* Michael Hastings is a Democratic state Senator from Tinley Park. I’ve altered the image to take out his address, but a buddy sent this to me today and it’s already going around…
“I have a lot of petitions out,” Hastings said today, confirming that he’s also passing petitions for attorney general.
“I don’t intend to run against Jesse White, I’ll tell you that right now,” he said, adding that he’s only circulating petitions because he’s heard the same rumors we talked about yesterday, that secretary of state petitions are being circulated for Ald. Walter Burnett, who is Secretary White’s guy, and that White would drop out late in the game and Burnett would be ready to go. Secretary White’s office flatly denied those rumors.
* So, I got ahold of Ald. Burnett. “I’m not passing petitions,” he said.
“Mr. White is not playing no games. He’s running. I’m not,” Burnett said. “Mr. White is running and I’m supporting him and if somebody is trying to do that they’re trying to manipulate something.”
“I haven’t seen the petition,” he continued. “I don’t even know if there really are petitions. The ‘alleged petitions,’ I have nothing to do with them.”
* Anyway, back to Sen. Hastings. He’s an attorney and complained today that “We don’t have any suburban representation,” on the statewide slate. He sounded very interested in running for AG.
…Adding… There’s some speculation that because White isn’t on the party slate’s petitions that this somehow means he isn’t actually running. Lisa Madigan also opted out of the slate petitions (when all incumbent candidates appear on the same petition), and people are putting two and two together and coming up with five. But the White people claim they always do their own petitions. Also, White hired Rocco Claps as his new political director a couple weeks ago or so. Everyone probably needs to take a breath here. And while I can understand Hastings not wanting to take any chances, I don’t think the secretary is amused, from what I’ve been hearing.
The next really good month for revenues is December, according to the comptroller’s office. So, without a bonding plan, expect that backlog number to remain pretty high.
But on Monday, the governor told reporters that the bonds do not solve any problem because lawmakers failed to set aside money to make principal and interest payments over the 12 years the debt would be outstanding.
“We need to come up with roughly half a billion (dollars) of cuts just to be able to service a bond offering,” he said, adding that he planned to meet with legislative leaders for discussion.
Pallasch said school aid and pension payments this week will lower the bill backlog into the $15 billion range as the Dec. 31 deadline for issuing the bonds looms.
“The ball’s in their court now and we are working with them to make this happen,” he said.
Gov. Bruce Rauner doesn’t want to negotiate in the media about what actions the Legislature should take next, but he said the state budget is not balanced and there needs to be a construction bill. […]
“I don’t like to borrow to fund deficits,” Rauner said. “Borrowing for long term capital projects is actually good management. It’s actually the prudent financial thing to do. But we can get the debt service covered if we can shrink some of the spending on other things and then debt service to fund construction projects.”
Rauner announced a plan earlier this month to borrow $6 billion dollars to pay down some of the $16 billion bill backlog with debt service to be half a billion dollars each year for the next 12 years.
People determine their own happiness. But how content we are with life is not only and always a matter of perspective. And it’s certainly not about beauty, power or wealth — at least, not beyond an annual income of $75,000. Where we choose to live can also influence our level of happiness.
In this study, WalletHub’s analysts drew upon the findings of “happiness” research to determine which environmental factors are linked to a person’s overall well-being and satisfaction with life. Previous studies have found that good economic, emotional, physical and social health are all key to a well-balanced and fulfilled life.
To determine where Americans exhibit the best combination of these factors, we examined the 50 states across 28 key metrics, ranging from depression rate to sports participation rate to income growth.
Illinois ranked 20th happiest. Wisconsin took the 9 spot, Michigan was 29th happiest and Indiana placed 34th.
The least happy people were in West Virginia, and the happiest were in Minnesota.
* The Question: Do you consider yourself “happy”? Explain.
* Greg Hinz interviews Intersect Illinois’ Mark Peterson about the governor’s recent Asian trade trip…
In an interview, Peterson said he couldn’t break confidence and reveal great detail on exactly what to expect after meetings in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan, and Shanghai and Beijing. Some deals are close, others are in the early stages and some are strictly conceptual.
But the overall news is good, he said, involving everything from a Chinese sovereign wealth unit to a Michigan Avenue retailer and investments in the state’s growing biotech business. The trip “absolutely” will pay dividends within the next year, he said. “My guess, it will be in the hundreds, if not thousands of new jobs” in Illinois.
Potentially the most significant was a Beijing meeting between the Illinois delegation and Chinese Investment Corp.—which is looking to invest $200 billion somewhere—and officials from 60 companies affiliated with that group.
“We had some very significant discussions with those companies,” which are involved in industries ranging from food processing and clean energy to pharmaceuticals. […]
The group also met with senior executives of Toyota, which, with Mazda, has been kicking the tires in the Rochelle area in west central Illinois, considering building a plant there—or elsewhere in the country. Notably, in that session, were the executive director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corp. and Rochelle’s economic development director.
* Ralph Martire argues for a different sort of state investment…
For a real eye-opener look back to fiscal year 2000, when the appropriation for higher education was $2.15 billion — or about $314 million more, in nominal, non-inflation adjusted dollars, than fiscal year 2018. Of course, inflation matters: Over time it drives up the cost of everything, from running a business to educating college kids. After adjusting for inflation, state funding for higher education in 2018 is fully 51.6 percent less than in fiscal year 2000.
This consistent disinvestment has had consequences, none of them good. For instance, many Illinois public universities — like Western, for instance — have had to cut core academic offerings like philosophy, due to underfunding. Meanwhile, crucial student financial supports like the Monetary Assistance Program — which provides low-income kids financial aid in the form of grants they don’t have to repay — aren’t funded anywhere near what’s necessary to meet demographically driven need. In response, potential college students have been voting with their feet: During the last 10 years, enrollment declined at Illinois’ public universities by more than 14,000 students.
Meanwhile, all the evidence indicates Illinois should reverse course, and invest in building a world-class higher education system. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for high school grads is more than twice as high as it is for college grads. Moreover, the wage gap between high school and college grads has doubled since 1979, growing from 23.5 to 47 percent. Want more evidence? From 1979-2012, states with the greatest increases in productivity and highest per capita incomes also had the largest share of adults with a college degree. Not to mention that higher education plays a crucial role in facilitating upward economic mobility for individuals who come from low-income backgrounds.
Despite all that, Illinois continues to lag the nation in making higher education investment a priority — and kids heading off to college have noticed.
* Related…
* New iPhone uses facial data that’s protected under Illinois law: Apple calls their new system Face ID. It projects infra-red lights against the iPhone owner’s face and uses that info to authenticate and unlock the phone. A faceprint is as individual as a thumbprint and is protected by Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, which says a company cannot take and store things like thumbprints, or in this case faceprints, in an offsite location… “Apple is not taking possession of the biometric information and likely wouldn’t apply to [Illinois’] law,” he said. “Keeping it out of a master database is a much better practice than most biometric policies that companies are following today.”
* Portions of Wisconsin’s Foxconn law could be unconstitutional, state analysis finds: The Foxconn bill, which passed the Republican-controlled Legislature with bipartisan support, gives Foxconn an unprecedented expedited appeals process and allows the Wisconsin Supreme Court to take certain cases directly from the circuit court, skipping the state appeals court.
KWAME RAOUL ANNOUNCES BID FOR ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL
Brings decades of experience advocating for victims, making justice system work for all
CHICAGO, IL – State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago 13th) formally announced his candidacy for Illinois Attorney General today and:
As a prosecutor and a legislator, I’ve spent my career advocating on behalf of victims, speaking up for the voiceless and producing real change in our justice system. I’ve seen the law used to the advantage of large corporations and to the detriment of the middle class and those of lesser means. I’ve worked to shift that balance and make our state’s laws the great equalizer they ought to be.
As an elected official, I have a keen sense of the cynicism many Illinoisans feel toward the government, and I don’t blame them. We’re living in a time when regional, economic, racial and partisan divides have been exploited to give us impasse, not results. My record is one of leveraging the tools of government to level the playing field and promote the common good.
As Attorney General, I’ll put my problem-solving and advocacy experience to work to ensure that justice in Illinois is blind, never discriminating between city, suburban and Downstate, between brown, black and white or between rich and poor. I am running to restore balance so that political gamesmanship is no match for the rule of law, under which all are equal.
Raoul also launched an announcement video and website for his Attorney General bid, highlighting his advocacy for Illinoisans and the principles he will take with him to the Attorney General’s office.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, who says he will run for attorney general in 2018, on Wednesday apologized for how he referred to Republican candidate Erika Harold when discussing the office last week.
“I’ve seen the reaction to the comment that I made, and I don’t blame anybody for being offended,” Raoul told The State Journal-Register. “If I read them without the full context of our full conversation, I would have the same reaction. … I take full responsibility for the bad characterization.”
Raoul told the newspaper on Friday, after Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced she would not seek another term, that “I think Lisa would have acquitted herself well against Miss America. I don’t know what’s behind the attorney general’s decision … but I doubt seriously it was any fear of Erika Harold.” […]
Raoul was issuing a video Wednesday with the announcement of his 2018 candidacy, he said.
* Meanwhile, Maze Jackson started out his WVON broadcast this morning by saying…
So, ladies and gentlemen, yesterday I got a note that came down from the top that suggested that I should apologize to the WVON listeners for bringing the streets to my listeners.
Jackson said he had trouble sleeping last night. “I couldn’t believe the conversation digressed to the level it did,” he said, but admitted to being an “antagonist.”
He also acknowledged the bad blood between the two going into the interview, and said his public comments have caused issues in his business, among his friends and even within his own family. Jackson is well known for calling out black politicians on a daily basis, and they and their supporters are just not accustomed to those sorts of attacks coming from WVON.
After he appeared to read from a long statement, Jackson said “I apologize to every listener that I offended with yesterday’s exchange.”
“I enjoy what I do, I love what I do every day,” he went on to say, “But sometimes maybe I’ve gone too far, and my sincerest apologies, especially to the intelligentsia that I’ve offended, to the people who took time to write letters that were outraged by what happened yesterday.”
And then he acknowledged that the show wasn’t supposed to be his “personal vendetta.” Instead, he said, “This is the mic of WVON.”
* He did not apologize to Sen. Raoul.
Jackson, you’ll recall, pointedly asked Raoul to respond clearly to a question. Raoul obviously took offense and it very quickly devolved into a verbal sparring match.
House Republican leader Jim Durkin on Tuesday said Illinois should pursue Amazon’s second headquarters, but he doesn’t “think we need to give away the store like Wisconsin just did” for Foxconn.
Durkin was asked about Illinois’ efforts to land the giant company during an appearance before the City Club of Chicago. He said he plans to meet with Gov. Bruce Rauner in the coming days and that “we need to be competitive” in pursuing the company. […]
“We’ll do whatever we can,” Durkin said. “I do know that the competition is very heavy, and any time you start talking about incentives it brings out some of the worst in people down in Springfield.”
He said other states might overpromise incentives on which they can’t deliver. And in the end, he said, it’s lawmakers who have to approve any incentives.
The governor was asked about Durkin’s comments today and he chuckled and said he didn’t know what “giving away the store” means exactly. But he also said that he would work on a package that provides “every possible resource we can” to present the company with a “very attractive, very competitive option.”
*** UPDATE *** Ameya Pawar…
“It’s one thing to attract corporations like Amazon to Illinois because of our transportation infrastructure, our access to fresh water, because we have great colleges and universities, and because of the wealth of art and culture our state has to offer. But it’s another thing entirely to give away billions of dollars in tax incentives while places like Cairo and East St. Louis are fighting to keep their communities from closing.
“When was the last time you saw Governor Rauner lead a delegation to Cairo to assess the potential for economic development there? It’s embarrassing that we are willing to sit by while Cairo is on the verge of closure, when all they’re asking for is investments to save their community.
“If state and local leaders have the political will to offer Amazon special incentives to open a second headquarters here, where is the political will to bring investments to the many communities across our state who are struggling to survive? I propose that we match every incentive dollar we offer to Amazon with a new dollar dedicated to infrastructure and economic development, to public education, or to affordable housing in underserved communities.
If we have the money to give away billions of dollars in tax revenue to Amazon, then why don’t we have the money to invest in communities to save them from closing? And finally, we ask small businesses to pay their fair share in taxes even as they risk closure from the impacts of online retailers like Amazon, who are leading in job automation. Yet when small businesses ask for help, we tell them we live in a capitalist society.
“We cannot allow politicians to continue to put the profits of major corporations over the well-being of working class families and small businesses in our state, who have been forgotten and ignored for too long. It’s time we take our state back from the wealthy and corporate interests who care more about their own self-interest than improving the lives of people struggling to get ahead. It’s time we invest in communities that need it most to keep our communities from closing.”
ATTENDEE: People are asking if you would please comment a little bit on the situation involving your first running mate if you can do that and there’s a follow up question but I’ll only ask it if it’s necessary.
BISS: So, Illinois only in the last two election cycles governor/lieutenant governor candidates run as a team in the primary and then get nominated together and run together in the general election. And I actually think it’s a really good reform because what it means is you can run as a partnership, and that partnership can be carried into the office of governor and lt. governor and that’s really the only circumstance in which certain lieutenant governor’s position makes a lot of sense.
And so, I spent part of the summer thinking about who I wanted to run with and interviewing a series of people and one of the options of who was on my short list was an alderman from the Northwest Side of the city from the 35th Ward by the name of Carlos Ramirez-Rosa. And I can talk more about his strengths of which there are plenty, and I can talk some about his weaknesses, everybody has some. But it was an exciting partnership in certain respects, but there were some things that I wanted to check out.
One thing that some people told me I should look out for was he’s a member of the Democratic Socialist of America. And my attitude was ‘I don’t believe in guilt by association, I’m not going to participate in calling someone out because they’re a socialist.’ I disagree with that. I think we should welcome people who are from active progressive groups, but I also wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with the positions taken by the organization or at least if not, feel free to talk about them.
So, I read the organization’s platform and there’s an awful lot there that I promptly agree with and there’s things that I have modest disagreements with, but could easily see both sides.
But there was one set of issues that because of my personal family background, where I come from as a grandson of a Holocaust survivor was important to me personally. Candidly speaking, not one of the most important issues facing the state government, but it’s an issue that is important to me personally and that’s what’s called the BDS or Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement regarding the relationship between Israel and Palestine.
I just have a personal discomfort with that which I’m getting to if you guys will find interesting, but my guess is it’s not you want to talk about tonight. And so, because of that, I asked him his position and he said he shares my position, and Bernie Sanders’ position was not in support of that movement, and then during the course of the first few days of the campaign as we got a lot of questions about it I think he did a lot of thinking and came to a different conclusion and obviously I respect his right to change his mind and I respect his potion but it was a division that I just didn’t feel was going to be workable for the ticket and so I regrettably had to part ways and then move forward with another person who is under active consideration and is a good friend and a close ally, her name is Litesa Wallace.
She is a state representative from Rockford whom I fought with on a variety of issues we fought on LGBT issues, we recently passed a bill into law that even Bruce Rauner signed advancing LGBTQ justice that she was the House sponsor that I was the Senate sponsor. We fought side by side especially on access to child care, she’s someone who I know well and trust, we share a commonality on values and so we had to make a change and moving forward full speed ahead and ya know it was obviously a difficult situation and an uncomfortable situation, but I would say that Carlos is a strong progressive we share a lot of values he’s a good person and a good ally on important issues and obviously someone I think has a very, very bright future in politics.”
Lots of words. The full video is here. The snippet above is here.
Ramirez-Rosa denies the claim that he flip-flopped. He told the Reader he has opposed BDS at the state and local level because city and state governments shouldn’t engage in foreign policy—but he supports it at the federal level.
“What I said in June 2016 at the People’s Summit is that we need to have a conversation about the best way that the U.S. federal government exerts pressure on the state of Israel to bring about a two-state solution,” Ramirez-Rosa said. “I recognize Israel’s right to exist. I want to see an end to the occupation of Palestine and we need to have a constructive dialogue about what the U.S. government does in relation to the money it sends Israel to put pressure to create that two-state solution. I have made those positions clear in numerous public forums and it’s unfortunate that Senator Biss did not understand those facts.”
How much did [Congressman Brad Schneider] withdrawing his endorsement play into the understanding of those facts?
“We had many conversations on this matter before and after Congressman Schneider pulled his endorsement, but I want to respect the conversations that I had with Senator Biss and the campaign and keep them private,” Ramirez-Rosa said. “Unfortunately it became clear that after numerous days of conversations, we would not be able to continue together as a ticket. Ultimately, it’s his ticket and I respect his decision.”
Any material assistance to Missouri would be a stunning betrayal, undermining Illinois’ only realistic contender for one of the biggest economic development prizes in a generation. […]
Rauner is kidding himself if he thinks Missouri would let Illinois share the bounty of an Amazon base in St. Louis. Sure, some Illinois residents would land jobs across the Mississippi River. But don’t expect Amazon to open offices in East St. Louis or Alton. Missouri lawmakers shelling out tax subsidies to Amazon would want every last dollar invested in their state.
Most important, Rauner would weaken Chicago’s bid if he strengthens St. Louis.’ Chicago has Amazon’s wish list pretty well covered, but so do other cities. To win against tough competition, Illinois needs to speak with one voice on behalf of Chicago.
What will Amazon’s decision-makers think if Illinois officials stumping for Chicago simultaneously talk up St. Louis? Most likely, they’ll start to doubt Chicago’s sales pitch.
Suburban St. Louis is built out so far west that lots of people have decided to go east to Illinois. We’d definitely benefit. I just think a backup plan is always a good option.
Perhaps Rauner is so invested in his Illinois-as-basketcase narrative—and his personal animosity toward Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and House Speaker Michael Madigan—that an economic coup for Chicago would feel like a defeat. Maybe he worries that an Amazon move to Chicago would undercut his argument that Illinois has become so unattractive to business that only deep reforms will save the state’s economy.
Maybe, however — and I know how crazy this sounds but stay with me — maybe she’s not sufficiently consumed with ambition to devote the rest of her life to the pursuit of political advancement.
Maybe most of us were wrong in 2002, when she first ran for Illinois attorney general, to assume that she was as obsessed with yanking the levers of power as her father, veteran Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, and to assume that, like so many who occupy lower constitutional offices, she would reach for the next rung of the ladder as soon as she could.
Maybe the idea of subjecting herself to the brutal indignities of running for Illinois governor or mayor of Chicago, then becoming ringmaster of the circus that is Illinois or Chicago doesn’t appeal to her.
Maybe Friday’s announcement that she’ll step down as attorney general at the end of her current term in early 2019 was simply a move toward reinvention. […]
Maybe the reason she’s passed on many opportunities to seek advancement — including a run for governor in 2014 that looked certain until she bowed out — and now plans to leave politics, is that, at heart, she’s more of a normal person than we, and perhaps she, once thought.
There are undoubtedly lots of reasons. But she’s never been the cartoon caricature that so many have tried to make her out to be.
State financial regulators are recommending an increase in the fees that currency exchanges charge for cashing checks. Opponents say it will hurt Illinois’ poorest residents.
Currency exchanges petitioned the state for the higher rate — which could be up to 3 percent, depending on the amount of the check.
They say the move to direct deposit and pre-paid cards has cut into profits — putting the industry into decline. […]
The plan still has to get through a special legislative committee that evaluates proposed regulations.
* From Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago)…
The IDFPR’s proposal, which is now in the midst of the rule-making process would change the service fees associated with cashing checks at businesses like Currency Exchanges as follows:
Collins, who chairs the Senate’s Financial Institutions Committee, said these proposed increases further squeeze the working poor and the underbanked – people who can least afford it. She spoke alongside representatives of advocacy groups – Woodstock Institute and Community Organizing and Family Issues, among others.
“I refuse to stand by and allow the currency exchange industry to increase profits on the backs of the most financially vulnerable,” Collins said. “If IDFPR refuses to appropriately modify its proposal, I plan to explore all legislative options to address this misguided and dangerous plan.”
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner hasn’t announced his intention to run again, but most of his opponents expect it to happen. So a group in Carbondale shared their stories about how Governor Rauner’s time in office has affected them as part of the “Rauners Broken Record Tour.”
“Budget crisis, money problems, loss of jobs, economic uncertainty. The state is failing and the state is failing because its being mishandled,” said Wesley Tartt.
Tartt believes Governor Rauner has done more harm than good. That’s why he joined this group to call attention to reasons, they claim, voters should put Governor Rauner out of office in 2018. […[
“I thought, maybe the one area that he might really excel in, might be managing the money for the state of Illinois. It turned out, that’s the area that he’s absolute worst in,” said [former Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon]. […]
News Three reached out to Governor Rauner’s press team for a response, but they never returned our calls or emails.
The Democratic Governors Association wants to add to its ranks – specifically, in Illinois.
A “Rauner’s Broken Record” tour began in Springfield Tuesday, with other stops scheduled in Carbondale and Peoria, to call attention to what Democrats say are reasons to vote Gov. Bruce Rauner (pictured) out of office in 2018. […]
From a wheelchair, Missy Norman, born with spina bifida, outlined how Rauner’s policies, had all of them been enacted, would have made her ineligible for home health care.
“Make no mistake, any attack on the people who provide these services is an attack on those of us who receive them,” she said.
Jeff Pool is a caregiver in southern Illinois. He says Governor Rauner does not understand the needs and desires of people with disabilities.
“When I go home and sleep at night, that’s wonderful. When I hear my alarm clock go off, I say I wish I could sleep another hour. It’s opposite for them. They’re thinking I wish I could get up. But, they’re stuck in bed. They have to wait. They need somebody to help them.”
Pool cares for Casey Cavinder. The SIU graduate says he doesn’t like the term “special needs.” He says he has human needs.
“When we don’t get those human needs met, it amounts to a human rights violation, whether it’s couched that way or not.”
* The DGA is headed to Peoria today…
WHERE: Peoria Labor Temple, 400 NE Jefferson St, Peoria, IL 61603
WHEN: 2:00 PM Wednesday Sept. 20th
WHO: Sen. Dave Koehler, Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, and grassroots leaders from the area.
* As I’ve tried to point out over the past several weeks, Illinois’ economy has been sliding downward for months. With all the other stuff going on, I neglected to post this press release the other day…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate increased +0.2 percentage points to 5.0 percent in August and nonfarm payrolls decreased by -3,700 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. July job growth was revised down to show an increase of +600 jobs rather than the preliminary estimate of +2,100 jobs.
August’s monthly payroll drop kept over-the-year job growth well below the national average. While Illinois job growth has had its ups and downs since the beginning of the year, the 3-month trend shows average monthly gains of 1,100 jobs per month from June to August, while the six-month trend shows a -100 per month average job loss from March to August.
“The Illinois economy is stuck in neutral with hardly any growth over the past several months,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “As a result, this has caused the state to experience a rising unemployment rate over the past three months.”
“Illinois is working tirelessly to highlight our strongest assets – our strategic location and dedicated workforce – to bring more opportunity, competition and good paying jobs to our state,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “We need to couple that with lasting reforms and incentives to attract businesses and quality jobs in Illinois.”
In August, the three industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+6,600); Education and Health Services (+3,400); and Construction (+2,000). The largest payroll declines were in the following sectors: Leisure and Hospitality (-9,900); Professional and Business Services (-3,300); and Manufacturing (-3,000).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +23,600 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in August: Professional and Business Services (+15,300); Financial Activities (+9,100); and Education and Health Services (+9,000). Industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines include: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-5,800); Government (-3,100); and Construction (-3,000). The +0.4 percent over-the-year gain in Illinois is about one-fourth as strong as the +1.4 percent gain posted by the nation in August.
The state’s unemployment rate is +0.6 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for August 2017, which increased to 4.4 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -0.8 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.8 percent. At 5.0 percent, the Illinois jobless rate stands -0.7 percentage points lower than January 2017.
The number of unemployed workers increased +4.8 percent from the prior month to 323,100, down -14.2 percent over the same month for the prior year. This was the third consecutive over-the-month gain in the number of unemployed persons. The labor force decreased -0.4 percent over-the-month and declined by -1.4 percent in August over the prior year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
* Despite the fact that construction is one of the bright spots, a capital bill would still help…
IS THERE A CAPITAL BILL IN THE WORKS? Rauner: “I can say, I certainly hope so. I’ve advocated for a capital bill … since day one in office … I’ve encouraged conversations to occur. I believe conversations are occurring.”
What sources tell us: The legislative leaders’ discussion involved talk of a possible $3 billion to $5 billion capital bill that would involve a public-private partnership. We’re still unclear on the funding as parties are denying a gas tax would become part of it. And sources were jittery about whether this thing would even get off the ground.
Subscribers know more.
*** UPDATE *** This is really weird. Either Natasha and I and others are being told something wrong, or, well, I dunno, but I still believe there’s a plan and there’s been no denial yet of that…
.@SenBillBrady spox denies he introduced capital bill of any kind, claims it wasn't even discussed. Several sources say otherwise. https://t.co/1bu2JUrWPx
Illinois residents aren’t the only ones throwing up their hands at the gridlock and increasingly polarized politics that have defined state government in recent years. More and more, fed-up and frustrated Illinois legislators are heading for the exits.
More than two-dozen legislators — about 15 percent of the General Assembly — have either resigned months into the current session or said they won’t seek re-election. They are Democrats and Republicans, rank-and-file moderates and those in leadership posts, including House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, who said last week that she’s ending her nearly 40-year legislative career when her term expires.
It’s an exodus that longtime Statehouse observers say is unusual not just for the high number of lawmakers leaving, but for the reasons many legislators are giving: frustration with not being able to reach compromises, the stress of the two-year budget impasse that only recently ended, year-round campaigning and a public that’s grown more hostile and vocal.
* It may have been lost in the discussion about Dan Proft, but as I told you yesterday Leader Durkin addressed this topic at the City Club…
Durkin also claimed “natural attrition” is why many of his members have retired this year. The average age is about 70 of the retirees, he said. And he said other members are relatively new and found out the job just wasn’t for them. “The antagonism, the stress and the anxiety” all combined to convince them to get out.
“I will say that what happened over the past three years and the logjam, I think some of the antagonism and the stress and the anxiety that people have down there, it just wasn’t working for them,” Durkin told members of the City Club of Chicago on Tuesday.
“It’s tough in Washington,” the veteran lawmaker from Western Springs added. “I think we’re seeing it in every area, every state, even local governments. It’s more challenging. But again, challenges are what this is about. And that’s what we need to be focused on.” […]
“Social media and money has had a major impact, and the campaigns are not getting any nicer. And they won’t,” Durkin said after his City Club address. “So your skin’s got to be even tougher than it was two years ago to withstand a contested primary or a general election.”
Fear of facing a contested primary was evident among the ranks of Republican lawmakers who voted against Rauner’s wishes in helping to enact a state budget in July to help end the stalemate. Rauner’s handpicked Illinois GOP chairman, Tim Schneider, put out a statement at the time regarding the income tax hike saying he was “confident voters will hold those politicians accountable for choosing Mike Madigan over the people of Illinois.”
“Social media” may be code for “the Illinois Policy Institute’s Facebook operation.”
* Speaking of the Illinois Policy Institute, here’s a piece from its news service…
You might think that 20 percent turnover of the Illinois legislature would be an argument against term limits.
But State Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, said the wave of retirement announcements is actually the case for limiting legislative terms.
Term limits “check the motivation why people serve,” McCarter said. “Do they serve just for their pension? Or do they serve for the good of their constituents to change the trajectory of the state?”
* And a House member/subscriber compiled this yesterday…
Hi Rich (please don’t have to mention you got this from me if you use it)
But I thought you might find it interesting that with the new GA of 2019 (101 GA) there will only be FIVE Democrats with 20+ years in office (LCL is next with 16)
Michael Madigan Democrat 1971
Mary Flowers Democrat 1985
Lou Lang Democrat 1987
Daniel Burke Democrat 1991
Sara Feigenholtz Democrat 1995
And here are the Republican 3 (Brady is close at 18 and if you add up David Harris he is at 18 as well)
Michael McAuliffe Republican 1996
Jim Durkin (95-03) Republican 2006
Keith Sommer Republican 1999
So, there are only eight legislators with 20+ years of service left out of 118 legislators - that’s assuming all incumbents declared for re-election win in 2018.
Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed HB303, bipartisan legislation aimed at reforming Illinois’ asset forfeiture system. The reforms will increase transparency and shift burdens of proof to protect innocent citizens while maintaining the proper use of asset forfeiture as a tool for law enforcement. Gov. Rauner was joined by Illinois State Police (ISP) officials, ACLU members, legislators, and advocate organizations.
“Illinois residents should be protected from the unfair seizure of their private property,” Gov. Rauner said. “This legislation will enact needed reforms to prevent abuse of the civil asset forfeiture process, while maintaining its importance as a critical tool for law enforcement to make our communities safer.”
When properly applied, asset forfeiture strikes at the economic foundation of criminal activity. The seizure of monetary assets has been utilized as an effective method to disrupt the business activities of drug trafficking organizations and bring down high-level drug distributors.
However, if asset forfeiture is misused, it can have major economic ramifications on Illinoisans who may be innocent of any wrongdoing. The forfeiture of cash, a vehicle, or even a home can also affect their family members and exacerbate financial insecurity.
This important piece of legislation will provide for greater public transparency in Asset Forfeiture proceedings through the collection and publicly accessible reporting of forfeiture data, as well as additional sanction authority for abuse and violations of forfeiture rules by the ISP.
HB 303 also shifts the burden of proving guilt to the government, and increases the burden of proof to mirror that of the federal government in forfeiture cases from probable cause to a preponderance of the evidence, a fair and equitable standard. It also makes a number of other changes such as eliminating restrictive bonding requirements and adjusting the threshold amounts of money subject to forfeiture as well as the levels of cannabis and controlled substance possession that can lead to forfeiture proceedings as a way to thoughtfully limit the use of this system to its intended purposes.
Funds received through the Asset Forfeiture Program support the costs of law enforcement overtime and wire intercepts for major investigations, training, intelligence centers, prevention programs and investigative equipment.
The previous law in Illinois was unclear on whether probable cause was a requirement for police to seize property. Additionally, law enforcement agencies were not obligated to return property seized during an investigation, even if the owner was never charged or convicted of a crime.
The new law increases accountability and transparency among law enforcement officials by doing the following:
• Improves the rights of property owners by placing the burden of proof on the prosecution instead of the property owner and creating an expedited process to have cases adjudicated more quickly.
• Increases the government’s burden of proof from probable cause to preponderance of the evidence.
• Requires the government to do more to ensure property owners receive notice of forfeiture proceedings and understand the steps they must take to argue for the return of their property.
• Eliminates the requirement that property owners must pay a “cost bond” equal to 10 percent of the value of the seized property before their case can be heard by a judge.
• Exempts small sums of cash from forfeiture and provides that mere possession of a miniscule amount of drugs will no longer serve as a legal basis for forfeiture.
• Provides for new data collection regarding property seizures and forfeitures. The information will be reported to the Illinois State Police, and the aggregated data will be posted online.
The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2018.
* ACLU of Illinois…
The ACLU of Illinois and legislative sponsors celebrated the signing of House Bill 303 today. The new law passed with bipartisan support in the Illinois legislature and reforms various asset forfeiture statutes to increase fairness to property owners, increase transparency in the forfeiture process, and remove financial incentives that encourage police and prosecutors to seize citizens’ property.
Unlike criminal asset forfeiture, civil forfeiture does not require a criminal conviction before an individual’s property can be taken by the government. Between 2005 and 2015, asset forfeiture resulted in gains of more than $319 million for Illinois police departments, sheriffs, state’s attorneys, and other law enforcement agencies.
Supporters of civil asset forfeiture include various law enforcement groups and police unions, including the National Sheriffs’ Association and the Fraternal Order of Police, which claim the practice helps fight crime.
There’s no question that civil asset forfeiture has proved lucrative for federal, state and local law enforcement across the country, and Illinois is no exception. Since 2005, federal authorities have taken $404 million through asset forfeiture in Illinois, while state and local authorities have seized $319 million worth of property.
But when it comes to civil asset forfeiture, there’s evidence that innocent people often get caught in authorities’ crosshairs. A report from the Institute for Justice shows that 87 percent of asset forfeitures by the Department of Justice between 1997 and 2013 were civil, not criminal, meaning that in most cases authorities took property from people who hadn’t even been convicted of a crime.
There’s also evidence Illinoisans are against civil asset forfeiture. A May 2016 poll of Illinois registered voters commissioned by the Illinois Policy Institute showed 89 percent of respondents opposed property seizures without a criminal conviction.
* If you thought the Republicans would find someone else to run for attorney general now that Lisa Madigan won’t run again, you really should think again. All the big names say they’re not interested. And check out this press release from Erika Harold’s campaign…
Republican Attorney General candidate Erika Harold released the following list of endorsements from state legislators:
Senator Jason Barickman
Senator Dale Righter
Senator Chapin Rose
Senator Sue Rezin
Senator Pam Althoff
Senator Dave Syverson
Senator Kyle McCarter
Senator Dale Fowler
Senator Jim Oberweis
Senator Tim Bivens
Senator Karen McConnaughay
Senator Jil Tracy
Senator Chuck Weaver
Minority Leader Jim Durkin
Representative Mark Batinick
Representative Avery Bourne
Representative Nick Sauer
Representative Tony McCombie
Representative Keith Wheeler
Representative Allen Skillicorn
Representative Grant Wehrli
Representative Brad Halbrook
Representative Margo McDermed
Representative Jeanne Ives
Representative Lindsay Parkhurst
Representative Tom Morrison
Representative Tim Butler
Representative Dave Severin
Representative Norine Hammond
Representative Randy Frese
Representative Ryan Spain
Representative David Reis
Representative Charles Meier
Representative Dan Swanson
Representative Robert Pritchard
Representative Patricia Bellock
Representative John Cavaletto
Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer
Representative Joe Sosnowski
Representative Chad Hays
Representative Tom Bennett
Representative Steven Reick
Representative Terri Bryant
Representative Barbara Wheeler
Representative Michael McAuliffe
“I am so humbled by the outpouring of support from legislators across the state,” said Erika Harold. “Republican legislators hear from constituents every day about the problems Illinois families face. They have led the fight in Springfield for reforms to put our state back on the right path. It is an honor to have their support and join with them in the fight for reforms that will put the people ahead of the powerful political class.”
* Some quotes…
“Erika Harold had the courage to enter the race before Lisa Madigan withdrew and that is the type of courage needed to challenge the status quo. I am going to do everything I can to make sure she becomes our next Attorney General.” – House Minority Leader Jim Durkin
“I have known and worked with Erika Harold for many years. She is a sharp lawyer and a great a person. She has dedicated her career to advocating for those who oftentimes could not advocate for themselves. Whether it has been in the courtroom, in the prisons through her work in prison fellowship or in the classrooms with her anti-bullying campaigns, Erika has always been a voice for the voiceless. Illinois will be lucky to have her voice fighting for all Illinoisans in the Attorney General’s office.” – Sen. Jason Barickman
“Erika Harold has already demonstrated the tenacity and courage to stand up for our families. She announced her candidacy knowing she would take on the most powerful political family in Illinois. Illinois’ political corruption is legendary, and for as long as I’ve been alive, too many of our elected officials have lacked the courage and values to hold themselves accountable. As a result, Illinois has become steadily more frustrating to live in, harder to do business in, and more expensive to raise a family in. I can’t think of a better choice to break from this past and help usher in a new generation of leadership than this accomplished attorney and political outsider. If you want to change the state’s trajectory, if you want to see Illinois become a beacon of hope and opportunity in the Midwest, if you want elected leaders we can trust to do what is just, what is fair, and what is right; then join me in supporting Erica Harold.” – Rep. Mark Batinick
“I met Erika several years ago and was impressed by her warmth and sincerity. She is an incredibly determined and intelligent person who wants to use her skills to serve the citizens of Illinois as the State’s Top lawyer. She will work fiercely for consumers, crime victims and very importantly against public corruption.” - Sen. Jil Tracy
“I’m happy to support Erika Harold to be Illinois’ next Attorney General. Erika, is a next generation leader, committed to defending Illinois’ best interests, not the special interests. Her strong, determined and dedicated voice, for every Illinoisan and the rule of law, is exactly what we need in the Attorney General’s office once again. She has my vote!” – Rep. Nick Sauer
“The entrenched corruption of Illinois politics hurts every family in the state. Erika Harold will fight against Speaker Madigan and for the working families of our Great State. I proudly stand with Erika Harold for Attorney General!” – Rep. Allen Skillicorn
“I can’t wait for Erika to take office as Illinois’ Attorney General. Then we will once again have a whole AG– one who tackles public corruption plus the feel good consumer protection issues our current AG prefers.” – Rep. Margo McDermed
“I’m proud to endorse Erika Harold for Illinois Attorney General. Erika is a qualified, confident, and talented attorney who puts the needs of Illinoisans first and who will represent them well.“ - Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst
“The people of Southern Illinois deserve an attorney general who will aggressively prosecute public corruption and defend our constitutional rights. That is exactly what Erika Harold will do at the capitol and why I strongly endorse her to be our next attorney general. I will work every day with Erika to put the people above the political class.” – Rep. Dave Severin
* Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Mariyana Spyropoulos is interested in running for attorney general, according to a person very close to her.
I didn’t even know she was an attorney, but I didn’t need to be reminded that she’s got enough personal and family money to help self-fund a campaign.
Her Greek-American name will definitely stand out on what might wind up being a long ballot.
* A political operative I’ve known for years called me Saturday to tell me a buddy of his had just called to say he had seen someone passing a petition that had Chicago Ald. Walter Burnett running for secretary of state.
I supposed it made a tiny bit of sense because Burnett is Secretary of State Jesse White’s alderman and one of his main guys. So, I reached out to the White folks and was told that it must be some sort of a joke or a weird dirty trick. I didn’t think much more about it.
* Well, one of White’s guys just called me a few minutes ago to say his phone has been blowing up for days with the rumor up to and including this afternoon and asked if I’d post something about it.
So, according to this top White person, Secretary White is definitely running for reelection. There is absolutely no plan to substitute anyone else for White on the ballot. The rumors are simply false, I’m told.
With all the breaking “news” on social media these days about who might be running for what that don’t turn out to be true, I can understand why they’d want to get ahead of this thing.
* The man holding the baby in this photo is my maternal grandfather, George Akers…
* He was born in 1904 and went out west to be a cowboy and work the threshing machine circuit not long after his mom was killed in a tornado. He eventually returned to southern Illinois, married Nettie Juenger in 1937 and settled down, moving north to Pontiac and then (after they were flooded out) to Milks Grove Township in Iroquois County.
I only knew the settled down version, not the cowboy. He was a kind, decent, quiet, humble man. You could just be yourself around him. He was a farmer, but he didn’t own his land. He was small in stature, but could out-work anyone and never once bragged about it. He just always did what he had to do. He never made much money while still providing a good life for his family, was never famous, never involved in politics. I firmly believe he was the most successful person I’ve ever known. He passed away in 1976.
My youngest brother Devin, the baby pictured above with Granddad, turned 45 today. Time flies much too fast.
Happy birthday, Devin. I’ll see you soon.
* The Question: Are there any family stories you’d like to share?
* Phil Kadner recalls a conversation with Speaker Madigan sometime around the turn of the century…
“What is it that you have accomplished?” I asked. “What would you like to be remembered for? What do you really care about?”
Madigan’s answer stunned me and other members of the Daily Southtown editorial board who were present at the time.
He said there were two things that really mattered to him as House speaker. The first was maintaining the Democratic Party’s majority in the Illinois House of Representatives. The second was his daughter, Lisa Madigan’s, political career.
No surprise there, particularly at that time. The House Democrats had the barest of majorities and then-Sen. Madigan was gearing up to run statewide.
* Then Phil goes through the public split the two had back in 2013 when Lisa said she wouldn’t run for governor as long as her father remained the House Speaker…
As for Madigan, he responded, “Lisa and I had spoken about that on several occasions, and she knew very well that I did not plan to retire. She knew what my position was.
He told me he had warned his daughter not to make the same mistake that he had. He had stayed in the Illinois House for too long, gotten too comfortable, and missed his opportunity to move on to higher office.
I thought there was deep regret in his voice. Timing is everything in politics and Madigan seemed to feel he had missed his moment. Lesser people had done better.
That’s sad if it’s true. But sadder still if when it mattered, he decided his career was more important than his daughter’s.
In February, Gov. Bruce Rauner proposed a state budget that included creation of a 401k style savings plan for newer teachers and public workers that he said would save $500 million in the 2018 fiscal year that began July 1.
In July, the Democratic controlled legislature enacted its own budget over the objections of Rauner that nonetheless incorporated his pension overhaul. The governor quickly attacked that budget as unbalanced, in part because it counted on the very savings that he earlier had estimated would be reaped from the 401k-style initiative, commonly referred to as Tier 3.
Now, administrators at the state pension systems that must operate Tier 3 are scratching their heads over how exactly the $500 million estimate came to be, while also raising doubts that any savings might materialize for close to two years.
“Right now, my operating thesis is that July 1 of 2019 would be the earliest possible effective date (for Tier 3),” said Richard Ingram, executive director of the Teachers’ Retirement System which administers pension funds for hundreds of thousands of current and retired suburban and downstate teachers. “There is absolutely no way we can do it by July 1 of next year.”
To recap, if Tier 3 does eventually prove a money saver for Illinois – whatever the amount – it’s unlikely to be this year or even next.
Jason Schaumburg, a Rauner spokesman, said savings estimates were developed by the governor’s staff in consultation with the big state-run retirement systems for teachers, public university workers and general state employees.
But officials of some of those pension plans say they have yet to develop savings estimates because details of Tier 3 are still in flux. Meanwhile, legislative Democrats say they lifted their savings number straight from Rauner because it was his plan and they presumed he knew what he was talking about. […]
Schaumburg disputed that the Democratic iteration of Tier 3 was ripped whole from the pages of Rauner’s budget plan, contending that there were “some significant changes.” Asked what those changes were, however, the governor’s office did not respond to follow-up queries from the Better Government Association.
[Rauner spokesman Hud Englehart] said he is helping head up a restructuring of the office and is still working to recruit and interview new employees.
“When we get the team together and we have it organized, we’re going to return phone calls and all that kind of stuff,” he said. “It’s a matter of trying to put more of a planning focus on the governor’s office than the firehose response,” that was occurring over the last few weeks, he added.
Englehart said he is heading up the communications department to “help develop a comms strategy for the governor’s office that more effectively tells his story of his time here in government.”
A firehose response? There have been almost no responses. It’s been like a badly kinked garden hose.
And they’re back on that “tell the governor’s story” crud again?
The campaign side should tell the “story” of how great Bruce Rauner is. The governing side works for the government, meaning the people. And a huge responsibility of any government comms shop is to give accurate and timely responses to reporters’ questions.
So, how about learning to walk before you run with this pie in the sky “story” silliness? Try to answer some simple questions, like, oh, I don’t know, what those “significant changes” were to the pension bill?
A Chicagoan who until recently was communications chief for Gov. Bruce Rauner is going to work for a political strategies firm run by a one-time top deputy to ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Headed to Tusk Strategies, the firm Bradley Tusk established after departing as Blagojevich’s deputy governor, is Lance Trover, who left Rauner’s office just before the governor shook up top management of his administration this summer. In a statement and an interview, Trover, 38, said that after nearly two decades of working for politicians, including former U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., he looks forward to shifting to a private-sector firm that runs campaigns for Fortune 500 and startup companies around the country.
In Chicago, Trover joins a Tusk office that already includes two other veterans of the Blagojevich government: one-time Deputy Governor Bob Greenlee, and Sheila Nix, who later became chief of staff to Jill Biden when her husband, Joe Biden, was vice president.
Both Greenlee and Nix, as well as Tusk, escaped Illinois government with their reputations intact—no small feat. Still, all are Democrats. Trover always has worked for Republicans.
Trover got out of Rauner Land just before the big Illinois Policy Institute-related purges began, even though the news wasn’t confirmed until after the purge started.
* House Republican Leader Jim Durkin spoke to the City Club of Chicago today. The first question he was asked was why Dan Proft was using his radio show to whack Durkin so hard the past couple of weeks. Durkin’s response, delivered with an exaggerated puzzled look on his face…
I didn’t know that Dan Proft had a radio show.
Much laughter ensued.
* Durkin also claimed “natural attrition” is why many of his members have retired this year. The average age is about 70 of the retirees, he said. And he said other members are relatively new and found out the job just wasn’t for them. “The antagonism, the stress and the anxiety” all combined to convince them to get out.
*** UPDATE *** Response from Proft…
Durkin was in his element at the City Club–you know, with the Chicago Democrats whose bidding he does.
I’m sorry his memory is failing him as he has been on my show. Durkin is better when he’s actually clueless rather than pretending to be.
The circular firing squad abated because of Gov. Rauner’s money and his credible threat to use it against anyone who wasn’t playing ball. He either isn’t making those threats any longer or they’re no longer credible.
TUA in Mt. Prospect
exposes taxpayer traitor David Harris
Lake Arlington- After announcing the latest Taxpayer Traitor David Harris, taxpayers have visited his district to inform the voting public of his treachery.
Over the last 2 weeks TUA has hammered David Harris within his own district. First taxpayers showed up in force at Randhurst Village Mall, handing out wanted fliers for David Harris. Then taxpayers made a visit to Lake Arlington, handing out even more waned fliers and informing voters of all the lavish government pensions their tax dollars were funding. The reaction from the constituents was a mixture of shock and anger. One vocal constituent commented that David Harris should be behind bars, where he (David Harris) belongs.
Thereason the voters are outraged is because of the betrayal David Harris has committed. David Harris has betrayed the taxpayer by siding with Chicago machine boss Michael Madigan, and voting for a 32% increase on state personal income tax to pay for lavish gold plated government pensions.
David Harris is just 1 of 11 Taxpayer Traitors that sided with Chicago machine democrats in raising Illinois personal and corporate state income taxes. Since the traitors’ treachery, TUA has been hard at work exposing each and every one of them. First TUA exposed Steven A. Andersson, who will no longer seek reelection, and is now focusing on David Harris. Once TUA is done with David Harris, TUA will unveil another taxpayer traitor. TUA will not rest until every taxpayer traitor is exposed, and out of office.
Below is a video of TUA representatives in District 53 exposing David Harris for the traitor he is!
Taxpayers United of America is Jim Tobin’s group. Tobin believes Abraham Lincoln fought the Civil War over taxes and has long wanted to abolish the Illinois State Police. He also predicted in 2013 that Illinois would declare bankruptcy by 2015
* The DGA is trying to get some Downstate coverage today…
Today, the DGA launches the Rauner’s Broken Record website to accompany the group’s statewide tour. The tour makes stops today in Springfield and Carbondale and will feature Illinois voters speaking about how Rauner’s failed leadership has negatively impacted their communities.
Rauner promised his business experience would right Illinois’ fiscal stewardship and grow jobs, but the opposite has happened. Under Rauner, jobs were lost, debt climbed, and social services were devastated. Rauner wants voters to give him a second-term, but his Broken Record shows he failed to earn it.
“Bruce Rauner can try and blame others all he wants, but his failures are unavoidable,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Despite his broken record, Rauner thinks he should get a second term. Illinois voters will not forget the damage Rauner did to the state, and know that a second Rauner term only means more debt, more job loss, and fewer services.”
* From the media advisory…
Springfield
Where: Outside the Governor’s Mansion at 5th and Jackson
When: 9:30 am, Tuesday September 19th
Who: The Rauner’s Broken Record Tour will feature Springfield Alderwoman Doris Turner and Sangamon County Board Member Tony DelGiorno along with local community members who will speak out about Rauner’s failed record.
Carbondale
Where: Heartland Apartments, 805 East College Street, Carbondale IL
When: 2:15 pm, Tuesday September 19th
Who: The Rauner’s Broken Record Tour will feature former Lieutenant Governor Shelia Simon along with local community members who will speak out about Rauner’s failed record.
I get Doris Turner and even Sheila Simon, but Tony DelGiorno?
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
An Illinois Republican lawmaker says the question isn’t whether the state should increase its gas tax to raise new revenue for roads and other capital projects. It’s a matter of how high it should be raised.
State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said there’s been plenty of talk at the State Capitol about raising the state’s gas tax. Now, those talks are narrowing in on how high the state will raise the tax.
“I don’t know how high we’re going to go,” Brady said. “But certainly the governor and others want a capital bill. We want a capital bill. Our infrastructure is crying for a capital bill in the state of Illinois.”
Brady isn’t sure when lawmakers may sit down and formalize the plan to raise gas taxes in order to build new roads. But those talks may not be too far off.
“I think that [a gas tax increase] may absolutely be where we can come together,” Brady said. “Whether that’s a five percent increase, I don’t know. That’s going to be the ultimate debate.”
The Illinois News Network reported Sunday that legislative leaders planned to meet this week to discuss a capital plan and gas tax hikes, but spokespersons for House Speaker Michael Madigan, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin and Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady denied that a meeting was even scheduled.
But Gov. Bruce Rauner, fresh off his return from an economic summit in Japan and China, said Monday that the leaders are scheduled to meet Tuesday. […]
In response to the governor’s statement about a leaders’ meeting Tuesday, Senate Democrat spokesman John Patterson confirmed it.
“My understanding is the Republican leaders were interested in having a discussion among the leaders, and the Senate President always enjoys working with his colleagues across the aisle,” Patterson said. “I’m not aware of any set agenda.”
Governor Bruce Rauner today announced that the state’s Department of Human Services (IDHS) will broaden access to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The move fulfills an agreement made with the legislature in 2015 to raise the income eligibility criteria to 185% of the federal poverty level from 162%. It means 16,000 more children will receive child care each month, for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2018.
Rauner included the funds to boost the levels in his proposed budget and stressed that the CCAP funding decision was made to ensure that parents can continue working without worrying about how their children will be cared for. “I am proud to stand with families who are working two or three jobs just to make a living,” he said. “Many of them are already struggling, and now they’re taking an even deeper cut in their income thanks to the 32% increase in income taxes the legislature passed in July.”
Even with the massive tax hike, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget estimates the state budget is at least $1.7 billion out of balance. Rauner is asking the legislature to work with him to identify additional spending reforms and bring the budget into balance.
Criteria for CCAP eligibility are determined through the administrative rule making process, which is overseen by the bipartisan, legislative Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. IDHS plans to implement the new criteria through emergency rulemaking, ensuring more families can receive child care as quickly as possible. The Department will also continue working with the child care community to closely monitor the availability of funds and make adjustments, when necessary, to ensure the state is meeting the needs of families while still being fiscally responsible.
* SEIU Healthcare Illinois Vice President Brynn Seibert…
“When Gov. Bruce Rauner first implemented the limits to the Child Care Assistance Program, every expert in the field, including the then-director of the program, predicted disaster. And they were right.
“While restoration of the program to pre-Rauner-cuts levels would be welcome, and was part of the promise he made Illinoisans, it cannot be separated from the reality that his administration continues to implement back-door cuts that could lead to almost 15,000 child care providers being purged in the coming months. What good is a restored program if there are no providers to give care?
“These back-door cuts sought by the Rauner administration via arbitrary interpretation of new federal training guidelines remain a threat to working families and will fall predominantly on poor women of color.
“Illinois may NEVER recover from the damage that Gov. Rauner visited on a successful system of child care built up over the years. But as he faces re-election, we welcome an examination of his record when it comes to the thousands of working parents and children whom he has harmed.”
* Pritzker campaign…
After cutting access to child care for 30,000 children, Bruce Rauner finally decided to restore some of his cuts to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) – but the damage is done.
By reducing the income eligibility for CCAP by 73% in 2015, Rauner is responsible for slashing services for 30,000 children and destabilizing families and communities. But the announcement that Rauner will roll back his own draconian cuts does not change the years of underfunding and instability Rauner unleashed on Illinois families.
“Bruce Rauner’s assault on early learning will have a lasting impact on Illinois children,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Kids cannot get their childhood back and providers can’t just resume services like nothing happened. We need a governor who will fight for Illinois children and that’s exactly what JB will do as governor.”
…Adding… Illinois Action for Children…
The restoration of the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) signals a welcome – and long-overdue – commitment by Governor Rauner to live up to the promises he made two years ago. However, a great deal of damage has been done to children, families, and our state’s child care infrastructure over the two-plus years that CCAP income-eligibility was set at a needlessly and harmfully low level.
While the Governor’s action on this matter cannot immediately reverse this damage, we are hopeful that it signals a renewed commitment to early care and education in our state. Furthermore, we call on the Governor and all elected officials to learn from the damage caused by the 2015 CCAP changes and commit to protecting child care eligibility from any politically-fueled cuts moving forward.
…Adding More… Biss campaign…
“While Bruce Rauner was decimating affordable childcare three years ago, Litesa and I were leading the fight to expand eligibility and restore funding,” said Daniel Biss. “An arrogant, out-of-touch billionaire who has never had to worry about affording childcare, Bruce Rauner clearly doesn’t understand how cuts to these programs ripple throughout generations, stifling opportunity and perpetuating hardship.”
“Bruce Rauner shouldn’t get credit for finally restoring eligibility to a program that he demolished. This is too little, too late for thousands of families across Illinois. We need a governor who will fight for us every day—someone with a proven record of success and a stake in the future of our state.”
“The time has come to clean up Illinois,” said Scott Drury – a former federal prosecutor – as he announced his run for Attorney General. “For too long, Illinois has been defined by corruption and self-dealing. We are going to restore people’s trust in government by showing that no one is above the law and making sure that every Illinois citizen is treated fairly.”
According to Drury, since Lisa Madigan announced her plan to retire, there has been a steady push to get him to run: “My phone and inbox have been flooded with requests urging me to enter the race. People are excited about the prospect of an Attorney General with true prosecutorial experience and no entangling alliances.”
Drury is a seven year veteran of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago and a sitting Illinois State Representative. Earlier this year, Drury became the first Democrat in thirty years not to support Mike Madigan for Speaker of the House.
During his time in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Drury prosecuted corrupt public officials and child sex offenders, among others. He also was part of a multi-jurisdictional effort to curb violent gun crime in and around Chicago. Highlights of his prosecutorial career include the successful prosecutions of a Blagojevich appointee, the Melrose Park police chief and his underlings, and a police officer caught on tape beating a man shackled in a wheelchair.
As a State Representative, Drury has been an outspoken advocate for tougher ethics, anti-corruption and consumer protection laws and successfully fought for the passage of ground-breaking police reforms and toughest-in-the-nation legislation to protect women from online sexual abuse. He also took on the NRA and won – working with numerous communities he represents to implement assault weapons bans and regulations.
Before today’s announcement, Drury was vigorously campaigning for Governor. As a result, he has a statewide campaign operation in place and volunteers throughout the State. This gives Drury a decisive advantage over anyone entering the race at this late date.
On changing races, Drury said the Attorney General position provides a better platform from which to clean up Illinois. “Illinois cannot fix its problems until it first builds a foundation of trust. As Attorney General, I can work outside the channels of the established machine and make clear that the old way of doing business in Illinois no longer has a home here.”
Drury grew up in Illinois and currently lives with his wife and two children in suburban Highwood. In addition to his legislative duties, Drury is an adjunct professor at Northwestern’s Law School and practices law in the private sector.
* The Madison County Democratic Party held an Iowa-style caucus last night. People had the choice of 7 locations throughout the county where they could listen to speeches and interact before cvoting. The party decided in advance that a majority of those voting would be needed to endorse. Nobody reached that majority…
That’s a pretty good turnout.
Bob Daiber is the Madison County Regional Superintendent, so he had been expected to win this thing.
* But the Pritzker campaign worked it hard and nearly took it…
“The argument for me to the people in the Democratic party — we want this to become a biannual event. We want to be like Iowa, we want to be an early testing ground for a candidate’s retail appeal.” Pritzker came down and organized, targeted social media ads and motivated laborers to support him, [Madison County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Von Nida] said. “Biss was smart,” Von Nida said. Keeping in mind the viability threshold rule, he concentrated on the two areas in the county where he had a toehold and flooded them with his supporters. “Kennedy had a presence at the different sites, but they were spread out,” not able to reach the 20 percent minimum at any of the sites, meaning he was deemed not viable.
“Getting no voters at all, you probably didn’t take it seriously and organize or you didn’t have a retail appeal,” Von Nida said. “We hope the candidates that run statewide will pay attention to Madison County and take it seriously and court voters … Candidates that were looking for a bounce or some momentum coming out of it, it is what it is.”
* From a loyal reader who was there…
At my site labor comprised 90% of the votes for Pritzker… That AFL-CIO endorsement payed off!
* From the Kennedy campaign…
There’s no question Chris has strong support in Madison County. Our campaign staff and volunteers were nimble and well-organized yesterday. Once it was clear that JB used his resources to bus people in, we teamed with the Daiber campaign to pool our votes so there would be no endorsement.
So, a “moral victory” then?
* Daiber didn’t seem pleased with Pritzker on Twitter…
*** UPDATE *** Statement from Anne Caprara, Pritzker campaign manager…
“First Kennedy complains about the press to the press and now he is upset that our campaign is building a statewide grassroots operation with field offices and organizers in every region. To make such a false accusation isn’t just petty, but Kennedy is using the Bruce Rauner playbook of blaming others when you can’t get the job done.
“We believe that every voter in every county matters and we organized voters in Madison County just as we would anywhere else in the state. To somehow suggest that their time and commitment to the caucus process in Madison County is manufactured is a disrespectful lie and the type of dishonest rhetoric voters have had enough of. The Democratic Party in Madison County did a terrific job organizing an energetic caucus and we commend Bob Daiber on his strong showing.”
Powerful Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, 14th, gave the leader of the Cook County Democratic Party a heads-up over the weekend that his daughter was circulating petitions to run for attorney general.
“He told me that his daughter is going to put out petitions for attorney general,” party Chairman Joe Berrios said. Burke was not asking for his support but was letting him know, Berrios added.
Burke has two daughters who are lawyers, and Berrios wasn’t clear which one was contemplating a run. Burke repeatedly said “no comment” Monday when asked about his conversation with Berrios and which daughter was going to circulate petitions.
One daughter, Jennifer, was appointed by Pat Quinn to a spot on the Illinois Pollution Control Board, which cranked up some controversy. The other daughter, Sarah, is listed as a property tax appeals lawyer at Burke’s law firm, although the Trib reports that she might no longer work there. Jennifer is also now at Burke’s firm.
The county Democratic Party had endorsed Attorney General Lisa Madigan for re-election, but will meet again in two to three weeks to make a new endorsement, Berrios said. “We’ve got to see the shakeout, see who’s going to be a candidate,” he added.
* Tanned, rested and ready?…
NEW:Dan Hynes (frmr Comptroller) considering run for #ILAG supporters note "he's been vetted, statewide experience & financial connections"
I doubt that anyone could clear the field at this point and with so many (white) men running for statewide office this year it could be a tough sell. We’ll see.
*** UPDATE 1 *** I’m kinda thinking that earlier tweet wasn’t authorized by Hynes or anyone close to him…
NEW: Dan Hynes now says "not the right time" and not interested in #ILAG
The City Council’s most powerful alderman said Tuesday that his daughter, considered, but has decided against, running for attorney general to replace Lisa Madigan. […]
Burke, chairman of the City Council’s Finance Committee, said he would nevertheless have been supportive of Sarah’s campaign. But, she decided against it because of the demands of her young family, the alderman said.
* Yesterday, Illinois Review published a story about how it couldn’t get a response from the governor’s office about whether he would sign HB 40. Korecki finally did…
When asked on Monday about Rauner’s past statements that he would veto HB40, [Gov. Rauner’s spokesman Hud Englehart] said: “I know that he hasn’t made up his mind,” on the issue.
Governor Bruce Rauner will veto an abortion bill that could be within votes of passing the Illinois House when they return after spring break, his office told Illinois Review Friday morning.
“Governor Rauner does not support HB40 and will veto the bill if it reaches his desk,” spokesperson Allie Bovis wrote in an email.
(I)n recent weeks, Rauner has met with women across the state to listen to them on the topic, including those on public aid. The bill expands the public funding of abortion to Medicaid recipients and to those receiving state health care and it aims to preserve the legality of abortion in Illinois if the U.S. Supreme Court should strike down Roe v. Wade.
Asked if the governor was still holding those meetings, Englehart noted the governor’s recent return from Asia, but added: “I know that he’s done that.”
It sure looks like he’s laying the groundwork for a flip-flop.
* And now that he has the revenues to operate the government and an education funding reform bill and a new PR emphasis on business recruitment, he can pivot left on “social issues” as soon as the petition filing season ends…
[Rep. David McSweeney] questioned the role politics played in Rauner’s earlier public statements. He pointed to emails published in the Sun-Times last month that alleged First Lady Diana Rauner feared losing suburban votes if Rauner said he’d veto HB40. But then-staffers argued the governor had to walk a tight-rope with his Republican caucus who hated the bill but whose support he needed during an intense budget battle. In the end, Rauner said he would veto it. But Republicans bolted anyway, with 15 voting against Rauner on a key budget vote.
So, the question is, do the Democrats send him the bill now to put him in a political trick box and maybe gin up a GOP primary opponent, or do they wait for him to say publicly that he’ll sign the bill to actually get something done? Personal PAC is arguing for the latter. Some partisan Dems are arguing for the former. Others say a third party option is a better idea against Rauner anyway, so go ahead and wait.
Your own thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** He dodged the question today…
Hey Rich, we just posted our interview with @GovRauner with time markers on each question. HB40 comes up at 8:17. https://t.co/3aXMF848cT
* Let’s take the Tribune’s coverage of the governor’s press conference yesterday in three parts. One…
As for the trip [background here] to the company’s corporate campus in Seattle, Rauner told reporters that city and state officials would be meeting “with leaders at Amazon.” Later, the governor’s office acknowledged there would be no meeting with company officials.
The governor described the trip [to Japan and China] as “extremely successful,” and said “many new projects, many new initiatives will be underway in the coming weeks as a result of our trip.” But Rauner later added that he had received “no firm commitments” from any of the companies he met with during his travels.
“I didn’t want to leave the country when we didn’t have a budget,” Rauner said. “I wanted to be here, because you never know when issues are going to pop.”
The governor did, however, travel internationally at least twice in the midst of the record budget stalemate. In late 2015, Rauner spent the holidays in Spain and Morocco, where he later said he slept in tents and took a camel ride. Last November, Rauner was among dozens of local officials who traveled to the Vatican to celebrate the elevation of Blase Cupich to cardinal.
