The unemployment rate decreased in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas in January according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). Jobs were up in all metro areas except one. […]
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Peoria MSA (4.2%, +6,900), the Springfield MSA (+3.6%, +3,800) and the Rockford MSA (+3.5%, +4,900). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metropolitan Division were up +2.7% or +99,300. Total nonfarm jobs were down slightly in the Illinois section of the St. Louis MSA (-0.3%, -800). Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Leisure and Hospitality (fourteen areas); Mining and Construction and Education and Health Services (thirteen areas each); Other Services (twelve areas); Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade and Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (eleven areas each); and Government (nine areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were in the Rockford MSA (-2.5 points to 5.8%), the Decatur MSA (-1.6 points to 5.4%), and the Carbondale-Marion MSA (-1.1 points to 4.3%). The Chicago Metropolitan Division unemployment rate decreased -0.5 point to 4.7%. The unemployment rate decreased over-the-year in 98 counties, increased in 3 and was unchanged in 1.
Officials with the state’s largest transit agencies met with lawmakers on Tuesday to sound the alarm for what Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Leanne Redden called a “looming operational crisis.”
“By 2026, the region will face an annual budget deficit of nearly $730 million per year,” Redden told lawmakers. “That’s nearly 20 percent of our operating revenue.” […]
The number of passenger trips on the three Chicagoland transit systems was down last year to 50.5 percent of what it was in 2019, according to data from RTA. […]
State law requires that approximately half of the RTA’s revenues come from rider fares, but in recent years the agency has gotten statutory exemptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Redden told lawmakers that since 2020, fares have only made up “about 20 percent” of the needed revenue to operate the system.”
The RTA eventually will need a change in state law that stops the requirement that 50 percent of revenues come from fares,” RTA Board Chair Kirk Dillard said. “It’s an unsustainable funding model post-COVID.”
“To hear the governor mention any tax cuts is an exciting prospect for families across our state. At the first meeting I had with Gov. Pritzker, we discussed the cumbersome franchise tax on small businesses and high estate taxes that unfairly target family farms,” [House Minority Leader Tony McCombie] said. “The governor recognizing conversations with Democrats and Republicans gives me hope that we will reinstitute the bipartisan budget working group with our budgeteers and appropriation teams leading the way.” […]
Senate Minority Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, referred to business-related tax incentives that Pritzker and lawmakers approved on bipartisan lines in 2019 but which Democrats froze in future budget years.
“Initial discussions on tax relief have been receptive,” Curran said in a statement. “We will continue to call for implementing the business incentives that the governor agreed to in the Blue Collar Jobs Act, along with additional tax relief for Illinois families and small businesses.”
He said the Senate GOP is hopeful Pritzker will “include Republicans at the table of substantive budget meetings,” and they are “willing to negotiate in good faith.”
A group of Illinois House Republicans say too many businesses are leaving the state. The House GOP members are now renewing calls for the General Assembly to discuss common sense business reforms.
Two representatives from the Rockford region explained Wednesday that people in their districts are struggling to get by after a Jeep assembly plant shut down indefinitely. That announcement came the same day Stellantis announced thousands of new jobs opening at a plant in Indiana. […]
Rep. John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) noted that the state should also have protections for workers who lose their job when a company like Akorn announces an immediate closure. Cabello said state lawmakers should act as a safety net for workers of any business that shuts down in order to help rebuild a strong business environment.
“We don’t have to be smart about this at all,” Cabello said. “We can just take what Indiana has done in the last 10 years, take all the bills that they have passed in Indiana, implement them here, and we’re going to be already in a different trajectory. The General Assembly is failing at their job.”
* More, please…
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today that the state is launching a $29.6 million program to distribute more than 60,000 HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) purifiers to Illinois schools to help reduce the transmission of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19.
IDPH is coordinating the program with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The program is funded by the CDC through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and is targeted for school districts that serve lower income communities and counties that have elevated air pollution counts. IDPH estimates almost 3,000 schools will be eligible for the program, covering 68 percent of school districts in the state. It will cover schools throughout the state, including Cook County, with the exception of Chicago, which has received a separate federal grant.
We could use some of those in the Capitol Complex hearing rooms, too, btw.
* Pro-gunners win another battle. Here’s AG Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of attorneys general from across the nation, today condemned four of the world’s largest credit card companies – Visa, American Express, Mastercard and Discover – for walking back their commitment to implement a new merchant code for gun sales that would help prevent mass shootings and curb gun violence.
In October, Raoul expressed support after Visa, American Express and Mastercard publicly announced plans to add a new merchant code for gun retailers to the hundreds already used to categorize merchant sales. The creation of the new code had been approved in September by the Switzerland-based International Organization for Standardization to allow financial institutions to better detect and report suspicious activities related to the purchase of firearms and ammunition at standalone gun retail stores. In February 2023, Discover announced that it too would begin using the new code.
But in an abrupt about-face last week, all four companies announced they would not implement the code, citing legislation in several states seeking to bar or limit the use of the voluntary code as a supposed incursion on Second Amendment rights. In a letter sent to the chief executives of Visa, American Express, Mastercard and Discover today, Raoul and 14 attorneys general accused the companies of capitulating to political pressure cloaked in specious legal arguments and amorphous veiled threats from certain state attorneys general.
“As state attorneys general, we are committed to enhancing public safety, and we welcomed Visa, American Express, Mastercard and Discover to that effort when the companies announced plans to add a new merchant code for gun retailers. Doing so would have given law enforcement an important new tool in addressing gun violence,” Raoul said. “I am disappointed that these same companies are now caving to political pressure and reversing course. I urge them to follow through with a merchant category for gun stores – which already exist for numerous everyday items – to help law enforcement identify unlawful transactions.” […]
The letter points out that enabling financial institutions to detect and flag threatening patterns and potential criminal activity for law enforcement is nothing new, as they have been doing it for decades. For instance, federal law requires Suspicious Activity Reports when banks “detect a known or suspected violation of Federal law or a suspicious transaction related to a money laundering activity or a violation of the Bank Secrecy Act,” the letter states. The letter asserts that state and federal law enforcement agencies often request evidence relating to firearms or other investigations. However, the ability of financial institutions or law enforcement to take steps against criminal gun purchases is hampered by the lack of a dedicated code for firearm and ammunition retailers.
* The governor was in Joliet today…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, state officials, and community leaders at Joliet Community College (JCC) to highlight his proposed investments in higher education. The Governor’s FY24 budget calls for the largest increase for community colleges in over two decades and historic investments in financial aid, putting Illinois on track to guarantee every student has access to the education and training they need to thrive.
* WGLT | At Walgreens, a CEO caught in the Venn diagram of medicine, politics and profits: Walgreens has since adjusted its language surrounding its plans, now saying it will distribute this drug in states where it is legal to do so. But the pressure is still on the company and on its CEO — arguably more so because of her gender. Reproductive justice advocates have said that, as a woman, Brewer should be more of an activist-leader and fight for women’s choices.
* Tribune | Second former state lawmaker tells jury about Madigan’s power as testimony in ‘ComEd Four’ trial continues: A second former state representative testified at the “ComEd Four” trial Thursday that he never passed another bill after he refused to vote to reinstall House Speaker Michael Madigan at the beginning of a new term. Ex-Rep. Scott Drury, a Democrat from Highwood, said he also was denied a chance to be a committee chairman once he started his own third, two-year term, a practice that Madigan had generally followed for years.
* Center Square | Illinois legislators push for access to fentanyl testing strips, stricter punishments for dealers: “The first is [House Bill 3203], which allows pharmacies and retailers to sell potentially life-saving fentanyl testing strips,” McCombie said. “This bill will help save lives. Fentanyl is a deadly drug that is taking far too many lives, and as we continue to take steps to address the opioid epidemic affecting Illinois families, our priority with this legislation is to single out fentanyl.”
* Center Square | Illinois sportsbooks set record handle for January: The Illinois Gaming Board reports that Illinois sportsbooks set a record for handle in January and topped $1 billion for the fourth consecutive month. Illinois is just the fourth state to post four consecutive months of billion-dollar handle. The others are New York, New Jersey and Nevada.
* SJ-R | Springfield man charged with stealing winning lottery tickets: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said that Dean F. Derrick, 57, an employee of the lottery, was charged with four counts of theft of government property greater than $500 but less than $10,000, seven counts of official misconduct and three counts of wire fraud. His partner, Frazier R. Mack, 24, was charged with two counts of theft of government property.
State Senator Neil Anderson (R-Andalusia) filed Senate Bill 1232 which would allow outdoorsmen and women the ability to renew their hunting and fishing licenses every three years instead of every year.
Additionally, the legislation provides the ability to obtain one combined license for the two. […]
Currently, a person can only buy a one-year or lifetime license with no option in between.
The bill would also allow Gold Star Families the ability to obtain a free hunting or fishing license.
Illinois might go for “ranked choice voting” in the next presidential primaries – in which you can name follow-up choices if your favorite candidate drops out.
The Illinois House Ethics and Elections Committee brought in Fair Vote’s Terrance Carroll, who says this promotes issues, as candidates “tend to be more positive and tend to focus more on issues, because they know they want someone else to mark them as their second or third choice. It also helps promote more viable candidates, so it tends to mitigate against the most extreme candidates in both parties.” […]
An opponent’s argument was 180 degrees from McReynolds and Carroll’s.
“Ranked choice voting is a scheme to disconnect elections from issues and allows candidates with marginal support to win,” said Andy Bakker of the Illinois Opportunity Project.
The committee chair, State Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford), is sponsoring a bill for ranked choice voting in the 2024 Illinois presidential primary but said after the hearing he wants to learn more about it before deciding how hard to push it.
A bill being pushed by the National Fire Sprinkler Association would let homeowners who add a fire sprinkler to their house be reimbursed half of the cost of the system on their state income taxes, up to $10,000. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) and Sen. Rob Martwick (D-Chicago).
NSFA officials estimate the median cost for a home sprinkler system is $7,200, which would leave the state responsible for $3,600 per unit under the proposed bill.
Officials from the organization argue the fire sprinklers save lives. Since 2007, no one in the U.S. has died from a residential fire in a building with a sprinkler system, compared to 967 fatalities in homes without fire sprinklers. […]
According to Erik Hoffer, executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board, 110 municipalities in northern Illinois are required to include fire sprinklers in all new homes.
The legislation, HB 1616, would allow a pyrolysis or gasification facility “pilot project” to begin construction by June 2027 in in either Will County or Grundy County. It updates a previous bill, passed in 2019, that required the project to begin by June 2025. […]
The Illinois Environmental Council, the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the Ocean Conservancy spoke against the bill during a press call on Wednesday. The groups generally oppose the reclassification of chemical recycling as manufacturing, saying it’s a way for facilities to skirt certain environmental permitting requirements. They see the deadline extension as setting a bad precedent for companies if they are not able to meet existing requirements and timelines. Others opposing the bill include the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Law and Policy Center and various environmental groups. […]
Yet Biel said in an email that environmental groups want to take advantage of the facility’s business delays to “reverse the intent of Illinois’ elected officials” who voted for the 2019 bill. The project is an important way to “keep plastics in the economy and out of the environment,” he said. Other supporters include the Recyclers Coalition of Illinois, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and several unions.
The bill has passed through relevant House committees and is expected to come up for a full House vote soon. All House bills must meet a third reading deadline of March 24 to move forward.
The Illinois Legislature is planning movement on legislation that would address the supposed monopoly power of app store giants Apple and Google. The legislation — HB 3098 — would nominally limit these companies’ ability to require use of their own payment processing systems. What it would actually do is inhibit Apple, Google and other software store providers from honoring commitments to customers and safeguarding digital financial transactions. It is based on flawed assumptions and would have consequences for the state’s economy.
HB 3098 — as well as similar bills at the state and federal level — rests on the assumption that app developers are unfairly disadvantaged because they do not have sufficient options beyond the big two app store providers. However, this entirely misunderstands the space. Politicians at all levels of government have been defining the market to include only mobile, hand-held devices like smartphones. […]
HB 3098 would weaken this trust unnecessarily. Currently, consumers on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store do not have to worry about whether or not their purchase is protected. These businesses have created a carefully curated system to market third-party software to its users and have become a trusted source for said purchases. Creating a digital Wild West of payment systems would erode trust and damage the profitability of so many third-party app developers in the process.
Weakening these safeguards would lead to a host of other issues that are already on the minds of many users. For example, the Federal Trade Commission is looking into certain app developers and the prevalence of accidental and reckless purchases by children. There have been over 1 million complaints to Visa and Mastercard about such purchases.
Hundreds of bills sailed out of committee last week. Here’s a small sampling of some interesting, important and silly bills working their way through the Illinois General Assembly: […]
- Senate Bill 1470, filed by state Sen. Tom Bennett, R-Gibson City, would allow a school district to use remote learning days instead of emergency days for up to five days per school year. It would also allow schools to utilize remote learning if selected as a polling place. It passed unanimously. […]
- Senate Bill 1907, sponsored by state Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, would require all public colleges, universities and community colleges to offer emergency contraceptives at a reduced price via at least one vending machine-type kiosk on campus. It passed committee 9-3. […]
- House Bill 2840, sponsored by state Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, would designate the black walnut as the official state nut of Illinois.
- House Bill 3817, filed by state Rep. Matt Hanson, D-Aurora, would designate the soybean as the official state bean of Illinois.
The legislation, House Bill 3768, passed the State Government Administration Committee. It will go to the House floor for a vote, and then the Senate for a final vote.
If passed into law, the bill would add a category called Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) to the Uniform Racial Classification Act. Whenever a state agency is required by law to compile or report statistical data using racial or ethnic classification, the amended law says they must use MENA in addition to white, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. […]
There are 243 proponents of the bill, which include community organizations and coalitions. No one opposed it. The legislation moved on to the next step with a unanimous 9-0 vote.
A long-discussed proposal for a new Chicago-area airport in the south suburbs is again gaining traction, now with a focus on air cargo as e-commerce warehouses and logistics facilities have flourished in the area.
Proponents envision an airport that could take advantage of demand for quick delivery and the proliferation of Amazon warehouses, train facilities and highways in Will County. At least one developer is already interested in building out the airport and nearby warehouses, a project that would mark the culmination of the decadeslong effort to get an airport built near Peotone. […]
A bill pending in the Illinois legislature intends to get the ball rolling on the project by directing the state to start the process of soliciting proposals from developers. The goal is to determine the viability to build the airport, state Rep. Will Davis, a Democrat from Homewood who sponsored the bill, said during a hearing on the concept Wednesday. […]
The concept has also garnered support from both Chicago mayoral candidates. Brandon Johnson said during a candidate forum Thursday that transportation could serve as an anchor for an economic hub for the South Side of the city and the south suburbs, and Paul Vallas said it should be paired with expanded transit and connected to the central business district.
Defines cargo-oriented development as the development of places that are both multimodal nodes of freight transportation and centers of employment in logistics and manufacturing businesses. Provides that the Department of Transportation shall (instead of may) establish a process for prequalification of offerors. Requires the Department to commence the prequalification process within 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act
Decades ago, planners pitched Peotone as a passenger facility and Chicago fought the plan to preserve interests at O’Hare and Midway.
In recent years, however, Amazon and others have driven demand for a cargo airport. O’Hare and Midway lack airspace capacity to handle additional flights, proponents say, and Rockford is too far away. Gary, Indiana, poses the biggest competitive threat to the South Suburban Airport.
[Reggie Greenwood, executive director of the Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation] and other boosters have publicly said investors are seriously interested in building runways and other improvements on state-owned land. The Davis bill seeks to force the state to solicit development proposals.
“Let’s see who has the capacity do it,” State Rep. Will Davis (D-30th District, East Hazel Crest) said of the intent of his bill. “If no one responds then no one responds.” […]
“We think there are some developers out there that do have the capacity and they’re ready to put pen to paper to show they have the capacity, the wherewithal and the financing to do it,” Davis said.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked about this earlier in the month…
What you don’t want is ‘if you build it, they will come.’ Right, just building the thing and hoping that people will show up to essentially pay for the airport having been built. You need to make sure that you’re building it because you have interests from cargo carriers who aren’t committing to make that a cargo airport. So if we can get that all put together, and I’ve said that from the beginning, and by the way, there’s about 10% of the property that still needs to be acquired. There’s not enough property that the state owns.
But all of that is part of a plan. But you’ve got to do the plan. That can’t be like, we’re going to just open an airport and then hope that Amazon or somebody else is going to make that a center. We have a terrific airport also in Rockford. I do not believe these things are competitive with one another. There are committed cargo carriers that are at Rockford, which is the fastest growing cargo airport in the world. And it means that cargo can be managed in another area that’s outside of that zone in the south suburbs of Chicago. And we’ll be able to sustain those companies but they have to make the commitments and the people who are putting the airport project together need to go obtain those commitments.
* The Question: Do you agree with Rep. Davis’ bill requiring the state to solicit development proposals on the proposed third airport? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* This is from Paul Vallas’ speech at a March 14, 2021 campaign rally for some suburban school district candidates demanding that schools be reopened. It’s the rally where he says Awake Illinois’ Shannon Adcock should run for governor. We ran the Facebook video through Otter and then cleaned it up the best we could, but please pardon all transcription errors. Anyway, if you thought Mayor Lightfoot could be bluntly confrontational, check this out..
First of all, it’s such an honor to have been invited to this event and to see this great turn out so give yourselves a round of applause. After listening to Shannon Adcock’s speech, I think she should run for governor.
The only way your children stop becoming hostages is if you have a voice on the school board. The April 6th election is critical. You got to get representatives. Even if you don’t get control of a board, if you have a voice on that board, they can force it or have transparency. They can force that board to answer questions. And it’s important that you all support yourself and close ranks around social media because they will attack you and they will demagogue you.
This is not about bashing teachers. There have been four teachers in my household. There have been six first responders, there have been six veterans. This is not about attacking teachers. They want you to think about attacking teachers. This is about attacking the union leaders.
On the other hand if you’re a teacher, and you are silent, then you are complicit by your silence.
At the end of the day, if you are silent then you’re part of the problem. […]
The only way we free the hostages is by getting people elected to the school board, or we advocate for kids. It’s as simple as that. That’s where the rubber meets the road. Close ranks get individuals elected because this will happen again. We know this.
When you can literally say, we don’t want to test this year. When you literally can say, no more accountability. When you can literally short the school day or short even the remote structure. Actually, the unions forced them to go full remote and then complained that a four-hour remote learning day was too long and they needed another hour off. If you do that, and get away and still get paid and still keep bonuses, and still get your pay increases, and still get vacations days, and still get your time off, what’s to prevent you from doing it again?
This is not only about reopening the schools or fully reopening the schools. But this is about making sure that this never happens again.
The city council should not be sitting idle while those things are going on in the schools. 75% of your property taxes are going to schools. What are the council people doing? What are the local mayors doing?
So, repeat after me, Never again! [Crowd chants] Never again! Never again! Never again!
Wirepoints: Yeah, Paul, I often wonder if you’re a Black kid, why wouldn’t you become a criminal if you’re hearing this stuff in school? It’s everybody with white skin is an oppressor, if you have black skin, you’re the oppressed. That makes it pretty easy to justify pretty bad conduct in my opinion.
Vallas: You’re absolutely right. But what you’re also doing, you know, you’re giving people an excuse for bad behavior.
* Meanwhile…
Bernie Sanders endorses Brandon Johnson for Mayor. This is likely to give some energy to Johnson’s campaign — but also encompasses a big part of what is already his base.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (S.C.), the assistant House Democratic leader, announced Thursday that he is endorsing Brandon Johnson for mayor of Chicago.
Clyburn’s blessing is a major coup for Johnson, a Black and progressive Cook County commissioner, running against Paul Vallas, a white centrist and former CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Specifically, the nod from Clyburn, a staunch moderate with a national profile, stands to help Johnson consolidate the support of Black voters, including those older Black voters who might otherwise be skeptical of Johnson’s left-wing views on policing and taxation.
As we’ve already discussed, Johnson sharply criticized Clyburn over Clyburn’s opposition to defunding the police.
* Isabel’s Chicago roundup…
* Crain’s | More endorsements and big cash roll in to mayoral runoff: Among the contributions reported by Johnson’s campaign Wednesday is $25,000 from SNC Consulting & Management. On the other side of the race, Vallas’ campaign reported a big collection of contributions on Wednesday, totaling over $270,000. That includes $100,000 from Brian Miller, co-founder and managing partner of health care-focused private-equity firm Linden Capital Partners. Miller previously donated $50,000 to the Vallas campaign in February ahead of the first round of voting.
* ABC Chicago | 25th Ward alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez’s press conference crashed by defeated opponent: A supporter of Aida Flores pulled the microphone away and handed it over to Flores, who then made unfounded claims of voter suppression. Election results show that Sigcho-Lopez defeated Flores with 53% of the vote. Immigrant rights activist Elvira Arellano tried to shout down Flores, eventually grabbing the microphone back.
* WGN | Chicago’s top cop checks out early: WGN Investigates has learned Chicago’s top cop checked-out earlier than his announced exit, originally scheduled for Thursday. Sources say Brown cleaned-out his corner office and is leaving town without the usual pomp and circumstance usually afforded a police leader. He declined all interview requests.
* WTTW | What Will Policing, Public Safety Look Like Under Chicago’s Next Mayor?: “The bottom line is — I’ve talked about it over and over again in columns, etc. — is to restore proactive policing and proactive policing that is consistent with the consent decree, and I’ve said that over and over and over again,” Vallas said. It’s a sentiment that one former officer agrees with. Peter Koconis is a retired police sergeant who served as a special assistant to Chicago police Superintendent Jody Weiss. “When I came out and I worked on the tactical team, we were proactive,” Koconis said. “Now, when I had a tactical team and a gang team in my last assignment, we were more reactive, and I think that hurts you in a way.”
* Fox News | As crime ravages Chicago, pastor puts faith in pro-police candidate to turn it around: “Paul Vallas will be better for the city of Chicago,” Pastor Corey Brooks told Fox News. “We need someone who’s going to focus not just on the crime on the South Side and West Side, but also someone who can build back the relationships with businesses on the Magnificent Mile and on State Street.”
* Fox Chicago | Tensions flare at Chicago City Council meeting over Lightfoot’s handling of migrant crisis: “The administration dropped the ball with telling folks where these camps will be. And so now that they’re closing, we’re getting more people in the community. So the one in Maria Hadden’s community closed, and those migrants were sent to of course Wadsworth which is a closed school. So with all due respect, there should have been a conversation with us. As a matter of fact, this was a conversation I asked for back in October and I’m confused how we’re here again trying to pass something without having a conversation,” said 20th Ward Alderwoman Jeannette Taylor.
* WGN | Little Village discount mall vendors plan caravan to avoid eviction: The 25th alderman plans to lead a group of vendors to Novak Construction, demanding a new agreement is made to avoid them from being evicted from the discount mall. Sources told WGN there will be 70 vehicles apart of the caravan and it will include street vendors as well as those who rent from the discount mall in Little Village.
* WGN | Is decision day finally near for third Chicago airport?: “You never say never,” Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant told WGN Investigates. “I think the numbers and the interest should play a role. We don’t want to start along this road and realize there’s no need for it.”
Defense attorneys for the four defendants painted a consistent picture: the defendants were doing their jobs. They were very good at their jobs and never crossed any legal lines.
Attorneys said the evidence will show the government’s focus on taking down Madigan led them to pick and choose the evidence that fits their theories.
The defense stressed to jurors that lobbying isn’t illegal and all defendants were engaged in what’s considered standard practice in Springfield.
Cotter, representing McClain, called the case the product of an “exceptionally focused, goal-driven investigation” aimed at the former speaker.
“I didn’t count how many times Mr. Madigan — who isn’t here — was mentioned during the government’s opening,” Cotter said. “I didn’t count. But it was a lot.”
Cotter insisted to the jury that they will “hear no words” linking a job recommendation from Madigan with any piece of legislation. Nor, he said, will jurors hear any discussion of Madigan helping pass a piece of ComEd legislation.
“No connection to legislation, no bribe,” Cotter said.
Cotter explained that ComEd — despite allegedly bribing Madigan — invested in a massive lobbying effort to try to get the legislation passed, and that Madigan’s staff still forced the utility into concessions worth millions. […]
[Gabrielle Sansonetti, Jay Doherty’s attorney] also told jurors that there is little evidence to prove the government’s argument that those subcontracted lobbyists did little to no work, arguing that some lobbyists are hired so they’re not snatched up by a competing firm, or just in case an issue pops up. Others are paid on a retainer. And lobbyists frequently attend dinners, charity events and political events that aren’t necessarily tracked by their employers, she told jurors.
Cotter said that it was clear that federal prosecutors and the FBI developed an “exceptionally focused, goal-driven investigation” that was targeting Madigan from the beginning. In their overzealousness, he said, the government “began to see what they wanted to see.”
“When you’re too focused on getting the big target, everything begins to look like a crime,” he said.
Pramaggiore’s lawyer, Scott Lassar, described his client as a “wonderful woman,” a “Girl Scout” who rescued ComEd from tumultuous times.
He said she “knew that Mike Madigan was only concerned with one thing, and that was staying in power, staying speaker of the House,” and that he ”never lifted a finger” to help pass any legislation on the company’s behalf.
“He was never a friend to ComEd, never was and never would be,” Lassar said. “And she was right.”
After federal agents approached Marquez in early 2019 with some preliminary evidence they had found when looking into lobbying subcontracts under Doherty, Marquez agreed to cooperate and wear a wire, which continued for months. But Jacobson said Marquez took the government’s deal after learning he could face years in prison “even though he didn’t think he’d done anything illegal.”
“Marquez took the sure thing, the get-out-of-jail-free card,” Jacobson said. “Marquez is a man who lies to benefit himself.”
Doherty’s attorney, Gabrielle Sansonetti, took that theory further, acknowledging to the jury that “there should’ve been more oversight” on the lobbying subcontracts – not from Doherty himself, but ComEd.
“The one guy responsible for all this oversight? You might have already guessed: Fidel Marquez,” Sansonetti said, claiming that when the feds discovered Marquez failed to do his oversight job, “he passed the buck, he became an informant.”
Scott Lassar, Pramaggiore’s defense attorney, told the jury that his client was well aware that Madigan was only concerned with his political well-being.
“Anne knew, and others knew at ComEd, that Mike Madigan was only concerned with one thing, and that was staying in power, staying the Speaker of the House, staying has head of the Democratic Party,” Lassar said. “Anne knew that Mike Madigan was not a friend of ComEd, never was and never would be. And she was right.”
Jacqueline Jacobson, Hooker’s attorney, told jurors: “John never conspired or agreed with anyone to bribe Madigan in connection with ComEd legislation or to falsify the internal books and records of ComEd. Because John never, never had any corrupt intent.”
Sansonetti said Doherty hired four subcontractors — which prosecutors have said was a bribe to please Madigan — at the direction of Fidel Marquez, a former ComEd executive who wore a wire and is cooperating with the government.
McClain’s defense attorney Patrick Cotter framed his client’s actions as nothing more than legal lobbying.
“When you have a problem that you need to resolve with your elected representative, … it might make sense, if you can, to hire somebody to help you do that,” Cotter said. “It’s not a crime, and it’s not a conspiracy, and you know what, it’s not even suspicious.” […]
Cotter accused prosecutors of zeroing in their investigation on Madigan — who is not charged in this case, but faces a separate racketeering and bribery trial next year — and claimed they began to “see what they wanted to see” — that the defendants “somehow were part of some nefarious conspiracy.”
“The government’s theory is wrong,” Cotter said. “It’s too simple.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker began Wednesday with commentary that lasted roughly 90 minutes. She started with McClain’s own words, caught on one of the many recordings jurors will hear: “We had to hire these guys because Mike Madigan came to us.”
“In short, Madigan wanted, the defendants gave, and the defendants got,” Streicker told the jury. “It’s that simple.” […]
She described McClain’s close relationship with Madigan to jurors. And she said job recommendations made by Madigan — typically through McClain — were treated as demands. By way of example, she described a recorded conversation McClain had with a senior ComEd employee.
“He told this employee that ComEd must immediately handle requests from Madigan, and that ComEd must understand that, when McClain sends over a resume, it’s not a request. It’s a demand to hire someone,” Streicker said.
Streicker alleged ComEd poured $1.3 million into payments funneled to ghost “subcontractors” who were actually Madigan’s cronies, put a Madigan-backed person on the ComEd board, and gave coveted internships to families in his 13th Ward, all part of an elaborate scheme to keep the speaker happy.
And, it worked, Streicker said, because over the eight years of the scheme, Madigan helped ComEd win three lucrative pieces of legislation, including the “Smart Grid” bill in 2011 and another bill in 2016 that held a rate structure in place and extended the life of two of the company’s nuclear plants.
“Mike Madigan was the most powerful person in the Illinois General Assembly,” Streicker said. “He (could) wield that power to make or break a piece of legislation. The defendants bribed him, and they did so by paying Madigan’s associates through jobs and contracts at ComEd.” […]
“Madigan exercised enormous power,” she said, saying his “power and control made him critical to ComEd’s success” because he could help or hurt ComEd’s agenda in Springfield.
“This is why defendants sought to corruptly influence Madigan,” Streicker said.
But the government’s opening arguments – and their initial questioning of former State Rep. Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills – sought to illustrate for the jury the amount of power Madigan wielded, not just as speaker of the Illinois House, but also as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois and a prolific fundraiser for Democrats.
“In short, if Madigan wanted to stop a piece of legislation, he could kill it in any number of ways,” Streicker said. “At the same time…he controlled the purse strings for Democrats. They needed him to get elected and get re-elected…He held enormous power over the other legislators.”
As for McClain, Streicker called him a “double agent” on behalf of both ComEd and Madigan, who infamously did not own a cell phone or use email.
“When you heard something from McClain, you know it came from Madigan,” Streicker said.
According to prosecutors, Madigan did not own a cellphone and didn’t use email, but instead used McClain as a mouthpiece to make his demands known. For instance, when an intern’s resume was presented to ComEd by McClain for consideration, it wasn’t a request, “it’s a demand,” Streicker said.
“These were not mere recommendations,” she said. “The evidence will prove that these were demands and the defendants acted on them.”
“The defendants sought to bribe Mike Madigan in order to influence his actions in the General Assembly, to ensure that he didn’t take action to hurt the company in the General Assembly and to reward past beneficial conduct to ComEd in the general assembly with legislation that was worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” Streicker told jurors. […]
The prosecution’s first witness, former north suburban State Rep. Carol Sente, was called to testify at the end of the day, and the first questions posed to her concerned the legislative process in the Illinois state capitol.
Asked to characterize Madigan’s control over the Illinois House of Representatives, Sente said it was “extremely firm.”
Much of the evidence is expected to come from ComEd’s former vice president of external communications, Fidel Marquez. He will be testifying in an attempt to reduce his own sentence.
Marquez took over for defendant John Hooker. His phone was among those tapped by federal authorities.
The prosecution said he will deliver an “insider’s view” of the crimes. In particular, he is expected to testify about the company’s use of sub-contractors, people who did little if any work, but were paid upwards of $4,500 dollars a month allegedly at the request of Madigan intermediaries. The jobs, prosecutors say, were used as political rewards.
The money was allegedly funneled through Dougherty’s lobbying firm. At one point, the government said, payments totalled more than $37,000 dollars a month.
*** UPDATE *** As noted above, former Democratic Rep. Carol Sente is the federal government’s first witness. She’s supposed to give jurors a look at how the legislative process operates. The part about Madigan controlling the Rules Committee is true, but as Hannah then points out, the part about the committee meeting in private is just plain false. Not sure how the heck the feds allowed that to happen…
Sente is telling jurors about one of the sources of Madgain's control: The Rules Committee. "If you wanted a bill to move or not move the rules commitee would take that into serious account," she says. Their meetings are in private, and Madigan controlled everything there.
Former Rep. Sente just testified that members of the public can't attend meetings of the House Rules Committee, and that Rules Cmte meetings are held in private, but that’s not true; though these meetings are quick and rote (resulting from prior decisions), I’ve attended many.
Attorney for Mike McClain is trying to block release of recordings featuring McClain talking to Rep. Bob Rita about gaming legislation. Rita will testify early next week for the government, which they think will show McClain was acting as an agent of Madigan.
* Illinois Board of Higher Education Chair John Atkinson delivered some extraordinary remarks to the board yesterday. Whether you agree with him or not, I thought his speech was worth sharing in full because it was so unusual…
When attacks on diversity and equity are ramping up in various states across the country, we should all be relieved and proud that, in Illinois, everyday we’re taking steps toward a more diverse and equitable state.
In no other state are these attacks more blatant and destructive than in Florida. Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has resorted to implementing a hateful agenda across the state’s education system.
DeSantis’ Stop WOKE Act prohibits diversity initiatives in the workplace and limits school curriculum that celebrates Black culture. This racist Act is forcing educators to remove books from classroom and library bookshelves for fear of facing retaliation.
DeSantis has also forced the College Board to whitewash its Advanced Placement Black Studies curriculum — removing books by contemporary thought leaders like Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates and topics like the Black Lives Matter movement. The updated curriculum does not prohibit teaching about slavery, so the apparent message to students is that it is okay to study racism if we pretend it no longer exists.
DeSantis is bent on taking us backwards. It is not too long ago when segregation in schools in this country was allowed. It is not too long ago when Black and white people couldn’t drink from the same water fountains. At a time when all leaders should be making a serious and concerted effort to foster a more just country for everyone, DeSantis is leaning into racist practices of the past, stoking fears, and division for political purposes.
But, we can’t pretend that racism is a thing of the past. Not only is it a lie, but it’s also just wrong to tell people who experience discrimination because of the color of their skin that what they’re experiencing isn’t real.
What’s more disappointing and frightening is that DeSantis isn’t acting alone. He has the support of many Florida state legislators. A few weeks ago, Florida State Rep. Robert Alexander Andrade introduced House Bill 999.
This bill would place the public higher education system under extraordinary state control and out of the hands of educators. In fact, he just appointed a majority board of trustees to Florida’s New College, and according to the conservative magazine the National Review, Desantis’ Chief of Staff said that they hoped, and I quote “New College would become the Hillsdale of the South”, a reference to a fundamentalist Christian School in Michigan.
This is simply outrageous and in fact highlights the hateful and intolerant views that are seeping into the mainstream of our culture. Our higher education system should serve as a buffer against, rather than a catalyst for this throwback agenda.
HB 999 would prohibit public colleges from funding any projects that “espouse diversity, equity, and inclusion or Critical Race Theory rhetoric” no matter the funding source and put faculty hiring into the hands of trustees. This is an egregious attack on academic freedom and the long held principle of shared governance.
The bill also directs trustees to remove from their institutions majors and minors “in Critical Race Theory, Gender Studies, or Intersectionality, or any derivative major or minor of these belief systems.”
In the land of the free and home of the brave, DeSantis has made his state less free for teachers, for women, people of color and LGBTQ people. It appears Florida is home of the brave but not land of the free.
Florida is not alone on this attack on higher education and academic freedom: Oklahoma Governor, Kevin Stitt singled out the state’s two largest public universities: “Because when we send our kids to college, we expect our tuition to pay for their education, not their indoctrination,” Stitt said. “I want our universities to have less DEI officers and more career placement counselors.”
Well I have news for both Governors, career success, business success and DEI are not mutually exclusive, and in fact business leaders know, that the opposite is true. Diverse teams produce better outcomes. Numerous studies show this to be fact. A recent study by McKinsey of over 1000 companies found that organizations in the top quartile outperformed those in the fourth by 36% in 2017 and these trends are similar when considering both gender and multi-cultural diversity.
A diverse, equitable Illinois is a thriving Illinois. Diverse, inclusive teams make faster, better decisions and those decisions yield better results for employers. Diversity and equity are good for companies and our economy. But above all else – it is a moral imperative.
We all benefit from a diverse workforce. And to ensure a diverse workforce, we must deliver equitable educational experiences to all students.
We know that inclusive curriculums and classrooms make for better student outcomes, and successful students make our state and our nation flourish.
In Illinois, we understand the value of diversity. We understand the importance of an equitable system of higher education. That’s why our higher education strategic plan explicitly promotes equity in education, and Governor Pritzker has not only made historical investments in this work year after year, but his charge to myself and this board when we were appointed in 2019 was to be focused on equity so that every student in our state can Thrive.
And guess what? It’s working!
We’ve seen Black and Latino student enrollment increase at record levels in Illinois when it has decreased nationwide. The governor has increased MAP funding in the FY24 budget to make college more affordable, especially for students from low-income households. The governor also increased funding for the MTI scholarship to recruit and retain teachers of color. All of these are deliberate investments to make progress toward equity.
Inviting students to wrestle with colonialism and slavery in American history is important for the development and advancement of our society. Our students must learn the reality of systemic racism in our society so they can be equipped to extinguish it forever.
We cannot and will not allow the evils of the past to reign again. We have a responsibility for producing educated citizens that are so vital to a healthy democratic society.
We are standing at a dangerous precipice as a nation as certain kinds of political dogma steeped in racism, homophobia and sexism continue to infiltrate all forms of public education systems across the country.
We cannot, and will not, as a state or here at the IBHE tolerate any attempt to strip anyone of their identity or to erase the complicated and sometimes inconvenient history of our great nation.
* Center Square | Prosecutors object to proposed defense expert on lobbying in ComEd bribery case: “The focus of Drutman’s proposed testimony – the basics of lobbying – resembles the principles taught in a high school civics class,” prosecutors argued in a motion that seeks to exclude or limit the testimony. “The jury will be familiar with the general notion of how a bill becomes a law and how various political and non-political actors influence that process based on the government’s fact witnesses, which will include current and former legislators and lobbyists.”
* Sun-Times | Railroad merger OK blasted by suburban mayors, Illinois lawmakers: The merger could further tie up commuters using Metra’s Milwaukee District-West Line as regulators expect the number of daily freight trains to increase from three to 11. “To say we’re disappointed is a gross understatement,” said Frank DeSimone, village president of Bensenville. “They approved a 400% increase in freight traffic in our community.”
* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker: Tax cuts on the table if state revenues continue to exceed expectations: The governor did not say whether tax cuts would be permanent or which taxes he and lawmakers are considering cutting. And tax cuts were one of several potential uses of excess revenues the governor said he would like to consider. Others include contributions to the state’s “rainy day” fund and added payments beyond required amounts to the state’s pension system.
* WAND | Illinois House Republicans demand reforms to attract businesses: Two representatives from the Rockford region explained Wednesday that people in their districts are struggling to get by after a Jeep assembly plant shut down indefinitely. That announcement came the same day Stellantis announced thousands of new jobs opening at a plant in Indiana.
* AP | Warnock’s campaign chief sees lessons from Dems in Georgia: Fulks, who has also worked for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and is now on a politics fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School, deflected questions about a possible Biden gig. But allies tout him as more than ready for a national campaign.
* Tribune | Goats found wandering on South Side brought to Chicago Animal Care and Control: The three beauties were brought in as strays by a worker to the animal control facility at 2741 S. Western Ave. They were found near 6000 S. Wood St., and officials said they were very friendly and eating normally. One of the agency’s partners supplied goat feed for them during their short stay.
* Tribune | Rev. Wheeler Parker was there in the bedroom when Emmett Till was abducted. His memoir recounts the 70-year push for federal charges: There’s a haunting moment in Parker’s new memoir, “A Few Days Full of Trouble: Revelations on the Journey to Justice for My Cousin and Best Friend, Emmett Till” (written with Northwestern University journalism professor Christopher Benson), in which he wonders what Till was thinking as he was led to his death. The story has been told often: In 1955, Bryant alleged that Emmett Till, a Black teenager from Chicago visiting his relatives, wolf-whistled at her in a grocery store. Four days later, in the middle of the night, there was a knock on the door of the home where Till slept. Two men, J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant, Carolyn’s husband, carrying guns and flashlights, ordered Till to dress and drove off with him. Till was tortured, lynched and shot in the head. His death served as a catalyst for the nascent civil rights movement.
* AP | TikTok dismisses calls for Chinese owners to sell stakes: The company was responding to a report in The Wall Street Journal that said the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., part of the Treasury Department, was threatening a U.S. ban on the app unless its owners, Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., divested.
If anyone questions the need for infrastructure spending or why it’s important to maintain a scaled MFT, this wasn’t just a pothole. It was a hole that when straight down to the rebar and caused several flat tires in arguably one of the most congested areas in the region. https://t.co/lMPW73tBZ7
* You kinda have to wade through Russ Stewart’s stuff, but often there’s a good nugget…
Cynthia Santos, the now former $127,000-a year member of the Illinois Pollution Control Board and defeated 38TH WARD aldermanic candidate (she got 10.7 percent), is not hapless. She did NOT put herself in a situation beyond her control, which makes her somewhat clueless.
After 20 years as a $70,000-a year Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) commissioner, Santos was appointed to a 6-year term at the PCB by former Governor Bruce Rauner in January of 2017. The PCB hears appeals from environmental decisions by state agencies. Like a judge, a PCB member is supposed to be non-political and abide by state ethics rules which bar overt political activity. No “appearance of impropriety” is allowed. The PCB meets twice monthly and each member is assigned an attorney who does all the legal appeal research work.
In the summer of 2022 governor J.B. Pritzker re-nominated Santos for another 6-year term, subject to IL Senate confirmation. That did not occur during the autumn session. Also in the late summer of 2022 Santos and her husband Rich Bradley, an ex-state rep and current staffer for MWRD commissioner Marcelino Garcia, began circulating nominating petitions for each to run for 38th Ward alderman, a job held by Nicholas Sposato. The incumbent had dawdled until late August before deciding to run in 2023. Ed Bannon, a member of Rob Martwick’s 38th Ward Dems, also got into the race.
Santos did not take a leave-of-absence or resign her PCB job. She, not Bradley, filed in December, as did Sposato, Bannon, Franco Reyes and Bruce Randazzo. She did not file a D-1 statement with the state Board of Elections (IBOE) to create a campaign committee to report receipts and expenditures. “I’m paying my own expenses,” she later told me. That was not true, however a group called “Citizens in Action for Better Government” (CABG) paid for her flyers, which was an in-kind contribution and reportable by Santos and CABG. Neither has. […]
And she kept collecting her PCB paycheck. “I don’t campaign on work time,” she later told me.
Meanwhile, her PCB re-nomination stalled. Firefighters Local 2 is rumored to have intervened. (Sposato is a retired firefighter.) On March 6 Pritzker withdrew her PCB re-nomination. Santos was then on holdover, so she was out-the-door. […]
Credit Santos with a two-fer: She LOST for a 140K job and then LOST her 127K job all within the span of several days.
“She has nobody to blame but herself,” said Sposato
Anthony Peraica represented Jelena Dordevic in her Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding. Alongside filing the bank-ruptcy petition, Peraica submitted a form disclosing his fee compensation (known in bankruptcy parlance as a Rule 2016 disclosure) in which he reported that Dordevic had paid him a total of $5,000 for his services. But Peraica’s disclosure was incomplete. As the Trustee learned during discovery, Dordevic had actually paid Peraica $21,500.
The U.S. Trustee contacted Peraica to inform him that he needed to file an updated Rule 2016 fee disclosure with the bankruptcy court. Rather than heed this advice, Peraica instead sent the Trustee an informal accounting document listing $21,500 in fees. Recognizing this would not suffice, the Trustee responded: “The Rule 2016 disclosures actually need to be filed with the Court” by submitting “an official form.” But Peraica again ignored his obligation and continued to do so even after receiving a third reminder from the Trustee a few weeks later.
In time the Trustee sought the bankruptcy court’s intervention. The Trustee filed a motion under 11 U.S.C. § 329 to examine the fees. After Peraica failed to respond, the Trustee supplemented its motion with a request that all fees be forfeited. The bankruptcy court granted the motion. Beyond Peraica’s brazen disregard of the Trustee’s advice, the bankruptcy court found Peraica’s proffered explanation for not updating his fee disclosure lacking, if not downright false. Peraica claimed that he lacked bankruptcy experience and thus was not familiar with his Rule 2016 disclosure requirements. But a search of the federal judiciary’s docket management system showed that Peraica had been involved in more than 350 bankruptcy cases in the Northern District of Illinois alone. The bankruptcy court ordered Peraica to disgorge all past fees as a penalty for his blatant lack of compliance with his obligations under Section 329 of the Bankruptcy Code. […]
The bankruptcy court found Peraica’s behavior inexcusable. We do too. […]
So the bigger picture takeaway should be clear: counsel for debtors in bankruptcy proceedings should recognize that failures to disclose will not be taken lightly.
* NPR Illinois | Pritzker touts funding during visit to Lincoln Land Community College: Pritzker’s plan, which is likely to receive legislative approval, would add money for programs and building needs. The governor said system funding for day-to-day operations at community colleges has increased by over $25 million since the start of his administration, and the proposed budget will add nearly $20 million in additional dollars.
* AP | In nursing homes, impoverished live final days on pennies: Medicaid is jointly administered between individual states and the federal government and, faced with federal inaction, states have taken it upon themselves to raise allowances. Even so, most remain low. A majority of states – 28 – have allowances of $50 or less, according to a state-by-state survey by the American Council on Aging. Just five states grant residents $100 or more each month, including Alaska, which stands alone in offering $200 monthly, the maximum under federal law. Four states – Alabama, Illinois, North Carolina and South Carolina – remain at the $30 minimum.
* Crain’s | Surging demand for affordable senior housing sparks redevelopment of old hospitals and schools: Seniors’ need for affordable housing is urgent. Nationwide, more than 10 million households headed by someone 65 or older spend more than a third of their income on housing, according to an August article by Jennifer Molinsky, director of the Housing an Aging Society Program at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
* Sun-Times | Chicago a front-runner for 2024 Democratic convention; Whoopi Goldberg boosting New York’s bid in video: “Come to New York, where we will put on a seamless and spectacular convention,” Goldberg says in the video, which surfaced on Monday. It runs 7 minutes and 11 seconds. President Joe Biden, expected to run for a second term in 2024, will make the decision on the convention city. It’s not clear who exactly the long video is supposed to influence.
* WCIA | ‘An abomination and a disgrace;’ Humane Society calls for end to killing contests in IL: “Wildlife killing contests are an abomination and a disgrace,” said Marc Ayers, Illinois state director for the Humane Society of the United States. “Destroying coyotes for sadistic fun, games and cash does not reflect our state’s values. Illinois is among the 10 worst states when it comes to wildlife killing contests, with at least 28 competitions targeting coyotes, foxes, raccoons and crows taking place in the state in 2022. Responsible hunters denounce this horrific blood sport and 73% of Illinois voters support a ban on killing contests. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources must take a stand and make our state the first in the Midwest to ban this cruel, unnecessary treatment of coyotes who provide vital balance to our ecosystem.”
* Northwestern Now | Gov. JB Pritzker named Commencement speaker: He also will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws. The University will announce additional honorary degree recipients later this month. Northwestern’s 165th commencement ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, June 12, at Ryan Field on the Evanston campus.
We’ve been, I think, on-point and even conservative about our revenue estimates every year that I’ve been in office. We don’t want to spend more than we’re taking in. And one of the reasons that we’ve been able to run surpluses is we’ve been conservative with our revenue estimates. Not intentionally. So, but just you know, as I should say, it’s intentional that we’re careful. But we’ve seen outsize revenue coming into the state that we didn’t expect. So, I’m glad to see that. As you know, we’ve year after year been responsible about what we’re doing with those surpluses, we’re not just spending them on new programs, we are socking it away, paying off debt, making sure that we’ve got, well, as you know, we’re down to I think 15 days of days payable. So we’re in accounts payable now and not overdue bills. We’ve reduced $8 billion to zero of overdue bills in the state. We’ve paid off all these short term debts. And indeed, now we’re starting to pay off long term debts by increasing the amount of money we put into pensions. So that’s what we have been doing with our surpluses.
They’ll obviously be some conversation with the General Assembly, we’re already putting money into the rainy day fund. We that’s another thing that we could consider with these surpluses. We still have more that we can do with regard to pensions, as well as other payments that we can make to alleviate the burden on people across the state of Illinois.
And then, finally, I would like to see as we feel comfortable with these new revenues coming in and their stability and I think we’re seeing a few years in a row now of stability of the revenue, that we should be talking about whether there are tax cuts that we can implement. And I’ve had conversations across the aisle, Democrats and Republicans about what we should do going forward in budgets if we see stability in these higher revenues.
* The Question: If state leaders believe revenues are stable, should they cut taxes or use the money for other things? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* WBEZ has a good story up about homeless people and mass transit in Chicago…
There are about 3,000 available shelter beds in the city, according to DFSS. But the system that manages the shelters counted 11,683 active clients — or unhoused people already in the system — as of early March. And as of this week, another 4,414 Chicagoans were waitlisted for housing support services.
“The shelter beds available are just a fraction of what we actually need,” said Niya Kelly, the director of state legislative policy for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. […]
“As far as beds go, there’s just no availability,” said Stephannie Schreiber, the Night Ministry case manager. “We call 311 to try and find them shelter. But personally, I have never successfully been able to get someone a bed.” […]
When asked what it is doing to address a more systemic issue, a DFSS spokesperson said that as of 2023, the department is allocating an additional $3.7 million annually to increase shelter funding. The spokesperson did not disclose exactly where that money is going.
Asked about his previous support for the “defund the police” movement — including a declaration that it isn’t a slogan but a “real political goal” — Johnson said, “I said it was a political goal. I never said it was mine.”
Vallas, meanwhile, was asked about his calls to “take the handcuffs off the police,” which he denied.
“Well, please let me know where I said that because … I’ve avoided using that rhetoric, and if I haven’t, I’d be surprised by that quote, because I’ve been careful not to say that one,” Vallas said. […]
When he rolled out his public safety plan in December, however, Vallas said he would reverse rules that have “literally handcuffed officers,” according to WTTW, contributing to demoralization and making “proactive policing” impossible. […]
He has also made posts on Facebook and Twitter criticizing local leaders and state legislation for what he said was “handcuffing” police.
One example…
Absolutely ridiculous & unacceptable! Last night another mass shooting occurred with 5 shot! 3 mass shootings in the last 3 days. We cannot handcuff CPD & must allow them to do there jobs! What spin will Brown & Lightfoot to Monday? #ChiMayor23
The Vallas for Mayor campaign will announce major endorsements in separate press conferences Wednesday morning – highlighted by the endorsement of a candidate who ran in the mayoral election – as well as three City Council members and an incoming alderman, who will lend their support to the Vallas public safety plan as well as Paul’s commitment to equity for all Chicago communities.
Two press conferences are scheduled as follows:
· 9 AM - ALDERMEN ENDORSE VALLAS – Vallas Chinatown Campaign Office, 2355 S. Wentworth
Paul will be endorsed by Alderman Nicole Lee (11th), Alderman Samantha Nugent (39th), Alderman Debra Silverstein (50th), and incoming Alderman Bennett Lawson (44th).
· 10:30 AM - MAYORAL CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT – Vallas Campaign Headquarters, 328 S. Jefferson, 8th Floor
Paul will be endorsed by yet another candidate from the mayoral race adding to the list of Dr. Willie Wilson and Alderman Roderick Sawyer.
Yet another shield against those who would accuse Vallas of racism.
* AG Raoul is a former prosecutor and is definitely not a police defunder, so regardless of this odd spin, it’ll help…
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is endorsing Brandon Johnson for Chicago mayor, a move that raises the stakes on endorsements on the same day Paul Vallas announced his own big backer.
With crime issues at the center of the mayor’s race, support from the state’s chief law enforcement officer could be huge in swaying moderate Democrats who have been hesitant to support Johnson, a progressive who in the past has invoked the “defund” movement.
The endorsement by Raoul, the first state-wide elected official to endorse in the race, also raises questions about why the state’s chief investigator would endorse in the mayor’s race since his office would also be charged with investigating that office. Gov. JB Pritzker isn’t endorsing either candidate.
* More developments…
Paul Vallas is endorsing 11th Ward Ald. Nicole Lee tomorrow and vice versa. Her ward overwhelmingly went for Vallas and she has been attacked from the right over crime, so this is expected to help. Meanwhile Chinatown’s rep in Springfield, Theresa Mah, endorsed Brandon Johnson
Citizen Action/Illinois is proud to announce the organization’s endorsement of Brandon Johnson for Mayor of Chicago.
The endorsement was made by a vote of the Citizen Action/Illinois Policy Council, a body of 50 organizational affiliates and individual leaders including elected officials at the Congressional, state and local levels.More than two-thirds of the voting members of the Policy Council supported the endorsement.
“As a Cook County Commissioner, Brandon Johnson has a proven record of fighting for the issues that face the city’s working families. As an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, he brought the voice of educators and their communities to our coalition,” Citizen Action/Illinois Co-Director William McNary said. “We look forward to working with him to improve the lives of all Chicagoans.”
“Brandon Johnson will bring compassionate, thoughtful leadership to City Hall at a time when we face historic challenges,” Co-Director Julie Sampson said. “No one is better poised to bring the city together and lead a multi-racial, multi-generational coalition than a former educator. His energy and ideas are the driving force behind the groundswell of voters calling for change at City Hall.”
* Press release…
A broad coalition of City Council members today called for a special meeting next week to consider proposed rule changes that would establish City Council independence, removing decades of mayoral control, in addition to other changes to improve city governance.
The proposal is a seismic shift for the City Council, establishing its independence and removing power from mayors who in recent decades have exclusively selected committee chairs. But on the cusp of an historic mayoral election, and with significant turnover in the City Council, members are proposing rule changes and making this critical change for the future of city government.
Proposed rule changes would increase council independence, minimize mayoral influence over council deliberations, provide for increased transparency of committee business, and provide new ways for committees to operate. Among the rule changes, the council is considering:
• Only gender-neutral references included in the rule book;
• Increased number of committees;
• Creating Council’s own Office of Legislative Counsel;
• Additional transparency on how direct introductions of ordinances can be made and posted;
• The provision on two or more committees being called; and
• Allowing for electronic dissemination of materials.
With the proposed rule changes, Chicago would join other legislative bodies in the country as an independent, co-equal branch of city government.
* Isabel’s Chicago roundup…
* Crain’s | Return-to-office figures hit a plateau: The number of workers who’ve returned to the office in Chicago — and nationwide — has been steady since the start of 2023, right around 50%. That’s according to data from real estate technology firm Kastle Systems, which analyzed building security card swipes and compared current figures to early 2020.
* CBS Chicago | Efforts to stop smoking on the CTA highlights challenges – and limits – to policing Chicago’s public transit: Chicago police have tried to rein in smokers on the CTA with municipal citations, issuing about 3,900 citations last year, and roughly 4,400 in 2021, according to an analysis of police citation data. But the effectiveness of this policy is questionable. CBS 2 obtained payment data from 2021 from the Chicago Department of Finance and hearings data from the Department of Administrative Hearings through public records requests. Out of the roughly 4,400 citations issued in 2021, about 200 were paid – or 5%.
* NYT | Black Voters in Chicago Look for a Candidate and a Path Forward on Fighting Crime: These voters are being aggressively wooed with starkly different appeals by the candidates who made the April runoff. Paul Vallas, a former schools executive, is campaigning largely on a pro-police law-and-order message. Brandon Johnson, a county commissioner, has touted a plan that views crime as a problem with solutions that go well beyond policing.
* WTTW | 14 City Council Races Head to Runoffs, as La Spata Triumphs, But Gardiner and Taliaferro Fall Short: Six members of the City Council will have to defend their seats during those contests, including 29th Ward Ald. Chris Taliaferro, who fell 50 votes short of winning a majority of votes in his West Side ward. Taliaferro, the chair of the City Council’s public safety committee, will face CB Johnson, who has run a nonprofit organization fighting drug addiction for nearly three decades.
* Crain’s | Uptown alderman candidate faces questions over PPP loans: In a letter yesterday to Ethics Board Chairman Steve Berlin, candidate Angela Clay said she inadvertently disclosed financials on one newly formed company that she said paid her $9,000 as president, Saij, when she should have listed another that was formed earlier in 2014, Pink Ribbon Hair.
House Bill 1533 is sponsored by State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, and would make it a finable offense to surgically remove a cat’s claws and ban any other surgical process that would alter a cat’s paws. The measure is up for final passage in the Illinois House before it could be sent to the Senate. […]
“It’s really hurtful and it can damage the behavior of the animal as well,” Hernandez said during a recent House Agriculture Committee hearing. “If it’s a cat that is roaming around the streets, it is now defenseless.” […]
State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, said the measure will force some pet owners to give up their cats.
“A cat that has been raised and nurtured in a house for most of its life will maybe now be thrown outside,” Meier said. “They won’t last long out there, even if it does have claws.” […]
“Declawed cats do tend to bite more, and so the concern from us and medical experts is that a bite is worse than a scratch,” said Marc Ayers, Illinois state director of the Humane Society.
As the April 4 consolidated election rapidly approaches, the Effingham Daily News is preparing questionnaires for candidates in contested races around the county. That can sometimes be tedious, as we poke around trying to find email addresses for those candidates.
That gives us a personal interest in legislation filed recently by State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin.
As our colleagues at the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights note, the proposed law would require candidates for political office to include email addresses on petitions filed with their statement of candidacy. Already, candidates provide a standard mailing address. This legislation would move that requirement into the 21st century.
We agree with Daily Herald: “For us in the news media, that means assured access to candidates, so reporters can cover their campaigns more accurately and thoroughly and media outlets can reach them for basic information, such as candidate questionnaires, that voters use to be more informed about their selections. That increased quantity of information is certainly valuable for you as a voter, and the increased access can allow you to interact with campaigns in ways that not only provide details about candidates’ positions but also enable candidates to interact with you in ways that help them refine and clarify their message.”
* The bill is on Second Reading…
A bill introduced and advanced out of committee by state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook, would close a loophole often exploited by puppy mills and unscrupulous breeders to profit from their activities at the expense of animal welfare.
“The vast majority of Illinoisans are united behind the idea that animals should not be abused and that those who try to profit from activities that are harmful to innocent creatures need to be stopped,” Carroll said. “What this bill is about is stopping a small minority of people from continuing to shamelessly inflict harm in their heedless rush to enrich themselves no matter the cost.”
Carroll’s House Bill 3236 would prohibit financing companies from offering or engaging in any type of installment loan or other loan transaction related to the sale or purchase of a companion animal. Companies that do enter into such loans would have no right under state law to enforce the agreement.
The bill is aimed at puppy mills and disreputable breeding operations which profit by selling companion animals at exorbitant prices. Because of the high prices such fly-by-night operations often charge, many purchasers take out a loan or pay in installments. Without the ability to enter into loans, abusive and unethical breeding operations would become less profitable, helping to discourage breeding practices in which animals are abused.
Illinois lawmakers are eyeing a bill that would force the owner of a decommissioned generating station on the shores of Lake Michigan to clean up all the coal ash left behind.
Coal ash, the byproduct created when plants burn coal for power, contains potentially dangerous materials like arsenic, mercury and cadmium that can endanger nearby water supplies. Since coal-fired power plants use a lot of water to keep their equipment cool, they’re often near bodies of water like Lake Michigan — including Midwest Generation’s now-decommissioned generating station in Waukegan. […]
“I want to be proactive, not reactive,” said state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan. She’s sponsoring a bill that would force NRG to remove all the coal ash from its Waukegan facility, which the company is not currently required to do. […]
The Waukegan bill has cleared a state House committee. If it’s passed by the full House, it’ll head to the state Senate.
Funds available at the beginning of the reporting period: $3,437,741.06
Total Receipts: $13,924,971.92
Subtotal: $17,362,712.98
Total Expenditures: $18,566,070.19
Funds available at the close of the reporting period: ($1,203,357.21)
Investment Total: $0.00
So, the balance sheet is $1.2 million out of whack? Either they didn’t report all the money they raised, or they reported paying vendors and actually didn’t, or maybe they’re just really lousy at bookkeeping. How do you file a report with that sort of deficit?
This is an amended filing, by the way. The PAC didn’t previously disclose $2,000 in smaller individual contributions. So, they filed a clearly problematic D-2 not once, but twice.
For the second time in four months, the Illinois Democratic Party has filed a complaint with the State Board of Elections against right-wing radio talk show host and GOP political operative Dan Proft, this time alleging he failed to disclose $1.2 million in contributions to the conservative political action committee he runs. […]
The latest complaint, filed Tuesday by Ben Hardin, the executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois, accuses Proft of committing “one of his most egregious” violations of the law yet by failing to disclose all of his PAC’s financial records “completely and accurately.”
”Mr. Proft is keenly aware of the disclosure requirements found in the (law),” the complaint alleges. “He has served as the chair and treasurer of several political committees spanning more than a decade and has been the subject of multiple matters before this board. And yet, Mr. Proft appears to have again completely disregarded the (law).” […]
”While a PAC can incur more in obligated expenditures than it receives in contributions (as long as it properly discloses the debt), it cannot expend more funds than it receives in contributions unless it has received a loan or other receipts,” the complaint says. “But the PAC’s filing shows no debt, loans, or other receipts. Instead, it simply states that it expended more than $1.2 million more than it received.”
Proft did a lot of outrageous things with his Uihlein money last year. Looks like some payback is being dished.
* Meanwhile, Tom DeVore has apparently collected $1.4 million in non-refundable legal fees ($200 per client times 7,000 clients). Illinois Review…
On Friday, Effingham County Chief Judge Douglas Jarman granted attorney Tom DeVore’s order requesting to amend his initial complaint and include an additional 2,000 plaintiffs to his lawsuit challenging Gov. JB Pritzker’s assault weapons ban.
DeVore’s lawsuits in total, represent over 7,000 plaintiffs and over 200 Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs).
Good work if you can get it. DeVore talked yesterday about starting his own statewide organization. “It’s coming,” he said.
* DeVore is also apparently so upset that his assault weapons ban lawsuit is not going to the Illinois Supreme Court and Rep. Caulkins’ lawsuit is, that he posted a faked photo and adds his own conspiracy theory…
I have no knowledge of the origins or authenticity of this photo but it was just sent to me.
Actually, what I think he’s doing is setting up an excuse for if/when basically the same arguments he’s using in his three consolidated Effingham cases (minus his procedural issues, which were rejected at the appellate level) fail at the state’s top court. It’ll all be Caulkins’ fault and his clients’ anger can be directed elsewhere. Actually, that’s already begun.
Chicagoland advocates for the disability community said they hope Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recent decision to start moving residents out of the state-run Choate institutional living center will signal a shift toward community-based living for all Illinois residents.
“It’s really something the leadership—both the governor and, hopefully, the Legislature—will embrace, which is, the rights of people to live with their families and in their communities,” said Zena Naiditch, the President and CEO of Equip for Equality in Chicago.
Naiditch said Equip has served as the federally mandated protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities for 38 years. That means it’s held special authority to make both announced and unannounced visits to state-run institutions as part of its watchdog efforts. […]
While Pritzker announced the transition of Choate residents, though, he also promised to fund improvements at state-run facilities and expand support for those residents. Naiditch, who praised the decision to move residents out of Choate, said no state in the country can afford to fund both institutional and community-based living.
“Other states have chosen to focus their investments heavily on home- and community-based services, and that’s a direction Illinois is struggling to do because of the fact that they’re trying to fund, essentially, a dual-system,” she said. […]
“We need to understand that there are consent decrees in place, such as Olmstead, Ligas, Williams, and Colbert, that assure people with developmental disabilities the right to live in the least restrictive setting,” [Going Home Coalition Manager Carole Rosen] said.
I spoke with Sen. Terri Bryant the other day and she said one of her top priorities is making sure that Choate residents with nearby families would be able to stay there and not be moved elsewhere.
Illinois lawmakers are coming together to call for an audit into ongoing issues at group homes for those with disabilities.
A Community Integrated Living Arrangement, or CILA, is a group home where eight or fewer unrelated adults with developmental disabilities live under the supervision of the community developmental services agency.
State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, has previously shared examples of problems at some of these facilities.
“You have heard from the first responders about the incidents of rape, sexual abuse, the neglect of residents, and even starvations that we can document in the state of Illinois that have taken place in CILAs,” Meier said.
Meier’s House Bill 1298 would require the Department of Human Services to establish a system of sight inspections at the facilities.
On Tuesday, the Legislative Audit Commission approved a resolution to trigger an Auditor General Performance Audit. […]
The issue has been a bipartisan one in Springfield. State Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, said doing nothing is a misuse of their power.
“They [the state] just got notice there is a problem,” Ford told The Center Square. “To ignore it and to do nothing, I think, is a dereliction of duty on our part.” […]
There wasn’t an immediate timetable offered for when the audit will be started and finished before the findings are released. However, on March 15, 2017, the House adopted a similar resolution calling for an audit of CILA homes. That report was released in July 2018.
The audit wasn’t about CILA homes, it was about the Department of Human Services’ oversight of those homes. From the report…
During the period FY12-FY16, DHS transitioned 408 individuals from the eight State- Operated Developmental Centers (SODCs) to CILA living arrangements. The responsibility for providing follow-up service visits to individuals who transition from an SODC to the community is performed by several entities. These entities are the Independent Service Coordinators (ISCs), the Bureau of Transitional Services (BTS) within DHS, SODC staff, and a vendor (Community Resource Associates (CRA)) that DHS contracted with for SODC closure activities.
DHS contracted with 17 ISCs whose primary role is to work with the individual, family, and/or guardian to identify the most appropriate living arrangement, be it State-operated facility or CILA. The 17 ISCs received over $28 million for these services during the audit period.
During audit testing of available documentation we found:
• DHS failed to ensure that Independent Service Coordinators (ISCs) maintained documentation on all required visits to individuals that transitioned from an SODC to a CILA.
• ISCs only conducted 62 percent of the required weekly visits to the individuals in CILAs. Additionally, ISCs only conducted 82 percent of the required monthly visits to the individuals in CILAs. However, ISCs did conduct 91 percent of the required quarterly visits to the individuals in CILAs.
DHS, through BTS, failed to conduct follow up visits with individuals that transitioned from SODCs to CILAs. Our sample testing found that BTS only conducted 45 percent of the required weekly visits to the individuals in CILAs. Additionally, BTS only conducted 51 percent of the required monthly visits to the individuals in CILAs.
* Capitol News Illinois | Moody’s gives Illinois another credit upgrade: Moody’s Investors Service announced Tuesday that it has upgraded Illinois’ bond rating to A3, up from Baa1, marking the eighth credit upgrade the state has received in less than two years. Moody’s is now the second major rating agency to put Illinois in the ‘A’ category following S&P’s decision on Feb. 23 to upgrade the state to A- on its scale.
* WBBM | Illinois cannot afford both institutional living and home-based services, disability advocates say: “Despite the resources that had been put into the facility—despite staff training, all the different types of things that might be in the toolbox to try to make things better—still, the same kind of findings are occurring today as occurred almost 20 years ago now,” Aschemann said. Pritzker alluded to those findings in his March 8 announcement that Choate would be “repurposed” over the next three years. The plan included giving a majority of the 225 Choate residents the opportunity to transition into community-based settings or other state-run centers.
* Center Square | No-cash bail ‘more fair,’ Pritzker says; opponents worry recidivism would increase: During oral arguments in front of the Illinois Supreme Court Tuesday, Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe raised concern that sheriffs will have to double the number of instances of deputy contacts with potentially dangerous criminals. “Fascinating to listen to both sides,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in Normal Tuesday afternoon.
* Sun-Times | Video poker in Chicago? Vallas and Johnson say deal us in: Under state law, local governments can prohibit video gambling machines from operating at restaurants or bars within their city limits. But both mayoral candidates favor lifting Chicago’s longstanding ban on the machines.
* WTTW | Lawmakers, Organizers Want to Force Lakefront Power Plant Owner to Clean Up Coal Ash Byproduct: For years, she and other organizers fought to get the power plant in Waukegan closed. Now, they’re fighting to get the company to clean up all the coal ash left behind. “They want to remove the coal ash from one of the ponds and they want to leave one, to cap it in place,” Ortiz said. “I feel like it’s kind of like leaving a ticking time bomb there.”
* Tribune | City Council committee OKs pro-union ordinance aimed at Chicago nonprofits despite opposition: The measure, dubbed a “labor peace agreement,” passed a City Council committee and will go for a vote before the full City Council on Wednesday. The once-dormant proposal has been in the works for three years and found new life in an election year that would strengthen the labor rights of those who work for organizations that serve the city within the public health and family and support sectors.
* Crain’s | Portillo’s in Texas? Chicago food favorites are finding new fans nationwide: One of Chicago’s most beloved brands and a heavy hitter in the city’s street food scene, Portillo’s first launched nearly 60 years ago as a hot dog stand in Villa Park. It has since established a strong presence outside of Illinois with more than 70 locations in 10 states, including California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin. A pre-IPO filing from 2021 said that the Oak Brook-based company believes it could grow to more than 600 restaurants in the U.S. in 25 years, and the company has said most new locations this year will be in Texas, Florida and Arizona.
