Pritzker names Osman to head IDOT
Friday, Feb 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers this could happen earlier today…
Gov. Pritzker Appoints 29-Year IDOT Veteran to Lead Department
Building on a strong team of diverse experts in their fields, Governor JB Pritzker announced the following personnel appointment:
Omer Osman will serve as Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Osman has over 29 years of experience in the civil engineering and management field at IDOT. In his most recent role as Deputy Secretary for the Office of Project Implementation, he is responsible for guiding day-to-day program delivery and developing both short- and long-term technical policies and procedures. Prior to his current position, Osman served as the Director of Highways, Deputy Director of Region 5 and District Four Project Implementation and Operations Engineer. He has been an integral member of the statewide Diversity and Recruitment Team that had managed to increase and integrate a diverse population of IDOT’s technical staff. Osman received his Master of Science in civil engineering from Bradley University and his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Southern University.
Osman is an African-American and that agency has been very white throughout the decades.
16 Comments  
|
* S&P…
S&P Global Ratings believes that Illinois’ (BBB-/Stable) executive budget proposal precariously balances the current budget, but punts measures to address fiscal progress to future years. It prioritizes service solvency at the expense of lower pension contributions and does not make meaningful progress toward tackling the $7.9 billion bill backlog or projected out-year deficits. The governor called the fiscal 2020 budget a “bridge” and laid out the framework of a multiyear strategy whose success hinges largely on a tough campaign to pass a progressive income tax that requires a constitutional amendment. Its pension component also relies on unidentified asset transfers to the pension plans, but no savings from those asset transfers are built into the fiscal 2020 budget plan. Illinois has a track record of leaving difficult fiscal choices to future budgets, and to the extent that reforms do not materialize to offset weaker pension funding, the fiscal 2020 budget could weaken the state’s credit trajectory. […]
The new administration laid out a five-step plan that infuses assets into the pension systems, but undermines funding progress through extending the plans’ amortization period for budgetary relief. […]
We consider the fiscal 2020 budget’s balance dubious. First, it relies on legalization of sports betting and recreational marijuana, which could take the state longer than it estimates to implement. Second, revenue projections could prove optimistic given our expectation that U.S. economic growth will slow. The budget estimates 3.19% growth in base individual income taxes and 2.79% growth in base sales taxes, and if the state misses these projections, it would quickly exhaust its 0.4% budgeted surplus and has minimal cushion to weather additional fiscal pressures that would accompany an economic downturn. However, in our view, reliance on a degree of uncertain revenues and lingering structural imbalance is status quo for Illinois.
More consequential for credit quality, the proposed budget asks legislators to reduce pension contributions based on the faith that future years’ budgets will address fiscal sustainability. The governor has predicated his multiyear strategy on a progressive income tax that requires a constitutional amendment that will not appear on the ballot until November 2020. This revenue stream is far from certain, and there is no detail yet on rates, brackets, or the amount of revenue it is supposed to generate. Despite the potential for a more collaborative budget process with single-party control of state government, Illinois has yet to prove its ability to make politically difficult decisions in favor of structural balance and sustainability. If it adopts the budget in its current form, it remains at risk of repeating a pattern of putting off hard choices while eroding pension funding. Illinois cannot indefinitely push out pension payments given benefit payout requirements, and we saw in 2017 that it faces limits to its bill backlog. If the state fails to redeem its longer pension amortization schedule through a practical reduction in liabilities, its credit trajectory could slip.
9 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
* Tribune last month…
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Sunday she would return $116,000 raised at a campaign fundraiser that embattled Ald. Edward Burke hosted at his home last January, an about-face after a week of potentially damaging revelations about her history with him. […]
A copy of the invitation for the fundraiser at Burke’s home reads, “Chairman Edward M. Burke would like to invite you to a fundraiser in support of Hon. Toni Preckwinkle.” But Preckwinkle on Friday said it was Burke’s wife, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, who arranged the fundraiser.
Asked why the justice’s name wasn’t on the invite instead of the alderman’s, Preckwinkle replied, “She was a candidate at the time, so the invitation came from Ed.” Anne Burke was seeking retention to a second 10-year term as a justice, and such high-level jurists often try to maintain an appearance of being above the political fray.
* Sun-Times today…
[Mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot] argued that Preckwinkle has “made herself a fact witness in the Ed Burke case” because of the fundraiser and would be “questioned by the FBI” if she hasn’t been already.
“They’re gonna want to know what was said. How did this fundraiser come to be? And they’re gonna look, of course, at every dollar that was raised during that fundraiser to make a determination if Ed Burke put the arm improperly on anybody else,” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot scoffed at Preckwinkle’s claim that Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke —not the alderman— was responsible for throwing the January, 2018 fundraiser at the Burke home.
“She threw Anne Burke under the bus. Of course, Anne Burke had nothing to do with that fundraiser…She’s a good and able judge. She knows what the rules are. That had nothing to do with Anne Burke. It had everything to do with Toni Preckwinkle’s relationship with Ed Burke,” Lightfoot said.
* And now, this…
…Adding… WBEZ…
Jeff Orr told WBEZ he does not support any candidate in Tuesday’s mayoral election, but his father has endorsed Preckwinkle rival Lori Lightfoot.
And Preckwinkle’s campaign accused Jeff Orr of being a Lightfoot supporter, too.
“This is pure politics from a supporter of one of Toni’s political opponents the weekend before the election,” the campaign said in a statement Friday. “The details of the event have been known for several months. But now, a couple of days before the election, this supporter of millionaire corporate attorney Lori Lightfoot files a claim. Why?”
21 Comments
|
* About 25 minutes ago, I received a text message with a link pointing me to this Tribune op-ed by Greg Baise, who, according to the paper, is the “chairman of Ideas Illinois, a pro-job-creation political committee.” The op-ed was published online at 11:40 this morning. Exerpt…
To be clear, Illinois has the second highest property taxes in the nation. Politicians in Springfield have raised income taxes by historic amounts, yet we are still billions in the hole.
The Pritzker administration would say that’s where its “progressive income tax” comes in. The state raises taxes on people at a certain income level, and they pay for all the new spending ideas. Ask some of the small business owners and job creators you know how they feel about that.
Let’s call it the “jobs tax” — because it will accelerate the push of already-struggling job creators out of Illinois.
In addition, the governor has floated this idea without telling voters the rates at which they would be taxed.
Raise your hand if you think it’s a good idea to give Springfield politicians, through a state constitutional amendment, an unfettered ability to raise taxes year after year.
* Then minutes later I received a texted heads-up about a forthcoming statement from Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady. It arrived a few minutes ago…
The Democrat’s graduated income tax plan is nothing more than a tax increase on the middle class. What we need to be focusing on is advancing policies that attract businesses and jobs, grow our economy and provide our over-taxed homeowners with relief.
* Exactly one minute later, this statement from House Republican Leader Jim Durkin landed in my in-box…
State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) today released the following statement on the Progressive Tax:
My caucus is united in its opposition to the Democrats’ tax increase on Illinois families and employers. Higher taxes won’t solve our problems, nor have they ever as history has shown. Higher taxes only lead to more spending and more government programs. Until our state learns to live within its means, we should not ask for another penny from Illinois families, workers and businesses.
* There’s a bit of a competition brewing between Baise’s group and the Illinois Policy Institute to lead the anti-progressive tax charge. There’s potentially a whole lot of money to harvest for this push, so it should be fun to watch. And while I’m not saying that Brady and Durkin are aligning with Baise, I’m just saying that was an interesting little coinkydink. (The SGOPs, by the way, say it was a total coincidence.)
Both advocacy groups are currently running Facebook ads railing against the progressive tax. Click here for the Policy Institute ads and click here for the Baise ads.
The Institute is also running dozens of Facebook ads railing against a possible tax hike on motorists. Click here to see those ads.
73 Comments
|
Question of the day
Friday, Feb 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
To ensure the public is better protected from those who lose their right to carry deadly weapons, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart proposed legislation Thursday to create countywide police units to recover those weapons and to improve information sharing about those firearms.
The move would close loopholes in state law and processes that Sheriff Dart and anti-violence advocates have long pointed out. Currently, Illinois law relies on an “honor system” when an individual’s firearm license (FOID) is revoked, which often happens because of an arrest, an order of protection or a court’s determination that the person is a danger to themselves or others.
Under the law, such an individual is sent a letter by state police directing them to turn their weapons over to police or another person lawfully able to carry weapons. Additionally, critical information about whether the person attempted to purchase weapons – before or after the revocation – is not shared with local law enforcement.
Sheriff Dart’s proposal requires such information to be shared with local police within 24 hours of a revocation or attempted purchase.
The legislation also mandates the creation of countywide units to recover weapons from those who have their FOID cards revoked. The units will be led by the county sheriff and include members of the county state’s attorney office and local law enforcement. The legislation directs a portion of existing state FOID fees to the effort. Plus, the proposal increases the penalty from a misdemeanor to a Class 4 felony for those who fail to relinquish their weapons when their FOID is revoked.
In 2013, Sheriff Dart created a specialized unit to recover weapons and revoked FOID cards in Cook County. So far, the unit has recovered more than 1,000 firearms.
Additionally, the Sheriff is proposing an increase in the FOID card application fee from $10 to $15, the additional money would be deposited into a fund dedicated to revocation enforcement.
“Last week’s tragedy at the Henry Pratt Company serves as a stark reminder of these dangerous loopholes in our current laws,” Sheriff Dart said. “Too many times there are clear warning signs about deadly violence. We must do more as a state to ensure law enforcement is reacting to those signs and has the information and tools necessary to do so. As we are constantly and tragically reminded, lives are at stake.”
* The Question: Your opinion of Dart’s ideas? Make sure to explain.
22 Comments
|
* Capitol Illinois News covered yesterday’s Senate committee hearing on the state’s infrastructure issues…
Matt Magalis, acting secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, laid out just some of the numbers to a Senate panel that’s been tasked with putting together a plan.
“We currently have 79 million square feet of bridges requiring maintenance and updates,” he said. “That’s over 730 state bridges. We also have a need over the next 10 years of additional funding of $13-15 billion for our highways. That is just maintenance. We also have a need for capacity (highway expansion) that is in the billions of dollars.”
In addition to highways, Magalis said there is a long list of needed upgrades for other forms of transportation: $250 million in state funds for airports around the state, not including Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports; $19.1 billion for public transit; $800 million for passenger rail; and $4 billion for freight rail.
Also, Margalis said, locks and dams along the state’s waterways, which carry a significant volume of freight, are facing costs in the “hundreds of millions of dollars.”
That totals $39 billion without the highway expansions, Chicago airports and the locks and dams.
* And that doesn’t include “vertical.” NPR Illinois…
Requests for money from across state government and beyond are starting to pile up.
The leaking roofs, aging plumbing, and failing heating and cooling systems at state facilities could cost up to $7.8 billion and, at public colleges and universities, $6.5 billion, according to the Capital Development Board, the agency responsible for state construction. And the Illinois State Board of Education says deferred maintenance at local schools totals around $9.6 billion. […]
While senators heard testimony from state agencies, elsewhere in the Capitol state representatives fielded requests for money for more pre-K classrooms and other deferred maintenance in schools, upgrades to Navy Pier, 10,000 units of affordable housing, and replacement of drinking water pipes that contain lead.
That totals $23.9 billion without the stuff in the second paragraph.
So, that’s $53 billion plus many more billions.
17 Comments
|
“They’re putting nails in our coffins”
Friday, Feb 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* SJ-R on the governor’s proposed 32-cents per pack tax hike on cigarettes…
“Given available data from public health research on smoking habits in Illinois, cigarette consumption is likely to continue decreasing over the next few years,” said an entry in the budget book prepared by Pritzker’s office.
It was accompanied by a chart showing cigarette tax receipts dropping from $807 million in the 2016 fiscal year (which ended June 30, 2016) to an estimated $700 million this year. The last cigarette tax hike was in 2012 when it was increased by $1 a pack to $1.98.
Illinois ranks 19th in the country now for the level of its cigarette tax. The only state adjoining Illinois with a higher tax is Wisconsin at $2.52 a pack. It would still be higher if Illinois enacts the latest increase.
However, Illinois will be surrounded by other states with far lower cigarette taxes, including Missouri which ranks 50th at 17-cents a pack.
“They’re putting nails in our coffins,” said Bill Fleischli, executive vice-president of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association, Illinois Association of Convenience Stores, who also pointed to the effort to raise the tobacco purchasing age. “They raised the minimum wage, they’re going to try to tax gasoline.”
23 Comments
|
* From The Gate…
On February 6th, University of Chicago College Republicans President Brett Barbin spoke to David Krupa, a candidate for alderman in Chicago’s 13th Ward, over the phone. They discussed allegations against Krupa made by the candidate’s ex-girlfriend, Juliet Schmidt. These allegations are outlined in an emergency order of protection filed by Schmidt’s family, which has since been vacated.
The content of the conversation left Barbin unsettled, and he came to Gate reporters with his concerns. The Gate has since spoken with Barbin, Krupa, Schmidt, and others to investigate the allegations ahead of the February 26th Chicago election. […]
Krupa claims that the allegations in the documents were falsified by [Juliet’s father] Michael Schmidt in order to keep the couple apart. […]
However, Juliet Schmidt told the Gate that she agreed with her parents that an EOP was necessary, and that she was afraid of seeing Krupa at the time the order of protection was filed.
Schmidt said the idea of filing an order of protection was first suggested by a social worker she met with due to issues in her relationship with Krupa. Her teacher, Amy Fritsch, confirmed she sent Schmidt to see the social worker during school hours. Her father corroborated that the idea of filing an EOP was first proposed by the social worker. Schmidt said that her father filed the EOP on her behalf due to the fact she was only 17 years old at the time. “My dad did file it,” she said, “but it was my decision.”
* But the big bombshells were the allegations made by College Republicans President Brett Barbin about a phone call he says he had with Krupa…
[Krupa] said the judge in the case was never going to side with him because she was female. He wished he had had a white, male judge who had faced these kinds of allegations in the past, stating that then he would have been fine. In the midst of our conversation about the case, Mr. Krupa admitted to one of the allegations. In a conversation about his condom use, Mr. Krupa said he did not like wearing a condom during sex and never did early on in his relationship with his ex-girlfriend. But, later on, his ex-girlfriend asked him to start using a condom when the relationship was falling apart. I then asked if he ever took his condom off without her consent. He confirmed this, and said that she never had a problem with unprotected sex at the beginning of their relationship. He then questioned the difference that it made.
To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Krupa has only categorically denied these allegations to the public. He has dismissed them as politically motivated and fabricated by his ex-girlfriend’s father who did not want them to date. Based on the conversation I had with Mr. Krupa on February 6, I believe his public denials to be at least partially false. […]
Mr. Krupa is seeking an office with the responsibility of handling millions in public tax dollars. He has opened himself up to criticism and rigorous vetting in order to earn the public’s endorsement and trust. I would never want a representative who could so easily and consistently lie about his background.
As a Republican in Chicago, I often find myself at odds with the prevailing opinion. However, I think we can all agree that City Council does not need any more lies and deception.
Krupa addresses those allegations in The Gate’s story.
* Meanwhile…
Clarification of Paul’s Public Schedule
Contrary to recent releases, Paul Vallas will not be participating in aldermanic candidate David Krupa’s “New Chicago Way Coalition” or joint press conference regarding the initiative. We did not provide or approve use of our logo. Any questions regarding the matter can be directed to our media contact.
And…
Oops.
34 Comments
|
* Interesting points…
Other [Gov. Pritzker budget] ideas included making a recent [pension] buyout program permanent.
State Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, who helped craft the buyout program last year, said making it permanent could be irreversible and possibly be abused, costing taxpayers more.
“The way to do something like this is to expand it, not make the small thing we’re doing permanent, but to expand the buyouts and do it for a short period of time,” Batinick said.
Batinick said if the buyout were made permanent, the state constitution’s pension-protection clause would make it impossible to undo. He said the program needs a sunset date. Instead, Batinick said the state needs to find other incentives to get eligible people to take the buyout in a limited time frame.
“I didn’t hear those,” Batinick said after Pritzker’s budget speech Wednesday. “What I just heard was more borrowing, higher taxes, more spending and counting on revenue that has yet to be realized with new programs.”
Fitch analysts said extending the plans indefinitely could add to current year budget pressures by eliminating the incentive for those eligible to sign up for a buyout this year, reducing estimated savings.
State Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, who also helped usher in the buyout plans last year, said there’s also the risk of negative selection.
“The most common example would be ‘I’m set to retire but I found out that I only have three weeks to live and so I go in and I take a buyout,’ and so the state loses because it would be a negative selection.”
Thoughts?
29 Comments
|
* Mark Brown…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday he will press the General Assembly to approve a graduated income tax before it adjourns in May — with both a constitutional amendment to put before voters and companion legislation setting forth the new tax rates.
Pritzker’s ambitious timetable would set the stage for an immediate political showdown in the legislature to be followed by a protracted 17-month public campaign leading up to a November 2020 referendum.
In the past, Democratic legislative leaders have insisted they would not consider constitutional amendments in odd-numbered years when no statewide election is held.
But Pritzker said both House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton have promised to support his strategy to address the tax issue this spring.
* From Cullerton’s spokesman…
The Senate President is eager to support the governor’s ideas and timeline for accomplishing them. He recognizes how important this is to finally fixing the lingering structural deficit and providing financial stability going forward.
54 Comments
|
* Tribune…
Illinois State Police rescinded more than 10,000 gun licenses last year — and more than 75 percent of the revocation recipients ignored it, according to newly released data.
The state agency provided the staggering figures late Thursday, as part of trove of law-enforcement documents involving Gary Martin, the convicted felon who fatally shot five co-workers and wounded several police officers at an Aurora warehouse last week. Martin, 45, went on a rampage after learning he was being terminated — opening fire with a gun he never should have been allowed to purchase.
In the shooting’s wake, authorities disclosed that Martin passed two background checks before buying the Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun used in the mass killing. As convicted felon, Illinois law prohibited Martin from holding a Firearm Owners Identification Card or owning a gun.
* ISP…
In 2018, 10,818 FOID Cards were revoked. In 2018, ISP received only 2,616 Firearm Disposition Records. During that year, only 3,469 FOID cards were returned to ISP. More than 75% of FOID card revocations failed to result in a Firearms Disposition Record being returned.
From 2014 through 2019 (YTD) there have been a total of 110 arrests for violation of 430 ILCS 65/9.5(a) - Failure to Return FOID card or/ not submitting a Firearm Disposition Record. In 2018, there were only 10 arrests statewide for this offense. Therefore, of the 7,531 revocations that did not result in a Firearm Disposition Record being returned, less than 0.004% of revocations resulted in an arrest or conviction.
That’s just a ridiculously low arrest rate.
* ABC 7…
In his first TV interview since being sworn in, new Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul told the I-Team this week that Illinois’ FOID card enforcement needs to be examined as part of a comprehensive look at gun laws.
Raoul pointed to Martin’s false answer on his FOID application in 2014 that went unchecked. Martin declared that he had never been convicted of a felony, which he had. The new state attorney general suggested to the I-Team that lying on a FOID application should be more than a misdemeanor, which is where it now stands.
The penalty is actually a Class 2 Felony, not a misdemeanor. It needs to be enforced.
* Concealed carry applicants can submit fingerprints to expedite the process. For whatever crazy reason, Martin chose to do that, which led to a search result that finally showed his previous felony conviction. Back to the ISP…
Upon receipt of the court documents, Martin’s FCCL application was denied on March 26, 2014. A letter dated April 15, 2014, was sent to Martin notifying him of his FCCL application denial as well as indicating he was no longer eligible for a FOID card. Martin was notified he was responsible for surrendering his FOID card and any weapons in his possession. FCCL staff notified FOID staff for purposes of revoking Martin’s FOID card. Martin’s FOID card was subsequently revoked on April 17, 2014.
The ISP’s procedure in 2014 was to notify local, county, and state law enforcement of the revocation, where the FOID card holder resides, electronically by means of the LEADS system. ISP records do not contain a copy of an electronic notification sent to law enforcement for Martin. These LEADS administrative messages are only maintained for three years. As of March 16, 2015, notification to law enforcement regarding FOID revocations is made via a typed letter sent through the United States Postal Service. After an exhaustive search of paper and electronic records, neither Martin’s FOID card nor a related Firearms Disposition Form could be located.
Sheesh.
FOID cards are valid for 10 years. The ISP needs to keep records longer than they are and do a much better job of keeping those records.
And putting the sole onus on the felon for turning in his or her guns is just ridiculous.
* Back to fingerprinting…
Richard Pearson, the executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said he would oppose fingerprinting because of the potential cost to those who apply for a FOID card. Pearson estimated that the current $10 fee could go up dramatically if the cost of a fingerprinting would be passed onto applicants.
“It is just too expensive,” he said, calling what happened in Aurora a “tragedy,” but adding that this was an example of one error.
Pearson told me, however, that he’s willing to work on other issues related to this to get these guns away from people who shouldn’t own them.
* ISP…
There are currently 2,285,990 active FOID cards and 325,187 active FCCL statewide. Of FCCL holders, only 126,559 submitted fingerprints with their applications. Therefore, only 0.06% of FOID card holders were fingerprinted as part of the FOID/FCCL application process.
* NBC 5…
In a news release, the Illinois State Police blamed authorities in Mississippi for failing to link Martin’s criminal history with a so-called “state identification number” (SID). That failure reportedly prevented detection of a conviction from the nineties for aggravated assault for which he served five years in prison.
Ugh.
60 Comments
|
I find this difficult to believe
Friday, Feb 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mark Brown…
On a related matter, Pritzker acknowledged he has provided some of the initial funding for Think Big Illinois, a new non-profit issue advocacy organization expected to provide political cover for his policies — including the switch to a graduated income tax.
But Pritzker said he doesn’t know how much he’s donated and denied he’s made any specific future dollar commitment to the group, which is being run by one of his former top campaign aides.
Dude doesn’t know how much he’s given to the group set up by his former deputy campaign manager? Please.
19 Comments
|
Today’s feel-good story
Friday, Feb 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* SJ-R…
A freshman Republican state representative is calling a Democratic senator a “hero” for successfully performing the Heimlich maneuver on him after he choked on food at a reception.
State Rep. Mike Murphy, R-Springfield, said state Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Tinley Park, intervened after noticing he was in distress.
Murphy said he stopped by the gathering Wednesday at the President Abraham Lincoln Springfield–a DoubleTree by Hilton, put on by pipe trades unions. He took a bite of a roast beef slider, and “it immediately lodged in my throat.”
“I walked over, grabbed some water, tried to swallow,” Murphy said. But he “couldn’t swallow at all, and was panicking. I turned and looked and everybody had their back to me. Then I turned the other way, and Senator Hastings was walking in the door, and I frantically waved at him. He came over and performed the Heimlich on me twice and got the food to come up. So I got some good help from a good Democrat.” […]
Hastings, a former U.S. Army captain who played football at West Point, served in Iraq and on the borders of Iran and Syria, and is trained in advanced combat lifesaving, said he administered the Heimlich maneuver.
“I lifted him off the ground, and little did I know that he was choking on a piece of steak, and it came out,” Hastings said, saying he also gave Murphy “a good swat on his back” as part of the throat-clearing maneuver.
41 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
Preckwinkle boots Cisek
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Toni Preckwinkle…
As of today, Scott Cisek is no longer affiliated with my campaign in any capacity. His recent social media post was unconscionable and showed insensitivity to the issue of anti-semitism. It does not reflect my values or the values of my campaign. I apologize to Lori Lightfoot and everyone who was offended by this insensitive comment.
That is huge. Cisek has been a top Preckwinkle aide.
* This thing blew up fast…
* And then came this…
Chicago mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot released the following statement in response to a Facebook comment in which Scott Cisek, a top adviser to mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle, posted a picture of Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials in an argument about whether to support Lightfoot.
“Politics is a tough business,” said Lightfoot. “I knew that before I jumped in. But it is disturbing to me that a mayoral candidate’s top adviser believes the genocide of millions of people is a casual enough subject to be used as a joke to settle a political argument. Take note of those that surround the people we expect to lead.”
* And this from Amara Enyia…
This foolishness from Toni Preckwinkle’s senior adviser is a testament to the values and character of her campaign. This is the latest in a long history of problematic behavior from several of Preckwinkle’s closest advisors. Does she condone this kind of behavior and attitude? Being progressive is not just about policies, it’s about the integrity and authenticity of your values. This is actually regressive and indicative of the kind of mayor she would be, and it’s exactly why voters are cynical about politics. Chicago deserves better.
* And then the apology…
A top campaign adviser to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle apologized Thursday after invoking Nazis to criticize former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot in a Facebook post. […]
Cisek, who is a former executive director of the Cook County Democratic Party and has worked for Preckwinkle’s administration, is a longtime Preckwinkle adviser. […]
Cisek later deleted the post and also tweeted, “I apologize for my Facebook comment. It was a stupid comment and I took it down.”
“It was revenge for Billy Batts, and a lot of other things.”
49 Comments
|
Caption contest!
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I briefly chatted with some SIUC students who were waiting to meet with Senate President John Cullerton yesterday. They seemed pretty stoked to be there…
Shortly after delivering his first budget address as governor, J.B. Pritzker put on a Saluki baseball cap, and met with about 20 SIU Carbondale students in his office.
They asked questions, took photos, and presented Pritzker with a bag of Saluki gear. In total, the students met with some two dozen state lawmakers Wednesday, according to organizer Clay Awsumb, president of the SIUC Graduate and Professional Student Council, and a doctoral student in sociology.
“Other universities are showing up in Springfield pretty consistently, and we didn’t have anything scheduled in terms of a student lobbying day or legislative day,” Awsumb said. He teamed up with Undergraduate Student Government President Toussaint Mitchell to get some face time with state leaders. […]
Murphysboro State Rep. Terri Bryant pitched in, calling Pritzker’s office to arrange the meeting and photo op with the students. Downstate Sens. Dale Fowler and Paul Schimpf both took out time for meetings.
* Here you go…
Nice hat.
34 Comments
|
The harm done by the “pension crisis” narrative
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Few will argue that Illinois has significant issues with the underfunding of its five public employee pension systems. In fact, many say the state faces a continuing “pension crisis.”
However, three University of Illinois researchers argue that this “crisis” framework or mentality surrounding the issue actually impedes a sustainable solution. Their new report urges policymakers to rethink the conversation about pensions and Illinois’ finances. Download the report.
“Illinois lawmakers have long sought a silver bullet solution that will not increase (or even lower) the state’s required contributions while simultaneously shoring up pension systems’ finances,” write researchers Robert Bruno, Amanda Kass and David Merriman. “We view such a policy as unattainable and its pursuit a distraction from the job of responsible policymaking.”
Bruno is director of the Project for Middle Class Renewal and is a professor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kass is associate director of the Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Merriman is director of the Fiscal Futures Project and a senior scholar at the University’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs and a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Their paper makes three arguments: 1) that to resolve the pension underfunding issue the focus should be on long-term trends and peer comparison; 2) that a “pension crisis” is a situation in which the pension system is insolvent and unable to pay benefits – which is not the current case in Illinois; and 3) rather than a singular problem, there are two interrelated and in-conflict issues – the concern over pension finances and state operating budgets where expenses regularly exceed revenue.
Bruno, Kass and Merriman suggest that referring to the issue as a “crisis” leads to focusing only on short-term metrics and solutions. They urge state lawmakers to abandon the crisis rhetoric and to also abandon the practice of reducing that state’s pension contributions in order to balance the state budget.
“Our goal with this paper is to change the conversation about pensions and the state’s finances,” the report says. “We believe this is important for addressing the challenges facing the state in a calm, thoughtful and deliberate manner.”
* First, a chart…
* Excerpt…
If future Illinois GDP growth is similar to growth over the past 20 years and if pension contributions increase in-line with the current actuarial projections, then the state’s annual pension payments will stabilize at about one percent of state GDP over the next several decades.
In other words, it’s relatively manageable, but only if you think current contributions are not too high.
* Gov. Pritzker obviously thinks current state pension payments are too high, so he’s proposing several things to deal with it, including extending the ramp out an additional seven years, which will “save” the state $878 million (not “about $800 million” - the actual number is $878 million) this coming fiscal year and about that in each of six years afterward. Pritzker’s “plan” fits right in to this section…
Assuming a “pension crisis” narrative has costs that are evident in Illinois’ legislative history. Not only in how it impacts the finances of the pension systems but also in the way it predetermines approaches to the subject. As Section III highlighted there are two main issues that are interrelated, yet in-conflict: (1) the financial condition of the pension funds, and (2) the state’s annual pension contributions as burdensome for the state budget. Importantly, in moments of political pressure to do something about pensions, what often materializes is legislation that alleviates the short-term pressure with the creation of a future, long-term problem. As a result, Illinois is stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of pension crises and problematic legislation.
Yep.
There’s a whole lot more, so click here to read it all. If Amanda Kass is part of a study, you know it’s good.
110 Comments
|
What Is The Credit Union Difference?
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
It’s simple. Credit unions are member-owned, so any earnings are simply returned in the form of lower loan rates, higher interest on deposits and lower fees. Credit unions create a fair financial alternative for the taxpayers of Illinois. Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives that don’t focus on increasing revenue or paying dividends to outside stockholders. Illinois credit unions are focused on the member-owners we serve. Visit www.asmarterchoice.org to learn more about the benefits of credit union membership.
Comments Off
|
Unmentioned?
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Chicago Tribune editorial…
The only way to save the pension funds, and protect taxpayers, is to amend the Illinois Constitution’s pension clause. No, Pritzker didn’t say anything about that.
From his budget address…
Throughout my campaign I said that we must pay the pensions that are owed
He didn’t say anything about a constitutional amendment to cut pension benefits because he’s clearly against it.
* Illinois News Network…
For some state lawmakers, it’s not what they heard at Wednesday’s budget address, it’s what wasn’t addressed.
“I’ll tell you what is top of mind is what wasn’t heard: Property taxes,” said State Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield. “We didn’t hear about property tax relief.”
State Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, agreed he didn’t hear enough about how to tackle the second highest property taxes in the country.
“If you really wanted to improve the overall health and economic wellbeing in our state, you need to address property taxes,” Martwick said.
He did mention property tax relief, but he said it wouldn’t happen until a progressive income tax hike is enacted…
This is only Year One of a multi-year endeavor, and very importantly it is built on the state’s current regressive tax structure that I do not favor and that puts the greatest burden on working families. Not only is our tax system unfair, it’s also inadequate to solve our long-term financial challenges.
It’s time for a change.
Workers deserve an income tax cut and a property tax break. A fair tax system will allow us to eliminate the structural deficit that has plagued our state for nearly two decades.
43 Comments
|
Question of the day
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The setup…
* The Question: If you had to bet money, for whom do you think Gov. Pritzker voted? Don’t forget to explain.
42 Comments
|
* Beware of this lede from the Illinois News Network…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is formally asking lawmakers to shut down Illinois’ private school scholarship program and pour more into public schools.
In his budget proposal Wednesday, Pritzker proposes taking the $100 million cap on donations to the Invest in Kids private school scholarship program and cutting it down to $50 million, $11 million less than what was donated in the program’s first year. He proposed to phase it out over the next three years.
As part of the overhaul of Illinois’ education funding formula in 2017, lawmakers added the five-year Invest in Kids pilot program, which grants a 75 percent income tax credit to those who donate scholarship funds for private schools. Officials with the program said most of the donations were for less than $1,000 and from individual donors.
“The governor is proposing to phase out the program over the next three years so that the state can direct its limited revenues to funding its commitments to public schools first,” according to the proposal. […]
More than 40,000 students applied for scholarship funds through the program in 2018. The program raised $61 million statewide that year, a national record for the first year of this kind of program, and paid the private school tuition for more than 6,700 students. Pritzker’s administration estimated that ending the pilot program would put $6 million into the state’s coffers.
Pritzker said he opposed using tax revenue to subsidize private schools when he said Illinois does such a poor job of funding public schools, the Sun-Times reported. […]
Holter said Pritzker’s assertion that the funding for the scholarships could be put into public schools is misleading.
“It’s not like there’s a big $100 million or $75 million pool of money out there that we’ve taken from some other pot of money,” he said. “We work hard to make sure that the story of [this program’s] importance and impact is out there so that these private citizens feel inspired to give.”
It’s a five-year pilot program. It began midway through Fiscal Year 2018. It’ll expire in three more years unless action is taken.
What he’s doing is starting the process of phasing it out by lowering the limit on tax credits for next fiscal year.
Also, money has to come from somewhere.
58 Comments
|
Snoop Dogg will perform at Illinois State Fair
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Pretty sure I’ll be in attendance…
Rap icon Snoop Dogg is coming to the 2019 Illinois State Fair! Snoop Dogg and Friends will perform Friday, August 16 on the Grandstand stage.
With more than two decades of award-winning albums and songs, hit television shows, films, lifestyle products, philanthropic efforts, and digital ventures, Snoop Dogg is an unparalleled musical force at the forefront of popular culture. Since 1993, Snoop Dogg has released 17 studio albums, sold more than 35 million albums worldwide, reached #1 on Billboard charts, and received nearly 20 Grammy® nominations. His most recent album, Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Charts in 2018 and was his first offering in the gospel music genre.
Snoop Dogg is the third Grandstand act announced for the 2019 Illinois State Fair; a capella group Pentatonix and country duo Dan + Shay were announced earlier this month.
30 Comments
|
* From the governor’s budget address…
I have been advocating for large investments in early childhood education for decades, long before I became governor. Real focus on the learning that happens from birth to age 5 can determine the entire arc of a person’s life. Investing in early childhood is the single most important education policy decision government can make, and it has proven to provide a significant return on investment. That’s why I’m proposing funding the Early Childhood Block Grant at $594 million, an increase of $100 million from fiscal year 2019. It will allow us to begin the march toward universal preschool so that every child in Illinois will have a real opportunity to succeed.
* Chalkbeat…
Later in the address, Pritzker detailed a smaller increase, but one that some advocates said was a welcome shift in policy: He described first steps toward repairing a child care assistance program that was drained of families and providers during the administration of his predecessor, Gov. Bruce Rauner. The new governor plans to spend $30 million more to rebuild the program. He also will increase income eligibility so an estimated 10,000 more families can participate. […]
The state early childhood grant also supports prenatal programs and infant and toddler care for low-income families. […]
But policymakers and advocates on Wednesday said the considerable $100 million increase is a step in the right direction for a state that has been spending less per student than many of its neighbors. According to the National Institute for Early Education Research, Illinois spent $4,226 per young learner in 2016-2017 compared with a national average that topped $5,000. Seven states spent $7,000 or more. […]
One item Gasner said she hoped to hear, but didn’t, was increased spending on home visiting programs for families with new babies. Spending on such programs next year will remain flat under Pritzker’s proposal. Home visiting has been suggested as one antidote to the state’s troublingly high maternal mortality rates. An October report from the state’s public health department found that 72 percent of pregnancy-related deaths in Illinois were preventable. […]
In addition to the $100 million, Pritzker’s office reportedly also will add $7 million to early intervention services for young learners with disabilities and set aside $107 million to help buffer the impact of his new minimum wage increase on daycare center owners and other child care providers who operate on thin margins.
* WBEZ…
Maria Whelan, CEO for Illinois Action for Children, said she likes the change in direction the governor’s budget seems to be proposing.
“We have 40,000 fewer children on the state’s child care assistance program than we had four years ago,” she said. “So we have a lot of rebuilding to do, but it’s very clear that we’re moving in the right direction.”
Ireta Gasner, vice president of Illinois policy at the Ounce of Prevention Fund, praised the increase to early childhood programs, but hopes it’s targeted. She said therapists who serve at-risk children haven’t received a rate increase since 2008.
Discuss.
14 Comments
|
* Summary of HB3550, sponsored by 17 members…
With regard to a sex education course, provides that course material and instruction in grades 6 through 12 must include an age-appropriate discussion on the meaning of consent that includes discussion on recognizing that (i) consent is a freely given agreement to sexual activity, (ii) consent to one particular sexual activity does not constitute consent to other types of sexual activities, (iii) a person’s lack of verbal or physical resistance or submission resulting from the use or threat of force does not constitute consent, (iv) a person’s manner of dress does not constitute consent, (v) a person’s consent to past sexual activity does not constitute consent to future sexual activity, (vi) a person’s consent to engage in sexual activity with one person does not constitute consent to engage in sexual activity with another person, (vii) a person can withdraw consent at any time, and (viii) a person cannot consent to sexual activity if that person is unable to understand the nature of the activity or give knowing consent due to certain circumstances. Removes a provision requiring material and instruction to include, with an emphasis on workplace environment and life on a college campus, discussion on what constitutes sexual consent.
* Proponents held a press conference today…
* Meanwhile, here’s a summary of HB3528, sponsored by just one member…
Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Consent-Required Workplace Act. Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Defines terms. Provides that an employer shall require active consent for any physical touch beyond a handshake between colleagues, contractors, customers, students, direct reports, or business-to-business clients. Provides that a person with a higher pay grade or higher status than another person shall not ask the other person to initiate a physical touch beyond a handshake or engage in unwanted or offensive speech. Provides that if employees develop a personal relationship, active consent paperwork may be filed with their employer. Provides that if a non-consensual behavior complaint is filed against an employer, the employer’s policy shall be updated within 7 business days to address the current complaint. Provides that any employer having a complaint of a violation filed against it with the Department of Human Rights is subject to randomized auditing to ensure the company has an acceptable policy and is following the policy to protect its employees. Provides that if an employer receives 10 or more non-consensual behavior complaints, the Department is required to conduct an audit. Provides that a violation of the new provisions constitutes a civil rights violation. Provides that, in addition to any remedies available under the Act, a person or employer is subject to a $1,000 penalty for each violation, collectible by the Department and to be used by the Department for the administration of the new provisions. Effective January 1, 2020.
If you read the complete text, there are no exemptions for people like medical workers, who routinely touch patients. In fact, there are zero exemptions, including for people like child care workers and those who work with the aged and infirm, who do things like change diapers.
31 Comments
|
Way to go, Tina
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Background is here if you need it. From the AP…
Reporters were briefed on the details after the speech by deputy Gov. Dan Hynes and Pritzker budget director Alexis Sturm, but the governor’s press office prohibited reporters from quoting the two directly. The Associated Press chose not to participate.
* Tina Sfondeles participated and slipped this little quote into her story…
Regarding delaying pensions payments — which many have scoffed at — Hynes said it is the “sensible” thing to do with an unsustainable ramp that forces the state to dedicate 21 percent of revenue to pensions.
Heh. Let ‘em complain about that.
* Because she went to the briefing, Tina’s story had some info that the AP’s story lacked. For instance…
Should that new revenue package fail, the administration would propose a 4 percent cut to all state agencies, Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes said in a budget briefing Wednesday afternoon. A budget document stated those cuts would work to fill a budget gap but wouldn’t include employee health care or pension and debt service costs.
But the AP’s story was good, too.
I skipped the briefing, not because of the restrictions, but because I have my own system for covering these proposals which has always worked pretty well for me. The object here is to get the information to your readers. We all have our own way of doing that. The AP chose one path, the Sun-Times chose another and I went a different route.
45 Comments
|
A look at some of Pritzker’s increased spending
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Public Radio…
State Rep. David McSweeney, a Republican from Barrington Hills, said he’s skeptical. “This budget is a joke. More of the same. Higher taxes. More spending. That’s the Pritzker plan.”
* The SJ-R had a different take…
It took years for Illinois’ fiscal situation to get as terrible as it is. It will take time to dig out of it too.
That message clearly came through during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s first budget address Wednesday. Pritzker did not try to sugarcoat the state of Illinois’ financial challenges during his address: $3.2 billion budget deficit, $15 billion debt in unpaid bills, $133.5 billion unfunded pension liability. We are cautious and concerned about some of the ideas he presented. Yet we found Pritzker’s speech to be a realistic, but still optimistic, message from the person who starts off the annual state budget process.
* Tribune…
He proposes spending an additional $630 million on education, including more money for early childhood programs, elementary and secondary education, and public universities and community colleges. He also plans $542 million in added spending on social services, including money to provide child care assistance for the parents of 10,000 more children and hire 126 more child welfare workers at the Department of Children and Family Services.
* Capitol News Service…
K-12 education would also see a $5 million boost to career and technical education, $2 million in funding for an Advanced Placement low-income test fee waiver program, and $250,000 in added educator misconduct investigation funding.
Early intervention programming would see a $7 million increase, and the federal preschool birth-5 grant will be allotted $3.8 billion.
Mark Jontry, president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents, said the group was pleased to see more money invested in education, but will emphasize alternative education going forward.
“I think we’re a little disappointed that we’re flat-funded with our alternative programs,” he said. “We’re going to want to continue to have conversations with the governor’s office around trying to put additional dollars into those programs, because it is a population with some real needs and we’ve been held level while our costs to serve those kids continue to escalate.”
* News-Gazette…
The governor proposed a 5 percent increase for public universities and community colleges in fiscal 2020, which would boost the UI’s general operating funds by 5 percent, or $26.8 million, to $621.4 million, officials said Wednesday.
The UI had requested an increase of 16.5 percent, or almost $98 million more, but President Tim Killeen, who was in Springfield for the budget message, wasn’t complaining.
“We’re really happy to see the resolute attention to an investment strategy in higher education,” Killeen told News-Gazette Media on Wednesday. “It’s turning the tide after 20 years of less favorable budgets.” […]
On scholarships, Pritzker said he would expand the pool of matching funds for the new “Aim High” merit-based scholarship program to $35 million next year, up from the current $25 million. And he would expand funding for the Monetary Award Program’s need-based grants by $50 million.
“There’s still a gap there for what is really needed for socioeconomically disadvantaged students,” Killeen said, “but it’s great to see it going in this direction.”
* Pantagraph…
Pritzker’s call for an increase in income eligibility for the Child Care Assistance Program would help local families who struggle to make ends meet because they don’t qualify for assistance but can’t afford child care, German said.
“While we are hopeful about the change in the minimum wage and the positive effect it will have in our state, we do have concerns there was no mention about adjusting reimbursement rates to help offset the substantial increase in program costs,” German said.
* SJ-R…
* $100 million for early childhood grants
* $30 million to provide child care assistance to more families
* $375 million more to implement the revised school funding formula
* $5 million more for career and technical education
* $50 million more for the Monetary Award Program for college students
* $52.2 million increase for public universities and $13.9 million for community colleges.
* $85 million in state funding to help human services agencies cover the minimum wage increase.
* Adds 126 direct service staff for the Department of Children and Family Services at a cost of $9.8 million.
* Adds $20.6 million to open a 200-bed Chicago Veterans’ Home that has sat empty since it was built.
* Funds two state police cadet classes of 100 people each for $7.6 million.
* Contains $5 million to implement the new state gun dealer certification law.
37 Comments
|
A quick look at Pritzker’s new revenue streams
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I really think that proposed cannabis license fee is too high…
The governor’s plan includes an estimated $1.1 billion in new revenue, with the Pritzker administration banking on selling 20 sports betting licenses at $10 million a piece [$200 million], and selling “thousands” of marijuana business licenses for a one-time fee of $100,000 [$170 million].
Other tax bumps would include raising taxes on a pack of cigarettes from $1.98 to $2.30 [$55 million] and taxing e-cigarettes at a 36.5 percent rate, the same as all other tobacco products [$10 million]. The administration is also pushing for a 5 percent statewide bag tax [$20 million]. […]
[Revenues also include] a tax on [Managed Care Organizations] to generate $390 million in revenue to help cover the costs of the Medicaid system. Pritzker’s revenue package also includes $175 million from a proposed delinquent tax payment incentive program.
* Greg Hinz…
A couple of things will catch the eye of business groups: a $75 million annual cap on how much retailers are paid to collect the sales tax—that expenditure has run over $100 million in some years—and $94 million in revenue that will come from closing what budget aides call a “loophole” by decoupling from the federal tax credit for repatriated international earnings.
* I’ve been calling for a graduated tax on the video gaming industry for a while now, so I’m glad to see it included in the budget proposal…
Pritzker would generate an additional $89 million from a higher tax structure on successful video gaming terminals
38 Comments
|
* Reuters…
In a decision that may curb the rise of financial penalties and property seizures in the U.S. criminal justice system, the Supreme Court on Wednesday for the first time ruled that the U.S. Constitution’s ban on “excess fines” applies to states as well as the federal government.
The nine justices ruled unanimously in favor of an Indiana man named Tyson Timbs who argued that police violated his rights by seizing his $42,000 Land Rover vehicle after he was convicted as a heroin dealer.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, back on the bench for a second straight day after undergoing lung cancer surgery in December, wrote the court’s opinion, which clarified the applicability of the “excessive fines” prohibition contained in the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment.
“For good reason, the protection against excessive fines has been a constant shield throughout Anglo-American history. Exorbitant tolls undermine other constitutional liberties,” Ginsburg said in court as she announced the ruling.
The vehicle was taken in a process called civil asset forfeiture that permits police to seize and keep property involved in a crime.
* NBC…
The Eighth Amendment’s other two restrictions, forbidding cruel and unusual punishment and banning excessive bail, were previously declared to restrict state as well as federal authority.
When the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791, it imposed limits only on the federal government. The Supreme Court has gradually ruled that most of its provisions also apply to the states. […]
Indiana argued that even if the ban on excessive fines applied to the states, the restriction should apply only to fines that a person has to pay, not to the seizure of property used to commit a crime.
“We disagree,” the Supreme Court said Wednesday, finding that the right is fundamental and deeply rooted in the justice system.
* Nina Totenberg at NPR…
[Ginsburg] noted that those fines could be used to retaliate against political enemies and have been used as a source of revenue.
The ruling effectively means states and local municipalities cannot use fines as a mechanism for raising revenue, something many local governments do.
* One more…
Thus, now the only rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights that are not incorporated through the Fourteenth Amendment to the states are: the Third Amendment prohibiting quartering of soldiers, Fifth Amendment right to a grand jury indictment in a criminal case; and the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial in civil cases.
34 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax
Advertise Here
Mobile Version
Contact Rich Miller
|
