* Details as they come in. I’ve confirmed that the Black Caucus has endorsed Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Hillside) for Speaker, but this was first reported by Rachel Hinton at the Sun-Times. She walked back the earlier Madigan angle.
If you take a look at what the women’s groups demanded today, Welch fits the bill. He voted for the ERA, HB40 and the RHA and, as Personal PAC demanded of the next Speaker, he’s the chief sponsor of the bill to repeal of the Parental Notification Act.
Rep. Welch is the current chair of the House Executive Committee, received the most votes for Democratic leadership in a recent Black Caucus election and has been a staunch supporter of Speaker Madigan.
Rep. Welch chaired the House’s special investigative committee of Speaker Madigan. He repeatedly sparred with the committee’s Republicans and tried to tie House GOP Leader Jim Durkin to ComEd.
The FBI is warning of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C., in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, stoking fears of more bloodshed after last week’s deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol.
An internal FBI bulletin warned, as of Sunday, that the nationwide protests may start later this week and extend through Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration, according to two law enforcement officials who read details of the memo to The Associated Press. Investigators believe some of the people are members of extremist groups, the officials said. The bulletin was first reported by ABC.
“Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the U.S. Capitol from 17 January through 20 January,” the bulletin said, according to one official. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
* Illinois State Police…
The ISP, along with our law enforcement partners, are tracking possible events at the Illinois Capitol building this weekend. The ISP remain vigilant in our mission to protect the safety of those engaged in the process of democracy, constitutional rights and public institutions. The ISP and local law enforcement will have all available resources at our disposal to respond to threats identified through federal, state and local intelligence.
“I’m with Madigan until I hear from him that he is withdrawing his candidacy to be the Speaker of the House,” State Rep. André Thapedi said Monday. […]
State Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) said there’s no path forward for Williams.
“Ann Williams doesn’t have a cross-section of the state backing her,” Moylan said. “There’s no people who look like me — male moderates — she has one Black male, that’s surely not representative of the state, one Hispanic female, there’s no male hispanics, also there’s nobody from downstate…So how is she going to appeal to the rest of us?”
Asked if he thought Madigan’s play on Monday was a display of leadership, Moylan said others from the caucus are free to announce their candidacy to see if they can get to 60 votes.
Thapedi, a member of the House’s Black Caucus, said he likely wouldn’t look kindly on any candidate for House Speaker who comes forward now that Madigan suspended his campaign, calling them “opportunists.”
As I have said many times, I will work with whoever the members of the House of Representatives elect as their speaker. Choosing the speaker is the sole responsibility of those representatives, and it is clear that the members are taking their choices.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* On to questions. He was asked about the last time he spoke with Madigan…
The last time I spoke with the speaker was a couple of days ago about the decoupling bill. So that’s the last conversation that we had, but I’ll work with whoever gets elected speaker and again as I have with the minority leader in the House and the Senate president and the minority.
* Did he ask MJM to resign when they spoke?…
No. I was in a conversation about getting things done. He is still the speaker. Now, we’re trying to get the coupling during this lame duck and, as I’ve said, the members of the House of Representatives are going to be voting on who their speaker is going to be.
* He was also asked about the Senate’s passage of a bill to apply the same collective bargaining standards on the CTU as the rest of the state…
Well, I have favorite passage of that bill since I was a candidate, since, really, before I was a candidate. And so, that bill, I know it’s coming to my desk and I’ll obviously take a serious look at it, but you know where I’ve stood for several years.
Starting this week and running through at least Inauguration Day, armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols and at the U.S. Capitol, according to an internal FBI bulletin obtained by ABC News.
The FBI has also received information in recent days on a group calling for “storming” state, local and federal government courthouses and administrative buildings in the event President Donald Trump is removed from office prior to Inauguration Day. The group is also planning to “storm” government offices in every state the day President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated, regardless of whether the states certified electoral votes for Biden or Trump.
“The FBI received information about an identified armed group intending to travel to Washington, DC on 16 January,” the bulletin read. “They have warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS via the 25th Amendment, a huge uprising will occur.”
Federal law enforcement officials have advised police agencies to increase their security posture at statehouses around the country following the riot at the U.S. Capitol, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Pritzker’s response…
I’m not going to talk about the specific security measures but suffice to say that they, the ISP is quite well aware of the challenges that may crop up you know they’ve seen them even reading into the session days here, and they will work you know we have a great security team for the state consisting of all three agency heads. That’s General Neely at our National Guard, Director Kelly at the state police and General Tate-Nadeau at our Emergency Management Agency. And we really work very cohesively and they’ve done a terrific job so far.
This post may be updated.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
New statement from Leader Durkin on Governor Pritzker’s comments today:
Within the next 48 hours, Mike Madigan is preparing to pass two bills relating to Medicaid and public education with a price tag in the billions of dollars. I strongly urge Governor Pritzker to stop Madigan from further destroying our state’s finances in his final days. The only decoupling the Governor should be engaged in is decoupling Madigan from the legislative process.
Governor JB Pritzker announced that Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia is stepping down from her role. Major General Peter Nezamis, Assistant Adjutant General – Air, Illinois National Guard to serve as interim director. The governor will name a permanent director for the department following a nationwide search.
“Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our freedom and this administration will continue to do everything possible to prioritize their care,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m grateful to Linda for her service and wish her well on her next chapter. I’m pleased to welcome Major General Peter Nezamis to his new role and am confident that with his decades of leadership and operations experience, he is the right person to lead this department forward and ensure our veterans receive the quality care they deserve.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve our veterans,” said outgoing IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia. “I’m proud of our accomplishments and I look forward to assisting the interim director in any way possible as the department continues its work to serve our heroes.”
“I’ve been privileged to serve our state and county in a number of capacities throughout my career and I pledge to lead the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs forward in a way that is transparent, equitable and fair,” said incoming IDVA Interim Director Major General Peter Nezamis. “IDVA is tasked with caring for our state’s heroic veterans, the most noble of missions, and one I look forward to leading in the weeks to come.”
Maj. Gen. Nezamis currently serves as the Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Illinois Air National Guard. As the Assistant Adjutant General for Air, he is responsible for the command, control and operations of plans and programs affecting more than 3,000 ILANG personnel located at Scott Air Force Base, Peoria and Springfield, Ill. as well as supervising a full-time force of over 900 state and federal employees. Additionally, General Nezamis serves as an Airborne Emergency Action Officer (AEAO) for Commander USSTRATCOM performing periodic alert duties as part of the Battle Staff onboard the USSTRATCOM Airborne Command Post (ABNCP) Looking Glass. He is trained as a Director of Mobility Operations (DIRMOP), and is the Vice for the Midwest Region Strategic Planning System and member of the national level Steering Committee (SPS-SC).
General Nezamis graduated from Western Michigan University in 1986, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Technology and Management. In December 1986, he commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Michigan ANG. He completed Undergraduate Pilot Training and was assigned to the 108th Air Refueling Squadron, O’Hare International Airport Air Reserve Station, Illinois, as a KC-135 pilot.
He is a command pilot, instructor and evaluator with more than 5,200 hours, commanded numerous expeditionary operations including the 492nd and the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadrons and flown over 275 combat hours in support of several operations including Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Previously he served as 126 ARW Wing Commander, Operations Group Commander, and Squadron Commander. Prior to his current assignment, General Nezamis was the Chief of the Joint Staff, Illinois National Guard, Camp Lincoln, Springfield Ill.
…Adding… Rep. David Welter (R-Morris)…
Director Chapa LaVia’s resignation was a necessary step in bringing accountability to the Pritzker Administration’s lackluster response to the deadly outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home. I welcome the naming of Major General Peter Nezamis to serve as acting director and encourage him to maintain an active dialogue with members of the Illinois General Assembly as he works to keep our veterans safe.
On December 5th, 2020, current Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider appointed four State Central Committee members to serve on a committee tasked with recommending a process for choosing a successor Chairman. This past Saturday, the State Central Committee unanimously approved the select committee’s recommendations on an open process and timeline for the selection of a new Chairman.
Key Details:
• Applications must be submitted by January 21, 2021, no later than 5 PM CST to ILGOP Executive Director Derek Murphy via email at derek@illinois.gop.
• The State Central Committee will meet January 23, 2021, to vet the candidates and select the finalists for interview.
• The State Central Committee will meet on January 30, 2021, to interview finalists and take a final vote on the selection of a new ILGOP Chairman.
• The Chairman selected by the Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee in 2021 will serve the remainder of the four-year 2018-2022 term pursuant to the conditions and requirements of the Illinois Republican Party by-laws.
To read more about qualifications and to view/print the application, please CLICK HERE.
“In stark contrast to the Democratic Party of Illinois, the ILGOP is a grassroots-led party that functions with transparency and in service to all Republicans fighting to save Illinois. While the most corrupt politician in America, Mike Madigan, continues his white-knuckled control of the Democrat apparatus, Illinois Republicans are proud to have a process for the selection of a new leader open to all freedom-loving Illinoisans who believe they can continue growing our party.” - ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider
Looking forward, the Illinois Republican Party must redouble its efforts to reach out to Illinoisans fed-up with years of corruption and disrespect due to one-party domination. Our priority should be putting Illinois workers and families first. We can accomplish this by applying policies that put money in the pockets of our workers and not the powerful, policies that empower Americans to live a better life for themselves and limits the power of government to make things worse.
At the same time, we need to reverse past policies that act as a deterrent to business expansion and job creation.
Illinois’ hope, recovery and restoration lies with true government reform and a return to government Abraham Lincoln so eloquently described as, “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
The next Illinois Republican Party chairman must have vision guided by tradition.
* The Question: Who should be the next ILGOP chair? Explain.
A 25-year-old, one-page section of an Illinois law governing educational labor that limits the Chicago Teachers Union’s bargaining rights could be repealed as soon as this week in Springfield, a move that would mark a win for the union after a long lobbying fight.
A repeal could have serious short-term implications for Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plans if the bill passes and is signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker — and have a significant long-term impact on the CTU’s relationship with CPS.
The repeal bill was passed in the Illinois House in March 2019, and it appears likely the Senate will follow suit in the week ahead — though it’s unclear if the governor will immediately sign it. A Pritzker spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who campaigned on repealing this part of the law, is now concerned about those prospects. In a letter sent to state senators Friday, she wrote that a repeal “at this critical time would impair our efforts to reopen Chicago Public Schools and jeopardize our fiscal and educational gains.”
Section 4.5 of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, passed in 1995, only covers unions negotiating with Chicago Public Schools — all other districts in the state are not affected. The section limits the bargaining power of the CTU — and other unions that represent school support staff — to bread-and-butter labor issues such as pay and benefits. It allows CPS to avoid negotiations over several school-related topics such as class sizes, staff assignments, charter schools, subcontracting, layoffs, and the length of the school day and year.
The original law was enacted during the brief era of total Republican rule. This bill merely puts CPS under the same rules as all other school districts in the state.
The bill already passed the House and now goes to the governor.
* Illinois Democratic Women, Illinois NOW, She Votes Illinois, WE WILL, Indivisible Illinois, Chicago NOW, Democratic Women of McDonough County, Lake County Democratic Women and Indivisible Illinois IL9…
With the news of Speaker Madigan suspending his campaign, our coalition recognizes that more candidates may join the race for Speaker of the House. It is our expectation as strong supporters of women’s rights, and especially women’s reproductive rights, that the next Speaker of the House from the Democratic caucus will have supported the ERA, HB40, and the RHA, and is planning to support the repeal of the Parental Notification Act. We cannot go backwards to protecting the rights of women and girls in Illinois.
HB40 was the abortion bill signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner. RHA is the Reproductive Health Act, which passed in 2019.
Just yesterday, the groups were demanding that a woman be elected Speaker.
Men4Choice PAC
Illinois Handmaids
Indivisible Oak Park
Peoria NOW
North/Northwest NOW
Resistor Sisterhood
*** UPDATE 1 *** A buddy of mine went through all three roll calls of the three aforementioned bills. Click here to see his document. Highlighted names voted for all three bills.
…Adding… Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth was inadvertently left off the list.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Terry Cosgrove, President & CEO of Personal PAC…
Almost daily, a pregnant young woman in Illinois is forced to beg a judge in a room full of strangers to “allow” her to seek an abortion, with her only other choices being a self-induced illegal abortion, telling a violent or abusive parent she is pregnant, or becoming a parent against her will and better judgement. This is what Illinois’ dangerous Parental Notice of Abortion (PNA) law does to countless young women across Illinois and why the next Speaker of the Illinois House must publicly commit to play a leadership role in its repeal prior to May 31, 2021. Putting the health and lives of young women at risk for one more day is unacceptable and lacks excuse. The repeal of PNA simply requires striking a few sentences from the state statute, is revenue neutral (actually saves money), and is supported by every mainstream medical and child advocacy organization in Illinois and across the country. The time for leadership is now.
That group raises and spends a ton of money on legislative races.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 4,776 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 53 additional deaths.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,033,526 cases, including 17,627 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 66,697 specimens for a total 14,169,986. As of last night, 3,540 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 759 patients were in the ICU and 401 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 4–10, 2021 is 7.6%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 4–10, 2021 is 8.9%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
“I have lost confidence that the current leadership is equipped to address the many challenges facing the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Director Chapa LaVia should resign so we can begin the process of rebuilding trust with Illinois’ veterans and their families.”
Rep. Daniel Didech (D - Buffalo Grove)
*** UPDATE *** Rep. David Welter (R-Morris)…
Director Chapa LaVia’s performance at today’s House Judiciary – Civil Committee does not provide me the confidence in her leadership skills to lead the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs any longer. If Director Chapa LaVia fails to do the honorable thing and resign then, Governor Pritzker must demand her resignation.
* Press release…
State Representative Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst), a member of the House Judiciary-Civil Committee, has released the following statement after this morning’s hearing on the LaSalle Veteran’s Home COVID-19 outbreak:
“I have spent months warning about the dangers COVID can present to vulnerable seniors in long term care facilities, and encouraging the state to devote more resources to protect them.
When we have a veteran’s facility where over 25% of the residents have died subsequent to a COVID outbreak, I had hoped Director Chapa LaVia would have clear, direct answers; would be intimately knowledgeable with the facts from the fateful two weeks in late October to early November when the COVID outbreak at the facility lost containment; and that she personally had initiated discussions with not just the personnel involved, but the Governor, to keep our veterans in not just LaSalle, but everywhere in the state, safe.
However, after spending the morning questioning director Chapa LaVia and her staff, the department and our veterans would be better served by a change in leadership, and I am calling upon her to resign. I am holding her to no less of a standard than the one she applied when she served as a legislator with oversight on issues involving our veterans.
Under her leadership, COVID-19 was able to run rampant in two of the state’s four homes, resulting in the deaths of dozens of veterans in the state’s care. Finding out what went wrong and where, and demanding accountability is not, as she called it, “micromanagement”; and understanding what went wrong is not just the job of people with medical credentials. It means getting all the facts immediately; and taking responsibility for the organization that she heads to resolve a crisis.
I am particularly disturbed that the agency has outsourced any continued investigation or options for improvement onto a separate agency, with no concurrent self-assessment on the practices and policies that led to the outbreaks. As members of our committee from both sides of the aisle agree, what they heard today was stonewalling of our legislative investigation; and a distinct lack of corrective action being taken by the agency. And, that no steps were taken to ensure the investigative cooperation of the administrator in charge of the facility at the time is an independent critical oversight error.
Furthermore, the apparent effort to insist that this outbreak must have arisen as the result of generalized COVID “community spread” in the LaSalle area, while calling “speculative” the heartbreaking possibility that COVID spread and deaths arose because patient bubbles were not preserved; doors to the rooms of COVID-positive patients were kept wide open; re-gloving from patient to patient was not properly done; the wrong kind of hand sanitizer was in dispensers; cross-contamination risks in administrative areas, and much more as detailed in the evidence of infectious disease control reports who visited the site on just one day, is appalling.
We can’t be afraid to say mistakes were made, and use that to find ways to get better. But to suggest, as was done today, that collective bargaining requirements may prevent full and immediate compliance by staff with infection control requirements is fundamentally disturbing. We can’t be afraid to tell union leadership that our veterans deserve our best. If you cannot get what you need because of procedural rules, then go to bat for our veterans with the Governor, and if he won’t act, then to us, so the necessary change occurs. Every Agency director should be expected to do that, and anyone in charge of our state’s veterans must be someone who not only wants to, but will, identify and rectify their facilities’ COVID policies and practices immediately and to ensure our veterans get the best care.”
Monday, Jan 11, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
This year every property in the City of Chicago will be reassessed by the Cook County Assessor.
In addition to a pandemic and a perpetual property tax increase recently passed by the City Council, commercial property owners must be ready to protect their bottom line when it comes the reassessment of their property.
Fanning Law concentrates its practice on commercial, industrial, and multifamily property tax appeals. They have the experience and track record that you need to ensure that you’re not paying more than your fair share.
If you own or represent a commercial, industrial, or multifamily property click here and fill out the contact submission form at the bottom of the page to obtain a no cost review of your current property tax assessment.
* Two high-level House Democrats have confirmed rampant rumors that House Speaker Michael Madigan is suspending his reelection campaign so that he’s not standing in the way of someone else trying to get to 60. More in a bit.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan released the following statement Monday:
“This is not a withdrawal.
“I have suspended my campaign for Speaker.
“As I have said many times in the past, I have always put the best interest of the House Democratic Caucus and our members first.
“The House Democratic Caucus can work to find someone, other than me, to get 60 votes for Speaker.”
By stepping aside, albeit temporarily, Madigan may be aiming to show the fractured caucus that no one else can muster the necessary support.
I think that’s a big part of this, but I don’t see more than a tiny handful of the members who voted against him yesterday crawling back and asking him to save them. The harsh reality is, he can’t get to 60. This isn’t like a campaign where the person with the most votes wins. For Madigan, this is like passing a bill. And 60 is the magic number.
As Madigan waits to see if an alternative can gather 60 votes from a very diverse caucus, it also opens up the door to new candidates, including from the House Black and Latinx caucuses whose members overwhelmingly endorsed the speaker’s reelection.
And women. Don’t forget women.
The list of groups demanding the House elect a woman Speaker now includes: Illinois Democratic Women, We Will, Vote Mama, She Votes, Illinois NOW, Lake County Democratic Women, Northwest/North NOW, McHenry NOW, Resistor SisterHood, Democratic Women of McDonough County, Illinois Handmaids, Peoria NOW, Indivisible Oak Park, Friends Who March, Indivisible Illinois, Chicago NOW and Women’s March Chicago.
…Adding… Press release…
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) released the following statement on the latest updates of the Speaker’s election:
“With 36 hours left before the swearing-in of a new General Assembly, Michael Madigan continues to create uncertainty and misdirection. His latest statement about suspending his bid for Speaker, but not withdrawing, is typical of his style and appears to be another ploy or a head fake. For the sake of the institution, his caucus must demand that he be direct and honest about his intentions – in or out.”
Good point.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
Following is a statement from State Rep. Kelly Cassidy in reaction to the news that Speaker Madigan is suspending his campaign for speaker.
“This is truly a historic moment for our caucus and our state. Speaker Madigan’s decision to suspend his campaign is an opportunity for us to come together as Democrats and carve a new path forward. Our caucus’ growing diversity is our strength, and we need to respect that as we decide what our leadership team looks like going forward. I anticipate that this debate will be robust and impassioned, but in the end, we are all Democrats, and we will come together to turn the page and fight for new solutions for the people of Illinois.
“This news came as a shock to a lot of the caucus, so I expect the race will change dramatically as a result. This is a time to hear what all of our colleagues have to say about their visions for a new leadership team. I have nothing to announce right now, but will keep everyone apprised if that should change.”
“This isn’t their Republican Party anymore!” Donald Trump Jr. declared on Jan. 6 during a fiery speech near the U.S. Capitol.
“This is Donald Trump’s Republican Party,” the president’s son insisted. “Today, Republicans, you get to pick a side for the future of this party. I suggest you choose wisely.”
And then, later in the day, all heck broke loose. A large number of furious cretins stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop a legitimate presidential election from being certified. Five people died in the resulting melee, including one member of the U.S. Capitol police force.
Freshman Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, a Republican, was at a rally the day before and made a bizarre comment about how Adolf Hitler was right about kids being the future.
Both Miller and U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-12) represent Southern Illinois, and after Congress reconvened that evening, they voted against certifying the presidential election results.
Bost and U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-18) signed on last month to a doomed attempt to convince the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the election results.
While U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-13) did not go as far as his three GOP colleagues, he has been an ardent President Trump supporter for the past four years.
Those are not the public faces the party needs in the Chicago suburbs. And you simply can’t win statewide in Illinois without carrying that region.
U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-16), on the other hand, has made a national name for himself by occasionally yet forcefully criticizing the president, and he has stepped up his game ever since it became clear that Trump lost the election. He took it to a much higher level on the day of the insurrection, however.
“I outright condemn this garbage,” Kinzinger said of Rep. Miller’s speech. He called the storming of the Capitol a “coup attempt.” He slammed fellow Republicans for refusing to certify the results. And he said the president is a “weak, self-absorbed man” who was attempting to “overthrow the will of the people.”
“He is no longer the leader of our party,” Kinzinger said of Trump. “And our party must reject these treasonous acts.”
Back when then-Congressman Ray LaHood (Darin’s father) was thinking about running against Gov. Rod Blagojevich, I wrote that “moderate” Washington, D.C. Republicans usually have voting records which don’t look at all moderate when they run statewide here. Kinzinger has voted with Trump 92% of the time and definitely has a conservative record.
But, man, those statements could erase a whole lot of whatever can be thrown at him if he decides to run for governor or U.S. Senate, especially in a state that Trump twice lost by 17 points.
One should never make predictions during times of massive upheaval and change, so let’s not anoint him yet. Plus, we’ve all seen politicians rise like rockets only to fall like meteors. And I’ve seen plenty of very solid, hard-working candidates fail simply because they lived in the “wrong” district or state.
With that being said, Kinzinger has a sharp wit and obviously knows how to land a hard punch.
Kinzinger won a McLean County board seat when he was just 20 years old and then joined the Air Force after college and went on to fly missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He won his first congressional race against an incumbent Democrat and then soundly defeated a longtime Republican incumbent in a post-remap primary. The dude has serious chops.
I was impressed with the way he rhetorically knocked Gov. J.B. Pritzker back on his heels last month over the LaSalle Veterans’ Home debacle, where 35 residents died of COVID-19. Then again, Kinzinger has not exactly been out front about warning his constituents to take precautions during the pandemic. The virus was raging through the surrounding community when it found its way into the facility.
The money to fund the Republican Party is in the Chicago area, where most corporate types tend to shun the far-right’s views. Those folks are definitely not going to want to reside in Donald Trump’s GOP going forward, no matter what the president’s son says. So they may be eager to embrace someone like Kinzinger.
But Kinzinger went so far out on a limb on Trump (even calling for his removal from office) that he may have seriously damaged his chances of winning a statewide primary. And even if he does win that round, a significant chunk of his party’s base might angrily choose to skip over him in a general election.
On Sunday, January 10th, 2021, State Representative Karina Villa introduced an amendment to Illinois’ Election Code concerning the optional loyalty oath candidates sign when submitting petitions to get on the ballot. The amendment states that the oath - in which signees swear they will not be part of any communist organization or group plotting to overthrow constitutional government - shall now add white supremacist groups and hate groups.
“White supremacists have no business occupying positions of power in our government, at any level,” Villa said. “The loyalty oath should cover members of these dangerous groups as well.”
In the wake of this past week’s events on Capitol Hill and a spike in hate crimes and white supremacist violence across the country, states must find ways to protect their residents from the dangers posed by white supremacist organizations and hate groups.
“State elected officials from multiple states across the country participated in the insurrection at the Capitol this week. That’s unconscionable. We have no choice but to ensure that white supremacists and insurrectionists cannot continue to run for office without making their hateful beliefs known to voters first.”
With less than three days to shore up the votes needed to claim another term as House speaker, Michael Madigan on Sunday was confronted with the reality that he lacks support from nearly a third of his 73-member Democratic caucus.
In the first closed-door ballot cast by divided House Democrats, Madigan received 51 votes, sources said, short of the 60 he needs to lengthen a tenure as speaker that stretches back to 1983, save two years of Republican control in the mid-1990s.
Rep. Ann Williams of Chicago has rallied the most support of Madigan’s challengers, garnering 18 votes in the first ballot on Sunday, according to sources. Rep. Stephanie Kifowit of Oswego received three votes and one member voted present. […]
Earlier Sunday, the 19 House Democrats who have publicly opposed Madigan hardened their opposition Sunday and pledged to stay united, issuing a statement declaring they will not support Madigan “at any stage of the voting process.”
Due to the public nature of the campaign to unseat Madigan, few expected the first round of balloting to yield a clear winner. Instead, the highly anticipated voice vote put every member on the record, and tested the strength and potential limits of the Speaker’s political support.
Madigan’s coalition of supporters includes the Legislative Black Caucus, the Latinx Caucus, downstate and moderate Democrats, and organized labor unions, many of whom say they’re prepared to dig in and defend his claim to the gavel against more inexperienced challengers.
And what happens if Madigan can’t get to 60 votes?
“Oh, he’ll get to 60 votes,” a confident Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) replied on her way out.
After the vote, Madigan’s spokesman said the incumbent speaker is continuing to work to be reelected. […]
Two incoming House Democrats also voted against Madigan: Rep.-elect Denyse Wang Stoneback, D-Skokie, and Rep.-elect Suzanne Ness, D-Crystal Lake. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, voted present
While Madigan hasn’t been charged, federal prosecutors have identified him repeatedly in court filings as “Public Official A” in the government’s probe of ComEd’s Springfield lobbying practices between 2011 and 2019. The company admitted to showering Madigan precinct captains and other associates with no-work jobs and contracts to curry favor with the speaker to help advance its legislative agenda.
Madigan has denied knowing about ComEd’s efforts to bribe him.
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), who has been one of Madigan’s most vocal critics for the past three years, voted present.
“I voted present because I just don’t think we’re there yet,” Cassidy told reporters after caucus adjourned Sunday night. “I don’t think we’re at a viable place yet.”
“What we learned tonight is that Speaker Madigan doesn’t have enough votes [said Rep. Kelly Cassidy] … I’m pretty certain that there are folks who are going to suggest that that means that a good Democrat would make that switch; I would argue that a good Democrat would argue that you’re not capable of uniting your caucus and step out of the way to let someone who can, do so.”
There’s more in all those stories, so click the links.
Body cameras would be mandatory for all law enforcement agencies under the law. Larger agencies would be required to have cameras in place by Jan. 1, 2022, and all agencies would need to have cameras in place by 2025.
Any municipality or county whose law enforcement agency does not comply would have its Local Government Distributive Fund contributions from the state reduced by 20% each year until it meets the requirements. The LGDF is the portion of state income tax revenue that goes to cities and counties.
Law enforcement groups, including the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police and the Chicago FOP, have referred to the Black Caucus legislation as the “Defund the police bill” because of this provision, a notion repeated by Chief Black, of Crystal Lake.
[House Criminal Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Justin Slaughter] and other members of the Black Caucus have disputed the characterization, given that law enforcement agencies are given time to comply and do not have funding cut outright.
House Democrats also accused law enforcement groups of spreading misinformation about the proposals, citing a Facebook post from the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association that labels the legislation the “defund the police bill.” The post falsely claims that the bill “completely eliminates felony murder immediately” and makes other misleading claims, lawmakers said.
Rep. Kam Buckner of Chicago called the post “a sensational hit piece,” and Rep. Anne Stava-Murray of Naperville, who is white, asked Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle, testifying Sunday on behalf of the sheriffs association, to have it removed. VanVickle said he would discuss the matter with the organization’s staff.
[Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightfort] told The State Journal-Register: “We’re in the midst of trying to strike a balance between those who say, ‘Defund the police,’ all the way to those who say, ‘Don’t do anything at all.’”
She added: “We’re trying to strike a balance where we can have some good, solid reforms that can be very helpful and beneficial to Black Americans but also allow our communities to remain safe. We’re pro-safety. We’re pro-police.”
* But voters don’t do nuance and opponents are not letting up. From the Illinois FOP’s dot points…
• Defunds any department that does not comply 100% with the draconian requirements of the legislation
“We should call this what it is, a blatant attack on the police profession and an underhanded attempt to defund our law enforcement.”
* Rep. Andrew Chesney and Stephenson County sheriff David Snyder…
These proposals by “Defund the Police” reformers simply increase costs and too-often treat alleged criminals better than the victims as well as the law enforcement officers sworn to protect and serve the public.
Sign the petition below to express your opposition to House Bill 163, which threatens the law enforcement profession by effectively defunding police departments across Illinois. https://t.co/fQbLd5kZY0pic.twitter.com/EgLyAVlwyK
* Yet, I don’t think a word was spoken last month when this happened in Washington, DC…
GOP leaders over the past week defeated efforts to help states and cities that are facing cutbacks to public safety and other services because of the pandemic-caused budget crisis. They claimed this would amount to what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called a “blue state bailout.” In reality, it was more of a “blue bailout” — and police in blue and red states alike are now on the chopping block.
“Despite the clear evidence that shrinking revenue in cities across the country is leading to job loss and the reduction of critical services like public safety,” the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors protested this week, “Congress chose to turn its back on first responders, police, firefighters and other essential workers.”
This isn’t theoretical. In large part because of the federal government’s months-long refusal to help, localities across the country are involuntarily defunding the police in real time.
* Background is here if you somehow need it. Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago)…
Today’s vote makes clear the House Democratic Caucus is ready for a change in leadership. I want to thank Representative Kathy Willis and Representative Stephanie Kifowit in joining me on this journey to elect Illinois’ first woman Speaker. I am grateful for the support of so many of my colleagues and will continue to work to earn the support of the rest and unify the caucus.
*** UPDATE *** Some folks I’ve talked to tonight misread that press release and wrongly assumed that Kifowit was supporting Williams. Here’s Rep. Kifowit…
I am still in the race.
…Adding… Rep. Williams…
I’m sorry if my statement was misinterpreted…Rep. Kifowit remains a strong contender as we both continue to make the case for new leadership in the Illinois House.
* 6:56 pm: According to three sources, Rep. Kathy Willis has dropped out of the race for Speaker.
This post will be updated.
* 7:12 pm: Hearing Rep. Willis has endorsed Rep. Ann Williams for Speaker.
* 7:18 pm: Not only do they bar reporters from the floor, have Illinois State Police troopers escort credentialed journalists to and from the restroom, but they are repeatedly yelling at grown adults tonight for telling reporters what’s going on in a caucus meeting about the future of this state. The HDem leadership attitude on display this week is really a bit much.
* 7:33 pm: Haven’t confirmed this yet, but nice job by Maxwell…
First ballot — 51 votes for Madigan, 18 votes for Rep Ann Williams, 3 for Rep Stephanie Kifowit. 60 is the magic number.
* 8:17 pm: Of those who hadn’t pledged one way or the other, Suzanne Ness, Denyse Wang Stoneback and Michelle Mussman all voted for someone other than MJM. Ness and Stoneback were with Rep. Ann Williams, Mussman was with Rep. Stephanie Kifowit. More tomorrow.
* Rep. Stava-Murray told me yesterday that she had prepared a line of questioning for Speaker Madigan today that would be tough…
Rep. Anne Stava Murray just broadsided Speaker Madigan for his Catholic faith, according to House Dem sources. She apparently felt his religious beliefs were an obstacle to passing a more progressive agenda. One member says she made Madigan a “martyr.” No voting yet.
“Everyone’s yelling at her,” I was told. “She just said ‘very angry questions were being asked of the other three yesterday and nobody yelled at them.’” Decent point. Even so, she apparently didn’t exactly rally the caucus to her side.
*** UPDATE *** WCIA’s Mark Maxwell had this react from Rep. Mary Flowers…
“That was so out of place for her to put that on the Speaker,” Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) told reporters Sunday night. “And I’m not making any excuses for him. But he didn’t bring racism into Springfield, where the worst race riot has been years ago.”
“Before the speaker was born, we had systemic racism,” Flowers said. “We had 400 years of slavery, so we won’t go there. And I think everybody [has] a little bias in them. But everyone is trying to evolve to do the right thing.”
If Stava-Murray’s attack was designed to weaken Madigan’s alliance with the Black Caucus, Flowers’ comments show it may have only strengthened it. The legislature is in the middle of a thorny debate about police reform measures, and several members, including Flowers, value Madigan’s experience as a negotiator who can muster the votes to pass difficult legislation.
“He’s a hard working man,” Flowers said. “Negotiating with various entities across this state is heavy lifting, and I would not want to be driving with an inexperienced driver that may run this state further off the track.”
Stava-Murray’s heated exchange with the Speaker didn’t sit well with Black Caucus members in the room.
“The Black Caucus is fully capable of advocating for itself and Black issues,” State Rep. André Thapedi (D-Chicago) told NPR Illiinois. “We don’t need anyone to do that for us.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 4,711 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 81 additional deaths. Illinois has now reported more than one million cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cook County: 1 female 30s, 1 male 30s, 3 females 40s, 1 male 40s, 2 males 50s, 5 females 60s, 2 males 60s, 6 females 70s, 12 males 70s, 10 females 80s, 5 males 80s, 4 females 90s, 7 males 90s
DuPage County: 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
Franklin County: 1 female 80s
Fulton County: 1 male 90s
Kane County: 2 males 80s
Knox County: 1 male 50s
Madison County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s,1 male 90s
McLean County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s
Montgomery County: 2 females 80s
Peoria County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 80s
St. Clair County: 1 male 90s
Tazewell County: 2 males 70s
Will County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,028,750 cases, including 17,574 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 77,775 specimens for a total 14,103,289. As of last night, 3,527 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 740 patients were in the ICU and 391 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 3–9, 2021 is 7.9%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 3–9, 2021 is 9.1%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) appears to have had some sort of medical emergency. Live video from BlueRoomStream.com showed Bailey lying on his back on the floor for several minutes. He eventually stood up and was placed in a gurnee by paramedics and wheeled out of the House chambers at the BOS Center.
…Adding… House GOP Leader Jim Durkin said Bailey has been experiencing some “gastrointestinal issues over the past few days” and likely passed out because he hadn’t yet eaten today.
Leader Durkin said Bailey “hit his head,” but said he believes Bailey will “be fine.” He asked for prayers for a quick recovery so Bailey can rejoin the chamber.
I’m told by a witness that Bailey hit his head “hard,” but was coherent within seconds of going down.
* Illinois Democratic Women, We Will, Vote Mama and She Votes…
Open Letter to the House Democratic Caucus
We are writing today to strongly encourage the House Democratic Caucus to choose a woman as their new leader when they convene to vote for the Speaker of the House of the 102nd General Assembly. As statewide women’s organizations, we’ve watched with pride and gratification as the declared candidates to the current Speaker, Michael Madigan, have all come from the House Democratic Women’s Caucus, which in the past several years has taken the lead on legislation important to us such as the Clean Energy Jobs Act, Equal Rights Amendment Ratification, and Reproductive Health Act, as well as initiatives on minimum wage, education, and mental health.
While we appreciate the leadership the current Speaker has provided, we believe it is time for a change, and choosing a strong female leader is the change that is needed. We’ve also watched with some concern arguments that are being made that Speaker Madigan is the only one running who can hold the caucus together, pass important legislation, and help re-elect his members. This suggests that the female candidates that have announced do not share these same qualities. We do not believe that to be true. Further, we find that sexist school of thought to be one that has permeated the legislature in Springfield for decades. Changing that culture is another reason why it is important that a woman should be chosen to lead.
All the female candidates that have declared their intention to run for Speaker of the House have done so in an environment that has been hostile to a change in leadership; this alone gives credence to their courage and fortitude. Illinois is on the precipice of a great transition as we work to come out of a global pandemic and restore jobs to working families and revive an economy that has been ravaged by Covid-19. We recognize strong leadership is needed to meet these challenges and many pressing issues, especially the much-needed criminal justice reform being championed by the House Black Caucus. We believe that all the women who have announced their candidacy are up to this challenge and strongly urge the House Democratic caucus to elect one of them as their new Speaker.
* Meanwhile…
Today, 19 Illinois House Democrats in opposition to Michael Madigan’s re-election as Speaker of the House released the following statement:
“After meeting the past two days in Springfield, and having had the opportunity to participate in multiple candidate forums in the Speaker’s election, our position has not changed. We will not be supporting Michael J. Madigan for Speaker of the Illinois House at any stage of the voting process. It is time for new Democratic leadership in the Illinois House.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Women’s March Chicago has now signed the letter. Click here.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Indivisible Illinois and Chicago NOW have also joined the letter.
*** UPDATE 4 *** More signatories…
Illinois Handmaids
Peoria NOW
Indivisible Oak Park
Friends Who March
*** UPDATE 5 *** The Democratic Women of McDonough County has added its name to the list and released this statement…
The Democratic Women of McDonough County, a 501(c)4 non-profit, firmly supports the call for Illinois to have our First Woman Speaker named. It’s time for Democrats to show allyship to women and send a strong message of solidarity with womens rights and interests, which are the interests of all our communities. Representation matters.
*** UPDATE 6 *** More…
Lake County Democratic Women
Northwest/North NOW
McHenry NOW
Resistor SisterHood
A bill aimed at making college education and teacher preparation programs more accessible and affordable for people of color began working its way through the General Assembly on Saturday with the formal introduction of language that lawmakers have been negotiating for months.
The action came on the second day of the General Assembly’s lame duck session, which is focused heavily on a racial and social justice agenda developed over the summer and fall by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.
Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, who chairs the House Higher Education Committee, introduced the language in the form of a 268-page amendment to Senate Bill 458. During a hearing Saturday, she said the omnibus bill touches on numerous aspects of higher education, but she focused the hearing on a few key parts: restructuring the AIM HIGH scholarship program; increasing the diversity of the state’s teaching workforce; and reforming the way schools place students into non-credit bearing “developmental” or “remedial” classes.
I look forward to working with @RepKamBuckner & @RepChrisWelch and @RepThapedi to find a way for student athletes to benefit from wagers placed on games they play in.
When I was starting out as an attorney 40 years ago, I told my first boss, John P. Meyer, a former state senator, that I was unsure which political party to associate with. “You can go into the Republican Party and try to moderate it, or you can go into the Democratic Party and try to reform it,” he told me.
Forty years later, the political parties in Illinois are about where they were then.
An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob.
“At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,” said the voice on the recording, which was obtained by NBC News.
The calls, which did not advocate violence or suggest the building should be breached, was sent out by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association. The groups share funding, staff and office space in Washington, D.C.
In a statement to NBC News, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who runs the fund, said the calls were sent out without his knowledge.
* Illinois’ attorney general responds…
Those tasked with upholding the rule of law should be the last to engage in promoting an attack against our democracy through robocalls. Subsequently denouncing the predictable violence that grows from it does not clean hands! pic.twitter.com/OLfWTx9fsZ
* I went over this with subscribers earlier today, but here’s WTAX…
Illinois House Democrats will start voting on Sunday, as House Speaker Mike Madigan is in danger of missing out on a nineteenth term.
He has been speaker – except for 1995-96 – since 1983. But people close to him were caught up in the #MeToo scandal, and, more recently, Commonwealth Edison has admitted to a nearly decade-long attempt to bribe him to get its way in the legislature. The massive bribery case has implicated Madigan, though he is not indicted.
Three Democrats want to succeed him as speaker: Stephanie Kifowit of Oswego, Ann Williams of Chicago, and Kathleen Willis of Addison. It will take sixty votes of the 73-member caucus to win, and 19 of them have publicly said they are not going to vote for Madigan.
That’s likely because Madigan opposes using secret ballots, which would allow representatives to vote anonymously, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Just one vote should help us figure out where people are at,” the representative said. […]
Assuming none of the 19 changes position, Madigan will be at least six votes shy of the 60 he needs to continue in the leadership role he’s held for nearly four decades.
* Subscribers have been following these developments as well…
House Democrats met tonight to discuss the Speaker’s race. Majority Leader Greg Harris moderated. Speaker Madigan’s supporters say he was “very impressive,” several also thought Rep. Ann Williams was strong, well prepared. No balloting tonight.
Setting the stage for Speaker vote on January 13. To the day, will be the 50th anniversary of Representative Madigan becoming a Member of the General Assembly.
Will be 25 Oaths of Office for him, or…18,263 days.
Police unions and law enforcement organizations from across Illinois were united on Saturday in opposition to a broad criminal justice overhaul the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus is pushing during the General Assembly’s lame-duck session, while Cook County’s top prosecutor weighed in with her support.
Many of the objections from police unions and others were aired during a nearly four-hour Senate committee hearing, and centered largely on proposed restrictions on collective bargaining rights for police and the removal of protections for officers against lawsuits alleging civil rights violations. […]
Tamara Cummings, general counsel for the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, warned that eliminating so-called qualified immunity for officers would “open the floodgates for frivolous lawsuits.”
“This bill goes beyond reasonable reform and goes beyond necessary reform, and it’s frankly punitive,” Cummings testified before the Senate Executive Committee.
Law enforcement officials criticize the bill as only making their jobs harder.
Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, minority spokeswoman of the House committee, said she was frustrated the bill was being brought during the lame duck session.
“If you’re going to run it as an omnibus bill then it’s a bill that should be negotiated until you can find not only bipartisanship on it, but you might actually be able to come to an agreed bill,” Bryant said of the proposal, which packages together several subjects related to criminal justice reform.
Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, the current chair of the Black Caucus, sought to quash the idea that the bill was rushed and said during the Saturday committee “… we’ve tried to reform the police system a number of times and every time it’s always an excuse from law enforcement to work with us.”
In the lame-duck session, state lawmakers discussed a new controversial criminal justice reform bill put forth by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.
“This is a big problem and requires a bold response. House Bill 163 as now amended is a bold response,” said John Rakowski with the Illinois State Bar Association.
* The ISBA’s Rakowski noted that when several criminal justice reform measures were proposed in the past, opponents predicted an “apocalypse.” This bill, he said, would not cause an apocalypse either…
When you look at this bill as a whole, what you see is that it really about three things.
It’s about transparency and accountability. It’s about basic humanity. It’s about making a better and more skilled law enforcement for the state of Illinois.
Transparency includes such things as wearing body cams. It includes a provision not to erase the tapes after they’re recorded. It requires reporting details of deaths of people in custody. It allows the reporting of police misconduct without the person who was abused or potentially abused having to be sworn in and take an oath. It publishes what the police are doing in terms of the hardware that they purchase. That’s transparency that this bill provides.
It provides accountability. It provides whistleblower protection, for example. It provides a specific thing to [garbled] that is not in the police reports. Police reports have to be truthful. It requires that applications for no-knock search warrants have detailed plans for implementing the no-knock search warrant, and that the affidavits in the background information be accurate. It requires officers to identify themselves to others. This is accountability. This is exactly what we want in our judicial system and in our law enforcement system.
The next thing that brings us to is humanity. There are provisions in this bill to provide medical care when it is imminently needed. I don’t think there is a person in this room or probably in the state that thinks that we shouldn’t provide medical care when it is imminently needed. It requires that pregnant women who are in custody have their condition recognized and treated and the concerns that they raise be tended to. It requires that the police provide more than just one phone call if a person becomes arrested and can’t contact somebody on the first phone call. It provides that there should be warnings issued by the police, just verbally, nothing very formal, before they start clearing protesters out of the street. And it requires that non-lethal force in clearing streets, such as rubber bullets, not be used indiscriminately. […]
If you give immunity in this blanket fashion that is given now to certain police officer conduct, the rights that are in the US Constitution, the rights that are embedded in Article One of the Illinois Constitution become meaningless, because a right without a remedy is not really a right at all.
And then the last thing this bill talks about is improving law enforcement for all of Illinois. It provides for training in sensitive areas such as bias and gender. […]
It provides for tighter grounds for deciding who can be certified to be a police officer, and makes clear and more transparent for everyone how you revoke a certified police officer, when it is clearly shown that there are problems with this person being a law enforcement officer. […]
Another aspect of better law enforcement is that with the body cams that this mandates and phases in over a period of years, there will be no question as to what happened that day on the street, when it happens, because there’s going to be a record of it. The officers’ body cam. The car cams. All that is going to be available, it’s going to be preserved. And that makes for better law enforcement. […]
Be fair, equitable, humane and transparent. Those are the key issues. This is a broad bill. And it is a broad bill that requires a great deal to digest, but at the same time, it is not a particularly difficult thing to understand if you break it down into its relative segments and realize that as a whole, this is a bill that will make a better Illinois.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Related…
LIVE 10:00 AM Sunday morning Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Press Conference (Importance of Criminal Justice Reform) @BlueRoomStream#Illinois
The Coronavirus outbreak at the state-run LaSalle Veterans’ Home claimed a 36th life earlier this week, though the spread within the home has been in control for weeks after infecting 90% of residents and killing more than a quarter of the facility’s population.
But during the deadliest days of the outbreak in November, some residents were not able to get basic toiletries like soap due to an antiquated policy that’s been changed in recent weeks. The old policy meant that residents at the facility would have to wait up to a week for new supplies once their shampoo, toothpaste or other personal care items ran out.
Just before the New Year last week, the home changed its policy after pressure from the local Veterans’ Assistance Commission, which had organized a toiletry drive in November during the height of the outbreak. But the group later found out that the personal care items that had been donated were not being distributed. The old policy predated Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia, but local VAC Superintendent Steven Kreitzer says she should have stepped in to change it sooner — especially as the outbreak raged.
“God forbid a veteran soiled themselves and had to take him in to take showers,” Kreitzer said. “Those nurses couldn’t get into that supply closet because there’s no one there to open it. And if the veteran is out of shampoo or just had a little bit left, they had to utilize somebody else’s shampoo to make sure somebody is being taken care of.”
Kreitzer said that he and the VAC were told by nursing staff that they were personally buying toiletry items for veterans in order to get around the process. The old policy mandated that when a veteran ran out of a personal care item like toothpaste or shampoo, nursing staff would have to fill out a request form and send it to the facility’s social services division. That staff would then have to contact the veteran’s family to ask if they were willing to buy the resident what was needed. Only if the family was unable to do so would a resident be able to receive one of the donated toiletry items.
*** UPDATE *** Correction and clarification issued…
This story has been corrected and clarified. Veterans were unable to get immediate access to donated name-brand toiletries due to a process that has since been changed, but the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs says residents never went without basic personal care supplies if they ran out. […]
“At no point during the pandemic or any other time has a veteran in one of our homes not had access to soap, toothpaste, or any other basic hygiene product,” Dooley said. “Those items are provided to all veterans in our homes, free of charge, on a regular basis, 24 hours a day. The donation process is used for specialty items that veterans request beyond the standard products they are provided.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 6,717 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 101 additional deaths. Illinois has now reported more than one million cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bond County: 1 female 70s
Boone County: 1 female 40s
Cook County: 1 female 40s, 3 males 40s, 1 male 50s, 3 females 60s, 4 males 60s, 2 females 70s, 3 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 3 females 90s, 1 male 90s
DeKalb County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Effingham County: 1 male 80s
Fulton County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 90s
Hamilton County: 1 female 50s
Jefferson County: 1 male 70s
Kane County: 2 males 50s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
Kankakee County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
Lake County: 1 teen, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Logan County: 1 male 50s
Macoupin County: 1 male 70s
Madison County: 2 males 70s, 1 male 90s
Marion County: 1 female 70s
Massac County: 1 female 90s
McHenry County: 1 male 70s
McLean County: 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
Mercer County: 1 female 90s
Monroe County: 1 female 60s
Montgomery County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
Morgan County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s
Moultrie County: 1 male 70s
Peoria County: 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
Perry County: 1 female 90s
Piatt County: 1 male 80s
Pike County: 1 male 80s
Randolph County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Rock Island County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Sangamon County: 1 male 30s
St. Clair County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
Stephenson County: 1 female 60s
Tazewell County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
Vermilion County: 1 male 80s
Whiteside County: 1 female 80s
Will County: 1 female 60s, 3 males 70s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s, 1 female over 100
Winnebago County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,024,039 cases, including 17,494 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 102,903 specimens for a total 14,025,514. As of last night, 3,589 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 742 patients were in the ICU and 393 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 2–8, 2021 is 8.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 2–8, 2021 is 9.3%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
States Attorney Foxx Speaks Out in Support of Critical Criminal Justice Reform Legislation, Illinois House Bill 163
“I believe that the spirit of Illinois House Bill 163 is meant to build trust in police departments across Illinois while addressing long-needed problems to alter unfair criminal justice policies rooted in systemic racism that result in our jails and prisons being disproportionately occupied by Black and Brown individuals. And although not perfect, with thoughtful deliberation and collaboration House Bill 163 can be worked to address concerns, which is why I support this critical piece of criminal justice reform legislation.”
* Leader Durkin…
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) issued the following statement on Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announcing her support of House Bill 163:
“Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has formally shown her true intentions today by walking away from victims of crime, neighborhoods desperate for safety and men and women of law enforcement. As a former Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, I believe her support of House Bill 163 may be the most disappointing and irreconcilable breach of trust between State’s Attorney Foxx and the citizens of Cook County. Every elected State’s Attorney throughout Illinois strongly opposes House Bill 163 except State’s Attorney Foxx. These anti victim and anti law enforcement proposals have no place in our society. Ms. Foxx should change the name on her door to Office of the Public Defender.”
* Related…
* Kim Foxx sees links between mob action at U.S. Capitol and Jussie Smollett demonstrations outside her office: In 2019, members of the Proud Boys, the American Guard and the American Identity Movement joined a protest outside of her office that was organized by the city’s Fraternal Order of Police after Foxx’s office dropped charges against Smollett, a former actor in “Empire.” Experts said at the time that was part of a plan by the groups to recruit new members. Current FOP President John Catanzara, a frequent foe of Foxx’s, also attended that 2019 rally and has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump.
*** UPDATE *** SA Rinehart is a Democrat…
A direct statement from Lake County State’s Attorney Eric F. Rinehart:
House Bill 163 represents important changes to our criminal justice system. I fully support these efforts to make our communities safer and our courthouse fairer. This bill includes reforms that I have been advocating for and discussing for years. But more work needs to be done to ensure these critical reforms also take into account our police officers and survivors of crimes.
Yesterday, the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Association sent a blanket letter opposing the first version of the omnibus bill. The letter the Association sent does not fully reflect my views and should have been formatted to include individual signatories as opposed to purporting to represent the views of all its members.
The following reforms are vital to our State. This bill:
• requires body-worn cameras in every law enforcement agency throughout the State
• creates a duty to aid on the part of law enforcement officers
• connects substance abuse treatment programs with First Responder duties
• creates accountability for officers who knowingly lie in police reports
• prevents destruction of law enforcement misconduct records
• strengthens whistle-blower protection for those who report government misconduct
• increases and improves de-escalation and mental health training for law enforcement
• expands access to the law enforcement misconduct database
• maintains felony-murder rule but narrows its application to individuals with violent intent
• requires police to develop a plan to protect children during search warrant raids
• empowers the Attorney General to investigate deaths occurring in police custody
• bans use of chokeholds and other extreme measures
• establishes statewide use of force standards by 2022
For these reasons, I cannot express blanket opposition or support to HB163. Rather, I will keep working throughout the weekend with legislators and policy advocates to improve the bill and to ensure that it adequately protects victims from their abusers and attackers. It is my sincere hope that we can accomplish these reforms in this legislative session.
The state’s lame-duck legislative session in the Bank of Springfield Center opened Friday with unacceptable restrictions on media members. […]
The restrictions have nothing to do with security. They are in theory pandemic-related. But just as other professionals have been forced to adapt their work efforts to protect the safety of themselves and others, reporters have figured out social distancing, wearing masks while conducting interviews and regular sanitization of equipment used.
Limited access hampered the coverage of sessions in May 2020 as well, to the benefit of no one. In addition, the May sessions allowed for outdoor interviews. Those interviews will be less available in January’s cold.
The main floor of the Bank Of Springfield Center is 40,000 square feet, more than enough room for both legislators and credentialed media. Socially safe seating is essentially already used in the House. The media members’ letter also details ways in which communication and reporters could be allowed to do their jobs without danger or disruption.
When asked, the governor’s office could only provide IDPH guidance that was issued for legislative committee hearings last year. The House has yet to reveal its session guidance source. Another pic of the cavernous space…
Also, the security argument is just totally ridiculous and absolutely insulting to credentialed members of the news media. And to add insult to injury, reporters who need to use the restroom must be escorted from and back to the mezzanine by Illinois State Police troopers.
Wouldn’t letting them on the floor allow for less oversight?
* Also, seeing pics like this of Eastern Bloc Reps. Chris Miller and Brad Halbrook on the convention center floor makes me wonder why the House Speaker is so worried about us…
Reporters ain’t the problem here. (You can caption that pic in comments if you want.)
…Adding… Rep. Miller (no relation) was just called out on the floor for not wearing his mask.
It’s been two months now since it became apparent Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan would face the strongest challenge ever posed to his leadership, yet no obvious front-runner to replace him has emerged.
If Madigan indeed is to be replaced, that should start to change as House members return to Springfield this weekend to wrap up the business of the outgoing Legislature and get organized for the new one.
Democrats were scheduled to meet privately Saturday for their first (mask-covered) face-to-face discussion about who should lead them.
It’s hard to imagine them making headway quickly.
Until Madigan is ready to step aside — there’s not even a hint of that at this stage — most of the leading potential alternatives are staying on the sidelines.
That last line is right. Nothing can really happen unless and until Speaker Madigan decides to step aside.
Undeterred by his opposition, Madigan methodically maneuvered through the process and continued to persistently persuade his colleagues to support him. In a Friday night candidates’ forum organized by downstate and moderate Democrats, Madigan offered to relax his grip on political power if members let him stay in his role.
According to members who listened to Madigan’s pitch Friday night, he also offered them more input and control in interviewing and hiring their own staffers, and pledged a more collaborative style of leadership.
His challengers, Reps. Kifowit, Ann Williams (D-Chicago), and Kathleen Willis (D-Addison), offered a variety of changes in the House rules and in the way members could move their bills through committees, and laid out their strategies to raise campaign funds in ways that benefit more members.
Willis, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, highlighted her experience on Madigan’s leadership team, though the Speaker noted it pales in comparison with his own.
Madigan opposes secret balloting in the election of Illinois House speaker within the House Democratic caucus. A member asked about it during a closed caucus meeting yesterday, and Madigan said he believed it should be an open vote, according to a source who heard the exchange.
A 25-year-old, one-page section of an Illinois law governing educational labor that limits the Chicago Teachers Union’s bargaining rights could be repealed as soon as this weekend in Springfield, a move that would mark a celebratory end to a long lobbying fight for the union.
A repeal could have serious short-term implications for Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plans if the bill passes and is signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and a significant long-term impact in the CTU’s relationship with CPS. The repeal bill was passed in the House in March 2019, and it appears likely the Senate will follow suit in the week ahead — though it’s unclear if the governor will immediately sign it. A Pritzker spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Lightfoot, who campaigned on repealing this part of the law, is now concerned about those prospects. In a letter sent to state senators Friday, she wrote that a repeal “at this critical time would impair our efforts to reopen Chicago Public Schools and jeopardize our fiscal and educational gains.” […]
Section 4.5 of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, passed in 1995, only covers unions negotiating with Chicago Public Schools — all other districts in the state are not affected. The section limits the bargaining power of the CTU — and other unions that represent school support staff — to bread and butter labor issues such as pay and benefits. It allows CPS to avoid negotiations over several school-related topics such as class sizes, staff assignments, charter schools, subcontracting, layoffs and the length of the school day and year. […]
Section 4.5 was cited last month by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board as a key reason why an injunction sought by the CTU to stop CPS from resuming in-person classes could not be granted. The issues the union wanted to negotiate over, the board said, weren’t mandatory subjects of bargaining under Section 4.5 — so it wasn’t clear that the CTU’s accusation that CPS violated labor law by failing to negotiate was valid.
* The CTU response is in the story, so here’s the response of Chicago Federation of Labor Bob Reiter…
January 6, 2021
President Don Harmon 329 Capitol Building Springfield, IL 62706
Dear President Harmon:
On behalf of the Chicago Federation of Labor, I write today to express the CFL’s support of HB 2275, sponsored by Senator Cunningham, and to ask that the Senate pass the bill during the upcoming lame duck session.
The right to collectively bargain is fundamental to establishing safe working conditions, fair appropriate compensation, and, as has been increasingly used by labor unions across Illinois, to provide for the common good in our communities. This is particularly important in school settings, as providing real equity to those we serve – increasingly, low-income students and students of color – is vital for both our democracy and our workforce.
HB 2275 is thus an important equity measure for 20% of students in Illinois as well as tens of thousands of workers. HB 2275 overturns a component of the 1995 Chicago School Reform Act that put unacceptable limitations on subjects of collective bargaining for every bargaining unit in the Chicago Public Schools, including limits on negotiating over staffing levels, time and location of work, health and safety standards, and outsourcing work to third-party contractors, all of which have taken on heightened importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. CPS is the only district in the state with this particular provision, and even within CPS, charter school operators are required to negotiate over these crucial issues.
Early in my career as a labor attorney and advocate, I directly represented Chicago Teachers Union members in the workplace. I feel strongly now, as I did then, that the inequity created by the 1995 law is a continuing blight on public sector labor law in our state. Many have pledged over the decades to correct this unjust provision, and the time to act is now.
The right to collectively bargain over these crucial issues is of the utmost importance to us. HB 2275 restores that right for the State’s largest school district and brings fairness and equity to educational collective bargaining in Illinois. We ask that you support the bill and assist in its passage. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
In solidarity,
Robert G. Reiter, Jr.
President, Chicago Federation of Labor
* Sen. Schimpf (R-Waterloo) has confirmed to reporters that he plans to run for governor. And he chose to begin the campaign by opposing a mask mandate…
The Governor’s latest administrative rule once again usurps the authority of the Illinois General Assembly.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has refiled an emergency COVID-19 rule similar to one that expired Monday to continue statewide mask and social distancing requirements in Illinois for another 150 days. […]
Karr said the statewide rule filed Monday by the Pritzker administration was an improvement over the expired rule.
“This puts in place that you can hand them something in writing,” Karr said. “So, you could give them a notice that IRMA had produced that said, ‘You know you should be wearing a face mask, we may ask you to leave,’ and that helps the retailer avoid, try to avoid, some of those confrontations.” […]
The updated emergency rule also prohibits gatherings of more than 50 people. […]
Enforcement of the rule will be up to “all local boards of health, health authorities and officers, police officers, sheriffs and all other officers and employees of the state and any locality,” it says.
If a business refuses to comply with a written warning and a subsequent written order to disperse, “that business, service, facility or organization open to the public shall be subject to the penalties set forth in Section 8.1 of the act.” That could lead to a Class A misdemeanor with penalties up to $2,500 fine or up to a year in jail.
…Adding… From comments…
From another story line: “I can think of little that is more important than saving lives and getting to the bottom of this tragedy,” Schimpf said. “We are still waiting to hear from an IDPH official who was actually making decisions when this tragedy began, so we can find out why it took so long to get a team on site to manage this crisis.”
I have news for Sen. Schimpf. Community spread leads to spread in nursing homes. If he really cares about the lives of the folks in our care, why is he so opposed to the most basic of all protections?
At least 50% of new coronavirus infections are spread from people without symptoms, according to a study published this week.
People who are asymptomatic or never experience symptoms made up about 24% of all transmissions, while presymptomatic individuals accounted for 35% for a total of 59%, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
Jay Butler, CDC deputy director for infectious diseases and a lead author of the study, told Business Insider that the findings back up public health guidelines about social distancing and mask wearing.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced legislation to improve the police certification and de-certification process as part of his ongoing effort to advocate for policies that make lasting, systemic change to policing in Illinois.
House Bill 841, sponsored by Sen. Elgie Sims and Rep. Justin Slaughter, was initiated by Raoul and focuses on three key areas for reform: creating uniformity for officers and departments across the state, promoting professionalism in law enforcement, and increasing transparency. Currently, the ways in which law enforcement and state’s attorneys investigate and take action in response to officer misconduct vary from department to department. Currently the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) can de-certify an officer only in the event of a felony conviction and a limited list of misdemeanors.
“Now more than ever, meaningful law enforcement reform is essential to restore the public’s trust in law enforcement and to hold officers accountable for egregious misconduct that should render them unworthy of being a police officer anywhere in the state,” Raoul said. “This is a product of months of collaborative discussion with law enforcement partners and is just one component of what must be a multifaceted approach to improving accountability, transparency, and professionalism among officers. I am committed to continuing to collaborate with our law enforcement partners and reform advocates to improve policing in communities throughout Illinois, and I encourage members of the General Assembly to pass this legislation to help achieve this goal.”
“I am gratified that Attorney General Raoul has shown support and leadership on this issue,” Sims said. “These reforms seek greater protections not just for the community, but for police officers. Justice is served when it is applied with consistency and due process. Trust is established when the public knows that authority figures are held to account. Inconsistent standards and a lack of transparency create distrust toward officers, and that in turn endangers not only them, but all of us.”
“As we address police accountability, it is critical that Illinois strengthen its oversight and enforcement policies for law enforcement,” Slaughter said. “This measure puts forth a robust certification and de-certification process that will increase public safety and comprehensively improve policing in Illinois.”
HB 841 will make the following improvements to the police certification and de-certification process in Illinois:
• Creating uniformity during the review process: Currently, the ILETSB must automatically de-certify an officer only if he or she is convicted of a felony or a limited number of serious misdemeanors. The bill empowers the ILETSB to investigate allegations of serious misconduct that may not automatically lead to de-certification, but conduct that warrants a review of the officer’s actions, such as excessive use of force, failure to intervene when another officer uses excessive force, tampering with a body or dash camera, or dishonesty in the reporting of a crime. Following an investigation and hearing in front of an administrative law judge, if the officer is found to have engaged in misconduct then a Certification Review Panel may issue a determination to de-certify the officer. The Certification Review Panel would be composed of representatives from law enforcement, prosecutors, community activists and crime victims’ advocates.
• Promoting professionalism: A mandatory reporting system would be created in which an officer would report to the ILETSB that they have completed their mandatory in-service training, are still employed by a department, and have not engaged in conduct worthy of de-certification. Frequent reporting and the ability for the ILETSB to audit the training reports helps ensure that officers are in compliance with Illinois’ professionalism standards, and that officers in communities are consistently equipped with the current training mandated by the state.
• Increasing transparency: The bill would improve upon three areas of information sharing: information shared between hiring departments; information shared between departments and prosecutors; and information shared between the ILETSB and the public. Raoul’s proposal includes an expansion of the Officer Professional Conduct database to include relevant disciplinary information, including reports of dishonesty, misconduct, and the results of an officer’s de-certification. Expanding the information included in the database means personnel decisions would no longer rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. Additionally, prosecutors will have access to the information needed to make necessary disclosures about officers involved in criminal cases. The expanded and publicly-available database is an important tool that would add greater transparency and accountability to improve public trust in law enforcement.
As part of Attorney General Raoul’s calls for comprehensive policing and criminal justice reform, he has advocated for broader pattern and practice authority for state attorneys general and improved crime victim compensation. Raoul worked with the Illinois Black Caucus to include language in House Bill 163 that would give the Illinois Attorney General’s office clear authority under state law to investigate and resolve patterns or practices of unconstitutional policing by local and state agencies. Additionally, as recommended by Raoul, HB 163 would improve the Crime Victim Compensation Program. The bill would allow the Attorney General’s office to more efficiently administer benefits in order to make resources more accessible to survivors. Modernizing the program will not only allow the Attorney General’s office to better meet crime victims’ immediate needs, but will also contribute to breaking the cycle of community violence.
George Floyd’s murder convinced him to revive his proposal from when he was in the state Senate to license police officers.
The idea came from then-Sen. Tim Bivins, a Republican and former Lee County sheriff. Sheriffs and police chiefs often complain that even when they do try to remove an officer from duty, union contracts and arbitrators often wind up forcing them to put the officers back on the public payroll.
Licensing could solve that problem by making bad cops ineligible for police work statewide. The idea has some support among police leaders, but the Fraternal Order of Police hates it.
Durkin said the Pritzker administration should start with 4% across the board cuts to the state budget. After that, Durkin said Republicans are willing to negotiate with the administration to make additional cuts that could be made.
Illinois House Republicans say they’re still waiting on Gov. JB Pritzker to propose specific spending cuts to the state’s current year state budget, which is $4 billion out of balance.
There were other, similar demands, but you get the idea.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday he’s freezing the implementation of new business tax credits and calling for legislators to stop changes to the state’s income tax framework to save coronavirus-ravaged Illinois just over half a billion dollars.
Outraged Republicans called it “just one more hit” for struggling business owners.
The new, expanded state tax credits would have cost the state $20 million annually, according to the governor’s news release announcing the freeze and proposal. They were authorized in 2019 as part of a series of tax changes that were scheduled to take effect at the start of this year. […]
“We have businesses contacting us every day, asking for more and more relief, and for the governor to decide that the state’s bottom line is more important than these businesses’ bottom line is something that we’re really outraged by,” said state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, knocking Pritzker for unveiling the proposal in a news release rather than discussing it with the Legislature.
There will be yet another hearing on the LaSalle COVID-19 outbreak this afternoon during pandemic session. @RepThapedi initiated a rare investigation from the Judiciary - Civil Committee last month (https://t.co/HowoHKX3Zt); we may hear some new info at this afternoon's hearing.
To residents, families or responsible parties, and staff of the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy:
Since our last COVID-19 update there has been zero (0) additional case of COVID-19 among residents at our home, for a total of one hundred and thirty-four (134) COVID-19 cases among residents since the start of the pandemic. To date, ninety-nine (99) residents have recovered from COVID-19. Sadly, five (5) residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have passed away since our last update, with seventeen (17) residents total having passed away due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Additionally, since our last COVID-19 update there have been two (2) additional case of COVID-19 among employees at our home, for a total of one hundred sixty-two (162) COVID- 19 cases among employees since the start of the pandemic. To date, one-hundred and forty- six (146) employees have recovered from COVID-19.
The COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans home continues to claim lives, with 36 residents lost to the disease so far. As the Illinois Senate is set to convene over the weekend, State Senators Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) and Sue Rezin (R-Morris) are asking for an additional Veterans Affairs hearing to be held on the ongoing crisis.
“The Senate is going to be in Springfield for the lame-duck session to deal with issues of great importance, and I can think of little that is more important than saving lives and getting to the bottom of this tragedy,” Schimpf said. “We are still waiting to hear from an IDPH official who was actually making decisions when this tragedy began, so we can find out why it took so long to get a team on site to manage this crisis.”
“It has been over two months since the deadly outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home, and we have had only two legislative hearings on the subject,” said Sen. Rezin. “The people of Illinois deserve to know how this virus was able to run rampant through the home. The Illinois Department of Public Health must tell us why it took them 12 days to conduct a site visit. There is no good reason for us not to have a hearing during lame-duck session and certainly no acceptable excuse for IDPH to refuse to testify.”
The large criminal justice plan could also eliminate cash bail. This is a major piece of the legislation, including language from the “Pretrial Fairness Act” previously filed by Sims’ colleagues in the Black Caucus.
[Ed Wojcicki, Executive Director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police] is concerned lawmakers aren’t paying attention to whether individuals are too dangerous to leave jail before trial.
“They’re gonna wreak havoc,” Wojcicki said. “We’re always encouraging women to call the police if they’re victims of domestic or sexual abuse. If these people are arrested and just let go like a traffic ticket, that’s very dangerous for women. So, we’re not just saying these things are dangerous for law enforcement.”
* Um, the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence is for the bill…
The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) is invested in working to improve the justice system, however, ensuring the safety of survivors has to be included in any reform effort. Our mission has always been to advance statewide policies and practices that transform societal attitudes and institutions to eliminate and prevent domestic abuse. As such, ICADV is supportive of the concept of eliminating money bond as the current system is harmful, especially to people of color.
Working with the Coalition to End Money Bond, ICADV supports ending money bond through the Pretrial Fairness Act as a key criminal justice reform effort. ICADV along with many other survivor-based organizations worked tirelessly with the Coalition to End Money Bond to include provisions that support survivor safety and creates a process that ICADV can support. ICADV is grateful to the Coalition to End Money Bond and Senator Robert Peters for hearing the concerns of the service provider and survivor community and working to address those concerns. This is an example of how criminal justice reform can happen while supporting survivor safety. ICADV is hopeful that future criminal justice reform efforts have the same interest in addressing survivor safety.
Detention only shall be imposed when it is determined that the defendant poses a danger to a specific, identifiable person or persons, or has a high likelihood of willful flight.
In other words, while the chiefs may have a decent argument about other topics, they are wrong about this one and ought to drop that line of attack.
* The General Assembly will be in session all weekend and I just realized that I didn’t need to find a play-out tune. But if I had closed comments today, this would’ve been the one. Turn it up…
* I told subscribers about some of this earlier today…
Due to the budget crisis caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor JB Pritzker is freezing the implementation of a new set of state business tax credits and calling for a decoupling of Illinois tax law from recently enacted federal business tax changes that would cost Illinois in excess of $500 million.
The expanded state tax credits were authorized in 2019 as part of a series of tax changes contained in PA 101-9 and were scheduled to take effect January 1, 2021. The new, expanded credits are estimated to cost the state an additional $20 million annually.
The proposed decoupling would keep the Illinois income tax framework the same as it was before Congress amended the federal income tax law in March 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The amendments substantially changed federal tax treatment of net operating losses and excess business losses, automatically causing the same change in Illinois tax treatment. Without decoupling, these federal tax changes could reduce Illinois income tax revenue by more than $500 million.
“My administration recognizes the many challenges facing businesses during this unique time, which is why we are going above and beyond the federal support program by providing hundreds of millions of dollars in support to our small businesses, our best job creators who have been impacted severely by COVID-19,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Unfortunately, COVID also hit our state budget, requiring tough choices about what we can and cannot afford. Right now, we cannot afford to expand tax breaks to businesses that already receive tax breaks. As we recover from the pandemic, we must focus on job creation and balancing our state budget. I am confident in our ability to grow our economy and put our state on firmer fiscal footing.”
The state business incentives in PA 101-9 allow companies that already receive tax credits for relocating or expanding in Illinois through the State’s Enterprise Zone, River’s Edge Redevelopment Zone, Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE), or High Impact Business tax credit programs, to qualify for even more credits based on wages paid to workers for construction associated with that relocation or expansion. Companies would be eligible for up to $20 million in credits across these four programs. These new credits will not be implemented while the state is working to overcome its current fiscal challenges.
The CARES Act repealed the federal tax law provision that limited net operating losses to 80% of taxable income and added another provision allowing a 5-year carryback of losses incurred after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2021. As a result, instead of the previous practice of limiting immediate deductibility and permitting deduction of such business losses gradually over a period of years using loss carryforwards, taxpayers are permitted to deduct such business losses immediately in tax year 2020. The decoupling will affect the tax treatment of such losses for owners of pass-through entities such as partnerships and limited liability companies.
The CARES Act also deferred until 2021 the federal tax law provision limiting the immediate deductibility of excess business losses for noncorporate taxpayers. Decoupling will reinstitute the previous limits.
The Governor said the two actions were necessary given Illinois’ current fiscal challenges and are part of the Pritzker Administration’s ongoing budget review. In December, the Governor announced $700 million in spending reductions for fiscal year 2021 that included a hiring freeze, grant reductions and operational savings. Today’s announcement will get the state another step closer to balancing the budget.
“The recently announced budget cuts along with these new roll backs of corporate tax breaks are just the first steps in this budget process. More will be necessary. We will need to scrutinize and potentially roll back other corporate tax breaks – including those that have been on the books for many years. We hope to hear from members of the General Assembly on both sides of the aisle about their best ideas for progress in this regard.”
National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Mark Grant said from what he’s hearing the change the governor characterized as “technical” would have consequences for some small businesses in Illinois hit the hardest by the pandemic and the government’s restrictions to slow the spread of the disease.
“It just takes away an avenue for our small businesses, sole proprietors, to be able to recover from this incredible economic damage that’s been done to them over the last year,” Grant said. “It takes away avenue the federal government thought was a good idea, and would help our small businesses recover, and this would take away that ability to help with that.”
* I’ve been telling subscribers about this bill for days…
A new, controversial bill is set to come before Illinois lawmakers, which they could then vote on in the next five days. The bill includes major police reforms, and it’s sparking controversy amongst our local officials. […]
“It’s necessary to empower our community,” Democratic State Representative Maurice West says. “How else will we bring back trust [between] law enforcement and everyone.” […]
“There’s so many bad parts about this legislation that it will pretty much put law enforcement out of business in Illinois,” [Republican Senator Dave Syverson] explains. […]
Here are just some of the bill’s reforms:
• New procedures for reporting in-custody deaths
• Mandated statewide use of force policy
• Eliminate qualified immunity for police officers
• Reduce officer’s collective bargaining rights
• End cash bail
• Ensure disciplinary records of police officers are never erased
• Mandate crisis intervention training
• Scale back no-knock orders
The bill has seen intense pushback from Republican lawmakers and groups representing law enforcement. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police called it “the worst thing to happen to our profession” and “the end of the law enforcement profession as we know it” in a statement released Tuesday.
In a Wednesday notice, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police wrote “it might as well be a crime to be a law enforcement officer in Illinois.” […]
In response, the Senate Black Caucus distributed their own release Wednesday, saying “From our perspective, our communities know what they need in order to be kept safe. We come from the communities we represent. Our experiences, combined with our understanding of policy, have shaped our legislative approach, and they cannot be dismissed when it comes to determining what our communities need.”
A key piece of the caucus’s criminal justice reform plan is eliminating cash bail, which proponents argue disproportionately affects low-income people of color who are awaiting trial.
Sen. Elgie Sims, a Chicago Democrat, is sponsoring a measure that would eliminate the term “bail” from state statute. Judges would still have discretion to keep people awaiting trial in custody if it’s determined they pose a risk to the public or have violated the conditions of their pretrial release. But people could no longer be kept in jail solely based on their inability to make bail.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker backs eliminating cash bail and made it a legislative priority before the General Assembly’s spring session was truncated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The proposal from Sims also would place strict limitations on the collective bargaining rights of police unions. Future contract negotiations would be limited to subjects directly related to wages and benefits, and discipline policies would no longer be subject to bargaining.
New polling on pretrial release: “The old-school default of keeping people who are presumed innocent in jail unless they can afford bail has always been unfair, destructive, and dangerous, and that is especially true amid a pandemic that poses a unique threat to incarcerated people. When informed that other jurisdictions have safely reduced jail populations through bail reform, 57 percent of Illinois voters support reforming the cash bail system and creating a presumption of pretrial release for most people, while only 29 percent oppose,” according to new polling from Data for Progress and The Lab, a policy vertical of The Appeal.
If you click here, you’ll see the full poll. The pre-informed response, which isn’t in the press release, is what you should pay more attention to.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 9,277 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 126 additional deaths. Illinois has now reported more than one million cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adams County: 1 male 70s
Boone County: 1 female 80s
Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 40s, 3 females 50s, 2 females 60s, 4 males 60s, 3 females 70s, 7 males 70s, 7 females 80s, 7 males 80s, 3 females 90s, 7 males 90s
DeKalb County: 1 female 60s
DuPage County: 1 female 40s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
Edwards County: 1 male 80s
Effingham County: 1 male 80s
Fayette County: 1 female 80s
Fulton County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Henry County: 1 male 90s
Iroquois County: 1 male 60s
Jackson County: 1 male 60s
Jefferson County: 1 female 90s
Kane County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
Kankakee County: 1 female 80s
Knox County: 1 male 50s
Lake County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s, 3 females 90s
LaSalle County: 1 male 80s
Livingston County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
Madison County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Marion County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
Marshall County: 1 female 50s
McLean County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
Montgomery County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
Morgan County: 1 male 70s
Peoria County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
Perry County: 1 female 60s
Randolph County: 1 female 90s
Richland County: 1 female 70s
Rock Island County: 2 males 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90
Saline County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
Sangamon County: 1 male 90s
St. Clair County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
Stark County: 1 male 80s
Stephenson County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s
Tazewell County: 1 male 40s, 4 males 70s
Vermilion County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
Whiteside County: 1 male 60s
Will County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 60s, 3 females 70s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s
Williamson County: 1 male 70s
Winnebago County: 2 females 90s
Woodford County: 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,017,322 cases, including 17,395 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 118,665 specimens for a total 13,922,611. As of last night, 3,777 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 780 patients were in the ICU and 422 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 1–7, 2021 is 8.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 1–7, 2021 is 9.5%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
Illinois’ top education official is recommending school districts consider extending classes into the summer, a proposition that Chicago Teachers Union leaders for the first time have suggested could be amenable if it would put off mandatory in-person teaching until educators are vaccinated for the coronavirus.
Though an extended school year would come with potentially massive costs, including additional compensation for teachers and staff, State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala wrote in a letter to administrators this week that $2.25 billion in coronavirus relief that Illinois is getting from the feds should help make it possible. Chicago Public Schools is set to receive $720 million.
Ayala said the funds should primarily be used to “close the digital divide for good” and mitigate learning loss by offering more educational opportunities.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, demanding that the federal government begin distributing reserved COVID-19 vaccines to states immediately.
“In each of our states, vaccine delivery has been much slower than we anticipated, so it is imperative that the federal government distribute the vaccines it is holding on reserve. These vaccines will save millions of Americans from the unnecessary danger and hardship of contracting COVID-19,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Up to now, this vaccine has only been offered to a very specific group of people at very specific location. Our states are ready to work alongside the federal government to expand vaccine distribution so that we can protect the wellbeing of all our residents, families, small businesses and our economy.”
According to publicly reported information, the federal government currently has more than 50 percent of currently produced vaccines held back by the presidential administration for unknown reasons. At the same time, the country is losing over 2,600 Americans each day, according to the latest seven-day average.
Earlier this week, Governor JB Pritzker announced guidelines for the next stage of COVID-19 vaccine distribution across Illinois, Phase 1B. Phase 1B prioritizes equity and lowers the vaccine age to 65 from 75 because black and brown Illinoisans with COVID-19 die at a much younger age than their white counterparts. Distribution of the reserved vaccines by the federal government would accelerate the completion of Phase 1A.
Today, the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation (IDFPR) announced they have worked with the banks to provide services for unbanked Illinoisans seeking to cash their stimulus checks without incurring check cashing fees. The banks provided this service during the first round of stimulus checks and IDFPR secured the same agreement for the second round of stimulus checks.
The FDIC estimates that over 22% of Illinois households are under or unbanked. Many of these Illinois households will once again be receiving paper stimulus checks and will have few check cashing options that won’t incur fees. IDFPR is proud to announce a number of banking institutions that are able to work with non-customers on cashing their stimulus checks for free. Thanks to Bank of America, First Midwest, Fifth Third, Huntington, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase and U.S. Bank, Illinoisans will be able to cash their stimulus checks without incurring fees in order to ensure these funds go toward the food, housing, and necessities that people need during this difficult time.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) today announced more than $275 million in nearly 9,000 emergency assistance grants have been made to small businesses in over 600 cities and towns statewide through the Business Interruption Grants (BIG) program. Through this historic program – the largest of its kind in the nation - grants have been made available to a wide range of small businesses– with a focus on the industries and communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis, and with the majority of funding going to smaller and minority-owned businesses.
Today’s announcement marks the conclusion of the BIG program, which was created by Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly to assist Illinois’ hardest hit businesses with making ends meet during the pandemic. A full list of awards made can be found on DCEO’s website.
* My COVID-19 test results came back today. I tested negative. Many thanks to Springfield Clinic for running such a tight ship.
Four Springfield residents traveled more than 787 miles from one capital city to another for a protest that turned into a breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Sarah Smith says she wanted to take it all in firsthand.
The group arrived in Washington, D.C. at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
“We met many people from different backgrounds to different states — I’m talking from Alaska to California,” Smith said.
Jake Carroll’s view showed him a glimpse of what he thinks people want in the future.
“Multiple races, ethnicities, people of color there, standing shoulder to shoulder to be heard, wanting the government to hear them that we can no longer stand divided, that we have to come together as a country,” Carroll said.
They make it sound like wholesome, all-American fun for the entire family.
The Illinois General Assembly’s lame duck session begins on Friday in Springfield.
However, riots at state capitols around the country on Wednesday have some lawmakers feeling uneasy.
After pro-Trump insurrectionists breached the U.S. Capitol, statehouses across the country are stepping up security.
In Illinois, lawmakers are set to return for a lame duck session on Friday, Jan. 8, after over 200 days away.
“We’re not going to be intimidated,” Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, said. “We’re not going to allow these thugs to overturn our government and create some sort of coup across the United States.”
* Riots in Congress bring state Capitol security concerns into focus: The Illinois State Police has increased security around the state Capitol and the Bank of Springfield Center, at Gov. JB Pritzker’s request, and will be coordinating efforts with the Secretary of State police and the Springfield Police Department, an ISP spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement Thursday.
Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) issues a statement on her remarks at the recent Moms for America event in Washington, D.C.
“Earlier this week, I spoke to a group of mothers about the importance of faith and guarding our youth from destructive influences. I sincerely apologize for any harm my words caused and regret using a reference to one of the most evil dictators in history to illustrate the dangers that outside influences can have on our youth. This dark history should never be repeated and parents should be proactive to instill what is good, true, right, and noble into their children’s hearts and minds. While some are trying to intentionally twist my words to mean something antithetical to my beliefs, let me be clear: I’m passionately pro-Israel and I will always be a strong advocate and ally of the Jewish community. I’ve been in discussion with Jewish leaders across the country and am grateful to them for their kindness and forthrightness.”
As your President, I showed a lapse in judgement yesterday during an interview. For that I am sorry. I brought negative attention to our Lodge, the FOP family and law enforcement in general.
I was in no way condoning the violence in DC yesterday. My statements were poorly worded. I certainly would never justify any attacks on law enforcement. After seeing more video and the full aftermath, my comments would have been different.
I ask that you consider the totality of my comments yesterday. What is almost totally overlooked was the fact I said the President needs to accept responsibility for yesterday’s events and that he should formally concede the race to put everything to bed once and for all.
Lastly, I commit to doing better each day. I will never be too big to admit when I am wrong. Stay safe and healthy.
John J. Catanzara Jr.
President
FOP Lodge 7 Chicago
*** UPDATE *** Ouch…
Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara is getting ripped by the national FOP for his comments about the Capitol insurrection, even after he tried to apologize and take his comments back. https://t.co/GoKjYCfpS3
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced his office is partnering with the FBI to establish the Attorney General’s Task Force on Unemployment Insurance Benefits Fraud. The task force will for the first time allow state and federal resources to be deployed on a large scale to combat unemployment insurance benefits fraud.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Raoul’s office has received and investigated complaints related to unemployment insurance benefits fraud. The aim of the task force is to enhance collaboration among state and federal agencies investigating and prosecuting forms of unemployment benefits fraud. In addition to the Illinois Attorney General’s office and the FBI, the task force will be made up of the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Illinois State Police, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Illinois Department of Revenue, the Internal Revenue Service, as well as the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association.
“The Task Force on Unemployment Insurance Benefits Fraud will for the first time allow a broad coalition of federal, state and local law enforcement to collaborate and share resources and address widespread unemployment insurance benefits fraud,” Raoul said. “I appreciate the FBI dedicating the needed resources and look forward to working with our partner agencies to investigate and hold accountable those who steal federal funding that is intended to help residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“While the citizens of Illinois have worked to regain financial stability after last year’s tumultuous job market, criminals have sought to do them harm,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr said. “With today’s announcement of a joint unemployment task force, we commit to working with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure that those who would steal resources from our most vulnerable are brought to swift justice.”
“Bad actors have taken advantage of a global pandemic that has pushed desperate people to unemployment insurance agencies for economic relief,” IDES Acting Director Kristin Richards said. “While this massive fraud scheme has redirected the valuable man-hours and resources the Department would be better served to use assisting claimants, IDES remains committed to detecting and shutting these claims down and will continue to support law enforcement’s efforts to find the fraudsters behind these crimes.”
“The Illinois State Police are here to coordinate, facilitate and share intelligence on fraudulent activity,” Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly said. “It is through multi-jurisdictional partnerships such as these that will allow us to better combat and contain this criminal conduct.”
“An important mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations relating to unemployment insurance fraud. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations,” Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General said.
“As the 2021 tax filing season nears, the Illinois Department of Revenue remains focused on preventing fraudulent income tax refunds, including those perpetrated through unemployment insurance claims.” Illinois Department of Revenue Director David Harris said. “We look forward to working with our state and federal partners on Attorney General Raoul’s Task Force to end this criminal activity and assist victims of fraudulent claims.”
According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), the increase in identity theft unemployment fraud can likely be attributed to large corporate data breaches and is not the result of any state system breaches. These breaches compromised personal information including Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, names, dates of birth, credit card numbers and addresses – information individuals must provide when applying for loans or lines of credit, or during other interactions.
Currently, state unemployment agencies throughout the nation are battling widespread fraud by individuals seeking to steal federal money. Using personal information obtained as a result of data breaches, thieves are applying for unemployment insurance benefits for which they are not eligible. The IDES strongly encourages anyone who has received notice that an unemployment insurance claim has been fraudulently filed in their name to immediately report the claim to the department via its website or by calling 800-814-0513. To date, the IDES has stopped more than 350,000 fraudulent claims.
Attorney General Raoul encourages individuals who think their personal or financial information has been compromised to take steps to protect themselves. People should closely monitor credit reports, consider requesting a fraud alert by contacting one of the three nationwide credit bureaus, consider placing a freeze on credit reports, and closely review and monitor all financial accounts for any unauthorized charges.
Additional information on how to protect yourself from potential identity theft is available free of charge on the Illinois Attorney General’s website. Residents can also call the Attorney General’s Identity Theft Hotline at 1-866-999-5630 for assistance.
* The House has decreed that it will not allow reporters on the floor of the 40,000 square foot BOS Center because of public health and security concerns. When I’ve objected, I’ve been asked why I wanted to be on the floor if I was going to have to remain at least six feet away from everyone else anyway.
But adding a relative handful of reporters to a huge hall like that shouldn’t significantly increase viral load. House press credentials are not easily available, so the security concerns are unfounded and even insulting. And folks who are wearing masks are allowed to be closer together than six feet, as should be abundantly clear from these photos taken during the May special session…
* And, again, look at all the empty space behind the members in that 40,000 square foot hall…
* I’ve been tested for COVID-19 and won’t be venturing forth until the results come back and would be happy to provide testing documentation. I never go anywhere in public without wearing a mask, I don’t go to indoor restaurants and bars and nobody comes into my house without wearing a mask.
I’m more than willing to take what will hopefully be a relatively moderate risk to do my job, and most other reporters I know agree. We’re essential workers who do necessary work. And the next several days could be the most momentous in Illinois government since I do not know when.
Let us in.
*** UPDATE *** Earlier today…
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin officially requests Speaker Madigan lift the unnecessary restrictions that block the press corps from their regular access to members along the perimeter of the House chamber floor. pic.twitter.com/G1IEgFPbE7
