforcement agencies, coordinate FOID revocation details with an emphasis on getting guns out of the hands of the most dangerous individuals, and ensuring information regarding FOID card revocations is shared with local law enforcement agencies on an ongoing basis.
This is an aggressive, exhaustive effort within existing ISP manpower and statutory parameters. The ISP Office of Governmental Affairs and Public Information Office have been directed to provide any and all available information to the public and policy makers as further action is considered by the legislature.
This is all long overdue. Many kudos to Director Kelly for taking this on.
The layoffs at Western Illinois University has captured the attention of Gov. J.B. Pritzker. […]
He’s well aware that WIU announced last week some 132 faculty and staff positions will be eliminated. Administrators cited reduced state funding and declining enrollment. School statistics show WIU lost more than 4,000 students over the past ten years.
“I proposed an increase in funding for our universities across the board in the state. And Western Illinois is just one of those universities that would get an increase under the budget that I put forward,” said Pritzker.
Um, WIU announced the layoffs well after the governor unveiled his budget plan. The money the governor wants to spend is obviously not enough to forestall those layoffs. The school saw what was coming and pulled the plug.
Later, Pritzker said the state needs a graduated income tax to restore the state’s universities to greatness “and even better.”
[WIU] faculty members also have launched a petition to be delivered to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, urging him to appoint new board members and to provide emergency funding to help stave off the pending layoffs and program cuts.
Three of the seven governor-appointed seats on the board are vacant while the terms of three sitting members expired in January.
The MoveOn petition had more than 4,800 signatures as of Tuesday.
Illinois has lost the greatest number of jobs in some of the industries with the highest earnings over the last 10 years, while gaining jobs in the lowest-paying job sectors during the same period, according to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s latest monthly report. While recent improvement in employment and wage growth in Illinois is “encouraging,” those long-term trends are “still concerning,” according to the report.
The industry with the highest weekly earnings — construction — is also the industry that lost the most jobs in Illinois during the last decade, according to the report. Workers in the construction industry earn an average of $1,424 per week, according to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, but jobs in the construction industry have decreased by 12.4 percent in Illinois since 2008. Similarly, jobs in the broad category of information, which earn an average of $1,335 per week, have decreased by 18.2 percent in Illinois since 2008.
During that same decade, industries like education and health services have been seen the biggest improvement in number of jobs — up 16.2 percent since 2008 — but that industry is among the lowest-paid in Illinois, earning an average of $814 per week. Jobs in the leisure and hospitality subsector have also seen a boom, but those are the lowest-paying jobs in Illinois, with an average weekly pay of $405, according to Bureau of Labor statistics. COGFA also points out that Illinois’ largest subsection, jobs classified as trade, transportation and utilities which employed over 1.2 million Illinoisans in 2018 and made up 20 percent of jobs in Illinois, “also has one of the lowest average weekly earnings totals in the state” — with average weekly earnings of $857.
However, recent trends are encouraging, like a 2.7 percent increase in construction — the state’s highest-paying industry, according to the report. Similarly, jobs under the umbrella of financial activities — another high-paying sector — increased by 2.1 percent during the last year after being essentially flat since 2008. “Time will tell if this recent growth in these higher paying jobs is the beginning of a long-term positive trend or just a temporary blip in an overall disappointing decade of employment activity in Illinois,” according to the report.
More state income tax money and consolidation of downstate police and firefighter pensions top the agenda this year for the state’s mayors.
The Illinois Municipal League said Monday it also is making a priority approval of a capital plan that would provide more money for transportation, water, sewer and other improvements in cities. […]
The mayors also want the state to provide more state income tax money to cities and towns. Local governments were getting 10 percent of state income tax collections. However, local governments did not get a share of the income tax increase, meaning local governments now only receive about 5.75 percent of individual income tax collections and about 6.5 percent of corporate collections.
The IML said the General Assembly continues to impose mandates on local governments whose costs could be offset if the state returned to giving cities 10 percent of income tax collections. That, in turn, would take pressure off local property taxes to cover those costs.
Illinois currently sends just over 6 percent of personal and corporate income taxes to local municipalities, totaling around $1.3 billion in personal and corporate income tax annually.
IML-backed legislation would gradually increase that figure to 10 percent by 2023. […]
Increasing the amount of money directed to municipalities means less money for the state to spend. The state’s financial picture is bleak. Lawmakers face a $3.2 billion deficit in the next budget and more than $8 billion in backlogged bills. The state’s pension systems have more than $134 billion in unfunded liabilities. Pritzker’s proposed budget counts on revenue from recreational marijuana and sports gambling, among other taxes and fees, to plug the gap. Lawmakers have yet to legalize recreational marijuana or sports gambling.
* The Question: Should municipalities be returned to receiving 10 percent of all state income tax collections over four years? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
“For generations, government policy of mass incarceration increased racial disparities by locking up thousands of individuals for marijuana use or possession,” said State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights), the legislation’s chief co-sponsor in the Senate. “Now, as we are discussing legalization, it is of the utmost importance that we learn from these mistakes and acknowledge the lingering effects these policies continue to have in neighborhoods across this state. No conversation about legalization can happen absent that conversation.” […]
“We’re not just trying to add diversity because it looks good. It’s not just diversity for diversity’s sake. It’s for equity’s sake; equity includes economics, it includes criminal justice,” said State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, who is the chief co-sponsor of the legislation in the House. “We’re talking about specific communities that need to be made whole. When this is all normal and nice and people are making money, we will not have succeeded if black people and other people of color are shut out.” […]
“It is important that we work together to establish an adult use cannabis market that works for everyone,” said State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, the legislation’s House sponsor. “We’re contemplating additional license categories such as craft cultivation, transportation and processing to ensure that everyone is at the table. These will create space for more innovation and entrepreneurship in the industry, but more importantly, provide opportunity for more diversity in an industry with a pressing need for it.”
Again, those are the legislative architects of the legalization bill. And it’s abundantly clear from their comments here and elsewhere that diversity and addressing past wrongs is very high on their priority list and always has been.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked about the legislators’ efforts to date when he was at the Daily Herald editorial board…
They’ve done a pretty good job of putting at least the basics together for a bill.
There are pieces of it that I think need to be enhanced and we’re certainly talking to them about those pieces.
For example, I’m very focused on making sure that communities of color, which have been most burdened by the war on drugs, have the ability to get licenses.
The sponsors have asked the governor for a point person on this topic and didn’t get one. They asked for a briefing on Pritzker’s licensing fee plan and didn’t get one. But they did get called out publicly by the governor for not adequately addressing something they… were already diligently working on.
Tuesday, Mar 5, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Just one state in the past 30 years has adopted a progressive income tax: Connecticut. The result? Middle-class tax hikes, lost jobs and increased poverty – not to mention chronic outmigration and a financial situation just as dire as Illinois’.
There are harrowing similarities between the Connecticut experiment and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s push for a progressive income tax in Illinois.
Connecticut lawmakers in the 1990s sold the progressive income tax as a way to provide middle-class tax relief and reduce property taxes. But neither occurred. Instead, the typical Connecticut household has seen its income tax rates increase more than 13 percent since 1999. At the same time, property tax burdens have risen by more than 35 percent.
Pritzker’s argument for the progressive income tax relies on the same myths – that it will allow for middle-class tax relief and lower property taxes, and shore up the state’s finances.
But if Illinois ditches its constitutionally protected flat income tax, Illinoisans will face the same fate as Connecticut – higher taxes for everyone, fewer jobs and an even more sluggish economy.
The metro-east’s and southern Illinois’ wish lists for a capital bill include road improvements and building construction, but a way to pay for the projects remains elusive.
Members of the state Senate Subcommittee on Capital met Monday at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville for the first of five regional hearings on local construction needs around the state. The remaining four hearings are scheduled around the state this spring. […]
When state Sen. Martin Sandoval D-Chicago, asked representatives from Southern Illinois University if they would be willing to pay a higher gas tax, or tax on candy or license plate renewals, taxing freight or pollution, few, if any people raised their hands.
Senators said they would need to have support from people asking for funding on ways to help pay for the construction projects.
“We’re going to have to make the case for revenue to 12 million taxpayers in the state of Illinois, and it would be helpful if we had organizations making requests for capital, also publicly support the revenue needs in order to make that happen,” said state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago.
Officials from the Southern Illinois University system presented a long list of projects, starting with an $83 million plan to refurbish the aging mass communications and media arts building and a $98 million science building on the Carbondale campus. The university is also hoping for a new education building for its medical school campus in Springfield.
In addition to those projects, however, John Dunn, interim chancellor of the SIU Carbondale campus said the school has a backlog of about $700 million worth of “deferred maintenance” projects.
“Visually, we need cranes on our campus,” he said. “Cranes on the campus send a powerful message to the public at-large that we’re alive and well, we’re working forward and we’re creating jobs.”
Sandoval occasionally had a number of sharp questions for those testifying, ranging from how they would guarantee inclusion of women, minorities and veterans in various infrastructure projects, to pointed questions about how it should be paid for.
He repeatedly asked those testifying that question, often asking specifically if they would support a gas tax, mileage tax or other tax increases.
Responses ranged from some saying that it was the legislator’s job to figure that out, to a few others who said they would support some specific measures. They often couched those answers by saying elected officials would have to do a better job of explaining exactly how the money would be spent.
* Gov. Pritzker sat down with the Daily Herald editorial board yesterday. I’m still going through the whole thing, but he said this when asked why people were moving out of state…
I think there are several reasons. One is that we have been significantly underfunding education in the state and one of the reasons that business and jobs get created in the state is because it has great talent and it invests in that talent. That’s certainly why people come here on a day like this when it’s below zero. Why would a business choose Illinois? It’s because we’ve got great people, we have terrific talent. And it’s because we have great universities, and because we are producing great talent that we can work in those businesses.
But not if you don’t invest in it. So, we lose people in part because we aren’t continuing to invest in the talent that we need. We lose people because we have a property tax system that overburdens people. And we lose people because when you don’t fund universities, and when you threaten not to fund MAP grants, tens of thousands, it turns out it’s more than 72 thousand, young people choose not to go to school in Illinois and when they leave about 70 percent of them don’t come back. So those are all things that contribute to why people leave.
He was kind of all over the place there, but your thoughts on what he said?
Illinois needs to replace its current income-tax system, which has long allowed rich people and big corporations to get away with not paying their share. We should amend the constitution to permit a fair tax that requires wealthy people with higher incomes to pay more, while allowing working people with lower incomes to pay less.
A recent “fact check” by the Better Government Association overly complicates Gov. JB Pritzker’s position on this important issue. The governor is taking the lead to pass a fair tax because he understands that for our state to thrive, we need to fund our schools and universities, rebuild our infrastructure and pay our bills—and that wealthy people like himself can and should pay a little more to make that possible.
The BGA suggests there are alternatives to a fair tax amendment that would also raise needed revenue while cutting taxes for low- and middle-income taxpayers. That in itself is only half true: The devil is in the details.
One BGA alternative is expanding the state sales tax to services. Yes, a tax on brokers, lawyers and chartered jets would fall mostly on the rich, but applying sales tax to haircuts and dry-cleaning, not so much. Plus this approach wouldn’t raise significant revenue if, as the BGA suggests, the rate was lowered at the same time.
The BGA also looks at taxing retirement income, something the governor opposes. If such a proposal were limited only to rich retirees, it would likely run afoul of the very constitutional provision the fair tax seeks to amend.
Finally, the BGA raises the prospect of a significant rate increase in the current flat tax, accompanied by increased exemptions and credits to reduce the impact on lower-income taxpayers. That’s just a complicated, backdoor way to achieve the basic goals of adequate revenue, fairly raised. Better to pursue those goals in the most clear and straightforward way possible: By asking voters to change the constitution and permit a fair tax.
That’s not only the best public policy, but good, transparent government, too: It allows voters to democratically decide for themselves whether the state will move to a fair tax system. That may be why more than 7 of 10 Illinoisans backed the fair tax amendment in a Paul Simon Institute poll last year.
It was the Stamp Act of 1765 that seeded the colonists’ revolution against British government overreach when taxation transitioned from a tool to regulate commerce into a mechanism to raise revenue. Attitudes toward taxation are distinct in the U.S. and particularly in the Midwest. Taxpayers deserve respect.
Conservatives accept and participate in taxation. We understand that taxes are fundamental to paying for education, public safety, infrastructure and services for the most vulnerable.
What we rebel against is the inefficient expenditure of the bounty, the refusal to enforce spending discipline, the corruption woven throughout state and local government that feeds the beast.
There’s no way to argue with a straight face that the Illinois politicians in power now have thoughtfully approached the sacred nature of taxation. Instead, they’ll impose a graduated tax rate without allowing commensurate relief on the constitution’s pension clause. And they’ll present their graduated tax rate schedule as proof of their moral compass.
But the question is: Where was that moral compass all along?
As Gov. J.B. Pritzker prepares for talks with legislative leaders about possible tax rates and income levels for a progressive income tax in Illinois, a pro-business group is calling for those discussions to be done in public. […]
Greg Baise, the leader of Ideas Illinois, a group formed to oppose a graduated income tax system in the state, said any such negotiations should be done in the open, especially around tax time.
“As they prepare for April 15 this year, people are sort of paying attention to [income taxes] right now,” Baise said. “So we’re suggesting let’s have openness and transparency. Politicians love to talk about that until they want to start talking about your money.” […]
A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said he’s “not aware of any plans” for a leaders’ meeting to discuss the rates of a progressive tax.
“The Senate President looks forward to a comprehensive, bipartisan discussion this session. For years people have been saying Illinois should be more like our neighboring states that have more modern and fairer tax systems,” Senate President John Cullerton’s spokesman John Patterson said in an email.
Baise ably ran the Illinois Manufacturers Association for over a quarter of a century. He started life as a political golden boy who became Gov. Jim Thompson’s patronage chief and transportation secretary. That Greg Baise would’ve laughed off any suggestion that leaders meetings be held in public.
Also, as he well knows, if you’re completely opposed to a proposal from the get-go, you don’t get an invite to the table. Why negotiate with a solid “No”?
