The real power move happened earlier this week on the Democratic side of the House. Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch won the majority of votes among Black caucus members to join the House leadership team.
That puts him in a powerful position if things really go south for Madigan. Welch, like 21 of 22 members of the Black Caucus, remains loyal to Madigan and wouldn’t likely run for speaker unless he is out of the race. But if Madigan does make an exit, the calculation changes.
For now, all eyes remain on Madigan and his ninja-like powers to outmaneuver opponents. Madigan doesn’t have 60 votes but he knows no one else does either. There’s widespread speculation that he will broker a deal with some of his 19 Democrats critics, agreeing to step down in two years. He could then direct the remap and exit on his own terms (depending on how much the ComEd scandal continues to spiral). Such a scenario would allow the reformers to say they helped bring down his reign.
Then there will be a new battle for the speakership, with Welch, House Majority Leader Greg Harris, and Reps. Stephanie Kifowit, Jay Hoffman, Jehan Gordon-Booth and Kelly Cassidy lining up for a shot at the gavel.
That rumor about two more years for Madigan has been circulating for more than a month. But she’s not wrong about Welch.
* Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) attended the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing this week and laid out a timeline for the LaSalle Veterans’ Home outbreak. The facility is in her district…
So, on November 1st, that was what we consider the beginning of the outbreak with four people testing positive for COVID. On November 3rd, there were 29 people, employees and patients combined, testing positive for COVID. And on November 6th, there were 60 employees and veterans testing positive for COVID. I believe on November 6th, the home reached out to the USDVA, according to your testimony, and asked for N95 masks. On November 7th, 103 employees and residents tested positive for COVID. On November 9th, which is the day I believe that you had a WebEx, the Department of Veterans Affairs had a WebEx, kind of touch meeting I believe with the Department of Public Health. And on November 9th there were 131 employees and residents who tested positive for COVID. On November 11th, there were 169 residents employees testing positive for COVID and seven, unfortunately, deaths of our veterans. On November 12th, there were 171 employees and residents who tested positive for COVID with 10 residents passing away. November 13th, there were 171 employees and veterans testing positive with for COVID with 13 veterans who passed away. On November 15th, there were 183 employees and veterans testing positive for COVID with 15 veterans passing away. And then, on November 16th, there was a total of 185 residents and employees testing positive for COVID and 17 deaths of our veterans.
It is absolutely shameful to me that this was allowed to go on so long. Shameful. After the Quincy debacle, the IDVA’s top job has been making sure a mass outbreak of any disease never happened again. Yet, it did and IDPH wasn’t even on-site until November 12th. As mentioned below, they’ve pawned off responsibility to the local public health office, but hasn’t anyone learned anything from this pandemic?
* From the Sun-Times on the LaSalle Veteran’s Home hearing…
At a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing last month, [IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia] said it’s “no coincidence” that cases within the home “began to rise just as cases rose dramatically in the surrounding community.”
The virus had to get in somehow.
* And community spread was rampant at that time. From IDPH…
State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, said she was disappointed by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules failed vote to suspend Gov. JB Pritzker’s emergency rule that would charge businesses with a Class A misdemeanor for violating mask-wearing and other public health orders.
“By not voting to suspend this overreach of power, the Democratic members of the committee chose to support the administration’s efforts to circumvent the entire General Assembly,” Rezin said in a statement Wednesday.
That decision came from the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, or JCAR, a 12-member, bipartisan, bicameral group that exercises oversight of the state’s regulatory process. […]
The order requires businesses, schools and day care facilities to make “reasonable efforts” to ensure that patrons and employees wear face coverings when they cannot maintain a six-foot distance from others. Reasonable efforts can include such things as posting signage that state face coverings are required, giving verbal warnings to customers to wear face coverings, offering a mask to patrons and asking customers to leave if they refuse.
In one heated exchange, LaVia talked over one representative, arguing she’s doing the best she can with “the resources and tools I have to investigate my own department and see where we went wrong” despite elected officials in LaSalle and elsewhere advising people to not adhere to mitigations set up by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last month.
“But I also want to put something into play. … Our commander in chief Dr. Ngozi [Ezike], from day one, has been requesting people to wear their face masks, to wash their hands, to keep their distance,” LaVia said. “When you have a state’s attorney in LaSalle telling people not to adhere to mitigations in LaSalle, every one of the long-term care facilities had an outbreak, sir …”
* What we need here is a thorough reckoning, starting with the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs. No matter what was going on outside that veterans’ home, the IDVA is responsible for what happens inside it. We as a state have the deaths of 33 residents on our hands. More needs to be done to prepare for the future and to atone for the dead. Much more.
I also haven’t heard one peep from AFSCME about their members’ responsibility here. Why?
And the local officials who, even at the height of the outbreak, were encouraging resistance to, or sowing doubt about the state mitigations need to finally, once and for all, take a good, hard look in the mirror and realize the harm they are doing to the people who look to them for leadership. You can’t have it both ways.
* My brother Devin and my niece Isabel were pool reporters for an event featuring frontline health care workers receiving vaccinations. Click here to see their photos and videos. But make sure to watch this video of Glenda Mills, a PCU Nurse at Southern Illinois Healthcare…
I’ve been a nurse for over two years now at Carbondale. And I’ve worked the COVID unit exclusively for the last few months. And it has been a, a different situation.
I never expected to work in a pandemic. And I have honestly seen things that I really thought was only in the movies. I didn’t expect to see families wiped out. I didn’t expect to stand by people while they died, but that’s what we’ve been going through there.
This is a light at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully we can crawl out of this. We’ve lost over 300,000 people so far to this. And it’s really difficult for us health care workers when we see people who don’t believe this, who think it’s a fake or making it up, but I’ve watched it every night.
Get the shot. Wear your mask. Show some compassion for the other people around us.
So for us, this is a relief. This is the light at the end of the tunnel. And I hope to God we can get out of this without losing any more people.
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Senate Democratic Non-Campaign Staffer goes to Brandy Renfro…
Brandy doesn’t just help with communications, she runs communications for the Senate Democrats. All of those things — member press conferences, social media, townhalls, telephone townhalls and so much more internal work — happen because of her long commitment to and understanding of that caucus as she’s risen up the ranks over the years to be Communications Director. She’s kept building and made Senate Dem communications better than ever.
Gio wins runner-up.
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Senate Republican Non-Campaign Staffer is a tie. Jo Johnson…
Jo has been a cornerstone, not just for SGOP but for the Senate as a whole. Jo has always worked openly and cooperatively with the other side of the aisle and others whose opinions may have differed from her members. Jo is an effective negotiator, a hard worker, and an amazing human being. The Senate as an institution will suffer a huge loss with Jo’s retirement.
Dealing with members, especially at a time when everyone on the R side feels they aren’t being heard is enough to cause a slight case of insanity for most but Rachel handles it so well and provides and level of assurance and guidance that defines what it is to be staff.
They are both well-deserved awards. Congrats to everyone and I’d like to once again say how appreciative I am of all staff at all levels in these trying times.
* On to today’s categories…
Best Legislative Liaison
Best Statewide Staffer
The best statewide staffer category can include US Senate, Auditor General, agencies, etc.
Please try your best to nominate in both categories and make sure to explain your nominations or they will not count. Thanks.
We’re almost at the end of the year –– and that’s why we want to make sure you saw Darin’s message earlier this week about what’s coming to Illinois in 2021.
Democrats are in charge of redrawing our state’s political maps, and we don’t have any faith that they’re going to prioritize Republican representation above their liberal agenda.
That’s why Darin is leading the charge to stop their partisan gerrymandering in its tracks, but he’s going to need OUR help to get the job done, xxxx.
Will you pitch in just $10 or $20 to join Darin on the frontlines of this critical battle?
18th District Congressman Darin LaHood conceded the race yesterday morning during the AM Conversation on WLDS. He said that President Trump deserved his day in court to see if his lawsuits surrounding the election had legal merit: “I’ve said all along that you need to have facts and evidence if you are going to allege that there were voting improprieties. Those have not been brought forth. We saw that on Friday night with the Supreme Court moving swiftly and definitively. Now, I was one that signed on to the brief. I believe that everybody should have their day in court, but the Supreme Court ruled that there was no merit to moving forward with the Texas case. I think we are getting much closer to [a transition]. I think the Electoral College decision [yesterday] will move us closer to an administration with [former] Vice President Biden.”
So, to be clear, if constituents sued Congressman LaHood for focusing on the remap instead of doing his job in DC during an international pandemic and massive unemployment, he’d be all about them having their day in court.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 8,828 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 181 additional deaths.
- Boone County: 1 male 90s
- Bureau County: 1 female 90s
- Carroll County: 1 female 60s
- Champaign County: 1 female 70s
- Christian County: 1 female 80s
- Clinton County: 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
- Coles County: 1 female 80s
- Cook County: 1 male 20s, 3 males 40s, 6 males 50s, 3 females 60s, 5 males 60s, 10 females 70s, 18 males 70s, 5 females 80s, 6 males 80s, 5 females 90s, 4 males 90s, 1 female 100+
- Crawford County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Dewitt County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- DuPage County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s, 1 female 100+
- Edwards County: 1 female 80s
- Effingham County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s
- Fayette County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
- Ford County: 1 female 80s
- Franklin County: 1 male 80s
- Grundy County: 1 female 100+
- Hardin County: 1 male 80s
- Henry County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 female 100+
- Iroquois County: 1 male 80s
- Jackson County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Kane County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Kankakee County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- Knox County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Lake County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- LaSalle County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Livingston County: 1 female 60s
- Macoupin County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 90s
- Madison County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s, 1 male 90s
- Marshall County: 1 male 70s
- Mason County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
- Massac County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- McHenry County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s
- McLean County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 3 males 80s, 1 male 90s
- Mercer County: 1 female 80s
- Peoria County: 1 female 90s
- Perry County: 1 female 90s
- Randolph County: 1 male 50s
- Richland County: 1 female 60s
- Rock Island County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Sangamon County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Shelby County: 1 female 90s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
- Stark County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 80s, 3 males 80s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 60s
- White County: 2 males 80s
- Whiteside County: 1 male 90s
- Will County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s
- Williamson County: 2 males 70s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 879,428 cases, including 14,835 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 92,015 specimens for a total 12,147,3093. As of last night, 4,751 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,056 patients were in the ICU and 575 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from December 10 – December 16, 2020 is 8.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from December 10 – December 16, 2020 is 10.0%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* No help from a flailing, dysfunctional federal government and analysts are somehow surprised by this report? Seriously?…
Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits unexpectedly jumped to the highest level in three months, suggesting the labor market’s recovery is faltering amid the surge in Covid-19 cases and widening business restrictions.
Initial jobless claims in regular state programs rose by 23,000 to 885,000 in the week ended Dec. 12, Labor Department data showed Thursday. On an unadjusted basis, the figure fell by about 21,000.
The state unemployment office says 138,359 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of Dec. 6 in Illinois, according to the weekly report released Thursday.
For comparison, during the same timeframe last year, 15,076 people filed claims in Illinois. That’s an 818% increase. Since early March, CBS 2 has tracked more than 2.4 million total claims in the state. […]
Illinois numbers have not been this high since April 6, when there were over 201,000 new claims filed during the week of March 30.
There were 107,616 new unemployment claims filed in Illinois the week of Nov. 29.
* IDES…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate fell -0.5 percentage point to 6.9 percent, while nonfarm payrolls lost -20,000 jobs in November, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The October monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from -1,100 to +7,000 jobs. The October unemployment rate was revised upward from the preliminary report, from 6.8 percent to 7.4 percent.
The November payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th. The BLS has published FAQs for the November payroll jobs and the unemployment rate.
The state’s unemployment rate was +0.2 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for November, which was 6.7 percent, down -0.2 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +3.2 percentage points from a year ago when it was 3.7 percent.
In November, the three industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+6,500), Professional and Business Services (+5,300) and Construction (+2,300). The industry sectors that reported the largest payroll declines were: Leisure and Hospitality (-27,400), Manufacturing (-2,900) and Educational and Health Services (-2,000).
“IDES and the Governor’s Office remain dedicated to supporting claimants and their families, as we continue working to strengthen the state’s economy,” said Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. “With critical federal programs set to expire after the week ending December 26th, IDES is working quickly to inform claimants about these impending changes. The department and the Pritzker administration are advocating for continuity at the federal level to support claimants, as we work towards a full recovery from the pandemic’s economic impact on Illinois workers.”
“While the latest unemployment data continue to show the significant challenges COVID-19 places upon workers and businesses throughout our state, we are resolute in our commitment to overcoming the virus, and helping get the economy back on track,” said Erin Guthrie, Director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). “From day one, our administration has led with a comprehensive response to protect Illinois communities and to address economic hardship created during this crisis - with over $1 billion launched since March to assist small businesses and communities in need. With the arrival of a vaccine in Illinois this week, and with continued adherence to public health guidelines, we are confident that in the months ahead we’ll continue to progress in reopening major industries, restoring our communities and reviving our Illinois economy.”
Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment decreased by -412,600 jobs, with losses across all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs decreases were: Leisure and Hospitality (-153,900), Educational and Health Services (-57,100) and Government (-51,200). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were down -6.8 percent over-the-year as compared to the nation’s -6.1 percent over-the-year decline in November.
The number of unemployed workers decreased from the prior month, a -8.7 percent decline to 425,900 but was up +80.8 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force was down -2.4 percent over-the-month and down -4.6 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
In May, Governor Pritzker launched Get Hired Illinois, a new one-stop-shop website to help connect job seekers with hiring employers in real time. The site features virtual job fairs, no-cost virtual training, and includes Illinois Job Link (IJL), the state’s largest job search engine, which recently showed 49,114 posted resumes with 87,490 available jobs.
* From the Tribune’s LaSalle Veterans’ Home hearing coverage…
Rep. Jeff Keicher, a Republican from Sycamore, called for agency officials to accept more responsibility for the deadly outbreak, setting off a testy exchange with Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia.
“I haven’t heard why it took two weeks, in the midst of an explosion of this virus in the surrounding community, to screw down on these protocols tighter, to make sure that these obvious issues in hindsight were taken care of,” Keicher said.
“What I’m curious about is, when is someone going to own this?” he asked. “We all feel bad, we all are devastated at the loss of these 33 individuals, but I keep hearing dodges, I keep hearing explanations. I don’t hear ownership.”
Chapa LaVia said she is ultimately responsible for the department, and referenced the ongoing investigation. “If there’s another idea, please bring it forward right now. These are the resources and tools I have to investigate my own department and to see what went wrong,” she said.
We hear this a lot from this administration: If legislators have ideas, they should offer them. But legislators legislate and oversee implementation. The executive branch executes. That branch is responsible for making sure things get done. And things obviously weren’t done properly at the LaSalle home or a quarter of the residents wouldn’t have died.
* This absolutely has to change. No way are local health departments up to this task…
In response to questions about the immediate response from state and local agencies to the outbreak, Hart said the LaSalle County Health Department is the first line of defense.
“(Local department of public health officials) are the people who actually notify IDPH of the outbreak and send updates to IDPH, and I cannot speak for the local health department. But I am aware that they provided extensive guidance to the La Salle Veterans’ Home in the very early days of the outbreak on a number of topics, including how to manage the cohorting of the residents, how to handle the PPE, etc. So there was an active intervention by the local health department in that very early phase,” Hart said.
Hart said an IDPH team visited the home on Dec. 14 to review the infection control practices put in place since the onsite visits.
That health department can’t even convince local elected officials to enforce the mitigations, a topic we’ll get to in a bit.
But the committee wants a specific timeline of events, like when did state health officials do an on-site visit at the LaSalle home? Who requested it and when? How long did it take? How about federal VA officials?
* I asked the governor yesterday why IDPH didn’t send anyone to the hearing. They did send a consultant, but…
A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health said department officials sent consultant Dr. Avery Hart, but he couldn’t answer all the questions posed by committee members.
“I wasn’t in the mix at that point so I don’t think I would comment,” Hart said. “I know there’s an independent investigation by the inspector general to clarify the timeline.”
Hart had to leave the nearly four-hour meeting early.
Unacceptable. IDPH needs to come clean with the General Assembly about its role.
* And while other states are having these very same problems, that doesn’t excuse Illinois one bit…
At the 150-bed Bill Nichols State Veterans Home, one of Alabama’s largest individual hot spots, 96 residents have tested positive for coronavirus and 46 deaths have been attributed to Covid-19.
In New York, a government-run veterans home had the third deadliest reported outbreak in the state, with 72 confirmed and probable Covid deaths. Massachusetts’ Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was linked to more deaths—at least 76—than any other facility in the state as of late October, leading to criminal charges against two former managers, who both pleaded not guilty.
In New Jersey, the top two nursing homes for Covid deaths were both state-run veterans facilities, including the Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home, which a Wall Street Journal investigation found is perhaps the deadliest home in the country, with 101 Covid-linked deaths.
* And let’s hope that IDVA has learned its lesson before this current Quincy problem gets even worse…
December 16, 2020
To residents, families or responsible parties, and staff of the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy:
Since our last COVID-19 update there have been five (5) additional cases of COVID-19 among residents at our home, for a total of seventy-five (75) COVID-19 cases among residents since the start of the pandemic. To date, thirty-eight (38) residents have recovered from COVID-19. Unfortunately, One (1) resident who tested positive for COVID-19 has passed away since our last update, with four (4) residents total having passed away due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Additionally, since our last COVID-19 update there have been four (4) additional cases of COVID-19 among employees at our home, for a total of one hundred thirty-one (131) COVID-19 cases among employees since the start of the pandemic. To date, one-hundred and nine (109) employees have recovered from COVID-19.
I want to know everything that occurred here and that’s why the investigation that is ongoing is going to be extraordinarily informative and, again, I’m going to hold accountable people who deserve to be.
* This Tribune headline got a lot of attention, but the practice is actually national protocol [click here] when there’s a severe staffing shortage due to a COVID-19 outbreak and the infected employees are either working with already-infected residents or are confined to areas where they can’t spread the virus to others. If you read past the scary headline, you’ll see that both happened at LaSalle…
State VA official acknowledges employees with coronavirus allowed to work at LaSalle home where 33 veterans died
Staff members at LaSalle were not required to work after testing positive for the virus, but some chose to do so, Tony Kolbeck, chief of staff for the state VA department, said after being asked by legislators at a state House committee hearing whether employees were pressured to stay on the job.
“There were occasions in the overnight shift in which an individual was alerted that they were positive, they were in the COVID unit already,” Kolbeck said during the nearly four-hour House Veterans’ Affairs committee meeting. “They were asymptomatic and they chose to stay the rest of the shift. If they had not, there may have been a concern about not the proper staff being there in that overnight shift.” […]
For one staff member, Kolbeck said, “we were talking 2 o’clock in the morning, 3 o’clock in the morning, and they had exhausted all other avenues when she agreed to stay.”
He also detailed an instance when a maintenance worker came in “at the tail end” of a 14-day quarantine after testing positive to operate HVAC systems because other employees who operate those systems were out. He said the employee came into the work area through a separate entrance, had his own bathroom and did not leave the work area. [Emphasis added.]
This is the first of at least three posts I’m working on about LaSalle today.
*** UPDATE *** This is also old news. From Hannah Meisel’s December 4th report for NPR Illinois…
During that hearing, officials said five staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 volunteered to return to work despite their diagnosis. Centers for Disease Control guidelines do allow for healthcare personnel to return to work after testing positive for the virus to avoid staffing shortages, so long as they are fully donned with PPE and return to care for only patients who are already infected with the virus.
Residents struggling to stay healthy and pay their bills amidst the pandemic and worst recession in our lifetimes joined Illinois legislators for a press conference. Together, they urged Gov. Pritzker and the legislature to close corporate tax loopholes to preserve education, healthcare and other essential community services. Watch (and rebroadcast) the press conference on Facebook: https://fb.watch/2reqkK1lRS/
Jose Serna, a college student and grocery store worker from Bloomington, talked about lost wages and mounting medical bills. Serna’s mother works as a travelling nurse and does not get paid when she is unable to work due to COVID exposure. They are two months behind on rent and just learned his mother’s car will be repossessed.
“I had to come home early from college because of an undiagnosed illness. I have insurance, but already the bills are piling up from my multiple ER visits and four-day hospital stay,” said Serna. “I have a job at the local grocery store, but I haven’t been able to work because of my mom’s exposure to covid and my illness. We are past our breaking point in terms being financially afloat.”
Tina Hammond is a child care provider from West Englewood and a member of SEIU Healthcare Illinois. “The child care industry was in crisis before the pandemic. Parents couldn’t find affordable child care, and providers - mostly Black and Brown women - were not being paid our worth, with many of us making way below the minimum wage”, said Hammond. “It took a pandemic for many to recognize how important our work is to our communities – and our economy – but even still, the recognition as ESSENTIAL did not mean much. During this time, many providers had to shut their doors, some permanently. Some had to let go of staff or spend more on PPE and cleaning supplies to keep our doors open.”
“We can’t ask working and middle class people to accept cuts to essential community services and government responsibilities in the midst of a pandemic and the biggest recession of our lifetimes,” said State Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-4), Secretary, House Progressive Caucus. “Millions of our residents are at the breaking point, so I will not talk about cuts or regressive taxes when we still have an opportunity to pass progressive revenue.”
“My children attend one of the most underfunded school districts in the state, and we cannot make any more cuts to education without causing great harm,” said State Senator Andy Manar (IL-48) from Bunker Hill Illinois.
“We have to address our state’s finances in a way that’s fair to everyone,” said Rep. Dan Didech (IL-59) from Buffalo Grove. “That means reforming our state tax code so we aren’t giving preferential treatment to wealthy corporations. They don’t need our assistance to be successful, and that have become even wealthier during this pandemic.”
“The state has already instituted cuts in 2011, 2017, and at other times over the past decade,” said Sen. Ram Villivalam (IL-8) from Chicago’s northwest side and suburbs. “The meat has been cut. We are talking about cutting the bone now and that is unacceptable.”
“People in Illinois are in extreme pain,” said State Sen. Robert Peters (IL-13),Chair, Senate Black Caucus, whose district stretches from Chicago’s loop to the Indiana border. “While so many people struggle, 651 billionaires saw their combined wealth jump over a trillion dollars during this pandemic. They are so rich that they could give every American $3,000 and still have more money than they had at the start of the pandemic. It’s time for those that have made money hand over fist to pay their fair share.”
The following legislators joined to urge their colleagues to support the closure of corporate loopholes:
State Rep. Will Guzzardi (IL-39), Co-Chair, House Progressive Caucus
State Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-4), Secretary, House Progressive Caucus
State Sen. Andy Manar (IL-48)
State Rep. Dan Didech (IL-59)
State Sen. Robert Peters (IL-13), Chair, Senate Black Caucus
State Sen. Ram Villivalam (IL-8)
Rep. Lakesia Collins (IL-9)
Rep. Elect. Dagmara Avelar (IL-85)
The press release did not include a list of their specific proposals.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability calls cuts inevitable without federal assistance…
On Tuesday, Governor Pritzker announced $711 million in General Fund spending cuts to address a portion of what is now estimated to be a $3.9 billion budget deficit for FY 2021, which is the state’s current fiscal year. And while some $300 million of those cuts constitute reductions in spending on general government services, a significant portion of the cuts-over $200 million or 28 percent-will result in reduced expenditures on human services, while another $71 million impact public safety.
If a substantial relief package for state and local governments isn’t passed by the federal government during the first few months of the Biden Administration, you can expect more General Fund spending cuts to be implemented before the current fiscal year ends this coming June 30th. Make no mistake, these spending cuts harm people and communities across Illinois, given that over $9 out of every $10 dollars of General Fund spending on services goes to the four core areas of education, healthcare, human services, and public safety.
The Pritzker Administration was put in the unenviable position of being forced to cut spending on human services during a pandemic, because the state’s fiscal condition continues to deteriorate. This deterioration has had three primary drivers. First is the short-term revenue loss which Illinois, like all 50 states, is experiencing because of the decline in economic activity caused by the pandemic. As things stand today, Illinois’ revenue loss from the pandemic could exceed $6 billion over the course of Fiscal Years 2021 and 2022. Second is the estimated $1.2 billion revenue shortfall for the current fiscal year caused by the failure of voters to ratify the Fair Tax initiative during the November election. But third, and ultimately of more long-term importance, is the structural deficit caused by the state’s flawed tax policy, which fails to generate adequate revenue growth from year-to-year, because it simply is not designed to work in the modern economy.
Illinois’ tax policy is so flawed that, even if there never was a pandemic, total General Fund revenue this fiscal year would have been less than it was two decades ago in FY 2000, after adjusting for inflation-and Illinois would have had a General Fund deficit of almost $8.4 billion by the end of FY 2021. For context, this means the state would not have had enough revenue to cover roughly 30 percent of all current spending initially appropriated to cover education, healthcare, human services and public safety this year - if COVID-19 never happened. After factoring in the impact of COVID-19, as well as the failure of the Fair Tax, that year-end deficit is now projected to reach $13.6 billion, or almost 50 percent of all current General Fund appropriations for services.
In case you are wondering, overspending on public services is definitively not driving Illinois’ fiscal problems. In fact, after accounting for the $711 million in cuts just announced by the Pritzker Administration, General Fund spending on services this year in real, inflation adjusted terms, will be at least 22% - or $7.97 billion - less than it was in the year 2000 under Republican Governor Ryan.
Given how all the data show Illinois’ core fiscal problems have been driven by flawed tax policy, Governor Pritzker was justified in castigating those elected officials and wealthy individuals who opposed the Fair Tax, which would have helped modernize Illinois tax system and addressed some of its key flaws. Perhaps most galling, the anti-Fair Taxers not only opposed a rational approach to reforming state policy in a manner that would generate revenue needed to fund core services while correlating tax burden with ability to pay, but have as of yet failed to make any viable proposal for how to fund the core services covered by the General Fund, or failing that, which specific education, healthcare human service or public safety expenditures should be cut.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Illinois Chamber…
“In the wake of last week’s devastating unemployment claims it is unfathomable that we still have legislators who don’t understand that we are in an economic crisis,” said Illinois Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd Maisch.
“These legislators have conveniently not detailed which job providers they intend to raise taxes on. They need to have courage in their convictions and tell us what businesses they want to tax. For example, do they want to get rid of the research and development tax credits that help support life-saving medicines and vaccines? Or, will they eliminate many of the agriculture credits that help keep family farms afloat? Are they targeting incentives that help Illinois compete for good paying manufacturing jobs?
“According Opportunity Insights data, as of November 30, the number of small businesses open in Illinois has decreased by a third since January. Are we going to wait until they all close forever to recognize that state government needs to help job providers instead of punishing them with higher taxes? ”
Illinois hospitals are working around the clock in concert with Governor Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the entire state pandemic response team and local health departments with the shared goal of ensuring COVID-19 vaccines are appropriately administered in a timely manner.
That process is on track.
Hospitals and healthcare workers have been on the front lines of this pandemic for 10 months and are doing their part to execute on the vaccination plan. Critical to this effort is ensuring our hospitals have the necessary lead time to prepare for the vaccination of hospital staff within the 5-day timeframe before vaccine spoils. The 48-hour window of preparation is needed to ensure we can get vaccines into arms as quickly as possible and make sure no vaccine is wasted.
Reiterating my message from the Governor’s press conference on Monday, “We are urging calm and patience as the vaccination process plays out. Vaccination of the people of Illinois is going to require a thoughtful process that takes months, not days, and we’re committed to doing this right. The stakes are too high to rush through it.”
The extensive and logistically challenging vaccination process is rolling out now, as scheduled, and thousands of vaccines will be administered before the end of the week, as planned.
We are turning the tables on this virus, together.
* The feds need to be more upfront about stuff, though…
Pharmacists have found a way to squeeze extra doses out of vials of Pfizer’s vaccine, potentially expanding the nation’s scarce supply by up to 40 percent.
The Food and Drug Administration said late Wednesday that those extra doses could be used, clearing up confusion that had caused some pharmacists to throw away leftover vaccine for fear of violating the rules the agency set last week.
And that’ll help mitigate the fact that dose shipments were cut in half this week.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Like I said, patience will be a virtue. The feds haven’t even sent the vaccine to Cook, Lake, Madison and St. Clair counties. From Jordan Abudayyeh
Vaccine distribution from the Illinois Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to Regional Hospital Coordinating Centers (RHCCs) that are a part of the state’s distribution plan received their allotted doses and local health departments have delivered them to hospitals in their region per the local health department’s vaccination plan.
**DuPage County, unlike other jurisdictions in the state, received Ultra-Cold Vaccine in the original Pfizer boxes with dry ice. DuPage County will not be distributing all of this vaccine today, but will be allocating the vaccine per their plan with their providers over the course of the coming days.
It is important to remember that four counties are receiving direct shipments of vaccine from the federal government: Cook, Lake, Madison and St. Clair. That shipment is expected to arrive before the end of the week.
* Also…
For those of you who have asked about the 7 counties that were allotted doses, but did not have hospitals within the county. Here is the breakdown of where those doses went:
Cass LHD (Original Allocation 70 doses) – Returned for distribution to the RHCCs.
Clark LHD (Original allocation 80 doses) – Returned for distribution to the RHCCs.
Cumberland LHD (Original Allocation 40 doses) – Returned for distribution to the RHCCs.
Jasper LHD – (Original Allocation 20 doses) – Directed the doses to Effingham Hospital (St. Anthony’s.) As this is the hospital that serves their population.
Monroe LHD (Original Allocation 85 doses) – Returned for distribution to the RHCCs.
Carroll LHD (Original Allocation 65 doses) – Directed the doses to Freeport hospitals in Stephenson County. As this is the hospital that serves their population.
Stark LHD (Original Allocation 15 doses) – Returned for distribution to the RHCCs.
In addition to the above, IDPH worked to ensure that RHCCs who were not in the top 50 counties for death per capita received an allotment of doses
St. John’s in Springfield received 705 doses. SIU Carbondale received 115, Carle Hospital got 460 and OSF St Francis received 975.
*** UPDATE 2 *** I’d be more willing to be more patient if the federal government wasn’t so amazingly messed up…
Officials in multiple states said they were alerted late Wednesday that their second shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine next week had been reduced, sparking widespread confusion and spurring the company’s CEO to put out a statement saying it had millions more doses than were being distributed.
The changes prompted concern in health departments across the country about whether Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine accelerator, was capable of distributing doses quickly enough to meet the target of delivering first shots to 20 million people by year’s end. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans, said the revised estimates for next week were the result of states requesting an expedited timeline for locking in future shipments — from Friday to Tuesday — leaving less time for federal authorities to inspect and clear available supply.
But Pfizer released a statement on Thursday that seemed at odds with that explanation, saying the company faced no production issues and had more doses available than were being distributed.
“We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses,” the statement read.
* Related…
* Pharmacist explains Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine side effects: “A lot of the other medications that we use that get approved… when they have studies, they have studies of 8,000 people, 6,000 people, and they get approved for their use. This study, in Pfizer alone, had 44,000 people, so the amount of data we have on the safety aspect is more than typical for the standard medication that would be perscribed by your doctor,” explained Laird.
* Our good friend Hannah Meisel was recently interviewed by Public Radio about the current environment…
“The governor came in, and he had a very rosy first year as being governor, and then basically as soon as his 14th month hit, we got a pandemic. So, it’s hard but as is the saying around Springfield, governors own. Governors own all problems.”
* Considering his background, it seems unlikely that Congressman Davis has ever been in the unemployment system, so this IDES reply to Davis is undoubtedly true…
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, @RodneyDavis. As we've seen, this is a nationwide issue with bad actors across the globe using information from the major data breaches of the past to exploit this pandemic. https://t.co/Db44wkEwPe
This is indeed a national problem. Just click here for a sampling of news stories to see for yourself. California is worried that it’s been defrauded out of more than $8 billion.
* But it does seem particularly acute in Illinois as well…
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Central Illinois is working to track business scams and instances of fraud. Jessica Tharp, president, and CEO said they get roughly 15 calls daily regarding unemployment insurance scams throughout the 37 counties the BBB covers.
“Unemployment fraud has really taken a front seat in terms of scams being reported,” Tharp said. “It’s taken a twist where people are receiving benefits for jobs that they still have even or jobs that they don’t have. So, we’re seeing all kinds of things being reported and it comes down to many things, like identity theft.”
In just one day, the Peoria Police Department got 14 reports of identity theft, all involving fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. In almost every case, the victim received a letter, approving them for unemployment insurance benefits, from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The victims reported they had not filed for unemployment insurance.
“People don’t realize their information is compromised,” Tharp said.
* But then IDES poked the bear and Davis got all defensive…
It doesn't take you "having my attention" to know that families I represent are struggling in part because our state's economy lags nationally, @GovPritzker's executive actions shut down small businesses, and IDES has been unable to fully respond to this crisis. https://t.co/RE1c3SjUUw
He could try to help the state’s economy, but has argued instead for austerity. Also, the virus has shut things down, and Davis has not exactly been a leader on that front.
State Rep. Mike Marron’s decision to stand in front of state of Illinois offices to draw attention to the problems caused by the Illinois Department of Employment Security has apparently at least opened the lines of communication.
Marron, R-Fithian, said around noon Tuesday he got a call from IDES Director Kristin Richards to schedule a meeting next week to discuss a problem where self-employed workers, gig workers and independent contractors are being notified by the state that they have gotten too much unemployment aid and would have to repay it.
Marron said he and other Republican legislators had become frustrated by IDES and the governor’s office not responding to calls asking for an explanation. […]
He has been receiving numerous calls from individuals saying they had been notified they have to return money given to them by IDES.
“A hairdresser in Oakwood shouldn’t have to take out a personal loan to pay back the state,” Marron said.
As we’ve discussed before, the state is required by the federal government to collect over-payments. Maybe Rep. Marron should also call Congressman Davis to make sure folks who didn’t commit deliberate fraud are spared this problem.
As I’ve said time and again, the federal government needs to act and IDES needs to get its act together.
The state has accurately said, for instance, that federal regulations forbid it from just hiring people off the street and put them to work answering IDES phones without extensive training and certifictation. Perhaps the state could ask for a federal waiver on some of those training mandates instead of just throwing up its hands. And perhaps Congressman Davis could help make that happen instead of getting all defensive on the Twitter.
The congressman has been sniping without helping. The congressman goes to Washington DC and says to everybody that he’s helping, then goes and votes against the things that would be of assistance to us.
Remember that the federal government set up the programs. The federal government is responsible for making the changes that are necessary to these programs. And I’ve not heard a peep from him about what he’s going to do to help.
What we see play out in the video of Anjanette Young is an act of racism, gendered violence and yet another violation of a Black woman’s dignity and safety. She told police 43 times that they had the wrong house, yet they stood there while she remained handcuffed and unclothed. Ms. Young had the courage to pursue the release of CPD bodycam footage in the face of legal threats from the City’s top leaders. Now it’s our turn to pursue justice and accountability for the wrongful trauma Ms. Young experienced, all rooted in the same systemic racism that plagues Black people throughout our state and country. We will not let Ms. Young stand alone without answers from the City.
Signed,
Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kim Lightford
Senate Black Caucus Chair Robert Peters
Incoming House Black Caucus Chair Kam Buckner
Senator Jacqueline Collins
Senator Mattie Hunter
Senator Adriane Johnson
Senator Emil Jones
Senator Patricia Van Pelt Watkins
Representative Lakesia Collins
Representative Curtis Tarver
* In case you are unaware of this horrific case…
* ‘You Have the Wrong Place:’ Body Camera Video Shows Moments Police Handcuff Innocent, Naked Woman During Wrong Raid
National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter Statement:
“In February 2019, Anjanette Young, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), experienced a traumatic incident that occurs in Chicago far too often—armed city officers abusing and traumatizing Black men and women under the guise of public safety. Her story is not unlike others, being reported in the news where city law enforcement wrongly traumatize communities of color with improper or incorrect warrants. In the video which Ms. Young fought to have released, a clearly vulnerable woman is shown pleading with Chicago law enforcement over 43 times that they have raided the wrong house but to no avail. The level of disdain, dehumanization, and humiliation at the hands of Chicago city officers is on full display throughout the now released video.
The National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter (NASW-IL) strongly condemns these outrageous actions by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and asks our city leaders, When will the trauma end? When will enough be enough? We further condemn the actions of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her city of Chicago’s legal department for their efforts to further traumatize Ms. Young through the suppression of the body camera footage, and the now subsequent seeking of sanctions against Ms. Young for bringing into the light the reprehensible actions of CPD.
We call on Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois State General Assembly to work to end no knock warrants and to aggressively address and enact meaningful police reforms which the city of Chicago is clearly unwilling to enact themselves. The era of deferring the safety of the residents of Chicago to powerful mayors needs to end.
Systemic oppression, racial discrimination and division, and the misappropriation of power has been ingrained in the fabric of our country and is on full display again today. There is no shortage of reforms and recommendations from the communities being traumatized to address this misappropriation of power, just a lack of will.
One of the core values of the social work profession contained in our code of ethics is that social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. As a city—and as a society at large—we are not living up to this core value. That needs to change.
The NASW-Illinois Chapter commends the bravery of Anjanette Young. We support Anjanette Young in her fight. No one should be exposed to this level of violence and trauma. “
Zebra Technologies has played a role in coronavirus testing to fight off the pandemic, and now the barcode company has a new role to play in preventing the deadly virus from spreading further, CEO Anders Gustaffson told CNBC’s Jim Cramer Friday.
While Zebra’s products have been used for tracking samples from mass tracking sites, the company is also being counted on for vaccine distributions in what’s known as cold chain, a temperature-controlled supply chain.
“Our vaccine vial labels,” which can also be used on boxes and pallets “will change color based on the temperature exposure,” Gustaffson said in a “Mad Money” interview.
The labels come from Temptime, a manufacturer of temperature monitoring solutions for the health-care industry that the Lincolnshire, Illinois-based company acquired nearly two years ago.
Pretty darned cool.
Thanks to Mark Denzler at the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association for the tip.
On Tuesday, Governor Pritzker outlined a first round of proposed adjustments intended to begin addressing a budget shortfall. We all understand the state’s delicate financial situation, which has been exacerbated by a number of factors – foremost among these is the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying economic downturn. And while it remains critical that our federal leaders step up and deliver relief to the states, we also know tough choices ahead will be required by the General Assembly.
The work ahead of us will require strong legislative leadership. The Illinois House Democratic Caucus is one of the most diverse caucuses in the country; we must respect the unique priorities of our individual communities also while understanding our obligation to all of those in need.
We cannot ask our most vulnerable residents to bear the burden of this global pandemic. My goal remains protecting critical services like the Community Care Program, the Child Care Assistance Program, breast cancer screenings, domestic violence shelters, and other lifesaving services, while also meeting the new needs of emergency health care responders, essential workers, and families struggling because of these unprecedented times.
Among the difficult decisions ahead will be finding a balance between cost savings and new revenues. I hope our Republican colleagues choose to be willing participants instead of partisan obstructionists and come prepared to offer real proposals that are void of political theatre.
With this in mind, I plan to establish an advisory group to our budget working group which will review the governor’s recently proposed cuts and help advise our team on how future budget making decisions will affect various constituencies. If you would like to participate on this advisory group please send Jessica Basham an email at *****.gov.
I look forward to working with each of you to address the unprecedented challenges of this pandemic and help our state emerge stronger.
With kindest personal regards, I remain
Sincerely yours,
MICHAEL J. MADIGAN
Speaker of the House
"was tightened significantly down to 4.3 million doses shipped nationally next week." The following week, originally projected for another 8.8 million doses, is now only for 4.3 million.
* The NY Times looks at covidiotic claims about vaccines…
Among their misleading notions is the idea that the vaccines are delivered with a microchip or bar code to keep track of people, as well as a lie that the vaccines will hurt everyone’s health (the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have been proved to be more than 94 percent effective in trials, with minimal side effects). Falsehoods about Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist who supports vaccines, have also increased, with rumors that he is responsible for the coronavirus and that he stands to profit from a vaccine, according to data from media insights company Zignal Labs.
After a string of COVID-19 cases were reported at The School of Saints Faith, Hope and Charity in Winnetka last month, school officials dutifully notified the Cook County Department of Public Health and were soon delivered some troubling news.
The Roman Catholic elementary school had met the criteria for an outbreak, thrusting a thorny health and safety decision into the hands of the principal and the Archdiocese of Chicago about whether to halt in-person instruction.
“We decided to immediately pivot to e-learning for a temporary period, because first and foremost is the safety of our students and staff, and we just didn’t want to take the risk,” said Justin Lombardo, the leader of the archdiocese’s COVID-19 task force, who said students have been back in the classroom at the North Shore school since Nov. 30.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 163 such school-based outbreaks have been reviewed in the state, including nine reported Friday by the Illinois Department of Public Health. But while the state is now posting such numbers online — and health departments are assisting schools with surveillance of cases, contact tracing and guidance — it still falls to school officials to make the biggest decision: Does the school need to shut down again?
* Hopefully, we’ll be getting some national reporting requirements in January…
With minor exceptions, Florida quit including long-backlogged deaths in its daily counts on Oct. 24, 10 days before the Nov. 3 election, and resumed consistently including them on Nov. 17, two weeks after the election.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 7,123 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 146 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
- Christian County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s
- Clay County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 100+
- Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 40s, 3 males 50s, 3 females 60s, 3 males 60s, 9 females 70s, 3 males 70s, 8 females 80s, 3 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 2 males 90s, 1 female 100+
- DeKalb County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- DuPage County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Effingham County: 1 male 90s
- Fayette County: 1 female 80s
- Fulton County: 1 female 90s
- Grundy County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Iroquois County: 1 female 90s
- Jackson County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Jefferson County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- Jersey County: 1 female 80s
- Kane County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Kankakee County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Knox County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 60s
- Lake County: 1 male 60s
- LaSalle County: 1 female 80s
- Livingston County: 1 female 90s
- Macon County: 1 male 70s
- Macoupin County: 1 female 90s
- Madison County: 1 female 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s
- Marion County: 2 males 70s
- Massac County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- McDonough County: 1 female 70s
- McHenry County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 90s
- McLean County: 1male 70s
- Menard County: 1 male 90s
- Mercer County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- Monroe County: 1 male 70s
- Montgomery County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
- Ogle County: 1 male 80s
- Peoria County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
- Perry County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Piatt County: 1 female 70s
- Randolph County: 1 male 90s
- Richland County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 80s
- Rock Island County: 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
- Sangamon County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 males 90s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s
- Stark County: 1 female 80s
- Stephenson County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 80s
- Vermilion County: 1 female 80s
- Washington County: 2 females 90s
- Will County: 1 female 50s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Williamson County: 1 male 70s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 2 males 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 870,600 cases, including 14,655 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 93,278 specimens for a total 12,055,288. As of last night, 4,793 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,045 patients were in the ICU and 590 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from December 9 – December 15, 2020 is 8.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from December 9 – December 15, 2020 is 10.3%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Democratic Non-Campaign Staffer goes to Chris Lowery…
With the mountain high challenges this year presented, no one could had helped run the House better than Chris. But really, there’s credit due to every staffer who help kept things going this year.
That is exactly right. I cannot thank all staff at every level enough for the work they’ve put in this year. A big reason I started these awards was to showcase folks who don’t usually get any attention, let alone praise. Y’all are tops in my book.
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Republican Non-Campaign Staffer goes to Eleni Demertzis…
Durkin has her and everyone else either wants her or wants to stay off her radar. Eleni works in the media the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It is her true medium, a master. She has worked for a Governor, a Senator, a Sheriff and now the Leader, they all were better with her than without, especially the Governor. Think for a second how hard it is for a Republican to get press in a blue state with a blue governor a (sadly) hollowed out news media and the largest market being all blue, then think about how much press Durkin and the caucus has gotten and how being outspent by a fortune the House Republican Caucus still picked up a seat and beat up the Speaker enough to survive and end him, then look to Eleni and be afraid. She will smash down all your plate glass windows and put her fist through your steel plated door. If it’s the boss or any member who wants or needs help, she will not stop until she thinks justice is served.
There was no way on Earth that anyone could top that nomination.
We usually have a separate category for spokespersons, but with leave of the body I’m just gonna save some time and give the 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Spokesperson to Jordan Abudayyeh. Hearing no objections… so let it be written, so let it be done. Putting together daily press conferences is worthy of the honor alone. But her job encompasses so much more than that and she really stepped up when Emily Bittner went on parental leave.
The discovery recount for Nov. 3’s losing candidates Jim Oberweis, David Rickert and Jeanette Ward is expected to go until late Wednesday or Thursday, as Kane County Clerk employees are required to hold up every mail-in paper ballot from 119 precincts to show their fronts and backs to campaign representatives.
The first part of the recount on Tuesday morning was the easy part, Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said, as the computer counted the digital ballots.
“It was like watching paint dry,” Cunningham said.
Representatives of the Republican candidates who lost, as well as the Democrats who won – U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pieorg and State Sen. Karina Villa, D-Warrenville – and those of Kane County Democrats all participated in observing the recount. […]
Though Oberweis campaign attorney John Wise would not state what he had requested of Cunningham’s employees, others at the recount said he asked that campaign workers be allowed to see both sides of each paper ballot.
The fight for the 68th District’s Representative seat continues. Democratic Representative-elect Dave Vella was declared the winner last month, but Rep. John Cabello announced plans for a recount Monday morning.
The Republican says the recount is well within the required margin of under .05% or less. Vella won by just 239 votes.
This means that 25% of precincts within the district will be reviewed. That will determine if a full recount is needed.
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Clean energy is an essential part of Illinois’ economic recovery. It protects public health and creates good-paying jobs, while ensuring that the people most in need of good jobs and clean air are at the front of the line. It will save Illinoisans money.
We can make our recovery an equitable, sustainable one, and position Illinois as a national leader on clean energy. We can stop our energy systems from sickening and excluding people of color. We can bring good-paying clean energy jobs to Illinois while preserving a livable planet.
* As I’ve been saying for a while now, this is only Part 1. And Part 1 is a siege. Part 2, the election, comes after the siege ends with one or the other side collapsing. And that siege has only barely begun…
Still, their opposition might not be enough to stop Madigan from securing another term, said John Jackson, a visiting professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
“There’s not a major opponent announced for the speakership,” Jackson said. “… There’s an old saying in politics ‘you can’t beat somebody with nobody.’ Michael Madigan is definitely a somebody, and while there are now 19 announced opponents to his being reelected, that obviously presents him with a problem, but on the other hand the opposition has to coalesce around a significant and viable candidate.”
And so far, no major, viable Democratic candidate has announced, Jackson said.
While Madigan isn’t as powerful as he’s ever been, “He’s certainly a formidable force and not yet likely to be mortally wounded and now most likely to be the speaker again, barring any longterm stalemate,” Jackson said.
Watching this and commenting on it will require patience.
“Unless he’s having conversations with Republican members, he doesn’t have the votes from our caucus,” Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, said.
Carroll is one of the 19 House Democrats opposed to Madigan’s reelection.
“Right now, the 19 of us have committed to not voting for him,” Carroll said. “We’re not changing our votes, so it’d have to come from somewhere.”
* Meanwhile…
Governor Pritzker says “I’m really disappointed” Speaker Madigan was not called to testify at the House Special Investigative Committee. Chairman Chris Welch (D-Hillside) incorrectly said Pritzker hadn’t commented on whether Madigan should have testified when in fact he had.
Rep. Maurice West was elected secretary of the Black Caucus, also unanimously.
The race for the four available spots in House leadership went to Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Rep. Mary Flowers, Rep. Marcus Evans, and Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth. Welch received 17 votes, or 22 percent of the vote, to Flowers’ 14 votes, or 18 percent.
Those are important names to watch as the House speaker position remains contested.
Congressional leaders are near an agreement to add a new round of stimulus checks to a roughly $900 billion relief package as they rush to complete a deal before the end of the week, according to three people familiar with the talks granted anonymity to share internal deliberations.
A bipartisan proposal released earlier this week by a group of moderate lawmakers excluded another round of $1,200 stimulus checks. But as congressional leaders tried to resolve differences in recent days, they decided to try and include a round of direct payments in the emerging legislation. The payments under discussion on Wednesday morning could be less than the $1,200 approved in the Cares Act in March, however.
The inclusion of these payments comes as congressional leaders opted to cut new aid for states and cities out of the bill, giving lawmakers more money to work with while keeping the total cost of the package under $1 trillion.
One of the painful lessons learned from the financial crisis was that forcing austerity on state and local governments only made things worse. And they’re doing it again.
Today, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers joined together in a social media video to encourage everyone across the region to remain safe heading into the holiday season.
“This may be the most difficult time yet in our struggle with COVID-19, especially with the holidays approaching. Until the vaccine is available to everyone and until we eradicate this virus once and for all, we must continue working to protect one another,” the governors said. “The science is settled: The best way we can protect our frontline workers and slow the spread of this virus is to double down on mask wearing, social distancing, and washing hands frequently. If you are planning to travel or gather with other households for the holidays – we urge you to reconsider. Just one infection can cause an outbreak in your community, which could overwhelm our hospitals and put you and your loved ones at risk. We owe it to the brave men and women serving on the front lines of this pandemic to do our part and be smart this holiday season.”
This is the second time this bipartisan group of governors has joined forces in the past month to encourage people in their region to do their part to protect our families, frontline workers, and small businesses. They released a similar video prior to Thanksgiving urging families to reconsider holiday travel.
Nearly three weeks after Thanksgiving, no dramatic post-holiday surge in COVID-19 has emerged in the latest state data, although some hopeful trends seemed to stall after the long weekend.
“We haven’t seen something significant to talk about now,” the state’s health director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, told reporters Monday. “We’ll see for sure in this coming week. … We’ll keep our fingers crossed that maybe we’re not going to see a big bump.”
People listened and Illinois’ mitigations worked. Air travel, for instance, wasn’t nearly as heavy as had been feared.
Gov. Pritzker Outlines Spending Reduction Plan For Fiscal Year 2021
Administration Will Negotiate With AFSCME Over Furlough Days and Personnel Cost Adjustments
Governor JB Pritzker announced today more than $700 million in spending reductions for fiscal year 2021. The plan is the result of a months-long and ongoing review of agency spending under the Executive branch. The plan includes a hiring freeze, grant reductions and operational savings.
As part of the administration’s ongoing attempt to identify budget efficiencies, Gov. Pritzker also announced the following measures:
• Negotiations with AFSCME and other employee unions to identify $75 million in personnel cost adjustments, which could include furlough days.
• Creation of a Department of Corrections facilities closure work group to identify additional savings due to the lower offender population.
“From the beginning of my term in office, I’ve worked hard to bring honest solutions to the table, doing the hard things that must be done to put our fiscal house in order - including bringing efficiencies to lower the cost of operating state government, working to reduce the budget pressure of pension liabilities, investing in the expansion of revenue producing industries, and attracting our most promising economic assets — our college bound seniors – to stay in Illinois rather than go to college elsewhere,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I promised to be a governor who balances the budget and begins paying down the bills that my predecessor left behind. I promised to invest in education, job training and job creation. Before COVID hit us, we did that. And despite all the current challenges, I am confident we will continue our ascent to economic strength and fiscal stability.
The Governor previously announced the sale of $2 billion in three-year notes to the Municipal Liquidity Facility to help Illinois bridge the gap due to dramatic revenue losses as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. That transaction will be finalized by the end of the calendar year. As every state in the nation faces budget shortfalls due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor will continue to urge Congress to pass direct funding for state and local governments who have coordinated the pandemic response.
Today as a first step toward balancing the current year’s budget, I’m presenting over $700 million in initial cuts to our executive branch agencies. These are cuts that are under my control to make as governor without help from the General Assembly.
This gets us part of the way toward addressing the budget deficit. For additional and more permanent balancing of our budgets going forward, I will work with the legislature. But make no mistake, legislative action and engagement is required. While short term federal help may yet come, we need to take action to maintain fiscal stability over the long run, and address the problems that plagued Illinois pre-pandemic.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* More from the governor…
Over the years, state government in Illinois has been notoriously hollowed out. For example, there are approximately 25% fewer state government employees today than there were two decades ago. Also state government spending on education is now among the lowest in the nation. And while there used to be 3000 the Illinois State Police troopers patrolling our 58,000 square miles of Illinois, there are now only 1900.
If anything, our schools and our public safety and health care deserve more investments, not less. So cutting our budget will be by its very nature painful.
The executive branch alone cannot legally address these multi-year deficits unilaterally. So I am continuing this conversation with leaders and members of the General Assembly on both sides of the aisle to identify their best ideas to make up the rest of the deficit and bring long-term stability and balance to our state’s fiscal foundation. I have an open door policy. I am more than happy to have a conversation with legislators interested in a substantive effort to get this done.
In the meantime, the cost saving measures I present to you today have already begun to be implemented. In addition, my staff is in conversations with AFSCME to discuss furlough days and personal cost adjustments personnel cost adjustments that will help us reduce spending by $75 million.
By definition, taking employees off the front lines will slow the delivery of services to our residents but this is the place we find ourselves today. It pains me to pursue these actions because these state employees are public servants who dedicate themselves to improving the lives of the people that we all serve. Often, these are the people who are most in need of help.
Many of these same employees, such as our corrections officers who put themselves in harm’s way every day before the pandemic now go to work with the additional danger of COVID-19 facing them. They have more than earned our appreciation and our admiration for their dedication and hard work. That’s one reason why these cuts are painful.
But like I said, opponents of the fairest long term solution have put us in this situation. And there’s only so much on the table to choose from when you have a government as hollowed out as ours is.
Approximately 10% of these reductions come from public safety agencies most significantly from the Department of Corrections. The number of people incarcerated in Illinois has decreased by more than 10,000 individuals since the beginning of 2019. This presents an opportunity for real savings this year and in future years. And it’s a critical opportunity to transform our prisons. I will be forming the Illinois Corrections Transformation Advisory Team to determine the best ways to move forward with these efficiencies. I’ve also previously announced a number of additional criminal justice reform priorities that will further reduce our prison populations as we seek to pursue greater fairness and equity for all Illinoisans as we often see when we move away from expensive ineffective and punitive models. This will likely also open the door for additional long term savings.
Early on in our battle against COVID-19 my administration implemented a freeze on non essential state government hiring and on travel. Those continued today and will continue indefinitely. I have also implemented a significant reduction in vehicle and equipment purchases. And I have asked all departments to maximize the use of technology to reduce in person gathering costs, even once travel is deemed safer.
We’re also making adjustments to our Community Care Program and the services that are provided to older Illinoisans, including delaying the planned rate increase initially set for January 1. I admit that this was a challenging decision because of how vital our community care workers are for our seniors. But this must be undertaken as a result of the deficit.
I’m also broadly freezing and reducing grant programs at a number of agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. That includes freezing 2020 grants for local governments, parks and open land projects, implementing freezes or partial reductions on most grants at DCEO and pausing issuance of school maintenance grants dependent upon casino gaming revenues.
I want to be clear. Because tax fairness was taken off the table. There will be a real human impact here. And while we’ve scoured the budget for ways to cause the least pain, I’m sorry to say that we simply cannot prevent these losses from touching the real lives of our residents. We just can’t these cuts reflect the first phase of our path forward, doing what is within my powers unilaterally and without the legislature. This is going to be tough. And as my ongoing conversations with General Assembly leaders would indicate, there is a great deal of work the legislature must do when it convenes next month. […]
And while there is no easy path forward, I promise that we will get through this, working together as people of goodwill, with a laser-like focus on doing what’s best for the working families of Illinois. I look forward to hearing the Republican proposals for realistic cuts and balancing the budget.
…Adding… He was asked about further cuts…
As to more cuts, or you know anything else to do with our budget deficit, again, this is a first step. I’m waiting on the General Assembly’s engagement in this and not just awaiting, I’ve reached out to the General Assembly in particular to the Republicans because they have a special responsibility here, having worked so hard to defeat the Fair Tax to step up to the plate, tell us how they’re going to balance the budget given that we have a $3.9 billion deficit and and you know about half of that has come from structural challenges that the state has. So I hope they will step up to the plate because they defeated the best solution to the structural
* The governor also said he was hopeful that Congress would change course on funding for state and local governments when a new president is sworn in.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
Illinois Senate Republican Leader-Designate Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) released the following statement regarding Governor Pritzker’s recent comments on the state’s FY22 budget:
“The Governor can blame others all he wants for the state’s financial mess, but the fact of the matter is this is a bed of his own making. Voters fundamentally rejected his graduated tax proposal because of their lack of trust in state government, which stems from years of Springfield increasing taxes and ignoring the reforms that Republicans have put on the table time and time again. In fact, during the current budget cycle, instead of taking up spending reforms in anticipation of hard times to follow from COVID-19, Democrats and the Governor increased spending, relying on magic money from the federal government that never materialized. This is the kind of recklessness that voters know all too well and is the real reason they rejected Springfield digging deeper into people’s pockets.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
Statement of Roberta Lynch, Executive Director, AFSCME Council 31
Since the earliest days of this pandemic, tens of thousands of Illinois state employees have been on the front lines, putting their own health and safety at risk to maintain vital services on which so many depend.
Undoubtedly our state faces a severe fiscal crisis and action is urgently needed. However, it is grossly unjust to suggest that frontline state employees who have already sacrificed so much in our current public health crisis should bear an outsized share of the burden of fixing the state’s fiscal crisis as well. Moreover, it is counterproductive in the extreme to target these employees at a time when the need for state services and the demands on state government are greater than ever.
State public health and emergency management employees have worked tirelessly to guide us through the challenges the coronavirus daily presents. Child protection workers have continued to go into homes to safeguard at-risk children. Correctional and state police employees have maintained security in our prisons and safety in our communities. Caregivers are on the job round-the-clock to bathe, feed and assist individuals with the most severe developmental disabilities. Nurse aides have remained in service to our aged and ailing veterans despite massive COVID outbreaks in the state’s veterans’ homes. Human service, environmental protection, transportation employees—and many more—are all on the job to keep Illinois working.
Thousands of these frontline state employees have contracted COVID, hundreds have had to be hospitalized, many are suffering prolonged aftereffects, and, yes, some have died.
The severe budget hole has been made much more severe by the billionaire-funded campaign that defeated the Fair Tax constitutional amendment. Had that amendment been enacted, the state would be on a reasonable path to solid fiscal ground. Instead, rather than asking everyone to pay their fair share, state employees—hard-working middle-income taxpaying Illinoisans—are now being asked to shoulder a bigger share of the budget burden. That is simply not acceptable.
AFSCME is firmly opposed to any demands that unfairly target state employees. We are, however, fully committed to revenue measures needed to keep Illinois working. We supported Governor Pritzker’s Fair Tax initiative. And we are now helping to lead the fight in Washington DC for an urgently needed COVID stimulus bill that is being blocked by Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans. We have long called for closing corporate tax loopholes in our own state and have recommendations for how to move forward on that front. And our members are prepared, as always, to help in identifying greater efficiencies in state government operations. Ultimately, however, legislative action is needed. It is urgent that the Illinois General Assembly come into session immediately after the holidays to address the state’s fiscal crisis in a fair and equitable manner.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) issued the following statement in response to Governor Pritzker’s remarks on his self-inflicted budgetary disaster:
“Governor Pritzker, President Harmon and Mike Madigan were repeatedly warned about the dire shortfalls in the fantasy budget that relied upon the passage of the graduated tax and a ‘fingers crossed’ hope for a federal bailout. Instead of living within our means, they attempted to trick voters into raising taxes, and were sorely rejected by Democrat, Republican and Independent voters across the state. We hope the Governor uses his authority to call the General Assembly into session so that we can look to move Illinois forward by fixing the problems the Democrats have created.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Press release…
Good afternoon Mr. Miller. Here’s a statement on behalf of Senate President Don Harmon. You can attribute it to me (John Patterson, spokesman):
“The voters sent the message that they expect tough decisions to be made. The Senate President will review the governor’s actions as we prepare to head into another legislative session and another tough budget year. We look forward to our colleagues across the aisle offering up the Republican cuts for public review.
Hopefully Washington soon will come to its senses and realize that states and cities across this country have been wiped out financially by this virus.”
*** UPDATE 5 *** Press release…
The Illinois AFL-CIO, representing tens of thousands of Illinois state employees and their families, today issued the following statement in response to Gov. Pritzker’s proposed $700 million in state budget cuts:
“We join AFSCME in opposing state budget cuts that place the burden on the backs of public employees who are on the frontlines of our collective fight against COVID-19.
We were strong supporters of the Fair Tax initiative as a way to provide needed revenue to support the vital state services and programs we all depend on, and that have proven even more important during the pandemic. Our state has suffered for too long with revenue shortfalls, and these now are producing very real and painful choices that will devastate the very hard-working, middle-income families we all depend on.
We stand ready to work with our union partners and our leaders in Springfield on solutions that spare this pain for working families and address the state’s revenue shortfall responsibly and fairly.”
Tim Drea, President, Illinois AFL-CIO
Pat Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer, Illinois AFL-CIO
State representative Kam Buckner (26th District) was elected the Chair of the powerful Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus today. Immediately following the vote, he said:
“I am privileged, honored, and humbled by the trust that my colleagues, the members of the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus have placed in me to serve as the caucus chair for the 102nd General Assembly.
I thank immediate past Chair Rep. Camille Lilly for her dedication, service, and commitment to the values that this caucus was built on over 5 decades ago.
Our state and our nation are at an inflection point and as we stand at the crossroads of history, the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus will work with a singular focus to improve the lives of those whom we represent through legislation, policy, and aggressive advocacy.”
Formally established in 1967, the primary mission of the ILBC is to assure that the interests of African American citizens are given equitable representation in the General Assembly and that legislative action is directed to address those interests. For 53 years, the ILBC has represented the interest of Illinois citizens. Through the efforts of the Caucus, tremendous strides have been made in areas of housing, health and welfare, education, employment, and minority business enterprise. Since the first presence of an African-American in the House of Representatives in 1876, 157 African American legislators have been elected to serve in both the House and Senate.
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Republican Campaign Staffer goes to Jayme Odom…
After the 2018 elections, Rauner’s operation essentially left HRO in shambles along with the whole ILGOP. 2020 was looking worse for Republicans than 2018 and Democrats had major advantages in money and resources. Against these great odds, Jayme came in and completely rebuilt HRO from the ground up. Her tireless work to recruit and vet staff and candidates, raise money, keep candidates on point and message, and going the extra mile even with the pandemic allow for her results to speak for themselves.
Jayme worked hard and gave the leadership HRO needed to outperform expectations.
Her leadership and work is not only a big reason why House Republicans saw a small net gain of seats instead of a net loss, but also a reason why Leader Durkin was able to hold onto his leadership post.
There isn’t a House GOP campaign person more deserving than Jayme.
She’s gonna hate me for not giving it to one of her staff members, but she totally deserves this award.
He entered a thorny situation but was able to find common ground, build relationships, and put up shining GOTV numbers as the only staffer assigned. He was basically handed a wrench and told to build a race car out of an oil stain. He ran a heck of a machine in brutal circumstances, and that is something to crow about.
Heh. Loved that.
Runner-up is Jon Wygant.
* On to today’s categories…
* Best House Democratic Non-Campaign Staffer
* Best House Republican Non-Campaign Staffer
Do your best to nominate in both categories and make sure to explain your votes or they will not count. And, as should be clear by one of the above awards, sometimes a great nomination can win the whole day. Thanks!
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 7,359 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 117 additional deaths.
• Adams County: 1 female 70s
• Boone County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
• Champaign County: 1 female 70s
• Clinton County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s
• Cook County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 3 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 2 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s
• Cumberland County: 1 female 90s
• DuPage County: 2 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 3 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
• Edgar County: 1 male 80s
• Effingham County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
• Ford County: 1 male 80s
• Franklin County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
• Jackson County: 1 male 90s
• Jersey County: 1 female 80s
• Jo Daviess County: 1 male 70s
• Kane County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
• Kankakee County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s, 2 males 80s
• Kendall County: 1 female 80s
• Knox County: 1 female 80s
• Lake County: 1 female 50s, 2 females 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
• LaSalle County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
• Lee County: 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 100+
• Livingston County: 1 male 80s
• Macon County: 1 male 90s
• Madison County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 3 males 90s
• Marion County: 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s
• Massac County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s
• McHenry County: 1 male 80s
• McLean County: 1 female 80s
• Ogle County: 1 male 60s
• Peoria County: 1 female 20s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 80s
• Perry County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
• Rock Island County: 1 male 60s
• Sangamon County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
• St. Clair County: 2 females 70s
• Stark County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 80s
• Stephenson County: 1 male 80s
• Vermilion County: 1 male 50s
• Will County: 2 males 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 3 males 90s, 1 female 100+
• Winnebago County: 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
• Woodford County: 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 863,477 cases, including 14,509 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 92,922 specimens for a total 11,962,010. As of last night, 4,965 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,057 patients were in the ICU and 598 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from December 8 – December 14, 2020 is 8.6%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from December 8 – December 14, 2020 is 10.3%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
After some initial and completely unnecessary and ill-informed reluctance, Sangamon County and Springfield are now doing a pretty good job at not only flattening the curve, but bending it downward.
The county’s 7-day rolling average test positivity rate was at 13.2 percent on December 1. As mentioned elsewhere today, it’s now at 8.4 percent. That’s a 32 percent reduction in two weeks. Keep up the good work!
* Adams County is even lower, at 6.8 percent, but the county’s rate is actually increasing over the past week, when it was at 4.7 percent. That’s a 45 percent increase, if you’re keeping track.
Brown County is at 13.5 percent, down two points from 15.5 percent on December 1.
Calhoun County is trending the wrong way. It’s up to 20.8 percent from 17.3 percent, but they’re not doing a lot of testing there.
Cass County has taken a slight dip to 16.9 percent from 17.1 percent.
Christian County is at 12.8 percent, down a bit from 14.7 on December 1.
Greene County is at 11.8 percent, which sounds high, but that’s down from 19.3 percent two weeks ago.
Hancock County is at 17.8 percent, up significantly in two weeks from 12.4 percent.
Jersey County’s rate stands at 14.9 percent, about the same as its 15.8 rate two weeks ago.
Logan County is down to 8.2 percent, from 15.4 percent on December 1.
Macoupin County is at 10.3 percent, down slightly from the 12.8 percent rate two weeks ago.
Mason County has plummeted from 14.4 percent on December 1 down to 7.9 percent.
Menard went from 12.7 percent on December 1 to 9.3 percent yesterday.
Montgomery is basically unchanged, at 8.5 percent compared to 9.2 percent on December 1.
Morgan is down a point, to 9.2 percent from 10.3 percent.
Pike is up a bit, from 12.6 percent to 13.4 percent.
Schuyler County went from a 6 percent positivity rate on December 1st to a 23.3 percent rate a few days ago to the most recent 18.6 percent.
And Scott is down from 6.3 percent to 4.9 percent.
I don’t know why I just put myself through all this, but there you go.
The House Democrats said each of their offices are dealing with, on average, “60-90 open cases at any given time, some dating as far back as mid-March.” They asked that those constituents “receive a call back from IDES within 7-10 days,” requested that IDES directly coordinate efforts with their district office staff and that “IDES increase staff resources dedicated to working with district office staff to handle outstanding cases.”
Gov. Pritzker’s press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh said in response that the administration is committed to working with the General Assembly, but she also claimed “multiple” staff members from IDES and the governor’s office are already “working as liaisons between the General Assembly and the agency to answer their questions,” adding: “We have implemented every solution at our disposal to provide immediate relief and are more than willing to implement any ideas from the General Assembly.”
But then came Abudayyeh’s rejection: “What we will not do is take the 60 to 90 claims General Assembly members call on behalf of each week, and move those claimants to the front of the line ahead of the tens of thousands of claims the department is working to address. The agency cannot pull staff away from processing claims in the system to prioritize claims from legislators.”
State Rep. Mike Marron, R-Fithian, said he can’t get anyone at the state agency to return his calls after constituents pleaded for help. […]
Marron said a number he was provided to contact the state agency director was no longer in service and he has nowhere else to turn.
“Until the majority [Democratic party] decides that they want to hold people accountable for this disaster, I don’t know what to tell people anymore,” Marron said. “I will tell you that I’m ashamed of this. And I’m ashamed I can’t get a hold of anybody. And somebody needs to get me some answers.”
* From the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s website…
The health and safety of our customers and staff are of highest importance.
In order to protect everyone through social distancing, IDES offices are closed to the public until further notice.
*** UPDATE *** From Jordan Abudayyeh…
Acting [IDES] Director Kristin Richards called Rep. Marron today to inform him she would be happy to schedule a meeting with him to discuss the complexity of what states’ unemployment agencies are dealing with nationwide. That’s a discussion that requires some time and the director explained that she’d be happy to schedule that meeting before Christmas. The Representative could have saved himself some time in the cold if he would have reached out and asked to speak with the director.
He should’ve also tried contacting the legislative liaison before engaging in this stunt.
Our governor signed a budget into law based on the hope that voters would approve his tax hike scheme. He authorized spending based on revenue that was not real. Budgeting based on fairy dust and unicorns is not the way to run a state of nearly 13 million people.
The governor has also said since the spring that he is counting on money from the federal government.
* How’s that working out?…
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement in support of the $748 billion, bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief legislation that includes funding for unemployment insurance, small businesses, vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing, health care providers, housing and education assistance, and more:
“Today, the U.S. hit another grim milestone—300,000 lives lost to COVID-19. My heart goes out to the family and friends of those dealing with grief and sadness. It is clear that we are at a critical moment. I’m hopeful that with the first shipment of a vaccine arriving today at hospitals across the country, we will be able to turn the corner on this pandemic. But we also know that it will take time and resources to vaccinate enough people, and the winter is going to be hard for many families and businesses.
“With this in mind, a group of Democrats and Republicans—including myself—came together and worked on compromise, emergency relief legislation totaling $748 billion in the areas where we could agree. This package does not include everything I think we need. But, it is an honest compromise.
“I’m disappointed we haven’t been able to bridge our differences on several other matters, including Republicans’ proposal to give corporations federal liability immunity during the pandemic. We negotiated on this issue for weeks, and my Democratic colleagues and I put forward a variety of alternative proposals. Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach an agreement.
“I’m also disappointed that we weren’t able to agree on including much-needed funding for states and localities in the larger bipartisan package. I want to be clear: I’m not giving up on funding for states and localities. This funding is essential in our fight against the pandemic and for our economic recovery.
“While the fight continues over these issues, we must provide some emergency relief for the American people before we go home for the holidays. I support the $748 billion bipartisan package. I urge my colleagues to support this package, and I call on the Senate Majority Leader to bring it to the floor for a vote this week.”
Congressional Democrats had an opportunity in the fall to cut a deal on state and local aid, but got so over-confident about their November prospects that they wanted to talk about packing the US Supreme Court and other fairy tales and decided to wait until their big wins strengthened their hand.
* According to IDPH, Effingham County’s seven-day positivity rate is a whopping 18.5 percent. By comparison, Sangamon County’s is 8.4 percent, Chicago’s is 12.5 percent and suburban Cook’s is 12.8 percent.
And yet, Rep. Darren Bailey held an indoor fundraiser and railed against “tyranny” with his favorite attorney by his side…
We the People……..are tired of tyranny!
Merry Christmas!
* I happen to agree that the House Special Investigating Committee was a “show trial.” Democrats on the committee were clearly committed to defending House Speaker Michael Madigan at all costs. Republicans, who demanded the committee’s creation, deliberately tried to do as much damage to Madigan as possible and went in with the presumption of guilt.
But this claim by the committee’s chairman, Rep. Chris Welch, was a bit much…
Minority Leader Durkin gave away the game, he let the cat out of the bag, when he used the Special Investigation Committee as a platform to persuade Democrats to vote for him for speaker.
With the latest arraignments of figures in ComEd’s federal Bribery case, Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said it’s time for Speaker Michael Madigan, the alleged target of the scheme, to resign as Speaker and Representative.
“Both, I am asking him to leave the General Assembly,” he said.
Sixty votes are needed in the House to be elected Speaker. So, Durkin was asked if Republicans will join with Democrats—who hold a veto-proof majority—to elect a Democrat other than Madigan? No, he said.
“As of today, I have more votes for Speaker than any other member of the House of Representatives, and I will say I have more votes than Speaker Madigan, so I will over the next month and a half appeal to 15 Democrats, who have a reform agenda, reform-minded Democrats,” he said.
* Coverage roundup…
* Committee adjourns after 3 meetings in 4 months: Throughout the combative three-hour hearing, the three House Republicans and three Democrats clashed repeatedly over the rules of procedure, disagreed about the facts contained in the federal court documents and levied accusations of political stunts and a “kangaroo court.” The House Democratic members — Reps. Chris Welch, of Hillside, Natalie Manley, of Joliet, and Elizabeth Hernandez, of Cicero — voted no on a motion, presented by Manley, that Madigan engaged in conduct unbecoming of legislator. With a deadlocked vote along party lines, the motion failed to pass.
* Statehouse committee looking into Madigan concludes suddenly — and finds no wrongdoing: One of those motions, which would issue subpoenas to “certain persons,” sparked the ire of Rep. Grant Wehrli, R-Naperville. “… I’m supposed to vote on a motion that’s going to subpoena pretty much everybody in the state of Illinois because this body, the three Democrats on this, will not go so far as to even name names,” Wehrli said. “This isn’t Voldemort we’re talking about here, you can actually say the man’s name. You’re going to excruciating lengths to protect Michael J. Madigan from ever having to testify…”
* Madigan’s Allies Shut Down Illinois House Probe Into Embattled Speaker: But the three Democrats said there was no evidence Madigan had any personal knowledge of ComEd’s attempts to influence him, echoing the speaker’s own defense in the wake of the federal corruption investigation and the House committee’s formation.
* Illinois House panel adjourns after a party-line vote fails to uphold charges that Madigan acted improperly in ComEd case: “We cannot allow a vague assertion that this will somehow complicate a federal criminal investigation to deter this committee from doing its job, especially when time and time again the U.S. attorney’s office has confirmed that this committee has a job to do, and they do not object to us doing that job,” Demmer said. “The special investigative committee exists for one reason: to conduct an investigation. No one here can say that a thorough investigation involves hearing from only one witness.”
* The House Black Caucus has endorsed House Speaker Michael Madigan for another term in office, but he wasn’t always such an ally. Here’s Derrick Blakley…
Following the 1980 census, then House Minority Leader Mike Madigan created a new map blatantly structured along racial lines. This map diluted Black voting strength and ensured that white neighborhoods on the South and Southwest sides were not represented by Blacks.
The map created a “Western Wall” that ran along the western edge of neighborhoods that were 80 per cent or more Black to “protect” white neighborhoods (like Marquette Park, Gage Park, Chicago Lawn, Bridgeport and Canaryville) from the threat of Black representation.
According to an in-depth account by journalist Steve Bogira in the Chicago Reader in March 1982, Madigan even admitted in sworn testimony that the map was a concession to the racism whites harbored on the city’s South and Southwest sides. “Well, I don’t see that drawing a line along the current black-white line is a tool to maintain segregation,” said Madigan. “I would say that if you took Robert Taylor Homes and put them into a district with Bridgeport and Canaryville, it would raise racial tensions. That’s just based on my knowledge of the people in Bridgeport and Canaryville.”
The map also shorted Black representation, granting the same number of Black Senate districts (five) as in 1971, despite an increase in black population and a decrease in white.
Charging that the Madigan Map was illegally racist, it was challenged in court by then-State Rep. Carol Moseley Braun and the late State Sen. Richard Newhouse. In a 2 to 1 decision, a federal court panel awarded the Black plaintiffs one additional Senate District and two more House districts. But Braun and Newhouse thought black voters deserved even more seats.
And so did U.S. District Judge John Grady who was critical of the “Western Wall” even though his two fellow judges ruled it was not drawn to deny Blacks representation. In his dissent, wrote Grady, “The real reason for the wall – and it was not concealed, it was just denied the top billing it deserved—was the desire of the Democrat Commission members to ensure that the white populations to the west of the wall would continue to be represented by white legislators.”
“I felt really good about the decision,” said Carol Moseley Braun this week. “The court had to find him primarily responsible for the discriminatory map.” Braun later became House floor leader for Chicago Mayor Harold Washington where she developed “a good relationship” with Madigan.
That Madigan has gone from being viewed as the enemy of black legislative power to its protector over the course of four decades amounts to a complete turnabout.
“The Black Caucus now sees themselves as having something to lose if Madigan’s gone,” said Moseley Braun on Tuesday. “And I think they’re probably right.”
