* More from the Politico interview of Gov. Pritzker…
Q: We’re going to talk about culture wars because you’ve made national headlines on that front, challenging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, changing high school curriculum in regard to Black history. And how do you see that playing in 2024?
Pritzker: I guess I think of it in a completely different context than you’ve just laid it out. I believe that this is not a culture war. This is a fight about democracy. It’s a fight about, you know, are we in a liberal democracy, and I don’t mean liberal as in Democratic, I mean, we do we live in a liberal democracy or not? Is this a place where truth should prevail? Should w cut out portions of history because we don’t like how it sounds, or we don’t like what previous generations did and we don’t want people to know about it. It strikes me that our children especially need to understand the mistakes that we as a country have made in the past, to learn from those mistakes that, by the way, we have learned from many of those mistakes. We have more to learn all of us and more progress that we need to make. But ignoring it or white-washing it, it strikes me as bad for the future of democracy and the future of expanding rights. In the United States, which is what we’ve always done, we’ve always tried to expand rights. Now it feels like people are trying to contract rights. That’s the wrong direction. It’s not a culture war. It’s not about 2024. For me, it’s about right and wrong. And it’s about, you know, the future of democracy for the United States.
* Interesting news from the Senate…
Two Illinois Senate committees will be co-chaired by Republicans in a move that harkens back decades to a time when Republicans and Democrats more often worked together to recognize shared goals and achieve them.
“I appreciate Leader Curran reaching out with this idea. At one point in our not-so-distant history this was a common practice in the Senate. I think we both hope that it will foster bipartisan cooperation on how we can best meet the needs of people all across our great state,” said Illinois Senate President Don Harmon.
Sen. Dale Fowler, a Republican from Harrisburg, will serve as co-chair on the Senate Higher Education Committee. Sen. Michael Halpin, a Rock Island Democrat is the committee chair, and Sen. Celina Villanueva, a Chicago Democrat, is the vice chair.
Sen. Sally Turner, a Republican from Beason, will serve as the co-chair on the Senate State Government Committee. Sen. Patrick Joyce, a Democrat from the Kankakee area, is the chair, and Sen. Willie Preston, a Democrat from Chicago, is the vice chair.
“I am proud to share in announcing the appointment of Republican co-chairs to two vital Senate committees,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran. “I appreciate President Harmon’s efforts in reaching out to discuss greater participation with the minority party. This is a real step toward a more bipartisan working relationship in the process of crafting and passing public policy. Having members from both parties at the helm of these committees will encourage greater collaboration and dialogue, and lead to better outcomes for the people of Illinois.”
Democrats hold a 40-19 majority in the Illinois Senate, which means Democrats also have majorities on all committees and Democratic Senators preside over those committees. The agreement between Curran and Harmon elevates Republicans on these two committees to co-chair roles. Bipartisan co-chairs is not a new idea. For instance, Democrat John Cullerton and Republican Kirk Dillard co-chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee in the early 2000s.
Information about Senate committee and Senators can be found under the “Senate” section of www.ilga.gov.
Eliminating cash bail would also eliminate a revenue source for the county, Rueter said. Bond money is collected for individuals to get out of jail, and if those individuals are convicted, their bond money goes to fund the court system.
“If you’re convicted, then your court costs are paid,” Rueter said. “That is actually, I think, to the tune in Macon County (of) about $1.6 million in revenue for the county to use to pay for the court system. With no cash bail, that revenue goes away. So the taxpayers will have to foot the burden of paying for that loss of revenue.”
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Politico | Dem governors pledge to protect abortion as neighbors add restrictions: “We’re not an island, we’re an oasis,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in an interview with POLITICO on Thursday. “People come to Illinois to exercise what are their fundamental rights, and they’re being denied in other states, every state around us, and then another ring of states around them. So think about how if you want to exercise your rights, how far you have to travel if you don’t live in Illinois in order to exercise those rights.”
* CBS Minnesota | Gov. Walz signs “100 Percent by 2040″ energy bill into law: According to the Clean Energy States Alliance, 21 other states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have already established some kind of 100% clean-energy standards or goals, most with target dates between 2040 and 2050.
* Shaw Local | Wisconsin-based PAC raising money ‘to educate voters in McHenry County’: A political action committee registered with a Post Office Box based in Wisconsin, just outside St. Paul, Minnesota, has been set up to help “educate the voters in McHenry County,” records filed online with the Illinois State Board of Elections show. Dubbed McHenry County Citizens for Lower Taxes, the PAC was created by Thomas Datwyler on Jan. 21 and filed with the state elections board on Jan. 23, records show. Its address is listed as a P.O. Box in Hudson, Wisconsin, which sits along the Badger State’s border with Minnesota.
* The Triibe | Teaching through trauma: n my 16 years teaching in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), I have lost more students than years I have taught. During my teacher programs in college, I had fears surrounding how to create engaging lesson plans, how to make connections with students and how to help students who needed more support. I learned the basics of how to be a teacher in my college classes and then learned even more during student teaching (a.k.a. teaching internship) from experienced educators. My mom was an educator in Michigan, so I knew that teaching would be extremely rewarding and also extremely frustrating. The one thing I never learned, or was even remotely prepared for, was what to do when a student dies.
* Peoria Magazine | Peoria Power Couple: Derrick Booth and Jehan Gordon-Booth don’t work in the circus. Not officially, anyway, although in their high-profile jobs, some days it may seem so. Indeed, the husband-and-wife duo from Peoria has become quite adept at juggling. With busy and sometimes far-flung schedules, it’s a necessity.
* Chalkbeat | COVID exodus: Where did 1 million public school students go? New data sheds some light.: The data the team compiled point to two main drivers of the public school enrollment plunge: family choices and population changes. After public schools went remote, a portion of families switched their children to private schools or homeschool. At the same time, immigration slowed and many families fled big cities, causing the school-age population in some places to shrink.
* Daily Southtown | South suburban towns receive grants for lead pipe inventory, but officials say money will be needed for replacement: Ten Southland communities will receive state grants for tens of thousands of dollars to create a lead service line inventory, but area officials say more money will be needed to replace lead pipes. The grant is part of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead Service Line Inventory grant, which range from $20,000 to $50,000 to create a complete lead service line inventory, according to an agency news release.
* Motherboard | American Cars Are Getting Too Big For Parking Spaces: Increasingly, cars are too big for parking spaces, especially in parking garages and other paid parking lots where developers pay close attention to space size. Like the proverbial frog in a slowly heating pot of water, our cars have gotten ever-so-gradually bigger with each passing year, but the parking space standards have barely budged. Now, in the third decade of the growing car size trend, people are starting to notice.
* AP | Several universities to experiment with micro nuclear power: “What we see is these advanced reactor technologies having a real future in decarbonizing the energy landscape in the U.S. and around the world,” said Caleb Brooks, a nuclear engineering professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
* Farm Journal | DeDecker Family Named Illinois Pork Family of the Year 2023: Mark DeDecker and his wife, Karen, are the proud owners of DeDecker Pork Farm in Cambridge, Ill., where they currently farm 2,500 acres of corn and soybeans and market 7,000 hogs annually with their son, Lance. The DeDecker family history in Henry County goes back over 75 years and spans over three generations.
The Republican-led Missouri state house on Wednesday voted against banning minors from openly carrying firearms on public land without adult supervision.
The proposal to ban children from carrying guns without adult supervision in public failed by a 104-39 vote. Only one Republican voted in support.
A Democrat, Donna Baringer, said police in her district asked for the change to stop “14-year-olds walking down the middle of the street in the city of St Louis carrying AR-15s”.
“Now they have been emboldened, and they are walking around with them,” Baringer said. “Until they actually brandish them, and brandish them with intent, our police officers’ hands are handcuffed.”
* The lure of Pappy Van Winkle is too much for mortal men to bear. Oregon Live…
Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission employees, including top-level managers and the agency’s longtime executive director, have for years set aside for their own use some of the most sought-after bourbons, diverting them from the public and running afoul of state ethics laws.
The blockbuster findings, detailed in an investigation obtained Wednesday by The Oregonian/OregonLive in response to a public records request, reveal a longstanding practice within the agency of reserving bottles of the popular bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle, for multiple employees, including the recently ousted executive director, Steve Marks, and his second-in-command, Will Higlin. […]
The scheme came to light last April when a departing agency employee documented his concern in an email to agency staff, saying the state warehouse supervisor set aside bottles of bourbon “and has them sent to stores so higher ups” can pick them up. The complaint prompted an internal investigation, which found the practice was common and included Marks. […]
The diverted booze was part of the state’s “safety stock,” Leslie said. Those essentially are bottles that serve as potential replacements for damaged liquor headed to liquor stores. She could not say how many bottles were held back at the request of agency employees.
The state of Oregon distributes liquor itself. The commission has received bonding authority to build a fancy new warehouse. Our state does not distribute liquor. Hence, Opposite Land.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s office is warning state agency and public university leaders this week that the use of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — policies that support groups who have been historically underrepresented or discriminated against — is illegal in hiring.
In a memo written Monday and obtained by The Texas Tribune, Abbott’s chief of staff Gardner Pate told agency leaders that using DEI policies violates federal and state employment laws, and hiring cannot be based on factors “other than merit.”
Pate said DEI initiatives illegally discriminate against certain demographic groups — though he did not specify which ones he was talking about. […]
The governor’s directive represents the latest effort by Republican leaders fighting back against policies and academic disciplines that Republicans nationwide have deemed “woke.” DEI, along with critical race theory, has become a target of conservatives who argue that white people are being unfairly treated or characterized in schools and workplaces.
Nexstar’s television network NewsNation reported a correspondent was released from jail hours after his arrest during a press briefing on the trail derailment in East Palestine Wednesday.
NewsNation said journalist Evan Lambert was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing following a live report during Gov. Mike DeWine’s briefing.
Lambert was on air when DeWine started speaking and abruptly finished his report saying, “We’re actually being told right now that we need to stop broadcasting because this news conference is behind us and we’re in the command center, so as we all listen back there and I listen here, you’ll learn the latest.”
NewsNation later shared video of Lambert talking to local authorities, getting handcuffed and being taken into custody. The network said photographer Preston Swigart, who was with Lambert, said Lambert was asked to stop talking. Swigart told NewsNation “from their standpoint, he didn’t obey orders when he was told to stop talking.”
Video…
A NewsNation reporter was arrested Wednesday during a news conference being held by the Ohio governor about a train derailment.
Reporter Evan Lambert is now facing charges of disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing.
* A few quick observations about this: Lightfoot is an embattled, unpopular incumbent, so she needs to spend a ton of cash. Vallas is a surging challenger and he has the dollar momentum as well; Wilson’s ads are subpar at best and, in three elections (2015 and 2019 mayor and 2020 US Senate), he has never received more than 11 percent citywide, so I’m not even sure what he’s doing; Brandon Johnson is about to up his buy to take him to the finish line. Garcia is once again struggling to raise money and his ads aren’t the greatest…
#ILPol: The Chicago Mayor race has now seen $14.4M in total ad spending.
Top 5 spending advertisers: Lori Lightfoot: $4.4M Paul Vallas: $3.2M Willie Wison: $3.1M Brandon Johnson: $2.2M Chuy Garcia: $1.3M
* I’ve been thinking lately that Chuy has been running Pat Quinn’s “You know who I am” campaign and this just confirms it. /s…
Former Gov. Pat Quinn endorses Jesùs “Chuy” García for mayor of Chicago, as state Rep. Theresa Mah looks on. García will ensure Chicagoans get real property tax relief, Quinn says. pic.twitter.com/xWPvOpEfm5
But Quinn did choose Vallas as his running mate during the ultimately disastrous 2014 campaign, so it’s news…
“Chuy García has an unrivaled record of delivering for Chicago, and he understands the urgency of now. I endorse Chuy because his plans to bring property tax relief and build a stronger economy are the best in the field and he has the experience to deliver,” Quinn said. “Trust me when I say, it is so important for the City of Chicago to have a worthy advocate in Springfield. And when Chuy says he has the best relationships of all the candidates with Springfield, he’s telling the truth.”
Most people despise Congress, but Chuy has been playing up his role in that tainted body. And most don’t love Springfield, either.
On 19 January, the Chicago Reader revealed that 36-year-old Pericles “Perry” Abbasi — a campaign attorney, who was running for office in Chicago’s 25th police district with the backing of the Fraternal Order of Police — had a history of posting bizarre and unseemly content on social media. He had, among other things, retweeted a photoshopped image of himself as the police officer Derek Chauvin, with one knee on George Floyd’s neck. In a leaked screenshot from a group chat, he had written that “the horrible black diet” was the reason for “13/50”, referencing a common internet meme about Black Americans’ percentage of the population (13%) and supposed share of violent crime they commit (50%).
Abbasi denied these accusations of bigotry. He claimed he didn’t remember everything he was alleged to have written (without necessarily denying his authorship, either), while also offering a second more general defence of his behaviour: this was the internet, he argued, and if he thought of something funny, he’d immediately post it. If this meant writing a tweet about how a relationship with a 36-year-old woman led him to conclude that child porn sentencing is far too long, then so be it. If it meant “making up insane things to stir shit up”, then it meant just that. Abbasi admitted he couldn’t even remember what he posted 48 hours ago; it was all just a blur of posting, retweets, engagement, and likes. He has posted nearly 104,000 times over the past four years, averaging roughly 70 tweets per day (one can also assume he retweeted hundreds of replies each day). In a sense, Abbasi was telling the truth: he was lost in the sauce, living from post to post.
Many of Abbasi’s clients were less than impressed by this. The original report in the Chicago Reader was quickly amended to insert various statements from political figures whose campaigns had him, each stating his comments were unacceptable. But Abbasi doubled down, posting a series of tweets about how being cancelled “was a choice”, that he was an “alpha male” and thus above apologising for things out of principle, and that Osama Bin Laden himself taught us that people will always prefer a “strong horse” to a “weak horse.” Then, he received a “like” on one of his tweets from Elon Musk and declared that the era of his cancellation had ended.
* Speaking of fruitless, Mayor Lightfoot’s YouTube video on Paul Vallas has garnered just 116 views in 22 hours…
* As we discussed the other day, a poll taken in late January and early February found that the Chicago Teachers Union had a 57% favorable rating from likely Chicago voters and a 40 percent unfavorable rating. Only Gov. JB Pritzker had a more favorable rating among people and groups tested (65-33). The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police’s rating came in at 35 percent favorable and 55 percent unfavorable. And Darren Bailey received 15.5 percent of the Chicago vote last year.
The trailer for the Illinois Policy Institute’s documentary criticizing the Chicago Teachers Union is posted in advance of the YouTube release on Monday. I do not think it was wise of the IPI to trot out Charles Thomas — former respected TV political reporter turned paid Republican mouthpiece — to boost interest in the film.
* In the grand scheme of things, DoorDash is a relatively small player, contributing about $100K since mid-November…
Here’s the thing…it’s just so brazen. This delivery app isn’t donating $1k and sponsoring some charitable projects in wards too to generate goodwill & friendly ears. The DD tech bros are just dumping buckets of campaign cash to elected officials who can block local regulation.🙄 https://t.co/cJq0Znxoju
"CDOT is aware of the issue and is in contact [with] the contractor to remove the signage. Chicago’s municipal code prohibits advertising messages on any construction canopy located within the public way." https://t.co/V0GTvFNpMi
2/ These new schedules decimated blue line service even further. Rush hour service was cut by more than 50%, and weekends now see a 15 minute headway during the day - up from 6 minutes, making it the worst weekend L line (along with the yellow).
* WTTW | Sluggish Pace of Chicago Police Reform Effort Complicates Public Safety Debate in Mayor’s Race: In fact, the department is in full, preliminary or secondary compliance with just 53% of the consent decree requirements, according to data released by the Chicago Police Department. It is not clear why Lightfoot’s remarks did not match the data reported by the department. Lightfoot told WTTW News that when she took office in May 2019, three months after the agreement was finalized by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Dow, the city’s compliance with the consent decree was “in dismal straights.”
* Tribune | Paul Vallas campaign defends his son, 1 of 3 police officers who fatally shot a man in Texas last year: Vallas often talks about his son, San Antonio cop Gus Vallas, on the campaign trail, noting that they are a family of public servants with close ties to police. But the family relation arose in a starker context after the Triibe, a news site focused on Black Chicago, published a story about Gus Vallas’ role in a 2022 incident where three San Antonio police officers shot and killed a Black man who police said was wanted on felony warrants.
* Tribune | CPS teachers: Student and family needs are the backbone of Chicago educators’ fight: Matt Paprocki, president of the IPI, asserts that CTU leadership cares only about politics and not students. He has conveniently divorced the union’s politics from the needs of our students and school communities. But in reality, they are the same. Our so-called “political positions” and “aggressive” bargaining positions are driven by what we know our students, their families and our staff need to be successful.
* Chalkbeat | Mayoral hopeful Brandon Johnson promises students free transit, more staff: Johnson, a current Cook County commissioner, unveiled his vision for Chicago Public Schools Wednesday afternoon at a City Club of Chicago luncheon. His plan includes free bus and train rides for students on the Chicago Transit Authority, expanding opportunities for students through partnerships with City Colleges and trade schools, and having under-enrolled schools share space with child care and health clinics.
Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would give workers in the state up to 26 weeks of paid leave. Any worker in the state who earns at least $1,600 in a year would be eligible for the program.
“We’ve heard from [workers],” State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “They need this legislation. They need this safety net. They need to be able to take paid family and medical leave when they have a family member that’s ill, or an expecting child coming into the world. That is just something that they’re asking for, and quite frankly, they deserve.”
Reasons people could use the paid leave includes anyone dealing with a serious health condition, people taking care of a sick family member, and to care for a new child. […]
Under the program, workers can earn 90% percent of their average weekly wage if they make 50% or less of the state’s average weekly wage. And for those who make more than that 50%, they would earn 90% of their average weekly wage but up to the state’s average along with half of their average weekly wage.
Democratic legislators in both chambers are proposing a monthly allowance of diapers for families in need.
The proposed bills will allow parents to get $70 a month per child in the Senate’s version of the bill and $30 in the House’s version of the bill if they meet eligibility requirements.
“No one should have to choose if their lights are going to be on, what they pay for life saving medication, if their child will be able to have their diaper changed or not,” Rep. Lakeshia Collins (D-Chicago) said. “This is one step forward in the right direction for our state to ease some of these burdens off the families.”
Infants and toddlers need on average 10 diapers per day, according to Pampers. If a young child wears diaper substitutes or a diaper for too long, they can get irritation, prolonged diaper rash, and UTIs along with other health complications.
A state representative who is also the mayor of Calumet City has proposed a bill that would require Chicago’s gas stations and grocery stores to hire their own armed security. … It does not have backing from the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, which represents thousands of gas stations and convenience stores in Chicago. “Crime in the city of Chicago is the city’s problem to take care of,” CEO Josh Sharp said. He says in some respects it is a two-way street. “There are certain things business owners can do to help alleviate crime in the city and we’re happy to do some of those things. “For example, keeping less cash on premises. Having better lighting at our locations. We’re all about being a team player with the city to help eliminate crime, but if you’re ordering private-sector businesses to keep armed guards at their locations, that’s a Springfield-style mandate that our members really don’t want.”
* Press release…
Young Adults in Illinois are at an inflection point. As the pandemic continues, young adults ages 18-34 are seeing wages eroded by inflation, ever-increasing college tuition, and a lack of affordable health care, just to name a few challenges. Black, brown, and low-income young adults often fare even worse because of systemic inequities. To take action and disrupt the status quo, Young Invincibles Midwest organized the following policy priorities for Illinois in 2023, with constant input from young adults directly impacted by higher education, health care, and workforce policies.
The work to create this policy agenda began in June 2022, when YI gathered young adults at our annual Illinois Policy Summit. YI solicited real-time feedback from participants on barriers preventing their economic empowerment, and what solutions they demand to see. Throughout the rest of the year, YI conducted surveys and held focus groups to expand and provide additional nuance to YI’s policy agenda drafts. In late 2022, YI’s Midwest Youth Advisory Board reviewed a final draft of this agenda to ensure it is aligned with young adults’ priorities.
The following policy mandates from our constituency must be implemented immediately. We’ve been shortchanged and dismissed, but young adult power will undoubtedly make a forceful impact toward progress in 2023.
1. Meeting Students’ Basic Needs for College Completion
Students needs such as housing, transportation, food, and others must be addressed to ensure students are able to complete college. The available support for students’ college completion has long been inadequate, even before the pandemic. But not only are those problems worse, but new challenges unique to students of color, low-income, and first-generation students are also emerging. Factors like finances, job stability, family responsibilities, access to technology, and health concerns are compounded with the perennial challenges of balancing work, studies, and life.
Students should have access to high-quality academic services on campus such as tutoring and office hours with instructors. These academic supports must be available for working students and students with children, as well as being accommodative for students with disabilities. Students should also have access to affordable classroom materials such as textbooks. However, before providing additional academic support, it is necessary to first ensure a student’s most basic needs are met. It can be difficult for a student to excel academically when they are struggling to adequately feed or house themselves.
Aiding a student in meeting their basic needs through non-academic support ensures students can enroll, engage, and thrive in a post-secondary environment. Non-academic supports such as child care, food security, housing assistance,
and transportation must be provided consistently, affordably, and promptly for students. This work will require cooperation among higher education institutions, government, and community providers.
In 2022, Illinois legislators passed a law requiring a public benefits navigator position at every public higher education institution in the state. This navigator will connect students with the appropriate public benefits programs and additional resources to ensure basic needs are met. YI will lead the work with students, institutions, legislators, advocates, and additional stakeholders to implement the law effectively, which may include legislative modifications to ensure navigators are able to meet the unique needs of various student populations.
2. Maintain Financial Aid Resources to Improve College Affordability
Students must be able to afford post-secondary education, but many simply cannot. Historically, the Monetary Award Program (MAP) has been a critical state- based, need-based financial aid for thousands of students, but it is consistently underfunded. Every year, lawmakers fail to fully fund MAP to ensure that all the students who are eligible for MAP receive it. For first-generation students and students of color, MAP is even more critical; according to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, about half of undergraduate students at Illinois’ public universities who identify as Black or Hispanic receive a MAP grant, and over half of MAP recipients are first-generation college students. In 2022, lawmakers appropriated a historic $122 million additional dollars for MAP in the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) state budget. aThis is both a stunning and historic investment in students. This year, YI will continue to advocate on behalf of students by asking for an additional $50 million over last year’s historic budgetary victory. Every dollar in the MAP fund goes directly toward a student pursuing their educational goals.
3. Elevate Student Perspectives for Equitable Systemic Funding
The Commission on Equitable Public University Funding is tasked with furnishing recommendations to the Illinois General Assembly on a funding formula to equitably distribute public dollars amongst the state’s public universities. YI will advocate to include students in discussions about the formula recommendations and ensure they are based on equity, data, and students’ needs. All students in Illinois must have access to a high-quality education, and that begins with ensuring all higher education institutions have fair and equitable access to state funds.
To guarantee students in Illinois have a seat at the table, YI will lead in the creation and oversight of a student committee to further inform the work of the Commission. YI will train students to actively participate in the creation and passage of an equitable public university funding formula.
4. Support Black Students at the University of Illinois for Equitable Access to Higher Education
Black residents are almost 15 percent of the state’s population, but in 2021, they were only about eight percent of the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign’s undergraduate and graduate students. As the state’s flagship system, the University of Illinois should be easily accessible to every state resident. YI will work with stakeholders to learn from Black students about possible solutions to increase Black student enrollment at multiple campuses in the University of Illinois system. Ultimately, the University of Illinois should ensure all campuses market financial aid opportunities to Black students, reach out to two-year colleges to strengthen the pipeline of Black transfer students, and help foster a sense of community for Black students.
Illinois state Sen. Christina Castro filed a bill Wednesday looking to bring internet casino gaming to the Land of Lincoln.
The bill, SB 1656, would allow an “Internet gaming operator to offer Internet gaming.” It represents a subtle change from her unsuccessful 2021 legislation, SB 2064, which proposed authorizing “casinos or racetracks to offer Internet gaming or contract with a platform to offer Internet gaming” that would be regulated by the Illinois Gaming Board.
Castro’s bill allows for an internet gaming licensee to offer up to three branded skins and offers the possibility of interstate poker based on language that includes “acceptance of out-of-state wagers.” She again is proposing a 15% state tax on adjusted gross revenue that would be directed to the State Gaming Fund.
Castro’s filing raises expectations a corresponding bill will be filed in the Illinois House. Rep. Bob Rita, who is often the point legislator on all things gaming in Illinois, filed such a bill in 2021, calling for a 12% tax rate and also allowing for multistate poker.
* Press release…
State Senator Ann Gillespie and child welfare advocates announced legislation that would provide youth in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services with legal representation on Wednesday.
“Children and youth with lived experience in our child welfare system have overwhelmingly voiced their desire to be seen, heard and represented,” said Gillespie. “We must join the vast majority of states that provide legal representation to youth in care so that our most vulnerable have expert help in leaving the foster care system and can go on to live safe, dignified lives.”
Illinois is one of seven states that does not guarantee legal counsel to at least some youth in care, and one of 14 states that does not guarantee legal representation for all children in child welfare proceedings. Without legal representation, children are left to navigate complex proceedings on their own, putting them at risk of receiving unfair treatment or having vital decisions about their future made without their input.
Senate Bill 1478 amends the Foster Children’s Bill of Rights Act to include the right to an attorney in child welfare proceedings. The legislation creates a commission to oversee implementation, including lawmakers, legal and judicial experts in juvenile law, social workers, and administration from DCFS.
As high as that number is, it’s sharply higher among Black residents, with 85% — more than four out of five — calling police relations negative. Among Hispanic voters, 63% found relations with police negative, and among white voters, 49%.
The question leads us nowhere. I mean, people say that relations between the police and the community are negative. Obviously, they don’t want more of that. But, yes, they are sick of the crime and want it reduced. That question doesn’t tell us how. I know I always say voters don’t do nuance, but that doesn’t mean that the news media should be the same way. And when you talk to Chicagoans and read good polls and speak to people who go door to door during campaigns, Chicagoans generally appear to have more nuanced views on crime than the news media.
* Apparently, violence prevention programs didn’t make the pollster’s cut…
* And this question is so broadly worded that you could interpret the results in any number of ways…
* Politico interviewed the governor during the National Governors Association convention in DC…
Q: We’re now just weeks into your second term. You’ve already signed laws to ban the sale of assault weapons, expand coverage on abortion and offer guaranteed paid leaves. They’re the kinds of bills that really take years to accomplish for a lot of administrations. And to get them to the finish line. What’s your negotiating tactic? You came from the business world, like, what are you doing to get all this stuff accomplished? Is it just because you have a Democratic legislature?
Pritzker: Why I guess people talk about all these things that just all of a sudden have happened. But the reality is, I like to say they’re all 15-year overnight successes, that, you know, the work has been done over many, many years to get to a point where we agree that there ought to be paid leave.
Q: Do you get people into your office? Like, I want to know what goes on behind the curtain kind of thing.
Pritzker: Out of the public eye, am I twisting arms?
Q: Do you take them to dinner? What do you, what is happening, exactly?
Pritzker: I’ll do what’s required. Look, first of all, I know this is gonna sound funny, but a number of years ago, just before I became governor, so this is about 2017, 2018, the governor’s mansion in Illinois was in terrible shape before that, and the prior governor, the First Lady rather, renovated the governor’s mansion. And I know this, you’re wondering why am I saying all that in the context of the answer your question. Well, because there was no entertaining being done. There was no gathering place for the governor with members of the General Assembly. And I’m not sure the prior governor wanted to do much of that as you know.
Q: Because you’re all Democrats and he was a Republican so that…
Pritzker: I think it’s worthwhile inviting people into your home. And you know, and giving them an opportunity to talk in a, in a less tense fashion. Serving drinks is helpful. And serving food. And to be honest with you, having a good personal relationship with people on my side of the aisle as well as people on the other side of the aisle even if you have things that you vehemently disagree about. There’s an opportunity to disagree and not be disagreeable if you have a personal relationship with people.
So, you’re asking me, you know, well, what’s your negotiating tactic? First thing is, I think you have to have some kind of a cordial level of discussion that can take place where people can put their ideas on the table. I may disagree with them. They may disagree with me, but at least you can get it all out on the table without getting you know, cut off at the knees. And then negotiating. As you know, negotiating is an art. There’s a little bit of science and an awful lot of art involved. And I was a businessman before I was governor, so I can say you know what your own power dynamic is walking into a negotiation. You have an idea what the others think theirs are, and you try to figure out where you’ve got things that you can trade with one another, if that’s what’s required.
I also think sometimes just, you know, talking to people on my own side of the aisle, some of it’s about, you know, well, how are you going to go explain that to your constituents that you’re not for this thing that I’m proposing? And they can say the same thing back to me. How can you not be for whatever it is? Because in the end, I mean, it’s not that everything has to have a popularity contest behind it. But in the end, we’re all working for the same group of people. And so, I do think there’s my negotiating tactic is try to get people as close as you can to a common set of values, let’s say, about what you’re actually trying to accomplish, for whom, and then push it all over the line with the final, often, it’s a little bit of horsetrading.
* Crain’s | Bill surfaces in Springfield to crack down on auto insurers: A coalition of 15 consumer and community groups is pushing for passage in Springfield of a bill just introduced to give the Illinois Department of Insurance the power to reject auto insurance rate hikes. The measure, called HB 2203, authored by state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, also would bar insurers from setting rates based on non-driving attributes like consumers’ credit scores. Guzzardi was flanked at a press conference today by state Sen. Javier Cervantes, D-Chicago, and leaders from Illinois PIRG and Citizen Action Illinois.
* Sun-Times | Illinois must move forward on digging out of its pension problem: Illinois’ five statewide pensions are underfunded by about $140 billion. The state now is on a “ramp” that requires ever-increasing payments into the pension funds each year until 2045, when the state will pay some $18 billion in 2045 alone. That will make it hard to pay for all the other things the state does, including education, public transportation and roads and bridges.
* Crain’s | New Vallas ad spending raises questions about potential campaign finance violations: Mad River is owned by, and according to Maryland state records, legally represented by political media consultant Joe Trippi. That’s the same Joe Trippi who serves as Vallas’ senior strategist and media adviser and has helped develop a Vallas ad campaign that according to some polls has put the former Chicago Public Schools chief into first place in the race for mayor.
* Triibe | ‘Get down, boy!’ Paul Vallas’s son is one of 3 police officers who fatally shot a man in Texas in 2022 after chase: In June 2022, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) amended its foot pursuit policy as a result of the fatal shootings of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who had dropped a gun and raised his hands when he was shot, and 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez, who was fleeing with a gun and was shot in the back. The updated policy prohibits foot chases for minor offenses or simply because someone is fleeing. It allows officers to use their discretion in cases where someone has committed or is committing a crime that poses “an obvious threat to any person.” When the amended policy was announced, candidate Paul Vallas was critical of it. In a tweet at the time, he wrote: “@ChiefDavidBrown unveils new policy: @Chicago_Police no longer allowed to chase people on foot “b/c they run away.” This will embolden criminals & make the city even more dangerous. We need MORE proactive policing, not less! #ChiMayor23”
* Sun-Times | Supt. David Brown likely to leave Chicago Police Department: Even if Mayor Lori Lightfoot is reelected and allows CPD Supt. David Brown to keep his job, he could be forced out anyway. In October, Brown turns 63, the mandatory retirement age for Chicago’s police officers and firefighters.
* Crain’s | This weed shop deal shows how values are dropping : The declines in stock prices and canceled deals will impact the value of 192 new retail licenses that have been issued in Illinois. Under state rules, holders haven’t been able to sell their licenses until their stores are open. At least one owner has sued to challenge those rules in a case that’s still working its way through Cook County Circuit Court.
* Block Club | 50th Ward Candidate Mueze Bawany Talks Anti-Israel Tweets, Public Safety At Community Forum: “I want to say explicitly that there is no excuse for those words, and I’m never going to hesitate to apologize when I’ve created harm,” Bawany said. Bawany said he has reached out and spoken with Jewish constituents who have contributed to his campaign, including JCUA Votes, which has previously endorsed him. During Thursday’s forum, he also disavowed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, which is a Palestinian-led movement calling for actions against Israel.
* Tribune | Waukegan and its soon-to-open casino missing out on Super Bowl betting revenue: Executives of the American Place casino may feel the same as Illinoisans are expected to bet more than $86 million on the Big Game, with the seven sportsbooks currently operating across the state. The early betting line has the Philadelphia Eagles favored slightly in Super Bowl LVII over the Kansas City Chiefs.
* NPR Illinois | Decatur pilot will be part of Super Bowl flyover: During the National Anthem performance, three Navy tactical squadrons will conduct a unified flyover. Capt. William Frank from Decatur is one of those supporting the flyover as a member of Strike Fighter Squadron 122.
* Illinois Farm Bureau | Illinois Farm Families to be Featured in Super Bowl LVII Commercial: A Mercer County farm family will be featured in a commercial airing on Feb. 12, during the first half of this weekend’s big game. Chad Bell, his wife Brittany, and children Amelia and Charlie, will appear in the commercial, titled “The Corporation,” to bring awareness of Illinois’ family-owned farms.
* Background is here and here if you need it. Despite Tom DeVore sticking his nose into the case, a Macon County judge has granted Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) and others a TRO over the assault weapons ban. This is zero surprise since the 5th District appellate court allowed a similar motion to go through. Plaintiffs had asked for a statewide TRO, but the judge limited his order to cover only the plaintiffs. The order is here.
So, what happened to the DeVore intervention? From the court…
02/02/2023
Clerk presents file this date, the Court finds that Attorney Devore sent a Notice of Hearing on his Application to Intervene without first scheduling the matter for hearing with the Court and in violation of Circuit Court Rule 2.1(f) which requires 14 days notice. The Court has not had an opportunity to review the Application and issues in detail as the focus of the Court has been on the issues presented in Plaintiff’s Motion which was properly set for a quick hearing date due to the emergency nature of the motion, upon request of counsel. Accordingly, the Court will not hear the Petition to Intervene on February 3rd, 2023. Parties are directed to contact Judge Forbes’ Judicial Clerk to obtain a date and time for hearing on that application.
So much winning from the greatest legal mind this state has ever known.
* If you were ever curious how much Facebook ads cost to reach each person, this excerpt from a Change Illinois fundraising pitch gives you the answer…
Now that we have the [redistricting reform-focused candidate] survey responses, we need to reach as many Chicago residents as we can so they can review candidate responses before this month’s election. We’re running a digital ad that has already reached more than 7,000 Chicago residents, but we need your help to reach more!
It costs 4 cents to reach a Chicago resident with the ad below. Will you chip in $18 (or more) today to help us reach 450 more residents so we can make sure voters are informed before the election?
According to a Facebook ad library search, Change Illinois Action Fund has spent $304 on ads (really breaking the bank there, CI). So, at 4 cents per person, they’ve reached 7,600 FB users.
* Nancy Pelosi is doing a fundraiser for the House Democrats. Not the national House Democrats, the Illinois House Democrats…
On March 3, 2023 Democrats for the Illinois House will kick off Women’s History Month with a fundraising event celebrating women leaders in the House. In addition to Illinois leaders, the event designed to encourage, motivate and inspire women, will feature national trailblazer and history maker, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.
“Women are leaders everywhere you look—from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household,” says Pelosi. Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.”
Speaker Welch and Democrats for the Illinois House agree.
“Women are powerful. Whenever they have a seat at the table, whenever they bring their power and full selves to the table, we have better outcomes. We have stronger solutions. I am so proud of the group of women who will headline Women in Power and all of the women who serve in the House. They are my colleagues and my friends. They are some of the fiercest advocates for Illinois families that have ever graced the floor. I look forward to hearing them share their challenges and their triumphs to help power other women forward. ”
The event will be well attended by the women and men of Democrats for the Illinois House. Recognized House Leaders include Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, Speaker Pro Tempore Jehan Gordon Booth, Deputy Majority Leader Mary Flowers, Deputy Majority Leader Lisa Hernandez, Assistant Majority Leader Natalie Manley, Assistant Majority Leader Kelly Burke, Assistant Majority Leader Barbara Hernandez, and Majority Conference Chair Theresa Mah.
Women in Power will be held at RPM Seafood [ 317 N. Clark Street| Chicago] from 2-3 pm. There will be a private VIP reception for event sponsors from 1pm-2pm. Tickets are limited and can be purchased at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/women_in_power. Seating is limited. Pre-purchased tickets are encouraged.
* This WaPo piece is about US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene heckling President Biden during the State of the Union address, but it could easily be applied to the same sort of candidates in Illinois…
Greene easily won the primary and then election in a district that backed Donald Trump by a 3 to 1 margin. So now she’s in Congress — and was a key ally of McCarthy in his struggle to be elected House speaker. Her willingness to throw bombs at her perceived opponents has made her a force in Republican politics, one that McCarthy clearly thinks is useful to keep close.
In other words, Greene is in Congress because her style of agitating the Republican base was useful in winning a primary in a deep-red district, winning election in a wildly pro-Trump one and in getting access to the core of Republican institutional power. And this, really, is the Republican Party’s central weakness, as made obvious in last year’s midterm elections: It is very, very good at energizing its base and not very good at appealing to everyone else.
You gotta wonder what the Eastern Bloc has in store for Gov. Pritzker next week during his State of the State/Budget address.
The Lee County Industrial Development Association (LCIDA) today announced the hiring of Tom Demmer as the organization’s new executive director. Demmer replaces Kevin Marx who is retiring after leading the organization since 2018.
Tom Demmer comes to LCIDA after having served for the past ten years as State Representative for the 90th district
* Forbes | The Illinois Voucher Law Is About To Ride Into The Sunset. Will Lawmakers Rescue It, Or Just Wave Goodbye?: Yeshivas Tiferes Tzvi Academy of Chicago reserves the right to expel any student whose family listens to secular music. Rockford Christian Schools will not enroll a “parent with a child at home.” Westlake Christian Academy of Greyslake will not admit students if they or their custodial parents maintain a “lifestyle” that violates biblical principles; this would include “promiscuity, homosexual behavior, or other violations of the unique God-give roles of male and female.” In fact, Westlake only accepts students from families in which one parent is “a born-again Christian.” These sorts of restrictions are common to many of the schools participating in the state’s voucher program. Taxpayers are footing the bill for this discrimination.
* ABC Chicago | Chicago alderman calls out Cardinal Blase Cupich over opposition to proposed city ordinance: Cardinal Cupich made the unusual move of weighing in on a proposed ordinance in city council. In a two-page letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and all 50 aldermen, the cardinal expressed concerns that includes requiring Catholic Charities to sign a labor peace agreement with union officials, which may result in higher wages that he says the archdiocese can’t afford.
* Philip Howard | Public unions are hurting Illinois: Amendment 1 to the Illinois Constitution, approved by referendum in November, was promoted as guaranteeing basic fairness for all workers. But it does something else — by prohibiting any new laws that might impinge on worker collective bargaining, Amendment 1 disempowers future elected officials from changing how government operates. Illinois voters will elect governors, mayors and legislators who have been disempowered from fulfilling their main constitutional responsibility: to make decisions on how to best operate government for the public good.
* Crain’s | Ramirez calls for more action on working-class issues in State of the Union response: And while she criticized Republicans on several issues, Ramirez said Democrats and Republicans have failed so-called Dreamers—immigrants seeking legal status—for more than a decade. These include her husband, Boris, who immigrated to the United States from Guatemala at age 14 and is awaiting the renewal of his status allowing him to work under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
* STLPR | Illinois spent decades refusing to repatriate Native American burial remains: The report, published last month, is part of the news organization’s Repatriation Project, which found that around half of the 210,000 Native American remains in the possession of museums have yet to be returned. The reporting project’s introduction noted, “Tribes have struggled to reclaim them in part because of a lack of federal funding for repatriation and because institutions face little to no consequences for violating the law or dragging their feet.”
* WaPo | Federal official warns $191 billion in covid unemployment aid may have been misspent: The new estimate — computed by Larry D. Turner, the inspector general of the Labor Department — galvanized House Republicans as they intensified their scrutiny of the roughly $5 trillion in emergency funds approved since the start of the crisis. Turner presented the information at a hearing Wednesday convened by Rep. Jason T. Smith (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, according to testimony shared early with The Washington Post.
* ABC Chicago | Chicago street vendors say city licensing requirements are hurting business: During a gathering of street vendors Tuesday, the issue was city licensing. Two representatives from the City’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection listened to concerns about fines due to restrictions with the current street cart license that does not allow for preparation on the cart of traditional street foods like elote, freshly cut corn slathered with mayonnaise, cheese and chilis.
* Chicago Reader | Mayoral debate was a poor night for Chicago: I heard a lot of the same old tried-and-failed ideas. Many candidates promised more police and tougher penalties. We hear these same things every election cycle. And how is that working out? Illinois has some of the strictest gun penalties in the country. If an individual possesses a firearm, discharges one, or discharged one to cause the death or serious injury in the commission of a felony, judges are required to add 15, 20, or 25 years, respectively, to their sentence. Despite that, Chicago still has violent crime and high rates of murder.
* Sun-Times | ‘Piles of mail,’ stolen IDs and key-making materials found in downtown Chicago hotel room: Police have released limited information about the probe, saying only that officers responded early Tuesday to an empty hotel room in the 200 block of North Wabash Avenue and “discovered various electronic items and … postal property.” Police radio traffic included a call of a “deceptive practice in progress” at the Virgin Hotel, 203 N. Wabash Ave. A caller had asked for the removal of two men from a room on the 18th floor, where there were “a lot of fraudulent checks,” credit cards and a money order.
* Farm Journal | Illinois Pork Announces New Leadership, Ambassador, Retiring Directors: The Illinois Pork Producers Association recently hosted their 2023 Expo in Springfield and acknowledged retiring IPPA directors, as well as announced new leadership and the next ambassador. Five retiring directors, serving Illinois pork producers in recent years, were acknowledged for their commitment to the industry.
* WCIA | To plunge or not to plunge? Illinois medical expert weighs in: Anne Orzechowski, a family medicine nurse practitioner, said plunges can help with chronic pain, release endorphins and decrease swelling, but only if you’re in the water for long amounts of time. For the most part, she said the risks outweigh the benefits.
Amends the Sports Wagering Act. Provides that the Illinois Gaming Board shall require an online sports wagering licensee to, after every 10 wagers made online by an individual, display a pop-up message directing that individual to websites on gambling addiction help.
* Press release…
Legislators, backed by a coalition of 15 consumer, community and civil rights organizations, introduced legislation Wednesday to protect Illinois drivers from excessive and unfair car insurance rates. The effort comes after Illinois car insurers made $896 million in excess profits during the first year of the pandemic and raised rates by more than $1.1 billion in 2022.
The proposed legislation, HB2203, sponsored by state Rep. Will Guzzardi (39th District) in the House and state Sen. Javier Cervantes (1st District) in the Senate, would empower the Illinois Department of Insurance to reject or modify excessive rate hikes, and end the use of non-driving factors, such as credit scores, to set rates.
“It’s time for the legislature to protect Illinois consumers and ensure fairness in our car insurance market,” said Rep. Guzzardi. “Discrimination is wrong, profiteering is wrong, and this bill will put an end to those practices in insurance rate-setting in Illinois.”
Even though Illinois requires every car owner to buy insurance, it is one of only two states that doesn’t protect insurance customers from excessive or unfair rates. Average Illinois car insurance rates increased by 18% in 2022, more than in all but one other state, according to analysis by Auto Insurance Report.
Car insurers commonly use non-driving factors such as credit scores or zip codes in setting rates. This practice has well-documented discriminatory impacts. A 2017 ProPublica investigation found insurers charging 30% higher car insurance rates in majority Black zip codes compared to other areas with similar accident costs. […]
Rate hikes are likely to continue in 2023. On January 18, Allstate filed its first Illinois car insurance rate hike in 2023 — a $63 million increase that will raise average customer premiums by $174 annually. In December, its CEO has said, “”We may end up overshooting a bit, don’t know.”
Counterpoint from the insurance industry…
The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), the Illinois Insurance Association (IIA), and National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) released the following statement in response to HB2203 otherwise known as the rate regulation bill.
“The Illinois bill limiting insurers’ ability to use proven factors in setting rates, to put it simply, is bad public policy. This bill is a combination of prohibitions and requirements that will harm consumers, reduce competition, and increase litigation. To enforce the provisions of this legislation a massively expanded state bureaucracy to carry out these regulations will be necessary, the cost of which is also borne by consumers. The legislation will have exactly the opposite effect that the proponents seek.
“Changing Illinois’ rating law will not change the economics or crash statistics that drive the cost of insurance in the state. Illinois’ current insurance rating law has benefited consumers since it was implemented in the 1970s. Illinois has one of the most competitive insurance markets in the country and that has helped to keep costs below the national average for consumers.
“With fatal accidents and crashes nearly equaling five-year highs in Illinois, skyrocketing inflation and supply chain challenges, auto insurance costs continue to climb in 2022. When the costs associated with insurance, such as crashes, medical and legal costs rise insurance must reflect the costs for the goods and services it pays for.
“Allegations by PIRG for additional auto insurance premium reductions displays a lack of understanding of how auto insurance pricing works. . In fact, the report cited is misleading, ignores the big picture, and fails to acknowledge a system that has historically served Illinois consumers well. The bill’s supporters conveniently overlook gruesome road safety data from recent years and instead use formulas untethered from facts to calculate alleged “windfalls” to validate this proposal.
“Some activist groups only focus on the short-term period when driving declined, but it is important for stable and accurate insurance pricing to do what insurers and most regulators have always done and look at the long-term patterns impacting driving and loss trends. The volatility of always responding to short-term trends would create instability both for consumers and insurers. This could mean wild price fluctuations for consumers and the inability to count on price stability for budgeting purposes.
Insurers are opposed to provisions in HB 2203 that would restrict rating and underwriting tools that have been proven to benefit consumers and are accurate and effective in setting fair insurance rates. By using the variety of rating factors currently in use, insurers can assess drivers’ risks more accurately and price their product based on the likelihood and severity of insurance claims. The use of these tools benefits consumers and is the fairest way to set Insurance rates.
“The bill claims to seek insurance accountability and fairness. Yet, if insurers are unable to utilize risk factors when determining rates, it will lead to a one-size-fits-all approach to pricing, eliminating competition in the marketplace, and ultimately driving prices up for all consumers. As prices increase for all Illinois consumers, access and affordability will steeply decline.
“There are about 230 companies offering personal auto insurance in this state, and through this very competitive environment, no one insurance company or group dominates the market. This provides consumers with a wide array of auto insurance products and services to choose, and the competition means if a company prices their product too high, consumers can purchase their insurance from another carrier.
“This serves to keep costs lower for consumers. Illinois’ insurance rates are in the middle third of the nation and 15.5% lower than the countrywide average and they are significantly lower than comparably sized prior approval states. Insurance rates are first and foremost a function of claims and their costs. As these costs fluctuate with market forces, the imposition of price controls through a pre-approval regulatory system may prove more harmful than helpful to consumers.
“Now is not the time to enact legislation that could result in increased premiums for consumers. This type of legislation could have serious negative consequences for many Illinois drivers, not to mention the state’s auto insurance market, which is currently healthy and competitive
State Senator Doris Turner has introduced a bill that would mandate body cams and dashboard cams for EMS workers.
SB1306 would require “all EMS personnel to be equipped by their employers with body cameras that record the interactions of those personnel with patients, emergency responders, and members of the public during service calls.”
The bill comes in the wake of the killing of Earl Moore Jr., a Springfield man who died after EMS workers responding to a call strapped him facedown on a gurney. An autopsy found that Moore died of compressional and positional asphyxia due to prone facedown restraint on a paramedic transpiration stretcher due to tightened straps across the back. […]
Turner’s bill has a provision that would not allow the footage to be requested via the Freedom of Information Act unless being requested by “the person who made the service call or that person’s attorney or personal representative or a law enforcement official.”
A bill introduced in the State Capitol would honor the legacy of two U.S. presidents with ties to Illinois with statues: Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan.
“Reagan was a Republican, Obama’s a Democrat,” State Sen. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City), the bill’s sponsor, said. “It seems like if we had a more bipartisan part of this, it might be more receptive with everyone in the House and in the Senate.” […]
Bennett said he has also been working on a separate bill that focuses on getting a statue just for Reagan.
He added that the finances for the statues haven’t been figured out yet but he said money for the Reagan statue would come from private funding.
Aimed at reducing drownings, a bill requiring water rescue equipment to be available along Lake Michigan’s shoreline is awaiting amendments in a state Senate committee.
Co-author state Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, told a Senate panel his bill mirrored similar legislation enacted last year in neighboring Illinois after a 19-year-old man drowned near a Chicago pier, which didn’t have safety equipment.
Senate Bill 424 calls for public and private-owned piers and beach drop-offs to be outfitted with at least one ring life buoy. The bill defined a “drop-off” as a shoreline area intended for direct public access to the water.
The Natural Resources committee heard testimony Monday and its chairwoman Susan Glick, R-LaGrange, held the bill so a few changes could be made. Sen. Michael Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores, also authored the measure.
Creates the Counseling Compact Act. Provides that the State of Illinois enters into the Counseling Compact. Specifies that the Compact’s purpose is to facilitate interstate practice of licensed professional counselors with the goal of improving public access to professional counseling services. Contains other provisions relating to state participation in the Compact. Sets out provisions concerning the privilege to practice, obtaining a new home state license, active duty military personnel, telehealth, adverse actions, Counseling Compact Commission, data systems, rulemaking, oversight, dispute resolution, and enforcement. Contains other provisions concerning the Commission, the Compact, and the procedures governing participating in and construction of the Compact. Effective immediately.
* Chuy’s 2015 mayoral candidacy hugely pushed up Latino turnout, but he’s not running the same sort of campaign this time, so we’ll just have to see. WBEZ recently calculated that turnout in majority Latino precincts last November was just 13 percent of the total city vote, about half of this poll’s sample size…
This is Lightfoot’s pollster, responding to new media poll showing Chuy (and Vallas) in a virtual dead heat with the incumbent Chicago mayor https://t.co/toYQnTo2Tlhttps://t.co/kDNwXN9FZQ
Garcia led with 20%, followed by Vallas with 18% and Lightfoot with 17%. Businessman Willie Wilson trailed closely with 12% and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson with 11%. Just 2% said they’d vote for activist Ja’Mal Green, and 1% chose either Ald. Sophia King, 4th Ward, or state Rep. Kam Buckner. Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th Ward, drew no support. Another 18% said they were still undecided.
* Paul Vallas attended the Equality Illinois gala last weekend. But Equality Illinois just sent out this media advisory…
Paul Vallas is Wrong for Chicago
WHAT: A diverse coalition of Chicago-based organizations is coming together to expose why Paul Vallas is wrong for Chicago communities.
WHEN: Thursday, February 8 at 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Outside the Union League Club
65 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL
WHY: Chicago voters deserve to know the truth about Paul Vallas. From Chicago to New Orleans and Philadelphia, Vallas’ budget disasters left taxpayers holding the bag. There’s no place at City Hall for his close alignment with right-wing extremists. He waffles on support for reproductive rights and even on the question of whether he identifies as Republican. Paul Vallas cannot be trusted to lead our city at this critical juncture.
Speakers include: Representatives from the Supporting Organizations as well as leaders in education and on reproductive rights.
Supporting Organizations
Asian Americans for Change, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Equality Illinois, Indivisible Chicago Alliance.
Chicago Ald. Sophia King will launch her first TV ad of the 2023 mayoral election on Wednesday as she attempts to unseat Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
King, who represents parts of downtown and Hyde Park along the lakefront, is the only woman challenging Lightfoot in a nine-candidate field. On the campaign trail, King has argued that her rivals represent an overly polarized view of the issues. U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” García and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson are too far to the left, she has said, while businessman Willie Wilson and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas are too far to the right. […]
Earlier this year, the Tribune published an analysis of 2022 city data that found that tens of thousands of serious calls lingered in the 911 system for longer than it typically takes to get a pizza delivered.
Citywide, the wait for an officer to be dispatched topped an hour for more than 21,000 calls, according to the city’s data. That was roughly one of every 24 high-priority calls.
When you call the police, you shouldn’t have to wait 30 minutes, no matter where you live. I’m Sophia King. If we reject false choices, we can tackle today’s violence and root causes. We can uplift our police and hold them accountable. We can revitalize our neighborhoods and downtown. We can prepare our kids for college, and the trades. We can have safety and justice. That’s the power of ‘and.’ Sophia King for mayor.
Woman 1: And you know he’s really the only one who understands public safety.
Woman 3: But they say he’s too young.
Woman 4: Well, he wasn’t too young when he was leading marches against violence when he was 15.
Woman 2: And he wasn’t too young when he made Chase Bank give back a billion dollars to Chicago communities.
Green: Chicago! We can’t afford more of the same old political rhetoric. It’s time for someone new, so we can get things done and create a better future for our children.
Brandon Johnson is too extreme for Chicago. Johnson wants to defund the police, putting our safety at risk. Raise taxes on the middle class. And drive jobs away from Chicago. Brandon Johnson, a change for the worse.
* More Lightfoot oppo on Vallas…
Here’s the truth: Paul Vallas has twenty years of experience undermining public education across the country, including in Chicago.
* Vallas was integral in destabilizing Chicago teachers’ pensions, and his incompetence caused a lasting financial burden for Chicagoans. As CEO of CPS, Vallas oversaw financial manipulations that stripped Chicago teachers’ pensions of consistent funding. His “pension holiday” diverted over $1.5 billion from pensions and, by 2006, the system faced a $3.1 billion shortfall. At the end of Vallas’ tenure, the district faced two years of declining or stagnating standardized test scores and a busing bill that ran $11 million over budget after Vallas awarded a no-bid contract to a company tied to his family.
* Vallas was driven out of Philadelphia after digging the district into a $100 million budget hole. After five years of incompetence and mismanagement, Vallas announced a surprise, massive budget shortfall while simultaneously collecting nearly $400,000 worth of bonuses. Vallas was then forced out by local leaders for his negligence as the crisis threatened to eliminate 100 teaching positions, slash programming, and force pay cuts across the district. In the aftermath, a local reporter called him the “Master of Pretend and Spend,” Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said “Paul’s never seen a dollar that he wasn’t willing to spend three times,” and Vallas himself admitted to taking “his eye off the budget ball.”
* Vallas was fired from the Bridgeport school system over a lack of appropriate credentials. After just eighteen months as head of the Bridgeport, Connecticut school district, a judge ordered Vallas be removed as superintendent after he misled the state Board of Education and was found not to have sufficient credentials required to do the job.
* Along the way, Vallas was accused of abusing public funds. As chief of schools in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Orleans, Vallas faced repeated accusations of misusing public funds for his own personal use, working in extravagance, using his access to benefit his friends, and failing to document his expenses.
— Reform for Illinois' Sunshine Money Tracker (@ilsunshine) February 8, 2023
* Press release…
Largest Self-Funder in City Council History Brags About Personal Wealth
Rebecca Janowitz — who has mounted what is believed to be the largest self-funded City Council campaign in Chicago history — is touting her personal wealth in a campaign message to a purchased list of email addresses (many of which are not even in the 43rd Ward).
“My campaign stands apart in that it is primarily self-funded. This uniquely frees me to remain totally independent. If elected, I will be beholden only to the people I am sworn to represent.”
Despite her claims of being “totally independent”, Janowitz is backed by the members of the far-left political machine — none of whom reside in the 43rd Ward. She touts endorsements from politicians from Hyde Park and Lake County in her ads and website.
Speaking of her wasteful spending, here’s where she’s unloading her $750,000 on ads:
MAIL: Janowitz has sent 15 campaign mailers, at least three of which include Chicago Police Department officers and/or vehicles. The Chicago Board of Ethics warned candidates against this practice, saying ” fines up to $20,000 per violation” could be issued.
TELEVISION: Janowitz has been running cable and network TV ads since mid January — the first aldermanic candidate to advertise to the entire Chicago metro area.
DIGITAL: Janowitz is outspending every mayoral candidate except for Lightfoot on Facebook (yes, even beating fellow self-funder Willie Wilson).
This record-breaking spending is aimed at taking out the youngest member of City Council. Ald. Knudsen, the first openly gay council alderman of the 43rd Ward, is available for interviews via phone, videoconference or in person on this record-breaking spending and the campaign in general.
…Adding… In response to the above…
Wait, the crypto guy is doing this attack!? As the supposed “far left” Hyde Parker, at least we’re not advocating stealing peoples money with a Ponzi scheme. https://t.co/x1sd2KtSYs
On Planet Jim Gardiner, he claims "opponents" are removing his campaign signs. Always playing victim. In reality, he's putting signs in without permission and lots of homeowners are then throwing them away.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is denouncing 50th Ward candidate Mueze Bawany in regards to making anti-Israel comments on social media a few years ago. Bawany, who is challenging longtime Alderman Debra Silverstein for the 50th Ward city council seat, wrote in a Tweet from May 2019, “F— Israel and f— all you Zionist scum.” In other Tweets from the same year, he called a white woman a “Cracker” and wrote, “F— off honky.”
“The Chicago Jewish community, like its counterparts in New York, Los Angeles, and across the US, are in the throes of horrific anti-Semitism directed at them on social media and on the streets of our cities,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action at the SWC. “In Chicago, Jews in the 50th ward have also been targets. We denounce Alderman candidate Mueze Bawany for his past anti-Semitic social media posts, including incendiary tweets. Those tweets add fuel to the fires of bigotry.”
“We need leadership that will inspire all our of citizens with diverse backgrounds to work together for a better city. Mueze Bawany’s past outbursts show, at least for now, that he lacks those leadership qualities,” added Alison Pure-Slovin, SWC Midwest Director.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* WBEZ | Lightfoot scolds rivals during testy mayoral forum for trying ‘to mansplain’ and ‘treat me like I’m some child’: “Of course we should not hire, we should not support, we should not retain any officer that is associated with any hate group,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said of the officer, who was suspended but not fired for his involvement with the far-right Proud Boys — a move that has been blasted by the city inspector general. […] Vallas, King and Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) each said they would fire the officer affiliated with the Proud Boys. “I would have fired him immediately,” Sawyer said. “I don’t care what the unions would do. I don’t care what collective bargaining would do.”
* Tribune | Mayoral candidates bicker over police reform, schools as Mayor Lightfoot criticizes rival for ‘mansplaining’: “Absolutely not,” Buckner said about the troubled repository that the city is in the midst of overhauling. “The gang database has not made us safer. In fact, it has made people in communities, many of whom look like me, not be able to walk around the city and participate in a way that’s fair and equitable.” Johnson, meanwhile, touted his efforts to remove a gang database in Cook County, saying that list included an 8-year old and a 108-year-old. […] Activist Ja’Mal Green also said he would not proceed with a gang database as mayor.
* ABC Chicago | Candidates bicker over crime, CPD, schools, housing and more at latest mayoral forum: “Clearly, clearly there’s this perception - or maybe it’s reality - that downtown is unsafe. And if you talk to everyone, and I’ve talked to all the business groups there, public safety is the number one issue,” said candidate Paul Vallas. “You gotta stop the crime, alright? Lower taxes, keep people coming to shop,” said candidate Willie Wilson. Mayor Lightfoot was taken to task on the Chicago Police Department’s compliance with the federal consent decree.
* Fox Chicago | Chicago mayoral election: Abortion, women’s health taking center stage: Responding to attacks from several rivals, Paul Vallas told female supporters Tuesday he’d work to protect access to abortion if elected mayor of Chicago. Opponents have publicized an interview, from more than a dozen years ago, in which Vallas said he opposes abortion, but then added that he opposes legislation restricting access to the procedure.
* Block Club | Brandon Johnson Wants To Support Neighborhood Schools And Make The Wealthy Pay Their Fair Share — Not Hire More Cops: Johnson said that in his first 100 days, he will institute a citywide youth hiring program, particularly for Chicagoans 16-24 years old; pass the Treatment, Not Trauma ordinance, which would create a 24-hour crisis response hotline for mental health emergencies; and reopen the city’s closed mental health centers. Johnson on Monday unveiled his public safety plan, which he said focuses on addressing the “root causes” of crime. Among other things, the plan would promote 200 detectives from the rank-and-file, enact the Anjanette Young ordinance to end no-knock warrants, end the department’s contract with ShotSpotter, erase the city’s gang database and establish an illegal guns department.
* WGN | Three weeks before Election Day, a boost for Lightfoot: Three weeks before Election Day, a boost for Lightfoot as the 15,000-member strong UNITE HERE! hospitality union threw its support behind the incumbent. In the early days of the pandemic, Chicago’s hospitality industry was pummeled. But UNITE HERE says Lightfoot had their back.
* Streets Blog | New Better Streets Chicago Action Fund website endorses mayor and alder hopefuls: All of the mayoral candidates but Lightfoot and Willie Wilson responded to the survey. BSCAF has thrown its support behind Cook County commissioner Brandon Johnson. “We believe in Brandon Johnson because he listens and collaborates,” the site states. “He recognizes the crisis the CTA is in and is unafraid to tackle the staffing and housing crises that plague it. He understands the epidemic of traffic violence in Chicago, and we trust he will pursue changes to ensure every Chicagoan has access to safe pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.”
* Crain’s | Higher interest rates, fewer groundbreakings in the pipeline for Chicago’s construction industry: The local construction industry is losing momentum after a strong 2022 as developers hold off on big projects. But contractors aren’t bracing for a major downturn: After rising 12% to $13.4 billion in 2022, construction starts in the Chicago area will dip slightly this year, to $13.3 billion, according to a forecast from Dodge Data & Analytics, a Hamilton, N.J.-based research firm. Nationally, construction starts rose 14% to $829 billion last year.
[If you somehow need it, the headline is explained here by the chairman of the board.]
* The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, led by Mayor Lightfoot’s then-law firm partner Ty Fahner, was all-in on cutting public pensions during the previous decade, so Z makes a good point…
They're effectively giving up on cutting pension benefits to bend the cost curve, and going all in on using a combination of revenue ideas designed to accelerate the Edgar ramp's downward trajectory.
However, the group is now targeting future retiree health insurance costs, which the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled is a protected pension benefit…
Illinois is barred from changing its retiree healthcare subsidy for current employees due to the Kanerva v. Weems decision, but the State could enact a new retiree healthcare plan for new employees, and we believe the State should do so as soon as possible. (Note that such a change would not impact current employees or OPEB liabilities since they’re based on previous service, but it would help reduce growth in future liability). The new plan should move away from the existing premium-tied subsidy to a fixed dollar premium subsidy allowing for continued access to the State’s healthcare coverage options. This will help the State slow the growth of future OPEB liabilities, which will reduce the pressure on future state budgets.
Implementing a new retiree healthcare plan that changes the trajectory of future OPEB costs would be credit positive. The financial benefits to the State would take many years to manifest but taking action now to control costs in the future would demonstrate the State’s commitment to long-term fiscal health.
At least they’ve finally accepted legal realities, but that’ll be quite a legislative fight, if anyone even engages. So far the group has no sponsor for its proposal, let alone a proposal in bill format.
* The Question: Should the state create a new retiree healthcare plan for future hires that would increase out of pocket retiree costs in order to help bump up the state’s bond rating? Make sure to explain your answer. Thanks.
* Background is here if you need it. Gov. JB Pritzker was asked by a reporter yesterday about Sen. Ann Gillespie’s new bill that would help facilitate a Bears stadium by freezing its local property taxes and allowing the team to negotiate additional payments for decades going forward…
I only read about it in the great newspapers of our state. And, I really haven’t, you know, opined about it. There are a lot of hoops to run through in the General Assembly for this to ever get to me. And I have to say there was, I took a, there was a note of skepticism even in the words of the person who introduced the bill. But I think she wanted to make sure that the General Assembly had an opportunity to hear about it and consider it in committee. So I look forward to hearing more about it and seeing how it might evolve.
Q: [No discernible audio]
I love the Bears. I do. But it is a private business. And I honestly do not think that the public has an obligation to fund in this major way a private business. Obviously, there are things that we do for private businesses all the time that are important to them, including, you know, paving roads that are very important for building industry in the state. But I’m of the opinion that it’s not our obligation as the state to step in and provide major funding. And I think I certainly don’t want to burden taxpayers with major support for private business. So, having said that, we’ll see how this project moves along in the General Assembly.
Under her bill, whose provisions could be used for by any large-scale developer, the Bears would be required to invest at least $500 million in converting the 326-acre former racetrack to a stadium and surrounding mixed-use development.
The Bears would be required to negotiate an annual payment to local taxing bodies on top of property tax payments based on the frozen assessment.
Supporters of the legislation say it would create an incentive for larger developments that would not occur without the assistance. But it’s likely to face pushback from Chicago lawmakers who don’t want to make it any easier for the NFL’s charter franchise to leave its namesake city. The Bears have played in Soldier Field since 1971.
* WQAD | What to know ahead of Pritzker’s budget proposal to lawmakers: llinois is coming off a record-high $50.3 billion in base revenue for the fiscal year that ended June 30 – about $8 billion more than had been anticipated when the Fiscal Year 2022 budget was initially approved in the spring of 2021. Following that strong performance, lawmakers budgeted for an 8 percent decrease in the current fiscal year that began July 1. But in the seven months that have already passed in FY 2023, revenues are outpacing even last year’s strong performance by $2.3 billion, according to COGFA’s January report.
* Crain’s | Illinois Gaming Board set to take first step toward approving Bally’s Chicago casino: The agenda for the board’s meeting Thursday indicates it will consider issuing “initial supplier licenses” for two entities that control and would lease Medinah Temple on the Near North Side to Bally’s for its temporary casino. State records indicate both of the entities—Medinah Building LLC and Medinah Holdings LLC—are units of developer Al Friedman’s Friedman Properties.
* Center Square | Madigan ally doesn’t want jury to hear about ‘rape in Champaign’ email: Michael McClain, a former state lawmaker, longtime lobbyist and close confidante of Madigan, asked the judge in his corruption trial to bar any evidence related to the email. McClain’s attorneys also want to bar any mention of the $23 million that AT&T Illinois paid to the federal government as part of a 2022 deferred prosecution agreement related to the company’s efforts to influence Madigan.
* WBEZ | Garcia, Vallas and Lightfoot in dead heat in Chicago mayor’s race: Garcia led with 20%, followed by Vallas with 18% and Lightfoot with 17%. Businessman Willie Wilson trailed closely with 12% and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson with 11%. Just 2% said they’d vote for activist Ja’Mal Green, and 1% chose either Ald. Sophia King, 4th Ward, or state Rep. Kam Buckner. Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th Ward, drew no support. Another 18% said they were still undecided. … The poll was conducted Jan. 31 through Feb. 3 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc. A total of 625 registered voters were interviewed by telephone, all stating they were likely to vote in the Feb. 28 election.
* Crain’s | Civic leader Andrew McKenna has died: Andrew J. McKenna, a consummate networker and inexhaustible dynamo who was among Chicago’s most consequential business leaders of his day despite never being a major company CEO, died today at his North Shore home, according to longtime friend Newton Minow. McKenna was 93 and had fallen ill last month.
