“This revelation is shocking and beyond words,” House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, said in a statement this week. “I am disturbed by the fact that horrific and possible criminal actions may have occurred and government officials, Mike McClain and his enablers chose to stay silent instead of taking action.
“There needs to be an immediate criminal investigation into the content of McClain’s email to the administration, and I encourage anyone with information on this to report it immediately to the proper authorities.”
[I uploaded the wrong file. I replaced it with a much shorter, on-topic clip.]
* A sampling from Twitter…
This is absolutely disgraceful. Anyone with knowledge of the rape and coverup referenced in this email must come forward immediately. #twillhttps://t.co/hjik5EZi58
Covering up ghost payrolling is bad in itself. Madigan & his crew take it to a whole new level in covering up a possible rape?! WTH! It is long past time for Madigan to retire. Shameful that no Illinois Democrats are calling for him to step down #twillhttps://t.co/hvgYN0gbAv
The latest email from Mike McClain, uncovered by WBEZ, to the top staff of the former Quinn administration is beyond comprehension. We all know that McClain is one of Madigan’s closest allies, most trusted lobbyist and personal friend of the Speaker. What we didn’t know is that when McClain carried on as Madigan’s enforcer, he cited the cover-up of a rape as a badge of honor when imploring government officials to protect his patronage hire.
“The company you keep for decades says a lot about the type of person you are. Madigan and his leadership - the power structure of the Democratic party in Illinois - is rotten to the core. Madigan must provide answers immediately to these two questions: what did you know about the rape and when did you know it?” - ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan released the following statement Wednesday regarding the Jan. 7 WBEZ story:
“These are extremely serious and troubling allegations. I had no knowledge of the incident referenced in the story and only learned of this today. I encourage those with any information to come forward.”
Um, OK.
Your thoughts? (And that will serve as our Question of the Day.)
A Cook County judge has ordered Google to turn over Jussie Smollett’s emails, photos, location data and private messages for an entire year as part of the special prosecutor’s investigation into the purported attack on the actor.
Two sweeping search warrants, obtained by the Chicago Tribune, provide the first public glimpse at the direction of the probe by special prosecutor Dan Webb more than four months into the investigation.
The warrants, filed last month in Circuit Court, sought a trove of documentation from Smollett and his manager’s Google accounts — not just emails but also drafted and deleted messages; any files in their Google Drive cloud storage services; any Google Voice texts, calls and contacts; search and web browsing history; and location data.
Investigators sought a full year’s data — from November 2018 to November 2019 — even though the key events in the controversy took place between late January and late March 2019. Authorities could be looking for any incriminating remarks from Smollett or his manager, especially in the months after State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office abruptly dismissed disorderly conduct charges against the then-”Empire” actor just weeks after his indictment.
Bill Conway, a candidate for Cook County state’s attorney, is out with a new ad that has him invoking a line from criminal justice reformer and incumbent Kim Foxx. “We have a mass incarceration problem,” Conway says in the opening of the ad. The short piece also juxtaposes video of Foxx and Jussie Smollett, the actor who says he was beaten by homophobic, MAGA-loving thugs. That’s when a voice-over says Conway “will end the scandals and corruption that keep our criminal justice system broken.”
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has called in some heavy legal reinforcements to help her deal with the continuing probe of how she and her office charged and then dropped charges against TV star Jussie Smollett over an allegedly faked downtown attack.
Retained to represent Foxx’s office is the Chicago office of Akerman and specifically litigation partner Ruben Castillo, who joined the law firm this fall after stepping down as chief judge of the federal court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Hired by Foxx personally is prominent Washington, D.C., attorney Michael Bromwich, a spokesman for Foxx’s campaign confirmed. Bromwich is a former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Justice but probably is best known for representing witness Christine Blasey Ford in U.S. Senate hearings on the confirmation of then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Although Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx submitted nearly three times the number of signatures needed to be placed on the ballot, challengers argued on Monday that more than half of her nominating petitions were improperly completed and she should be disqualified from seeking reelection.
Attorneys for Bob Fioretti, who is running against Foxx, said that a review of her 20,762 signatures showed that thousands of them were problematic — either the address didn’t match the signee properly or the collector didn’t label the petition with the proper address listed on voter records. Ultimately, the discrepancies represented a “pattern of fraud,” attorneys argued. […]
Foxx’s attorneys said that there is no evidence to support such bold claims and that Foxx collected well above the required number of signatures, anticipating that some might “innocently” be deemed illegitimate. Residents signing at shopping centers, train stations and other public venues may not always give the right address, and some enthusiastic residents might sign for their entire families — a move that’s improper but not illegal.
Fioretti told Playbook he has a wealthy benefactor helping pay for the attorneys and researchers needed to fuel his effort.
If that’s true, he hasn’t yet reported any contributions, in-kind or otherwise, that would support such an effort.
From the Foxx campaign…
“The objection presented by Mrs. Foxx’s perennial candidate, is nothing more than a press release masquerading as an objection,” said Campaign Attorney Mike Kreloff. “His team disregarded legal procedure, had no evidence to offer, and as a result made a mockery of his case and his candidacy.”
Former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti is ramping up his challenge of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s re-election campaign.
Fioretti is calling for the state’s attorney to have her campaign chairwoman and treasurer resign after what he calls a “pattern of lawlessness and dishonesty.”
The Democrat claimed cell phone video shows Nakia Gibson battered a man last week who was trying to serve her outside her Lansing home with a subpoena regarding another election case.
* Foxx also announced her campaign team this week…
Chrystian Woods who serves as Campaign Manager has assembled a diverse team established to support Kim Foxx. Woods has a lengthy background in politics, where she has consistently served progressive candidates. She most recently worked for Beto O’Rourke’s presidential bid as National Director of Outreach. Prior to that, Woods held several top leadership roles in the Democratic Party of Georgia and served as a senior advisor in the coordinated effort to elect Stacey Abrams. During Hillary Clinton’s presidential run, Woods led the work to flip two of the largest metropolitan counties in Georgia for the first time in decades.
Christopher Scott will serve as the new Deputy Campaign Manager. As a native midwesterner, Scott has served in the region for several years. Most recently he worked as the Executive Director of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus where he oversaw daily operations for the oldest legislative black caucus in the country. Prior to that, Scott served as the Minority Engagement and Special Projects Manager for the Ohio Democratic Party. Scott began his lengthy career in politics as a congressional intern for Congressman John Lewis in addition to working for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign in Ohio. Scott has also worked on several races in Texas including helping with coordinated efforts under Battleground Texas to elect Wendy Davis as Texas Governor.
Sylvia Ewing brings a breadth of local media knowledge and will be promoted to serve as the Communications Advisor for Friends for Foxx. She has a long history of working with Chicago’s media partners in addition to her outstanding strategic communication work for several local organizations. Ewing also previously worked on Chuy Garcia’s mayoral campaign.
Claudia Tristán will now serve as the Communications Director. Tristán joins Friends for Foxx following her work as Director of Latinx Messaging at the Beto for America presidential campaign. While there she oversaw Spanish and English language content geared towards Latinx voters. Prior to that, she worked as the Bilingual Press Secretary for Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico. Tristán was previously an immigration journalist on the border where she covered the Trump Administration’s deadly immigration policies including family separation, Migrant Protection Protocol, and child migrant deaths in government care. She has experience in both English and Spanish broadcast news.
Neal Stevens-Jackson has extensive digital experience and will serve as Digital Director. Stevens-Jackson helped efforts to elect Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker while working on his campaign as Social Media Coordinator. Prior to that, she worked with the League of Conservation Voters in Washington D.C. where she is originally from.
Lamar C. Brown, a native Chicagoan, is joining Friends for Foxx as Political Director. Brown has strong ties to the Chicago community after his work in the Office of the City Clerk as Director of Intergovernmental and Community Affairs. He previously served as Assistant Sergeant-At-Arms for the Chicago City Council and for the 8th Ward Regular Democratic Organization.
Darrin Owens joins the Friends for Foxx campaign as Field Director. Owens is coming off of the Kamala Harris presidential campaign where he worked as Regional Organizing Director in Nevada. There he focused on engaging and mobilizing African American and faith-based constituencies. In 2018, Owens served on a coordinated campaign to elect Stacey Abrams. His work in community organizing began while in college when he worked as a campus fellow for the Hillary for America campaign.
Illinois ranks among the worst states in the country for how it cares for people with developmental disabilities, according to Ancor, a national association of more than 1,600 private providers of services to people with disabilities. Since 2011, the state has been under a federal court order to do better. The question is, how much better can the state afford to be?
The state spends at least $400 million a year on services and aid for the developmentally disabled, according to Allison Stark, director of the Human Services Department’s division of developmental disabilities. She estimates Illinois would have to double that amount to eliminate the wait for services.
There aren’t enough community programs and group homes, said Stark, who served as CEO of a community provider before being hired by the state. Some providers, strapped for resources, are unwilling to accept people who need highly skilled care. […]
There are roughly 19,500 people on a waiting list the state keeps of those who want state aid and services. About 8,200 of them are actively seeking services and about 11,300 anticipate needing services sometime in the future. Generally, no one under 18 is selected unless there is a “crisis situation” such as homelessness or abuse or neglect, according to Stark.
Under a “reasonable pace” provision in the court order, the state has promised that by 2025, no person will wait more than five years after their 18th birthday to receive state aid to pay for home care, job coaches or other services. The current wait is as long as seven years. Stark said the department is on track to reach its target.
Former state Sen. Patrick Welch, who represented most of La Salle and Bureau counties for 22 years, died Tuesday from complications of a stroke. The longtime Peru Democrat had recently turned 71. […]
He was 33 years old when he trudged through snow to campaign against Hoxsey in 1982, attributing his upset win to the “sympathy vote” he got from homeowners who marveled at him stumping in the bitter cold.
Welch’s Senate colleagues derided him as a “one-term wonder,” but he proved them wrong. Former La Salle County coroner Jody Bernard remembered Welch as intelligent, knowledgeable and sharp with a “phenomenal” grasp of state government. […]
Welch remained in state government, accepting a 2005 post as assistant director of the Illinois Department of Revenue. Welch retired from Revenue and, in 2011, from practicing law; but his final years were pockmarked by tragedy. His only son Daniel died suddenly at age 25 in 2007 and Welch’s former wife Bonnie succumbed to cancer four years later.
Welch personally was afflicted with dementia, a fact revealed last fall when a missing-person alert was issued for him by Orland Park police. He was located safe in Chicago.
I knew Pat longer than I’ve known anyone else in Illinois politics. I met him in 1982 during his first campaign when I was in college. He was not supposed to win, but, man, did he ever run a smart campaign and he worked so very hard. May he rest in peace.
…Adding… Senate President John Cullerton…
“It’s with a heavy heart that I express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of my former colleague Pat Welch. He was a man with the savvy and the determination to be a true, principled public servant to the people he represented.
“Pat was a fighter for his ideals. He left behind a legislative legacy of equal pay for equal work, environmental protection and investment in local infrastructure. The Pat Welch I had the honor of serving with is the sort of person we speak of when we talk about statesmanship. He will be dearly missed.”
John C. “Jack” McGuire passed away peacefully at the age of 86 on Thursday, January 2, 2020. He was born on May 12, 1933, in Joliet, IL, to Emmett J. and Mildred A. (née Clark) McGuire.
Jack graduated from Joliet Catholic High School in 1951. He then attended Joliet Junior College where he was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame. He then entered the United States Army where he was stationed in Germany during the Korean War with his twin brother and best friend, Jim. Upon completing his tour with the United States Army, he enrolled at Colorado State College and graduated in 1958. Jack was a member of the football team for both Joliet Catholic High School and Colorado State College.
Jack was a parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church and a member of the American Legion Post 1080, the Irish-American Society of County Will, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Cantigny Post 367. He volunteered for Meals On Wheels and Cornerstone, as well as various other community organizations.
Jack was elected as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives. He represented the 86th District from 1990 to 2012 and served as Assistant Majority Leader and former Chairman of the House Aging Committee, where he was a champion of senior issues. In 2012, he also received the Larry Walsh Lifetime Achievement Award. Prior to his election to the House, McGuire served as Supervisor in Joliet Township from 1982 to 1990, and as Trustee from 1973 to 1982.
Jack was an avid runner and completed the Chicago Marathon in 1986. He loved golf and taking family trips with all of his grandchildren to Siesta Key, Florida and South Haven, Michigan. He also enjoyed attending Joliet Catholic football games on Friday nights.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn J. “Mitzi” (Miller); his parents; one son, Thomas L. McGuire; one brother, Paul McGuire; one sister, Helen La Barre; second wife, Patricia; and numerous in-laws.
Jack is survived by his loving children, Kathleen A. (John) Dougherty, Michael E. McGuire and Julie A. (Thomas) Sicinski.; grandchildren, Jillian (fiancé Sean Whitney), Patrick and Michael Dougherty, Thomas, Patrick (Liz), Michael (Amy) and Sean McGuire, and Alexander, Stephanie, Emily and Zachary Sicinski; great-grandchildren, Baird, Shae and Henry McGuire; one great-grandson due in the spring; his twin brother, James E. (Judith) McGuire; sister-in-law, Marilyn A. McGuire; brother-in-law, James Miller; and sisters-in-law, Lois Bernhard and Ruth Ann Campbell. Several nieces and nephews also survive.
The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to Jack’s caregiver, Paddy, who came into his life not knowing the kind of friendship that would develop. Paddy and Jack had a deep connection formed by their conversation and the music he played for him, making every day of Jack’s life better.
Visitation for John C. “Jack” McGuire will be held on Thursday, January 9, 2020, from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Rd. (at Essington Rd.), Joliet, IL. Funeral Services will be Friday, January 10, 2020, at 9:15 a.m. from the funeral home chapel to St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 18 Woodlawn Ave., Joliet, IL, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery in Romeoville, IL. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in the name of John C. “Jack” McGuire to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Jack was always a man of his word and he had a sweet soul. He was also very proud of his nephew, Sen. Pat McGuire.
Illinois could lighten its property tax burden by consolidating governmental taxing districts, standardizing property-value assessments, tightening up the appeals process and reining in breaks on commercial redevelopments, according to a draft report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.
The unpublished report, required by state law signed last summer by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, found that Illinois hauls in $30 billion a year, or 38% of the total taxes collected, from a system put in place when the state was founded on its agricultural economy. Now it’s best known as the nation’s next-to-costliest, behind New Jersey. […]
Income-producing properties, which change hands much more infrequently than homes, where sales data can be utilized in assessments, poses another problem. The task force recommended that building owners submit the income and expense data for their business properties to give assessors more accurate information.
More accurate assessments at the front end should reduce the staggering number of assessment appeals. But the report said higher standards should apply to appeals. Outside data, it said, have indicated that appeals often result in much greater reductions for high-value properties than lower-valued ones, relative to cash value.
To put that number into context, state government revenues totaled about $41 billion last fiscal year, which isn’t much more than the locals collected.
Illinois State Police officials are working on a new service to reduce a backlog of more than 60,000 new, changed or renewal requests for Firearm Owners’ Identification cards, but it’s expensive and will take time.
The Illinois State Police posted an update on the agency’s Facebook page Saturday that said it has about “62,000 FOID applications under review which includes new, renewals and changes.”
We currently have approximately 62,000 FOID applications under review which includes new, renewals and changes.
FOID card holders will remain valid throughout the renewal process, as long as they apply for their card renewal prior to the expiration date on their FOID card.
The ISP’s FSB is currently working on implementing a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution to provide improvements and efficiencies to the call center. The State of Illinois vendor contract with Presidio has an estimated implementation cost of $750,000 with a recurring monthly cost of $10,000; these costs are being paid for through the State Police Firearm Services Fund. The new VoIP system allows for not only automated processes, such as completing an application without having to speak to an agent, it is also interactive. It will work in conjunction with the existing system and agents to populate their computer with information ahead of receiving a caller, to better and more quickly assist them.
The call flow allows callers to select their specific issues and potentially resolve them independent of an agent. The system will also enable a person to request a call back without having to remain on the line. In addition, it will provide callers the ability to renew a FOID card or Concealed Carry License (CCL) with no address change over the phone, including payment, without speaking to a live agent.
Until improvements in the call center are completed, there are four methods for obtaining assistance with FOID/CCL related issues. Applicants may call (217) 782-7980; they can visit the Illinois State Police home page and click the Firearms tab to the left where they will find a section related directly to FOID/CCL, complete with a FAQ section: https://www.ispfsb.com/; for video tutorials related to FOID/CCL, they can visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqmvVzpfjsojFnd50HndO5A; or they can email the FSB at ISP.ASKFOID@illinois.gov where a customer service agent can provide assistance.
“The new system will allow for not only an automated process of an application, such as completing an application without having to an agent, but it will also be interactive,” ISP Sgt. Jacqueline Cepeda said.
She said that the service will also allow applicants to pay fees without speaking to a live operator.
There is no timeline for completion of the automation program, Cepeda said.
The visionary urban planner chosen by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to lead the Chicago Department of Transportation on Tuesday embraced the red-light camera program that motorists love to hate, saying Chicago has turned the page from a $2 million bribery scandal. […]
Gia Biagi told aldermen at her confirmation hearing that Chicago’s 300 red-light cameras have served their purpose in improving driver safety and must remain in place.
“Both red-light and speed zone indicators — through a study we did with Northwestern, I think, in 2017 — we know that they are a deterrent. Speeds do reduce [by] anywhere from 10% to 11%, particularly in areas around parks and schools,” Biagi told the City Council’s Transportation Committee.
“On the corruption side, we feel like we’ve reformed our program and think it’s pretty tight. But we’ll take a look at it and make sure that everything’s kosher.” […]
Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned on a promise to audit the city’s network of red-light cameras and “sunset those cameras that are only being used for revenue — not safety.”
Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday grilled officials about the practice of locking kids in “seclusion rooms” in schools. It’s the first legislative hearing since a news report brought attention to the practice late last year.
The story, from ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune, revealed thousands of incidents in which kids with special needs were locked away, usually alone, and often for reasons that broke the law.
Venessa Fawley, the mother of a 9-year-old on the autism spectrum, told lawmakers she wasn’t shocked by the report, “but what really angered me is that such criminal abuse went on for so long with little accountability.”
“Where was the oversight?” she asked. “Who was in charge?”
* Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune…
“Schools have become very punitive in how they’re dealing with students with disabilities. This is their go-to method for not doing homework, not putting their shirttail in. You’re just seeing some very abusive use,” said Zena Naiditch, CEO of the disabilities watchdog group Equip for Equality. […]
At Tuesday’s hearing, some lawmakers questioned whether there are times when schools should be able to use seclusion “therapeutically,” including when a staff member is with a student.
“There’s no evidence that shows seclusion rooms are effective for disciplinary actions nor for therapeutic intervention — like, zero,” Kyle Hillman, director of legislative affairs for the National Association of Social Workers, told legislators. He urged the lawmakers to ban seclusion altogether rather than making exceptions or special allowances.
“If a single mother, particularly of color, was locking their child in a closet, standing outside while the child was screaming, defecating itself repeatedly, this body would be asking for criminal charges,” Hillman said. “This is happening in our schools and we’re looking for ways to still make this possible for them to do it.”
Instead, state officials should be adding social workers, behavioral experts and other trained staff to schools, and requiring more and better training on how to help students in crisis, according to educators, advocates and a parent who spoke at the hearing. […]
The agency’s proposed rules would require that staff members receive eight hours of training annually that includes de-escalation and trauma-informed care. Some educators said that’s not enough.
“We see that as wholly insufficient,” said Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. “When you are not trained fully, repeatedly, consistently over time, when bad things happen, emotions kick in and that’s when things really go haywire.”
Officials from the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance, which advocates for school administrators and school boards, suggested that seclusion is appropriate for some types of children and told legislators that the schools spotlighted in “The Quiet Rooms” weren’t representative of most schools. That drew a rebuke from Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook, who shared a personal story of his own traumatic experience with seclusion as a child.
Rep. Jonathan Carroll, a Northbrook Democrat, is sponsoring a bill to ban the practice of “seclusion,” which is defined as “a discipline management practice or behavior management technique in which a student is confined in an enclosed space that is designed solely to seclude a person, regardless of space or dimension, whether it is a box, a closet, a room, or any other specially designated locked or unlocked space.”
He said the matter was personal to him, as he said he was physically restrained and placed in such a room as a child.
“It was horrible that we treat children with special needs the same way we treat our most hardened criminals, and this is something that needs to stop now, and this is something that we have to stop both as a legislative body and as a state,” he said.
* Background is here if you need it. Not much out there, but this is what I found…
And let’s stop pretending he’s a “former” anything. This is the guy who for decades has been seen as the most powerful lobbyist in the state and remains incredibly close to the Speaker.
Stunning and incredibly disturbing to read about the callous dismissal of a rape and its coverup. Anyone involved must be held accountable and an investigation should be conducted immediately. No one is above the law. https://t.co/ulc58GNy08
Pritzker's office on the alleged rape, says "the administration’s general counsel referred this email to the appropriate investigatory authority, who will make a determination about what next steps can be taken." https://t.co/hZInr23zRi
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy and high profile sexual harassment victims Alaina Hampton and Sherri Garrett issued the following statement on Wednesday in response to a WBEZ report on an email from powerful Springfield ComEd lobbyist Michael McClain indicating a possible cover-up of a rape in Champaign:
“According to the WBEZ report, Mr. McClain “sought leniency for a state worker in a disciplinary case by arguing that the worker ‘kept his mouth shut’ about an unspecified rape downstate.” This isn’t the first disgusting, dangerous and brazen display of misogyny we’ve seen from Mr. McClain, but that doesn’t make it any less outrageous. If the reports are even partially true, this represents a conspiracy to conceal a criminal sexual assault at the highest levels of state government.
“We call upon law enforcement leaders, including Champaign County State’s Attorney Julie Rietz and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, if appropriate, to immediately open an investigation into these allegations, and, if necessary, to impanel a grand jury. Mr. McClain, relevant members of the Quinn administration and anyone else who had knowledge of this possible rape must be compelled, via subpoena if necessary, to disclose this information to law enforcement to ensure that any possible rapist is brought to justice. If the State’s Attorney won’t take action, a special prosecutor should be appointed who will. The only way to end the rape culture that has fully infected our politics in Illinois is to take bold, unequivocal action to root it out, right now.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Rep. Deb Conroy…
Like so many others I am still trying to process the horror of anyone covering up a rape. No one is above the law and anyone who thinks they can cover up something to preserve their power has sold their soul to the devil. #WhenWillItStop
Shocked and angered by a possible sexual assault political cover-up, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is asking anyone with information to come forward.
The request comes in response to a WBEZ article regarding a 2012 email to officials within then-Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration that references someone keeping quiet about “the rape in Champaign.”
“This is frightening and disturbing. Sexual assault allegations need to be taken seriously. If anyone has any information about this crime, please get in touch with authorities. This needs to be investigated and prosecuted. The public needs answers, people need to be held accountable and somewhere there’s a victim who deserves justice. The conduct I read in that email is disgusting and will not be tolerated,” Senator Bennett said.
If you have information please contact:
• Champaign County State’s Attorney, 217-384-3733
• Illinois State Police, 217-278-5000
• Illinois Executive Inspector General, 312-814-5600
* Senate Women’s Caucus…
Outraged by a possible sexual assault cover-up, the Illinois Senate Women’s Caucus is asking anyone with information to come forward.
The request comes in response to a WBEZ article regarding a 2012 email to officials within then-Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration that references someone keeping quiet about “the rape in Champaign.”
“That email is horrifying. If anyone has any information about this crime, please contact authorities. Sexual assault will not be tolerated. We need to get to the bottom of this and hold people accountable,” said Sen. Linda Holmes, an Aurora Democrat and co-chair of the Senate Women’s Caucus.
“I am stunned and disturbed that keeping quiet about a rape was so casually offered up as proof of loyalty. This needs to be investigated thoroughly and anyone who helped cover it up needs to face the consequences. Please, if you know anything at all about this incident, contact the appropriate authorities,” said Sen. Sue Rezin, a Morris Republican and co-chair of the Senate Women’s Caucus.
*** UPDATE 2 *** I missed this one from last night…
State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, released the following statement in response to a WBEZ report uncovering emails between a former statehouse lobbyist and high-level employees of the Quinn administration that allude to a possible cover-up of rape by state employees:
“I am shocked, horrified, and disgusted to learn about emails from lobbyist Mike McClain that indicate he was aware of, or possibly complicit in, covering up a rape in Champaign, Illinois. We cannot and must not tolerate unethical and potentially criminal behavior involving those with influence in state government.
“Those in positions of public trust who have broken the law must be held accountable – this applies to everyone equally and without prejudice, no matter who they are. Our entire justice system is predicated on the idea that no one is above the law.
“As a legislator, a human rights attorney, and an advocate for victims of sexual violence, I demand that the questions of misconduct raised by these emails be investigated fully and, if found credible, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“This must end. I share in the sentiments expressed by my colleagues who have spoken out. I too am sickened by what I’ve learned. Anyone who has violated their ethical duty to serve the public in good faith should go – the sooner, the better. It’s time to end the toxic ‘old boys’ club’ culture wherein women are disposable, ethics only apply to some, and accountability for the powerful is nonexistent. A full investigation and appropriate subsequent legal action is the only way to truly address this issue.”
Message from the Governor of the Great State of Illinois, JB Pritzker:
To the Families and Service Members of the Illinois National Guard,
Tonight, there are nearly 700 Illinois National Guard Soldiers and Airmen deployed around the world and thousands of service members in every branch of our military who call Illinois home. And tonight, there are Illinois military families in every corner of our state who are praying for those they love who are in harm’s way. MK and I join these families in offering our prayers for the wellbeing and safety of our brave service members.
As news breaks of the Iranian attack against al Asad Air Base and U.S. forces in Erbil, I also want you to know that the entire state of Illinois stands behind you. We stand in awe of those who have answered the call to serve, those who knew the risks and still bravely deployed overseas so we remain safe at home. Know that you have the gratitude and the strength of your fellow Illinoisans, and we are ready to welcome you home when your work is done.
May God bless the heroes who risk their lives to preserve our freedom and God bless the United States of America.
Sincerely,
State Rep. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) was appointed to the 11th District State Senate seat on Tuesday evening by the Democratic Legislative Committee of the 11th Legislative District, after Sen. Martin Sandoval vacated the position.
“It is long past time for ethical, principled, progressive leadership to fight for the working families of the 11th District,” said Sen. Villanueva. “I hit the ground running and kept sprinting throughout my tenure as state representative standing up for the families of the Southwest Side–I’m proud of the progressive legislation I’ve added to my legacy so far, and I’m ready to step up and lead the way forward to a brighter future for our most vulnerable communities.”
Sen. Villanueva is the only candidate who filed petitions with the State Board of Elections in order to appear on the March 17 primary ballot to fill the 11th District seat.
The sudden resignation of Sen. Sandoval, embroiled in a federal investigation into corruption allegations, triggered the special succession process that will lead to a March 17 special election to fulfill the remaining two years of Sen. Sandoval’s term.
Villanueva was sworn into the House of Representatives in July 2018. In her tenure as State Representative, she has championed cannabis legalization, the Reproductive Health Act, legislation to protect immigrant rights, and the bill that creates a pathway to a fair income tax, which would require the very wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes.
The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Villanueva is an alumna of the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, and Kenwood Academy High School on Chicago’s South Side. Prior to becoming State Representative, Villanueva served as Civic and Youth Engagement Manager at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
In the House, Villanueva served on the Labor & Commerce Committee and the Elections & Campaign Finance; Public Utilities; and Appropriations-Human Services and Higher Education committees.
The 11th Senate District includes Brighton Park, Clearing, Gage Park, Garfield Ridge, Little Village, West Lawn, and municipalities of Bedford Park, Burbank, Cicero, Forest View, Lyons, McCook, Stickney, Summit and Riverside.
A powerful former Springfield lobbyist and close friend of House Speaker Michael Madigan once sought leniency for a state worker in a disciplinary case by arguing that the worker “kept his mouth shut” about an unspecified rape downstate.
In the previously undisclosed, 2012 email, ex-lobbyist Michael McClain urged two top aides to then-Gov. Pat Quinn to avoid firing the worker, also telling them the man was politically “loyal” to Quinn and stayed silent about “ghost workers.” […]
The disclosure of the 2012 email — which WBEZ obtained recently through an open-records request — immediately prompted calls for an investigation from Gov. JB Pritzker and the top Republican in the Illinois House, who called the email’s contents “horrific.” […]
Newly obtained emails plainly demonstrate McClain’s unique level of access and influence. McClain urged Quinn’s aides not to let pending disciplinary action against the state worker “get out of hand.” A day later he thanked them for what he said was the abrupt postponement of a hearing in the case, saying, “Nothing happens accidentally.”
Mandate that school districts with significant cash reserves must either abate the excess reserves by lowering the levy or identify the purpose and utilization timeline of the funds.
Some wealthier districts are sitting on a year of operating cash reserves, or even more.
* The Question: Your thoughts on this idea?
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
MEDIA ADVISORY: Leader Jim Durkin, House Republicans to Discuss Democrat Failure to Reduce Sky High Property Taxes
WHO: House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, State Reps. Deanne Mazzochi, Amy Grant, Dan Ugaste, Grant Wehrli, Tom Morrison
WHAT: Democrat Failures of the Property Tax Relief Task Force
WHEN: 11:30AM on January 8, 2020
WHERE: Blueroom at the James R. Thompson Center, 100 West Randolph Street 15th Floor, Chicago Illinois
At least six Chicago dispensaries are closed to recreational marijuana customers Monday as many retailers grapple with supply issues in the wake of legalization. […]
Jason Erkes, a spokesman for Cresco Labs, said four of the company’s newly rebranded Sunnyside Dispensaries will be closed Monday “to reset and give the staff that has worked five 14-hour days straight a break.” That includes locations in Lake View, Elmwood Park, Rockford and Champaign.
However, Erkes said, the shops will have flower, vapes, concentrates and edibles available when the shops reopen Tuesday.
“There are no product supply shortages — just a shortage of state-approved employees to help efficiently service the hundreds of people that have been showing up every day to make their first legal cannabis purchase in Illinois,” Erkes said.
The reason that company doesn’t have a shortage problem is because it owns three cultivation facilities. It’s vertically integrated. Allowing this practice is one of the things I really did not like about the new law. We should have a three-tiered system (producers, distributors, retailers) like we have with alcohol to help avoid these sorts of hoarding issues.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to create licensed places for on-site consumption of recreational marijuana in Chicago ran into a buzz-kill of opposition Monday by black and Hispanic aldermen concerned it will pave the way for a new wave of drug arrests.
“Our concern, as aldermen who represent the South and West Sides, is that it’s not gonna work and there’s gonna be illegal dens of people smoking the stuff,” Ald. Howard Brookins (21st) told the Chicago Sun-Times after a closed-door briefing on the mayor’s ordinance.
“There’s no stand-alone or free-standing smoke shops within the communities we’re talking about. And if you were able to find a cigar bar or lounge, the two customers just don’t mix.”
Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th), former chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus, agreed with his fellow cigar-smoker that Lightfoot’s plan to limit consumption-on-premises licenses to retail tobacco stores that derive 80% of their revenue from the sale of tobacco-related products is ill-conceived because “most cigar smokers don’t want to be in the same space as weed smokers” and vice-versa.
1) Um, expanding the available venues to consume will help cut down on “illegal dens of people smoking the stuff.”
2) Maybe some smoke shops would open if they could also sell a bit of cannabis (and I found a few venues on the South Side with a Google search for “cigar lounge” and “hookah bar”).
3) The two types of customers don’t have to mix, they can be put in separate rooms.
4) Two cigar-smoking aldermen oppose allowing cannabis to be consumed in cigar lounges? Hmm.
With local media so excited, I probably shouldn’t point out that Mexican drug cartels will undercut the government and flood the street with cheaper stuff.
And the cartels, which don’t charge taxes, will compete with Pritzker.
Drug dealers will make a killing. More bullets will fly. More teenage street gang members will hit the ground. But forget what I said. I’d rather not harsh your mellow.
Yes, because legalization will mean lots more illegal weed is sold. Right. Great logic there.
…Adding… From comments…
As Kass probably already knows, it was the repeal of the 18th Amendment that really gave rise to the moonshiners.
Also, weed from Mexico is just generic stuff. It’s not anything close to the choices one can find at a legal retail outlet (once the supply issue is solved).
* Part of that column included a complaint about this Tribune story by Josh Noel…
Not long ago, there was nothing complicated about using marijuana.
We simply “smoked weed.” We “got high.”
The great majority of us barely knew a thing more about what we were doing.
We had a dealer — or knew someone who did — and smoked whatever marijuana was handed to us in a small plastic baggie. Sometimes things went phenomenally well (seeing “Magnolia” on the big screen). Sometimes they didn’t (questioning your entire existence as the world jerked into hyper awareness). Either way, that pint of ice cream probably tasted delicious.
But as Illinois will discover now that recreational marijuana sales have begun, there’s no longer such a thing as simply “getting high” — because there’s hardly just one sort of high anymore.
The birth of a legal cannabis industry has led to far more product variety and consumer knowledge, which in turn has led to far more nuanced experiences than the days of being beholden to a dealer — or whoever happened to be standing next to you at a Phish show.
* You’ve probably seen the taxes on cannabis sales receipts posted on social media accounts. Illinois has a sliding excise tax, so those huge tax bills meant they were buying the strongest stuff. Here are the excise tax rates, which are kinda like alcohol and tobacco excise taxes…
10% — cannabis with a THC level at or below 35%
20% — all cannabis infused products
25% — cannabis with a THC level above 35%
After costs, 35 percent of that tax money will go to GRF, 10 percent goes to the Budget Stabilization Fund and 8 percent goes to the Local Government Distributive Fund. The rest goes for various programs. More info here.
And then there’s the 6.25 percent state sales tax plus any local taxes.
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Federal and Professional Regulation has announced that statewide adult-use cannabis sales from Wednesday, January 1 through Sunday, January 5 totaled $10,830,667.91. Dispensaries across the state rendered 271,169 transactions over the five-day period.
As part of the state’s focus on equity, 25 percent of cannabis sales tax revenues will support the Restore, Reinvest and Renew (R3) program, which aims to address the impact of economic disinvestment, violence and the historical overuse of the criminal justice system. The Department of Revenue expects to have a tax revenue estimate by the end of February, when initial tax payments from dispensaries are due.
“The successful launch of this new industry is a historic development for our state that will benefit the very communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the failed war on drugs,” said Toi Hutchinson, Senior Advisor to the Governor for Cannabis Control. “As we move into the next phase, the Pritzker administration is proud to see the robust interest in dispensary ownership from social equity applicants, and we encourage them to apply for $30 million in loans that we have available to reduce the capital barriers to entry. Unlike any state in the nation, Illinois has set the standard for what it means to legalize cannabis in a way that begins to right the wrongs of the past and gives new opportunity to those that have been left behind for far too long.”
On Thursday, January 2, the Department concluded the first round of applications for new dispensary licenses. A preliminary count shows that more than 700 applicants submitted applications seeking almost 4,000 licenses. More than 600 of the applicants identified themselves as qualifying for social equity applicant status. The Department will award up to 75 new dispensary licenses, which will be announced by May 1, 2020.
The application process provides several avenues for social equity applicants that are unique in the nation. Of the total points possibly awarded during application scoring, 20 percent are designated for social equity applicants, who also receive a 50 percent waiver for non-refundable application and license fees.
To defray the start-up costs associated with entering the industry, social equity applicants have access to a low-cost loan fund, primarily funded by existing dispensaries, and are allowed 180 days from the license award date to identify a physical location for the dispensary. Ownership limitations are also in place to protect market share for new applicants. Following the awarding of the next round of dispensary licenses, the state will also conduct a disparity study to ensure the market reflects the equity goals of the historic legislation.
The number of children who died between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019 after having prior contact with the Department of Children and Family Services rose 25 percent, according to a new report published Wednesday by the agency’s inspector general.
DCFS Inspector General Meryl Paniak called the deaths of 123 children in the 2019 fiscal year — up from 98 — “disheartening,” especially given “that many of the problems I identify here have been identified before, both by me and my predecessor.” […]
New in this year’s annual inspector general’s report is data on risk factors present in a child’s home environment prior to his or her death, including substance abuse, domestic violence or mental health issues. In the vast majority of the 123 deaths examined by the report, one, two or all three risk factors were present before a child died.
Paniak said while it’s not surprising that these risk factors would show up in many child death cases, the 2020 report will be a starting point for the agency to continually track those risk factors.
Paniak also pointed out that in all of the cases considered “high profile,” including AJ, there were investigations of cuts, welts or bruises on children who later died that were determined “unfounded.”
As I submit this report, I am disheartened that many of the problems I identify here have been identified before, both by me and my predecessor. I recently reviewed a 2004 article1 which addressed the same child welfare issues I highlight in this report –
• Children killed after DCFS left them with abusive parents or their partners
• Children taken from their parents to sleep on the floors in DCFS offices
• Children kept beyond medical necessity in psychiatric hospitals. (Even earlier, in 1996, a neglect
petition was filed against DCFS for leaving children in psych hospitals when they were ready for
discharge.)
• Lack of foster homes and services for children and families whose first language is not English
• Investigators who take shortcuts that lead to tragedy.
The dense 384-page report made specific recommendations on individual cases and for the agency overall, which should “begin to analyze families in totality and in context, not focusing narrowly on the facts in the most recent hotline report,” according to the report.
Paniak noted the case of a 5-year-old suburban Chicago boy, Andrew “A.J.” Freund, who died despite having a long history of contact with the agency. He was found last year beaten to death in a shallow grave not far from the family’s Crystal Lake home. His parents have been charged with murder, a federal lawsuit has been filed and two state employees have been fired amid an ongoing internal investigation.
Paniak said investigators “ignored the parents’ long history of addiction'’ and the case highlights “opportunities DCFS missed to strengthen viable families.'’
The inspector general concluded there wasn’t a single answer to address the agency’s issues, but proposed a set of fixes, including more training, strong supervision of front-line workers and manageable caseloads.
Those failures contributed to the highest number of deaths after DCFS contact since the fiscal year ending in 2005, when the number was 139 deaths, The Associated Press reported. The lowest toll during that time was 84 in the fiscal year ending in 2010.
The report examines 24 deaths ruled homicides between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019. Some older teens were shot in apparent street crimes, but 13 of those victims were children 5 and younger.
There also were 37 deaths attributed to accidents, seven suicides and 21 cases in which the cause of death was ruled undetermined. Natural causes accounted for additional 34 deaths.
It was a close competition between Indiana and Florida: Which state in 2018 attracted the most Illinois residents for relocation?
Indiana won. Nearly 26,000 Illinois tax filers (including their dependents) moved to Indiana in 2018, new Internal Revenue Service data shows. Out with Chicago-style pizza and beef sandwiches. In with pork tenderloin and sugar cream pie, two Hoosier staples.
But Florida beaches beckoned too. Nearly 24,000 Illinoisans moved to Florida in 2018. Some Indiana residents and Floridians moved to Illinois, mind you, but not enough to make up the difference. Texas was the third most popular destination for Illinoisans, followed by California, Wisconsin, Missouri and Arizona.
What do Indiana and Florida boast that Illinois does not? Lower taxes, well-funded pension systems, balanced budgets and, in Florida’s case, sunshine and ocean views. Who can compete with that? Uncle! Uncle!
While recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed Illinois was home to the nation’s worst loss of residents to other states over the decade, new IRS data shows those leaving the state are taking billions of dollars with them.
For tax year 2018, that amounted to a net loss of up to $5.6 billion in adjusted gross income to other states, with each person leaving earning on average $18,000 more per tax return than those who moved to Illinois. […]
The IRS data reveals who is making up the bulk of the exodus from Illinois. Of the 2018 income tax returns that Illinois lost on net, 24,834 (58%) of them were prime working-age Illinoisans between 26-54, as has been the case for the entire decade.
IRS data also shows that while Illinois is losing residents of all income brackets to other states, the Illinoisans departing at the fastest rate on net are higher income earners.
In fact, Illinois is losing people earning more than $200,000 a year at nearly twice the rate of average-income residents, on net.
Illinois lost $6.8 billion in Adjusted Gross Incomes to net out-migration in 2017 and $5.6 billion in 2018. Illinois’ 2018 loss was the third worst in the country, with only California and New York losing more AGI, $8.0 billion and $9.6 billion, respectively.
The three biggest gainers nationally in 2018 of residents and their incomes were Florida, Arizona and Texas. Florida was the biggest winner by far, gaining a net 115,000 people and $16 billion in AGI. Arizona gained 65,000 people and $3.5 billion in AGI. Texas gained 77,000 people and $3.4 billion in AGI. […]
When measured on per capita basis, only New York lost more AGI than Illinois in 2018. Illinois lost $435 in AGI per person while New York lost $484 per person.
The biggest per capita winners of AGI were Nevada, up $766 per person, Florida, up $762 per person, and Idaho, up $646 per person.
Illinois’ neighbors suffered far smaller AGI losses than Illinois in 2018, ranging from a loss of $145 per person in Iowa to just $52 per person in Missouri. […]
Domestic in-migrants to Illinois earned far less than the Illinois residents who left the state. The average AGI of those who left in 2018 was approximately $85,000, while those who entered the state had incomes of just $66,000.
The wealth gap between residents leaving and coming to Illinois has more than tripled since 2000. In 2000, those moving into Illinois earned on average $5,000 less than those leaving Illinois. In 2018, the gap is now nearly $19,000.
* Related…
* Can Lightfoot expand Chicago’s jobs pie while dividing it differently?: For instance, since the 2009 recession, compound annual growth in regional product here has risen just 1.1 percent a year, tied with Philadelphia for last place and barely half the national 1.8 percent level. Total employment has followed the same track, with Chicago and Philly again tied at 0.5 percent growth a year versus figures such as 1.9 percent in Dallas, 1.8 percent in Denver and 0.8 percent in the nation as a whole. Moody’s expects more of the same, including more population loss. Over the new decade, Chicago is the only one of those metros expected to lose population, projected to be down about 2 percent by 2031, with even New York and Los Angeles showing at least some gain.
The state’s biggest revenue producers continued to perform “quite respectably” in December, the General Assembly’s financial analysts said in a report Monday.
That means as the state hits the midway point for its fiscal year, state finances remain on target to meet the projections set out when the state budget was being crafted. […]
Those economic sources are revenues from the personal and corporate income taxes and from sales taxes. Through the end of December, the halfway point of the 2020 fiscal year, personal income taxes were $500 million higher than at the same time last year. Corporate income tax receipts were $163 million higher and sales tax collections were up $116 million.
When all of the taxes that make up the state’s general funds are included, collections are about $1.37 billion ahead of where they were last year.
For the party that had dominated Champaign County politics for about 150 years, these are challenging times.
The Republican Party had provided most of the county’s judges, officials and county board members almost from the time it was created in the 1850s until a shift in the local electorate that began late in the last century and accelerated in 2016 and 2018.
Republicans now control only three of the eight countywide elected offices and are outnumbered on the county board, 13-9.
And based on the number of candidates on the primary election ballot this spring, things aren’t getting any better.
Democrats have candidates for all five of the countywide offices up for election this year — even a contested primary for circuit clerk — while Republicans are missing candidates for state’s attorney and auditor. […]
And when it comes to the foot soldiers of local politics — the election of precinct committee persons who coordinate campaigns in the county’s 118 precincts — Democrats have a huge advantage in this spring’s election. They have 74 candidates throughout the county versus just 27 Republican contenders.
I’m told that 27 number is down from 57.
* And it’s not just Champaign County. This was sent to me a few weeks ago by the Center for Illinois Politics…
U.S. insurers and providers spent more than $800 billion in 2017 on administration, or nearly $2,500 per person - more than four times the per-capita administrative costs in Canada’s single-payer system, a new study finds.
Over one third of all healthcare costs in the U.S. were due to insurance company overhead and provider time spent on billing, versus about 17% spent on administration in Canada, researchers reported in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Cutting U.S. administrative costs to the $550 per capita (in 2017 U.S. dollars) level in Canada could save more than $600 billion, the researchers say.
“The average American is paying more than $2,000 a year for useless bureaucracy,” said lead author Dr. David Himmelstein, a distinguished professor of public health at the City University of New York at Hunter College in New York City and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
U.S. insurers and providers spent $812 billion on administration, amounting to $2497 per capita (34.2% of national health expenditures) versus $551 per capita (17.0%) in Canada: $844 versus $146 on insurers’ overhead; $933 versus $196 for hospital administration; $255 versus $123 for nursing home, home care, and hospice administration; and $465 versus $87 for physicians’ insurance-related costs. Of the 3.2–percentage point increase in administration’s share of U.S. health expenditures since 1999, 2.4 percentage points was due to growth in private insurers’ overhead, mostly because of high overhead in their Medicare and Medicaid managed-care plans.
* Related…
* Molina to buy NextLevel Health - The California-based health insurer is paying about $50 million for the Chicago-based Medicaid managed care plan
Today, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, Democratic candidate for the Illinois 13th congressional district, announced raising over $530,000 in the fourth quarter and goes into 2020 with over $1.1 million cash on hand. This follows The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Politico all upgrading Betsy’s race to a Toss Up.
Betsy’s campaign continues to be powered by thousands of grassroots donors, with almost 90% of her contributions coming from individual donors
“The support for our campaign from across Central Illinois is truly inspiring” said Dirksen Londrigan. “While our current representative takes hundreds of thousands of dollars from big pharma PACs then votes against lowering the cost of prescription drugs, I am rejecting corporate PAC money in this campaign and when I’m elected to Congress. I am running for Congress to represent the working families of Central Illinois, not big corporate donors”.
Betsy also added the endorsement of the United Steelworkers to her previous endorsements from EMILY’s List, IBEW, UFCW, League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, End Citizens United, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, JStreet, and many others.
* Press release…
Building on his reputation as a problem solver who gets things done for the municipalities he represents, Congressman Dan Lipinski today announced endorsements from 28 mayors across Illinois’ Third Congressional District as he gears up for his 2020 Democratic Primary re-election campaign.
The mayoral endorsements cover nearly every region in Lipinski’s district, which sprawls from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago to southwest suburban Lockport. Among the mayors and village presidents endorsing Lipinski, several of whom have supported him in each and every election, include La Grange Village President Tom Livingston, Lemont Mayor John Egofske, Oak Lawn Mayor Dr. Sandy Bury, Romeoville Mayor John Noak and Western Springs President Alice Gallagher.
Oak Lawn Mayor Bury said Lipinski has been a partner and leader in helping to deliver major developments and improvements to local and regional infrastructure and transportation, including securing more than $4 million to improve local roads, pedestrian walkways and to construct a public parking facility.
“I am proud to have worked with Congressman Lipinski to tackle significant issues for the residents of Oak Lawn and all of the Southland,” said Bury. “He is a tireless supporter of our Veterans and makes sure their benefits are preserved and utilized. Dan Lipinski is someone who brings people together and represents the values of our community and I am proud to endorse his re-election”
Lipinski, who serves as the most senior member from Illinois on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the support from the local leaders of his home district is the best possible endorsement he could receive.
“I am honored to have the continued support of so many elected officials in my district who work so hard every day to make their communities great places to live,” said Lipinski.
“We all share a calling to public service that benefits the residents we represent and I have made it my highest priority to work to resolve local issues and to make sure our communities have the best possible access to the federal resources they need.”
Lipinski also serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials and he has focused significant attention to secure federal funding to improve public transit and infrastructure across the communities that he represents. Over the course of his career he has secure more than $700 million in federal funds for local transportation projects for roads, bridges, public transit, rail, and bikes/pedestrians. This Congress he inserted a provision into a transportation funding bill directing the Federal Railroad Administration to identify potential issues contributing to the frequency and length of delays on Metra trains, and develop recommendations on addressing these challenges.
Other Mayoral Lipinski Endorsements Include:
LaGrange Village President Tom Livingston:
“Congressman Lipinski is a proven leader who continues to deliver for the residents of La Grange and the western suburbs. He has been very responsive and thoughtful in securing critical support for parking improvements, train station modernization, and enhancements to public safety,” said Livingston. “
He has been tuned into many of our important non-profits with measurable support including Aging Care Connections and Pillars Community Health. Most recently, he helped La Grange come to a much-needed agreement to pave the way for improved flood control in our community. Congressman Lipinski is someone who is consistently there to help us get things done and solve problems.”
Lemont Mayor John Egofske:
“As someone who knows Dan Lipinski personally and for all the support he has provided to our local issues here in our town of Lemont, I’m proud to support Congressman Lipinski.” said Egofske.
“The Congressman’s common-sense approach to addressing problems has benefited our region and the Village of Lemont and he has led the way in obtaining additional Metra service on the Heritage Corridor and continues to fight for additional commuter train service. He’s actively working with the village and the Army Corps of Engineers to provide sorely-needed federal resources for our local water infrastructure. In Congress, Dan Lipinski is a voice of reason and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the years to come.”
Palos Hills Mayor Gerald Bennett:
“Congressman Lipinski has proven himself to be a workhorse rather than a show horse and he makes things happen to improve the quality of life for his constituents,” said Bennett.
“As Chairman of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and President of the Southwest Conference of Mayors, I understand the critical importance of having an advocate like Dan Lipinski working for us in Congress to secure federal funding for our highways, the CTA, PACE and Metra. In the City of Palos Hills, he has consistently been there for our seniors, veterans, first responders, and all of our residents. I’m proud to support his re-election.”
Romeoville Mayor John Noak
“Dan Lipinski is a champion for the hard-working families of Will County,” said Noak.
“He was instrumental in helping our efforts to construct a new Romeoville Metra station on the Heritage Corridor Line, which helps provide access to quality careers. He also recently secured $6 million for construction of a new air traffic control tower at Lewis University, which will significantly improve safety. He’s someone that’s deeply committed to the improvement of the I-80 Des Plaines River Bridge and to making additional investments along historic corridors, such as Route 53. Given what’s he’s done and will continue to do for us, I strongly believe we need Dan in Congress.”
Western Springs Village President Alice Gallagher:
“Dan Lipinski is always there for the residents of Western Springs and those in our surrounding communities to address issues both great and small,” said Gallagher.
“When it became clear Sterigenics was causing serious health concerns to residents, he led the successful charge to help close that facility. When Metra’s BNSF service experienced significant delays last year, he brought BNSF and Metra together in a public forum and held a hearing that resulted in significant improvements along the line. He’s also someone focused on bringing federal dollars back to Western Springs, including more than $3.5 million for walkways, bike paths, and streetscaping projects, and $2.5 million to help reconstruct our new Metra platform. As Dan’s village president and friend, I am standing with him on March 17th.”
The full list of mayors and village presidents in the Third Congressional District endorsing Lipinski includes:
Alice Gallagher of Western Springs
Bob Lovero of Berwyn
Bob Straz of Palos Heights
Chuck Tokar of Chicago Ridge
Dan Foy of Burbank
Dave Brady of Bedford Park
Dennis McGee of Merrionette Park
Jacob Vandenberg of Tinley Park
Jeff Walik of Stickney
Jerry Bennett of Palos Hills
John Carpino of Willow Springs
John Egofske of Lemont
John Mahoney of Palos Park
John Noak of Romeoville
John Ryan of Alsip
Kevin Casey of Hometown
Kris Wasowicz of Justice
Kyle Hastings of Orland Hills
Mary Werner of Worth
Mike Howley of Hickory Hills
Noel Cummings of Hodgkins
Ray Soliman of Crest Hill
Sandra Bury of Oak Lawn
Steve Landek of Bridgeview
Steve Streit of Lockport
Tom Heller of Forest View
Tom Hinshaw of Indian Head Park
Tom Livingston of LaGrange
* Press release…
Mary Miller, candidate for Congress in the 15th District, has officially signed a pledge committing to supporting term limits for members of Congress.
The U.S. Term Limits amendment pledge reads, “I pledge that as a member of Congress, I will co-sponsor and vote for the U.S. Term Limits amendment of three (3) House terms and two (2) Senate terms and no longer limit.”
“Public service should be about service – not a career move,” Miller said. “The longer people stay in Congress, the more their focus shifts from serving the people they represent to making sure they hold onto their seats. Career politicians continue to spend money we do not have and mortgage our children’s and grandchildren’s future. It is time to return to being represented by citizen legislators – not career politicians.”
U.S. Term Limits has the support of nearly 70 pledge signers in Congress. According to US Term Limits, more than 82 percent of Americans support term limits.
“This strong support of term limits shows that there are individuals who are willing to put self-interest aside to follow the will of the people,” stated USTL President Philip Blumel. “America needs a Congress that will be served by citizen legislators, not career politicians.”
The term limits amendment resolutions would require a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate, and ratification by 38 states, in order to become part of the U.S. Constitution.
Congressional term limits is the one bipartisan issue supported by both President Trump and former President Obama.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Jim Oberweis is hosting several events with 1st Lt. Clint Lorance who was just recently pardoned by President Donald Trump after serving time in Fort Leavenworth military prison for alleged war crimes.
“The story of Clint Lorance is a compelling one,” Oberweis said. “What he had to endure is shameful. President Trump did the right thing pardoning him. I think everyone who comes out to the events we are hosting will enjoy having the opportunity to meet him.”
In March of 2012, Clint Allen Lorance deployed to Southern Afghanistan as the Squadron Liaison Officer to the Commander for the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. In June 2012, Clint was selected to replace an Infantry Platoon Leader who was medically evacuated dues to shrapnel wounds to his eyes, face, and abdomen incurred from the blast of an IED. Three days after taking charge as the Platoon Leader, on July 2, 2012, Clint directed the men of his platoon to open fire on three Afghan males speeding toward his platoon on a motorcycle.
Just after a year later, Clint was convicted of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Evidence surfaced showing a direct link between the motorcyclists to known terrorists. Eventually, President Trump agreed with the evidence and gave Clint a full pardon.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Stickney Mayor Jeff Walik just called to say that he did not give permission to be on the Dan Lipinski endorsement list. He said he told them he was remaining neutral and he wasn’t happy at all about being included. “I asked them to leave me out of it this time, Walik said after some expletives. “Mr. Lipinski hasn’t spoken to me in two years,” he said with no small amount of bitterness in his voice.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed two requests with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to rehear and reconsider its decisions in the ComEd and Ameren Illinois formula rate cases that allow the companies to hold onto hundreds of millions of dollars in consumer refunds for a period of more than 35 years.
The Attorney General’s office is recommending ComEd return $385 million in excess tax dollars and Ameren return $158 million in excess tax dollars to consumers over a five-year period rather than the proposed 38- and 35-year periods, respectively. The Attorney General’s recommendation to the ICC would result in an additional $62 million rate reduction for ComEd consumers and $20 million for Ameren consumers each year for the next five years.
“Consumers paid public utility rates to ComEd and Ameren reflecting the higher federal tax rate, and now that the federal tax rate has lowered, fairness dictates that consumers should get that money back,” Raoul said. “Allowing an unreasonable refund period of close to 40 years nearly guarantees many customers will never get their fair share of the refunds.”
The federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TJCA), which went into effect Jan. 1, 2018, reduced the federal corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. As a result of the lower federal tax rates, ComEd and Ameren now have millions of dollars in excess tax money they collected from consumers. Those dollars should now be returned in a timely manner to the consumers who paid the higher tax rates to ComEd and Ameren.
In December 2019, the Attorney General’s office asked the ICC to lower the refund periods to a more reasonable five-year period for ComEd and Ameren to return rate payer money to consumers. The ICC rejected the Attorney General’s recommendation to shorten the refund period and reduce rates by $62 million for ComEd customers and $20 million for Ameren customers.
The issue has to do with how utility rates are set and regulated. Essentially, companies are allowed to recover their cost of providing service and make a “reasonable” rate of return, or profit. The cost of service includes such things as the cost of building and operating power plants and transmission lines. It also includes the cost of taxes owed to various levels of government.
When a company builds a plant, it recovers that cost over the expected useful life of the plant, typically around 40 years.
In their cases before the ICC, ComEd and Ameren acknowledged that the tax law change reduces their cost of service, but they argued that the duty to return the excess deferred tax money they collected should be spread out over the life of their facilities so that both current and future ratepayers will be treated evenly.
But it also means customers will see a reduction in their bills of only a few pennies per month instead of a few dollars, according to Jim Chilsen, spokesman for the Citizens Utility Board, a nonprofit entity established by the state to represent residential and small-business customers in utility rate cases.
Today, Vote Yes For Fairness announced the formation of its steering committee, a group of leaders from diverse organizations across the state fighting to pass the fair tax in Illinois. In the months ahead, the steering committee will play a critical role in Vote Yes For Fairness’s efforts to create a tax system that works for all Illinoisans and put our state on the path to fiscal sustainability and success for all its residents.
The steering committee members are:
Lawrence Benito, Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
John Bouman, Chairman of Vote Yes For Fair Tax and President of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law
Dr. Byron T. Brazier, Pastor of the Apostolic Church of God
Tim Drea, President of AFL-CIO of Illinois
Michael Eaddy, Pastor of the People’s Church of the Harvest
Jessie Fuentes, Co-Chair of the Puerto Rican Agenda of Chicago
Kathi Griffin, President of the Illinois Education Association
Jordan Powell, President and CEO of the Illinois Primary Health Care Association
Bob Reiter, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor
Stevie Valles, Executive Director of Chicago Votes
AJ Wilhelmi, President and CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association
“Our current tax system is failing Illinois’ working families, and we need all hands on deck to replace it with the fair tax,” said Quentin Fulks, Chairman of Vote Yes For Fairness. “I’m proud that our steering committee represents unique voices and interests from across the state that are all united in their support for the fair tax. Together, we will pass the fair tax in November and ensure Illinois is the best place it can be for everyone who calls it home.”
“The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is joining Vote Yes For Fairness’s efforts to pass the fair tax because we believe that we all do better when we all pay our fair share,” said Lawrence Benito, Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “When we all do our part, we can generate the revenue for programs for all Illinois families to thrive.”
“Nothing is more important to fixing the financial situation of our state and improving the lives of our middle and working-class families than passing the fair tax in November,” said John Bouman, President of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law and Chairman of Vote Yes For Fair Tax. “In the coming months, Vote Yes For Fair Tax will work hand-in-hand with Vote Yes For Fairness to ensure Illinoisans know the facts on how the fair tax will help our families, our communities, and our state. We are proud to be members of this steering committee, and look forward to seeing the work we can do together on behalf of Illinois families in the months ahead.”
“The AFL-CIO is proud to be a strong ally in the efforts to bring fairness to Illinois’ tax system and to give relief to our working-class families,” said Tim Drea, president of AFL-CIO of Illinois. “Our nearly 900,000 members across the state know that the fair tax is right for Illinois, and we stand ready to fight to make it a reality in our state.”
“As the pastor of the People’s Church of the Harvest, I see the challenges my congregants on the west side of Chicago face day in and day out to make ends meet and provide for their families,” said Michael Eaddy, Pastor of the People’s Church of the Harvest. “That’s why I’m joining the fight to pass the fair tax, a commonsense measure to give tax relief to those who need it most and to help fund critical social service programs our families rely on.”
“The Puerto Rican Agenda of Chicago proudly sits on the steering committee for Vote Yes For Fairness,” said Jessie Fuentes, co-chair of the Puerto Rican Agenda of Chicago. “A fair tax will allow the schools within our work to be properly funded, will lessen the financial burden of our low income and middle class families, and will allow for essential services and resources to be properly dispersed throughout the state. The Puerto Rican Agenda is a non-profit organization that seeks to influence policy for the advancement of the Puerto Rican community in Chicago, and we believe that a fair tax can help us achieve just that.”
“Illinois has made great progress in the past few years by instituting the Evidence-Based Funding formula to pay for education in the state, but the formula is not fully funded. In passing the fair tax, we could help fully fund the formula and reduce burdensome property taxes, while providing every child with the resources they need for the highest quality education. The fair tax will also generate revenue for our higher education systems, a vital part of the success and the future of our state. That’s why the Illinois Education Association is proud to be a part of this fight,” said Illinois Education Association President Kathi Griffin.
“Illinois Primary Health Care Association members provide quality health care to more than 1.4 million Illinoisans each year, but we need proper funding to do so. That’s why passing the fair tax in November is so important to this critical work and to the future of our state. The additional revenue the fair tax will generate can go toward ensuring our patients get the care they need, and we are proud to be a part of this crucial fight,” said Jordan Powell, President and CEO of the Illinois Primary Health Care Association.
“Illinois’ tax system is failing the middle class in this state. Workers get a raw deal while the wealthiest get a sweet deal. The Chicago Federation of Labor supports the fair tax because it will lift the burden off of the working class and finally create a tax system that works for everyone who calls Illinois home,” said Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter.
“Chicago Votes is dedicated to making our city and our state a better, more inclusive place for future generations, and a critical part of that is passing the fair tax,” Stevie Valles, Executive Director of Chicago Votes said. “The fair tax will generate revenue to help bring our education system up to the standards our young people deserve and set our state on the path to success, and that’s why we are proud to be a part of this fight for the future of Illinois.”
“The Illinois Health and Hospital Association is pleased to support this critical initiative as a member of the Vote Yes for Fairness Steering Committee. It is vitally important that all Illinoisans, especially the most vulnerable children, families and populations, have access to the programs and services they need, including healthcare. That requires the state to have predictable and stable financing, and moving to a graduated income tax system is a fair and workable way to address the state’s financial challenges and needs,” said AJ Wilhelmi, President and CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association.
* As subscribers know, all three of the Illinois Family Institute’s Statehouse lobbyists resigned in March after the group’s political wing published this and doubled-down when criticised…
* So, some House Democrats decided on a joint reply to the latest IFI candidate questionnaire…
Dear Illinois Family Institute,
Please accept this as our response to your candidate survey.
Yours Truly,
Representative Jonathan Carroll (Pronouns he/him/his)
Representative Kelly Cassidy (Pronouns she/hers)
Representative Daniel Didech (Pronouns he/him/his)
Representative Kelly Cassidy (Pronouns she/hers)
Representative Sara Feigenholtz (Pronouns she/she/moi)
Representative Ann Williams (Pronouns she/hers)
Representative Will Guzzardi (Pronouns he/him/his)
Representative Bob Morgan (Pronouns he/him/his)
Representative Sam Yingling (Pronouns he/him/his)
Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (Pronouns she/hers)
Representative Aaron Ortiz (Pronouns he/him/his)
Representative Delia Ramirez (Pronouns she/her/hers)
Representative Anna Moeller (Pronouns she/her)
Representative Maurice West II (Pronouns he/him/his)
Representative Lamont Robinson
Representative Emanuel “Chris” Welch
Representative Robyn Gabel
* I already posted my Crain’s column. Here’s another little bit of it…
It’s a new year and a new decade, so here are my New Year’s resolution suggestions for our state’s leaders. […]
Senate president: Nobody knows yet who will replace retiring Senate President John Cullerton, but those are some big shoes to fill. That caucus is far more diverse than it looked under Cullerton’s leadership, but he kept his members united, and he did it without intimidation. His successor will bring his or her own style to office, but whoever it is should remember that this is like buying a successful restaurant: Make improvements where needed, but don’t radically alter the menu right away. […]
Business interests: Business was steamrolled by the governor’s minimum wage bill last year, partly because the groups didn’t begin to work it early enough. The governor brags more about his pro-business accomplishments than almost anything else, so use that to your advantage and engage early and in good faith. The Democratic reality is what it is, at least for a few more years. You can either shout at the wind or get in there and win some concessions for business owners.
* The Question: Your own New Year’s resolution suggestions for our state’s leaders?
An unusual effort to pare Illinois’ much-hated property tax system appears to be dissolving amid partisan bickering, with the GOP leaders of both the House and Senate complaining that their members have been cut out of decisions made by the Legislature’s Property Tax Relief Tax Force.
Unless resolved, the dispute will complicate—and potentially kill—any serious effort to reduce property taxes as voters prepare to decide in November on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to impose a graduated income tax.
In separate statements, House GOP Leader Jim Durkin and Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady both asserted that preliminary findings of the task force were not properly approved by the full panel and, as Brady put it, amount to “some members . . . circulating their thoughts.”
“Failure to follow proper process with task force consideration and debate of recommendations, along with a lack of many House GOP reform ideas, resulted in the House GOP co-chairs declining to endorse the draft final report,” Durkin wrote in an email yesterday to his members. “The final product was not properly considered or debated by the full task force.”
I really hate process arguments, but this task force has been a freak show since Day One. Just produce both a majority and a minority report and be done with it already.
A 16-month state study finds no new evidence to authenticate a disputed, multi-million dollar stovepipe hat purportedly owned by Abraham Lincoln that has been displayed at his presidential museum in Springfield.
The report released Monday by Illinois State Historian Samuel Wheeler found the hat did not appear to be in Lincoln’s hat size. The study also found the hat was sold in the 1950s to a downstate antique shop for just $1, and its apocryphal Lincoln connection wasn’t even known to descendants of its original owners.
While Wheeler concluded more study on the hat is warranted, his findings pour an even heavier dose of skepticism on a hat purchased by a private foundation from West Coast collector Louise Taper for display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The hat was once appraised at $6.5 million.
“I believe the past can be instructive, if we take the time to examine it and resolve never to repeat the same mistakes,” Wheeler wrote in the 54-page report obtained exclusively by WBEZ.
In the report, Wheeler focused on a history of double-dealing, conflicts of interest and a neglect of basic due-diligence in studying the hat’s provenance before its purchase. He also slammed a “weaponization” of the hat during years of friction between the museum and the not-for-profit that acquired it on behalf of the museum, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.
We read with disappointment the Jan. 1 editorial, “Another Illinois fiasco: The hat that wasn’t Lincoln’s.”
Unfortunately, as with the NPR segment the editorial board cited, it chose to cherry-pick certain conclusions about the state historian’s report and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation’s acquisition of the hat to bash a group of volunteers who are passionately committed to preserving Lincoln’s legacy.
Most important, the historian, whose report was commissioned by the state, not the foundation, as the editorial erroneously cited, very specifically said he had not concluded the hat wasn’t Lincoln’s, so the editorial’s headline and conclusions are inappropriate and misleading.
State Historian Samuel Wheeler did uncover some additional information supporting the provenance of the hat while criticizing others that had been previously cited by the state and the foundation. Lastly, he said more research was needed to further solidify the hat’s provenance, steps the foundation fully supports.
In addition, the editorial omits other salient facts Tribune readers deserve, including the fact that the foundation was faced with a difficult choice in 2007: Either incur substantial indebtedness, which has since been substantially paid down, to support the state’s request that we urgently acquire the hat and entire Taper collection (there was no a la carte option) or allow what was arguably the world’s largest collection of Lincolnania to be auctioned off and disappear from the public domain forever. Faced with the same choice, we believe most people would have done the same thing.
Wheeler recommended additional research including:
• Having multiple experts on men’s headwear examine the hat to see if its material and construction are from Lincoln’s era.
• Carefully measuring the hat size to see if it matches other Lincoln hats.
• Searching additional archives that might shed light on William Waller’s work during the Civil War.
Wheeler measured the hat himself, so, yeah, it would be prudent to have an expert do that instead of an untrained historian. And there is this from Wheeler’s report…
From a historical standpoint, the stovepipe hat’s provenance hinges entirely on family lore. My research indicates the family lore is plausible, but I was not able to verify the claims in the time I had to conduct this research. There are, however, several repositories that may hold answers, including the National Archives, and should be consulted.
If you read his report, it looks like he was put on an overly strict deadline by Deputy Governor Jesse Ruiz.
In response to the provenance issues that were raised in 2012, ALPLM did not respond like a responsible museum. Instead of conducting an honest inquiry and perhaps seizing on the opportunity to educate the public about provenance-related issues, ALPLM assumed an overly defensive position. The 2013 document, “Lincoln Stovepipe Hat: The Facts,” contains untruths and appears to have been issued solely to combat critics.
Exactly right. So, the museum folks need to tone down their whining. The ALPLM brought this on itself with lies.
I support a big tent but there's no room under the flaps for anyone who is actively seeking to deny women control over our bodies. Time to leave @danlipinski. https://t.co/DvZaSP8jXx
Lightfoot did provide a clue that she was at least leaning toward Newman. She posted her tweet over a Jan. 2 tweet from Daily Kos, a progressive outlet supporting Newman that seeks contributions to her campaign: “Democrat” Dan Lipinski just co-signed this legal brief asking the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade “and, if appropriate, overrule” it … Donate to his progressive challenger, Marie Newman.”
Whether Lightfoot – a progressive who supports abortion rights – will do more than send a tweet to defeat Lipinski is not known. Lightfoot political director Dave Mellet told the Sun-Times on Sunday, “The mayor is still making decisions in the 2020 primary, but she felt compelled to speak out and defend the rights of women.”
The Lipinski campaign declined to comment on Lightfoot’s remarks.
Lipinski is facing progressive Democratic challenger Marie Newman in the primary.
Planned Parenthood Illinois Action denounced Lipinksi for signing onto the amicus brief.
“This case could decide the future of abortion access in this country and we will not not silently stand by and let Congressman Lipinski pledge his support for taking away Illinois woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion,” Brigid Leahy, Senior Director of Public Policy for Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, said in a news release. “We’ve seen 26 abortion bans pass in 2019, and we’re already seeing people having to cross state lines or wait long times just to access basic health care. If the Supreme Court overturns or severely restricts access to abortion, it could pave the way for states to effectively ban abortion for over 25 million people of reproductive age.”
…Adding… March for Life Chicago…
U.S. Congressmen Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Darin LaHood (R-IL) are not standing by silently while Governor Pritzker turns Illinois into America’s new “abortion capitol.” The staunchly pro-life federal legislators are crossing partisan lines to speak out against extreme abortion policies. Both U.S. Representatives will speak at Chicago’s Daley Plaza when they take the stage at the January 11 March For Life Chicago 2020.
The Honorable Dan Lipinski, eight-term Democratic congressman from Illinois’ 3rd District, is a long-time defender of Illinois’ women and children and a staunch pro-life advocate.
“Every January, I am proud to brave the cold and join the March for Life Chicago,” shared Lipinski. “As a member of Congress, I work to protect the most vulnerable, and no one is more vulnerable than the child in the womb and that child’s mother. When I speak at the Chicago rally, I am always inspired by all the young people – especially young women – who march because they understand that being pro-life is being pro-woman, and we must all do our part to support both women and their babies. I look forward to once again joining the growing crowd standing for life in Chicago.”
The Honorable Darin LaHood, Republican in the 18th District, has also regularly and resolutely defended his pro-life stance. He has been an active advocate in Congress for protecting life and preserving the rights of the unborn.
Lipinski, elected to Congress in 2004 representing portions of Chicago and its southwest suburbs, firmly adheres to the scientific DNA evidence that life begins at conception. He has fought to protect unborn children and their mothers, and has consistently been a champion of life issues. He co-sponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, the Patients First Act, and the Protect Life Act. Opposing both legalized abortion and stem cell research, Lipinski was the only House Democrat from Illinois to vote against Obamacare.
LaHood also co-sponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, along with the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and the Life at Conception Act. Representing the Peoria, Springfield, Jacksonville, and Bloomington regions of central Illinois, LaHood has decisively defended his pro-life stance and his commitment to preserve the rights of the unborn.
The March For Life Chicago 2020 starts at 1 p.m. (Central), January 11, at Chicago’s Daley Plaza, and will also feature abortion survivor Claire Culwell, Chicago Bears’ Vice President Pat McCaskey, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod President Dr. Rev. Matthew Harrison, Loyola University Medical Center’s Dr. Karen Deighan, Pro-Life Action League Executive Director Eric Scheidler, and weDignify Student Leader Alex Lehan. Additional details are available at MarchForLifeChicago.org.
Effective February 6, the Illinois Office of Comptroller will no longer assist municipalities in collection efforts for fines for red-light camera tickets, a system that is both unfair to low-income Illinoisans and the subject of a federal corruption probe.
“My office is taking decisive action in response to unethical arrangements that have come to light regarding the red-light camera industry,” Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza said. “As a matter of public policy, this system is clearly broken. I am exercising the moral authority to prevent state resources being used to assist a shady process that victimizes taxpayers.”
News reports show these tickets fall hardest and disproportionately on minority and low-income drivers. The $100 red-light ticket camera fines can double if they initially go unpaid, and then almost triple, with vendors and private collection agencies in some cases able to keep a portion of the funds the state collects on behalf of municipalities. Loss of a driver’s license can mean loss of a job for some people who can’t afford to keep up with these fines and late fees.
The Chicago Sun-Times quoted one government official who simultaneously acted as a consultant to a red-light company - helping get them contracts with certain towns - saying he gets a cut of the money paid on every such ticket issued in those towns. Several more arrangements like this one have been revealed in other reports.
“This kind of arrangement stinks — it’s plain rotten,” Mendoza said. “It exploits taxpayers and especially those who struggle to pay the fines imposed, often the working poor and communities of color. We can’t continue the practice of municipal employees directly pocketing cash from contracts they arrange.”
Starting in 2012, the General Assembly allowed municipalities and other local governments to use the Comptroller’s offset system to help collect debts, such as court fines, administrative judgments, traffic tickets, etc., generally through withholding of state income tax refunds or other state payments. Historically that offset system has been used to help collect child support, overpayment of benefits, and other types of debt.
In recent years, a growing percentage of these collections have involved red-light camera ticket violations, mainly from Chicago suburbs. The State does not collect for the City of Chicago’s red-light or speeding camera tickets because of controversy over the use of those cameras as well as the reliability of ticket and motorist data provided by the City as part of the administrative process necessary to validate the debts themselves.
An ABC7/Sun-Times story also found most red-light tickets do NOT go to motorists who run through intersections during red lights. They go to motorists failing to come to a complete stop while making right turns on red where such turns are allowed. Many states outside of Illinois ban the use of these red-light cameras entirely.
That means low-income drivers who really count on their state income tax refund can see it nearly vanish if a fine for a relatively minor traffic offence such as failing to come to a complete stop during a right-turn-on-red, triples to nearly $300.
Municipalities are free to hire private debt collectors to go after motorists who have not paid the fines. But Comptroller Mendoza urges all municipalities to take a second look at any contracts with red-light camera companies and determine if those contracts were procured properly in light of recent news reports and criminal investigations concerning the red-light camera industry and its relationship with government officials.
“I think it’s critical that the state’s collection mechanisms should not be hijacked by political insiders to profit from an enforcement system whose integrity is now being seriously questioned,” Mendoza said.
In 2017, the Chicago Tribune reported on controversial efforts by SafeSpeed to install red-light cameras in Oakbrook Terrace — efforts opposed by state bureaucrats but supported by state Sen. Martin Sandoval, whose campaign fund SafeSpeed donated to heavily.
On Sept. 24, Sandoval’s home and offices were searched by the feds, and SafeSpeed was listed on a search warrant.
The feds also seized $60,000 from the home of Oakbrook Terrace’s mayor last fall, according to a federal record that does not explain the origins or significance of the cash.
Federal agents seized more than $51,000 in cash from a safe found inside Cook County Commissioner Jeffrey Tobolski’s house last year, according to a just-obtained federal document that indicates authorities are interested in yet another suburban mayor: Oakbrook Terrace’s Tony Ragucci.
Agents seized a whopping $60,000 in cash from Ragucci’s west suburban home late last year, the document shows, though it does not indicate whether he’s being eyed as part of the same political corruption investigation that’s been rocking local governments. […]
The federal document also reveals that $9,720 in cash was seized from Sandoval’s Chicago house. His home and state offices were raided Sept. 24, and he announced in November he was resigning effective New Year’s Day.
On Sept. 26, federal agents descended on the homes or offices of several suburban officials, including Tobolski, whose county chief of staff, Patrick Doherty, was a sales consultant for SafeSpeed.
* Related…
* Tom Cullerton’s lawyer wants details about ex-Teamsters boss John Coli, calling it vital to his defense: Cullerton landed a job as an organizer for Teamsters Joint Council 25 after his former employer, Hostess Brands, shut down in 2012, Collins wrote. Coli told prosecutors he arranged for Cullerton to get the organizer job that year, “but did not believe the employment was legitimate,” according to the defense attorney. Collins also wrote that media and other public sources indicate “Coli has been involved in numerous instances of improper behavior, including lying to federal officials.” He asked prosecutors for FBI reports or other paperwork documenting interviews with Coli, as well as “correspondence with counsel for Mr. Coli” to learn of benefits Coli received from his cooperation agreement, he said.
* Amid sweeping federal investigation, panel begins work to overhaul Illinois ethics, lobbying laws: “In regard to the recent federal cases, I think it’s just important to remember that those things for which some elected officials have been indicted are already crimes,” said House Majority Leader Greg Harris of Chicago, a co-chairman of the commission. “However, other circumstances in those investigations have revealed other situations not currently addressed in law where we have an opportunity to clarify what is right and what’s wrong, what is permissible and what’s prohibited,” Harris said.
Lawmakers that proposing repealing the green energy bill of 2016 are playing political games according to a central Illinois lawmaker.
The 2016 legislation essentially saved the Clinton Nuclear Power Station from closure for ten years but late last month, a pair of northern Illinois lawmakers put forth legislation that would repeal parts of the legislation. State Representative Dan Caulkins calls these political games.
According to Caulkins, these two lawmakers proposing this legislation are not very popular in their respective districts and so he believes this is a political maneuver to gain favor with their voters.
Caulkins’ message to anyone who might support this legislation is that they are going to receive serious pushback. He explains they have a social media campaign calling out the representatives pushing this legislation.
So, lemme get this straight. An Eastern Bloc member who co-sponsored legislation to kick Chicago out of Illinois is criticizing two suburban Republicans (Reps. Mark Batinick and Tom Morrison) for sponsoring a bill to take away a massive ratepayer subsidy of a Chicago-based company that’s currently under federal investigation. And he even claims to be running a Facebook ad targeting Batinick.
I dare say that if Rep. Caulkins didn’t have a nuke plant in or near his district he’d be co-sponsoring Batinick’s anti-subsidy bill.
* During the break, I posted some false propaganda shared by Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), another Eastern Bloc member…
Please be aware of the consequences of recreational marijuana, one of which will be the surrender of your FOID card.
Um, no.
Rep. Bailey is at it again…
I find it interesting that Illinois’ number two elected official can smoke pot, but a state employee cannot. Also of…
Each cannabis-infused product intended for consumption must be individually packaged, must include the total milligram content of THC and CBD, and may not include more than a total of 100 milligrams of THC per package. A package may contain multiple servings of 10 milligrams of THC, and indicated by scoring, wrapping, or by other indicators designating individual serving sizes.
Illinois’ population shrunk by more than any other state from 2010 to 2019, according to data released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Since the beginning of the decade, Illinois has lost 159,751 residents which equals 1.2% of its population. Only one other state, West Virginia, had a higher percentage of population loss at 3.3%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
In 2019, Illinois’ population shrunk by more than 51,000 residents - the largest drop out of any state from 2018 to 2019, data revealed. […]
Nationwide, the U.S. population from the middle of 2018 to the middle of 2019 grew by almost a half percent, or about 1.5 million people, according to the data.
In examining population trends in Illinois over the past year, the Tribune found that a decrease in the number of people moving to Illinois from other states and countries has exacerbated the impact of declining birthrates and increasing numbers of people moving out of the state.
The data released Monday shows that the state’s well-known problems with domestic migration losses (losing residents to other states) were slightly mitigated by positive net international migration. Arrivals to Illinois from other countries outnumbered international departures, causing Illinois to gain about 1.5 people per 1,000 residents. But domestically, more people left Illinois for another state than the reverse, causing a loss of about 8.3 people per 1,000. That rate was the fourth worst for any state in 2019, behind New York, Hawaii and Alaska.
When the domestic and international migration rates are combined, the flow of people into and out of Illinois caused a net migration loss of about 6.8 people per 1,000 residents in the past year.
The new numbers offer only net migration estimates and do not allow comparisons between how many people left Illinois and how many moved in. But in September, the Tribune reported that Illinois ranked worse nationally on attracting new residents from other countries and states than on losing residents to other states.
* Illinois Policy Institute…
If Illinois had simply kept pace with the average state population growth since the start of the Great Recession in 2007, when Illinois’ labor force was at its peak, the state’s population would be 1.14 million residents, or 9%, larger than it is today. This increase in population would yield an economy that is at least an estimated $78 billion larger than today, equivalent to the entire state economy of Delaware.
Counter-points from Jake…
As you read stories about Illinois’ population loss, remember — the last time more Americans moved into Illinois than out of it was **1920**
Illinois illustrates what is likely to be a dramatic shift of political power away from rural regions and toward the big metro areas. Of the state’s 102 counties, 93 lost population in the last decade. The only substantial gainers are counties in the Chicago suburbs, as residents leave the big city for cheaper real estate and safer streets.
When Illinois loses one of its 18 House districts, legislators are likely to eliminate one of the six districts that represents a downstate area — five of which are held by Republicans.
An important, and very humane, aspect of the new Illinois law is its expungement clause. People with nonviolent cannabis-related offenses on their criminal records can have them basically erased following an official review.
On the day before recreational cannabis becomes legal in Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced he was pardoning more than 11,000 people who had been convicted of low-level marijuana crimes.
“When Illinois’ first adult use cannabis shops open their doors tomorrow, we must all remember that the purpose of this legislation is not to immediately make cannabis widely available or to maximize product on the shelves, that’s not the main purpose, that will come with time,” Pritzker said to a crowd at Trinity United Church of Christ on the Far South Side. “But instead the defining purpose of legalization is to maximize equity for generations to come.”
Pritzker, who has touted the social equity elements of the recreational pot law he signed this summer, was joined Tuesday by state, county and local leaders including Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who has already begun the process of clearing the records of those with low-level marijuana convictions in her jurisdiction.
The 11,017 people pardoned by Pritzker will receive notification about their cases, all of which are from outside Cook County, by mail. The pardon means convictions involving less than 30 grams of marijuana will be automatically expunged.
Illinoisans who have been arrested but not convicted will have their records automatically expunged by the Illinois State Police. However, the more complicated process for expunging convictions includes multiple state agencies and requires the governor to approve any pardons.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul will now file petitions to expunge the offenses pardoned by Pritzker, which must then be approved by a judge. After that, state police and local law enforcement can expunge the records.
The first round of automatic expungements, which includes records dating back to 2013, will be cleared by January 1, 2021. Records from as far back as 2000 will then be expunged by 2023, and offenses from before 2000 will be cleared by 2025.
For Pritzker, Tuesday’s action begins the process of making good on a core campaign promise to center the legalization push around criminal and social justice issues.
For convictions up to 30 grams not associated with a violent offense, there are 116,000 records eligible for expungement through the Governor’s pardon process. In Cook County, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has already begun to address stand-alone conviction records, with an initial wave of 1,000 convictions expunged earlier this month.
Of these 116,000 records, 43,500 records solely involve cannabis offenses and 72,500 include another non-violent offense. Only cannabis convictions will be expunged. […]
Individuals, civil legal aid organizations acting on their behalf and state’s attorneys can file motions to vacate for cannabis offenses up to 500 grams. Approximately 34,000 records are eligible for expungement under this process. Cannabis sales tax revenue will generate funding for programs to help individuals expunge these records.
Pritzker’s office said 92 of the state’s 102 counties are represented among the pardons announced Tuesday.
Earlier this month, Pritzker — who unseated moderate Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2018 — defended the new law in remarks reported by the Chicago Tribune.
“Our goal is not to immediately deliver as much access to recreational cannabis as possible as quickly as possible,” he said during a ceremony in which he signed a document that adjusted parts of the bill — originally passed in June.
“We want black and brown people, we want people who’ve been left out and left behind, to have a real opportunity to not only benefit from this new industry but to create new millionaires in the black community, in the Latino community, all across this state,” he said, heralding his hope that the new law will diversify the legal cannabis industry.
Illinois brought in $3 billion more in state tax revenue in the 2019 fiscal year as compared with the previous year, according to a new report from the Illinois Department of Revenue. […]
The majority of that boost was due to revenue gains in Illinois’ individual and corporate income taxes — both of which were hiked a few days into the 2018 fiscal year to end the state’s two-year budget impasse in July 2017 — and sales tax collection.
Sales and use taxes were up $700 million in the 2019 fiscal year, according to IDOR’s annual report. In anticipation of a U.S. Supreme Court decision about the collection of online sales taxes in 2018, the General Assembly included language in its budget implementation bill for the 2019 fiscal year budget, and expected $150 million more in revenues. Another tweak affecting online sales taxes was approved by the General Assembly in May.
Revenues from the state’s individual income tax were up $1.6 billion in the 2019 fiscal year — a total of $21.9 billion last year, according to IDOR. At the same time, income tax revenues increased $1.1 billion from $4.7 billion in 2018.
* This was my last syndicated newspaper column before the holiday break. Subscribers were given some updated numbers and other news today…
State Sen. Steve Landek of Bridgeview and other Senate Democrats have been meeting since the 2018 session as part of a loosely affiliated group that calls itself the “X Caucus.” They apparently didn’t know what to call themselves, so “X” filled in the blank.
The X Caucus is comprised of some of the more conservative Senate Democrats. Some are not 100 percent pro-choice, some are hesitant or even unwilling to vote for tax increases, and most think the party has veered a bit too far to the left.
It’s possible the group could have enough votes to team up with a current Senate president candidate and elect the successor to retiring Senate President John Cullerton, or prevent an election until their demands are met. There are a whole lot of officially undecided Senate Democrats still out there, even though the three top candidates for Senate president, Kimberly Lightford, Don Harmon and Elgie Sims, have been working members.
But there’s also a long time to go until senators vote to elect their new president near the end of January, so that loosely affiliated caucus could be picked apart by the time the voting starts. We’ll see.
It should also be pointed out that Landek is very close to House Speaker Michael Madigan. The other members of that caucus are, for the most part, not Madigan-haters, either. Just saying, but Madigan has never seen an Illinois political situation he didn’t want to influence.
Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, began expressing interest in becoming the next Senate president not long after Cullerton announced his pending retirement in mid-November.
Sims’ name hasn’t been mentioned very often lately in news accounts, but he’s still campaigning. It’s possible that at least some members of a loosely aligned group of a half dozen or so independent-minded, younger liberal senators may wind up backing him.
Six votes is far from the number required to win the election, of course. It will take 30 votes when all is said and done. But combine that with the “X Caucus” votes and it might be enough to slow down or even stop the process. Whether the caucus’ two wings can learn to fly together is a whole other story.
Sims has only been a senator since January of 2018, but he was on Senate staff for a decade, rising to the top of the appropriations staff before serving in the House for almost six years. He’s a budget expert and knows the process back and forth. Even so, convincing senators who have “paid their dues” for many years to support somebody who basically just got there for Senate president will be a big ask, no matter how talented Sims may be (and he most certainly is talented).
Meanwhile, some members with primaries and general elections are likely becoming antsy as the president election process enters its second month this week and their own reelections draw near. One way of calming those nerves is to demonstrate fundraising abilities. Sims, however, has reported no contributions in the past month.
Sen. Lightford, D-Maywood, held five fundraisers in the month following Cullerton’s retirement announcement and reported $649,000 in contributions last week. About $215,000 of that was from the personal campaign funds of herself and Sens. Andy Manar and Heather Steans (plus a contribution out of Steans’ own pocket), her top supporters. She’ll report another $36,000 in contributions under the immediate reporting threshold next month, I’m told.
About 80 percent of the money she and her team raised was for the Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, which is designed to support Senate Democratic campaigns. The rest is for her personal fund.
Lightford’s haul is less than the $755,000 that Assistant Majority Leader Don Harmon has reported raising in the same time period. But that total is inflated because it includes a $100,000 loan from Harmon to his personal campaign committee (Harmon has not created a leadership committee). Harmon also nearly emptied out three party committees he controls to the tune of $285,000. Harmon reported 44 individual contributions (including the personal loan), which is just a fifth of Lightford’s donor base of 213. He’s supposed to be reporting more money soon.
The biggest outside contribution Harmon received was $100,000 from a journeyman plumber’s union. Lightford raised a bit of money from the Illinois Education Association for her personal fund. Otherwise, unions appear to be taking a wait and see approach.
One knock on Lightford has been that she doesn’t have a history of raising big money, so doubts naturally arose about whether she could do it. But she and her team have proved otherwise during this first month.
* Related…
* Raising sons who became daughters is a shared story for Kim Lightford, Heather Steans: When some hear about Zariah, they offer misplaced sympathy, Lightford said. They say, ‘“Oh, I’m so sorry, are you OK?’” She replies, “Don’t feel sorry for me, and don’t say you’ll pray for me. I don’t need you to pray for me because my baby is transgender. I need you to either learn all about it, or just go on.”
It’s a new year and a new decade, so here are my New Year’s resolution suggestions for our state’s leaders.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker: Please, no more pension gimmicks that you’ll only end up distancing yourself from. Last year, you proposed skimping on the state’s pension contributions, only to drop the idea when unexpected revenues appeared in the spring. Yes, pension payments eat up a huge portion of the state’s budget, but if, as you often say, pensions are a promise, then you have to put state money where your mouth is to make sure pensioners are paid.
You ended the 2019 spring legislative session by passing several strong bipartisan bills, including a massive transportation and infrastructure program. Keep that up. This state regularly elects Democrats from the Chicago area, but there are plenty of suburban and downstate Republicans here, too, and you’re governor of all the people. Yes, elections have consequences and even with all the bills you passed last year you still have a few unfulfilled progressive campaign promises, but at least listen to input from all who are willing to come to the table.
House Speaker Michael Madigan: You got out of the new governor’s way and actually helped him at times last year. You did the same with Rod Blagojevich in 2003, but you picked a huge fight with him in 2004 that produced a long and nasty overtime session. Don’t do that again. The feds are actively snooping around you and your organization. What you need now are friends, not enemies. Make peace, stay low and forget about patronage requests for a while. Legislation, not transactions.
