* Subscribers were told about the new graduated sports betting tax this morning. React from East St. Louis Mayor Charles Powell III…
The Governor and the legislature are currently considering including a graduated sports gaming tax in the budget that will, if passed, devastate East St. Louis. We will be forced to forfeit essentially all services to our citizens and its passage might cause the largest employer, the Casino Queen, to leave the City of Champions. Balancing the budget on the back of my Town and the inclusion of the graduated sports gaming tax will devastate one of the oldest, hardest working cities in the state of Illinois.
DraftKings partners with the Casino Queen.
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2024 end of session cheat sheet
Friday, May 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Watch live session coverage by clicking here. I’ll be adding to this list, but wanted to get a post up…
Budget-related
* FY25 Approp bill - SB251, SA1
* Bonding Authority - SB 3422 (House Third Reading)
* BIMP - Waiting to be filed (Maybe keep an eye on this one)
Cleared first committee
* Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) - SB1289 - HA3 adopted (Awaiting action on HA4 and HA5)
* Hemp Consumer Products Act - HB4293
* Cannabis omnibus - HB2911 (Senate floor amendments filed)
* Medical Debt Relief Act - HB5290 (Senate Third Reading)
Waiting on House concurrence
* Healthcare Protection Act - HB5395
* Birth equity - HB5142
* Election omnibus - HB4488
* Short Term Insurance Ban - HB2499
Waiting on Senate concurrence
* Worker Freedom of Speech Act - SB3649
In second chamber
* Tax incentives, credits - HB817 (Senate First Reading)
* Repeals sub-minimum wage for persons with disabilities - HB793
* Prisoner Review Board reform - HB681 (Senate amendments filed)
* Prevents hospital patient abuse - HB587 (Senate First Reading)
* Family Amusement Wagering Prohibition Act - SB327, House Amendment 1
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Across America, families use credit cards to put food on the table, fill their gas tanks, and access the credit needed to make life work. Only 10% of consumers don’t have a credit card. At a time when inflation is hitting all of us, merchants want to squeeze consumers even further.
Removing sales tax from interchange calculations would disrupt credit card payment systems that work for families across Illinois. Consumers use cards as a safe and convenient payment method, and this would drastically change the way business is transacted by requiring separate calculations of the interchange fee based upon the purchase price of goods and the amount of state and local taxes.
This proposal will exponentially increase the cost of the electronic payments system. Retailers will continue to shift this cost of doing business to Illinois consumers at a time when they can least afford it.
Why put Illinois consumers at risk? There is NO benefit to the state in removing sales tax from the interchange fee calculation. For decades, special interest groups advocating for increased profits to big box retailers have argued for this change that governments across the United States have denied.
Illinois legislators should not support a retailer bailout that would set Illinois apart from every other state in the nation. Keep card transactions safe and convenient by supporting the current interchange system!
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* Dave Dahl…
Disabled Illinoisans who make a sub-minimum wage in community workshops would eventually make the minimum, if a bill which passed the House Thursday becomes law.
The sponsor of the “Dignity in Pay” Act is State Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago).
“One in four of us has a disability,” Mah said. “People with disabilities are our neighbors, our friends, and those we love. Our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, you and me.”
* WGEM…
After a long debate Thursday, the Illinois state House of Representatives passed a bill requiring workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities be paid the full minimum wage.
Known as the Dignity in Pay Act, it would end Illinois’s 14(c) certificate program, allowing some employers to pay people with disabilities less than the minimum wage. Though administered by the federal government, Illinois lawmakers can outlaw the program from being used in the state.
The programs would be phased out, eventually ending Dec. 31, 2029. To help ease the transition, the bill comes with a $2 million annual grant program administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services. The bill would require annual progress reports on the plan’s implementation through Jan. 1, 2030, and then provide up on the employment of people with disabilities through Jan. 1, 2035. The bill also requires that at least two current 14(c) certificate holders sit on the task force.
“We can all agree Illinois should evolve in a way that respects the full dignity in all people with disabilities,” said state Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, the bill’s sponsor.
Though the bill passed with bipartisan support, not everyone’s on board with the change. Opponents fear it will put people with disabilities out of work.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Advocates, including House sponsor Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, said eliminating 14(c) certificates would build upon rights granted to people with disabilities in previous decades by giving them higher paying and more rewarding employment.
“After more than five years of dialogue and compromise, stakeholders have united on this bill – the Dignity in Pay Act – which is designed to expand work opportunities and improve the menu of services and supports for people with disabilities in Illinois,” Mah said.
Mah noted that workers with disabilities who work in 14(c) workshops could have a variety of conditions like epilepsy, cerebral palsy, visual and hearing impairments, and mood disorders.
* WJDB in March…
State Representative Charlie Meier is leading a charge to oppose legislation that would require sheltered workshops like the Kaskaskia Workshop to pay minimum wage to their clients with intellectual and developmental disability.
Meier told a news conference in Springfield last week that the state needs to create opportunities before they close the others.
“There are 3591 clients we believe in the state of Illinois. Where this has been done in other states, a lot of times 70-80% of these residents never work again. So as you look at our clients here with the shirts on today, my work my choice, think about 2513 of them never working again at 70%.
Meier says service providers do a fantastic job, but many of them would be unable to pay minimum wage.
HB793 passed the House yesterday 78-30 with Rep. Meier voting yes on the bill.
From Rep. Meier’s floor remarks…
Many provisions that were not previously in the bill now have been added to the bill making it a better bill. But it’s not a perfect bill.
Many of the disabled concerns have been addressed and I gave my word- which has always been good- that if the House votes with more than 60 votes I would vote for the bill because it’s a lot better than we had last year.
But it’s not what I want.
Click here to watch Rep. Meier’s full remarks.
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Today’s quotable
Friday, May 24, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy was on WJPF Radio this week…
So for Democrats, big government’s an economic thing that they support because they benefit from it. Whereas Republicans, we Republicans, you know, we just want to be left alone to raise our families and to do our jobs. But they’re not going to leave us alone.
You know, we’re on a march to socialism now and Marxism.
And you know, they have a saying … you can vote yourself into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.
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* Jake Sheridan at the Tribune with the scoop…
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s nominee for the Regional Transportation Authority, West Side pastor Rev. Ira Acree, withdrew himself from consideration Friday after activists and some aldermen argued he was unqualified for the position.
Acree, pastor of Austin’s Greater St. John Bible Church, is a close ally of Johnson’s and a civil rights activist. As his nomination advanced in the City Council’s Transportation Committee earlier this month, Acree struggled answering questions about the transit system during a tense hearing. […]
The former nominee described the aldermen who resisted his nomination as “so-called allies” who are “enemies of African American advancement and empowerment” in an interview with the Tribune Friday. […]
When asked when he last rode Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains, Acree answered [during a committee hearing] that he took them as a kid going to school.
“As a man, I don’t have to use CTA. I’m fortunate to have a car,” he said. “But I use the CTA often when I come downtown because, even though I am a working pastor, these prices, parking tickets are super high.”
…Adding… Heh…
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* Background is here if you need it. During yesterday’s press conference, Isabel asked Gov. JB Pritzker about the troubles at the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation…
Isabel: Governor, IDFPR says it only has eight workers for processing licensing applications for 80 health-related professions. Why haven’t you budgeted more for application reviewers in this specific category in the budget?
Pritkzer: So we did. There are more than eight now, to be clear. There were eight at some point. But the truth is that as you’ve seen across state government over the last couple of years, it’s hard to hire. And so now we’re seeing the opportunity to hire more and more people.
So that’s happening. The process of bringing more people in as well as making sure that we have the software that’s necessary to process all of these things, that’s a procurement issue that I think we’re going to handle. But we’ve got to go back to the legislature and reduce some of the requirements around procurement because it’s just too onerous for most of the agencies to be able to procure the things they need, in particular around technology, which, as you know, needs to be upgraded every few years.
Isabel: Is that the holdup with the software? Is it a procurement issue? Are there steps that they still have to go through?
Pritzker: It’s the combination of being able to find, remember, we’ve got to have bidders for the software that we want, as well as having enough people to be able to run that once it’s installed. But those are both things that are working against us moving more quickly. Meanwhile, everybody’s working around the clock to try to get those licenses issued as fast as possible.
I followed up and was told that they’ve brought in two temp workers to help with processing the applications for those 80 health-related professions. The department, I’m told, is hiring more people, but its headcount is so far still limited to eight. I was also told that more processors will be hired with the new budget.
Discuss.
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Get The Facts On The Illinois Prescription Drug Board
Friday, May 24, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The price-setting board proposed in HB4472 is not the solution for Illinois. It would give bureaucrats the power to arbitrarily set medicine prices, deciding what medicines and treatments are “worth” paying for. We can’t leave Illinoisans’ health care up to political whims. Let’s make it easier, not harder for patients to access their medicines. Click here to learn more.
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* Subscribers were given a rundown of the budget framework agreement’s highlights early this morning…
* Subscribers were also told about this…
Mayor Brandon Johnson says he will not close high-performing CPS Selective Enrollment Schools, at least not until a fully elected Chicago Public School Board takes over the system in 2027.
The mayor made his promise in a letter sent on Friday to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, asking for Harmon to kill statewide legislation that would protect those schools.
“The district will not close selective enrollment schools, nor will the District make disproportionate budget cuts to selective enrollment schools,” the letter states. “The district will maintain admissions standards at those schools. Any narrative to the contrary is patently false.”
Johnson and his Chicago Teachers Union allies have lobbied hard against legislation passed by the house that would explicitly protect those schools, along with magnets and charter schools. The legislation was filed due to concerns those schools could be on the chopping block, after Johnson’s handpicked school board released a five year strategic plan that alluded to redirecting resources away from them and toward neighborhood schools. The bill’s house sponsor, State Rep Margaret Croke, says she is disappointed that Harmon has apparently agreed to sit on the bill in the senate.
“While his letter agreement with the Mayor contains some concessions,” Croke said. “It does not protect magnet or charter schools and still allows for changes in admissions criteria for selective enrollment schools.”
The full letter is here. Meanwhile…
…Adding… Somebody just pointed out the fine print on Mayor Johnson’s tweet: “Note: Selective high school data includes Jones, Lane Tech, Whitney Young, Payton and North Side.” The city has eleven selective enrollment schools, and the ones not mentioned above have significantly higher Black and Brown enrollment.
…Adding… IML…
“We are pleased with the overall framework of the issues affecting municipalities,” said Brad Cole, Chief Executive Officer, Illinois Municipal League. “Local leaders have long advocated for greater authority to provide for the programs and services their residents rely on every day, which they will be granted under this budget agreement.”
As subscribers know, the municipals did pretty well, considering.
…Adding… Tribune…
After a last-minute plea from Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon is expected to put the brakes on legislation that would extend a moratorium on public school closings in Chicago. […]
Sen. Robert Martwick, an ally of Johnson and the CTU, said he was glad to see the issue resolved without the city’s hands being tied by legislation, because “the mayor has made it very clear that his intention is to wait for the fully elected school board to take place before major changes are made.”
“As the mayor has publicly provided assurances that there will be no dramatic changes to the role of selective enrollment and magnet schools in the school district, the need for the legislation is obviated,” Martwick, a Chicago Democrat said. “We don’t need it anymore.”
…Adding… He’s not helping his legislative cause…
Jessica Handy, Illinois Executive Director of Stand for Children…
“HB 303 would extend the moratorium on school closures for ALL Chicago Public Schools until the fully elected school board is seated. ALL of them. Magnet, charter, neighborhood, selective enrollment. ALL of them.
This isn’t a bill about protecting a small group of selective enrollment schools from closure. A commitment to not close a narrow segment of selective enrollment schools is not an alternative to HB 303.
Opponents have called selective enrollment schools racist, while promising they have no intention of closing them. The same assurances have not been given to charter, magnet, and neighborhood schools from closures. CPS’s charter schools serve a student body that is 98% Black and Latino/a. Sixty-five percent of CPS’s Black students attend a school of choice rather than their zoned school, including 84% of Black high school students in CPS. Half of CPS’s Latino/a students attend a school of choice rather than their zoned school, including 71% of high school students.
In December, the CPS school board passed a resolution imposing its vision to “transition away from” selective enrollment, charter, and magnet schools. We polled Chicago families to ask how they felt about that vision, and 82% of respondents believe CPS families should be able to choose the public school that best meets their student’s needs, whether that’s their neighborhood school, a school in another neighborhood, or a magnet, selective enrollment, or charter school. Sixty-four percent of voters believe eliminating school choice would limit opportunities and increase segregation.
A student’s zip code should never determine the quality of public education they receive. Public school choice will always be available to families who can afford to move and live in areas with better quality schools. The students who will be hurt by “transitioning away from” schools of choice are not the ones with resources – they are those who are already the most disadvantaged and marginalized. If ‘HB 303 seeks to solve problems that do not exist’ and CPS truly does not intend to close or disproportionately cut options schools, then it makes very little sense to fight HB 303.”
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It’s almost a law
Friday, May 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Tribune…
The Illinois legislature has passed a bill that would cap patient costs for prescription inhalers at $25 a month. […]
The bill passed the House 87-21 on Wednesday, and now moves to the governor for his signature. When asked whether the governor plans to sign the bill, a spokesperson for Gov. J.B. Pritzer’s office said in an email Thursday that he “will give it a careful review” once it reaches his desk.
No insurance industry group opposed the bill, but some Republican lawmakers spoke against it during floor debate, before it passed. […]
The bill would not apply to all insurance plans, only those regulated by the state. Many large employers have plans that are regulated by the federal government.
* WAND…
The Illinois House unanimously passed a plan Thursday to curb the amount of young people purchasing fruit flavored malt drinks containing 4-6% alcohol.
This bill requires retailers to separate soda and juice from liquor that looks like soda. The proposal prohibits retailers from displaying alcopop drinks next to soft drinks, bottled water or snacks catered to young customers.
“If it’s an area that is designated where individuals who are not 21 shouldn’t be, then you don’t have to worry about those items being co-branded or alcohol-infused products being adjacent to those others because it’s in the area that’s supposed to be for 21 anyway,” said Rep. Curtis Tarver (D-Chicago). […]
Senate Bill 2625 passed unanimously out of the House and now moves to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval. The legislation previously gained unanimous support in the Senate.
* WCIA…
A proposal to reform the requirements of owning mobile home parks has passed both chambers of the Illinois statehouse.
Under the bill, the Illinois Department of Public Health would be required to conduct annual inspections on all the mobile home parks in the state.
The bill would also require increased licensing fees for mobile homes park owners and IDPH to come up with an annual report on the state of mobile home ownership. […]
The bill passed the Illinois House 93-12 and the Illinois Senate 47-12.
* Sen. Celina Villanueva…
State Senator Celina Villanueva advanced a measure to allow driver’s license holders more notice for court appearances prior to suspension.
“By eliminating license suspensions for a failure to appear in court, we are able to more effectively use law enforcement resources,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “A lot of the time, these initial court notices are not reaching people at their correct addresses. It is simply unfair to revoke driving privileges when people are not even getting proper notice.”
Under House Bill 277, if a person fails to appear in court, the court may text, call or email the person’s last known contact information with notice regarding the continued court dates. The notice will include a statement that a future failure to appear could result in a warrant or consequences affecting their driving privileges. The current penalty for failure to appear in court is immediate license suspension by the Secretary of State.
“It is imperative we offer drivers the courtesy of an electronic continued court date notice before we issue warrants or license suspension,” said Villanueva. “Individuals who lose their licenses are likely to continue to drive out of necessity, leading to further legal penalties and creating a cycle of legal non-compliance.”
House Bill 277 passed the Senate on Thursday and heads to the governor for further consideration.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Authorities in Illinois would not be allowed to aid another state’s investigation of people coming to Illinois to seek abortions or other reproductive health care under a bill that cleared the General Assembly Thursday.
House Bill 5239, which needs only a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker to become law, also gives individuals the right to sue for civil damages if their information is improperly disclosed.
Further, it gives minors the right to apply for public aid to obtain family planning services without the consent of their parents. And it gives the state exclusive authority to define and regulate “lawful health care activity,” prohibiting local units of government from exercising similar authority.
The bill is one of several responses Illinois lawmakers have passed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade. It came in response to legislative efforts in other states to ban or severely limit access to abortion services.
* Rep. Dagmara Avelar…
Working to help people engage with government and access critical services in their preferred language, state Rep. Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, passed legislation through the House expanding language offerings in state offices.
“Illinois faces a critical opportunity which can change lives for residents statewide — providing accessible resources for a significant community of people who don’t use English as their first language, or not at all,” Avelar said. “It’s more important than ever that we consider and adapt to the state’s colorful range of cultures and languages — we can do so by reshaping our state agencies to provide accessible and equitable assistance to all, especially the non-English speaking, immigrant communities that have been residing in and contributing to our state’s longevity for decades.”
The Avelar-led Senate Bill 3762 seeks to ensure each state agency has the resources or staffers to assist Illinoisans with limited English proficiency. By ensuring agencies have a communication plan to cater to preferred languages noted by Illinois respondents in the U.S. Census, Avelar’s bill will help people access state services, activities and resources, plus resolve issues in the language they are most comfortable with.
Senate Bill 3762 passed out of the House Thursday and awaits the governor’s action.
* Sen. Omar Aquino…
State Senator Omar Aquino led a measure through the Senate that calls on Illinois’ labor oversight boards to work together to streamline the resolution process at worksites involved in unfair labor complaint proceedings. […]
The Illinois Labor Relations Act lays out the rights public sector employees are entitled to in Illinois, including the right to form, join or assist a labor organization without fear of penalty, discrimination or retaliation. When a public employer or labor organization interferes with the exercise of rights provided under the ILRA, the employee, union or employer can file unfair labor practice charges with the labor board overseeing their sector. In recent years, labor unions representing public sector workers have seen wait times as long as 400 days on their unfair labor practice claims.
To ensure there is publicly available data on how long it takes to resolve cases and begin taking steps to speed up this process, Aquino worked with the AFL-CIO on legislation calling on the Illinois Labor Relations Board and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board to expedite their consideration and resolution of unfair labor practices and report the timeline of these steps annually to the governor and General Assembly. […]
House Bill 5324 passed the Senate Thursday and is one step closer to becoming law.
* Sen. Celina Villanueva…
State Senator Celina Villanueva championed a measure through the Senate to ensure reproductive health care records are not being improperly disclosed.
“As the war on reproductive rights continues throughout the nation, we must ensure that those who are seeking reproductive health care are protected in every way possible,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “As a safe haven state, we have a responsibility to protect individuals’ rights to care and ensure their health care records remain private.”
Last year Villanueva led House Bill 4664 – a law to shield out-of-state patients and in-state providers from legal action originating from other states regarding abortions performed here. To expand upon that measure and provide further protections, Villanueva led House Bill 5239 this year.
The measure would ensure that location information and health records for reproductive health care performed in Illinois would not be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Further, it would ensure that units of local governments could not assist in imposing a civil or criminal liability against a person or provider who received reproductive or gender affirming care in Illinois. […]
House Bill 5239 passed Senate Thursday and heads to the governor for further consideration.
* Sen. Mary Edly-Allen…
State Senator Mary Edly-Allen passed an initiative to align nutrition and restraint protections for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated individuals in state prisons. […]
House Bill 5431 seeks to align rights statewide to address the lack of humane treatment of pregnant and postpartum people. Additionally, this legislation requires annual reporting on pregnancies, births, miscarriages, and the use of restraints in facilities as well as requiring supplemental nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding prisoners. […]
House Bill 5431 passed the Senate on Tuesday and now heads to the governor for further consideration.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, May 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Capitol News Illinois…
After years of negotiations and continued opposition from service providers, Illinois appears poised to prohibit employers from using a federal exemption that allows them to pay individuals with disabilities less than the minimum wage.
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established minimum wage law, but created an exemption for businesses, rehabilitation and residential care facilities to pay disabled workers less than minimum wage if they obtain a special certificate permitted in Section 14(c) of the law. This “commensurate wage” is based on the worker’s individual productivity in proportion to the wage and productivity of workers who do not have disabilities but are performing the same or a similar task. […]
House Bill 793, which passed the House 78-30 on Thursday night, would prohibit companies from holding 14(c) certificates beginning in 2030 – a timeline that was extended in a late amendment to garner further support, including from Republicans. […]
It now heads to the Senate, where it will need to be read on three separate days before it can pass. It’s unclear how long the Senate will remain in Springfield before it adjourns its spring session, making it possible that the measure will have to wait until the fall veto session or later until it can be moved to the governor’s desk.
* Brenden Moore…
* WAND…
A bipartisan group of Illinois senators passed the massive Healthcare Protection Act Thursday night. The legislation, a top priority for Gov. JB Pritzker, could curb predatory insurance practices and protect consumers.
This plan would make Illinois the first state to ban prior authorization for in-patient adult and children’s mental healthcare. The bill would also ban step therapy, or the fail first method, where insurers force people to receive less effective drug treatments before moving to options initially recommended by doctors.
The measure would also require prior approval from the Department of Insurance before large group insurance plans can increase rates and require premiums to align with the actual cost of providing care. […]
House Bill 5395 passed out of the Senate on a 45-14 vote and now heads back to the House on concurrence.
* Capitol News Illinois…
The House passed two bills that would regulate battery collection and storage.
Senate Bill 3481 would require automotive parts recyclers that store over 5,000 kilograms of used electric vehicle batteries – or approximately 10 EV batteries – to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency by Feb. 1, 2026. […]
The bill passed the House Tuesday on a 77-35 bipartisan vote, but since it was amended in that chamber, it goes back to the Senate for concurrence.
Senate Bill 3686 would create the Portable and Medium-Format Battery Stewardship Act.
Beginning July 2026, battery producers would be required to create and facilitate a battery stewardship plan, and retailers would be prohibited from selling batteries from producers who haven’t submitted plans. Producers would be required to submit an annual report and pay an annual $100,000 fee to the IEPA. […]
It cleared the House Tuesday with bipartisan support in a 77-35 vote. Since it was amended in the House, it will go back to the Senate for a concurrence.
* WAND…
The Illinois Senate passed a monumental plan Thursday night to drastically improve maternal healthcare for Black women across the state.
This proposal would require private insurance companies to cover maternal services provided by midwives, doulas and lactation consultants.
Private insurance companies would be required to cover home births, home visits and support during labor, abortion or miscarriage as well. […]
House Bill 5142 passed out of the Senate on a partisan 40-19 vote. It now moves back to the House on concurrence due to a technical amendment.
* Tribune…
Just after popping the lid off a new market, hemp beverage makers fear a proposal to ban intoxicating hemp products in Illinois would end their new business. […]
The ban, as originally proposed by state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, would put a two-year moratorium on all intoxicating hemp products, including those sold widely at vape shops and gas stations, until a committee can propose regulations. A newer version, put into an existing bill for fast approval, would allow the sale of products, but only by businesses licensed under the current state cannabis law.
Hemp business owners say that would cause widespread closures of businesses and put many people out of work. Instead, they are calling for restricting products to adults 21 and older, requiring testing and labeling of potency and purity, and imposing a wholesale tax of 10% plus a retail tax of 10%.
State-legal cannabis companies have pushed for the legislation, saying it’s unfair they have to follow tight restrictions while hemp businesses are unchecked.
* Labor leaders send letter of support of Enhancing Equity in Education tax credit scholarship program…
As the final days of the 2024 Spring Session of the 103rd General Assembly begin to wane, we would like to express our support for Enhancing Equity in Education, the new Illinois tax credit scholarship program. Designed to help the most impoverished in Illinois, many parents and children across our State would benefit from this program, and we urge you to act now.
As Labor Unions representing workers across Illinois, we know all too well the importance of a quality education. Electricians, laborers, carpenters, operating engineers, bricklayers, plumbers, and all other skilled tradespeople in the private and public sectors must have a quality education to be successful in their careers. We are fortunate to live in a state that not only provides quality public school options for parents to choose from but also provides options for low-income parents who desire other educational alternatives - including private and parochial schools.
The Enhancing Equity in Education program would not only offer children from low-income families traditional educational options for their individual needs but would also include opportunities for those who may want to attend an approved technical academy to provide coursework and training in career and technical education.
On behalf of those families who would benefit from this new scholarship program, we urge you to support the Enhancing Equity in Education tax credit scholarship program, so those families in need have an opportunity to receive a scholarship to thrive in a school of their choice.
Click here to view the letter.
* Tribune…
Chicago Public Schools moved a step closer to finalizing a new school safety policy Thursday, following a Board of Education vote in February to remove uniformed Chicago Police Department officers from all district schools as of the end of the school year.
The board approved a new “Whole School Safety Framework” presented by the district Thursday. But a state bill that could supersede the district’s plans may also be voted on this week. Sponsored by Rep. Mary Gill, D-Chicago, HB5008 would allow high school Local School Councils to contract directly with CPD to employ school resource officers, known as SROs, through February 2027. […]
Proponents have argued that LSCs should continue to vote on whether to keep SROs, given that different schools have different needs.
Lynn Morton of Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), one of four community-based nonprofits which have partnered with CPS to reshape its safety policies, recognized that removing SROs makes some community members nervous.
* HB5008 passed out of committee and heads to the House floor on Second Reading.
* Press release…
The following is a statement from the coalition of supporters for The Small Business Financing Transparency Act (SB2234 - Belt/Tarver) disputing misinformation from opponents of the bill:
“Unfortunately, high-priced lenders (a.k.a. ‘financing companies’) that oppose the Small Business Financing Transparency Act are circulating misinformation about the supposed impossibility of disclosing an APR for revenue-based financing (a.k.a. ’sales-based financing’).
“APR is simply the price of a loan expressed as an annualized percentage, i.e., the yearly cost of the loan. Lenders obviously know the price of their own products.
“Disclosing an estimated APR based on future revenue is not a new concept. Federal regulations pertaining to consumer loans account for the need to estimate APR under certain circumstances. For example, in income share agreements and refund anticipation loans, the lender knows how much it expects to earn on the loan and calculates the APR based on its expectations of the amount and the timing of the payments.
“A more plausible reason for not disclosing APR is because the opponents don’t want their borrowers to know when they are being charged in excess of 100% APR.
“Not only has this subject already been thoroughly reviewed in the Senate, where it passed 36-19, but it’s already law in California and New York. Furthermore, when merchant cash advance lenders sued after California passed its legislation, a federal judge upheld California’s small-business lending disclosures. The lawsuit was not even based on the Illinois oppositions’ current misinformation, which would have been quickly dismissed; instead, the lenders tried to make a first amendment argument that disclosing the APR would violate their right to freedom of speech. The judge in California shut down this argument by ruling that an Estimated APR disclosure is ‘purely factual, noncontroversial, and significantly related to a government interest.’
“In 2021, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’s Economic Access Pillar significantly elevated Illinois’s standing for consumer financial protection. The Small Business Financing Transparency Act is the natural extension of that work considering that businesses in Black, Brown, and lower income communities are disproportionately driven to the ‘nonbank’ lenders that the bill would cover. Empowering entrepreneurs to make informed decisions about their businesses is good for small business, and thus, good for our state’s economy.”
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, May 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: Cook County plans to replace juvenile detention center with smaller ‘centers of care’. Injustice Watch…
Cook County officials plan to drastically reduce the size of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, the nation’s largest juvenile jail, long criticized for its inhumane treatment and ineffective care of vulnerable kids, and replace it with community-based treatment centers.
The plans, which have the backing of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans, call for downsizing the five-story detention center on Chicago’s West Side and replacing it with “centers of care,” which would be semi-secure facilities to house youths who judges deem can’t be released to their homes, according to a proposal submitted for a federal grant to support the effort.
Officials plan to repurpose the JTDC, which currently houses nearly 200 teenagers in single-occupancy cells, into “less traumatizing dormitory-style conditions” for the fewer than 50 youths expected to require secure detention. By the end of next year, the footprint of the more than 600,000-square-foot detention center is expected to shrink by 60%, according to the plans, which Injustice Watch obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The move would be the most significant reform to juvenile detention in Cook County since the JTDC was released from federal court oversight nearly a decade ago and would put Cook County at the forefront of a nationwide push to reduce the incarceration of young people.
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* AP | The Justice Department is suing Ticketmaster and Live Nation. What does that mean for concertgoers?: The lawsuit could potentially lead to a breakup of Live Nation Entertainment, a company that resulted from Ticketmaster’s 2010 merger with concert promoter Live Nation. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the aim is to allow more competition and to let smaller players gain more of the U.S. ticket-selling market — which Ticketmaster controls a whopping 70% of. More competition could lead to cheaper tickets. But experts say live event lovers shouldn’t expect changes any time soon.
* Tribune | Illinois fails to protect immigrant victims of crime, report finds: The report released Thursday reveals widespread violations by the state’s law enforcement agencies of an act that attempts to provide greater access to protections for immigrants who are victims of crime or human trafficking. Amid a migrant crisis in Chicago in which over 42,000 people have arrived in the city in nearly two years sent on buses from the southern border, the report shines a light on an intractable problem: that some will inevitably be victims of crime but won’t rely on police or law enforcement agencies for support because they’re worried they will face trouble with the law for their immigration status.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Pantagraph | Quantum leap? Pritzker’s tax incentive proposal moving forward in state legislature: The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Dave Vella, D-Rockford, sailed through the House on a bipartisan 98-14 vote on Wednesday. It heads to the Senate, where it could be considered later this week. In addition to quantum, the package bolsters a menu of existing economic development initiatives, such as the state’s Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credit, its program targeting electric vehicle manufacturers and suppliers and its research and development tax credit.
* WSIU | Area lawmakers remain vigilant on a plan prioritizing the wellbeing of Choate residents: Members of the Illinois Senate stated that the cameras are working as intended, but there is room for further oversight and improvement to ensure those housed at Choate are protected. They add management must do more to create an environment where employees have no reason to fear retaliation for reporting cases of abuse.
* Tribune | Ahead of Memorial Day, Illinois treasurer seeks to return a dozen unclaimed Purple Heart medals: The medals were submitted to the treasurer’s office through its unclaimed property program, but their stories remain shrouded in mystery. A Purple Heart is awarded to those who are killed or wounded in service. “These Purple Hearts are priceless. You can’t put a price tag on them,” Frerichs said at a news conference Thursday morning. “We’re not going to stop until we get them back into the rightful owners’ hands.”
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Shootings in Chicago are concentrated in the summer, yes. That’s only part of the story.: A new analysis from the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab found that more than a third of annual shootings in Chicago happened in the summer, with July alone accounting for 12% of the year’s incidents. Those shootings are not only concentrated in the summer months, they overwhelmingly impact a small geographic region of the city. Read the Crime Lab’s full findings below. […] Of those nearly 7,000 grids mapped across the city, 10% of them accounted for 58% of annual shooting incidents across the five-year period. Those numbers worsened when examining summer shooting incidents, with 10% of the grids accounting for 64% of those shootings. Neighborhoods in the South and West sides accounted for the highest share of shootings.
* CBS Chicago | Crowds to head to Chicago’s Grant Park as Sueños Music Festival kicks off summertime: Sueños, Spanish for dreams, first debuted in Grant Park back in 2022. It has already become one of the largest Latin music festivals in the United States. About 80,000 fans turned out last year. This year, 130,000 are expected.
* Sun-Times | NASCAR Chicago Street Race is the focus of Chicago History Museum pop-up exhibit: Visitors to the Chicago History Museum will be able to relive last year’s NASCAR Chicago Street Race weeks before the roar of engines echoes through downtown as the race returns to the city for the second consecutive year. The museum, 1601 N. Clark St., hosted a preview of its NASCAR Chicago Street Race Experience pop-up exhibit on Thursday ahead of its public opening Friday.
* Block Club | Lollapalooza Releases 2024 Schedule: The annual Chicago fest released its schedule Thursday with individual set times, allowing attendees to start mapping out their Lolla stage-viewing plans. The detailed lineup includes headliners SZA, Tyler, the Creator, blink-182, The Killers, Future x Metro Boomin, Hozier, Stray Kids, Melanie Martinez and Skrillex.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Sun-Times | Did the Kane County sheriff’s office blow a chance to arrest suspect hours before killing him?: That’s what family and friends of Jim Moriarty want to know. He was shot to death by sheriff’s deputies on May 24, 2023, after a carjacking and chase and repeated comments about “suicide by cop” amid what people close to him called a mental health breakdown. Records say the sheriff’s office “compromised” a stakeout in Aurora a day earlier aimed at bringing him in safely.
* Daily Herald | Wait and see regarding concerns over District 128 superintendent, new initiatives: As seniors from Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools graduated Thursday to their next chapters, they leave behind a district also facing an uncertain future with new initiatives and the 293-member teachers union voting “no confidence” in the superintendent. Parents and community members also had a lot to say regarding educational initiatives planned for the 2024-25 school year during a six-hour Libertyville-Vernon Hills High School District 128 school board meeting held in the Vernon Hills High School gym.
*** Downstate ***
* 23 News Now | Correctional workers union criticizes plan to relocate Lincoln prison, residents worry about potential closure: AFSCME Council 31, the union representing the state’s prison workers, has released a report opposing the Illinois Department of Corrections’ proposal to relocate the Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln. Another report released in April suggested the building be closed and rebuilt in Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, a Chicago suburb.
* Fox 2 Now | Madison County Jail adds golden retriever to staff: Madison County Sheriff Jeff Connor has added a new sergeant to the staff: Doug, a one-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever. Inmate Justin Baker was in jail before Doug joined the staff. Though jail is still nowhere Baker wants to be, he says interacting with Doug and being able to pet him takes the edge off from not being able to leave.
* Intelligencer | Illinois governor attends celebration for new Madison County Transit building:
The new MCT site is a two-story, 26,416-square-foot building just south of West Chain of Rocks Road. The new site houses administration, human resources, marketing and communications, accounting procurement, information technology, engineering and planning and capital projects. Building amenities include a state-of-the-art boardroom, a new video surveillance system and access control system for the building and grounds in addition to a new bus pull-off and shelter.
*** National ***
* AP | Who gets paid? How much? What to know about the landmark NCAA settlement: The plan, which still needs approval from plaintiffs and a federal judge, calls for paying damages to thousands of former and current college athletes who say now-defunct NCAA rules prevented them from earning endorsement money. It also calls for setting up a first-of-its-kind revenue-sharing system for college athletes, which will impact hundreds of schools across the country as early as fall 2025.
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* Mayor Brandon Johnson’s full letter to Senate President Don Harmon is here. Here’s his tweet…
* Rep. Margaret Croke’s full statement…
I am deeply disappointed to learn that President Harmon may not call this bill. While his letter agreement with the mayor contains some concessions, it does not protect magnet or charter schools and still allows for changes in admissions criteria for selective enrollment schools.
The CPS school budgeting process has been hidden from both the public and from Springfield legislators, and I fully expect that disproportionate cuts will be made to magnet schools and charters will eventually be close.
Most of us in both Chambers voted in favor of an elected school board. We should ensure that Chicago voters maintain the right to have their elected school board members make these decisions. I hope when the Senate realizes that this letter falls horribly short from how it is being spun that they will reconsider and run this bill.
* The elections omnibus bill is here. More on the pink slime sites issue is here. Background on the red light cam story is here. Background on Tiffany Henyard’s salary ploy is here.
* Ozinga background is here.
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Friday, May 24, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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