* The Workers’ Rights Amendment is getting almost 90 percent support in Chicago’s Black-majority wards. Data compiled by Isabel…
As I told you earlier, it got abut 80 percent citywide.
* Tom DeVore apparently believes everybody is as gullible as his handful of followers…
But here’s what he said in September…
Whiner.
* Why would the GOP even try to run a comprehensive and expensive mail and chase program when its base thinks mail-in and early voting are evil and should be abolished?…
Dem campaigns had more money than Rs, real campaigns. We got canvassing back, a D strength. Ds were motivated. DNC spent a lot of money on field.
Look at how much better Ds did in the early vote than 2018, 2020. Sign of organizational strength, hustle, good campaigns. 3/ pic.twitter.com/GMz0w72EWc
Mail and chase works, as do early voting pushes. Democrat Maggie Trevor was trailing Matt Padgorski for a Cook County Board seat by about a thousand votes last week. As of yesterday, she was ahead by 481 votes.
* Pantagraph | GOP chooses new leadership in Illinois General Assembly as Dems retain control: House Republicans elected Tony McCombie of Savanna and Senate Republicans chose John Curran of Downers Grove. The change in leadership comes after Democrats maintained control of every statewide office and had strong gains in last week’s elections across the rest of state government, aside from in the state Senate.
* Center Square | Some question rosy picture painted by Illinois’ five year budget projections: Gov. J.B. Pritzker claims the state is in great financial shape after the release of five-year budget projections. However, one economic analysis says the state still needs to address a particular problem. The state’s fiscal projections released this week show Illinois has been making strides in attempting to clear some of its long-term debts
* Crain’s | Like it or not, the Illinois GOP is now grappling with Candidate Trump: Jeanne Ives, a strong social and economic conservative who almost unseated then-Gov. Bruce Rauner in the 2018 GOP primary, welcomed the idea of a competitive GOP presidential primary. “I think it’s a great idea for Republicans across the country to have a debate over where the party should go,” she said. But, Ives continued, Trump overall is “a mixed bag.” Asked if his running would help the party, she replied: “Not in Illinois.”
* Jim Schultz and Warren Ribley | A December rail strike would be another gut punch to Illinois farmers: Behind the recommendations of an independent panel of arbitrators assembled by the president at the request of labor, the White House brokered a compromise that appeared to appease both management and union leadership. Yet, despite seven of the 12 rail unions approving the Biden deal during the last two months, three have failed to ratify. Two other unions are set to announce the outcome of their ratification votes in the coming days, with the likelihood of approval anyone’s guess.
* Great Lakes Echo | Green-backed candidates for governor fair well in Great Lakes states: Election Day has come and gone, and the results show that green-backed candidates for governor won in six Great Lakes states. They won in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York, but lost in Ohio. All are Democrats. Environmental groups, such as the Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters, backed them candidates in hopes of having their environmental priorities enacted.
* Let’s go back to the state’s Economic and Fiscal Policy Report that the administration is required to submit to the General Assembly each year. I posted the walk-down on Monday, but I wanted to look closer at pension payments, since the usual suspects are beating that particular war drum again.
Here are the annual projected state payments for the Teachers Retirement System, the State Employees Retirement System and the State University Retirement System by fiscal year. Dollar amounts are in millions…
Pension payments are estimated to be 20.1 percent of all expenditures this fiscal year and they’re projected to be 20.1 percent of all expenditures in five years.
Of course, that’s only if the current projections hold, which they sometimes don’t. Back in 2019, FY23’s projected state pension contribution was projected to be 20.4 percent of all state expenditures.
That’s obviously manageable.
* The problem is that projected expenditures will start outpacing projected revenues in FY25 by $464 million, and that gap will widen to $792 million by FY28. But those are small percentages and also include annual $80+ million in rainy day fund contributions. But even with those contributions, the budget deficit in FY25 is projected to represent just 0.9 percent of overall spending, and it’ll be 1.5 percent of spending by FY28.
Still, without a new revenue source, this means the state will have to keep a rein on spending.
In a historic win for organized labor, Illinoisans are adding a new amendment to the state constitution that will dedicate a “fundamental right” for workers to unionize and the ability to collectively bargain, according to unofficial results from The Associated Press. […]
The passage of a constitutional amendment is a rare act and the referendum question was being closely watched by union and business leaders across the nation. The Illinois measure required 60% of those voting on the question to vote “yes” for it to pass or 50% of all ballots cast to vote in favor of the question. […]
The amendment outperformed Democrats in many counties throughout the state, particularly in more conservative downstate areas.
In the small, far southern county of Massac, for instance, the “yes” vote on the amendment won by two percentage points even though Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey easily defeated Pritzker in the county, according to the AP.
According to projections, the amendment received about 2.1 million “yes” votes and 1.5 million votes against. That’s 58.4 percent of the votes cast on that issue but about 53 percent of all the ballots cast in the election.
* Click here to see the list of county results. Click here to see a map of where the measure is currently clearing a constitutional hurdle for passage (60 percent of those voting on the question or a majority of all those voting in the election).
It has 60 percent or more in Cook, St. Clair, Champaign, Rock Island and Jackson counties. It has less than 30 percent in Effingham, Wayne, Clay, Jasper and Edwards counties. It’s at almost 80 percent in vote-rich Chicago and 64 percent in vote-rich suburban Cook.
Today, Lightfoot for Chicago announced the launch of its TV ad campaign with two ads, “Delivers Again” and “Believe.” “Delivers Again” stars characters “Oscar” and “Felix,” the two Chicago “experts” who are discussing Mayor Lightfoot’s track record for the city. “Believe” highlights the Mayor’s personal view on the progress of the city, while acknowledging the unprecedented challenges of the last four years.
“Delivers Again” features “Oscar” and “Felix” discussing Mayor Lightfoot’s public safety and violence reduction efforts, including:
Oscar: People don’t know. She’s delivering record spending for violence reduction, getting guns off the street, and more money for police. You know we didn’t get into this mess overnight.
Felix: True.
Oscar: Getting out of it takes time, and Lightfoot has a plan. Right?
Lightfoot: [On the phone] Hold on. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Felix: [Offers video game controller] Wanna play?
Lightfoot: Love to, but I’ve got work to do for our city. [Returns to phone call]
Lightfoot: Believe in us. Believe in this city. We have come through hell and back, and we are the better for it.
Our economy is the best in the country.
We are making significant progress in public safety and implemented some of the most progressive policies that are going to make life better.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you we did everything perfectly–we haven’t. But we’ve tried our darndest to make sure that we got it right. And when we haven’t, you pick yourself up, and you listen, and you’re humble, and you learn from your mistakes.
* I long ago lost count of the number of times that the House Republicans won the news media cycle here. Agree with them or not, you absolutely cannot deny that they’ve been amazingly adept over the years at convincing reporters to run with their spin. It’s been quite something to watch. And the person in charge of the HGOP comms operation for most of that time has been Eleni Demertzis. Eleni informed staff today that she is leaving for another job. Culloton + Bauer Luce is fortunate to get her and I wish her nothing but the best…
I wanted to let you all know that my last day on staff will be November 30. I’ll be starting the next chapter as Vice President at Culloton + Bauer Luce, a boutique public affairs firm specializing in corporate reputation, issues management and crisis communications.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – The HGOP has the best communications team in state government. Everyone brings their own talents to the table, but the reason why we are the best is because we always work as a team to get things done. We collaborate on ideas, we pinch-hit for each other no matter what the task is, we are always ready for the fight and we have always been in it together.
Thank you to each and every one of you for the role you play in the HGOP caucus, because it wouldn’t be possible without your contribution.
Malkin: At the state level, where you’re at, some prominent Republicans, such as Jim Durkin and Tim Butler are stepping down. What do you think that means for the future of the state Republican Party?
Miller: Well, I think that one of the things is that conservative ideals are gaining traction, and we have a beachhead, established in Illinois with the Illinois Freedom Caucus where, you know…we’re emphasizing…our worldview, as well as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the Republican Party platform. And I know that we’re committed to those three ideals. It’s going to be our true north to guide that…some see their power structure falling apart, then rather than staying and trying to fix things, they’re going to move on and do something else.
Malkin: Do you think that creates some more space or opportunity for the Illinois Freedom Caucus?
Miller: Oh, I think so. I think that, you know, let’s face it, the ideals that we’re promoting with individual liberty, with limited government, with the rule of law, with fair markets, with fiscal responsibility, the sanctity of life and peace through strength. Those are ideals that make America America. And I think one of the things that we haven’t done very well is we haven’t communicated those ideals. Because let’s face it, most of the people that live here in the state of Illinois, those are ideals that they live by, as they raise their families and they work hard and those are the ideals that motivate us to do the right thing, the right way all the time.
And then he went on to talk about how January 6 was just a peaceful gathering of mostly old folks and not an all an insurrection.
* Meanwhile…
Newly reelected GOP House member from rural Illinois wastes no time saying she's sticking with Trump https://t.co/5eUDklvxqK
McFarland Mental Health Center employees to demonstrate over lack of staff
WHO: Frontline employees of McFarland Mental Health Center represented by INA and AFSCME
WHAT: Informational picket to raise awareness of severe staff shortage
WHERE: Outside McFarland Mental Health Center, 901 Southwind Dr.,
Springfield, IL 62703
WHEN: TODAY (Wednesday, November 16 at 2:30 p.m.
BACKGROUND: Frontline employees who support individuals with mental illness at McFarland Mental Health Center in Springfield, Ill., are raising awareness of a severe staff shortage at the state-operated facility and throughout state government.
Members of the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 will hold an informational picket outside McFarland Mental Health Center today, November 16th at 2:30 p.m.
AFSCME and INA members say the lack of staff threatens to erode the quality of care for patients at McFarland, poses a safety risk to employees, and is driving out-of-control overtime—including mandatory overtime—that is leading to burnout among workers.
According to INA, there are 49 nurses who work at the Center but there are seven nursing positions open. Meanwhile, 22 of the 98 Security Therapy Aide and Mental Health Technician positions, represented by AFSCME, are also unfilled. Both unions are calling on the State to host a job fair and aggressively recruit to fill these vacancies. Nurses have also told management they want the option of working 12.5-hour shifts to reduce burnout and not being mandated to work overtime. Center management has failed to implement a negotiated agreement on these key issues, according to INA.
Representing registered nurses employed by the state of Illinois, the INA stands for nurses’ rights to be the best advocates for their patients and their communities.
AFSCME Council 31 is the largest union of public service workers in Illinois—with a membership that includes more than 30,000 state employees—and a leading voice for working families statewide.
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon issued the following statement after receiving support Tuesday from the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus to continue in the position next year.
“I want to thank my colleagues for their continued support. Our accomplishments in the Senate are a team effort. We head into a new session collectively focused on moving Illinois forward.”
The 103rd General Assembly inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2023.
* Sen. John Curran…
THE FOLLOWING IS A STATEMENT BY STATE SENATOR JOHN CURRAN (R-41st DISTRICT) ON HIS UNANIMOUS ELECTION AS SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER FOR THE 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
“I am humbled and honored to have the full support of my Senate Republican colleagues to serve as their new leader in the 103rd General Assembly. We stand ready, with our focus directed toward the future, on developing solutions that will address the critical issues facing our state. We are equally dedicated to growing our ranks, which will give all Illinoisans greater representation and balance in their state government.”
* Sen. Dan McConchie…
In response to the Senate Republican Caucus choosing a new Leader for the 103rd General Assembly, outgoing Leader Dan McConchie released the following statement:
“It has been my distinct privilege to serve as Senate Republican Leader, and I wish Senator Curran the very best as he assumes the helm.
“Running for office, let alone running for Leader, was never something I aspired to do. In both cases I responded to a call to serve. In this latest role, I am proud of my record and accomplishments.
“Illinois’s problems are not a mystery. While people for years have flocked to states with lower taxes and better standards of living, Illinois’s net population has largely stayed flat. We all know people who have left our state for better environments. It is the moral responsibility of the state’s leadership to attempt to address the real systemic problems facing our state so that we once again can become the people magnet we once were. On this point, the Democratic leadership fails miserably while the Senate Republicans stand strong.
“In my tenure, we became a caucus unafraid of putting real solutions on the table and engaging in rhetorical battle for them. We introduced numerous bills covering a whole host of issue areas that outline our vision to once again make Illinois a state to which people flock. We weighed into the debate with vigor fighting for that vision that we know can put us on the path to a brighter future.
“I can only presume that the majority’s refusal to even allow debate on our suggestions is rooted in fear - fear that the public will embrace an alternative to the singular reality they are currently offered.
“When I assumed this role, I committed to grow the Caucus by recruiting outstanding candidates and providing them with resources so they had a chance to win despite Pritzker’s wallet and the gerrymandered maps that put us at a severe disadvantage. To that end, I was able to raise the most money the Senate Republicans have perhaps ever seen and will leave the Caucus with more members than I started - even as our party saw defeats in every other area.
“During my time, we brought forward real ideas to move Illinois ahead, gave voice to them, and worked to have them considered. We stayed true to ourselves and fought for both our values and our constituents. As I continue to serve in the Senate, I promise to keep up this fight for the future of all Illinoisans.”
Hoping to revive their party in Illinois after tough Election Night losses, Republicans on Tuesday met behind closed doors to select their new legislative leaders: state Sen. John Curran of Downers Grove and state Rep. Tony McCombie of Savanna.
House Republicans voted 31-8 to select McCombie as their new leader in a binding caucus vote.
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin announced last week that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection as minority leader — and the Western Springs Republican threw his support behind McCombie to take the leadership baton. State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, secured eight votes. […]
A letter signed by 23 House Republicans last Friday acknowledged the caucus was experiencing “profound changes” and needed a leader with “energetic determination to rebuild the House Republican Caucus.”
McCombie also has joined Republicans who’ve been critical of Pritzker’s management of the state’s Department of Children and Family Services. She was the House sponsor on a bipartisan bill allowing the families of DCFS workers to acquire state benefits if the workers are killed while performing their duties. The measure, which Pritzker signed into law, was prompted by the January slaying of DCFS worker Deidre Silas who was stabbed to death during a home visit in central Illinois. McCombie also joined fellow Republicans in opposition of COVID-19 mitigations. In February, McCombie was among several GOP House members who refused to wear a mask on the House floor.
McCombie also joined fellow Republicans in opposition of COVID-19 mitigations. In February, McCombie was among several GOP House members who refused to wear a mask on the House floor. […]
Regarded as a more moderate Republican, Curran, unlike McCombie, has supported various gun control measures over the years. He was the only GOP senator in 2021 to vote with Democrats in passing a bill that overhauled the state’s firearm owner’s identification card system. That legislation was prompted by a mass shooting at an Aurora warehouse that left six people dead, including the gunman, and several wounded, five of them police officers.
“We stand ready, with our focus directed toward the future, on developing solutions that will address the critical issues facing our state,“ Curran said in a statement Tuesday night.
McConchie issued a statement wishing Curran well and saying Democratic leadership in Illinois has failed “miserably” at addressing the state’s systemic problems.
McCombie, who will represent the 89th district in the new General Assembly, was one of the early favorites to ascend to the position, according to Politico, and she was voted into the office during a caucus meeting on Tuesday.
“The House Republican Caucus is focused on helping Illinois families by offering common sense solutions to the many problems our state faces,” she said in a statement. “We will be a unified force that will grow our party by sticking to our core values and ending the corruption that has pervaded state government.”
McCombie is the former mayor of Savanna, with party leadership praising her ability to balance budgets before being elected to the General Assembly in 2016.
She previously headed up the campaign arm of the House Republican caucus, and she is currently the party’s spokesperson on the Restorative Justice Committee.
McCombie will be the first woman to serve in a top leadership position in the Illinois House. In 2009, Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno of Western Springs became the first woman to serve in a top leadership post in that chamber. […]
“I came up short. And I’ve done this job for nine years and I have no regrets,” Durkin said. “I’ve been involved with some amazing pieces of legislation, historic moments in Springfield, but I’m also – at this point – I believe it’s great for me to be able to say goodbye and pass it off to the next generation. We’re bringing in a new set of eyes, new energy.” […]
While she has a reputation for conservative leanings, those with knowledge of the internal meeting said McCombie did not receive unanimous support – a sign of the ongoing tension within Republican ranks.
Signs the most right-leaning wing of the House Republican caucus would not support McCombie were apparent last week, when news broke that she had locked enough support to win the job.
Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, released a statement Friday bemoaning what he said was “strong arming and media manipulation … the kind of tactics that have produced an apparent permanent minority caucus in the House.”
Republican senators also changed leaders, selecting Downers Grove Republican state Sen. John Curran.
“I am humbled and honored to have the full support of my Senate Republican colleagues to serve as their new leader in the 103rd General Assembly,” Curran said in a statement. “We stand ready, with our focus directed toward the future, on developing solutions that will address the critical issues facing our state. We are equally dedicated to growing our ranks, which will give all Illinoisans greater representation and balance in their state government.”
Curran replaces Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods.
“Running for office, let alone running for Leader, was never something I aspired to do,” McConchie said in a statement Tuesday evening. “In both cases I responded to a call to serve. In this latest role, I am proud of my record and accomplishments.”
…Adding… Press release…
The American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice, congratulates newly chosen leadership of the Republican caucuses in the Illinois General Assembly. The Illinois Senate Republican Caucus has chosen Senator John Curran as its next Leader while the House Republican Caucus has chosen Representative Tony McCombie to serve as its next Leader and first female Leader.
The American Federation for Children looks forward to working with both Leader Curran and Leader McCombie to galvanize their respective caucuses in support of the successful Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program, with the critical legislative goal of removing the sunset.
The American Federation for Children also wishes to extend its strong appreciation for the contributions that outgoing Leaders Dan McConchie and Jim Durkin have provided to the school choice movement during their tenure leading their caucuses in Springfield.
* WAND | Sen. John Curran selected as new Illinois Senate Republican leader: Outgoing leader, Senator Dan McConchie released a statement wishing Curran the best. In his own statement, Curran said that the caucus stands ready, “with our focus directed toward the future, on developing solutions that will address the critical issues facing our state.”
* CBS Chicago | Rep. Tony McCombie elected new Illinois House Republican leader: McCombie was elected to the Illinois state House in 2016, representing a Western Illinois district. She previously served as the mayor of the Mississippi River town of Savanna, where the Illinois General Assembly said she was known for balanced budgets and her solid administrative background.
* WBEZ | Republican challenger concedes to Illinois Democrat accused of domestic violence: Democrat Michael Hastings could claim a narrow reelection win in a state Senate race in the south suburbs after officials reported updated vote totals Tuesday, overcoming accusations of domestic violence to edge Republican challenger Patrick Sheehan. In a statement, Sheehan said he had conceded the race. The concession came hours after Will County officials released the results of their tabulation of hundreds of ballots from the Nov. 8 election.
* Jim Nowlan | Here’s my advice for making the Illinois Republican Party relevant again: What to do? Contrary to the adage of late U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill that all politics is local, American politics today have largely been nationalized by social media, Trump and the decline of local and state party organizations. Yet each state has its own issues, and Illinois is struggling with population loss, as well as job growth that has been slower than nationwide. Thus, the Illinois Republican Party needs to have a constructive, appealing program in place as the Trump phenomenon fades away.
* Illinois Newsroom | State Rep. Chris Miller reflects on January 6, analyzes midterm elections in IPM interview:“Well, I think the first thing that we have to, you know, (do is) admit that our projections, and our predictions were off. Actually, by a lot. But, you know, I think…you always have to look for the silver lining in some of these things. And I know that it’s pretty clear that Republicans made inroads in suburban women to Latinos and many other groups. And, you know, and it wasn’t that long ago, where Florida was kind of looked at as a swing state,” Miller said.
* WJBC | Illinois Senators are on the move during Capitol construction: The renovation of the north wing of the state Capitol has pushed out the senators. Tuesday marked not only the start of the 2022 veto session; it was also the first day of a nearly 2 ½ -year stay in the adjacent Howlett Building. A deteriorating auditorium received a massive facelift to function as the temporary Senate chamber.
* SJ-R | Illinois Native Americans to gather at Old State Capitol, demand inclusion: Johnson said the lack of representation on the Illinois State Board of Education’s Inclusive American History Commission, a 22-person group chosen to assist ISBE in revising its curriculum to be more inclusive of all cultures, is telling of how native people are ignored.
* NBC 5 | How a Strange Deal Struck in Springfield a Decade Ago Now Prevents Illinois Communities From Banning Assault Weapons: “I was very disappointed,” former Gov. Pat Quinn said of those days more than nine years ago. “Some of the Democrats who I thought would vote yes on the legislation all of a sudden were saying, ‘People in my district aren’t for it.” Quinn said he was astounded that the proposed statewide ban fell two votes short, despite the presence of Sandy Hook families he had taken to the Capitol to tell their personal stories.
* WPSD | Illinois voters approve collective bargaining amendment: Unions groups said its approval could signal a new chapter in the struggle over workers’ rights as U.S. union ranks have grown. They view it as a way to ensure that workers will always be able to use their collective clout to secure better pay, hours and working conditions.
* Politico | Unbowed by midterms fiasco, Trump tries for president again: It is an extraordinary — although long anticipated — move for Trump, one certain to reshape his party’s trajectory, raise complicated legal questions and alter the presidency for the man who defeated him, Joe Biden. He explicitly discussed his campaign as an effort to restore the presidency he had.
The Illinois House Republican Caucus elected Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) as the House Republican Leader for the upcoming 103rd General Assembly. The vote took place this evening at an internal caucus meeting in Springfield.
Before becoming State Representative, McCombie served as the Mayor of Savanna, where she was known for balanced budgets and a solid administrative background. McCombie’s first election for State Representative in 2016 taught her what a tough campaign fight is, as she defeated an incumbent Democrat. McCombie has previously chaired the House Republican campaign organization and is the Republican Spokesperson on Restorative Justice Committee.
“The House Republican Caucus is focused on helping Illinois families by offering common sense solutions to the many problems our state faces,” said McCombie. “We will be a unified force that will grow our party by sticking to our core values and ending the corruption that has pervaded state government.”
Inauguration for the 103rd General Assembly will occur on January 11th, 2023.
…Adding…
The following statement is from Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza:
“I offer my heartiest congratulations to State Representative Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, on her historic achievement in becoming the first woman chosen to lead a caucus in the Illinois House of Representatives. Leader McCombie was a chief co-sponsor of my historic and transformational Debt Transparency Act in 2017. Risking the wrath of a vengeful governor from her own party after he vetoed the bill, Rep. McCombie assisted in marshaling the votes of Republicans to help us unanimously override the governor’s veto in the House. Rating agencies have regularly cited that very reform in their upgrades of Illinois’ creditworthiness. Leader-elect McCombie has shown real leadership when it matters. We won’t agree on every issue, but she has proven herself a bipartisan leader willing to work across the aisle for the betterment of Illinois without compromising her values. I look forward to working in the House with Speaker Welch and Leader-elect McCombie to move our state forward.”
* Click here to see the projection at the New York Times. Press release…
Today, the Associated Press officially projected the Workers’ Rights Amendment was passed by voters in this year’s midterm election.
Current projections show the amendment earning support 53% of all voters casting a ballot in the election, exceeding the simple majority of all voters threshold needed to pass.
The amendment received support from an overwhelming number of Illinoisans, with 58% of Illinoisans casting a ballot on the question voting yes.
This historic amendment will protect the freedom for Illinois workers to organize and bargain collectively for better wages, stronger safety protections at work, and more.
The group also says it confirmed the projection with the AP.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced he has reached a settlement with Walmart to resolve allegations that the company contributed to the opioid addiction crisis by failing to appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at its stores.
The settlement provides more than $3 billion nationally and requires significant improvements to how Walmart’s pharmacies handle opioids. Seventeen state attorneys general on the executive committee, attorneys representing local governments and Walmart have agreed to this settlement, which has been sent to other states for review and approval. The settlement is effective upon approval by 43 states and a population representing 85% of local government units.
* Nov 15…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a bipartisan coalition of 23 attorneys general filing an amicus brief in support of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) efforts to combat alleged illegal debt collection practices in the student loan industry.
The CFPB filed a lawsuit alleging that 15 trusts purchased student loan debt and then engaged in illegal debt collection practices in an attempt to collect on that debt. The CFPB’s complaint describes how collections agencies hired by the trusts submitted false and misleading affidavits and testimony in support of nearly 100,000 debt collection actions brought by the trusts. Additionally, the trusts are alleged to have filed hundreds of lawsuits against consumers for debt that was time-barred or missing critical supporting documentation. Raoul and the coalition argue that the trusts should be held liable for these misdeeds under the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010. […]
Raoul’s office has discharged more than $14 million in fraudulent private student loans since 2019. Attorney General Raoul’s office also worked to pass a “Know Before You Owe” law, which aims to alert borrowers of their remaining federal student loan eligibility to help them steer clear of predatory private loans like those provided by Navient.
* Nov 14…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a more than $391 million bipartisan national settlement with Google after an investigation by Raoul and a coalition of attorneys general revealed Google misled consumers about its location tracking practices. Illinois will receive more than $19.5 million under the settlement. […]
Raoul and a coalition of 38 attorneys general opened an investigation into Google following a 2018 Associated Press article that revealed Google recorded movements “even when you explicitly tell it not to.” The article focused on two Google account settings: Location History and Web & App Activity. According to the article, the Location History default setting is “off” unless a user turns on the setting. However, Web & App Activity, a separate account setting, is automatically turned on when users set up a Google account, which includes all Android phone users. […]
Under the settlement, Google has agreed to a series of provisions designed to give consumers more transparency into Google’s practices, including showing additional information whenever users turn an account setting on or off; making key information about location tracking unavoidable for users (i.e., not hidden); and creating an enhanced “Location Technologies” webpage where users can get detailed information about the type(s) of location data Google collects and how it’s used.
The settlement also puts limits on Google’s use and storage of certain types of location information and requires Google account controls to be more user-friendly.
* Nov 14…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined 13 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief challenging an Indiana statute that bans transgender female students from participating in girls’ school sports. The brief is filed in A.M. v. Indianapolis Public Schools, which arose after a 10-year-old student was barred from playing on her school’s girls’ softball team after the law was passed even though the student had been a part of the team with no issue in the past.
The brief argues that the court should affirm the preliminary injunction entered by the lower court, which allowed the Indiana student to continue participating on her team during the ongoing litigation. The court made its ruling on the basis that the Indiana statute, which banned her from the team, likely violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as it denies transgender girls access to the same athletic opportunities that other girls and boys have.
* Nov 11…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced national settlements with Experian relating to data breaches in 2010 and 2015 that compromised the personal information of millions of consumers nationwide, including hundreds of thousands in Illinois. Raoul and the coalition also obtained a separate settlement with T-Mobile in connection with the 2015 Experian breach, which impacted more than 15 million individuals who submitted credit applications with the telecommunications company.
Illinois was one of the states to lead an investigation into Experian’s 2015 data breach, which impacted more than 735,000 Illinois residents. Under the settlements Raoul announced, Experian and T-Mobile have agreed to improve their data security practices and pay states more than $16 million. Additionally, Illinois will receive a total of more than $1.2 million. […]
Raoul and the coalition obtained two separate settlements from Experian and T-Mobile in connection with the 2015 data breach. Under a $12.67 million national settlement, Experian has agreed to strengthen its due diligence and data security practices going forward, including by implementing a comprehensive information security program. Experian will also enact data minimization and disposal requirements, including specific efforts aimed at reducing the use of Social Security numbers as identifiers; and specific security requirements, including the use of intrusion detection, firewalls and risk assessments. Illinois will receive $1.04 million. The settlement also requires Experian to offer affected consumers five years of free credit monitoring services as well as two free copies of their credit reports annually during the timeframe. Affected consumers who were members of the 2019 class action settlement are also eligible to enroll in extended credit monitoring services. More information on eligibility can be found online.
Raoul and the coalition also obtained a $2.43 million settlement with T-Mobile. Under the settlement, T-Mobile has agreed to detailed vendor management provisions designed to strengthen its vendor oversight going forward. Illinois will receive around $204,000. The settlement does not involve an unrelated, massive data breach T-Mobile announced in August 2021, which is still under investigation by Attorney General Raoul and a multistate coalition of attorneys general.
* Nov 10…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a bipartisan coalition of 21 attorneys general filing an amicus brief challenging “no-poach” provisions — which restrict the rights of workers to move from one franchise to another in the same restaurant chain — used by McDonald’s in its franchise agreements.
The workers in this case contend that, until 2017, McDonald’s required all McDonald’s franchisees to sign agreements that contained a provision prohibiting them from hiring workers who worked for any McDonald’s restaurant currently or in the prior six months. Raoul and the collation argue that such agreements violate federal antitrust laws and interfere with workers’ ability to seek better employment opportunities, wages and benefits.
“No-poach agreements allow employers to take advantage of workers by trapping them in low-paying jobs and limiting their ability to seek better employment opportunities,” Raoul said. “I am committed to holding companies accountable when they engage in unlawful employment practices that prevent employees from seeking opportunities that allow them to better support themselves and provide for their families.”
A new, animated video released today by anti-poverty advocates starts with “You would think that child support goes toward supporting children, right? But families in Illinois who need the most help are getting just a fraction of child support payments.”
The video goes on to explain that families living in extreme poverty and who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) have child support collected from their non-custodial parents only to have most of that money go to the State of Illinois. In fact, only 14 cents of every dollar paid by non-custodial parents go to support their child. The policies disproportionately harm Black families in Illinois and make it harder for families to lift themselves out of poverty. The video can be found here: It is Time to Fix Our Broken Child Support System
House Bill 4423, which passed unanimously out of the Illinois House of Representatives last spring, can be passed this lame-duck session by the Illinois Senate and would fix this harmful policy. Passing HB4423 would help families living in extreme poverty meet their basic needs and ensure child support paid by non-custodial parents goes to support children receiving TANF. The bill would make the TANF grant amount equivalent to 50% of the Federal Poverty Level and direct the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to send funds collected from non-custodial parents directly to the custodial parent and their children.
“This video lays it out straightforwardly. This legislation isn’t about partisan politics; this is about righting a wrong that has been decades in the making,” said Niya Kelly, Director of State Legislative Policy, Equity and Transformation with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. “It’s simple: This is about ensuring dollars that are collected on behalf of children who are living in extreme poverty actually get to those children.”
The legislation is sponsored by Representative Marcus C. Evans, Jr., Speaker of the House Emanuel Chris Welch, Senator Adriane Johnson, and Senator Celina Villanueva, among others. The video was put out by Chicago Coalition for the Homeless in support of House Bill 4423.
* Sens. Sally Turner and Sue Rezin…
In their ongoing desire to combat the ongoing fentanyl epidemic that is running rampant throughout the state and nation, State Senator Sally Turner (R-Beason) and Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) held a press conference at the State Capitol with McLean County State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds to unveil legislation that creates two new offenses and penalties for individuals who intentionally sell scheduled drugs with fentanyl or use electronic communication devices to sell fentanyl.
“This epidemic grows more serious each year as the number of deaths continues to climb. No longer is this just something that is happening in a faraway land, it’s happening everywhere,” said Senator Sally Turner. “We, as legislators, have a responsibility to take action and to protect the people who are the targets of this awful poison. Each day that we do nothing, more lives are lost.”
Senate Bill 4221 would amend the manufacture and delivery offense within the Illinois Controlled Substances Act to create a new Class X felony requiring nine to 40 years in prison for unlawfully selling or dispensing any scheduled drug, like Adderall or Vicodin, that contains a detectable amount of fentanyl.
“Nationally, nearly 70,000 people 18 and older died in 2021 from synthetic opioid-related incidents, with 90 percent of those being fentanyl-related. That is equivalent to one plane crashing each and every day,” said Senator Sue Rezin. “In Illinois, we have seen the number of synthetic opioid deaths jump from 87 in 2013 to 2,672 in 2021. That means in less than one decade, the state of Illinois saw nearly a 3,000 percent increase in synthetic opioid overdose deaths. We cannot and should not continue to turn a blind eye to this staggering trend.”
Additionally, Senate Bill 4221 would expand the controlled substance trafficking offense to create a new Class 1 felony, which would come with a fine up to $100K for anyone using an electronic communications device in the furtherance of controlled substance trafficking involving a substance containing any amount of fentanyl.
“As the McLean County State’s Attorney, I am thankful that Senator Turner and Senator Rezin are taking steps to support communities victimized by the ongoing fentanyl problem. My office welcomes the opportunity to hold accountable the people who prey upon the weakest among us by pushing fentanyl for financial gain,” said McLean County State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds. “This poison is killing people in our communities, and those who knowingly spread that poison should face harsher penalties.”
Sen. Turner and Sen. Rezin hope to see this legislation move through the legislative process this veto session.
* Stand Up America…
Today, the Illinois General Assembly begins its veto session in Springfield. Lawmakers will work to pass Senate Bill 828, legislation to restore voting rights to nearly 30,000 individuals while they serve a felony sentence. If passed, Illinois would become the first state to restore voting rights to incarcerated citizens and join Maine, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C. in allowing currently and formerly incarcerated citizens to vote.
During the 102nd General Assembly, state lawmakers worked to pass SB 828. However, the bill narrowly failed just days before the end of the regular session. During the session, Stand Up America members in Illinois sent nearly 2,400 constituent emails to their state legislators in support of voting rights restoration.
In addition to grassroots advocacy, Stand Up America and its partners recently released a poll revealing that 56% of Illinois voters believe voting should be a guaranteed right for all and the state should give full restoration of voting rights to all citizens over the age of 18. The polling also showed wide support for voting rights restoration in the state among younger voters, older voters, and voters of color – including the notion that all citizens should be eligible to vote – with 60%, 53%, and 65% support, respectively.
Voters in Illinois are ready for all citizens to be eligible to vote, no matter their relationship with the criminal legal system. Although many voters in Illinois aren’t aware of the laws in their state around voting rights, the majority of them believe that every citizen should have the right to vote.
Illinois Review (IR) announced on Tuesday a new ownership team that includes conservative radio show host and Newsmax columnist Mark Vargas and Chicago attorney and former US congressional candidate Scott Kaspar. The widely recognized and conservative publication on Illinois news was founded in 2005 by conservative leaders Fran Eaton and Dennis LaComb.
“After 17 years and 17,000 stories later, it was time to hand over Illinois Review to a trusted and capable new ownership team that could take the organization to the next level,” said IR co-founder Fran Eaton. “Now more than ever, we’re going to need leading conservative voices and perspectives to rebuild the Republican Party in Illinois – and I know Mark and Scott are the team that can do it.”
“I have known Fran and Dennis since 2005, and I am honored to leverage my resources and rolodex to help take IR to the next level,” said Mark Vargas. “The very first OpEd that I published many years ago was on IR – and so it brings me great joy to officially be a part of the team as co-owner.”
“For decades, IR has been a leading voice on conservative news and perspectives here in Illinois,” said Scott Kaspar. “The brand, our contributors, supporters and subscribers have made IR a total success over the last 17 years – and we can’t wait to build upon that and make IR an even bigger force not just here in Illinois, but across the country,” said Kaspar.
Vargas and Kaspar plan to roll out a new website design, a newspaper division that will bring IR to your doorstep, expand IR’s social media presence and subscriber list and compensate contributors for their work. Vargas will serve as Editor-in-Chief and Kaspar as Publisher.
* Vargas hosts a talk show on WIND 560 AM, the same station where Dan Proft has a show. Vargas’ first IR column doesn’t mention Proft by name, but it’s clearly aimed at him…
Now let’s talk about the Bailey Campaign. $42M in total to a Pro Bailey PAC and $10M directly to Bailey.
$100M this Election Cycle to support 2 men – Irvin and Bailey. While the rest of the Republican field struggled to raise any money at all.
Talk to any Republican who ran for office this General Election and they’ll tell you the same thing: we had no money to get our messages out or to defend ourselves from vicious lies and smears by the Democrats.
$50M for the governor’s race to be called at 7:06 pm – one of the fastest races to be called in modern Illinois election history. […]
It’s time for the Illinois Political Consulting Class to go. Just like a controlled burn removes old vegetation and makes room for new growth – we need this in Illinois if we are ever to be in a position to win again.
It’s time to hold these so-called “political experts” accountable.
They are not experts at winning races – they are experts at losing races. The records speak for themselves. And we are in the super minority because of it.
Think about this in terms of your doctor or a surgeon. If you or a loved one needed surgery, would you call a doctor whose patients all died? No! Of course not!
To be out there promoting a single poll that said Bailey was within “striking” distance and only 2 points behind – is Political Malpractice.
…Adding… I’m told by someone at the Bailey campaign that Vargas tried to get hired as a consultant, but the campaign refused. Much of the conversation I had was unprintable.
First Lady Jill Biden kicked off National Apprenticeship Week with a visit to Chicago. Biden encouraged business leaders to take an active role in creating job opportunities for students, @carigaribay reports. https://t.co/qmgDLWgruK
* And Speaker Welch’s office is looking for employees…
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is hosting the second annual job fair at the Illinois State Capitol on Friday, November 18th from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. in Room 114.
The Office of the Speaker is actively recruiting for legislative coordinators, policy analysts, communications specialists, attorneys, IT professionals, and more.
“After the success of last year’s event, I am looking forward to another job fair that allows us to attract the best and brightest Illinois has to offer,” said Speaker Welch. “I’m proud to be a leading voice for equity and diversity in the workplace, and I’m grateful I get to lead by example as the Speaker of the House.”
Nearly 100 applicants attended the in-person event in 2021 and more than 500 resumes were collected for open positions. Applicants ranged in age from college students to retirees looking to reenter the workforce. In addition to the in-person event, 100 people registered for the virtual option that was also offered due to COVID-19 concerns.
Friday, November 18, 2022 • 10 AM - 12PM
Illinois Capitol Building, Room 114 - 301 S. Second Street, Springfield
If you’re looking to make a difference, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and the House Democratic Caucus are looking for you! To learn more about the opportunities available with the Office of the Speaker, visit ilhousedems.com/employment/.
Do you like your current job?
…Adding… From Mike Ziri…
Hi Rich,
I saw your post today, “Want a new job?” Equality Illinois has an opening for Manager of Civic Engagement. The position description is linked at https://www.equalityillinois.us/17209-2/ and can be shared on your blog, if you’d like. Thanks.
Mike
–
Michael Ziri
Director of Public Policy
EQUALITY ILLINOIS
he/him/his
In accordance with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 39, as Chief Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit of Illinois, I do hereby give notice to the members of the Bar that two vacancies exist for the position of Associate Judge for the Third Judicial Circuit. This vacancy exists due to the retirements of Associate Judge Philip B. Alfeld and Thomas William Chapman, effective July 5 and July 21, 2022, respectively.
Applications shall be taken from any United States citizen, who is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois and a resident of the Third Judicial Circuit. Applicants shall have 30 days after this notice of vacancy within which to electronically file a signed application with the Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts on the form prescribed and furnished by the Director.
With the Illinois General Assembly back at the Capitol Tuesday, House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) lays out his expectation for one of the big issues, the “Safe-T Act.”
A key provision of that package, which passed almost two years ago, is the end of cash bail Jan. 1. Police and prosecutors have said their ability to catch and keep criminals will be severely hampered. If they are expecting lawmakers to use the veto session to overhaul the legislation, they are in for a disappointment.
“Certainly it’s a hope that we get clarifications done before we leave here in the second week of veto session,” which ends Dec. 1, Welch said. “I don’t think there’s a need for a big overhaul. We have already done three trailer bills that have been signed into law.”
Welch, about to enter his second two-year term as speaker, says the big issues – abortion, Safe-T, gun control – are delegated first to “working groups.” Those groups are all Democrats and not open to the public.
“One of the ways I manage the caucus is making sure that there is a consensus among us first,” said Welch. “The committee process will allow Republicans to be involved in it. After that, we’ll take it to the floor. (That process) has produced a whole lot of solid results.”
Jim Kaitschuck of the Illinois Sheriffs Association told The Center Square it could be a while before changes to the act are agreed upon even though lawmakers return this week.
“Our last conversation was last Wednesday, and we do not have a schedule to meet again, but that could change,” Kiatschuck said. “Lawmakers are only in session Tuesday and Wednesday, so in terms of something moving this week, I don’t think that’s remotely likely.”
Over the past few months, Republicans have called for a repeal of the measure, while Democrats have discussed further legislation. Kiatschuck said one idea is more realistic than the other.
“It’s a trailer bill is more likely,” Kaitschuck said. “Especially with the change of politics that has occurred, I do not see how a full repeal would occur.”
Many groups have spoken out against the measure, including the Illinois Sheriffs Association. Kaitschuck has been a part of the negotiations on the subject and said it’s all up to lawmakers now.
“We shed some light on the concerns we have, and states attorneys have and how we would address some of those things,” Kaitschuck said. “Ultimately, now the case has been presented now, it’s a matter of making a determination as to what the General Assembly is able to change or wants to change.”
Voter turnout in Chicago’s Black wards dropped significantly in Tuesday’s midterm elections after a record high turnout in the 2018 midterm election, according to a Crusader analysis of data from the Chicago Board of Elections.
Overall voter turnout among Chicago’s 1.5 million registered voters on Tuesday was just 41.3 percent, compared to 60.67 percent in the 2018 midterm election. In Black wards that year, voter turnout was 57.51 percent.
But voter turnout Tuesday, November 8, in Chicago’s Black wards was even lower. Election data show that out of the city’s 17 Black wards, only 36 percent or 573,514 registered voters cast ballots on Tuesday. Voter turnout in Black wards was even lower than during the 2014 midterms election, where turnout was 49.56 percent, higher than the city’s overall turnout of 48.81 percent.
In Tuesday’s election, 11 Black wards experienced voter turnout that was within 30 percentage points. The 16th and 37th Wards had the lowest voter turnout with 25.13 percent and 27.45 percent, respectively. The 16th Ward, representing the neighborhoods of Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Gage Park, New City and West Englewood, historically has the lowest turnout than any of Chicago’s Black wards.
In Tuesday’s election, none of the Black wards experienced a higher voter turnout than in 2018, when Democrats wrestled control of the U.S. House from the Republicans under President Donald Trump.
Tom DeVore, who was defeated by incumbent Democrat Kwame Raoul in the race to be Illinois attorney general, downplayed the influence of the former President Trump on the Republican’s poor electoral performance.
“Trump’s been gone a long time, so absent Trump would we have won any of these races? I don’t think so,” said DeVore. “There’s bigger issues at play from a structural perspective and an organizational perspective for the party in Illinois and I think that had a much larger impact on these races than any former president ever could have had.”
Republican state Sen. Jason Plummer agreed that the Republican Party in Illinois simply does not have the electoral infrastructure to compete effectively.
“We have an infrastructure problem here in Illinois regardless of the election cycle, regardless of names that people like to talk about,” said Plummer. “The fact of the matter is what we’ve done in Illinois Republican politics would be the equivalent of sending the Chicago Cubs out on the field without bats or gloves.”
Both DeVore and Plummer bemoaned in particular the lack of an early vote effort on the GOP side while noting the success of Democrats in turning out their vote.
“Structural” analysis coming from Tom DeVore? The guy who had no discernible campaign structure at all?
And the lack of an early and mail-in vote push by Republicans is precisely because of Donald Trump, who wants everyone to vote on election day. Republican voters would’ve revolted if the state party had gone against Trump and ran a mail and chase program. Maybe now, the rank and file will learn something. Or not.
But, more importantly, they lost on the issues that mattered most to actual voters. And abortion was at the top of that list. No amount of money and “infrastructure” improvements were gonna change that this year.
* From Heather Wier Vaught’s post-election analysis…
Democrats won two Illinois Supreme Court seats in the newly drawn Second and Third Districts, and Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis received the vote to be retained for a 10-year term. This gives Democrats a 5-2 majority for the first time since 2004. In a first for the Court, a majority of the justices will be female (5-2), there are three African American justices, and a majority are new to the Supreme Court.
The irony is Ken Griffin is the person who should receive the most credit for the changes to the Court and Democrats’ 5-2 majority. In 2020, Griffin and independent expenditure committees spent millions against Justice Kilbride with the goal of knocking him off the Court and electing a Republican to that seat to have a 4-3 Republican court. But Kilbride’s close defeat (he received 57% but needed 60% to be retained) and the retirement of Justice Thomas triggered two elections in 2022, and the General Assembly seized that opportunity to redistrict the Supreme Court districts for the first time since 1964. The Illinois Constitution’s requirement that the districts be of “substantial equal population” allowed the legislature to draw two districts that slightly favor Democrats. Had Kilbride won in 2020, the General Assembly likely wouldn’t have redistricted the Court, and the Republicans could have retained the now-lost seat in the Second District. That could have allowed Republican donors to redirect the tens of millions spent on Supreme Court races to executive and legislative races.
Griffin recently called former President Trump a three-time loser. Maybe look in the mirror, genius.
* The trend is most definitely not Rep. Mazzochi’s friend…
DuPage County counted more ballots today, and now the Democratic challenger Jenn Ladisch Douglass @jldfor45 leads Illinois Republican state representative Deanne Mazzochi @deannemazzochi by 280 votes. I'm calling this election for Ladisch Douglass #twillpic.twitter.com/TzcaVyzrsu
* State Journal-Register | Illinois General Assembly veto session begins. Here’s what to know: Expected to add up to five seats in the Illinois House, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced Monday that he would retain his position for a second term. “We have more work to do – and with a strong, diverse, and talented Democratic caucus alongside me, I am excited to continue the work Illinoisans have sent us to do,” he said in a released statement.
* Washington Post | Muslim Americans make historic gains in midterm elections: Nabeela Syed made history in this year’s midterms when she defeated a Republican incumbent in Illinois’s 51st District, making her the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly and among the first Muslims elected to the state legislature. […] Syed is among a cohort of candidates who made history this year by becoming the first Muslim Americans to be elected to the state legislature in states including Texas, Illinois, Georgia and Minnesota. All of them are Democrats, many are women and a rising number are Somali Americans.
* WSIL | Illinois comptroller helps hand out turkeys in Cairo: 150 turkeys were handed out in Cairo on Monday in an event that’s been going on for six years. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza has been a part of the event that entire time. She joined with Arrowleaf Community Center and Laborers’ 773.
Conservative groups that sought to get hundreds of “parents’ rights” activists elected to local school boards largely fell short in last week’s midterm elections, notching notable wins in some Republican strongholds but failing to gain a groundswell of support among moderate voters.
Traditionally nonpartisan, local school boards have become fiercely political amid entrenched battles over the teaching of race, history and sexuality. Candidates opposing what they see as “woke” ideology in public schools have sought to gain control of school boards across the U.S. and overturn policies deemed too liberal.
The push has been boosted by Republican groups including the 1776 Project PAC, which steered millions of dollars into local school races this year amid predictions of a red wave. But on Tuesday, just a third of its roughly 50 candidates won..
A big 1776 Project PAC contributor is billionaire Illinoisan Richard Uihlein, via his Restoration PAC.
Uihlein backed the failed effort to flip the Illinois Supreme Court. He put big bucks into several losing congressional races here (and across the country). He supported Darren Bailey directly and also with $42 million to Dan Proft’s committee. He plunked down at least $2 million against the Workers Rights Amendment and appears to have lost there as well. And he was the primary funder of the Common Sense Reforms PAC, which wasted a bunch of money on a whole lot of failed state legislative races. Also, he contributed millions to the Illinois Senate Republican Leader, who did pick up a net seat but is now about to be forced out by his own members.
And that’s just this year. Uihlein’s losses here go back years.
* Something else I didn’t know. From the Citizens Utility Board…
For the tenth consecutive year, Illinois had the lowest average electricity bills in the Midwest, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Illinois, which at one point had the highest bills in the Midwest, has now had the lowest since 2012.
The EIA, the statistical arm of the Department of Energy, reported that Illinois’ average monthly bill, $95.86 in 2021, fell well below the national average of $121.01. In fact, Illinois had the fifth lowest average bill in the country. Utah, the cheapest, is at $80.87, and Hawaii tops the list with $177.78. Here’s how Illinois stacks up against other Midwestern states:
Here’s where Illinois ranks among the states (and the District of Columbia) that have the lowest average power bills:
• Utah: $80.87
• New Mexico: $87.31
• Colorado: $91.96
• District of Columbia: $92.42
• Illinois: $95.86
• Wyoming: $96.82
Despite a decade of relatively low electric bills in comparison to other parts of the country, there is still a lot of work to be done here in Illinois. In June, the electricity prices for ComEd and Ameren skyrocketed for a number of reasons, including an over-dependence on fossil fuels in the country.
Thanks to a provision in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act that CUB worked for, ComEd customers have actually been able to cut their electric bills by about $18-20 a month, on average. The problems are more complex in Central and Southern Illinois, and the consumer group has been seeking ways to give short-term and long-term relief to consumers there.
Following the recent midterm election, some Illinoisans still feel as though the state is neglecting their interests.
The nonprofit Illinois organization, New Illinois, held its second constitution convention this weekend at the Thelma Keller Convention Center in Effingham. The organization has expressed its intention to break away from Chicago and some of its surrounding areas and establish a new state called New Illinois.
One of the convention’s main speakers was Ted Dabrowski, who is president of Wirepoints Incorporated, a nonprofit that independently researches Illinois’ economy and links it to certain political policies.
Throughout his speech, Dabrowski shared several of the organization’s statistics, most of which centered on educational funding and other educational statistics of public schools.
“We don’t use the word secession because that’s not what this is, it’s legally something different,” said G.H. Merritt, chair of the nonpartisan organization New Illinois. “We are trying to form a new state, and we’re not trying to kick Chicago out of Illinois, we’re trying to kick ourselves out of Illinois.”
Only Congress has the power to create new states, but there has never been a formal agreement on how the process should take place.
Merritt said a driving force behind the expanding movement is that many southern Illinoisans want to be heard regarding issues that affect the state as a whole.
“You have this movement in Illinois, you have it in California, you have it in New York, you have it in Colorado, it’s because the people in the rural areas don’t have a meaningful voice in the government,” Merritt said.
She said a resolution is expected to be filed in January to begin the process.
* WTAX | Welch ready for veto session: “Certainly it’s a hope that we get clarifications done before we leave here in the second week of veto session,” which ends Dec. 1, Welch said. “I don’t think there’s a need for a big overhaul. We have already done three trailer bills that have been signed into law.”
* Country Herald | State Rep. Bennett hospitalized after Car Crash near Gibson City: “He was taken to the hospital where they’ve been observing him and running some tests. He’ll be resting for a few days, so he won’t be able to make it over to Springfield for the veto session which begins tomorrow.“ A Representative for Bennett posted Monday afternoon.
* WGN | Jim Durkin on the future of the GOP: “Donald Trump is toxic, everything he’s touched in the past year has been a failure.”- IL House Minority Leader Jim Durkin
* Capitol News | Theis, sworn in as chief justice, says partisanship has no role on state Supreme Court: Mary Jane Theis was sworn in as chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court on Monday in a public ceremony, becoming the fourth woman to hold the gavel since the court was created in 1818. By next month, the Democrat will find herself presiding over a new historic first for the court, as women take a 5-2 majority for the first time in Illinois’ history.
* WBEZ | Jill Biden touts ‘career-connected learning’ in Chicago, calling education a nonpartisan issue: The first lady urged Chicago employers to create “inclusive career opportunities” for students from all backgrounds. She touted the Biden administration’s commitment to “career-connected learning” programs that bridge the gap between what students learn and the careers they eventually find, calling it “the future of our workforce.”
* WCIA | First snowfall lands in Central Illinois, more to come : A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued as another round of snow is set to arrive Monday night. If you didn’t see snowfall on Saturday, expect to see some tonight, with the possibility of more than three inches in some areas.
* It’s my first day covering session! Tell me about what you want to see happen during veto session, or whatever else is on your Illinois-centric mind.
* All opposed Illinois congressional Democrats appear to have under-performed Biden 2020 results in their newly drawn districts, which is to be expected when the party controls the White House during a midterm. But they didn’t under-perform Biden enough to lose any seats. The Dem maps/candidates/messaging held and the GOP candidates/messaging failed…
The congresswoman-elect, who is a University of Illinois graduate, did especially well in areas near the UI campus. Of nine Champaign-Urbana precincts where the student vote dominates, Budzinski currently has 3,580 votes to 424 for Deering.
Wow.
* Speaking of winning Democratic candidates, US Rep.-elect Delia Ramirez sent me a selfie from freshman orientation this morning…
J.B. Pritzker … what do you say? He must really, really want to be governor. He plowed $171 million into his 2018 victory, and then put another $152 million into 2022. Can anyone make an observation about him that isn’t somehow tainted by the third of a billion dollars worth of hype firehosed at us over the past four years?
Whew.
* From a Crain’s Chicago Business editorial about what the governor should do now…
But now that he doesn’t have to talk voters—and organized labor—into supporting him, what other measures is Pritzker willing to take to further bend the pension liability curve downward?
In other words, they are demanding that the governor flip on the people who put him and kept him in office.
Finally, there’s the elephant in the room: crime. Granted, the governor is not the mayor. Beyond the Illinois State Police, he has little direct control over any particular municipality’s approach to making Illinois’ streets safer. That said, he has a massive bully pulpit—and he must use it to send a message throughout that state that he understands the urgency of the public safety challenge and will do all he can to make crime prevention and effective policing a top priority in his second term.
[ILGOP Chair Don Tracy] said Tuesday’s results stung, but he’s not sure what could have changed the party’s fortunes. “I’m head of the party, so obviously I can’t deny responsibility,” he said, “but I haven’t heard anybody so far say we could have done anything differently.”
One bright sign for the party: It appears to have held on to the Cook County Board seat of the retiring Pete Silvestri. Though some mail ballots are yet to be counted, GOP nominee Matt Padgorski has a better than 1,000-vote lead over Democrat Maggie Trevor.
Durkin’s leadership role wasn’t the only casualty of the election. Several members of his leadership team — many of whom have records of bipartisanship — will be gone when the new legislature is sworn in early next year.
Along with Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington, who ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state, Rep. Tom Demmer of Dixon lost for state treasurer and Rep. Avery Bourne of Morrisonville made a failed bid for lieutenant governor in the June GOP primary. Rep. David Welter of Morris lost to a more conservative challenger in the primary, and Rep. Keith Wheeler of Oswego was unseated in the general election. Rep. Mark Batinick of Plainfield, meanwhile, chose not to seek another term. Early Friday morning, Rep. Tim Butler of Springfield, who was reelected three days earlier, said he would resign before the new legislature is seated to take a job with the Illinois Railroad Association.
Rep. Butler, by the way, will be taking advantage of an ethics loophole that he spoke against after the bill was passed…
This legislation barely scratches the surface of what needs to be accomplished for ethics reform. Debate on the bill revealed that the revolving door prohibition outlined in the legislation would allow current members of the legislature to become lobbyists for the General Assembly one day after their retirement. This is not real reform. This is the status-quo!
As long as he resigns before his current term ends, he can begin lobbying for the railroads on the first day of the 103rd General Assembly.
The future remains promising for Illinois Democrats, but Redfield still sees some room for improvement when it comes to attracting working-class support which has increasingly favored the GOP in recent elections. The tent is large for the Democrats, which can lend way to head-butting between the moderate and progressive wings.
He said the red wave never cresting may cause some Democrats to think the gap does not need to be bridged.
“I thought the Republicans were going to do a lot, lot better,” Redfield said. “Since they didn’t, then the temptation on the Democrat’s side will be to say ‘Well, we’re doing great.’… I don’t think that’s a good policy.”
Funny how people seem to forget that Black and Latino working class voters are solidly Democratic here.
A striking 45 percent of voters in Michigan’s gubernatorial race named abortion as their top priority — far higher than any other issue. Those voters broke 77 percent to 22 percent for Whitmer over her Republican opponent, conservative commentator Tudor Dixon.
Whitmer, who Republicans had believed to be vulnerable, won reelection by more than 10 points.
* Center Square | ALEC weighs in on Illinois’ ‘workers’ rights’ amendment: Conversely, right-to-work laws ensure workers cannot be made to join an association or union or pay dues to it as a requirement for employment. ALEC said states with this policy tend to be more prosperous and have faster wage growth than non-right-to-work states.
* Center Square | Illinois’ election the most contested in two decades: With 3.8 million Illinoisans voting in 79 competitive Illinois House elections, the state’s 2022 general election was the most contested in the past two decades. Races included Congressional seats, Illinois House and Senate races, and a constitutional amendment.
* Shaw Local | Sauk Valley backed Darren Bailey in ways not seen since Jim Edgar’s 1994 landslide victory: Incumbent Democrat JB Pritzker defeated Bailey in statewide returns. While there has been much analysis about Bailey’s weakness in the Chicago suburbs, there was no question he energized voters in the Lee, Whiteside, Ogle and Carroll counties. In fact, it was the most votes by a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the four-county region since Jim Edgar’s landslide victory in 1994.
* Illinois Farmer Today | Farm Bureau policy director gets into weeds of farm bill: “Politics makes strange bedfellows. Nutrition advocates worked closely with the crop insurance industry and farm groups. It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort. We put a lot into it, and they do too. There are going to be many members of Congress that have production agriculture but not a lot of farmers out there who are buying crop insurance. Having the SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) included in the farm bill is a wise move. It keeps all the components together from production to consumption,” Adam Nielsen, Director of National Legislation and Policy at the Illinois Farm Bureau said.
* Eastern Bloc member Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) in Center Square…
“I just think that we need to get better organized and offer the people of Illinois a choice,” Caulkins said. “I don’t know, maybe things just haven’t gotten bad enough yet to where enough people haven’t figured it out.”
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) released the annual Illinois Economic and Fiscal Policy Report showing under Governor Pritzker’s leadership Illinois is in its best fiscal shape in decades.
“Illinois’ bills are being paid on time, we have over $1 billion in our rainy-day fund, our credit ratings are up and we are honoring our commitments to long-term financial liabilities by contributing extra to Illinois’ pension systems,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As we celebrate the tremendous progress we’ve made with our partners in the General Assembly, we remain committed to working tirelessly for Illinois taxpayers and responsibly managing the state’s finances. We’ve closed a seemingly insurmountable structural deficit that I inherited, and together we are securing Illinois’ long term fiscal stability and providing economic opportunities to its citizens.”
The future years’ budget outlook detailed in the report benefits from strong fiscal management over recent years as the Governor worked with partners in the General Assembly, the Comptroller and the Treasurer, to balance state budgets, tackle the state’s multi-billion-dollar bill backlog, repay COVID related short-term borrowings early, make $500 million in extra-ordinary payments to the state’s pension systems and put more than $1 billion in a savings account for fiscal emergencies or economic downturns. Additionally, by rebuilding the foundation of the state’s finances during the Pritzker administration, the Governor and lawmakers were able to provide $1.8 billion in tax relief this year to the hardworking people of Illinois.
Even with troubling national economic indicators, income and sales tax collections so far this fiscal year continue to exceed budget forecasts by significant margins. Coupled with other one-time revenues, the General Funds revenue forecast for fiscal year 2023 is revised upward by $3.69 billion. GOMB is continuing to monitor the revenues closely as inflation and national/international factors beyond the state’s control may impact the economy in uncertain ways. GOMB is now projecting a nearly $1.7 billion net surplus in the general funds budget for fiscal year 2023, wiping out a forecasted fiscal year 2023 shortfall of nearly $3 billion as estimated in 2019.
The Governor intends to pursue several actions to continue Illinois’ strong path forward, and put the state in the best possible fiscal position to prepare for the economic uncertainty that lies ahead. The Governor’s recommended actions include working with the Legislature to:
• Make additional deposits of $1.3 billion into the state’s rainy-day fund, bringing it to more than $2.3 billion. While Illinois currently has its highest balance ever at $1.045 billion, Illinois is still among the smallest state rainy-day funds.
• Set aside funds to pay off revenue bonds issued in 2010 to help the state pay bills that mounted during the Great Recession. About one-third of the $1.5 billion borrowed at the time remains outstanding.
• Make an additional contribution toward the Unemployment Insurance Trust fund. The Trust Fund’s remaining debt to the federal government is $1.345 billion plus interest. The Governor and the General Assembly have already taken several steps to reduce the amounts owed from last year’s level of $4.5 billion.
Illinois’ significant improvement to its fiscal outlook has been noticed by the state’s credit rating agencies, which have upgraded Illinois’ General Obligation Bond credit ratings a total of six times during the past year.
GOMB is required to annually submit an Economic and Fiscal Policy Report to the General Assembly outlining the long-term economic and fiscal policy objectives of the state, along with the economic and fiscal policy intentions for the upcoming fiscal year and for the subsequent four fiscal years.
For fiscal year 2023, the Governor proposes to direct funds towards the remaining Railsplitter Tobacco Settlement Authority bonds. In December 2010, the Railsplitter Tobacco Settlement Authority issued revenue bonds in the amount of $1.5 billion to address a portion of the State’s unpaid bill backlog resulting from the Great Recession. The repayment stream is the State’s tobacco settlement payments under the Master Settlement Agreement between various states and various cigarette manufacturers. Of the original $1.5 billion issued in 2010, approximately $561 million – or over 1/3 of the original issue ‐ remains outstanding.
The Governor proposes working with the legislature to provide funds towards a cash defeasance of a portion of the remaining outstanding bonds with proceeds from a recent Attorney General settlement resolving claims regarding certain payments from tobacco companies. Once the bonds are paid off, the tobacco payment stream would be freed up to be used as ongoing annual state revenues to support the State’s Medicaid program.
Additionally, a larger than forecasted end of fiscal year 2022 balance in the Income Tax Refund Fund (due to stronger than expected income tax performance last fiscal year) has contributed a one‐time bump in the annual transfer from the fund of $1.28 billion. […]
Note that most of this fiscal year 2023 revenue forecast revision is assumed to be one‐time in nature.
And with a currently projected $384 million deficit in FY2025 rising to a $708 million projected deficit in FY2028, putting any of that new revenue into base spending would probably not be prudent. We’ll see if the Democrats can hold themselves back.
Thoughts?
…Adding… Comptroller Mendoza…
I wholeheartedly endorse Governor Pritzker’s proposal to put $1.3 billion more in the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
This will continue Illinois’ progress catching up to other states on preparing for any possible economic downturn. It protects Illinois’ important programs that care for our state’s most vulnerable, our schools and our health care systems.
I will continue to fight for passage of my Rainy Day Fund bill, HB 4118, which makes funding the Rainy Day fund and the Pension Stabilization Fund an annual obligation.
This responsible budgeting will send exactly the right message to the bond rating agencies that Illinois remains a good investment and is serious about restoring our fiscal health.
It’s prudent to be cautious about the impact inflationary pressures from the national/international economies can have on Illinois government. The report notes the Federal Reserve tries to mitigate these pressures, encouraging less spending and more savings. Likewise, with state government, Illinois should heed this direction to spend less and to save more and must better prepare for economic downturns that could hamper our ability to meet state obligations. This is why continuing to build the state’s Rainy Day Fund is essential. It is also the best path to further bond rating upgrades.
I urge legislators to get behind Governor Pritzker’s proposals to put more money in the Rainy Day Fund and toward the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, including funds to address technology funding shortages. Any urge to spend one-time revenues on new programs must be resisted. Now is not the time to spend. It is time to shore up our reserves and continue exhibiting strong fiscal discipline.
Illinois’ top Medicaid contractor has repeatedly failed to deliver basic medical services to thousands of foster children, from dental visits to immunizations to well-being checks, leaving foster parents to scramble to find health care, wait months for appointments and pay medical expenses out of their own pockets for the abused and neglected children they take into their homes, an Illinois Answers Project investigation has found.
Since 2020, the state of Illinois has paid nearly $370 million to the for-profit insurance powerhouse Centene Corp. to manage health care for 36,700 current and former foster children as part of the state’s YouthCare program.
These payments were made even as Centene repeatedly failed to meet common benchmarks, government records show.
The failures have forced foster parents — people who take in abused or neglected children frequently in need of urgent medical care — to grapple with a health care program that’s often underperforming and in disarray. That’s according to state data obtained through a lawsuit and interviews with foster parents, medical providers and state officials.
The contract has rolled out in phases as some foster parents complained they could not fill prescriptions or even schedule regular check-ups for children with serious medical conditions.
Last year, Meridian began producing for state officials quarterly slideshows with basic data about its performance in delivering care. The slides are meant to outline whether Meridian is meeting timeliness and quality standards, and what it’s doing to overcome problems.
But when the BGA asked last month to see those slideshows, state officials turned them over almost completely redacted — with entire slides blacked out.
The contractor’s performance data constituted “trade secrets,” HFS explained in its denial letter to the BGA.
* Across the country, Centene has showered politicians with contributions while settling over-billing allegations. Missouri Independent…
Since 2015, the Clayton-based insurance behemoth, its subsidiaries, its top executives, and their spouses have given more than $26.9 million to state politicians in 33 states, to their political parties, and to nonprofit fundraising groups, according to a KHN analysis of IRS tax filings and data from the nonpartisan, nonprofit group OpenSecrets. That total doesn’t include the millions of dollars Centene and its subsidiaries have given to state politicians’ political action committees because OpenSecrets doesn’t track those donations. The KHN analysis also does not include giving to congressional and presidential candidates.
It’s a purposeful political investment: Centene earns billions of dollars from governments and then uses its profits to back the campaigns of the officials who oversee those government contracts. The company has developed this sophisticated, multipronged strategy as it pursues even more state government-funded contracts and defends against sweeping accusations that it overbilled many of those very governments.
Centene declined to make a representative available for an interview and didn’t respond to specific questions about its political giving. But company spokesperson Suzy DePrizio said in a statement that the company follows all local, state, and federal laws and records all contributions from its political action committee. She said Centene’s contributions “are intended to serve as support to those who advocate for sound public policy healthcare decisions, which is evident by our nearly equal support of candidates from both parties.”
This year, according to IRS filings that go through Sept. 30, Centene has given $2.2 million, combined, to the Republican and Democratic governors’ associations, which help elect candidates from their respective parties. And Centene gave $250,000, combined, to the Republican Attorneys General Association and its Democratic counterpart.
* Dan Proft explains to Greg Hinz why his messaging failed…
The first: “Making personal safety the referendum question was the best play we had. It put Pritzker (and Lightfoot) on defense the entire race. It kept him focused on me rather than Bailey and it had the added benefit of broad bipartisan opposition–prosecutors, judges, sheriffs, et al.” So it worked, up to a point.
However, he continued, “At the end of the day, as in New York, there are not enough motivated voters, to the extent they exist at all, to make a change even with broad agreement on an issue that was essentially even with abortion in terms of animating votes (per a lot of polling).” Or as he put it earlier in the email, “Many of those Rs you think are in the suburbs aren’t. And many who are left are either fatalistic–about a lot more than Bailey (see the congressional and leg(islative) races)–or cowered into inaction by the Leftist mob’s vilification.”
Proft “doesn’t do meaningful research on voters and tailor messaging to it. He just figures out what will make Dick Uihlein get his rocks off,” says Tom Bowen, who currently is working for Lightfoot. “Voters have competing priorities. You can’t just say ‘crime, bad. BOO!’ and hope that works if you don’t credibly put forward a plan as an alternative. Also, you can’t divorce that from what’s going on elsewhere.”
The crime issue failed spectacularly in the primary for Richard Irvin and then Proft amped up the volume to 11 in the general. Only Proft and Uihlein believed it could work, apparently, to the tune of $42 million.
For months, abortion providers in the Metro East have described a surge in patients since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
A national report from the Society for Family Planning has documented that increase. It notes that Illinois clinics performed nearly 30% more abortions in August than in April, even as the total number of procedures fell across the United States. […]
The group began compiling the list in early 2022. It found that Illinois providers performed nearly 7,000 abortions in August, up from 5,400 in May and April and nearly 6,000 in June.
The jump in abortions performed by Illinois clinics comes as states in the south-central region of the United States saw a 96% decrease in the number of abortions between April and August. Many patients are coming to Illinois, where abortion remains legal, from Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and other states where lawmakers swiftly banned the procedure.
When the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June, Missouri became the first state to outlaw abortion. Since then, logistics centers and clinics in neighboring states where abortions are legal are feeling the brunt of the decision. Demands for services are increasing, and people from Missouri are flocking to Illinois or Kansas get an abortion. […]
In 2020, a year after state legislators passed a strict ban on abortion after eight weeks of pregnancy, 3,391 Missourians received an abortion. Of that number, 1,837 white women and 1,160 Black women underwent the procedure. That same year, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, doctors in Illinois performed 6,578 abortions on Missouri residents. Meanwhile, the 2021 Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s preliminary data found that 3,458 Missouri residents received an abortion in Kansas. […]
A recent report from Missouri’s health department found that Black women are three times more likely to die while pregnant or within a year of pregnancy than white women. And over the past 10 years, Missouri’s maternal mortality rates have increased. Some factors for Black women residents include late entry for prenatal care, pregnancy-related homicides, and that Black mothers in rural areas of the state experience low birth weight and preterm births at a greater rate than white mothers in rural or urban areas or Black women in urban parts of the state.
This data exposes the inequities in health care access and maternal health outcomes for African American women, which points to why advocates say more Black women in Missouri will die because of lack of access to abortions.
John T. Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, said pollsters and Republicans across the country believed crime and inflation were “the twin issues that would shape the election.”
Abortion, Shaw said, was likely a larger issue propelling voters than pollsters accounted for.
“It is unclear if this is the fault of polling or if people were propelled by that issue but didn’t want to disclose that to pollsters,” Shaw said. […]
No other issue came close, the AP report said, but many other issues were named most important by about 1 in 10 voters, including abortion, health care, climate change and gun policy.
The upcoming session is not expected to address other issues that played high profile roles in the election, including additional protections for abortion access and a proposed ban on assault-style weapons. Those highly fraught topics likely will be pushed off into the new year, when the current crop of lawmakers returns to Springfield for a lame-duck session before newly elected legislators are sworn in. […]
One of the challenges facing lawmakers in the upcoming session is that any measure that passes requires a three-fifths majority in both chambers if it is to take immediate effect. While Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers, rounding up enough votes on controversial matters to clear that hurdle isn’t always a given.
That’s a major reason why any action on hot-button issues like gun control and abortion is more likely to come after the new year, when only a simple majority would be needed. […]
Pritzker and other Democrats also have been looking for ways to strengthen the state’s already formidable protections for abortion access, and to support providers who are grappling with an influx of patients from other states, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer.
* Not a surprise, considering how well he did last week…
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch released the following statement Monday:
“The people of Illinois have called on House Democrats to continue our efforts to move our state forward, and with the support of an expanded Democratic Caucus, I’m proud to say that I have secured the necessary votes to continue these efforts as Speaker of the House. I’m honored by the trust my colleagues and my neighbors have placed in me, and I’m ready to build on the progress we have made in the past two years.
“Thanks to Democrats we have taken significant steps to get our fiscal house in order and help families make ends meet amid turbulent global markets. We’ve expanded resources for our community outreach programs and law enforcement to help keep families safe. We’ve invested in our students and teachers, and taken steps to rebuild confidence in state government. And we’ve made it clear that Illinois will always protect the right to choose, no matter what extremist judges say. We have more work to do– and with a strong, diverse, and talented Democratic Caucus alongside me, I am excited to continue the work Illinoisans have sent us to do.”
In addition to securing the votes of legislators, Welch is supported by a broad coalition of advocacy groups including:
AFSCME Council 31
Chicago Federation of Labor
Chicago Teachers Union
IBEW Local 134
IBEW State Council
Illinois AFL-CIO
Illinois Education Association
Illinois Federation of Teachers
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
Ironworkers Local 63
Laborers International Union – Midwest Region
Operating Engineers Local 150
Personal PAC
Sheet Metal Workers (SMART) Local 265
SEIU Illinois
United Food and Commercial Workers
Illinois Amendment 1 PASSES, which enshrines the right to collective bargaining in the Illinois Constitution. While the amendment did not get 60% of the amendment question vote, it met the other legal requirement to get more than 50% of total ballots cast in the election. #twillpic.twitter.com/nJ0GGuhF4g
There are some proposals dealing with cannabis issues that could theoretically still pass within a couple months, and though that’s unlikely, at least one lawmaker is still hopeful.
A bill (HB3415) sponsored by state Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, would create a Cannabis Control Commission with seven governor-appointed members and an executive director. It would assume the functions of various state agencies that handle specific components of cannabis regulation.
Right now, a person may have to go to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to seek a dispensary license. But if they want a license for a 5,000- to 14,000-square-foot craft grow facility or 210,000-square-foot cultivation center? That’s the Department of Agriculture. The Department of Revenue handles cannabis income. […]
Akele Parnell, CEO of Umi Farms and also a board member of Chicago NORML, said a single commission would make sense.
“It would 100% help the licensees, and I think the consumers,” Parnell said of Evans’s bill. “There’s a one-stop shop for guidance on how to operate, guidance on what the product should look like, guidance on, you know, recalls and consumer complaints and just general information, as opposed to several different … government agencies with different processes and different approaches.”
Illinois has issued its first two social equity marijuana dispensary licenses, and at least one of them is expected to open by next week in Chicago’s River North area.
Green Rose Dispensary is soon to open on the site of the old Carson’s Ribs restaurant at Ontario and Wells streets, one of the most prominent locations in the city. The state also issued a license to open to Ivy Hall, a boutique dispensary in Wicker Park, but it has not announced when it will open. […]
The wealthy and connected owners of Green Rose — GRI Holdings, Inc., — also include restaurateur Phil Stefani and former CTA executive John Trotta. Consultants on the project were Ross Morreale, co-founder of downstate Ataraxia cultivation center, and Jay Steward, former head of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which controls marijuana licensing for the state.
GRI qualified for the state’s social equity designation, which comes with bonus points for license applications, by hiring at least six employees who qualify for social equity by coming from neighborhoods with high rates of poverty or marijuana arrests, or who had prior minor cannabis convictions.
With a deadline to open their doors this spring, minority marijuana business entrepreneurs will have an $8.75 million pool of state-backed loans, state officials announced Thursday.
The state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will release the funds to more than 30 businesses with “social equity” licenses to grow, sell, process or transport cannabis and related products, with firms eligible for up to $500,000 at zero interest for 18 months. […]
The 35 businesses that were awaiting word on their applications for loans under a previous loan program — which offered below-market interest rates from banks — will be eligible for the Cannabis Social Equity Loan program. Loan funds used for a range of key expenses, such as rent, payroll, utility bills and other costs won’t have to be repaid, said Emily Bolton, spokeswoman for the commerce department.
The announcement comes less than a week after Vargas and other would-be minority pot entrepreneurs told the audience at a City Club luncheon that as many as eight out of 10 social equity license holders would probably miss a March deadline to have their businesses up and running. Entrepreneurs who haven’t secured all necessary permits, found a permanent location, ordered inventory and purchased equipment and other signs of viability by March risk losing their license. The costs of starting a craft growing operation can top $2 million, Vargas said.
* More…
* Crain’s | Vegas weed company picks Waukegan over Chicago for its pot shop: “We looked everywhere in the region. We were kicking a lot of tires in the city, downtown and elsewhere,” said Bob Groesbeck, co-CEO of Planet 13. “Waukegan checked the boxes: proximity to an area that’s not oversaturated, the ability to drive some traffic down from Wisconsin. There’s very supportive local government and not a lot competition because a lot of communities in the area opted out” of recreational cannabis.
* Marijuana Moment | Local Illinois Lawmaker Pushes For Psychedelics Decriminalization With New Bill: Councilmember Devon Reid’s proposal would make possessing, cultivating and delivering entheogenic substances like psilocybin punishable by a $100 fine without the threat of jail time. That fine could be waived for people who complete a drug treatment program or “reasonable public service work.”
* MI Biz | ‘Unprecedented’ $10M cannabis hospitality project planned in Muskegon: A group of Michigan and Chicago-based entrepreneurs are developing a one-stop cannabis destination in Muskegon that would include a growing and processing facility, dispensary, consumption lounge, outdoor venue, restaurant and bar.
State Rep. Tim Ozinga (R-Mokena) made the classic blunder of not focusing on one election at a time. But his flub does give us an excuse to look at a few fundraising issues.
It’s been no secret that Ozinga wanted to be the next House Republican leader. But he hasn’t really been involved in many House Republican races this year and then, the day before Election Day, all of a sudden reported giving his own campaign fund a million dollars.
As I pointed out to my newsletter subscribers last week, that money could’ve really helped some suburban or Downstate candidates who struggled to raise money and then lost. House Republican Leader Jim Durkin relied on the word of billionaire Ken Griffin that he’d have plenty of money for the fall campaign. But when Griffin left Illinois in a huff over rival billionaire Richard Uihlein opposing his efforts to nominate Republican Richard Irvin for governor, that commitment was discarded.
The Republicans’ fundraising base has badly eroded over the years. It has either aged out and/or moved to warmer climes and more hospitable politics, like Florida and Arizona. Once those folks leave, they just don’t care anymore (unless they’re getting paid, like Dan Proft, who spent millions of Uihlein’s money to help Darren Bailey). Adequate, reliable and younger replacements have not yet been found. Bailey winning the primary probably discouraged potential contributors from seeing a path to any significant wins this year.
This problematic fundraising trend has been going on for quite a few years. The wealthy Bruce Rauner exploited it to his own advantage by handing out money before, during and after his 2014 gubernatorial bid. After Rauner lost reelection and split for Florida, Griffin stepped in, until he lost the Irvin race and split for Florida.
So it’s either jump into the far-right political bed with Uihlein, or deal with the GOP’s stark fiscal reality and scramble every day to raise a few bucks here and there. It’s no wonder that Durkin retired. It’s just not worth the hassle.
Anyway, there is most definitely a void in the Republican Party structure that wealthy people like Ozinga can exploit, if only he had pitched in more during the last election instead of waiting to plunk down cash during the leadership race.
And while billionaire Uihlein didn’t give money to Durkin, he did fund a group called Common Sense Reforms independent expenditure committee. As I’ve told you before, it’s run by some Illinois Policy Institute honchos, including John Tillman.
According to a State Board of Elections website search, the group reported spending $1.9 million since early October.
Uihlein used the group in much the same way he helped Bailey through Proft’s independent expenditure committee, People Who Play by the Rules PAC. He gave a few bucks to Bailey, but most of his cash went to Proft.
Instead of concentrating the Uihlein cash on some winnable races, though, Common Sense Reforms scattered the spending among 18 House contests, with almost all of the districts receiving about the same amount of mail. I’m not sure if their spending was enough to move the needle in any individual races, but Uihlein and Tillman might have created some good will among the very small handful who won.
And, finally, a recent complaint filed against Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie’s campaign highlights a campaign finance law that’s being almost completely ignored in Illinois.
State law requires any candidates who receive 33% of their funding from a single person or group to disclose the name of the “sponsoring entity” on their state paperwork.
In McConchie’s case, the sponsoring entity was Uihlein, who contributed $2.1 million to McConchie’s personal campaign committee in the third quarter, or 78% of his total.
A spokesperson for the Board of Elections says that candidates don’t have to disclose their sponsoring entities on their “paid for by” advertising disclaimers, although one attorney I consulted disagrees.
But just think of all the candidates with sponsoring entities this year who didn’t disclose it. Irvin received tens of millions of dollars from Griffin. Uihlein has been Bailey’s sponsoring entity all year long. Kari Steele’s Democratic primary bid for Cook County assessor was almost totally funded by the Operating Engineers Local 150-connected Fight Back Fund’s million-dollar contribution.
Strengthening the law to make clear that campaigns have to disclose their sponsors in their advertising probably wouldn’t work. Uihlein and Proft could’ve just set up an entity called “I love Darren Bailey,” or something. Money always seems to find a way around regulations.
“Everybody said this election was about crime and inflation,” said Tim Schneider, the state GOP chairman from 2014 to 2021. “But suburban women voted pro-choice, and they voted on the abortion issue, which I believe sunk us.” […]
“Until so many Republican voters stop looking as if they accept Trump as their savior, these elections are destined to go down the toilet for us,” said Arlen Gould, a former staffer on many high-profile Illinois GOP campaigns. “And it’s never going to come back as long as we’re a party of election deniers and grievances.” […]
Gould believes in many cases, any stigma attached to the Republican Party was earned by many of the party’s long-held platforms.
“We’re on the wrong side of history with abortion, gay marriage and LGBTQ rights. We’re wrong,” he said. “And what are we offering now? What are our programs? What do we stand for other than negativity?”
The GOP losses symbolize a political party that has failed to adapt to the changing diverse demographics of the suburbs, moving from a message of social moderation and fiscal conservatism to a rigid-right ideology that is aging along with its dwindling base. […]
”We had lots of really great candidates” who were “constantly attacked by the Democrats on abortion, made-up issues and alleged extremism,” [ILGOP Chair Don Tracy] said. “In the coming days/weeks, we will be doing a deeper analysis on the elections and will share our thoughts on how best to move forward.” […]
Unofficial returns showed Bailey received about 37.5% of the vote in Lake County while the official count showed Rauner got 58% of the county’s ballots eight years ago. This year, Pritzker got nearly 60% of the county’s votes, according to unofficial returns.
An AP VoteCast survey of Illinois general election voters found suburban voters representing 49% of the state’s vote and supporting Pritzker 57% to 37% for Bailey. Suburban women, always a key demographic in statewide races, cast 26% of Illinois’ votes for governor and they went 61% to 31% for Pritzker, the survey showed. […]
Durkin noted his votes in favor of ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment and a previous proposal to ban assault weapons as examples of positions on “commonsense issues” in the voter-rich and increasingly Democratic-leaning suburbs.
Leader Durkin still doesn’t get it, or isn’t publicly admitting it. His party’s official hardcore stance on abortion has ruined them in the suburbs. And that started well before Donald Trump was elected president.
…Adding… I didn’t see this story, so I stand corrected on Durkin…
Durkin specifically urged Illinois Republicans to rethink the politics of guns, abortion, and gay rights.
“Whoever succeeds me, we need to do more to not take these strident positions on issues related to firearms, to issues of reproductive health, issues relating to the gay and lesbian community. There are many people who feel very strong about those issues who would vote for Republicans,” Durkin said.
* WMBD | LaHood could become next NRCC chair: No matter how the balance of power may be shaking out in Congress, one local lawmaker may soon have some more responsibility. 16th District Congressman Darin LaHood is in line to chair the National Republican Congressional Committee.
* Tribune | Illinois GOP, suffering from Trump factor and right-wing ideology, teeters on edge of irrelevance: Bailey’s losing coattails helped Democrats, who retained both U.S. Senate seats, took a 14-3 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation, kept all statewide elected offices, enhanced their majority on the Illinois Supreme Court and cast Republicans further into minority status in the Illinois General Assembly.
* News-Gazette | Budzinski shatters one of C-U’s oldest glass ceilings: It was inevitable that a woman would win the 13th District this time — the other candidate was Decatur Republican Regan Deering — but the victory was a long time coming locally. Illinois had its first female member of Congress — Chicago Republican Ruth McCormick — in 1928. Jessie Sumner, a resident of nearby Iroquois County and an outspoken critic of Franklin Roosevelt, was elected to Congress in 1938.
* Belleville News-Democrat | Illinois abortions increased nearly 30% in two months after Supreme Court’s ruling: The jump in abortions performed by Illinois clinics comes as states in the south-central region of the United States saw a 96% decrease in the number of abortions between April and August. Many patients are coming to Illinois, where abortion remains legal, from Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and other states where lawmakers swiftly banned the procedure.
* NBC 5 | Here’s Illinois Most Popular Thanksgiving Side Dish, According to a New Survey: According to the survey, 66% of people across the country prefer Thanksgiving sides to the main entrée. And if you’re hosting this year, you might want to opt for larger dishes: 7 out of 10 Americans say there isn’t enough room on their plate for all the side options served, the report says.
