In the 2014 campaign, Bruce Rauner issued a searing indictment of his opponent, saying he was responsible for failings at a state agency, leading to tragic deaths on his opponent’s watch:
“Yes,” Rauner said when asked by reporters if the deaths of 95 children with past contact with the Department of Children and Family Services from 2011-2013 were attributable to Quinn.
“Pat Quinn is, in the end, responsible for the failings at the Department of Children and Family Services. If it was a one-year problem or a temporary problem you could say, ‘OK, maybe, there was, it’s not really his responsibility.’ But he’s been governor for six years. He’s had a revolving door of failure at Department of Children and Family Services for years and years,” Rauner said.
Fast forward to today, and Bruce Rauner has refused to take any responsibility for his own mismanagement of Veterans Affairs, leading to a Legionnaires crisis in Quincy that has taken the lives of 13 people.
“Bruce Rauner’s gross mismanagement and neglect led to 13 deaths at the Quincy Veterans’ Home, devastating countless Illinois families,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Like Rauner said in 2014, the governor needs to take responsibility for the state agencies he runs and the tragedy that has resulted from his mismanagement.”
…Adding… I told the Rauner campaign after their guy slammed Quinn on DCFS that Rauner would live to regret those words. The same thing will happen to Pritzker if he wins. A short-term hit that guarantees long-term pain.
…Adding… There’s a video now…
Like @BruceRauner said in 2014, the governor needs to take responsibility for the state agencies he runs and the tragedy that has resulted from his mismanagement #ilgov#twillpic.twitter.com/VULs6nxIAK
* Leader Durkin dropped another $48K on cable TV to fend off his Dan Proft-backed GOP primary opponent through Christmas…
* The ILGOP also has a holiday themed mailer blasting Durkin’s rival Mickey Straub…
Heh.
* On to the other side. In the 53rd House District Republican primary to replace retiring GOP Rep. David Harris, Dan Proft is backing Katie Miller over Eddie Corrigan. The Democrats have a strong candidate (one of our active commenters, former Rep. Mark Walker) and the Republican powers that be are worried that Miller could lose the seat…
* And in the 110th House District open seat race to replace retiring GOP Rep. Reggie Phillips, Proft is backing Chris Miller against Terry Davis in the Republican primary…
* Election Data Services took a look at the new US Census Bureau numbers yesterday (click here) and came up with some bad news for Illinois…
The Bureau’s 2017 total population estimates shows that now 12 states will be impacted by changes in their congressional delegation if these new numbers were used for apportionment to- day. The state of Colorado joins the previously indicated states of Florida, North Carolina, and Oregon to each gain a single seat while the state of Texas is now shown to gain a second seat with the new data. The states of New York and West Virginia joins the states of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania to lose a seat in Congress using the new data.
The new numbers, however, reflect subtle changes taking place across the nation in birth and death rates and resulting total population numbers that become magnified when the information is projected forward to coincide with the taking of the 2020 Census on April 1 that year. A short-term projection method, utilizing the change in population in just the past year (2016- 2017), would trigger a second seat lost to Illinois [Emphasis added]
So, if Illinois keeps losing population at this clip we wind up losing two seats…
2016-2017 – Lost 33,703
2015-2016 – Lost 26,325
2014-2015 – Lost 20,387
2013-2014 – Lost 7,965
2012-2013 – Gained 11,909
* And check out where the big losses are…
Ouch about Illinois falling behind Pennsylvania. Note that downstate drives Illinois decline. Outside of metro Philadelphia, rest of Pennsylvania is stable. pic.twitter.com/L6yBLToxqk
According to the Census Bureau, Chicago has added only about 10,000 people since 2010. If Gov. Rauner wins reelection and the GOP wins the Abe’s hat drawing for the right to draw the new maps, Chicago could lose a seat as well.
March for Life, the world’s largest annual pro-life demonstration, is proud to announce their initial list of speakers for the 45th annual March for Life held in Washington, D.C. on January 19th, 2018. This year’s impressive lineup will include NFL/MLB star Tim Tebow’s mother Pam Tebow, former NFL player Matt Birk and his wife Adrianna, U.S. Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-IL)…
* From NARAL…
The anti-choice group March for Life has announced that Illinois Congressman Dan Lipinski, a Democrat, will headline their annual march on Washington D.C. in January of 2018. Lipinski has made no secret of his right-wing agenda, which includes more than a decade of voting to curtail the rights of women, immigrants, and LGBT Americans. Billed as the world’s largest anti-abortion gathering, the annual March for Life supports banning abortion nationwide.
“Lipinski is doubling-down on his bid to ban abortion and subjugate women to second class citizens. Despite the ‘D’ next to his name, Lipinski consistently pushes an extreme right-wing agenda that couldn’t be more out-of-touch with the needs of hardworking Illinois families,” said NARAL Pro-Choice America’s States Campaigns Director, James Owens. “Luckily, Illinois voters can choose a true pro-choice champion to represent their values in Congress. Marie Newman will fight to ensure that women and families always have equal opportunities and equal representation.”
NARAL endorsed Marie Newman in November and has been a powerful force to help elect a true progressive to represent women and families across the 3rd district. NARAL launched a Let’s #DumpDan campaign including a website and TV ad as part of their larger plan to unseat the anti-choice incumbent.
As Co-chair of the Democrats for Life and co-sponsor of over 50 bills in Congress that restrict a woman’s right to choose, Lipinski has made restricting a woman’s right to control their own bodies and futures a hallmark of his political career.
…Adding… As a commenter points out, this is certainly an “interesting” Democratic primary strategy…
“Dan Lipinski is no Democrat — just this past Monday, he was hamming it up with Paul Ryan and Donald Trump in the White House as they celebrated raising taxes on working families and giving a giant tax cut to big corporations and the rich. It’s yet another line in his long record of siding with Republicans against working families and consistently undermining the rights of women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community. That’s not what the voters of Illinois’s 3rd district want or need — they need a progressive champion like Marie Newman who will fight for them in Congress. The people of Illinois deserve a real Democrat and progressive leader who will side with them — not with Wall Street.” — Marissa Barrow, spokesperson, Progressive Change Campaign Committee
* Meanwhile, in a different Democratic congressional primary…
Today, Sol Flores announced that she has received the endorsement of EMILY’s List.
Flores said, “I am honored to receive the endorsement of EMILY’s List. Women around the country are stepping up demanding a seat at the table. We must have more women in Congress who will fight for a livable wage, affordable health care, reproductive rights and fair taxes for the middle class. I have spent my life helping the most vulnerable families and youth of our community. We need their voices, their stories, and their ideas in Washington now more than ever. They want and need to be heard.”
Flores is up against Chuy Garcia and several others. She’s the only woman in the race.
* Some background is here. CBS 2 has a story about Sen. Kwame Raoul’s AG campaign taking $100,000 in $10K increments from companies owned by local tobacco mogul Don Levin…
“It’s improper because there’s a case pending before the attorney general, and it’s seeking to influence someone who would be attorney general,” said Jesse Ruiz, an attorney general candidate. “I think you have to stand up and show ethical behavior now, even before you ask voters to elect you to that office.”
Illinois’ attorney general is seeking millions from Levin’s company, in a dispute over payments to the state from tobacco settlements. Raoul insists Levin’s donation isn’t a conflict.
“I’ve known him for years. He’s contributed to me before, and all my votes have been anti-tobacco. I’m not for sale,” Raoul said.
I often tell the story of when I lobbied in Springfield, about the time heroin was changed from a crime to a sickness. I also talk about that being the turning point for me because at the same time we passed that law, we also passed a bill to ban flavored blunt wraps specifically, which was owned by a pair of Black businessmen.
I thought it was extremely odd that the the bill’s sponsor Senator Kwame Raoul attacked flavored blunts (which contained no tobacco and were essentially wrapping papers) but made a specific carve out to protect menthol flavored wraps. I will never forget the after the bill passed, the two Black men asking me why their business was targeted specifically.
Fast forward a few years and it all comes to light that Raoul was operating in the interests of Don Levin (a billionaire tobacco magnate) who makes his money selling tobacco products in the Black Community, essentially killing us. Additionally, I thought the Attorney General was supposed to fight Big Tobacco not work FOR them. So for ten contributions of $10,000 our potential AG candidate is willing to support Big Tobacco?
Well, at least he didn’t go cheap…
Ouch.
* I remembered when the flavored wraps language was added to the heroin bill, so I Googled it and found this story…
An Illinois House committee Tuesday approved a ban on flavored cigar wraps despite concern from lawmakers that it unfairly favors one company over another. […]
Tony Abboud, a lobbyist for National Tobacco, said the two provisions were combined for political convenience, because similar bans on flavored cigar wraps have failed twice already.
Abboud said the bill is anti-competitive. National Tobacco makes chocolate chip and cotton candy flavored cigar wraps, while other flavors, such as menthol and tobacco, are specifically exempted. National Tobacco’s competitor, Republic Tobacco, makes those flavors.
“If you believe it is drug paraphernalia, why in the world would you leave unflavored wraps on the market?” Abboud said. “It is entirely and inherently inconsistent.” […]
Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, said the menthol and tobacco-flavor exemptions were requested by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, which pointed out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ban on flavored cigarettes specifically exempts menthol and tobacco flavors.
Emphasis added, because as Greg Hinz reported this week, all ten of the Don Levin contributions to Raoul were companies with the same address as Levin’s holding company, Republic Group. Republic Group owns Republic Tobacco.
* On a side note, when I used the Google, this came up…
Obviously, I’m not running ads attacking Raoul, but somebody sure is. And that somebody is doing it in a way that avoids disclosing who is paying for it. Google shouldn’t allow that to happen, but somebody out there is violating state law.
Whoever it is, please leave me out of your little dirty trick. Thanks.
* The Legislative Ethics Commission has just sent a letter to all Illinois legislators summarizing a report the commission received from interim Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter about the 27 requests for investigations over the past few years. Click here or on the pic for the full letter…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent in November and nonfarm payrolls decreased by -1,100 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. October job growth was revised up to show a larger gain (+9,300 jobs) than initially reported (+3,400 jobs).
November’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 gains of +100 jobs per month from September to November, while the six-month trend shows an increase of +800 average monthly job gains from June to November. The 3-month was better than reported last month, though the 6-month change showed less strength.
“Illinois employment growth saw a lot of over-the-month ups and downs this past year.” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “But payrolls overall have increased by about a half-percent over the year to date, which is an additional 23,900 jobs.”
“Our focus remains on creating a business-friendly environment that is conducive to opportunity,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “While we are still growing slower than the nation, Illinois is seeing the benefits of a pro-business administration that is committed to fostering innovation, attracting investment and creating jobs.”
In November, the three industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Professional and Business Services (+6,300); Manufacturing (+2,200); and Construction (+2,100). The three industry sectors with the largest payroll declines were: Government (-2,800); Financial Activities (-2,200) and Other Services (-2,100).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +25,900 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in November: Financial Activities (+13,600); Professional and Business Services (+9,500); and Education and Health Services (+7,400). The industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines include: Government (-8,000); Leisure and Hospitality (-1,800); and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-1,400). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were up +0.4 percent over-the-year in sharp contrast to the nation’s +1.4 percent over-the-year gain in November.
The state’s unemployment rate is +0.8 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for November 2017, which held at 4.1 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -0.9 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.8 percent. At 4.9 percent, the Illinois jobless rate is -0.8 percentage points lower than January 2017.
The number of unemployed workers dipped -1.0 percent from the prior month to 313,800, down -16.2 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force increased 0.3 percent over-the-month and declined by -0.9 percent in November 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.
…Adding… Illinois Working Together…
Today, the Illinois Department of Employment Security announced the state lost over 1,000 non-farm payroll jobs last month while the job growth rate was just 0.4% over-the-year, far below the national job growth rate of 1.4%. This news comes a day after the U.S. Census announced Illinois has lost nearly 34,000 people since mid-2016, the worst outmigration for any U.S. state.
In his 2014 inaugural address, Gov. Bruce Rauner said, “People are leavin’ to find jobs, or because they run companies, and they’re takin’ their jobs with `em.” Nearly three years into his term as governor, Rauner not only has failed to reverse Illinois’ economic stagnation leading to population loss, he’s made things much, much worse.
“Bruce Rauner promised to ‘bring back Illinois,’ but instead, we’ve gotten the Rauner two-step: stagnant job growth and record-high outmigration,” said Illinois Working Together Campaign Director Jake Lewis. “Instead of providing the economic stability needed to grow new jobs and attract new residents, Rauner’s failed leadership continues to drag Illinois’ economy down and push Illinoisans out.”
* The story referenced below is here. From the ILGOP…
“There’s a reason why J.B. Pritzker is silent on his allies’ use of patronage - Pritzker has been on the receiving end of Blagojevich patronage himself. If elected, J.B. Pritzker would use state government to dole out patronage jobs to his allies and cronies of Madigan’s Chicago Machine. Illinois taxpayers can’t afford J.B. Pritzker’s tacit approval of patronage and corruption.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Two weeks ago, ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune published their latest installment in a bombshell report exposing the incompetence and corruption of Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios. The report said Berrios “failed” at his job and allowed political allies like Mike Madigan to profit from faulty assessments.
Now, ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune are out with yet another extensive investigation into Joe Berrios’ office. This time, it’s exposing his use of patronage, favoritism, and nepotism. From the investigation:
Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios has never made any secret of his affinity for old-school politics that put a premium on loyalty and favors.
… The monitors’ reports, reviewed by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois, reveal a persistent pattern in Berrios’ office of improper hiring and firing, arbitrary staffing decisions and resistance to change. The pace of reform has been slow and the assessor’s commitment often tepid, records and interviews show.
Berrios, who is backing J.B. Pritzker for governor, isn’t the only Pritzker supporter who has a problem with patronage. Pritzker supporters Jesse White and Mike Madigan both have been accused of a “pattern of patronage” in their offices and using state agencies to put loyal precinct captains in plum state jobs.
But why is J.B. Pritzker silent on his allies’ use of patronage?
Because he’s dabbled in their same corrupt system himself. Pritzker was on the receiving end of Blagojevich’s patronage, receiving a state appointment and attempting to get another. If elected, J.B. Pritzker would use state government to dole out patronage jobs just like his crooked allies - Blagojevich, Madigan, White, Berrios, and more.
* Kaegi campaign…
Following is a statement from Fritz Kaegi, the progressive Democrat running against embattled incumbent Assessor Joe Berrios in the March 2018 primary election, in response to the latest Chicago Tribune and ProPublica investigative report on nepotism and political patronage in the Cook County Assessor’s Office.
“Reports that Joe Berrios continues to operate in flagrant violation of the Shakman Decree confirms what many have known for years–that the current Assessor is only concerned with lining the pockets of his family and connected political allies while the taxpayers of Cook County continue to pick up the tab.
“When we began our campaign, I committed to fully implementing all Shakman requirements– and going beyond them to give the taxpayers of Cook County the confidence they deserve in a property tax assessment system that is fair, equitable and transparent for all. Cook County’s is the largest assessor’s office in the country, and needs staffers that are qualified and committed to reforming the assessment process. Cook County has the diverse talent needed to fix this problem and we are committed to building a diverse, qualified workforce that reflects our communities and protects our values. Berrios’ corruption, nepotism and patronage places an unbearable economic burden on working families already struggling under the Trump and Rauner administrations’ backward economic policies.”
*** UPDATE *** From the assessor’s office…
The writers of this Tribune story selectively omitted many key facts. These facts were given to one of the writers as part of approximately 27 emails and 11 phone calls over seven weeks.
The important information the Tribune did not present to readers includes that the court-appointed Monitor for Shakman accepting the Assessor’s Office Employment Plan four years ago (11/22/13). A new Monitor later decided to change that acceptance and start virtually from scratch.
The result was another year-and-a-half before implementation of the plan. Clearly, that lengthy delay was not due to the Assessor’s Office being “slow” to comply.
This story also states that the Assessor’s Chief of Staff was “rarely involved” in Shakman compliance efforts but it fails to note we hired a new Chief of Staff nearly three years ago. Three years. This new Chief of Staff has ordered complete compliance with Shakman.
Further, a new human resources chief was hired nearly three years ago. The current HR chief has also been aggressive and thorough with the goal of complete Skakman compliance and we are now at the point of full material compliance; only technical points remain. Most of what the Tribune wrote about is years-old.
Numerous references were made to the firing of the Director of Compliance (DOC), Deborah Ellis, but the Tribune failed to mention that the Shakman Monitor agreed to that change. It would not have happened without Shakman’s consent. A new DOC was hired nearly two years ago.
The Tribune’s choice to include none of these facts made the story extremely unbalanced and, typically, unfair to Assessor Berrios. It is also unfair to the Assessor’s Office HR Director, HR personnel and Shakman-specializing attorney who have brought us to near-completion of our goal of full Shakman compliance.
Tom Shaer, Deputy Assessor for Communications
Cook County Assessor’s Office
* The 2017 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Legislative Liaison goes to Mike Mahoney…
He served as the governor’s top legislative liaison for the first seven months of this year. His determination, affability and old-school grit held the House and Senate GOP caucuses together longer than anyone ever imagined. Mike was the glue that held the caucus together and kept Jim Durkin sane all the way to the end. Rauner never understood and never appreciated how much Mahoney did to keep him in the game for additional months. Along the way, he helped broker major criminal justice reforms and a laundry list of agency initiatives that Rauner now takes credit for. Mahoney also should win this year hands down for the integrity and class he demonstrated during the Great Purge - walking out in solidarity with people he respected and doing so with grace. And even after all of that, Mahoney saved Rauner’s behind during veto session, devoting his every minute to keeping GOP members off the right to work bill. Effective, determined, creative, loyal and courageous. He is someone we should celebrate during this holiday season - a bright spot in an otherwise depressing year.
Agreed.
Honorable mention goes to Eric Lane with the Comptroller’s office. I’ve generally been looking for nominees who had discernible accomplishments this year, so both fit that bill.
Straight-forward, honest, and always has an answer. This year he successfully navigated (well, almost there right now) the telecom rewrite, 911 issue, and the small cell bill. Some big lifts indeed.
Yep.
* OK, on to today’s categories…
* Best Statewide Officeholder
* Best Statehouse Insider
As always, please explain your votes or they won’t count and do your very best to nominate in both categories. Thanks.
What’s frustrating to me and many people around the state is how biased a lot of the media is around Chicago, around the state. Biased for the status quo. Biased for, you know, against the changes that we’re recommending. The bias is, is hard to overcome.
We stake our livelihood, as journalists, on the notion that facts matter, but an awful lot of people don’t seem to agree. The president’s constant harangue about “fake news” — when the news is anything but — has gotten serious traction. It’s even become an American export, used by brutal strongmen around the world to deflect any honest criticism.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, among others, have all in recent months complained of “fake news.”
Does Gov. Rauner really want to go down that low road?
There is a reason the charge of “fake news” sells in countries where democracy goes to die.
Seems a bit dramatic.
Either way, the governor really needs to stop whining and deflecting blame about almost everything under the sun. It’s just so tiresome.
1. Republicans break with Rauner as Madigan leads major income tax hike, ends budget impasse. The effects of this blockbuster development that unfolded over Independence Day weekend are still reverberating, an event that reframed Illinois politics both for the rest of the year and likely for 2018 as well. […]
2. Lisa Madigan won’t run again, sets off crowded race to succeed her. Once considered a lock to run for governor, Madigan surprised the Illinois political world by announcing she wouldn’t seek a fifth term, a month after she said she’d go again at the state fair. The pent-up political ambition on the Democratic side was evident, as eight Democrats filed to run the March 20 primary election.
3. J.B. Pritzker enters governor race, quickly consolidates support, sets Democratic self-funding record with $42.2 million. The billionaire Gold Coast Democrat has been on TV all year introducing himself to voters and attacking Rauner. Kenilworth businessman Chris Kennedy held the early lead in public opinion polls, but Pritzker has overtaken him.
4. State school funding formula revised for first time in decades. School districts missed state aid payments as the budget lawmakers passed was contingent on a rewrite of the state funding formula also becoming law. Rauner spent months criticizing versions of the bill as a CPS “bailout,” and he even vetoed one that lawmakers put on his desk. But desperately needing a win as he mapped a re-election bid and needing to avoid taking blame if schools started shutting down without state funding, Rauner cut a deal with Democratic legislative leaders. He listed it as his No. 1 accomplishment this week.
Ives insisted that she could win a general election with her fiscally and socially conservative agenda.
“Yes, I can absolutely win the general election,” she said. “Look, the Democrats have destroyed the state and the people know that. And what are all the Democratic candidates selling you? Recreational marijuana, higher taxes, more spending.
“Is anybody buying that shtick? Anybody? No, and that’s the entire agenda of those folks.”
The inmate was mumbling. Shaking. Clearly in a psychotic state and whispering about a black hole.
The black hole had already demanded, and received, his blood once, the inmate told Dr. Pablo Stewart, a psychiatrist who visited Pontiac Correctional Center last fall to determine whether the state was abiding by a settlement agreement crafted to improve care for mentally ill inmates. Now, the inmate told Stewart, the hole wanted more blood. Stewart says that he turned from court-appointed monitor to clinician, attempting convince the inmate that the black hole wasn’t real.
After a few minutes, the inmate was returned to his segregation cell, where mentally ill inmates who misbehave spend as many as 23 hours a day locked up alone, Stewart testified this week in U.S. District Court in Peoria. It could be worse. Inmates deemed seriously suicidal are sent to crisis cells where they are restrained to beds without mattresses, legs spread and shackled down, Stewart testified, their arms shackled and extended above their heads, as if stretched out on medieval torture racks.
“You get cramps and charley horses,” said Corrie Singleton, a Pontiac inmate who testified that he’s been so restrained seven or eight times for as long as 72 hours at a stretch since September. Once every two hours, guards loosen restraints, one limb at time, for eight minutes, Singleton said. He always picks his left arm. His right arm, Singleton explained, is dislocated, and so it is strapped down near his side instead of pinned down over his head, next to his left arm.
Testifying telephonically and fresh from a straitjacket, Singleton said Tuesday that he has been on suicide watch for six days after swallowing batteries. He had been allowed a shower and a chance to brush his teeth just once during that time, he testified in a flat voice, blinking little as he stared into the camera. He said he last had a one-on-one session with a mental health counselor in September. […]
Singleton is the face of a mental health disaster in Illinois prisons, according to attorneys for inmates who’ve been battling in court since 2007, attempting to force improvements. Inmates in 2015 agreed to abandon a consent decree, hoping that Gov. Bruce Rauner’s offer to settle the case without a decree would result in faster change. That, according to the plaintiffs, hasn’t happened, and so they’re back in court hoping for a judicial order to enforce the settlement agreement.
An inmate identified only as Tyler committed suicide in October after unsuccessful attempts in April and July that resulted in no significant change to his written treatment plans, which contained no mention that he had attempted to take his own life, according to Stewart’s testimony and court exhibits. Entire pages of the treatment plan form describing Tyler’s condition and what should be done to help him were left blank, and that’s typical, Stewart testified.
“This isn’t an outlier,” testified the doctor, who told the court that treatment plans routinely contain boilerplate language that doesn’t change from inmate to inmate.
Approximately 900 of the 1,100 inmates in segregation in state prisons are mentally ill, according to court records. Mental health professionals who check on mentally ill inmates must shout at them through small openings in cell doors that preclude inmates and those who are supposed to help them from seeing each other, Stewart testified. It’s a vicious cycle, with segregation cells making sick inmates even sicker, which prompts more misbehavior, which results in more segregation time. They cut themselves and smear their bodies with feces. The state last spring began giving mentally ill inmates more time out of segregation cells by shackling them to chairs in front of big-screen televisions that show movies, which Stewart acknowledged is progress.
The Illinois Department of Corrections has taken considerable steps to enhance the delivery of care for offenders who are on the mental health caseload. The Department remains focused on fully complying with the terms of the Rasho v Baldwin settlement agreement. It should be pointed out that, at a recent hearing, Dr. Melvin Hinton was called as an adverse witness. The vast majority of the questions he was asked required “Yes” or “No” answers. In other words, there were very few opportunities for him to explain the many accomplishments the Department has made in the 18 months since the Agreement was signed. It is important for the public to know the following:
· While recruiting qualified mental health professionals has been a challenge, the Department has added hundreds of new staff members since 2015 to address the mental health needs of its offenders.
· Department staff continues to receive ongoing training, including National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) training and Verbal Judo, which equips them with the knowledge to deescalate situations and meet the unique needs of its mentally ill population.
· The Department has reduced segregation time by 44% since 2015 and has drastically increased out of cell time for offenders who are housed in segregation.
· The Department has implemented additional programming for offenders who are on the mental health caseload.
· Currently, there are seriously mentally ill residents receiving residential treatment level services at Joliet Treatment Center and the residential treatment units at Logan and Dixon Correctional Centers.
· Additionally, the IDOC enlisted the services of an engineering firm to develop a state-of-the-art, 200 bed mental health and general medicine treatment unit for seriously mentally ill offenders.
The safety of our staff, the offenders in our custody, and the public are our top priority. The Department continues to make adjustments in its day to day operations that balance safety, security, and the needs of our mentally ill population. The Department remains committed to ensuring that mentally ill men and women receive the treatment that is essential to their wellbeing, rehabilitation and reentry into society.
Proponents argue that having the mayor appoint the board increases accountability—if you don’t like the board’s actions, elect a new mayor. But this is sort of like blaming Toyota if your Uber is late. There are no checks and balances on the board’s tax decisions. Neither the mayor nor the City Council can veto those votes.
Just to put a fine point on how insane this is: We elect members of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board, but not the school board. We vote on something like 30,000 judges every election, but not the people responsible for the stewardship of, among other things, special education dollars for the kids who need it most.
And an elected school board isn’t exactly a fringe idea. According to education advocacy group Illinois Raise Your Hand, 94 percent of school boards around the country are elected, and Chicago’s is the only one in Illinois appointed by law. Several nonbinding referenda over the last few years have shown again and again that Chicagoans want to elect their boards. So what’s the argument for having the board appointed by the mayor?
Supporters of an appointed board say it removes politics from the board’s composition. If you ignore for a second that Chicago has run on patronage since its inception, this still makes very little sense. An elected school board would represent the diverse viewpoints of members’ constituencies the same way any legislative body does. But an appointed board only represents one point of view: the mayor’s. What the politics-free argument truly is after is a board that will oppose the Chicago Teachers Union.
* There are two parts to the latest WBEZ story on Legionnaires’ disease at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy. One is the six-day period between August 21 of 2015, when Illinois Public Health Director Nirav Shah claimed the administration “realized that the situation was the beginning of an epidemic,” and August 27 of 2015 when the Rauner administration issued its first public notice about that epidemic…
In the email, Shah underlined “six days” for added emphasis, but it is not clear why. His reference to a “typical reporting protocol” also is not fully explained, with a spokeswoman on Wednesday saying there is no “hard and fast rule” about when the public must be notified about an infectious disease outbreak. […]
One of the nation’s top infectious disease experts said it’s “mind boggling” that the state would wait six days to notify the public about the initial outbreak at the Illinois Veterans Home.
“I think it’s really inexcusable,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Center for Health Security in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. “It takes you six days from seeing an epidemic to tell people that you’re seeing an epidemic? That’s six days that you’ve allowed that disease to spread in a manner that probably wouldn’t have happened if you would have known earlier because people would have been taking action. People would have been asking questions.
“If you know there is an epidemic, you need to tell people immediately,” Adalja said.
Keep in mind that Legionnaires’ is not typically passed from person to person. So, it wasn’t an “epidemic” in the way, say, measles can be. But by not informing the public, facility residents and their families couldn’t take precautions against the epidemic - like getting tested if they showed symptoms, or even temporarily moving out.
What’s worse to me is that top government officials knew what was going on and apparently didn’t order testing of everyone showing symptoms and then people died as a result.
Meanwhile, Illinois public health officials are now telling WBEZ that five residents and one employee at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy were sickened by Legionnaires’ in 2017. That outbreak included one fatality, an 88-year-old Korean War veteran from west suburban Lisle in early November.
As recently as two weeks ago, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which manages the Quincy home, had confirmed just three cases to WBEZ and disputed that Legionnaires’ caused the veterans’ death last month. But the coroner in Adams County confirmed Legionnaires’ as a cause of death on the resident’s death certificate.
In late October, when the state confirmed two cases of Legionnaires’, including the fatality, WBEZ explicitly asked a state Veterans’ Affairs spokesman whether there had been any additional cases. The spokesman responded by email saying there had not been. In a Dec. 6 interview with WBEZ, Jeffries also cited three cases.
But this week, after learning more cases did exist in 2017 beyond those two — and a later case in November that the state disclosed — WBEZ was told by state public health authorities that, in fact, six Legionnaires’ cases have been logged this year at the Quincy facility.
Arnold, the state Public Health spokeswoman, said on Wednesday that one case occurred in March, another in May, another in September, two in October, and one in November. She did not provide any other details about those cases.
Rauner defended his administration’s handling of the problem of Legionnaires in the water at Quincy Veterans’ Home in downstate Illinois which has led to 13 deaths since a major outbreak in 2015.
However, are demanding details and accountability.
“If he’s in charge he definitely bears responsibility, but you have to ask him if he’s in charge,” said state Sen. Tom Cullerton, chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Cullerton said he hopes to get answers during a hearing next month. The joint Senate and House hearing on the Quincy situation is set for Jan. 9 in Chicago.
“Who knew what, when they knew it, why the families weren’t there, what the long term goal is, what the CDC’s going to do going forward,” Cullerton said.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
“Bruce Rauner’s willful negligence is coming into focus as reports expose significant delays in releasing information and a failure to report all confirmed Legionnaires’ cases,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This administration hid information from Veterans, their families, and the public as Rauner let a health crisis spiral out of control and our nation’s heroes died on his watch.”
…Adding… Ives campaign…
“The Governor has a moral responsibility to those who are served by the state. He must ensure that services are delivered efficiently, meet the highest standards possible, and that they are, ultimately sustainable. When it becomes clear that the state is not living up to those responsibilities, the Executive Officer must then respond with urgency.
“Since his election in 2014, it become clear that Governor Rauner is very cavalier with other people’s lives. While Rauner plays his blame-shifting game with other IL ruling class pols, veterans died. Preventable deaths aren’t prevented when no one is in charge. Sweeping issues under the rug and breaking promises has become a common theme. This is another inexcusable betrayal of our veterans and the benefits they earned protecting our freedoms. Wasn’t Bruce Rauner the guy with business savvy who was going to make state government more efficient and responsive? He is AWOL and Illinois veterans are being short-changed as a result.”
…Adding… DGA…
“Bruce Rauner failed Illinois veterans and now he’s failing the public by not being honest,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “So far, there’s been no accountability from Rauner’s administration for its bungled response to the Quincy outbreak. Rauner needs to stop hiding information, and start being open and transparent about what his administration knew and how it failed the veterans at Quincy.”
* Related…
* Drink water at vets’ home linked to deaths? ‘Absolutely,’ Rauner says: Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday defended his administration’s response to a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at a state veterans’ home, saying he’d “absolutely” drink the water there. “Absolutely, absolutely,” Rauner said when asked by a reporter about drinking the tap water at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy, where 13 residents have died from Legionnaires’ disease since July 2015.
* CDC: How It Spreads: After Legionella grows and multiplies in a building water system, that contaminated water then has to spread in droplets small enough for people to breathe in. People can get Legionnaires’ disease when they breathe in small droplets of water in the air that contain the bacteria. Less commonly, people can get Legionnaires’ disease by aspiration of drinking water. This happens when water “goes down the wrong pipe,” into the trachea (windpipe) and lungs instead of the digestive tract. People at increased risk of aspiration include those with swallowing difficulties.
(L)ed the charge on HB 40, transgender birth certificate and civil asset forfeiture bills. She’s always working hard, tries to build bi-partisan support, and works on hard issues that takes coalition building with organizations and sponsors.
That group had a very big year and she was a huge part of it.
* The 2017 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Contract Lobbyist goes to Dick Lockhart…
His integrity is unmatched. His record of service - both military and public - is nothing short of legendary. The gentleman literally fired a client in the midst of a committee hearing because the client went back on an agreement previously made on a bill up for consideration. Think about that for a second - a lobbyist firing a client.
* OK, on to today’s categories…
* Best In-House Lobbyist
* Best Legislative Liaison
As always, please explain your votes or they won’t count. And do your very best to nominate in both categories, please. Thanks.
“Recently, the Governor outlined his top ten ‘victories.’ The truth, however, is that Bruce Rauner did things not even Democrats would do when Pat Quinn was Governor and they had supermajorities in both chambers of the General Assembly. I submit:
Benedict Rauner’s 10 Betrayals in 2017
1. Folding to Madigan. From State Rep. Peter Breen, House Republican Floor Leader, “I personally observed him badly botch negotiations with the General Assembly on a variety of subjects, finally getting to the point where Governor Rauner couldn’t even be in the same room as House Speaker Mike Madigan. Madigan is the one guy who Rauner promised to stand up to, but he can’t or won’t even enter the arena for that fight.”
2. HB 40. From the man who said he had “no social agenda” Benedict Rauner told Illinois families he would veto the legislation. He committed to the GOP legislative caucuses that he would veto the legislation. Instead he became the first governor in U.S. history to initiate taxpayer funding for abortion on demand, all nine months of pregnancy. This creates a new, open-ended entitlement at a time when Illinois has $16 billion in unpaid bills to vendors and social service providers.
3. Sanctuary State. From the man who said he had “no social agenda” Benedict Rauner joined leftist governors like California’s Jerry Brown in designating Illinois a “sanctuary state” the effect of which is inhibiting the cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement. This legislation make Illinois families less safe.
4. Trans Birth Certificates. From the man who said he had “no social agenda” Benedict Rauner signed legislation to allow individuals to change the sex listed on their birth certificate. Dr. Michelle Cretella, President of the American College of Pediatricians, recently wrote: ‘No one is born transgender. If gender identity were hardwired in the brain before birth, identical twins would have the same gender identity 100 percent of the time. But they don’t. Biological sex is not assigned. Sex is determined at conception by our DNA and is stamped into every cell of our bodies. An identity is not biological, it is psychological. It has to do with thinking and feeling. Thoughts and feelings are not biologically hardwired. Our thinking and feeling may be factually right or factually wrong.’ Rauner’s legislation will put grown men in women’s bathrooms with girls and boys in girls’ locker rooms.
5. Public Sector Utility Bailout. Rauner negotiated a $2.35 billion bail out of a company that makes over $2 billion in profit a year - that doesn’t make sense. Since Illinois produces 40% more electricity than we consume, our residents are subsidizing cheaper power to residents in other states. And the same crony subsidy Exelon argued for in IL, they argued against for their competition in Ohio.
6. Bailout of Chicago Public School Pensions. Benedict Rauner’s $100K wine club buddy Rahm said of Rauner’s bailout, Chicago Public Schools got everything he wanted “and more”.
7. Rauner Promised the State Income Tax Would be Down to 3% by the End of His First Term. Instead, it’s back up to Pat Quinn levels at 4.95%. Rauner saw 15 of his bought-and-paid for House Republicans vote with Mike Madigan to pass the 32% increase while he sat impotently by.
8. Same old politics. Rauner won’t answer questions about the dismissal of his former general counsel and a memo surfaced suggesting that Rauner was intent on using state resources for political purposes, one of the bases that sent two former governors to federal prison.
9. No Action on the State’s Two Largest Issues: Pensions and Property Taxes. In a 2014 campaign ad, Bruce Rauner blasted Pat Quinn for property tax rates that were the second highest, saying ‘He just doesn’t get it.’ Today, according to the Wall Street Journal, ‘Property taxes in Cook County and Chicago’s “collar” counties are the highest in the country outside of California and the Northeast. In 2014, Governor Rauner repeatedly said he would replace traditional pensions for public workers with 401(k)-style retirement plans. Three years later, Fitch Ratings reports that Illinois’s unfunded pension liabilities equaled 22.8% of residents’ personal income last year, compared to a median of 3.1% across all states and 1% in Florida.’
10. “I am not in charge.” Rauner ended the year with a Freudian slip, admitting that he has ceded control of Illinois to Mike Madigan and Chicago Democrats.
“Is this the new face of the Illinois GOP? Will Republicans accept their thirty pieces of silver to continue backing Benedict Rauner, or will they reject him in advancement of their stated values and principles? On March 20, we will find out.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed legislation that substantially reduces startup, annual filing and other fees for limited liability companies (LLCs), the organizational structure preferred by many of Illinois’ 1.2 million small businesses.
The new law will encourage more businesses to form in Illinois rather than go to other states to escape high fees. Effective today, the filing fee for new LLCs drops to $150 from $500 and annual report fees drop to $75 from $250. Previously, Illinois charged fees that were among the highest in the nation.
“This is a step in the right direction for our small businesses,” Rauner said. “The new rates are more competitive with other states. By easing the fee burden for LLCs here, we are sending a message to entrepreneurs and small business owners in Illinois: Start here and stay here.”
The governor signed the bill in the presence of dozens of small business advocates gathered at Level Office, an LLC that provides shared office space for startups. Level Office began in Chicago and now has facilities across the country.
“This is a clear win for business in Illinois,” Rauner said as he penned the legislation into law to rounds of applause.
“Small businesses are the engines of our economy, our job creators who employ the majority of new workers in our state each year,” said Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, who chairs the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council. “We need to keep them here and help them grow, and this legislation will reduce their costs and make us more competitive with surrounding states. This is especially important for our small towns because we need more small businesses in rural Illinois to drive their economies and create jobs.”
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy said reducing LLC fees sends a positive signal.
“We support businesses that are looking to grow, invest and create new jobs in our state, regardless of their size,” McCarthy said. “SB 867 helps alleviate unnecessary burdens to allow Illinois businesses to thrive.”
“This bipartisan initiative is about much more than reducing some of the highest LLC fees in the nation,” agreed Small Business Advocacy Council CEO Elliot Richardson. “It is about leveling the playing field for small businesses, encouraging new businesses to form in our state, and growing our way toward economic stability.”
State legislators also hailed the action.
“As a small business owner myself, I know the challenges small businesses face to compete and grow,” said state Rep. Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills, primary House sponsor of the bill. “Organizing and paying filing and renewal fees shouldn’t be so costly here, and now they won’t be.”
State Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, was the chief co-sponsor of the legislation in the Senate.
“This new law displays our state’s commitment to stimulating and revitalizing Illinois’ economy,” he said. “Cutting startup fees will help new businesses get off the ground and set up roots here in Illinois. Encouraging economic development in our state will help create new jobs, increase the tax base and grow our economy.”
“It’s about time,” cheered Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, a chief co-sponsor in the House. “This should be just the first step of many to make Illinois a more business-friendly place.”
“This legislation provides some relief for the small business owners, who drive the Illinois economy,” added state Rep. David S. Olsen, R-Downers Grove. “It sends a clear message to those who provide jobs in our state that we want to ease their burden so they will remain and expand their businesses here. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to find more comprehensive measures that will provide tangible relief for business owners across our state.”
State Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard, said landing a more competitive stance with neighboring states on the LLC fee front is a key step for Illinois.
“We need further significant reform to our state’s business laws and regulations to help small businesses create more good-paying jobs in our state,” he added.
“The creation of new businesses is one of our best tools to help grow both jobs and our state economy,” said Sen. Chuck Weaver, a Peoria Republican who was among those sponsoring the legislation in the Senate. “This new law will help encourage our entrepreneurs to launch new businesses, which will create new opportunities for growth. This is a win for Illinois.”
Bill Bennet, founder of Level Office, also was enthusiastic.
“Level Office is thrilled to see this legislation enacted, as over 98 percent of employers in the state of Illinois are classified as small businesses,” he said. “We see this as a step to improving the business climate in our home state.”
* More…
Slashed LLC fees across the board today. New business filing fees plunge from $500 to $150. Small businesses no longer need to go over the border to escape high fees in Illinois. Start here. Stay here. pic.twitter.com/zprAJitrT1
Rick Pearson: Do you as governor bear any moral responsibility for those deaths? Moral responsibility.
Gov. Rauner: Um, I’ll tell you this, it’s heartbreaking that any, anyone should have suffer, um, a health challenge or, uh, be exposed to a bacteria. Um, and we are taking every step we can, every step we can to keep our veterans safe and reviewing every option and being as aggressive as, as possible with every expert from around the nation.
Rick Pearson:As governor, do you bear any moral responsibility for what happened to those deaths in Quincy?
Gov. Rauner: Bottom line, I work every day to support our veterans. They are our heroes and I will never ever back down or give up on fighting and workin’ to keep our veterans safe.
Amanda Vinicky: Have you reached out to the families?
Gov. Rauner: I have been to that veterans’ home several times, meeting with the veterans and meeting with their families. And Erica Jeffries, our director of our veterans administration, has been constantly reaching out and talking to members of the families, the veterans and their representatives.
…Adding… Video of his answer to the first question is here. He seems to shrug it off.
* Things can always change in politics, which is what makes it so beautiful, but the RCP generic average for live call polls in December of 2009 before the 2010 Republican wave was GOP+4.1 and the RCP generic for December of 2005 was Dem+10…
Live interview generic ballot polls in December CNN D+18 Quinnipiac D+15 Monmouth D+15 Marist D+13 POS (R) D+12 NBC/WSJ D+11
* I think some Chris Kennedy campaign staffers were a bit surprised when a new organizational chart was distributed by the candidate’s 25-year-old son, Chris Jr., who appears at the very top. Here’s the upper portion of the chart…
Kennedy, one of former U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s 11 children, says his four children are all volunteering for the campaign in varying roles that will become more significant in the new year. A new organizational chart of the campaign shows Chris Kennedy Jr., 25, at the helm of the organization. But campaign spokeswoman Rebecca Evans said Kennedy Jr. is there to “support” multiple departments, including finance and communications. Kennedy took time off from a full-time management consulting job to help the campaign ahead of the primary March 20.
Kate Kennedy, 26, has been active in the campaign for months, helping with events and “organizational issues,” according to her father. Sarah Kennedy, 23, is a teacher in Englewood but serves as a surrogate for events on the weekends. And Clare Kennedy, 19, is planning to spend a six-week college break to help bolster her dad’s campaign.
Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy — the 28-year-old daughter of Robert Kennedy Jr. — is helping out with the campaign’s communications and digital teams. She previously ran digital communications for the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights advocacy organization. And the Democratic candidate says there’s more family on the way.
“Almost all of my brothers and sisters and cousins will be coming in during the next three months, and that’s really great. They’re able to cover some of the parts of the state where we have two events simultaneously and that’s super helpful,” Chris Kennedy said. “Chris, in particular, he’s able to spend the most time on the campaign and it’s really helpful to have somebody who can call me at 11 o’clock at night or 6 in the morning and say, ‘Hey you need look at these two or three things,’ or ‘be prepared’ or ‘stick to your call time’ in a way that is more difficult for someone, let’s say in a classic sense, works for me.”
Despite some rumors, the campaign emphatically denies that the candidate’s son has taken over the operation. And from what I’m told, the son does a good job of handling the candidate in a way that others haven’t been able to.
At the request of the campaign, I’m not going to post the entire organizational chart, but it shows that Mary Beth Sova has been brought in as finance director. Hanah Jubeh, a consultant who has served as Kennedy’s chief fundraiser, is not on the chart.
The shave in rates, and doubling of the standard deduction, and an increase in the child tax credit and some other new breaks may not counterbalance the new $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local taxes. At present, all income and property taxes are deductible. […]
Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who represents the 15th Congressional District in southern Illinois, asked about the state and local tax deduction cap said, “Maybe Illinois should cut their taxes.”
The first blow would come from expanding 529 college savings accounts, which offer tax advantages to encourage families to save money for college, to cover K-12 expenses, such as private school tuition and home schooling costs.
This amendment by Senator Ted Cruz passed only because of a midnight tiebreaking vote cast by Vice President Mike Pence. Under current law, earnings on contributions to 529 plans are not subject to federal taxes. These investment vehicles work well for college savings because deposits grow tax-free over a long time. Using 529 accounts for elementary or high school tuition, however, substantially shortens that period, making these accounts a minimal boost to school choice.
While this change would have only a small effect on the federal Treasury, it creates outsize impacts on the state income tax bases in the 33 states that instituted state tax deductions and tax credits to encourage 529 college savings. The federal expansion opens these state incentives to an entirely new area of expenditures, allowing private school families to funnel their tuition payments through 529s as a way to avoid state taxes. […]
Illinois, for instance, allows deductions for $20,000 in contributions a year per beneficiary to 529 plans […]
Expanding 529 plans to deliver state deductions to private school families will erode the tax base that funds public schools, affecting high-poverty schools the most. By limiting state and local tax deductions at the same time, Republicans would make it harder for states and cities to raise taxes to make up for those shortfalls.
The piece estimates this could cost New York’s state budget as much as $3 billion a year. It likely won’t be that much, but, yikes. New York has a $10,000 state income tax deduction for 529 contributions and there are 465,000 New York private school students. Illinois has a $20,000 deduction and has 279,432 private school students.
Illinois is no longer the fifth-largest state in the U.S., according to data released Dec. 20 by the U.S. Census Bureau. That title now belongs to Pennsylvania.
Illinois shrank by 33,700 people from July 2016 to July 2017, the worst decline of any state in the U.S. in raw terms. In percentage terms, Illinois saw the third-worst population decline in the nation. That brought the 2017 population estimate for Illinois to 12,802,023 people.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania saw modest population growth of 18,400 people over the same time. And that was enough to overtake Illinois as the fifth-largest state in the country. The Census pegged Pennsylvania’s population at 12,805,537.
The one-year spreadsheet is here. Indiana gained 32,811 people during the same one-year period. Iowa gained 14,842. Michigan gained 28,866. Ohio added 36,055. And Minnesota added 51,556.
Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released population estimates that showed Illinois is continuing to shrink under Governor Bruce Rauner. Over the past year, 33,703 people left the state. Illinois fell behind Pennsylvania and now is the 6th largest state in the nation. All of Illinois’ neighbors grew.
The rate of population loss has been accelerating under Rauner’s failed leadership:
2016-2017 – Lost 33,703
2015-2016 – Lost 26,325
2014-2015 – Lost 20,387
2013-2014 – Lost 7,965
2012-2013 – Gained 11,909
[US Census, Accessed 12/20/17]
Rauner made out-migration a campaign issue in 2014, and his inaugural address focused on population loss - “People are leavin’ to find jobs, or because they run companies, and they’re takin’ their jobs with `em.” Rauner continued, “One of the main reasons companies have been leaving Illinois is that they don’t have confidence in the financial condition of our state.”
Rauner’s solution? He plunged the state into a budget crisis that tripled the bill backlog, sunk the state’s bond rating, and forced a max exodus from the state’s colleges and universities. Unsurprisingly, more people are leaving the state than before he became Governor.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Chris Kennedy campaign…
Bruce Rauner’s leadership is decimating our state and our rapid population decline is evidence of that. Illinois residents are moving to states where quality schools and economic opportunity are available to them. His budget impasse cut off social services to more than 1 million people and made it impossible for too many to see their future in our state.
It doesn’t have to be this way. But, we need to do more than change our governor to fix the broken system that’s pushing people out of Illinois in droves. We have to change the way we fund our schools, the way we tax our citizens, the way we confront gun violence, and we need to hold our leaders in both parties accountable.
A malicious cyber attack launched in early July paralyzed a statewide computer program built to help Illinois veterans claim their benefits from the government.
The outage blanketed the state for at least six weeks and disrupted thousands of claims likely worth several million dollars, according to state records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Veterans were left to fill out pages of tedious paperwork and submit their claims on fax machines. The logjam delayed benefit claims that run the gamut, including drastic reductions in processed medical claims for wounded veterans, burial benefits for surviving family members and pension benefits for widows. […]
Stranded without access to their computers and some without internet, Veteran Service Officers worked overtime to fill out as many claims as they could on paper. Now that the program is back up and running, many of those claims are still waiting to be submitted online. Army veteran Justin Jennings works at the Springfield location and says he still sees a staggering amount of wounded combat veterans come in to claim benefits for the first time. […]
(N)early halfway through the fiscal year, the total figures and monthly averages in FY2018 are far behind the number of claims filed in previous years.
Veterans Compensation benefits are down 57 percent; Widows Pension benefit claims are 45 percent behind where they were last year; Veterans Pensions idle at 48 percent below FY17 figures; VA Education benefit claims lag 65 percent behind; DOD Combat Related Special Compensation claims suffered at a rate of 60 percent on average; Monthly Discharge/Medal claims were filed 73 percent slower after the July cyber attack; Also stuck in a 73 percent nosedive are death benefits for veterans killed in the line of duty and burial benefits granted to surviving family members; VA Insurance claims are down 62 percent so far this fiscal year.
This is yet another example of Governor Rauner and a broken system in Springfield failing our most vulnerable—our seniors and veterans.
Veterans risked their lives for us and, in return, Bruce Rauner watches as a growing claims backlog puts their health and, ultimately, their lives in jeopardy. Veterans left behind widows whose benefits have diminished under Rauner’s administration.
Bruce Rauner owes veterans and their families further explanation about why he’s knowingly let them suffer and he owes them an expedited plan to fully restore the online claims system and the benefits he’s withheld. It’s time for our elected leaders in both parties to demand accountability for failures so we can bring back transparency, faith and credibility to state government.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Pritzker campaign…
Thousands of Veteran benefits potentially totaling millions of dollars have lapsed after Bruce Rauner let a Department of Veterans’ Affairs hack spin out of control.
While millions of dollars in healthcare, pension, widow and burial benefits were interrupted, Bruce Rauner did little to address the hack, even praising a “rapid response” effort. This “rapid response” consisted of the entire statewide system shutting down for six weeks, forcing benefits to be administered through phone and fax. Almost six months after the hack, medical benefits for wounded veterans have plummeted by 62%, pension benefits for widows have dropped by 45%, and burial benefits have dropped by over 70%.
“Bruce Rauner’s gross mismanagement of our state government is costing veterans who bravely served our country the security and dignity they deserve,” said JB Pritzker. “Instead of taking charge and providing the leadership needed to navigate the state through this crisis, Rauner continues to evade responsibility and try to cover up the truth. Whole agencies of state government are not functioning, the lives of our nation’s heroes are on the line, and Illinoisans deserves answers from their failed governor.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Sen. Biss…
“It’s outrageous that Bruce Rauner continues to neglect his responsibility to our veterans. We have a social and moral responsibility to provide the best our government can offer to the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country. Instead, veterans have lost their lives and are being denied the benefits they earned because our governor either lacks the empathy or the ability to effectively manage our state.
“Bruce Rauner is solely responsible for the way social services have failed our state’s most vulnerable residents under his watch. And while he’d like you to think “he’s not in charge” and that all our state’s problems are anyone else’s fault, the reality is that Bruce Rauner is a complete failure and a callous villain with no heart. There is no excuse for the pain and destruction he has caused Illinois families. That’s why we need a governor with experience, who will represent middle-class families across Illinois.”
* Related…
* Ill. Senator tours vets’ home due to Legionella cases: Cullerton said he hopes to find out through the hearing when the outbreaks actually occurred and why families weren’t notified immediately. He believed residents at the home shouldn’t have to worry about coming down with an illness like Legionnaires’ disease.
When Rauner appeared before the Tribune editorial board just months into his firm term in April 2015, he promoted the idea that “Crisis creates opportunity. Crisis creates leverage to change.” It became a precursor to an historic 736-day budget impasse, a test of wills between his pro-business, union-weakening agenda and labor-backed Democrats who control the legislature. […]
Some Republicans joined Democrats in July to end the impasse by passing a major income tax hike and spending plan over Rauner’s vetoes. As a result, the governor said the state had “lost” an opportunity for economic change.
“We had the possibility of a transformation for the state with the crisis that we had — if we had a principled caucus. It’s the primary reason I ran. We had the opportunity for a massive transformation. We lost that,” the Republican governor said.
The governor’s office pushed back hard this morning against part of my subscriber edition that used the above quote. What he told the Tribune yesterday doesn’t prove that he created the crisis, only that he tried to use it to get what he wanted. Fair enough.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker campaign…
During a meeting with the Chicago Tribune editorial board yesterday, Bruce Rauner endorsed the Crisis Creatin’ Rauner campaign by finally admitting that he created a crisis to leverage his special interest agenda. The endorsement comes after Rauner’s infamous comments two and a half years ago to the same editorial board where he said:
Yesterday, Bruce Rauner admitted that his crisis creatin’ ways had failed, saying: “We had the possibility of a transformation for the state with the crisis that we had — if we had a principled caucus. It’s the primary reason I ran. We had the opportunity for a massive transformation. We lost that.”
“Bruce Rauner gave truth telling a try and finally admitted what we’ve known all along: Rauner manufactured a budget crisis to advance his political agenda no matter the human cost,” said Pritzker communications director Galia Slayen. “The Crisis Creatin’ Rauner team appreciates the governor’s validation of our work and resounding endorsement of our mission to put his ruthless strategy and malicious intent on full display.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** DGA…
In a Trumpian editorial board meeting yesterday, Governor Bruce Rauner laid to rest any lingering questions about his role in creating and exacerbating the budget crisis. Rauner admits he wanted to use the crisis to pass his political agenda, and lamented to the Chicago Tribune that he “lost” the “possibility of a transformation for the state with the crisis that we had” after Republicans broke ranks in July […]
This spring, Rauner twice pulled back his caucus from negotiating a compromise. He then vetoed the state’s first budget in two-years despite warnings from credit houses that further impasse would lead to a “junk” bond status for the state. Rauner’s budget crisis exploded state debt, slowed job creation, devastated state services, and decimated the state’s higher education system.
Earlier this week, Rauner’s campaign listed the budget veto as a “Top 10 accomplishment.”
“Bruce Rauner just admitted he forced the state to go years without a budget for his own political ambition,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Millions of Illinois residents had their lives disrupted and hurt by the budget impasse, but Rauner shows no remorse for his actions. Rauner only regrets that it did not continue longer. Illinois is worse off because of the budget crisis and Bruce Rauner just admitted he is to blame.”
Reporter: You ran on a platform of taking on the Speaker and reducing his power. If you have been unable to do that successfully, and are not in charge now, what is the argument for having four more years if the Speaker isn’t going anywhere?
Gov. Rauner: Ah, but the point is I believe he will be going somewhere. Into, uh, into retirement. And that’s what we’re working on. […]
Reporter: So, are you saying that you envision a scenario where you get elected to a second term… and the Speaker is not the Speaker any more?
Gov. Rauner: I think there’s a very, very high probability of that and it would be a wonderful step for the state.
Yesterday, I explained why the governor’s repeated boasts about taking away Madigan’s Democratic majority were almost surely empty. So, it’s back to the ol’ drawing board.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday raised the central questions surrounding his re-election campaign: What exactly would be different in a second term? Why won’t his agenda “just be crushed by” Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan “again and again?”
The governor then sought to provide answers, saying he’s counting on the courts to give him several “transformative” wins over organized labor, allowing him to bypass Madigan’s opposition. […]
Top among those is an expected June ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on an Illinois case that Rauner supports and the Trump administration Justice Department backs. The case challenges the requirement that public union members pay “fair share” dues even if they disagree with union membership.
“If we win, it will transform government. It will transform state government, local government and school districts in every state in America,” Rauner said.
“I will be able to have thousands of state employees not be in the union who don’t want to be, and I will be able to pay them based upon productivity and merit and bonuses, and pay them more based on what they do for the service quality and taxpayer benefit than seniority,” he added.
Unless he can decertify AFSCME, he’ll still have to negotiate and deal with the union under state law. And keep in mind that “fair share” fee-payers have dropped since Rauner took office as workers decided to become full dues-paying union members. So, the scenario he painted seems pretty darned pie in the sky. There’s also the little problem of civil service protections.
The governor also told the Tribune that he is pinning his hopes on a court ruling that his local “right to work” zones case is valid (which he claimed will bring “dozens of manufacturing firms” to the state) and state courts will back him in the judicial sparring over AFSCME’s contract.
* Related…
* Rauner administration to appeal AFSCME step pay ruling: Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration will fight an appellate court ruling that it violated state law when it stopped awarding step increases in 2015 to eligible members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees… Rich Bossert, spokesman for the Department of Central Management Services, said the state is asking for the Supreme Court review because the Illinois Labor Relations Board previously said the ste increases did not have to be paid after the AFSCME contract expired… “Illegally denying steps to the newest-hired and lowest-paid state employees fits Bruce Rauner’s pattern of anti-worker behavior,” Lynch said. “Unfortunately, despite the court’s ruling, he is unrelenting and refusing to honor the law.”
