Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton announced 10 appointments to the Senate Task Force on Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Awareness and Prevention.
They are:
Senator Omar Aquino, 2nd District, Chicago
Senator Scott Bennett, 52nd District, Champaign
Senator Melinda Bush, 31st District, Grayslake
Senator Bill Cunningham, 18th District, Chicago
Senator Mattie Hunter, 3rd District, Chicago, Majority Caucus Whip
Senator Toi Hutchinson, 40th District, Chicago Heights
Senator Heather Steans, 7th District, Chicago
Julie Curry, President at Curry & Associates, former deputy chief of staff at Illinois governor’s office, former state lawmaker
Rikeesha Phelon, President and CEO of Phelon Public Strategies
Polly Poskin, Executive Director, Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault
The Senate President has a total of 12 appointments to the task force. The other two are being finalized.
“I look forward to this task force producing effective recommendations and offer my support to back up its work,” Cullerton said in making the appointments.
* Press release…
Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) announced on Monday the appointment of five Senate Republicans who will serve on the newly created Senate Task Force on Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Awareness and Prevention.
“This is an important first step in changing the culture in the Capitol,” said Brady. “I applaud each of these Senators who are willing to serve on this important Task Force.”
The goal of the new task force will be to conduct a comprehensive review of legal and social consequences of sexual discrimination and harassment in both the public and private sectors. The Task Force will study and make recommendations on combating sexual discrimination and harassment in workplaces, educational institutions, and in State and local government.
A more immediate question: Why is Ira Silverstein still in the General Assembly?
Yes, voters can fire him, and we think they will, if they have to. At least two potential opponents have stepped forward for next year’s Democratic primary, and the party isn’t likely to back Silverstein. He’s toast.
But legislative leaders could nudge Silverstein to make an early exit. They’ve certainly done it when other members engaged in conduct that was inappropriate, unethical, unprofessional and embarrassing.
They’ve already stripped Silverstein of his leadership position and the $20,649 stipend that went with it.
It’s like he’s been kicked to the couch, but not the curb.
As a practical matter, Democrats needed Silverstein’s votes this week in several close override attempts. But they’ll be on the spot once the veto session ends. Rotheimer, a victims’ rights activist who is running for a House seat, says Silverstein made unwanted overtures for 18 months while sponsoring a bill she wanted to pass. She backed up her complaint with a trove of unseemly Facebook correspondence.
OK, first of all, the Tribune editorial board has used millions of barrels of ink to rail against the concentrated powers of legislative leaders, then tells those same leaders they should use their powers to accomplish something it demands. Plus, I think you’d have to go all the way back to 1991 to see a Senator resign under public pressure, and he’d already been convicted of a federal crime.
Secondly, if you click here you’ll see that none of the successful veto override motions last week passed the Senate with fewer than 37 votes - one more than required for passage. The Senate Democrats, in other words, didn’t need Silverstein’s vote.
As immigration matters continue to roil Washington, a new report underlines the economic implications to Illinois if Congress and President Donald Trump make the wrong moves.
According to the study from the American Immigration Council, a left-leaning Washington advocacy group, 1 in 8 state residents, roughly 1.8 million people, are immigrants.
Even more significant, about 1 in 6 workers in the state—17.9 percent—is an immigrant.
The heaviest concentration of immigrant workers is in manufacturing, where 229,000 of the state’s 1.2 million immigrant workers are employed. Health care and social assistance industries come next at 157,000, according to the council, which says it drew its facts from the federal census and other data.
One in seven Illinois residents is an immigrant, while one in eight is a native-born U.S. citizen with at least one immigrant parent.
In 2015, 1.8 million immigrants (foreign-born individuals) comprised 14.2 percent of the population.
Illinois was home to 870,770 women, 863,196 men, and 92,190 children who were immigrants.
The top countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico (38.2 percent of immigrants), India (8.1 percent), Poland (7 percent), the Philippines (5 percent), and China (4.3 percent).
In 2016, 1.6 million people in Illinois (12.6 percent of the state’s population) were native-born Americans who had at least one immigrant parent.
Nearly half of all immigrants in Illinois are naturalized U.S. citizens.
880,242 immigrants (48.2 percent) had naturalized as of 2015, and 326,135 immigrants were eligible to become naturalized U.S. citizens in 2015.
Nearly three-quarters (73.2 percent) of immigrants reported speaking English “well” or “very well.”
Immigrants in Illinois are concentrated at both ends of the educational spectrum.
Almost one in three adult immigrants had a college degree or more education in 2015, while one in four had less than a high school diploma.
More than a quarter-million U.S. citizens in Illinois live with at least one family member who is undocumented.
450,000 undocumented immigrants comprised 24 percent of the immigrant population and 3.5 percent of the total state population in 2014.
817,066 people in Illinois, including 343,532 born in the United States, lived with at least one undocumented family member between 2010 and 2014.
During the same period, 1 in 10 children in the state was a U.S. citizen living with at least one undocumented family member (395,179 children in total).
More than 35,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients live in Illinois.
As of 2016, 73 percent of DACA-eligible immigrants in Illinois, or 45,663 people, had applied for DACA.
An additional 18,000 residents of the state satisfied all but the educational requirements for DACA, and another 9,000 would be eligible as they grew older.
One in six workers in Illinois is an immigrant, together making up an important part of the state’s labor force in a range of industries.
1.2 million immigrant workers comprised 17.9 percent of the labor force in 2015.
Immigrants in Illinois have contributed billions of dollars in taxes.
Immigrant-led households in the state paid $9.8 billion in federal taxes and $5.2 billion in state and local taxes in 2014.
Undocumented immigrants in Illinois paid an estimated $758.9 million in state and local taxes in 2014. Their contribution would rise to over $917.4 million if they could receive legal status.
DACA recipients in Illinois paid an estimated $131 million in state and local taxes in 2016.
As consumers, immigrants add tens of billions of dollars to Illinois’ economy.
Illinois residents in immigrant-led households had $40.1 billion in spending power (after-tax income) in 2014.
Immigrant entrepreneurs in Illinois generate billions of dollars in business revenue.
119,404 immigrant business owners accounted for 21.3 percent of all self-employed Illinois residents in 2015 and generated more than $2.5 billion in business income.
In 2015, immigrants accounted for 20.3 percent of business owners in the Chicago/Naperville/Joliet metropolitan area (which stretches from Wisconsin to Indiana through Illinois) and 6.5 percent of business owners in the St. Louis metro area (which straddles Illinois and Missouri).
Rauner said he would favor a gradual reduction in income taxes — not an immediate repeal — after the Legislature this summer increased the individual income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent.
“What we need to do is roll that income tax hike back over time. It won’t happen day one but if we can reduce it in the future years, bring it down over time — a lot of states have no income tax, I’m not advocating that necessarily — but I’d like to bring it back to 3 percent, where it used to be for a long time,” the governor told reporters.
Asked if his call for reducing the income tax “over time” was an admission that the tax increase was needed, Rauner said it wasn’t.
“No, absolutely not, just the opposite,” he said. “We’ve got to shrink the spending in order to keep a balanced budget. That’s why it takes a couple of years to do.”
OK.
You’ll recall that Rauner made the exact same pledge to roll the rate back to 3 percent during the 2014 campaign.
Washington University School of Medicine doctors who had stopped seeing new patients insured through the state of Illinois changed course November 1 and began accepting them again. That could be seen as progress.
After all, Illinois’ two-year state budget impasse — a political fight between the state’s Republican governor and Democrats who control the General Assembly — left health care providers in and outside the state struggling to serve patients while dealing with payments that were up to two years overdue.
Some of the Washington University doctors, those who practice at outpatient clinics, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, had decided to stop accepting new patients insured through Illinois’ State Employees Group Insurance Program a year ago because of the payment delays.
Even though the state still owes Washington University $14.5 million, the medical school’s decision to rescind any previous restrictions was a recognition that the Illinois General Assembly passed a budget this past summer — over Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto — and recently took action to hasten repayment of debts to the school and other vendors waiting on state payments, a university spokeswoman says.
Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate and State Rep. Jeanne Ives won over some hearts Saturday during a brief appearance to drum up support for her primary campaign in Arlington Heights. […]
Ives, a West Point graduate with a degree in economics and a mother of five, criticized Rauner for signing what she calls the “sanctuary state” bill, the new school funding formula which many see as a bailout for Chicago Public Schools, subsidies for Exelon Corp., and a bill Sept. 28 that allows state health insurance and Medicaid funding for abortion.
Candidate Rauner supported increased coverage for abortions in 2014 but changed his mind in April, saying the state’s focus should be the economy, making his latest move a surprise for conservatives.
“This is the agenda of an Ivy League professor and not a conservative reformer,” said the Wheaton resident of her primary reason for challenging the first-term governor in March’s Republican primary.
Of whether residents can expect another state budget impasse — Illinois went two years without a spending plan, wreaking havoc on local social service agencies — Rauner laid the blame on House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who passed budgets for decades under other governors.
* I listened to the raw audio and the reporter, Derek Beigh, specifically asked him about his 2015 statement to the Tribune…
“Crisis creates opportunity. Crisis creates leverage to change … and we’ve got to use that leverage of the crisis to force structural change,” said Rauner
Beigh pointed out that the impasse was a crisis that had been devastating to many in the Bloomington area and asked Rauner if he would pledge not to do something like that again…
Well, you’re supposing that I did it. I didn’t do it. Mike Madigan did it. Mike Madigan has been in charge of the state for 35 years. He’s the one who’s caused the deficits. His control has caused the debt. And all I said was, ‘Let’s have a balanced budget.’ And I proposed a balanced budget my first two months in office. He ignored it. He passed an out of balanced budget, with more deficits and debt and I said, ‘That’s unconstitutional.’ We have a requirement in this state, by constitution, to have a balanced budget and by policy that’s what we should have.
And people say, well, it’s my fault that there’s a budget impasse. All I’m trying to do is say let’s have revenues match expenses. Madigan said ‘No.’ And he forced a tax hike through over my veto, as you know, in June. He forced a new budget through over my veto. And we’re still running a $2 billion deficit. This is unsustainable.
And anyone who says, well, it’s better to have any budget at all than no budget. The reality is we had a budget and we’ve been running deficits for years. Every year we had some sort of a budget. Every year for 35 years under Madigan’s control it’s been a deficit budget. If it was a family, it would’ve had to declare bankruptcy. If it was a business, they would’ve gone out of business.
He often claims he submitted a balanced budget plan in 2015, but that’s just not true. From a story on the Civic Federation’s analysis…
Rauner’s budget assumes $2.2 billion in immediate pension savings from changes that have not yet even been introduced to the General Assembly, much less approved or run through a gantlet of probable legal challenges. “It is unlikely that the governor’s new reform proposal could be implemented in FY 2016, and the state’s fiscal condition would worsen if the savings were budgeted but not achieved,” it says. And passage of a possible constitutional amendment to clear the legal path is “not feasible” next year.
“We’ve got some things done, but now is the time to do transformative things, really large things,” Rauner said during his visit to T/CCI, which manufactures compressors at a facility on North 22nd Street.
The pro-business, anti-establishment theme was similar to Rauner’s past messaging, both as a candidate and as governor. In particular, Rauner targeted his frequent opponent, longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan, telling employees that they should not support any candidate who is opposed to term limits or who would not unequivocally oppose voting for Madigan to remain speaker.
Rauner later told reporters that he would push for lawmakers to roll back the recently passed income tax increase, which took the personal income tax to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent. When asked, Rauner was noncommittal about how long that would take, but said he believes it could be lowered to at least 3 percent. To offset the loss of revenue, Rauner said revenue would grow through pension or Medicaid reform, and that more money would flow into the state’s coffers if there was workers’ compensation reform and other policies that would make the state more business-friendly.
Citizens for Rauner today launched OurHomeOurFight.com, a website highlighting Governor Rauner’s achievements and agenda for the future of Illinois. Check out the website here. You can find the Governor’s agenda below.
Our Home. Our Fight.
Illinois is our home. And our home is worth fighting for.
Over the last four years, the corrupt system in Springfield has been shaken to its core, but it’s time to finish the job. It’s time to come together around a movement that sets aside party politics and achieves real solutions that put our people first.
There’s a lot to be done. But there are a number of powerful things we can achieve together to save our state:
1. Limit Property Taxes.
Illinois homeowners face the highest property taxes in the nation, and too many of our elected officials make money off high property taxes. As part of the Governor’s historic school funding reform law, we included significant mandate relief to give schools more flexibility and reduce costs while making it easier for citizens in certain districts to lower their property taxes.
Next Steps:
We must freeze property taxes and put in place a system that allows local governments to better control costs and easily allow referendums, so citizens can lower their local property taxes and consolidate local units of government at the ballot box.
2. Create More Good-Paying Jobs.
Illinois’ unemployment rate is down and tens of thousands of new jobs have been created since the beginning of 2015. We launched a new job creation program, harnessing powerful partnerships with business leaders while eliminating special deals and holding companies accountable for their promises. We directed state agencies to reduce job-killing red tape and made it easier for small businesses to launch and grow in Illinois. We enacted a groundbreaking Future Energy Jobs Act that saved thousands of jobs and will spur thousands more 21st century jobs while making Illinois a nationally recognized leader in clean and renewable energy production. And we launched an historic technology partnership with our state’s leading research universities. It is the kind of transformative job creating engine we need. But there is more work to do.
Next Steps:
We will create more jobs by reducing job-killing regulations and red tape. We will fix the broken workers’ compensation system, which is twice as expensive in Illinois as in neighboring states. We will increase education and job training opportunities for Illinois’ workforce.
3. Enact Term Limits and Clean Government.
In 2014, more than 600,000 people signed the petition to put term limits on the statewide ballot, but Mike Madigan and his attorneys kicked it off. But that didn’t stop us from taking on the corrupt culture in state government. We prohibited administration officials from becoming lobbyists immediately after leaving government service. And we ended and rooted out the Rod Blagojevich-Pat Quinn illegal patronage hires.
Next Steps:
It’s time for the people to force their legislators to put term limits on the ballot and demand a statewide up or down vote. To get that done, we’ve introduced a resolution for a constitutional amendment to limit statewide elected officials, including the Governor, to no more than 8 years in office, and to limit state senators and representatives to no more than 10 years in office.
Term limits is an essential step to clean up Springfield, but it’s not the only one. It is past time to clean up Springfield and hold government accountable. We will push legislation to mandate a waiting time for legislators to become lobbyists, prohibit convicted felons from taking a taxpayer-funded pension, mandate public disclosure on legislative earmarks, and require the legislative inspector general position to be filled at all times.
4. Roll Back the Madigan Income Tax Hike and Require a Truly Balanced Budget.
Illinois has been deficit spending for years and hasn’t had a balanced budget in recent memory. Instead, Springfield politicians have used accounting gimmicks to hide the cost of their mismanagement and pass the cost to our children and grandchildren.
In his first three months in office, we eliminated an inherited $1.5 billion budget deficit without raising taxes, and we’ve reduced wasteful spending by hundreds of millions of dollars.
We’ve insisted on a balanced budget, in spite of the career politicians in Springfield. After we vetoed Mike Madigan’s unbalanced budget in 2015, the legislature refused to pass another complete budget for two years. Then over the summer, Mike Madigan passed another unbalanced budget and an outrageous 32 percent income tax hike over our veto.
Next Steps:
We will introduce a plan to repeal the Madigan tax hike and require the budget to be truly balanced. No balanced budget = no pay for legislators. They need to earn their paycheck before taking more from yours.
5. Keep Families Safe and Rebuilding Lives
From hiring more corrections officers to enacting historic criminal justice reform and ending the dangerous practice of early release, we are keeping families safe and rebuilding lives. Since taking office, Illinois has hired over 600 net more corrections officers, and we signed landmark reform legislation that will reduce recidivism and give new opportunity to ex-offenders who had been captured by the streets. And now we’re taking the scourge of opioid addiction head on.
Next Steps:
Earlier this year, we signed an Executive Order creating the Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force. The task force is taking a comprehensive approach to addressing the opioid crisis. The Rauner Administration is committed to reducing opioid-related deaths by at least a third over the next three years through safer prescribing and dispensing of opioids, improved data monitoring, reducing the stigma of addiction and improving treatment and access to care, and increasing access and use of naloxone and other life-saving antidotes.
“We sue the city every year,” says a wealthy Chicagoan who lives in an elegant apartment building in Gold Coast, a North side neighbourhood. If his property-tax lawyer manages to knock $100,000 off the bill for the condominium’s owners, as the lawyer has done in past years, he gets to keep $25,000. It is great business for property-tax lawyers—and a great saving for their clients.
The office of Joseph Berrios, the elected value-assessor of Cook County, America’s second-biggest county with 5.2m residents and 1.8m parcels of land, of which Chicago is part, encourages people to challenge their property-tax bills, arguing that it believes “in their importance as the taxpayers’ voice”. According to the Chicago Tribune, which put Jason Grotto, an investigative reporter, on the case for a year, such appeals tripled under Mr Berrios, who took over in 2010. In 2015 appeals concerning 370,000 parcels of land were filed. About 50% were successful (the success rate in New York City is 16%). Property-tax lawyers earned an estimated $133m from tax reductions they battled for between 2009 and 2015. The Tribune also reports that since 2009 Mr Berrios, who is also chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, has raised about $5m through three different campaign funds, a record for an assessor in Illinois. More than half of that came from property-tax lawyers. Mr Berrios’s re-election campaign says only that it has $1.6m on hand.
“The system is unfair and corrupt,” claims Fritz Kaegi, a former investment manager who quit his job earlier this year to try to unseat Mr Berrios. Mr Kaegi refuses to take donations from property-tax law firms, especially those employing the state party’s top brass, and promises not to hire any relatives for county jobs if elected. Mr Berrios is an ally of Michael Madigan, the Speaker of Illinois’s House of Representatives, chairman of the state’s Democratic Party—and a partner at Madigan & Getzendanner, which represents dozens of the most valuable buildings in downtown Chicago in property-tax appeals. From 2008 to June 2016 the firm lowered its clients’ bills by at least $70m. Several members of the Berrios family are employed by the county, including one hired under Mr Berrios to work in his own office. […]
The American Civil Liberties Union is preparing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit on behalf of owners of homes in poor neighbourhoods. David Orr, the outspoken Cook County clerk, recently endorsed Mr Kaegi. “No action has been taken to clean up this mess,” says Mr Orr, who thinks that it suits most of his Democratic colleagues to keep things as they are. Still, at least he can count on the support of the party’s machine, including Toni Preckwinkle, the president of the Cook County board. A few months ago she ordered yet another review of the system by the Civic Consulting Alliance, a non-profit organisation, which according to Mr Orr is already stalling.
Emphasis added because I hadn’t seen that reported before. I reached out to the ACLU and was told the article may have overstated its position a bit…
We are looking at the issue and have been exploring a range of possible options.
Former Gov. Pat Quinn’s political career may not be over — at least if he gets his way in his bid to become Illinois attorney general — but he’s already donating some of his private papers to his alma mater.
As part of this year’s Veteran’s Day commemoration, Quinn is donating papers connected to the memory of 300-some Illinois servicemen and servicewomen who have lost their lives fighting for their country since 9/11 to Northwestern University, where he attended law school.
“I want people to be able to see how special these men and women were who in their late teens and early 20s answered the call to serve after the horrible events of 9/11,” said Quinn, who collected programs, notes and other mementos from the hundreds of military funerals he attended as governor and lieutenant governor.
A neglected five-story skeleton of a building on the city’s Northwest Side looks almost exactly like it did when I last visited two years ago, except for the weeds being taller and the temporary braces rustier.
By now, this was supposed to be a new Illinois Veterans Home, the first to be located in the Chicago area where the largest concentration of the state’s veterans reside.
Instead, it remains a sad brick-and-concrete symbol of the dysfunction in Illinois government. […]
The new 200-bed facility, which will include a wing for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, is being built on state property alongside the Chicago Read Mental Health Center in the 4200 block of North Oak Park Avenue.
Former Gov. Pat Quinn announced the project in late 2009 but didn’t break ground until September 2014 in the midst of his losing re-election campaign.
November 10, 2009. Governor Pat Quinn today announced the site of the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Chicago, a 200-bed facility that will begin construction in 2010. The $65 million project is part of the Illinois Jobs Now! capital plan, signed into law by Governor Quinn earlier this year. […]
Construction will begin by early October on 7.8 acres of land at the southwest corner of Forest Preserve Drive and Oak Park Avenue… Construction is scheduled for completion in mid 2016.
Is former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn stealing a page from California Gov. Jerry Brown’s playbook?
That’s the question we asked upon hearing that Quinn, a Chicago Democrat, recently announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Illinois attorney general in the March 2018 primary. […]
But a former governor, who served from 2009 to 2015, running for a lower-level statewide job? Seems to us we’ve seen a similar scenario play out before - in California.
That’s where former Gov. Jerry Brown, who first served from 1975 to 1983, ran for attorney general in 2006 and won. He served a 4-year term, in the midst of which he decided to run for governor again.
Successfully using his attorney general post as a stepping stone, Brown amazingly triumphed in the 2010 gubernatorial election and took the oath of office in early 2011 - a post that, at age 79, he continues to hold.
Quinn might be looking to Brown’s example as, at age 68, he ponders his own political future.
The difference being that Jerry Brown has actually been a good and successful governor.
State lawmakers sent a clear message that children and youth service providers have the right to be compensated for the work they do and overrode Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto of HB3143 on Wednesday. […]
Before the Senate’s decision to override the governor’s veto on Wednesday by a vote of 37-16-1, some businesses with state contracts were entitled to timely payment while others were denied the same remedies under the law. Those contractors included providers serving abused and neglected children, young people facing incarceration, youth experiencing homelessness, youth and families in crisis, and school-aged youth. “Over the past two years, children and youth service providers have buoyed the state and saved Illinois from the brink of collapse during the politically driven budget crisis,” HB3143 House Sponsor Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) said. “Now providers have a mechanism that will safeguard them from future risk of keeping the state afloat.”
Carrying the state has come at a steep cost. Many providers were forced to suspend services, lay off staff, close programs, and take significant pay decreases in an attempt to salvage the future of their organizations.
Amends the State Prompt Payment Act. In the definition of “goods or services furnished to the State”, includes services concerning prevention, intervention, or treatment services and supports for youth provided by a vendor by virtue of a contractual grant agreement. In the definition of “proper bill or invoice”, includes invoices issued under a contractual grant agreement.
Fiscal Note (Dept. of Human Services)
Based on a conservative definition, the Department of Human Services estimates that the fiscal impact for the applicable appropriations is approximately $0.5 million to $1.0 million.
Former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti announced Monday his intention to run against Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in the upcoming Democratic primary.
Fioretti announced his candidacy at the Lansing Municipal Airport in the far south suburb Monday morning, choosing that location to highlight the difference in taxes Cook County has faced versus those across the state border in Indiana, he said.
“A penny earned is not a penny saved, it’s a new tax,” said Fioretti, who began circulating petitions to put his name on the ballot once the contentious Cook County sweetened beverage tax fizzled in October. Signatures are due Dec. 4 for the primary election to be held on March 20, 2018.
During the pop tax debate, Fioretti weighed in by setting up a website calling for repeal of the penny-an-ounce tax on sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages. His was just one of many voices pushing for repeal amid a multimillion-dollar Can the Tax campaign funded by the beverage industry. […]
After being zoned out of his ward during the once-a-decade council redistricting, Fioretti was among four challengers to Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2011. He placed fourth with 7.4 percent of the vote, then endorsed Emanuel in the runoff contest over county Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
Late last month, Fioretti filed the paperwork to establish the “Bob for Cook County” campaign fund. To date, he’s reported no major contributions, and his most recent quarterly report for his mayoral campaign fund shows debts exceeding cash in the bank by $86,000.
Preckwinkle, by contrast, had nearly $361,000 in her campaign fund at the end of September and has received more than $27,000 in large contributions since then.
He was also badly clobbered when he tried to run for the state Senate last year, losing a primary to Sen. Patricia Van Pelt 68-32.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Preckwinkle for President’s Political Director Scott Kastrup Statement on Bob Fioretti’s Announcement to Run For Cook County President
“President Preckwinkle is focused on navigating the county through tough economic circumstances and leading on behalf of the people of Cook County. Her strong record of reforming county government and improving access to healthcare speaks for itself. She has been a national leader in the efforts to reform our criminal justice system; as a result, we have reduced the county jail population by 30 percent. In addition, the President has championed bail reform efforts that have significantly reduced the number of non-violent offenders and poor individuals in the jail.”
“President Preckwinkle has broad support across the county and is in a strong position to win re-election in March,” said Preckwinkle for President’s Political Director Scott Kastrup.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Gov. Rauner Our Home Our Fight Tour - Monday, November 13th
Governor Rauner will be on a tour across Illinois this week discussing his agenda. He will be visiting businesses across the state focusing on the next steps our state needs to overcome the corrupt system in Springfield and enact real reform that gives power back to the people.
See below for Monday’s events […]
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM: Decatur Business Visit and Media Availability
T/CCI Manufacturing
2120 N. 22nd St., Decatur, IL 62526
The governor will tour the facility and take questions from the media
12:30 PM - 1:15 PM: Champaign Business Visit and Media Availability
Pavlov Media
206 N. Randolph St #200, Champaign, IL 61820
The governor will tour the facility and take questions from the media
* Monday Pritzker press release…
Today, Bruce Rauner is kicking off a campaign tour with what should be called his “Home I Fought to Destroy Tour.” Rauner begins his tour with stops in Champaign and Decatur, two cities particularly devastated by his 736-day manufactured budget crisis:
From the Decatur Herald & Review: In Macon County, the budget deadlock threatened a spectrum of social service agencies, causing Baby TALK to lay off much of its staff and jeopardizing the future of the city’s only domestic violence shelter. It halted road projects and construction of Richland Community College’s Student Success Center and left schools holding the bag on tens of thousands of dollars trapped in a payment backlog.
From “Don’t minimize damage done to state already,” a Herald & Review editorial: Yet, after two years without a budget, those who depend on state money have cut programs, cut staff, cut recipients. […] “It will take years of hard work to reverse the damage that has been done,” Illinois State University President Larry Dietz said in a letter to faculty and staff. […] The lack of a budget, and subsequent [social service] agency and school cuts, had immediate repercussions, but more importantly, will have long-term ramifications for individuals, counties and the state.
From the Champaign News-Gazette: The two-year state budget impasse that ended in July took a toll on faculty salaries and undergraduate recruitment… The [University of Illinois] Urbana campus has slipped to 19th in its peer group of 22 universities nationally in faculty salaries, she said. It also saw an increase in faculty departures during the budget impasse. “We’ve lost ground,” [EVP of Academic Affairs Barb] Wilson said. “We’re not competitive.”
From Chicago Tribune: At public universities, officials and workers say some doctors and dentists, particularly those outside an insurance plan’s provider network, increasingly asked patients to pick up the state’s tab during the impasse. […] In downstate Urbana-Champaign and Springfield, where dentists are typically out-of-network providers, most University of Illinois employees are paying their full tabs upfront and waiting for the state to reimburse them, according to Thomas Hardy, a university spokesman.
“Bruce Rauner is kicking off his ‘Home I Fought to Destroy Tour’ with photo ops in cities he decimated across the state,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “For Champaign and Decatur, Rauner’s budget crisis did irreparable harm and the fight now is to defeat this failed governor and clean up the damage he’s done to our state.”
…Adding… DGA…
One month after announcing his reelection, and two months after signing HB40, Bruce Rauner finally comes out of hiding to actually campaign for reelection. Today, Rauner launches his “Our Home, Our Fight” tour with visits to Decatur and Champaign, two cities hit hard by the state’s budget impasse. So far Rauner’s “fighting” has been relegated to campaign ads and desperately staving off disaster during the veto session, but today he’s set to get out there and press some flesh.
Rauner’s been hiding for good reason. With Rauner’s approval rating at 34%, voters clearly have lots of questions they want to ask the failed Governor, like:
Why did Rauner fight against finding compromise, instead of forcing Illinois through a two-year budget impasse?
Why job growth has slowed at home under his watch? “Our home” was the third worst at creating jobs over the past year.
Does Rauner regret that his fights pushed the state further into debt and forced its credit rating fall to the lowest rating ever for a U.S. state?
When he’s not trashing the state at home, why does Rauner thinks he can brag about the state’s higher education system while the budget impasse decimated Illinois colleges and universities?
Why has Rauner been fighting for himself, and not Illinois?
As the nation’s most vulnerable incumbent, Rauner’s got a lot of fighting to do to win back voters’ trust.
“Governor Rauner should call this the Our Home, No Fight tour – because he refuses to fight for Illinois’ economy and families,” DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “The only thing Governor Rauner will fight for is his own political career, and it shows. Under Rauner’s failed record, jobs and people are still moving out, debt is up, and services are decimated. No wonder he’s been avoiding voters.”
Chris Kennedy’s campaign for governor will begin airing its first television ad of the campaign starting tomorrow. The ad features Kennedy discussing the violence that plagues our state. In addition to the TV ad, the campaign will also release a digital ad tomorrow.
The Kennedy campaign isn’t saying how much the ads, which will air in the Chicago media market, will cost. “It’s just the beginning,” says a spokeswoman. But trade sources suggest it’s around $125,000—a modest figure as these things go, particularly compared to the tens of millions of dollars that Democratic rival J.B. Pritzker has spent, but still telling.
* Trade sources…
$$ ALERT @KennedyforIL booked TV from 11/14-11/19. We've seen a total of $125k in Chicago.
One of the most unusual Illinois veto sessions I’ve ever seen wrapped up last week.
The two-week session was supposed to be about whether infuriated legislative Republicans would abandon Gov. Bruce Rauner in droves over his signature of HB40, which provides government funding of abortions for state workers and women on Medicaid. The potential for drama was high, but nobody was prepared for what actually happened.
The veto session kicked off on Oct. 24 under a dark and unexpected cloud of accusations when a group of more than 100 women signed an open letter claiming misogyny is “alive and well” in Illinois politics, particularly at the Statehouse. The women leveled a series of specific accusations against unnamed men who used their power to humiliate, subjugate or prey on women. The uproar was immediate and intense.
Legislative leaders promised quick action, but it soon became apparent that there were other problems besides the widespread allegations of a culture of harassment. Illinois hasn’t had a Legislative Inspector General since 2015, ostensibly because the four leaders couldn’t agree on who that should be.
During the week between the two scheduled veto session weeks, the House held a committee hearing in Chicago designed to highlight Speaker Michael Madigan’s attempt to address the sexual harassment issue. But the hearing’s substance was completely overshadowed by surprise testimony from crime victim advocate Denise Rotheimer, who claimed that Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, had used his position as the chief sponsor of her bill to sexually harass her for months.
Perhaps even worse, Rotheimer claimed that she had tried to report her allegations against Sen. Silverstein almost a year earlier and nothing had been done. Why? Because only an inspector general is empowered by law to investigate such matters and, conveniently enough, the General Assembly didn’t have one. After saying they couldn’t find anybody for over two years who would accept the job or who was acceptable to all four legislative leaders, the powers that be all of a sudden found somebody to accept the post on an interim basis.
Aside from the fact that the people in charge don’t like having anybody around nosing into their business, this is typical Illinois stuff. Nothing ever gets done until an existential crisis finally forces a decision. Unpaid pension liabilities have to be swamping the state before a solution is proposed. A comprehensive alternative energy plan can only be enacted as part of a bailout to prevent a couple of unionized nuclear power plants from closing. Hundreds of thousands of people have to suffer and universities have to be on the brink of closure before we get a state budget.
Too often, nothing becomes a priority until an issue becomes a crisis.
As a result, Gov. Rauner’s attempt to remain relevant was almost completely pushed to the side.
During his first two years in office, the Republican Rauner was remarkably successful at preventing all but a tiny handful overrides of his dozens of vetoes, despite Democratic super majorities in both the House and the Senate.
But then things began to fall apart this past summer, when his vetoes of the budget, a tax hike and more money for local 911 emergency centers were all overridden. And then he signed HB40 and furious Republican legislators vowed to “vote their districts” in the upcoming veto session.
Instead of trying to keep everyone in line on every veto, Gov. Rauner and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin focused almost all their energy on just a few bills. Their number one priority was stopping an override of legislation to ban municipal governments from creating local “right to work” zones. Nothing energizes this governor more than trimming the power and influence of organized labor.
So, Rauner looked the other way while huge numbers of Republicans joined Democrats to override 17 of his vetoes. As long as they stuck with him on “right to work” and a couple of other bills, he didn’t squawk.
But that meant he was clobbered by one of his top political nemeses, Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Rauner had vetoed Mendoza-backed legislation to require monthly reports of how many unpaid bills were at each state agency. The two officials are bitter rivals, so the bill may have been politically motivated, but the veto was even more so.
The override motion passed the House unanimously and just three Republicans voted with the governor in the Senate. Yet, because he stopped a few overrides that he truly cared about, Rauner could proclaim victory, at least in his own mind.
Governor Rauner has been repudiated by his fellow Republicans and Democrats in both chambers by a total vote of 164-3. It is a fact that in just FY 2017, Governor Bruce V. Rauner has fully embraced deficit spending to the tune of at least $2.8 billion that we now know of. We’ll echo Republican State Rep. David McSweeney’s spot-on analysis: “This is another example of failed Governor Rauner’s alternate reality … The governor lost [in the House] 112-0 on the override … The governor needs to provide full details about when he knew about this unappropriated [$2.8 billion.], what his plan for taking care of it is, and how in the future we’re going to address the overspending in the state of Illinois … We need to continue to put the pressure on him to explain this $2.8 billion.”
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin is stopping short of calling for embattled Democratic Senator Ira Silverstein to resign, after a victim’s rights advocate accused the Senator of sexually harassing her.
Durkin told “The Big John and Ramblin’ Ray Show” on WLS that even though the allegations against Silverstein are serious, the Senator deserves due process. Durkin also believes that newly appointed Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter will conduct a thorough investigation.
“I can’t speak for Senator Silverstein but I do believe that he has at least some process that has to be played out by the Inspector General. A complaint has been filed, she will investigate the matter. That will be taken up in an expeditious manner. I’m not going to speak for Senator Silverstein though. He’s in a situation where it is very troubling but I still believe that you are awarded process.” […]
Durkin also told WLS that the legislature could eventually take some kind of action against Silverstein, depending on Porter’s findings.
“There could be some type of action taken if there is a complaint that is determined to be well-founded or they believe that an act of misconduct did occur.”
Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan has stopped short of calling for Sen. Ira Silverstein to resign following sexual harassment allegations against him from a female lobbyist. […]
Earlier this week, three top Democrats running for Governor called on Senator Silverstein to resign. Madigan wouldn’t go that far.
“Senator Silverstein should decide what Senator Silverstein wants to do,” he said. “We did this training session. We’ve passed the legislation. Our resolve is to have our task force, chaired by Rep. Currie, to continue to work on this, to take suggestions and ideas, and just continue to work against a culture of abuse.”
Interestingly enough, I don’t think the two Senate leaders have been asked this question.
*** UPDATE *** OK, Cullerton has been asked. Thanks, Monique!…
Asked yesterday if Sen. Silverstein should resign his seat, Senate President Cullerton said it was "up to him." https://t.co/0ZXL7xV0c5
And I’m told that Gov. Rauner told reporters today that it was a matter for the Legislative Inspector General to decide. But the IG can’t actually remove him from the Senate. The Senate can only do that with a vote of two-thirds of the members elected to the chamber.
Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) introduced a measure today aimed at tackling the opioid crisis by providing access to medical alternatives to prescription painkillers.
The Alternatives to Opioids Act would allow people who have been prescribed opioids for a medical condition to apply for a temporary medical cannabis card instead. The application process for these individuals would be expedited to 14 days, and if accepted they would receive a 12-month registry card.
“With the opioid crisis rapidly getting worse, it’s clear that what we’re doing now isn’t working,” Harmon said. “Research has shown that medical cannabis can treat the same conditions for which opioids are prescribed. With thousands of people from every part of our state dying from opioid addiction, it would be irresponsible for us to not consider any safe alternative treatment.”
Concern over the opioid epidemic is growing, as more than 60,000 people in the United States died from a drug overdose in 2016, more than the total number of U.S. soldiers killed in the Vietnam War. In Illinois, the opioid-related death rate increased 120 percent from 2014 to 2015, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We know that opioids are dangerously addictive – people can become dependent after only 2 to 3 days of regular use as directed by a doctor,” Harmon said. “We should be actively helping people who are addicted to opioids instead of treating them like criminals.”
Illinois created the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program in 2013 and is one of 29 states to have legalized medical cannabis.
* The Question: Do you support this idea? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Oh, man, that’s a long drive for such a small crowd.
* Last night, Biss held a town hall at Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation. I didn’t see any pics online, but here are some tracker shots…
* In other not great news, Sen. Biss was unable to override a Rauner veto this afternoon…
We live in a state where women make eighty cents for every dollar a man makes, and where the gap is even more drastic…
* OK, if you click here you’ll see today’s roll call. The override motion received just 29 votes. Now, click here and compare that to when the bill passed. It received 35 votes back then.
So, what happened? Some Republicans flipped (as they did in the House), but some Democrats took a walk. If you compare the override motion roll call to a vote on another bill taken soon after (click here), you’ll see that five of Biss’ fellow Senate Democrats took a walk: Sens. Harris, Hastings, Holmes, Landek and Stadelman. Hmm.
* Not to be Debbie Downer, but Biss’ campaign also has not yet reported any contributions made in November.
A bipartisan group of female state senators announced the creation of the Women’s Caucus today at a press conference in Springfield.
“We’ve seen throughout history that when women mobilize and claim their seat at the table, they break barriers and find solutions to the most stubborn of problems,” said Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago). “I expect this caucus will do the same for the women of Illinois.”
The caucus is being formed to promote and advance women’s issues within the legislature and to support female senators from both political parties.
“Women’s issues transcend party lines and extend far beyond the confines of a legislative chamber,” said Senator Karen McConnaughay (R-St. Charles). “I pledge to work with Democrat and Republican women who serve in the Senate to advance legislation that support, empower and protect women of all ages and in all environments.”
Although sexual harassment in the workplace will continue to be an issue of focus for the caucus, the group hopes to become the leading voice on a range of issues facing women in Illinois. It also intends to offer support for women within the workplace, institutions of education and home.
“The Women’s Caucus brings together a diverse group of legislators from across the political spectrum,” State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) said. “We recognize the importance of being bipartisan so that Senate leadership will respect our efforts. We intend to be taken seriously.”
“Women in the Senate have worked well together for years,” said Senator Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry). “This newly formed caucus just takes us a step further to ensure that we are creating a voice for the women of this state and that we are dealing with the issues that impact them.”
* Leader Brady…
“I applaud the creation of the newly formed Illinois State Senate Women’s Caucus and support their goal of promoting and advancing women’s issues within the legislature, as well as supporting all female Senators,” said Brady.
Ahead of Veterans Day, JB Pritzker outlined his plan to fight for Illinois veterans and their families as governor. JB’s four-point plan details how the state can support our veterans with housing, employment, healthcare, education, and additional services they may need. As governor, JB will:
Increase opportunities for education and employment for veterans and their families
Ensure Illinois veterans of all ages have safe, stable, and affordable housing options
Improve healthcare options for veterans across the state
Better manage and coordinate veteran’s services
“As the son and grandson of Navy veterans, I have a very personal commitment to uphold the sacred obligation to those who risk their lives so that we can live in a free and democratic society,” said JB Pritzker. “When we support our veterans, we are building stronger families and communities across our state. Supporting Illinois veterans means increasing opportunities for their families to build better lives and that will be a priority for me as governor.”
Make it easier for servicemembers returning home to use prior military experience to earn credits at Illinois’ higher education institutions.
Stabilize funding for higher education scholarships for Veterans and connect them with job opportunities in the trades.
Create jobs by offering additional incentives to businesses that hire Veterans and their spouses.
Improve access to state professional licensing based on skills gained while serving in the armed forces.
Reduce homelessness and increase access to safe, affordable housing in communities for Veterans and their families.
Remediate all unsafe living conditions for our Veterans and improve the quality of life in Illinois Veterans’ Homes by increasing mandatory health inspections and routine maintenance to end outbreaks of preventable diseases like Legionnaires disease.
Increasing the number of qualified nursing staff working in Illinois Veterans’ Homes to ensure quality care.
Work with communities to recruit and retain qualified medical personnel to expand access to healthcare and mental healthcare, particularly in rural areas.
* I asked about cost and was told this…
JB will ensure stable funding of these services, many of which are part of the greater social service infrastructure that has been dismantled by Bruce Rauner.
* Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, both of our US Senators, US Rep. Mike Bost, all local legislators, four current or former Democratic gubernatorial candidates and former Illinois Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno have all visited Cairo in recent months…
Meanwhile, one prominent Illinois political leader has not visited Cairo since HUD announced in April its decision to relocate about 400 people from two derelict public housing complexes that have been deemed beyond repair: Gov. Bruce Rauner
It’s also been difficult for The Southern to get much detailed information about what Rauner’s administration is doing alongside the federal government to assist public housing residents and the city through this housing crisis, or to address the related health and economic issues facing southernmost Illinois. A shortage of affordable housing in Cairo and access to basic amenities and jobs means most residents are relocating to other communities, generally in excess of an hour away. […]
“The governor’s office has been actively involved in the discussions about Cairo but there very clearly is federal action that has to take place. We need information,” [Patty Schuh] said. “We don’t feel like we’re getting the full story yet.”
Asked about the comments from the governor’s office, HUD spokesman Jereon Brown said HUD stands ready to work with any public officials in Illinois to provide whatever information is needed. He offered to reach out to the governor’s office directly.
In a follow-up interview, Schuh said that wasn’t necessary because during a “task force” meeting on Cairo in July, which a representative of the governor’s office attended, it was decided that the federal delegation would handle the communication with HUD so as not to duplicate efforts or create confusion.
Therefore, Schuh said that the governor’s office has not directly reached out to HUD, and isn’t requesting HUD reach out to Rauner’s office to provide the information they are seeking. Rather, she said, Rauner’s office has been working through Bost’s office to seek the information.
I think what happened here is that there were people in the governor’s office who were actively involved in the situation, and then those people were either fired or quit in the first wave of the Great Summer Staff Purge of 2017. And then all activity basically stopped under the Illinois Policy Institute’s reign of tragicomic error and the governor’s new team is likely still figuring things out.
Anyway, go read the rest, particularly the end. Ouch. Keep in mind when reading it that Springfield is 217 miles from Rauner’s home town of Winnetka and it’s 237 miles from Springfield to Cairo. Maybe he shouldn’t have shut down the state’s fleet of airplanes.
1. A lot of Democrats turned out in those states. The different Democratic factions united. That includes the new post-Trump Indivisibles, which is a growing movement in Illinois to old school labor. If the big Democratic Illinois primary field for governor and attorney general jazzes up Democrats — and if they patch their primary differences after March — that’s a potent political force.
2. A lot of suburban women voted, and in Illinois these swing female voters are always, always crucial. Rauner signing a controversial abortion-related bill may earn him a primary — but that seems a risk he had to take in order to not alienate suburban women.
3. Health care coverage was an issue for voters. Rauner has not stepped up to the challenge of guaranteeing Illinoisans that they will be better off under Trumpcare — if it ever gets through Congress — than with Obamacare, which Trump is trying to undermine because he cannot get it repealed, much less replaced.
4. Rauner and his campaign are placing a big bet that voters in Illinois will focus less on Trump and more on Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, who doubles as the chair of the Illinois Democratic Party.
It isn’t easy to “localize” a statewide contest when there are such strong national winds.
* From the DGA…
This week’s sweeping victories can be traced to 3 main factors: Democratic enthusiasm, a divided Republican party, and independents moving towards Democrats.
Yesterday’s results also were not very helpful to U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Wheaton, who represents much of DuPage County and the western suburbs. […]
Roskam already has to explain his vote for the Obamacare repeal bill that died in the Senate. Now he’s one of the principal architects of a pending tax bill that seems to punish upper-middle-class professionals who live in relatively high-tax blue states.
In that vein, it’s of note that one of Roskam’s GOP colleagues, Rep. Darrell Issa, who represents a district just north of San Diego and who faces a tough re-election race, yesterday announced that he opposes the current draft of the bill, declaring, “Tax reform should cut taxes for all taxpayers––regardless of where they live.”
Issa specifically mentioned the state and local tax deduction, which would mostly disappear under the bill.
For Roskam’s sake, I hope he noticed. The congressman keeps arguing that, overall, the bill is good for his district. But after statements like Issa’s and yesterday’s votes, Roskam is going to have a harder time convincing people in his district that he truly has their welfare in mind.
The petitioner, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31 (AFSCME), appeals a decision of the Illinois Labor Relations Board (ILRB) dismissing its unfair labor charge against the State of Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS). The charge challenged a policy requiring employees to pay the entire cost of their health insurance premiums for any pay period during which they go on strike, even if they are not on strike for the entire pay period. The charge was dismissed without a hearing. AFSCME argues that the ILRB abused its discretion because AFSCME presented sufficient evidence to warrant a hearing on its claims that (1) the policy was a unilateral change to a term of employment instituted at a time when the parties were in negotiations for a new contract and (2) the policy improperly threatened to penalize employees for lawfully exercising their right to strike. […]
In June 2015, while the parties were in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, CMS posted a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on its website. One of the questions concerned the payment of health insurance premiums for employees who go on strike. […]
Q. Will striking employees still receive health insurance?
A. Yes, but striking employees will be responsible for the full cost of their health insurance, including the amount normally contributed by the State on behalf of the employee. If striking employees miss any day during the pay period due to being on strike, they will be sent a bill for the full cost of their coverage. […]
AFSCME argued that the policy discriminates against employees for going on strike, an activity protected under the Labor Relations Act, because it treats striking employees differently from other employees who go on unpaid leave. […]
CMS noted that an employer is not required to subsidize a strike… CMS argued that the policy concerning health insurance premiums was no different from the policy concerning wages. Finally, CMS argued that the policy expressed in the FAQ was not a new policy and therefore did not change a term or condition of employment during contract negotiations. […]
In this case, there is no dispute that health insurance is a term of employment that is covered under the parties’ collective bargaining agreements. The question is whether the policy described in the FAQ represents a change in policy that occurred during contract negotiations… (T)he documentary evidence available does not conclusively answer the salient question. […]
We next consider AFSCME’s argument that the policy acts as a threat to dissuade employees from striking. AFSCME argues that the ILRB ignored recognized principles of law in concluding that the policy was not coercive and dismissing the claim. We agree. […]
The issue in this case is the denial of a benefit before and after a strike. […]
In short, the ILRB overlooked the distinction between informing employees that a benefit will be lawfully withheld during a strike and threatening to unlawfully withhold a benefit from employees before and after a strike. We find that by ignoring this distinction, the ILRB ignored a recognized principle of law. […]
(W)e reverse the order of the ILRB dismissing the unfair labor charge without a hearing, and we remand for further proceedings
* From AFSCME…
We’ve always said that state workers shouldn’t have to strike in order to achieve a fair contract. But this ruling makes clear that in that eventuality, the Rauner administration can’t violate the law and intimidate employees from freely exercising their rights.
I’ve asked the Rauner administration for a response.
* Out of 39 total vetoes by Gov. Rauner this year, 15 have been overridden, while 22 others stood (and 11 of those died after no action was taken). One more is still pending Senate action as I write this (prohibition of asking for wage history UPDATE: The override motion failed.). Out of 10 amendatory vetoes, 3 were overridden and no action was taken either way on 4.
* Here’s an Entertainment Software Association press release about a veto the General Assembly didn’t try to override…
The Geolocation Privacy Protection Act (HB 3449) would have resulted in burdensome, redundant, and costly disclosure and consent requirements to use Illinois residents’ location data. The bill’s unnecessary red tape risked significant negative impacts on everything from navigation apps to games made by the Illinois video game industry, which provides approximately 6,000 Illinoisans high-paying jobs and adds $354 million in revenue to the state’s economy.
“Governor Rauner got it right when he vetoed this job killing bill, and the legislature was wise to sustain that decision,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association that represents the US video game industry. “The Geolocation Privacy Protection Act would have reduced user convenience and stifled innovation and job creation.”
It is critical privacy protection decisions be made in partnership with tech sector experts who understand the benefits and challenges of geolocation. By working together and following Federal Trade Commission guidance, which recommends brief, easily understood disclosures and privacy controls – already provided by top mobile marketplaces and operating systems – policymakers and experts can protect Americans’ privacy and user experience.
* But here’s an override motion that received zero “No” votes in both chambers…
Active substitute teachers will be able to seek a refund of the $50 fee they’re required to pay when they apply for a state license under a new law sponsored by Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill).
“This is an example of what we can do to ease up on the government bureaucracy that’s got a stranglehold on the teaching profession in Illinois,” said Manar, a member of the Senate Education Committee. “We have empty classrooms because of a statewide teacher shortage, a rapidly shrinking pool of substitutes and students who are suffering as a result. Curbing fees and eliminating unnecessary red tape will help address some of these problems.”
The Senate Wednesday voted 53-0 to override the governor’s veto of House Bill 3298. The measure authorizes a refund of the licensure application fee for substitutes as long as they can offer evidence of teaching at least 10 full school days within a year of being licensed.
The House overrode the governor’s veto 110-0 in October. The law goes into effect immediately.
School districts statewide are experiencing difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified full-time and substitute teachers.
During a hearing of the Senate Education Committee in Decatur Monday, lawmakers were told that teachers around the country often skip over Illinois when they’re looking for a job because of low starting salaries, licensure difficulties, lack of mentoring and other issues. The teacher shortage disproportionately affects districts in central Illinois and rural parts of the state.
* This override motion was unanimous in the House, but three Republicans voted “No” in the Senate…
In other action, the Senate voted to override Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of legislation backed by Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza that would require increased reporting about state finances. The House already rejected Rauner’s veto, so the measure now becomes law.
Cursive handwriting will remain a subject in Illinois public schools thanks to the Senate’s action in overriding a veto of a measure that requires public elementary schools to offer at least one unit of instruction in the subject.
Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) led the initiative, noting it promotes the practical and fundamental values cursive writing has in education.
“Cursive writing is a skill children will need throughout their lives,” Lightford said. “You cannot write a check, sign legal documents or even read our Constitution without an understanding of cursive writing.”
Districts would determine by local policy at what grade levels this would be implemented as long as students receive the instruction by grade 5.
Under House Bill 2977, schools will be required to offer cursive writing beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.
About 100 moms came to the capitol to push for tighter gun laws. They want the state to license Illinois gun dealers and require most of them to install video surveillance systems. The bill the moms sponsor already passed through the Senate, but the House adjourned for the year before ever calling the bill to a vote.
“It’s very common sense,” Colleen Daley, of the Illinois Coalition Against Handgun Violence, explained. “Measure like background checks on employees, video surveillance on brick and mortar stores, and making sure there’s training for employees on how to identify straw purchasers.”
However, many Republicans say the bill goes too far, arguing it’s too broad and would interfere with the rights of law-abiding citizens to have access to guns.
…Adding… I just noticed that the House has its ethics training program online. Click here to see the study materials and take the test yourself.
* House members received some sexual harassment training yesterday, provided by the Department of Human Rights…
Two sessions were held behind closed doors in a Capitol room normally reserved for House committee hearings, with Democrats gathering in the morning and Republicans meeting in the afternoon. Senators are scheduled to get the same training Thursday.
The curriculum consisted primarily of a roughly hour-long slideshow presentation, which included an introduction to the idea of the “grandma filter” — if you wouldn’t do something or say something in front of your grandma, then you shouldn’t at work, either.
The presentation defined two types of sexual harassment. “Quid pro quo” harassment, the slides said, happens when sexual favors are requested in exchange for support of legislation, campaign contributions or employment opportunities. And a “hostile work environment” is when inappropriate or offensive jokes are the norm or there are instances of verbal or physical conduct that is sexual in nature.
The slides present various scenarios and ask if they qualify as sexual harassment. They also say that violations are “based on the perception of the victim, not the intentions of the accused.” The department also highlighted “third party harassment,” in which anyone affected by unwelcome conduct can also be considered a victim. Lawmakers were told to take immediate and documented steps to resolve incidents of sexual harassment.
* Good insight…
Lawmakers sexual harassment training includes 10 page powerpoint. This slide speaks volumes about the heart of the problem @ABC7Chicagopic.twitter.com/YDQYLvEzUe
* Mary Ann Ahern had these excerpts from the House training in her report…
Rep. Jeanne Ives told Ahern that she’d had similar training before, so she decided to skip yesterday’s training. She was the only House Republican to do so. Rep. Steve Reick (R-Harvard) had said he would boycott the training, but then changed his mind.
Some lawmakers said the increased awareness of the problem of sexual harassment in the capital is having a positive impact already and that the training will help.
“I think that will be very beneficial for everybody, but I’ve noticed a big difference just in the couple of days that we’ve been down here,” said Patty Bellock, R-Westmont.
Sexual harassment has gone from a topic that wasn’t talked about at the Capitol to one that is now the subject of awkward jokes.
Since allegations of rampant sexual harassment have surfaced in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal in Hollywood, compliments at the Capitol are doled out with a caveat, and hugs come with a disclaimer that the hugger isn’t trying to offend.
“I’ve noticed people being more reserved in their interactions, particularly with women colleagues, almost to the point of farce, like making jokes about ‘Should I even hug you?’ ” said state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago.
“I am glad it’s on people’s minds, I am glad people are thinking twice before they touch people,” Guzzardi said. “My worry is that when this isn’t under the bright lights, that people will just revert to their old ways of doing things.”
Madigan said the Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission continued to function for nearly three years while the Office of Legislative Inspector General was vacant.
To the extent that the eight-member commission continued to schedule monthly meetings and saw to internal matters, it did “continue to function.” This included its executive director receiving numerous reports of alleged ethics violations.
But without an inspector general, it could not function in its capacity to take substantive action on alleged ethics violations. This is why Denise Rotheimer’s complaint saw no action until she went public with her allegations in a House committee hearing.
There’s an element of truth in Madigan’s statement but there’s a lot more that’s missing. We rate it Mostly False.
* It’s kind of a long press release, but this is a big win for Treasurer Frerichs, so here you go…
Illinois families are the winners [yesterday] after the Senate voted to override Gov. Rauner’s veto of the Life Insurance Reform Act, State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today. The act will require life insurance companies to pay death benefits in a timely manner. Some benefits had gone decades without payment.
“This override vote means a countless number of our families will keep their home and a child will not be forced to drop out of school to support their family after a loved one dies,” Frerichs said. “Today’s action makes it clear that the people of Illinois will no longer tolerate loopholes that allow greedy life insurance companies to pad their bottom line using death benefits that should have been paid to grieving families.”
“I offer a special thanks to Senate Sponsor Jacqueline Collins, House Sponsor Robert Martwick, the AARP, NAACP, Citizen Action Illinois, and the many beneficiaries who stood with us to share their personal stories,” Frerichs said. “I also thank the Senate and House Republicans who followed common sense and set aside partisanship to override this veto and do the right thing.”
The Illinois Senate vote to override Governor Rauner’s amendatory veto of House Bill 302 passed 38-16. The Senate vote follows the House vote to override, which passed 71-40. The bill becomes state law effective January 1, 2018, despite the Governor’s attempt to veto.
House Bill 302 requires life insurance companies to compare electronic records of policies in force since 2000 with the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File (DMF) to determine if policies should have been paid to grieving families.
With Governor Rauner’s proposed amendments to the legislation, life insurance companies would pocket millions of dollars rather than pay death benefits to grieving families.
Currently, some life insurance companies do not pay death benefits when they know, or should have known, a customer died. Between 2011 and 2015, treasurer’s office audits found more than $550 million in death benefits that were not paid to grieving families in Illinois. Nationally, the figure is more than $7.4 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Opponents argued that life insurance companies would lose money if required to pay death benefits and that they are not required under the terms of the contract to notify beneficiaries. However, not every survivor knows about a policy, such as a spouse suffering from dementia, or has the capacity to determine if a policy exists, such as a child with a disability. There have also been instances of a person leaving money to a church or charity without telling the recipient, so the recipient would not know to pursue a claim.
In August, Governor Rauner issued an amendatory veto that outlawed the type of audits that found the billions that were owed to grieving families in Illinois and across America. Without this enforcement tool, life insurers would be able to act with almost complete impunity.
The use of contingency fee auditors ensures families receive every cent they are owed. Without the audits, insurance companies keep 100 percent of the death benefits.
With this veto override, the treasurer’s office retains its ability to effectively look at the books of large banks, such as Wells Fargo, to confirm it did not inappropriately keep funds from bank customers. It also allows for the treasurer’s office to preserve its ability to look at large retailers, like Sprint and Radio Shack, to confirm they actually paid out rebates.
In Illinois, unpaid life insurance benefits are considered unclaimed property and returning unclaimed property to owners is among the duties of the Illinois State Treasurer. Illinois hold unclaimed property until the items or funds are claimed by the owner or heir.
Treasurer Frerichs’ office never charges money to search for, and return, unclaimed property.
Kennedy also said he thinks legislative Democrats in Illinois at times seek to almost-pass controversial legislation on issues like guns, so they can say: ”‘Oh, elect us, and we’ll pass this thing the next time.’ And I think that’s just emblematic of the inherent, well, corruption in our government here. We’re more interested in keeping people in power and preserving power rather than actually passing legislation that’s helpful.”
STEVE BROWN, spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan, responded later that bills put up for a vote are intended to pass.
“And if somehow he thinks that Mike Madigan or any other legislative leader can muscle members for a preconceived outcome, once again, Mr. Kennedy’s not very well informed,” Brown said. “It seems to be a recurring pattern with this guy.”
They do put plenty of bills on the board that they know won’t pass. Rep. Moylan’s recent bump stock bill is one example. That was pure politics.
