* While residential property taxes are relatively low in Chicago, the city nickels and dimes you to death with fees and fines, partly designed to keep those property taxes relatively low…
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday made no apologies for her methodical approach to an intractable problem: Chicago’s “addiction” to balancing its budget on the backs of those who can least afford it.
Lightfoot campaigned on a promise to bring equity to an overly punitive ticketing, towing and booting policy that has unfairly targeted minorities and forced thousands into bankruptcy.
She promised to raise the boot threshold, stop booting for non-moving violations and eliminate a hefty chunk of red light cameras at 149 intersections if those cameras were placed there to raise revenue — not increase safety.
She even promised to abolish city stickers that are the source of so many compliance tickets and replace them with higher fees on ride-hailing vehicles.
Compared to those lofty promises, the solutions Lightfoot is delivering seem somewhat timid. She’s ending driver’s license suspensions for non-moving violations, reducing exorbitant city sticker penalties, creating a six-month, universal payment plan and empowering booted scofflaws to request a 24-hour extension to pay their fines in full or get on a payment plan.
* Ending the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for non-moving violations.
* Reinstating the 15-day grace period to renew a city vehicle sticker before issuing a ticket.
* No longer doubling the $200 fine for not renewing a city vehicle sticker; the city currently doubles fines after 83 days.
* Halting the practice of issuing multiple tickets on the same day or consecutive days for vehicle sticker violations.
* Creating a six-month ticket payment plan open to every driver with unpaid fines, and granting more time to motorists facing financial hardship.
* Allowing drivers whose cars have been booted for unpaid fines a 24-hour extension to either pay their fines in full or enter into a payment plan before their car is towed to the pound.
* The Question: What’s the most annoying local fine or fee you’ve had to pay? Explain.
Home sales prices across the state and in the greater Peoria and Bloomington areas plunged in June. That’s according to Illinois Realtors.
The trade group says the Peoria metropolitan area recorded 504 sales in June, 14 percent less than a year ago. The median sales price jumped nearly five-percent from May to $133,450. The Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Peoria, Woodford, Tazewell and Marshall counties.
The Bloomington metropolitan statistical area’s June sales dropped 21.2 percent to 268. The month-over-month median sales price pushed 3.4 percent higher to $164,250. […]
Only a third of Illinois counties recorded June sales gains. The Moline-Rock Island and Springfield areas posted the strongest numbers. The Decatur and Bloomington regions were among the worst performers.
With a double-digit plunge in home sales in June, the Chicago area’s housing market reached its 12 consecutive month of declines.
In Chicago, 2,766 homes sold in June, 13.3 percent below June 2018, according to data released by Illinois Realtors, the statewide trade group.
In the nine-county metropolitan area, 12,002 homes sold, down 11.6 percent from a year earlier.
The local declines were far steeper than the national dip. Nationwide, home sales fell 2.2 percent in June from a year ago, according to data released separately by the National Association of Realtors.
Speaking of the national dip, NAR’s chief economist, Lawrence Yun, said in comments released with the national data that “Either a strong pent-up demand will show in the upcoming months, or there is a lack of confidence that is keeping buyers from this major expenditure.” He said it’s “too soon to know how much of a pullback” is related to the reduction of homeowners’ property tax deductions in last year’s tax reform package.
“The market choppiness that we have seen throughout the year continued in June, with home sales once again lagging previous-year numbers and sellers struggling to provide the number of homes consumers want,” said Ed Neaves, president-elect of Illinois REALTORS® and managing broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Snyder Real Estate in Bloomington. “The good news for consumers is that median prices are not appreciating nearly as fast as they have in years past, so for the truly dedicated house-hunter there is opportunity.”
The time it took to sell a home in June averaged 45 days, the same as a year ago. Available inventory totaled 58,376 homes for sale, a 4.1 percent decline from 60,898 homes in June 2018. […]
“Housing affordability is being discussed once again as a contributor to sales declines that are once again lower than those recorded last year for the same month,” said Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, director of the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory at the University of Illinois. “Price increases in Chicago and Illinois last month were barely positive and the increase in apartment rentals and declines in consumer sentiment indices suggest that many potential home buyers are sitting on the sidelines, no doubt influenced by concerns about trade conflicts and the future growth of the economy.” […]
“We can’t escape the topic of tax increases right now, and prospective buyers are paying attention,” said Tommy Choi, president of the Chicago Association of REALTORS® and broker at Keller Williams Chicago – Lincoln Park. “High assessments in the north, and tax increases expected in 2021, has made some leery. Still, the summer proves to be an active time for the Chicago housing market. For buyers, rates remain low and market time and inventory has increased, meaning there is more choice and more time to make key decisions. For sellers, prices remain relatively steady, and pricing appropriately is key.”
Statewide home sales (including single-family homes and condominiums) in May totaled 17,034 homes sold, down 1.3 percent from 17,256 in May 2018. […]
“The housing market is showing clear signs of strengthening as we enter the summer months,” said Ed Neaves, president-elect of Illinois REALTORS® and managing broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Snyder Real Estate in Bloomington. “The data suggest healthy buyer demand remains a fixture this year, while at the same time home sellers are still poised to make a modest profit.”
Both of Illinois’ Democratic senators on Wednesday joined the list of lawmakers calling on U.S. Sen. Al Franken to quit.
In a tweet Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, said, “Senator Franken’s behavior was wrong. He has admitted to what he did. He should resign from the Senate.”
* I asked Sen. Durbin’s office for comment yesterday and again today and didn’t hear back until they sent me this link to a Washington Post story…
“I certainly would have said that we should turn to due process,” Durbin told The Washington Post. “He deserved his day before the Ethics Committee, and his accuser the same. I think that would’ve been a more thoughtful outcome.”
When asked whether he would not have called for Franken to resign that day, Durbin responded: “With the assurance that there would’ve been a timely hearing and due process, I would’ve held back.” […]
Now, Durbin said Senate Democrats rushed to judgment on Franken, saying senators were “pressed to make a quick decision and unfortunately did it at the expense of due process.”
He also acknowledged that a controversy involving then-Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore, who faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls in the 1970s, was one factor in the Democrats’ swift decision to push out Franken.
“You’ve got to put it in that context,” Durbin said. “I mean, it was a political context of Roy Moore. The accusations were very, very serious against him, much more so than the serious allegations against Al. But I think that was definitely part of the context.”
Franken asked to meet with [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer], who suggested talking at his apartment in downtown D.C., in order to avoid the press. “It was like a scene out of a movie,” Franken recalled. Schumer sat on the edge of his bed while Franken and his wife, who had come to lend moral support, pleaded for more time. According to Franken, Schumer told him to quit by 5 p.m.; otherwise, he would instruct the entire Democratic caucus to demand Franken’s resignation. Schumer’s spokesperson denied that Schumer had threatened to organize the rest of the caucus against Franken. But he confirmed that Schumer told Franken that he needed to announce his resignation by five o’clock. Schumer also said that if Franken stayed he could be censured and stripped of committee assignments.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Franken told me. “I asked him for due process and he said no.”
By the end of the day, thirty-six Democratic senators had publicly demanded Franken’s resignation, including Schumer, who had known Franken since they had overlapped at Harvard.
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst), and state Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) today filed an amicus brief in the Circuit Court of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit in response to the proposed consent order that will allow for the re-opening of the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook.
“Sterigenics has lost the right to operate in our community,” said Durkin. “This brief lays out the steps taken by the General Assembly, through The Matt Haller Act, to ensure corporate polluters like Sterigenics can’t harm any more of our state’s residents.”
“The Matt Haller Act’s language was specifically crafted to allow Illinois EPA to keep Sterigenics shut down based on its prior Seal Order findings, and the Illinois Attorney General’s assumption Sterigenics can meet the narrow limited exceptions given the added new compliance standards is premature and unfounded,” said Mazzochi. “At this time neither Sterigenics nor the Illinois EPA have shown Sterigenics can or will meet The Matt Haller Act standards, and until they do, they should remain shut down.”
The brief provides the court with additional background regarding the language in, and the intent of, The Matt Haller Act to show that the legislature appropriately addressed the issue of ethylene oxide in Illinois and that any attempts to circumvent the law are misguided and a misinterpretation of the law.
The amicus brief is here. I’ve asked the governor’s and the attorney general’s people for comment.
In light of recent developments regarding the potential re-opening of the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook, Illinois, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), and Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) today urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set new, strict national standards for facilities emitting ethylene oxide (EtO) as soon as possible. The members also requested that a timeline of events, along with a status of progress, be shared publicly to reassure neighboring communities that the EPA is working to mitigate the cancer risk associated with prolonged EtO exposure. They also pushed EPA to conduct ambient air monitoring in Lake County where two EtO emitting facilities operate.
“The EPA is taking too long to move forward with an action to protect communities surrounding ethylene oxide facilities,” the members wrote in a letter to EPA Administrator Wheeler. “Even after elevated levels of EtO emissions have been found around the facilities in Willowbrook and Lake County, the EPA has been slow to respond to this public health crisis.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Governor’s office…
The Legislators’ amicus brief reflects a fundamental misstatement of the new state law which they drafted and sponsored. The consent order not only explicitly requires the company to comply with the new law but actually includes provisions that are more stringent than the law by imposing additional conditions on Sterigenics to protect the community. Without the consent order, Sterigenics would fight to reopen even before the strongest ethylene oxide sterilization regulations in the nation take effect.
From the consent order…
This Consent Order in no way affects the responsibilities of Defendant to comply with any other federal, state or local laws or regulations, including but not limited to the Act and the Board regulations.
And, I’m told, the judge in the case and the attorney for Willowbrook and Burr Ridge acknowledged in court last week that the statute allows Sterigenics to operate if they comply with the state’s new law.
…Adding… The transcript of that proceeding is here.
*** UPDATE 3 *** AG Raoul…
When my office partnered with DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin to file a lawsuit against Sterigenics, we called on the state’s lawmaking body – the General Assembly – to pass legislation to ban or greatly restrict the use of ethylene oxide in Illinois.
The Illinois EPA issued a seal order that our office has vigorously defended, ensuring the order remained in place to prevent operations while the General Assembly enacted stricter standards for ethylene oxide facilities in Illinois. The Legislature passed, and Gov. Pritzker signed, stringent regulations requiring facilities that generate ethylene oxide emissions to reduce emissions from each exhaust point by 99.9 percent. Under the law, facilities – including Sterigenics – that comply with the new law can operate in the state of Illinois.
The law passed just this spring by Leader Durkin, Sen. Curran and Rep. Mazzochi does include the strongest regulations of ethylene oxide emissions in the nation. However, it does not ban the use of ethylene oxide in Illinois.
Nothing in the proposed consent order filed last week allows Sterigenics to reopen unless and until Sterigenics can demonstrate compliance with the law, as recently passed by the Legislature.
The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed tightening automatic eligibility requirements for the food stamp program, a change that could affect about 3.1 million people.
The Agriculture Department said the rule would close “a loophole” that enables people receiving only minimal benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to be eligible automatically for food stamps.
“For too long, this loophole has been used to effectively bypass important eligibility guidelines. Too often, states have misused this flexibility without restraint,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement. […]
Under the proposal, to qualify for automatic eligibility, people would have to get at least $50 a month in benefits from TANF for a minimum of six months.
* I asked the governor’s office for a response. Here’s Jordan Abudayyeh…
The governor believes SNAP is an important tool that families across Illinois need to build better lives. The Trump administration is attempting to change rules around SNAP so less people will have access to the assistance they need and that’s just wrong. In Illinois, we believe in lifting up our neighbors so everyone has the opportunity to thrive. The Pritzker administration will tell the federal government that this rule change will hurt families across our state and urge them to reconsider the change.
In Jackson County, nearly 12,000 people benefit from a federal anti-hunger program that helps families buy groceries.
Lauren Stoelzle is among them.
Without the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, Stoelzle said she’s not sure how she would be able to juggle completing her master’s thesis, raising two little girls as a single parent, part-time work as a bartender, job searching and helping her father, who has been diagnosed with colon cancer, make it to and from appointments at the Marion VA. […]
Almost 40% of Alexander County’s residents, and 30% of Pulaski County residents, receive SNAP benefits, commonly known as food stamps. In Jackson, Williamson, Union and Gallatin counties, about one in five people receive them. And in Saline, Franklin and Hardin, its about one in four, according to U.S. Census data analyzed by the Daily Yonder, a publication of the Center for Rural Strategies, a nonprofit with offices in Tennessee and Kentucky that is focused on rural issues.
A Muslim civil rights organization called on Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to sign an executive order cracking down on hate speech by elected officials after a faux movie poster labeling four Democratic congresswomen “The Jihad Squad” was posted on the Facebook page of a statewide Republican organization.
“It’s not about one meme that brings us here today,” Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Monday at a news conferences at CAIR-Chicago’s Loop headquarters. “It’s about a culture that exists within the Republican Party, unfortunately, and really that exists in the political fabric in America today. And it is problematic and poisonous.” […]
CAIR-Chicago has not yet reached out to the Pritzker administration about its idea for an executive order, said Maaria Mozaffar, the organization’s legislative attorney. […]
The governor’s office declined to comment on CAIR’s request. It’s unclear whether it would be within Pritzker’s authority to issue an executive order addressing hate speech by elected officials.
Huh? There’s nothing “unclear” about it. The governor has no such power to issue an order about anything outside of his direct control. Read the Illinois Constitution, for crying out loud.
The governor can order agencies and state employees under his command to do certain things (like cancel a concert). But he most certainly can’t officially order a political party, or a candidate, or a legislator or another constitutional officer (like, for instance, the auditor general) to do anything. And the Illinois State Board of Elections is also beyond his direct reach. By the way, he also can’t shut down a manufacturing plant by fiat (no, not even Sterigenics). He has to follow the laws on the books.
And I doubt anyone who thought about it for more than a few seconds would ever want an executive - any executive - to have such massive authority.
* Racism has poisoned and divided our country for centuries. And instead of trying to work our way through it, far too many people today appear to prefer rejoicing in it. That’s just disgusting behavior, particularly when some of our supposed leaders either encourage it or turn a blind eye (which is just another form of encouragement).
But handing dictatorial powers to a governor would be disastrous.
* The House Democrats posted two pics on Friday. We had some fun with one of them yesterday, but here’s the other…
* Related…
* McQueary: The feds’ surgical strike against Speaker Madigan’s allies: It’s tricky ground. Horse-trading in politics is legal — I’ll vote for your bill if you vote for mine — so long as it doesn’t depend on personal or financial gain. But elected officials can’t use the public’s business to benefit themselves, their friends or their families.
* The SJ-R has a story up about the new Firearm Dealer License Certification Act. I’m a gun owner, but I’ve never been to this particular shop because they have (or had) a “no reporters allowed” policy posted at their entrance…
Reached Thursday by phone, a representative from Birds ’N Brooks Army Navy Surplus in Springfield confirmed the store is “out of the gun business and it was due to the gun license law.”
* One reason for the new law was to require gun dealers to increase their security procedures. Birds ’N Brooks apparently had a problem with that issue back in the aughts…
Police arrested the prime suspect this morning in Monday’s fatal shooting of a statehouse security guard. […]
Law enforcement suspects the shooter may have attempted to steal a 12-gauge shotgun from Birds ‘N Brooks Army Navy Surplus on South 6th Street, one hour before the Statehouse killing.
The store owner identified Monday’s robber as the same man who stole a 12-gauge shotgun last week, Burton reported.
Lt. Doug Williamson of the Springfield Police Department confirmed that the shotgun found in Potts’ apartment was the one stolen from the surplus store.
Maybe the State Journal-Register could’ve searched its own archives before running today’s piece.
Bill Oglesby, a fourth-generation gunmaker and gun dealer in Springfield, had choice words last week for the Illinois State Police website that wouldn’t accept his application. Promised return phone calls haven’t materialized, he said.
“We tried to meet the deadline and (this happens),” Oglesby said. “What’s a guy supposed to do? We believe in obeying the law.
“There are no administrative rules.”
“Give us clear rules,” Dale said. “I’m a rule follower.”
That’s probably the most valid point. The ISP is definitely understaffed and overwhelmed and the compliance deadlines were very tight.
* Governing Magazine rates the rookie governors. Ours came out on top…
THRIVING
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D)
Pritzker took over following the contentious single term of GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner, which featured ideological warfare and budgetary paralysis. The Democrat has been able to make the most of his party’s solid majorities in the legislature and successfully work with Republicans to strike bipartisan deals.
Pritzker’s legislative achievements fall in two areas: progress toward fiscal stability and a shift to the left on social issues.
On fiscal policy, bipartisan negotiations produced a budget that provides full funding for a new K-12 school formula, increases money for early childhood education, and modestly boosts spending for higher education and public safety. Pritzker enacted a transportation capital plan funded by increased gas taxes, as well as an education and public facilities capital plan that is funded by higher taxes on gambling and cigarettes. And the legislature placed on the 2020 ballot a Pritzker-backed measure to move the state income tax from flat to graduated.
In addition, Pritzker reached a four-year contract agreement with the public employee labor union, AFSCME, ending a standoff that had begun four years earlier under Rauner.
On other issues, the Democrat enacted a broadly liberal agenda that included a $15 minimum wage, an assurance that abortion will remain legal, heightened oversight of gun shops and legalization of recreational marijuana.
He had quite the session, no doubt. We’ll see if he can make his agencies function properly. That’s still to be determined.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is facing new scrutiny.
The Cook County Public Guardian is accusing the agency of forcing children to sleep on the floor because of a shortage of beds. Charles Golbert says he knows of seven such children who have been forced to sleep on a cold floor, and after trying to go through the proper legal channels to get DCFS to open their records, he is taking his case to court.
It was a heartbreaking report as told by Golbert, who describes children as young as five being forced to sleep on an office room floor right after being removed from their homes.
He believes it is because of recent changes with DCFS, that they did a little restructuring of their space, reducing the number of shelter beds by 500 in the last five years.
“Just this year, DCFS converted one floor of its shelter for other purposes what formerly had been shelter beds,” Golbert said.
* About an hour later, legislators began receiving this inquiry from one of Proft’s papers…
Hello
This is Hoang again, assignment editor for LGIS. I’m reaching out regarding the controversial picture Kankakee County democrats posted this late last week:
1) Wha do you think about the image comparing MAGA to KKK?
2) What are your thoughts on the divisiveness of the current political landscape? Can we escape this toxic rhetoric?
3) Isn’t this an expression of free speech? how does it differ from other expression of speech?
Those are all the questions I have for you. If you would prefer to conduct a phone interview, we can set up a time for me or another reporter to call you.
The unique email address above - though it looks strange - directly relays your response to our editorial system. When you hit “reply” to this email, your message will be sent directly to me.
A day after a GOP group caught heat for a faux poster dubbing four Democratic congresswoman “The Jihad Squad,” the Kankakee County Democratic chairman conceded he posted a now-withdrawn image likening a support of President Donald Trump to membership in the Ku Klux Klan.
In a phone interview, Chairman John Willard defended the picture of someone wearing a Klan-style peaked hat—dyed red and with a spin on Trump’s patented slogan, but here reading “Make America hate again.” To the side of the image, the posts reads: “What’s the difference between a Klan hood and a MAGA hat? The Klan hood was made in America.” […]
A screenshot of the image was forwarded to me by a Republican operative. I phoned Willard to see if it was legit, and he said he had posted the image on July 19 but the post was taken down a day or two later by a member of his organization who works as a web administrator and “said it wasn’t in good taste.”
Willard said he posted the image because, “for me, it’s all about the hypocrisy of this president. He says he’s going to make America great, and then did what he did to these four congresswomen. . . .If he’s going to really make America great, don’t make your stuff overseas,” Willard added, referring to reports that some MAGA hats are produced in foreign countries.
In fact, official MAGA hats are made in a California factory by a mostly Latino workforce, though some knockoff hats reportedly come from China.
*Sigh*
People are so goofy. But, hey, at least they had enough sense to take it down before somebody demanded it.
The social media posts by the Democrats and Republicans represent the increasing political polarization over issues of race, immigration rights and ideology that have been fueled by Trump’s recent comments. The post by the Kankakee County Democratic organization, which appeared to have been posted after 5:30 p.m. on Monday based on the Twitter feed, followed a weekend Facebook controversy for the Illinois Republican County Chairmen’s Association.
* The governor stepped in…
The recent post by the Kanakee Democratic County Chairman is wrong and lacks the civility our politics should demand.
A representative from the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association did not respond to a request for comment Monday night. […]
Willard said he posted the image but deleted it July 19 — the same day that the Republican County Chairmen’s Association of Illinois shared a bogus movie poster on its Facebook page that depicted four Democratic congresswomen of color as “The Jihad Squad.”
I haven’t looked, but I’m betting lots of county party Facebook pages are nightmares just waiting to be discovered. Do better.
“Internet memes that’ve been posted by both parties on different partisan websites highlight something that I think most people in this state understand. Both political parties are run by a bunch of knuckleheads,” said Dan Proft, talk show host of AM-560 The Answer.
Democratic state Sen. Toi Hutchinson of Olympia Fields who also is president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, said “no one should be clutching their pearls” as if they haven’t seen such memes played out on both sides across the nation.
“It should make us all take a hard look at the power of social media to incite division and hate in our country,” Hutchinson said. “We should insist on doing better because I for one am tired of this.”
In a statement, Kankakee County Republican Chairman Jeff Keast said the local Democratic Party has become “a radical, left-wing, fringe party.”
“Comparing President Trump and his supporters to a white supremacist hate group that systemically engaged in terror and murder is absurd,” Keast said. “Democrat officials in our county must call out and reject such extreme rhetoric. While I appreciate that the county Democrats have since deleted their Facebook post, I believe they must apologize for their actions. They have gone too far.” […]
[John Willard, chairman of the Kankakee County Democratic Party] said his organization would not apologize for the local post, saying the demand for one is part of a political strategy.
“This whole thing was initiated by Trump, when he told four minorities to go back where they came from,” Willard said. “We are not in line with what the president instigated. It’s nonsense. It’s unbecoming of the United States.”
*** UPDATE *** Kankakee County Republican Central Committee Chairman Jeff Keast…
John Willard is so extreme and out of touch with his own county, that even far Left Democrats like JB Pritzker are saying he lacks ‘civility’ and are calling him out. It’s far past time for local elected Democrats to follow Pritzker’s lead and speak out against Willard. It’s clear that John Willard must resign as Chairman of the Kankakee Democrats. Our county deserves party leaders who are respectul in their disagreement. Willard has proven he is incapable of that.
…Adding… Wise advice…
Our statement on the recent social media posts by the Illinois Republican County Chairmen's Association and the Kankakee County Democrats: pic.twitter.com/UvZer6g1zS
The Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association today announced the organization’s final three 2019 Party Builder Award honorees: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Illinois Congressman Glenn Poshard, and Illinois House Deputy Leader Jehan Gordon-Booth.
“The IDCCA Party Builder Award is reserved for those who’ve influenced and activated grassroots Democrats in meaningful ways,” said IDCCA President Kristina Zahorik. “These honorees are reflective of the important work that is being done on the ground in every corner of our state.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who will be the special guest at the 2019 IDCCA Chairs’ Brunch on August 14th, will be the highest-serving elected official to ever receive the award. Pelosi has served in congress since 1987 and has served in the House Democratic leadership since 2003. She is the first woman to be elected as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and has advanced historic middle-class priorities including the Affordable Care Act. Last week, Pelosi and House Democrats passed a plan to incrementally increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
While he’s known all over Illinois as a fierce fighter for organized labor and worker fairness, former Congressman Glenn Poshard is a legend throughout Southern Illinois. A lifelong Illinoisan, Poshard began his public service career immediately out of college – first as a teacher, then as an Illinois State Senator (1984-1988). In 1989, Poshard was elected to represent a wide swath of Southern Illinois in congress. Congressman Poshard built a record of boosting rural health care access and advanced initiatives addressing abuse, neglect and abandonment of children. The Poshard Foundation for Abused Children, led by Congressman Poshard and his wife Jo, have been recognized throughout the state for their efforts to improve the lives of abused and neglected children.
In 2006, Poshard took on the role as President of the Southern Illinois University system. Upon his 2014 retirement he returned to the campaign trail, traversing the state advocating for the importance of electing Democrats. In 2016 & 2018, Poshard was an instrumental part of the IDCCA Get Out The Vote efforts traveling to over 60 counties to rally Democrats.
Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) has a knack for making history. When she won her first election to the statehouse in 2008, Gordon-Booth was the first African American woman elected from central Illinois. In January, Gordon-Booth was appointed to leadership, becoming the youngest woman to become Deputy Majority Leader in Illinois state history.
Leader Gordon-Booth is known for tackling big issues in Springfield. She has made economic and social justice the cornerstone of her service. In 2018, she led the passage of the Neighborhood Safety Act, the most comprehensive criminal justice reform package in state history. In 2019, she was instrumental in passing several pieces of progressive legislation including the legalization of marijuana.
In total, there are six 2019 Party Builder honorees. In February, the IDCCA presented awards to Lucy Moog, Democratic Committeeperson for Chicago’s 43rd Ward; Ron Powell, longtime labor activist and former Local 881 UFCW President, and; posthumously honored, Public Relations trailblazer Desiree Tate, who was a longtime community organizer and public relations advisor for scores of elected Democrats, including Chicago mayors and President Barack Obama. Tate passed away unexpectedly in May 2018.
Pelosi, Poshard and Gordon-Booth will be honored at the 2019 IDCCA Chairs’ Brunch, held at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield. The brunch is expected to have the largest attendance in IDCCA history, surpassing the more than 3,000 who attended in 2018.
* As I’ve told you before, I grew up on a farm in rural Iroquois County. Every year, we’d take our animals to the county fair to show them and auction them off. The Iroquois County Fair has never really changed over the years. Going there is like stepping back in time, and I mean that in a good way. It’s wholesome, affordable and safe. Kids run around the grounds like they did back when I was young.
Marvin Perzee became a board member of the Iroquois County Fair in 1967 and was elected its chairman in 1972. He served in that role until January, when he stepped down for health reasons. You’d think after all those decades the fair would deteriorate or become an ego-driven fiefdom, but it didn’t. Mr. Perzee was one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet…
A fixture of the Iroquois County Fair for more than 50 years, Marvin Perzee passed away at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana Wednesday morning.
Ironically, this year’s edition of the fair opened the same day Perzee passed. […]
A moment of silent prayer was held prior to Wednesday’s Queen Pageant, fair Board President Paul Ahlden said.
“It’s a great loss for the fair and the community as well,” Ahlden said.
The mood at the fairgrounds located north of Crescent City was somber, he said.
“He and [his wife] Sharon spent more than 50 years at this place,” Ahlden said. “As we move forward, we will honor his legacy and hard work.”
Ahlden last talked to Perzee a week ago. He already was in the hospital.
“There was every indication he was going to be part of this year’s fair,” Ahlden said. “Sharon was driving him around, and he was still doing stuff.
“We’re really going to miss him.”
I will, too. Everyone will miss him in that part of the world.
Mr. Perzee also chaired the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs for 40 years, so he knew the movers and shakers in this state and was perhaps the strongest advocate for county fairs anywhere.
“Our loss is Iroquois County’s loss,” said current fair board president Paul Ahlden.
Ahlden stepped into the fair board president in January when Perzee stepped down due to health reasons, but Perzee was still around helping in a role he had since 1972.
He said everyone at the fair wants to see the fair continue to prosper as Perzee has spent a lot of time and attention to not just Iroquois County’s fair, but he’s also worked at the state level. […]
“We lost a lifelong friend of the Iroquois County Fair, and we want to move forward in a manner to honor his accomplishments,” Ahlden said. “He’s done a fantastic job, and we want to make the Iroquois County Fair an even better place.”
Marvin was a member of many professional organizations and received several awards and honors including: In 1963, American Farmer Degree – FFA; 1963-1969, U.S. Army Reserves; 1963-1992, Iroquois County Republican Precinct Committeeman and Chairman for 14 years; 1965 to present, leader of the Ashkum Chargers 4-H Club; 1965 to present, served on the board of directors of the Iroquois County Agricultural and 4-H Fairs Association and was elected president in 1973 and then assumed the role of vice president in 2019; 1968 to present, member of Elks Club, Moose Club, American Hampshire Sheep Association and Farm Bureau; 1971-1981, member of Iroquois County Extension Youth Council; 1971, vice chairman of the American National Red Cross Fund Campaign; 1973, Outstanding Young Farmer Award recipient – Illinois Jaycees; 1974, appeared in Awards Volume of Outstanding Young Men of America; 1979 to present, member of Legislative Committee for the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs and chairman for 40 years; 1979-present, vice president of Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs Association – Northern District; 1979-1984, member of Department of Agriculture Advisory Board; 1980, recipient of the Iroquois County Extension Council Alumni award for distinguished service; 1982-1983, president of Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs Association- Northern District; 1983-1984, member of Advisory Board for Division of Fairs and Horse Racing; 1984-1989, Director of Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs; 1984, recipient of Department of Agriculture, Fairman of the Year Award; 1990-1998, appointed to the State Fair Advisory Board; 1990-1991, President of Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs; 1992-1996, Director at Large of Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs; 1999, Prairie Farmer – Master Farmer Award; 1999-2003, appointed to Attorney General Jim Ryan’s Advisory Board; 2005, Watseka Times Republic – Lifetime Achievement Award; 2006, Kankakee Daily Journal – Farm Family of the Year Award winner; 2007, inducted into the University of Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame; 2014, certificate of appreciation – OPTIONS Center for Independent Living; 2014 to present, State of Illinois Advisory Board Carnival Safety Board; and 2019, Recognition of Service to Fair Industry From Illinois House and Senate.
Visitation will be from 2 p.m. Thursday, July 25, until the 5 p.m. funeral service at the Iroquois County Fairgrounds 4-H Building, north of Crescent City. Visitation will also resume after the funeral service. The Rev. Don Gillespie will officiate. Burial will be on Friday, July 26, in Danforth Reformed Cemetery.
* Kass: Illinois after Boss Mike Madigan? Like Yugoslavia after Tito: I called Dan Proft, conservative activist and morning talk show host on WIND-AM 560. I wanted to know how the Republican Party might react to the idea of a wounded Madigan. “What Republican Party?” Proft asked. “I’m not familiar with this ‘Republican Party’ of which you speak. Oh, you mean the party of GOP leaders who want to have the Madigan/big government gravy train stop at their houses? That’s not a party that can take advantage of anything.” Proft is angry, and rightly so, at the GOP sellouts who’ve accommodated Madigan’s power for years so they might stuff themselves on crumbs. He sees Republican leadership as corrupt, and unable to take advantage of Madigan’s difficulties.
What a difference two years makes for Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, the likely Democratic opponent next year to Rep. Rodney Davis in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, which includes Champaign-Urbana.
Two years ago at this time, Londrigan had recently announced her candidacy, barely had any campaign money and was one of six candidates (eventually five) who had either jumped into the Democratic primary election or was considering it.
This time she’s the only announced challenger to Davis, she already has more than $450,000 on hand, she has lined up support from a number of Democratic members of Congress including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and she’s got the name identification from a 2018 campaign in which she came within about 2,000 votes or less than a percentage point of upending a man who has been a member of Congress since 2013.
In the fundraising quarter that ended June 30, Springfield native Londrigan reported raising an impressive $504,627 — far more than the $382,350 brought in by Davis. The Taylorville Republican still has more cash on hand than Londrigan — $532,913 versus $453,326 — but the trend favors her.
Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) is facing a rematch with Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, whom he beat last year by about 2,000 votes. Londrigan raised $521,887 for the quarter vs. Davis’s $422,070, though Davis has more cash on hand.
“You’ve got to hand it to the Dems and give them some credit for being able to go out and get donors from throughout the nation to support candidates, but . . . when you have cities like New York and San Francisco and Los Angeles supporting candidates in central Illinois, their values may not be the values of the constituents that I serve,” Davis said.
Why do politicians like Congressman Rodney Davis vote against lowering the cost of prescription drugs? Why does he vote to raise health care prices? Why does he vote against protecting people with pre-existing conditions? Why does he vote — time after time — against ensuring that people in the 13th district can get affordable access to quality health care?
I think the question should be: If he isn’t voting for us, who is he voting for?
Follow the money. During his time in Washington, Congressman Davis has taken more than $600,000 from pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Even worse, over 75% of the money in Congressman Davis’ campaign coffers comes from special interest donors and PACs, instead of the people he has pledged to serve.
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan pledged to not take any money from corporate political action committees, or PACs, in her second run for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District.
In an email Wednesday, incumbent Rep. Rodney Davis’ campaign said that’s not true, since Londrigan accepts money from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which does take money from PACs. […]
“The part that I’m responsible for is what I’m going to do, and I’m not accepting a dime of corporate PAC money,” she said. “Because I refuse to be beholden to these corporations and special interests.” […]
“Davis is honest with voters about his support from job creators. Corporations cannot directly donate to congressional candidates. Their PACs are made up of donations from hardworking employees,” the Davis campaign email stated. “He’s proud to be supported by companies like ADM, State Farm, and many others who have deep ties to our communities and create jobs.”
While the DCCC takes corporate PAC money, much of the group’s spending is through independent expenditures — not coordinated with candidates even as it backs those candidates. Republicans and Democrats both are helped these days by independent expenditures of various groups.
“Londrigan also personally profits off of corporations with her husband being a lobbyist at McGuireWoods for multiple corporations, including Horizon Pharmaceuticals,” Phelps said. “It’s disingenuous and voters see through it.”
Londrigan reiterated that she thinks Davis is “bought and paid for with corporate PAC and special interest money.”
Phelps said that because Londrigan gets help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which takes corporate political action committee money, she is “participating in a corporate PAC money laundering scheme.”
“Meanwhile, Davis is honest with voters about his support from job creators,” Phelps said.
Londrigan told reporters that while “Democratic leadership wants to elect Democrats to Congress” and helps via the DCCC, she is “not accepting a dime of corporate PAC money” directly through the campaign committee she controls.
[Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza] said [on a podcast] Indiana has a higher gas tax than Illinois does, even after a recent hike.
By every government measure we checked, and by acknowledgement from Mendoza’s office itself, the claim is wrong.
Illinois residents pay 8 cents more in state excise taxes for each gallon of gasoline than residents of Indiana, according to revenue officials in both states. We rate Mendoza’s claim False.
* She owned it and said she wouldn’t do it again…
I take pride in getting it right. This time I got it wrong. I trusted faulty info. Next time I won't just double check - I'll triple quadruple check. Sorry for the confusion. Good fact check.
— Susana A. Mendoza (@susanamendoza10) July 22, 2019
Even so, if you’re driving any significant length of time to save 8 cents a gallon, you’re doing it wrong.
Both of Illinois’ Democratic senators on Wednesday joined the list of lawmakers calling on U.S. Sen. Al Franken to quit.
In a tweet Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, said, “Senator Franken’s behavior was wrong. He has admitted to what he did. He should resign from the Senate.”
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, in a statement Wednesday afternoon, said she was “deeply disappointed” by the Minnesota senator’s behavior.
“I am deeply disappointed by Sen. Franken’s behavior. He must step aside,” she said. “To all those across America who have come forward to share their stories over the past few months: thank you. Your courage and strength in driving this long-overdue national conversation is awe-inspiring.”
It is extremely rare for a senator to resign under pressure. No senator has been expelled since the Civil War, and in modern times only three have resigned under the threat of expulsion: Harrison Williams, in 1982, Bob Packwood, in 1995, and John Ensign, in 2011. Williams resigned after he was convicted of bribery and conspiracy; Packwood faced numerous sexual-assault accusations; Ensign was accused of making illegal payoffs to hide an affair. […]
A remarkable number of Franken’s Senate colleagues have regrets about their own roles in his fall. Seven current and former U.S. senators who demanded Franken’s resignation in 2017 told me that they’d been wrong to do so. Such admissions are unusual in an institution whose members rarely concede mistakes. Patrick Leahy, the veteran Democrat from Vermont, said that his decision to seek Franken’s resignation without first getting all the facts was “one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made” in forty-five years in the Senate. Heidi Heitkamp, the former senator from North Dakota, told me, “If there’s one decision I’ve made that I would take back, it’s the decision to call for his resignation. It was made in the heat of the moment, without concern for exactly what this was.” Tammy Duckworth, the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, told me that the Senate Ethics Committee “should have been allowed to move forward.” She said it was important to acknowledge the trauma that Franken’s accusers had gone through, but added, “We needed more facts. That due process didn’t happen is not good for our democracy.” A
I’ve asked Sen. Durbin’s office if he also has any regrets.
For some activists in the women’s movement, Franken’s resignation was a welcome milestone. Linda Hirshman, the author of the recent book “Reckoning: The Epic Battle Against Sexual Abuse and Harassment,” told me, “Franken clearly intended to touch these women, and in doing so he violated their right to bodily integrity.” She argues that the Democratic Party has belatedly made up for having excused Bill Clinton’s treatment of women, adding that it’s “finally starting to be the party that protects women from having their asses grabbed.”
Other feminists see the episode as a necessary corrective. [Rebecca Traister, a writer-at-large for New York], who thinks that the behavior described in the media qualifies as sexual harassment, told me, “One of the troubling things about this is that there aren’t easy answers. When you change rules, you end up penalizing people who were caught behaving according to the old rules. But if you don’t change the rules they will never change.”
The lawyer Debra Katz, who has represented Christine Blasey Ford and other sexual-harassment victims, remains troubled by Franken’s case. She contends, “The allegations levelled against Senator Franken did not warrant his forced expulsion from the Senate, particularly given the context in which most of the behavior occurred, which was in his capacity as a comedian.” She adds, “All offensive behavior should be addressed, but not all offensive behavior warrants the most severe sanction.” Katz sees Franken as a cautionary tale for the #MeToo movement. “To treat all allegations the same is not only inappropriate,” she warns. “It feeds into a backlash narrative that men are vulnerable to even frivolous allegations by women.”
…Adding… Possible 2022 GOP opponent…
.@SenDuckworth Al Franken admitted that he was "embarrassed and ashamed" about his inappropriate behavior. Let me repeat - he apologized for his outrageous behavior and there is a picture of him groping a sleeping woman. #twillhttps://t.co/iOeprAyre3https://t.co/qs2GKKfNJL
More importantly, a dozen states have taken measures to close the “strategic consulting” loophole that runs rampant at the federal level. Under federal revolving door restrictions, former officials are only required to avoid making “lobbying contacts” during the cooling-off period. Federal officials remain free to advise, design and run lobbying campaigns on behalf of paying clients or lobbying firms immediately after leaving public office as long as they do not personally contact government officials – a loophole that is heavily exploited by many officials and staff. Furthermore, these same former officials may often lobby officials at agencies of a branch of government in which they did not serve. Several states address these problems by banning “lobbying activity” as well as “lobbying contacts.”
Finally, most states that regulate the revolving door do so for both the legislative and executive branches of government as well as for senior staff in a decision-making capacity. Just as importantly, some states have closed the loophole at the federal level that allows former lawmakers to lobby the other branch of government immediately after leaving office. These states prohibit former officials from lobbying any agency of the executive branch or legislative body for a period of time after leaving office.
Overall, Iowa has the “best” revolving door policy, with a two-year cooling off period that applies to both legislative and executive officials and staff, and broadly prohibits both “lobbying activity” as well as “lobbying contacts” during the cooling off period. Maryland is a close runner-up, except that its revolving door restriction only applies to legislators and has a short one-year cooling off period. Nevertheless, in Maryland former legislators may not seek to influence the official actions of anyone in government for compensation for one year after leaving public office. […]
The “worst” states in terms of revolving door policies are easier to identify: Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Wyoming have no restrictions whatsoever on lobbying and influence peddling by former public officials and staff.
Extending all cooling-off periods to a minimum of two years – at least a full congressional cycle – and preferably even longer, so as to allow the inside connections to sitting government officials and staff to fade.
Banning compensation for “lobbying activity,” such as of conducting research, preparation, planning and supervision of a lobbying campaign, as well as banning “lobbying contacts” during the cooling-off period.
Applying the ban on lobbying by former elected officials and very senior staff across the board to all agencies and both the legislative and executive branches of government during the cooling-off period.
* The New Yorker: How Illinois Became an Abortion-Rights Haven
* Vice: Blue States Are Finally Worried About Abortion — And They’re Doing Something About It
* Chicago Magazine: In a Changing Midwest, Illinois Doubles Down on Roe
* But Stephanie Goldberg throws some cold water on the hype at Crain’s…
Despite a new law enshrining reproductive health care as a “fundamental right” in Illinois, hospital industry trends are restricting the availability of contraception, sterilization and abortion.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker last month signed the Reproductive Health Act, eliminating virtually all state restrictions on these procedures. At the same time, consolidation is bringing more Illinois hospitals under the control of expanding Catholic organizations that don’t provide the full range of reproductive care.
With hospitals under pressure to gain market share, control health care costs and increase profitability, many financially strong Catholic chains have bulked up—acquiring both faith-based and secular facilities along the way. Catholic hospitals follow a set of rules that prohibit or sharply restrict contraception, fertility treatments, sterilization procedures and abortions.
As they impose those strictures on acquired hospitals, some women have to travel farther to find facilities that provide such services. That’s especially true for women covered by most Medicaid managed care insurance plans in Cook County, which rely heavily on Catholic hospitals. […]
Some 38 percent of Cook County hospitals with labor and delivery departments are Catholic, according to the report. Meanwhile, Catholic hospitals represented more than 38 percent of in-network hospitals for five of the seven available Medicaid managed care plans in 2018, limiting patients’ options for family planning services, Stulberg says.
Women of color in the county have even fewer options: 85 percent of black and Hispanic women were enrolled in one of the five plans with a heavily Catholic network, compared with 75 percent of white women, the study finds. Meridian Health Plan and NextLevel Health had the lowest percentages of in-network Catholic hospitals, with 37 and 36 percent, respectively.
The rising cost of insulin was not on Stacey Roman’s mind when her son Conner almost slipped into a diabetic coma last year, but now that she has learned the condition is treatable, the cost of treatment itself is her biggest concern.
“I understand you have a product and you need to make some sort of money out of it,” Roman said about the cost of insulin. “But it only costs a fraction of what they’re charging.”
The price of insulin between 2002 and 2013 about tripled for the 7.4 million Americans dependent on the hormone, according to the American Diabetes Association – a trend Roman said makes her worry for the financial future of her family.
“Daily, I’m hearing (from patients) that the cost of managing their diabetes is increasing and not affordable,” said Paige Beal, certified diabetes educator (CDE) and registered dietitian (RD) with Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal.
“Last week, I saw a client who stopped taking his insulin because he couldn’t afford it after there was a change in his insurance plan,” Beal said. “The out-of-pocket cost was too great for him. He ended up in the emergency room because he wasn’t taking his insulin.”
He was treated and his fortunes improved because he now has different insurance and can afford to take his insulin again, Beal said. But not all patient stories take a positive turn.
Paula Enstrom, a CDE and RN with Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, had a type 1 diabetes patient last year who could no longer afford insulin medicine, stopped taking it and ended up in the emergency room where he received an emergency supply.
In order to secure market share in crowded treatment areas, drugmakers offer discounts to pharmacy benefit managers — middlemen who negotiate drug prices for health plans. Bigger rebates make the benefit managers happier, so firms have an incentive to boost prices. The result is an inflated list price for medicines such as Humalog that’s far higher than what’s actually paid in practice. The problem is, people who lack coverage, have high deductibles or pay co-insurance don’t benefit from those discounts. They’re exposed to the list price and face bruising costs at the pharmacy counter.
* Sen. Andy Manar has been especially critical of PBMs. From late May…
A bill moving through Springfield would cap co-payments for insulin at $100 per month, regardless of the supply someone needs.
State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) is sponsoring Senate Bill 667. If passed, Illinois would become the second state to cap insulin payments.
Studies show the price of insulin tripled between 2002 and 2013.
“In the last 20 years or so we’ve seen the price of insulin rise to outlandish levels,” said Manar in a statement. “We have a responsibility as lawmakers to help get these prices under control and make this life-saving medication more available to those who need it.”
Manar’s legislation got stuck in the Senate during the spring session. Opponents included the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, insulin maker Novo Nordisk, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, Eli Lilly, the Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization, the Illinois Insurance Association, the Illinois Life Insurance Council and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
* Related…
* Walmart’s $25 insulin can’t fix the diabetes drug price crisis: Doctors and diabetes advocates point out that while ReliOn may help patients in a pinch, especially those without health insurance, it’s also a formulation (known as “human” insulin) that came on the market in the 1980s, more than a decade before more refined insulins started to emerge. The newer insulins, known as analogs, appear to be more effective at preventing dangerous blood sugar swings in people with Type 1 diabetes or those at a higher risk for severe low blood sugar. … There’s one more problem: Because it’s available without a prescription, patients can get the drug without the supervision of a doctor, and they sometimes get into trouble as a result. So stories have surfaced about patients who required emergency care because of severe blood sugar highs and lows after self-dosing with Walmart insulin, or even dying as a result.
* The New York Times editorial board takes a look at what will happen to state and local tax burdens by income level if the governor’s graduated income tax is approved by voters…
Economic inequality in the United States has reached the highest levels since the 1920s, and there is mounting evidence that the unequal distribution of income and wealth is contributing to the nation’s economic and political problems. Reducing inequality ought to be a focus of public policy. Rewriting state tax laws to place the greater burden on those with greater means is an effective and sensible response.
Taxation in the United States remains progressive because the federal income tax remains the largest source of government revenue. But the distribution of the total burden has become much less progressive. In 1961, Americans with the highest incomes paid an average of 51.5 percent of that income in federal, state and local taxes. Half a century later, in 2011, Americans with the highest incomes paid just 33.2 percent of their income in taxes, according to a study by Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman published last year. Over that same period, the bottom 90 percent of Americans, ranked by income, saw their tax burden increase from 22.3 percent of income to 26 percent of income. […]
The Illinois plan is a step in the right direction rather than a complete corrective. Under current law, households in the bottom quintile of the income distribution pay 14.4 percent of their income in taxes on average, while those in the top 1 percent pay 7.4 percent of their income in taxes — a difference of 7 percentage points. The proposed changes in the income tax would cut that gap to 4.3 percentage points, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
Illinois is seeking to address longstanding fiscal problems, notably an underfunded pension system, so it is raising taxes on the rich without significantly reducing taxes for everyone else. Other states, however, could do better by raising taxes on the rich and using the money to reduce the taxation of low-income families.
It also dispenses with the notion that legions of high-income people will leave the state…
Indeed, the Stanford sociologist Cristobal Young has calculated that people with million-dollar incomes move across state lines less often than other Americans. They are more likely to be married, more likely to have children, more likely to be involved in civic and social groups — and, in many cases, their wealth stems from their communities. A successful Springfield dentist cannot relocate her patients to Missouri. A man who owns a chain of gas stations around Peoria is likely to remain in Peoria. A company that relies on Chicago’s highly educated work force may not be focused on finding the place with the lowest tax rates.
In fact, a quarter of all taxpayers statewide who would be hit by the higher rates — those earning more than $250,000 a year — reside in just 15 of the state’s more than 1,500 ZIP codes, covering places like Lincoln Park, Wilmette, Barrington and Elmhurst, according to a Tribune analysis of Illinois Department of Revenue income tax data from 2016, the most recent year available.
In Lincoln Park, for example, 14% of taxpayers — 4,757 filers, the most in any ZIP code — earned more than $250,000. That includes 1,010 who earned enough to qualify for the top rates under Pritzker’s plan, which would tax individuals earning more than $750,000 and couples earning more than $1 million at 7.99% of their total income. The current rate is 4.95% for all taxpayers.
In some tony suburbs, the concentration of high earners is even greater. In both north suburban Winnetka and west suburban Hinsdale, more than 29% of taxpayers — 2,740 of filers in Winnetka and 2,288 in Hinsdale — would be affected by the higher rates that kick in at $250,000.
Overall, roughly 85% of those who would see higher tax rates under Pritzker’s plan live in Cook County and the five collar counties, which are home to about 66% of the state’s population. That means a disproportionate amount of the new revenue generated by the tax hikes would come from the Chicago area.
Aside from partisanship, one of the reasons Downstate legislators opposed taxing the rich is because they have so few high-income people and they worry what will happen when that handful of rich folks has to pay more. Some could, indeed, move their factories to other states. Others, like farm implement dealers, would have to stay.
Everyone I served with and those I worked with knew I operated in good faith. It’s an approach by which I’ve turned honest disagreements with other legislators into reasonable compromises for the benefit of the families I represented.
This is precisely what’s lacking in Congress today. Demonization of disagreement is crippling our politics and dividing our country. It leaves people vulnerable to the most extreme ideas and false choices.
1) I’d really like to see the list of “reasonable compromises” she brokered at the Statehouse. It wouldn’t be very long if there was one.
2) She’s right about how the “demonization of disagreement” is hurting this country. But, I mean, she’s been a principal advocate of that sort of thing her entire career. A small sampling of her comments on gay marriage…
Essentially what they’re trying to do is not just redefine marriage, they’re trying to redefine society. They’re trying to weasel their way into acceptability so that they can then start to push their agenda down into the schools, because this gives them some sort of legitimacy. And we can’t allow that to happen. […]
To not have a mother and a father is really a disordered state for a child to grow up in and it really makes that child an object of desire rather than the result of a matrimony.
Jeanne Ives is taking on the false prophets in Washington and the false choices they present, starting with Rep. Sean Casten.
Ives is tired of Ruling Class politicians like Casten who tell you what he deserves–like the pay raise he voted himself - and what you don’t deserve the ability to keep your private health insurance.
Ives is tired of race-baiters like Casten who decry racism while complaining white people in his district.
Ives is tired of hateful demagogues like Casten who calls a man who wishes “all f–king Republicans were dead” someone he “embraces” and “will stand with.”
Sean Casten and his House Democrat Socialist colleagues like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar want to rewrite America’s history into something it never was in order to transform America into something it should never be.
Jeanne Ives is running to transmit our American values which are under assault by Casten & Company.
Jeanne Ives will stand for the rule of law and equal protection before it and the freedom to choose your professional pursuits and how you pursue them.
Sean Casten wants to make America bitter. Jeanne Ives will make America better.
Ives also announced that she has the full support and endorsement of Peter and Elizabeth Roskam. Peter Roskam served as U.S. Representative for Illinois’s sixth congressional district from 2007 to 2019.
* Related…
* Republican Jeanne Ives jumps in Congress race for Democratic Rep. Casten seat: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a statement that the Illinois 6 primary with Ives’ entry has turned “into a full-blown Civil War.” Casten’s campaign manager Chloe Hunt said in a statement, “Jeanne Ives and Evelyn Sanguinetti both embrace an extreme partisan ideology that would deny a woman’s right to choose and raise our health care costs, they both strongly support President Trump, and they both are wildly out of touch with the concerns of the 6th Congressional District.
* From the Illinois Republican County Chairmen’s Association’s Facebook page..
How some people can be racists and claim to be victims at the same time never ceases to disgust me.
* We live in a diverse state. You can’t win statewide by being stubbornly monocultural. And suburbia, as a whole, no longer rewards those who sow racial division and discord. So the intra-party condemnations were swift…
I’ve reached out to several @ILGOP members for reaction. First one to respond was @SenBillBrady: “This type of post has no place in our political discourse. I am pleased it’s been taken down, and remain hopeful we can debate our political differences in a respectful manner.” https://t.co/QM9UEA17ku
New from House Minority Leader Jim Durkin: “The post was irresponsible, disrespectful, and wrong. The imagery and rhetoric that was used hurts our democracy and does nothing to move our state or our nation forward. Those responsible have no place in the Republican Party.”
New from Rep Tony @McCombieforIlli: “The post is horrendous and I totally reject this behavior! As soon I became aware of the post, I reached out to several people asking that it be removed. This post was not drafted by like minded people I align myself with…” (1/2) more
In his nomination speech at the ‘84 RNC he said, “In the party of Lincoln, there is no room for intolerance and not even a small corner for anti-Semitism or bigotry of any kind.” That year, President Reagan was re-elected in a landslide and won 49 of 50 states.
* I’m told Shaw was out of town the other day when the item was posted to Facebook. Four or five people in the group had administrative permission to post stuff on the page, but there was supposed to be a process in place and it wasn’t followed. That, anyway, is their story and they’re sticking to it in these times of strife…
Mark Shaw, the Lake County GOP chairman who heads the state county chairmen’s group, said the posting was “not authorized by me” and said he was “sorry if anyone who saw the image was offended by the contents.”
Shaw said the post had been deleted, and he called it an “unfortunate distraction” from the ideological issues involving the four progressive congresswoman.
On Facebook, Shaw called the posting “unauthorized.” Then he explained how the group has a “multistage, approval process for all social media posts on any of its social media properties.” That process, he said, is being “reevaluated.”
* But not everyone was on board with the condemnations and apologies…
Skillicorn’s response to @CljMitchell calling for Republicans to speak out: “I find it ironic that quite a few people in Democratic Party hurl the term racist at ideological opponents when they lose an argument. This devalues real racism and further tears our nation apart.”
New from @JeanneIves: “That organization has nothing to do with the Ives Campaign. Contact Mark Shaw who I believe is the Chairman of that organization for a response.”
I have, and he hasn’t responded. Ives helped install Shaw, and I’ve asked her again if it’s racist or bigoted.
Schneider hasn’t returned my phone and email messages. Nor has Shaw, who said in a Facebook post that the “Jihad squad” poster was unauthorized by him. But party sources I talk to seem to have a pretty good idea of what really happened here, and it’s worth noting that the same poster appears to have been retweeted by the Lake County GOP, where Shaw is the chairman.
Either way, instead of talking about how to win as a minority party in this state, or about how Democrats have messed up, Illinois Republicans today are having to explain why they’re not as bad as they look. Above and beyond the moral considerations, that’s not helpful politically.
Nope.
* Related…
* NBC Nightly News: Illinois GOP group deletes post depicting Democratic congresswomen as ‘The Jihad Squad’
* The ‘love it or leave it’ nonsense: Chicago Daily News columnist’s argument still rings true 50 years later: Nobody should be faced with the mean choice of accepting conditions as they are or abandoning the place he has grown up in. We not only have a right, we have a responsibility, to make our environment as just and as flourishing as our Founding Fathers declared it must be if it were to live up to its aspiration as “the standard of the world.”
* Voice of The Southern: There are some things more important than politics: Aside from the thinly veiled bigotry, the mean-spirited nature of the president’s remarks, the undeniable element of bullying are nearly impossible to overlook — unless you are a congressional Republican. The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to condemn the president’s remarks. The vast majority of Republicans, including local representatives Mike Bost and John Shimkus, chose to not condemn the president’s remarks. In today’s hyper-partisan atmosphere, that’s not surprising, but it is still disappointing.
“Sterigenics should be completely shut down until we determine it can operate safely,” gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker tweeted last October.
A month after taking office, Gov. Pritzker made good on the first part of that campaign promise. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued a “seal order” to close the company’s doors.
Sterigenics sterilizes medical instruments at its plant in suburban Willowbrook, using the cancer-causing gas ethylene oxide. About 19,000 people live within a mile of the plant. Four schools are also close by, as are shopping areas and office buildings. People claim, with no small amount of evidence, that the plant has caused an unusual number of cancer cases.
That part of the world is home to lots of upper-income folks. It is represented in Springfield by House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, who has repeatedly demanded the company either leave Willowbrook or be forced out.
That’s not exactly a Republican thing to do, but the company is seen as so toxic (literally and figuratively) that Durkin’s sentiment is most certainly overwhelmingly popular. Environmental testing after the plant was closed showed a significant drop in ethylene oxide presence in the local environment. People started to breathe easier (literally and figuratively).
Durkin eventually passed a bill that he believed would keep the plant closed by setting the regulatory bar extremely high to reopen the facility, although the governor’s office claims it warned Durkin that the bill offered no guarantees of permanent closure.
To the surprise of many, the company decided to spend the money to try and bring its plant into compliance with what has been touted as the absolute toughest ethylene oxide emission regulations anywhere.
Last week, Sterigenics, the Illinois attorney general, the DuPage County state’s attorney and the governor (in that order) announced an agreement had been reached in the various court cases over the plant’s closure, subject to judicial approval.
Durkin and other legislators were briefed on the deal earlier in the day and were shocked at the decision. They asked for a delay until at least after an August public meeting. The request was denied.
Sterigenics quickly issued a press release trumpeting the new agreement, which also stunned Durkin and the others. Some area mayors were being briefed on the agreement when somebody at the meeting announced that the company’s press release had been posted on CapitolFax.com. “Everyone on the state side lost color in their face,” claimed one participant.
It took the attorney general and state’s attorney more than two hours to issue their own press release announcing the agreement to settle the court cases. The governor’s office didn’t issue its own response until almost half an hour later. By then, all heck had broken loose.
Leader Durkin and other legislators issued statements denouncing the agreement. Sterigenics is seen by many locals as an untrustworthy bad actor. Doing deals with companies like that is never going to be an easy sell, and it’s even more difficult when a company jumps the public relations gun. People felt like chumps.
The back and forth escalated in the news media and on social media until the governor’s office eventually issued a press release which called on Leader Durkin to draft a new bill “that will fix the perceived shortcomings of the legislation that he sponsored.” Pritzker said he would call a special legislative session to allow for an immediate vote.
Durkin, in turn, claimed Pritzker was trying to “fast track” the plant’s reopening and demanded the governor write his own bill and call a special session.
So, are we really heading for a special legislative session this summer?
Right now, this looks like show business. Just some political posturing for member and constituent management purposes while both sides attempt to pick their way through the news cycles and social media furor.
I think the key here is DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin. The prosecutor took a strong public stance against Sterigenics when he and the attorney general filed suit last year. Berlin joined Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in the consent order, saying it goes “above and beyond the most restrictive regulations in the country.” Berlin could be the local voice of reason, although he’s up for reelection next year, so we’ll see how far ahead of this he wants to get.
I don’t think anyone wants to interrupt their summer with a special session to deal with this mess, but people need to start talking with each other instead of past each other.
* We’ve been talking a lot about Sterigenics, so I asked yesterday for a chart comparing the ethylene oxide regulations in the bill sponsored by House Republican Leader Durkin and signed into law by Gov. Pritzker with the additional regulations included in the consent order that was agreed to by Attorney General Kwame Raoul, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin, the IEPA and Sterigenics. Here’s what the AG’s office compiled. Click the pic if you need a better image…
I followed up to ask about that loophole closure, which AG Raoul mentioned yesterday…
The new law contains certification requirements that currently apply to Sterigenics, but the law contains an exception. Sterigenics could have qualified for the exception if it proved to a court that the findings of the seal order were without merit. The consent order takes away Sterigenics’ ability to even make this argument in court. As a result, Sterigenics no longer has the ability to qualify for the exception to the certification requirements.
The assumed reductions in State pension contributions are the result of three provisions in the FY2019 budget legislation. The most important is a voluntary buyout plan that offers certain employees who are about to retire upfront cash payments—in exchange for delayed and lower automatic annual increases in their benefits. The plan accounts for $382 million, or 86%, of the total budgeted State pension savings for the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2018.[1]
Public records show that the $382 million figure comes from actuarial reviews of a different pension buyout plan. As a result, it is not clear whether the savings estimate applies to the enacted measure. Even if the savings estimate is relevant, it remains to be seen whether the assumed participation rate of 25% is realistic.
The $382 million savings estimate is based on actuarial reviews of House Bill 5472. The measure has not come up for a vote in the General Assembly, but the actuarial studies were prepared by the pension funds at the legislature’s request in advance of a public hearing last February. There was no public hearing on the enacted pension measure. [Emphasis added.]
A new pension buyout plan designed to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the State of Illinois in the fiscal year that just ended actually generated relatively minor savings in FY2019 and does not appear likely to meet the annual cost-reduction target over the next few years.
The shortfall has occurred despite robust participation by members of the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS), the pension fund that was supposed to account for most of the savings. The problem stems from the original savings estimate, which was overstated because it was based on a different buyout plan and further inflated due to technical miscalculations, according to SERS officials. […]
Actual General Funds savings are now pegged at about $13 million, largely from the COLA buyout at SERS, according to recent reports by the three pension funds. […]
To pay for the buyouts, the State was authorized to sell up to $1 billion of bonds. So far, the State has issued $300 million at an interest cost of 5.74%. Of the $298.5 million in net proceeds, records from the Illinois Comptroller’s website show expenditures of $29.6 million for buyouts at SERS and $1.6 million for buyouts at TRS. SERS reports having spent an additional $17.6 million in FY2019, which is not yet reflected in the Comptroller’s records. The remaining bond proceeds continue to cost the State interest, but have not yet resulted in any pension savings.
So, we’ve got a big pile of borrowed money just sitting there piling up interest and a cost savings projection that is wildly out of whack.
Just ducky.
…Adding… Hannah Meisel at the Daily Line wrote about this last week and I missed it somehow. Click here.
The Illinois Auditor General released an audit Thursday of the Illinois Department of Transportation for a two-year period ending June 2018. Among other issues, the audit found that 78 bridges that weren’t inspected on time. Twenty-eight bridges were overdue for routine inspections, some were up to 4 years overdue. Ten were listed as the responsibility of an adjacent state and five were rated structurally deficient, the audit said.
There were 27 bridges set for special inspections that were overdue. Five were overdue by more than two years. Another seven bridges were overdue for underwater inspections.
Eleven were overdue for fracture critical inspection. Two of those were over 21 years overdue.
State Rep. Margo McDermed, R-Mokena, is on a House transportation committee. She said it was important for information like that to reported on time, especially when lawmakers are planning infrastructure projects like the six-year, $45 billion capital plan that was just enacted. Lawmakers voted to double the state’s gas tax to fund the capital plan. […]
“That would have maybe made a difference in how we put together the capital bill or in what our expectations of what IDOT will accomplish in their beefed-up six-year plan,” McDermed said. “What if the beefed-up six-year plan is all sucked up by all these bridges. There’s going to be a lot of unhappy legislators that thought they were going to get some roads.”
The audit wasn’t limited to bridge inspections. It also found issues with the management of IDOT property, fund transfers and how the state agency handled outdoor advertising close to the state’s highways. […]
The audit found that bank accounts administered by a management company had authorized signors who were not state employees, cash deposits were uncollateralized, and there was no IDOT approval of some spending.
The report also found IDOT wasn’t in compliance with reporting requirements. No master plan was filed at the end of fieldwork. The department also did not publish the Multimodal Multi-year Improvement Program during fiscal years 2017 and 2018. Another report for a multi-year plan was delivered 195 days later than it was due.
A separate audit found that 20 percent of IDOT employee overtime cards tested during the audit period hadn’t been properly signed to attest for accuracy. The department spending a combined $63.7 million on overtime for the two years ending June 30, 2018.
Other findings included that about a third of tested IDOT vehicle trip tickets didn’t have supervisor approval or other proper trip documentation. Yet another found that 47 percent of outdoor advertising near highways might be illegal.
The previous acting director, Beverly “BJ” Walker, signed a six-month, $5.1 million contract on her final day as DCFS director.
The contract created the Aunt Martha’s interim care center, which is a short-term living arrangement for children coming out of psychiatric hospitals. […]
But according to [Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert], there is no research to support the interim care center (ICC) that DCFS is paying $5 million for.
“It’s something DCFS made up,” Golbert said. […]
Edwin C. Yohnka, director of communications and public policy of ACLU of Illinois, said, “We were not consulted by the leadership of DCFS as they moved forward with a plan for an ICC at Aunt Martha’s until months after the contract was agreed and the process was well underway. When we became aware of this proposal, we raised our concerns – concerns confirmed by one of the court-appointed experts.”
Golbert said DCFS created the ICC to help the statistic of kids in locked hospitals but as a result, created more problems.
“And one of the ICCs used to be shelter space and so, they took away the shelter space. So now you also have a shortage of shelter space and as a result, now you also have children sleeping in offices.”
The current DCFS director, Marc Smith, was with Aunt Martha’s for 10 years before being picked by Gov. Pritzker to direct DCFS.
Golbert said there is no evidence to prove Interim Care Centers are a good placement for children.
“If you scour the social sciences literature looking for references to an Interim Care Center. If you scour social work literature, if you scour other models in other parts of the country, you will not find anything called an Interim Care Center,” Golbert said.
Although the ICC contract was just signed in February 2019, Pennington said they’ve been doing this integrated care for more than a year and have seen results.
“We have seen about a 30% reduction in hospitalizations. Once they are admitted to the ICC, we see compliance with medication. We see success with a reduction in acts of physical aggression and then, we have seen them transition on to more permanent placements,” Pennington said.
The Interim Care Center is even being debated in a court case between the American Civil Liberties Union and DCFS.
We got a copy of the transcripts and it shows that during the last hearing, an attorney with the ACLU said, “This isn’t a known treatment method for people coming out of psych hospitalization. This is a made up thing and it was operating as a shelter.”
* DCFS has been under extreme pressure to reduce psychiatric hospitalizations. Kids are sent there and can’t get out because the state can’t find foster homes or other placements…
According to the public guardian, at this exact moment, there are Illinois children inside locked psych hospitals even though they don’t have to be there simply because DCFS doesn’t have a place to put them.
“There’s not a whole lot that says to a kid you don’t care more than being forced to stay in psychiatric hospital for weeks and months after you’re ready to go because your guardian doesn’t have anywhere to put you,” Golbert said. […]
In a letter to the governor written in May, Golbert said from 2015 to 2017, it cost taxpayers $9.4 million to house children “Beyond Medical Necessity.”
“It’s a multi-million-dollar waste of money while we are trampling on these kids rights and traumatizing them,” Golbert said.
The letter to the governor also said in that two-year span, the children spent collectively 27,000 days in the hospital longer than they needed to.
So, what appears to be happening is DCFS came up with a way to get kids out of psych hospitals, but the method is unprecedented and watchdogs are alarmed.
Newly obtained pictures show a problem the Cook County public guardian fears is happening too often: Kids sleeping on the floor of a state office building.
The kids were in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services at the time [2018]. […]
DCFS’ own count shows a dwindling number of emergency shelter space available. Five years ago there were 159 beds. Now, the number is down to just 43 statewide.
“The kids I’m aware of sleeping in offices it’s because the shelter was full, no beds available,” Golbert said.
A DCFS spokesperson insists the state office building isn’t being used as a makeshift shelter.
The agency released a statement that reads:
Many DCFS offices across the state must be prepared to protect infants, children and youth who will often arrive exhausted and in need of clothing, food, diapers, formula and other necessities. This is not a substitute for shelter. DCFS is working in partnership with providers to secure additional shelter options for those in need.
* After DCFS caseworker killed on the job, her husband works for change at the troubled agency: His idea is to create a numbered rating system that’s clean and easy for all to understand. Cases with a 1 or 2 would be considered less threatening. “If it was a 3,4,5 before they moved on that case they would need a police officer,” he said. He also wants all cases called into the hotline to begin with a high-risk status, requiring a police escort for several visits until the environment inside is determined to be safe enough for a DCFS investigator to go there alone. As for the DCFS union agreement, Don Knight wants the safety clauses for workers enforced. He claims they’re currently ignored.
* DCFS Acting Director Marc Smith reveals plan to turn troubled child welfare agency around: “One of the ways we’re trying to address that is we review a tremendous amount of our cases,” Smith told the I-Team. “One of the areas we look at, cases that have reached a level of tragedy or concern. And then we pull those cases and the management team looks at each individual case. We do it to see what we can learn, if there were mistakes made, if there were things we should have done better.”
* Change underway for Illinois DCFS after controversial children’s deaths: While Smith is committed to staying, DCFS caseworkers are another story. Turnover is high, largely because the pay is low. “I’ve also seen workers that are overwhelmed, don’t really want to dig deeper, sometimes folks are really unable to make a good assessment if they are not able to handle the immense work load that they are under or maybe not enough training to understand the dynamics of abuse and how that may affect family,” Rivette said.
A broad coalition is forming to push for state funding for a joint campus in downtown Springfield, to be shared by the University of Illinois Springfield and Southern Illinois University.
The effort originated with state Sen. Andy Manar, who introduced legislation in January requesting $50 million for an SIU facility in the state capital. […]
“We put several opportunities on the table [at a July 9 meeting convened by Manar] — what would go in this building and on this campus, including initiatives related to medicine and law, social service, management of governmental intern positions, public health and policy, and so on,” said SIU Interim President J. Kevin Dorsey. “Collaboration between SIU, the School of Medicine and UIS was seen as critical.”
The Springfield university is already seeking to bolster its downtown presence via a new “Innovation Hub,” funded within the University of Illinois’s $500 million Discovery Partners Institute initiative. […]
“Our initial conversations have been about the ‘Y’ block, but as the conversations unfolded and as resources have become available through the recent capital bill … it’s beginning to evolve into the development of a mini-campus of several blocks in the downtown area,” possibly including student housing, Van Meter said. “No prospect has so ignited as the possibility of establishing an SIU presence and the law school’s presence in the community.”
* If I was king, I’d put that mini campus just south of the Statehouse in the area bordered by Edwards on the north, Lawrence on the south, College on the west and 2nd St. on the east. Not every building would have to go. You’d definitely want to keep some of them. But there’s a lot of empty space and business and office locations which have been difficult to develop over the years…
And since the SIU law school wants to use its potential Springfield campus to offer “classes, support to law students interning in the capitol, and continuing education for legal professionals,” that would be a great spot.
The area just north of downtown near the medical district has some possibilities as well.
* Background is here if you need it. Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove)…
This morning I asked the Illinois Attorney General, the DuPage County State’s Attorney, and the Governor to delay next week’s hearing and implementation of the settlement agreement and consent order regarding the Sterigenics litigation.
This delay would provide for greater public input on their proposed agreement, an agreement that provides Sterigenics with a road map to open, and fails to hold them accountable for their past environmental violations that have damaged the public’s health in and around the Willowbrook area.
Unfortunately, the Illinois Attorney General has declined my request.
I also informed Governor Pritzker today that I fully support his offer to call a special session to address this critical issue. It is vital that we ensure every action is taken within the law to prevent Sterigenics from operating and emitting ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, in Willowbrook and the surrounding community.
The new law imposes new certification requirements, but, through litigation, Sterigenics attempted to exploit a loophole in the law to avoid those requirements. Through the consent order, we eliminated that loophole. Sterigenics will now always be subject to the certification requirements that area legislators insisted be included in the law. The final result is that, combined with the Matt Haller Act, the consent order ensures that Sterigenics will not reopen unless and until it installs new emissions controls that will reduce its emissions to no more than 85 pounds of EtO per year.
Sterigenics’ permit issued by the Rauner administration allowed it to emit 36,400 pounds of ethylene oxide per year.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot continued sparring with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Thursday over who’s to blame for Chicago’s gun violence.
After Preckwinkle sent a letter to Lightfoot this week that defended how the county judicial system treats gun offenders and called on Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to “stop misleading the public about why gun violence remains a challenging problem in Chicago,” the mayor responded by criticizing the county’s system for tracking gun crimes and calling on Preckwinkle to publicize her statistics weekly.
But first, Lightfoot reminded reporters about the sound defeat she handed Preckwinkle in the April mayoral runoff, when Lightfoot won all 50 wards and got more than 70 percent of the vote.
“So the question’s about the letter, the nice letter I got from Toni Preckwinkle,” Lightfoot said at a news conference about preparations for the expected extreme heat this weekend. “Well, it’s July, not March. The election’s over and we had a result. So we’re going to continue to take the high road and move forward.”
This fight is so tedious. People are dying in the street and “leaders” are relitigating the election.
As set forth in my public safety plan, we cannot arrest our way out of our violence problem. Instead, the city and its partners must treat this epidemic of violence as the public health crisis that it is. … In addition, we must follow the lead of cities like Boston and Oakland and increase the resources devoted to violence interruption techniques so we can stop violence before it happens.
Furthermore, the city, philanthropic foundations and local businesses must place more emphasis on, and commit more resources to, organizations across the city that help ease the transition of the thousands of citizens released annually from state and county jails back into society and the workforce. Providing legitimate jobs that pay a living wage is one of the best ways to reduce violence and recidivism and improve our communities.
The Chicago Police Board voted Thursday to fire a sergeant and three other officers over their alleged cover-up of the murder of Laquan McDonald by CPD Officer Jason Van Dyke.
The board voted unanimously to fire Officers Ricardo Viramontes and Janet Mondragon for their roles in the case, as well as Sgt. Stephen Franko. According to the board, all three officers made false statements, among other violations of department rules, in an attempt to have the shooting of McDonald by Van Dyke deemed as justified.
Officer Daphne Sebastian was also fired, according to the board’s vote, which was posted on the City of Chicago’s police discipline website.
Sgt. Franko was charged with violating five different rules and regulations of the Chicago Police Department, including taking action to “impede the department’s efforts to achieve its policy and goals” and “making a false report, written or oral.”
Targ
Your ruling today, so contrary to the verdict against the officers criminally charged in this case, Gaffney, Walsh, and March, destroys the reputation and careers of three excellent police officers.
It will no doubt lead to more violence in the city and quite likely more violence against the police, because officers understand that, by your ruling, an officer can be fired or indicted merely responding to a job.
They filed police reports directly contradictory to the video evidence.
* Speaker Madigan loves moving campaign money around. He’ll have an entity (often a union) “park” cash in a member’s account and then eventually have that member write a check to a candidate or to the state party or wherever. It’s mostly designed to legally get around the campaign contribution caps, but it’s sometimes about avoiding putting his own name on a contribution.
Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin), for instance, received four contributions of about $50K each last year, even though she didn’t need the dough for her own campaign.
Also, as I told subscribers earlier this month, Madigan recently wrapped up a series of meetings with incumbents and staff designed to prepare for potential primary campaigns.
Seven legislators gave Mike Madigan a whopping $751,400 within the last few weeks — just as the powerful Illinois House speaker’s legal bills mount and federal investigations touch some of his allies.
The lawmakers who spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times about what for most were six-figure donations insist it’s business as usual, routine fundraising by the powerful Southwest Side Democrat, who also serves as Illinois Democratic Party chairman.
“I’ve contributed to others in the past at similar levels,” said state Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, who gave $57,800. “It wasn’t out of the ordinary.”
What is out of the ordinary is Madigan’s growing legal bills.
So far this year, the speaker has spent $453,608 on lawyers from his campaign fund. Many Illinois politicians dip into their political accounts to pay legal expenses, but the amount Madigan has spent is raising eyebrows.
The legislators interviewed did not ask why Madigan needed the money.
This could be about his legal bills, or it could just be what Rep. Marcus Evans told the Sun-Times about it being for primary races.
But it’s exactly the sort of story to expect when the feds are circling above.
* Related…
* Zorn: Sham candidates are bad for democracy, but let’s not make a federal case of it: Gonzales’ belief that he would have won a head-to-head matchup against the powerful veteran House speaker is based on the idea — and let’s just go out on a limb and call it a delusion — that a decisive number of voters and prospective funders were scared off by the prospect of a three-way split of the Hispanic vote.
*** UPDATE *** I forgot about this…
People connected to Madigan raided by the FBI:
Kevin Quinn ex-Ald. Michael Zalewski Michael McClain
* Perhaps my all-time “favorite” email about the Confederate Railroad controversy…
What is your malfunction?You attack a veteran country group just because of their name.let me educate your inbred ignorant was on something you socialist snowflake.The civil war started over taxes on goods.you illiterate uneducated racist pigs want people to believe it was about slavery,guess what idiot….they both had slaves then to and it wasn’t till later during the war the north wanted to abolish slavery.slavery started when blacks sold their own kind for money.you sir can be held on defamation of character by the band if they so feel like it.why don’t you stop crying like a liberal snowflake and grow up.Get a real job like most Americans do you lazy bum.
I learned after the first email I received on this topic to just respond to all these the same way…
lol
That dismissive laughter always drives ‘em nuts…
You must be a racist liberal.for a blogger you are immature.are you to lazy to get a job?
* My dad used to play this Silhouettes song for us when my brothers and I were young…
llinois is preparing to cover federal health care funding that’s being threatened by a new Trump administration rule banning family planning clinics from referring women for abortions.
Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday that the Illinois Department of Public Health will use state money to cover the 28 health care providers that currently receive Title X grant money, should the “gag rule” remain in effect through the end of the fiscal year.
(T)he Illinois Department of Public Health will provide state funding to the 28 local clinics that normally receive Title X money through the agency, making up for an estimated $2.4 million in federal dollars they otherwise stand to lose for the rest of the fiscal year, Pritzker said.
* Illinois Republican Party spokesman Joe Hackler sent out this statement late yesterday afternoon while I was out of the office…
Notwithstanding aggressive obfuscation in the Pritzker administration’s PR surrounding this decision, the truth is really quite clear.
In a state struggling financially, Governor Pritzker would rather turn away federal money funding life saving non-abortion related medical care for women and girls because of his unrivaled zeal for forced taxpayer funding of abortions.
This episode highlights exactly how extreme Illinois is in dealing with abortion. Our state now allows abortion for almost any reason up until the moment of birth and taxpayers who find this unconscionable, must pay for the procedures. Despite this policy being wildly out of step with the public’s views, the Governor is willing to forgo millions of federal money for women’s health and defy a court ruling in order to preserve it.
* I asked the Reproductive Health Act sponsor Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) for a response…
It is disappointing to see an entire political party seek to deny critical health care to women across Illinois. This tired rhetoric is factually wrong and just bad policy. These funds support care for women that protects their health and advances families. My Republican friends in Illinois have not been helped by blindly following Trump policies. They might want to consider that reality in this moment.
The Trump administration is considering backtracking on an announcement this week that immediately required federally funded family planning centers to follow new rules banning referrals for abortion, amid widespread confusion among clinics about the changes.
A federal health official overseeing the family planning program told more than 200 leaders of reproductive health organizations gathered this week in Washington that she wanted to give them 60 days to comply with the rules and that federal lawyers were reviewing the idea, according to three participants in the closed meeting and others who were told afterward.
Those comments Thursday, by Department of Health and Human Services official Diane Foley at a conference for recipients of the family planning grants, created new turmoil in the administration’s efforts to restrict the program known as Title X, a government program that started in 1970 and pays for reproductive health services for about 4 million poor women and girls annually.
* These guys don’t mess around. And now I’m curious what the next escalation is gonna look like…
Gov. Pritzker and AG Raoul Issue Statements on Sterigenics
Stress Risks to Health and Safety of Willowbrook Residents of Continuing Litigation
Statement from Governor JB Pritzker:
“Leader Durkin and other local leaders in the General Assembly were the drafters of Senate Bill 1852, the legislation that imposes the strongest controls on ethylene oxide in the nation. My office made it clear to the legislators that I was – and remain – willing to sign the strongest possible legislation that they can pass. I share the community’s concerns and their health and safety is my top priority. This morning, I spoke with Leader Durkin and I emphasized, based on conversations with the Attorney General, the potential danger to the health and safety of the residents of Willowbrook involved in further litigation, which would not have achieved the same level of protection as the consent order. Leader Durkin seemed to indicate that there were deficiencies in the legislation written by himself and other local leaders in the General Assembly that helped inform the consent order. At this time, the only option remaining is for Leader Durkin to propose new legislation that will fix the perceived shortcomings of the legislation that he sponsored and worked to pass. I made it clear to Leader Durkin this morning that, if he requests it, I will call a special session of the legislature to allow for an immediate vote on a bill that is constitutional and will fix the perceived shortcomings of the legislation he previously sponsored.”
Statement from Attorney General Kwame Raoul:
“As Attorney General, it is my responsibility to enforce laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly, and I applaud Leader Durkin, Rep. Mazzochi, Sen. Curran, and all the lawmakers who worked diligently to craft and pass the strict standards in Senate Bill 1852. The consent order my office filed jointly with the DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin imposes every emissions reduction requirement of the new law and goes further. Under the new law, emissions reduction requirements are not effective until Dec. 18 – under the consent order, Sterigenics will not be able to reopen until it is able to meet those requirements. The suggestion that continuing the litigation over the seal order would provide greater protection to residents is inaccurate and uninformed. The very real risk that continued litigation could result in Sterigenics being able to reopen before installing any new emissions controls – while still operating under its existing permit that authorized it to emit 36,400 pounds of EtO per year – was unacceptable. The new law imposes new certification requirements, but, through litigation, Sterigenics attempted to exploit a loophole in the law to avoid those requirements. Through the consent order, we eliminated that loophole. Sterigenics will now always be subject to the certification requirements that area legislators insisted be included in the law. The final result is that, combined with the Matt Haller Act, the consent order ensures that Sterigenics will not reopen unless and until it installs new emissions controls that will reduce its emissions to no more than 85 pounds of EtO per year. Our office has met with legislators, local officials, and representatives from the community to explain how the consent order implements current law and provides additional enforcement tools, and we will continue to address questions.”
…Adding… These folks have not been happy with Pritzker over the Sterigenics consent order, but they’ve bought into the governor’s move here…
*** UPDATE *** House Republican Leader Jim Durkin…
As I told Gov. Pritzker today, the legislation supported by the Illinois Environmental Council is not the problem. Unfortunately, Gov. Pritzker and his regulators are willing to fast track the reopening of Sterigenics by entering into a settlement agreement with the corporate polluter to lift the seal order. If the Governor is not happy with the legislation he signed into law, I recommend he introduce his own legislation in the General Assembly and call a special session to take it up for consideration.
I stand by my legislation which was signed into law by the Governor.
* Sen. Andy Manar told me this evening that he and Sen. Julie Morrison told Land of Lincoln Goodwill today “we were ready to use our committee subpoena authority for their records”…
Today, Sharon Durbin, President & CEO of Land of Lincoln Goodwill submitted her resignation to the Board of Directors. The Board accepted her resignation, which is effective immediately. The Board also appointed Ron Culves, current Vice President of Finance, as the nonprofit’s interim CEO.
Land of Lincoln Goodwill’s Board is strongly committed to our mission, to our 400 employees and to those individuals with disabilities, veterans, at-risk youth, ex-offenders and those seeking job training assistance that we serve. The Board fully intends to seek out a strong, compassionate leader for our Goodwill organization who can energize our employees, expand our mission and who can provide the mission-driven leadership necessary to positively impact thousands of lives each year in central Illinois.
Goodwill’s Board of Directors thanked Sharon for her 13 years of service to the organization, noting her many accomplishments and the overall growth of the nonprofit and the number of people served during her tenure.
Former State Rep. Jeanne Ives has filed a statement of candidacy with the FEC for #IL06 setting up a potential Republican primary with former Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti.https://t.co/3tqq7Y7M0r
Remember how we said Evelyn Sanguinetti’s week couldn’t get any worse after she got outraised 7-to-1 by Rep. Casten in her first fundraising quarter? Apparently we were wrong.
After weeks of speculation, far-right conservative Jeanne Ives officially filed for Congress today in the 6th District – apparently Sanguinetti’s paltry fundraising haul couldn’t scare her off.
After Sanguinetti’s ticket barely survived a brutal challenge by Ives in the 2018 Republican primary, expect another toxic race to the conservative fringes this cycle in a district that President Trump lost by seven points. Sanguinetti has already endorsed President Trump’s re-election, so who knows to what extremes Ives will drag her to over the course of a contentious primary.
“Today’s announcement sets the stage for a brutal race to the conservative extreme in the 6th District between a floundering Evelyn Sanguinetti and a far-right wing Jeanne Ives,” said DCCC spokesperson Mike Gwin. “While Ives and Sanguinetti battle it out over who can bear-hug President Trump the hardest, Sean Casten will remain focused on delivering for middle-class Illinois families by working to keep down the cost of health care and lowering taxes for homeowners.”
In a statement the Sanguinetti campaign said, “We welcome Jeanne to the race and look forward to showing why Evelyn is the conservative with the best chance to beat Casten.”
Planned Parenthood of Illinois is prepared to forgo more than $3 million in federal funds following the Trump administration’s Monday announcement that it will begin enforcing grant restrictions.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ new rule bars family-planning clinics that perform abortions, or refer patients for abortions, from accepting federal family-planning program funds known as Title X. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently decided not to block the administration from enforcing the so-called gag rule.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois has been preparing for such a rule since President Donald Trump took office, spokeswoman Julie Lynn said.
“There are emergency funds in place, but they won’t be around forever,” she added. “And private donations would never be able to supplement what we’re able to provide with Title X.”
State Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-East Dundee, said he expects that to see more state funding for Planned Parenthood of Illinois after Democrats passed a number of policies to protect abortion rights. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he wants Illinois to be the most progressive state for reproductive rights.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker announced Thursday that the State of Illinois will refuse to implement the Trump administration’s Title X gag rule. The gag rule holds hostage federal funding for contraception for low-income women unless providers refuse to refer or provide abortion services along with other reproductive health care.
The State of Illinois will forgo Title X funding from the federal government while the gag rule remains in effect. Instead, the Illinois Department of Public Health will provide funding to the current 28 grantees, an estimated $2.4 million in federal funding, if the gag rule remains in place for the duration of the fiscal year. As we move forward, the state remains committed to the multi-state lawsuit to permanently overturn this damaging rule.
“President Trump’s gag rule undermines women’s health care and threatens the providers that millions of women and girls rely on, and we will not let that stand in the state of Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Under my administration, Illinois will always stand with women and protect their fundamental right to choose. While I’m committed to bringing as many federal dollars to the state as possible, I refuse to sacrifice our values and allow vital care to lapse. In this state, we trust women to make their own health care decisions and will guarantee access to reproductive health care for all of our residents.”
Title X provides a holistic portfolio of critical preventive health services, including HIV prevention and testing, breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment, and reproductive health care for thousands of low-income, uninsured and underinsured Illinois residents and families each year. It’s estimated in Illinois that nearly 773,000 women of reproductive age are in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies.
…Adding… Colleen Connell, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois…
We applaud Governor JB Pritzker for his announcement that the State of Illinois will use state funds to cover health care previously supported by Title X funding from the federal government.
The Governor’s action today protects thousands of women from Zion to Carbondale – and everywhere between in Illinois – who depend on health care funded by Title X funds. Local health departments, health centers, school-based health centers, Planned Parenthood clinics and hospitals all rely on these funds to insure their patients have access to a full range of health care. These caregivers provide critical treatment for many, and reduce incidents of unintended pregnancy across our state. In other words, they provide patient-centered care.
Ignoring the real need for this health care for Illinois women, the Trump Administration has politicized this life-saving health care, placing unnecessary and dangerous restrictions on how grantees under Title X can utilize this funding. We thank Governor JB Pritzker for acting swiftly to protect all women in Illinois – ensuring that the same level of funding for women’s health care will be available in the Land of Lincoln without the strings attached by Donald Trump.
As we cheer this step forward in our state, we will not cease resisting the Trump Administration’s efforts to trade women’s health care for partisan political support. In the courts and in the Congress, we will continue to advocate for removing the limits on how doctors and nurses provide health care. This dangerous policy must be reversed.
…Adding… Jennifer Welch, President and CEO Planned Parenthood of Illinois…
We are grateful to Governor Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ezike for their decision to not accept Title X family planning funding as long as the ‘gag rule’ is in place. The relationship between a patient and their doctor is based on trust and honesty; the gag rule violates that trust and puts patients’ health at risk. Governor Pritzker is, once again, standing up to the Trump-Pence administration because access to health care such as cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and treatment, and other family planning services should be available to anyone who needs them regardless of their ability to pay.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois is committed to providing every patient who walks through our doors with the information and care they need to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. We are glad that the Illinois Department of Public Health is joining Planned Parenthood of Illinois in rejecting the grant because the gag rule is unethical. We look forward to working with the Governor’s office to ensure everyone in Illinois has family planning services available to them, no matter what.
Attorneys for the victims who have been sickened because they lived close to Sterigenics, a Willowbrook medical equipment sterilization company, spoke out on Thursday after the Attorney General’s Office and the DuPage County State’s Attorney submitted a consent order agreement with Sterigenics in the Dupage County Circuit Court that could allow Sterigenics to reopen its doors for the first time since being shut down on February 15.
The reopening was agreed upon by the Attorney General’s Office despite strong push back from the community and elected leaders. Sterigenics was shut down after authorities found it has long been emitting dangerous levels of the cancer-causing chemical ethylene oxide, used to sterilize medical equipment. Medical professionals agree and studies have shown that there is no safe level of ethylene oxide.
“This $300,000 slap on the wrist that the Attorney General’s Office has negotiated to repay the people of Willowbrook and the surrounding communities for years of Sterigenics’ illegal behavior isn’t enough to cover the funeral expenses of the innocent victims of this company,” said attorney Antonio Romanucci of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, one of the law firms advocating for the victims of Sterigenics in a class action lawsuit. “Sterigenics say that we can only have sterilized medical equipment if we are willing to continue to risk the lives and health of those in the Willowbrook community. We know that ethylene oxide causes cancer. We know that it is unsafe at any level. We know that Sterigenics exposed tens of thousands of people, including elementary, middle and high school students and teachers who studied across the street, to ethylene oxide for years and never told them or gave them the chance to protect themselves. Sterigenics has forfeited the right to be in business anywhere, least of all Willowbrook. If they want to continue to sterilize medical products they must now turn to one of the many safer ways to do it or leave this community.”
Victims suing Sterigenics for exposing them to elevated cancer risks though improper ethylene oxide emission control were shocked at the sudden move by the Attorney General’s office. It came just two days after the Food and Drug Administration announced a 2019 innovation challenge, which called for ideas for sterilization alternatives to ethylene oxide that the FDA would help develop. The FDA put forward the challenge in response to the groundbreaking ethylene regulating legislation of the Matt Haller Act, which passed in May in Illinois–a law which advocates thought would shut down Sterigenics for good.
“We are disappointed with this decision to go against the community’s wishes and the years medical and scientific consensus that ethylene oxide is harmful to inhale in any amount. No matter what papers they sign, Sterigenics and will put more lives in danger if they reopen,” said Colleen Haller, widow to Matt Haller, who passed away from stomach cancer earlier this year. “If they want to continue to be in the medical sterilization business, they can do it elsewhere or use any of the alternatives that the FDA and other groups have discussed. There are safer alternatives out there. People’s lives are at risk.”
“Sterigenics has had years to consider safer alternatives, but instead chose to use a deadly carcinogen and emit it into the atmosphere. Even during these last five months that they have been closed, they’ve had an opportunity to consider alternatives that would allow them to continue their operations without poisoning thousands,” said attorney Steve Hart of Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, who also represents Sterigenics victims. “The continued disregard for the community, and the reckless abandon with which Sterigenics continues to push their narrative of needing to use this cancer causing chemical leave only one safe alternative: find a new location to conduct your business away from schools, homes, and thousands of residents, including children. The community has made it abundantly clear they do not want Sterigenics in their backyard any longer. If ethylene oxide is going to continue to be your trade, consider the health of thousands of residents and go elsewhere.”
The consent order has nothing to do with those civil cases.
It’s also interesting that there’s no mention of DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin, who jointly filed the motion to enter a consent order with Sterigenics and who was quoted as saying this yesterday…
“The consent decree entered into today should in no way be considered a license for Sterigenics to reopen,” Berlin said. “The decree will govern Sterigenics going forward and in doing so goes above and beyond the most restrictive regulations in the country placed upon businesses that use EtO in their operations.”
* Rep. Mazzochi didn’t mention Berlin, either…
A standing-room-only crowd showed up for the latest court call in the People of the State of Illinois v. Sterigenics today. State Representative Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) appeared to defend the goals and intent of legislation the General Assembly enacted to combat the adverse effects of ethylene oxide. Representative Mazzochi spoke at a news conference on the DuPage County courthouse steps opposing the State of Illinois’ proposed consent decree with Sterigenics. The decree would allow the company’s medical device sterilization plant in Willowbrook to reopen without the company admitting any fault; and even though the Illinois EPA ordered the facility closed in February citing excessive emissions of ethylene oxide (EO), which is considered carcinogenic.
“The holes in this consent agreement are big enough for Sterigenics to drive a truck through,” Rep. Mazzochi said. “In the Matt Haller Act we passed this spring, legislators gave the regulators the tools they need to protect communities from unhealthy ethylene oxide emissions. I am disappointed Attorney General Kwame Raoul caved in to Sterigenics by signing this agreement without first addressing the serious public health and environmental safety that local families require; and with no meaningful notice or input to the stakeholders involved.” Sterigenics attorneys proposed to the court that once the court entered this consent decree, that would “moot” local municipalities’ efforts to stop Sterigenics pollution and fight nuisance claims. Mazzochi disagreed. “This fight is not over. The next step is to vigorously oppose the current proposed consent agreement in court.”
The Attorney General’s office withheld the terms of the agreement from state representatives until after it was signed. Rep. Mazzochi, an attorney, pointed to several loopholes that Sterigenics could use to reopen immediately, while avoiding the additional oversight and layers of environmental protection the latest legislation requires, which she declared “unacceptable.” Mazzochi also reiterated that “neither the Attorney General’s Office nor the Illinois EPA have released findings contradicting their original Seal Order claim that Sterigenics posed an environmental and public health threat. The Attorney General’s action signals his unwillingness to defend the original seal order finding that Sterigenics is an environmental health hazard, and to fight to keep our local residents safe.”
A court hearing on the state’s consent agreement to reopen Sterigenics is scheduled for Wednesday, July 24 at the DuPage County Courthouse. Rep. Mazzochi intends to file a “friend of the court” brief to discuss the legislative intent that prompted the passage of Senate Bill 1852, known as the Matt Haller Act, to prohibit the renewal of any permits for facilities that violate federal or state standards for ethylene oxide emissions; and which prohibits ethylene oxide use by facilities with egregious violations requiring a seal order.
The AG’s office and the DuPage SA maintained yesterday that the proposed consent order follows the new state law.
The FBI has raided the downstate home of a high-powered former Springfield lobbyist who for decades served as one of House Speaker Michael Madigan’s closest confidants, the Chicago Tribune has learned.
The raid of Mike McClain’s home in Quincy took place in mid-May, around the same time the FBI executed search warrants at the homes of two other Madigan associates — former 23rd Ward Ald. Michael Zalewski and political operative Kevin Quinn, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.
It’s unclear what agents were looking for when they searched McClain’s house in Quincy, which is about 100 miles west of Springfield along the Mississippi River.
But the search warrant indicates that federal investigators are probing connections to possible criminal acts by some in Madigan’s inner circle. To obtain a search warrant, federal law enforcement must convince a judge there is probable cause to believe a crime has been committed and that evidence of that crime exists in the home.
McClain, 71, who retired in 2016 after years as a top Capitol lobbyist, declined to comment in an emailed response to the Tribune on Wednesday.
There can be no doubt that the G has its sights set on Madigan.
* US Sens. Sanders and Duckworth reacted to the local Goodwill uproar…
No worker should be told they're lucky to get less than minimum wage. People with disabilities deserve jobs that pay a living wage. It's time to end the subminimum wage and guarantee truly integrated employment opportunities for people with disabilities. https://t.co/km72xDjJW9
Since the 1930s, employers have been able to ask the government for permission to pay people with disabilities less than the minimum wage as a way to get them into the workforce so they can build their skills and obtain more competitive work later. Oftentimes that transition doesn’t happen, however, resulting in wages that amount to only cents per hour.
Opponents view the exemption as archaic and say it’s time to phase it out, while proponents of the status quo fear that people with disabilities will lose work opportunities if that happens. In Illinois, for example, the president and CEO of Land of Lincoln Goodwill told workers with disabilities this week that they would no longer be getting paychecks because the state was moving toward a $15 minimum wage.
Through the waiver, employers are allowed to compensate workers based on their productivity level. For instance, if a worker without a disability is paid minimum wage to hang up 100 articles of clothing an hour, then someone with a disability who hangs up 50 articles of clothing an hour would be paid half the minimum wage.
An estimated 195,000 people are paid less than the minimum wage, and 2,000 employers use the subminimum wage waiver, called Section 14(c), that they obtain through the Department of Labor.
The [federal] Raise the Wage Act would set the subminimum wage at $4.25 within the first year of the bill becoming law, and then gradually increasing it every year for the next six years until it hits $15 an hour.
Pete Roberts, Director of the Springfield Center for Independent Living, didn’t mince words about the news. “It just strikes me as an affront to people with disabilities who are often hired and can perform the essential functions of their job that are often the first people to be laid off by ignorant people.”
Roberts already feels like some of Goodwill’s practices are discriminatory towards disabled workers to begin with. “We are opposed to the sub-minimum wage laws that allow non-profits to pay less than the minimum wage to their employees. We feel that’s wrong. We have situations with people who are performing the same essential functions of a job alongside someone else who gets the minimum wage and they don’t. We feel like that’s a form of discrimination and are opposed to a sub-minimum wage.”
Steven Brundage, Executive Director of Pathway Services in Jacksonville would hope that Goodwill would be making the disabled community a priority. “People with disabilities should be a priority. They should find other ways to cut spending before they take it out on people with disabilities. I’m not exactly sure what their mission statement is but I would hope it would be people with disabilities are a priority.”
Brundage understands Goodwill’s position on having a federal minimum wage waver. He explains the situation that some non-profit organization’s like Pathway and Goodwill face with wages. “Sometimes it’s the only way we can afford to pay people that may have work skills that are very slow or they take a long time to learn a job. It’s the only way we can fiscally afford to offer a job to them.”
State legislators have attempted in the past to do away with the sub-minimum wage, but never succeeded.
Rock River Valley Self Help Enterprises, an Illinois nonprofit, billed itself as a vocational training program for people with disabilities. But it essentially operated as a subcontractor for local factories, providing menial tasks to workers with developmental disabilities, such as scraping debris from metal casts.
Last week, the Department of Labor took action against the company “after finding nearly 250 workers with disabilities were being exploited.” One of the ways they were being exploited? Self Help paid some workers with gift cards instead of money. […]
In addition to sometimes paying workers in gift cards, Self Help also paid them less than the minimum wage. Paying workers with disabilities in gift cards is unlawful; paying them a subminimum wage is legal. That’s because current law allows employers to pay as little as $1 per hour, or less, to workers with disabilities if they can’t perform a job as well as a person who is not disabled
* The Question: Should Illinois phase out the sub-minimum wage for workers with disabilities? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
Council members were offered the options to begin the process of amending zoning code to allow retail sale of adult-use cannabis, prepare documentation for the city to opt out of the sale, or administer a community engagement survey to get resident input.
Stores selling recreational marijuana will not be permitted to open in Naperville, city council members decided in a split vote, saying they want to protect their family-friendly brand and await data on how adult use affects communities.
“We have a great community here and we need to keep the protection of it paramount,” council member Kevin Coyne said.
The move makes Naperville among the first suburban communities to ban sales of the drug, which will be legal for adult possession and private use across the state beginning Jan. 1 under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
Council member Patty Gustin on Tuesday sent an email to contacts encouraging them to speak out and said she fears the costs of increased addiction as well as the potential for “big marijuana” to profit from legal sales.
Prohibiting sales, she said, will safeguard Naperville’s families, and losing potential tax revenue won’t hurt the city’s bottom line.
“The true cost is not opting out and sitting on our hands until this is forced upon us,” she said during more than two hours of debate on the topic Tuesday night. “There’s no dollar amount worth selling out our kids.”
Um, your kids are gonna buy it from dealers who don’t check ID cards. The more towns that allow sales, the more pressure is put on the illegal and often violent criminal networks which grow, transport and deliver the product.
* The argument that a couple of dispensaries will kill “the brand” is ridic…
“There is nothing family friendly about recreational marijuana. Family friendly is Naperville’s brand,” resident Jennifer Taylor said.
Councilwoman Brodhead countered that position, saying a handful of marijuana businesses would be unlikely to have any effect on people’s perception of the city.
“I don’t see there is going to be any loss of brand by allowing a limited number of recreational marijuana dispensaries in Naperville,” Brodhead said. “I think we are afraid of something that will not happen.”
The city looks at alcohol in a very serious way, particularly in times when it had to deal with such negatives as bar fights and DUI accidents, but there’s still a lot of alcohol sold in Naperville, she said.
I thought I was finished dealing with the misinformation on this topic when the GA passed the bill. Apparently not. Ignorance and panic abound.
…Adding… A golden nugget from comments…
So, let me see if I’ve got this right. Naperville won’t partake of the tax dollars of legal marijuana, but it will be legal there, so residents will spend their money elsewhere. Good plan.
Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder said with a medical dispensary already operating in the city, he expects city alderman to find the best place to allow recreational sales.
“What’s that right number of dispensary areas and that’s what we’ll have to determine,” Langfelder said. “We’ll at least have one for the first year. After that, that’s where we’ll really fine-tune things and see how it’s working.”
Existing medical dispensaries can apply for licenses to sell recreational cannabis. The state will then roll out more licenses for additional growing and selling licenses to other applicants.
Langfelder said city leaders will likely be cautious.
“We don’t want the proliferation like video gaming, everywhere,” Langfelder said. “And that’s really the concern. I was at the Levitt [AMP] Concert Series [an outdoor concert in downtown Springfield] and I could smell it in the air so I think people are already testing it out.”
Yeah. People are just now starting to smoke weed. Right.
* Springfield-area politicos have been saying the same thing since at least 1938…
Sangamon County resisted “reefer madness,” but marijuana finally arrived in Springfield in 1938.
“Brilliant raids” by two Springfield police detectives resulted in the arrests of three men — two locals and one from Youngstown, Ohio — on Aug. 6, 1938, the Illinois State Journal reported the next day. The officers seized “enough marijuana to manufacture more than a thousand of the cigarets that are proving a plague to some of the youth of the nation,” the newspaper said.
The bust seems to have been the first ever in Sangamon County. In fact, county juvenile probation officer Gwendolen Sherman told the Journal in December 1937 she had seen no evidence of marijuana being used locally.
“If there is any marijuana in Springfield, it’s certainly well hidden,” Sherman said.
* That SJ-R lede was totally wrong as well. From the Sangamon County Historical Society…
Marijuana had been a component of some prescription and patent medicines before passage of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which regulated and taxed marijuana and other forms of Cannabis sativa. The law drove use of psychoactive marijuana underground; it also basically destroyed the production of industrial hemp (which does not have intoxicating properties) in the U.S.
The new costs and red tape led Springfield pharmacists to stop using marijuana in medicines they compounded almost immediately, the Journal reported in November 1937.
In the early 1900s an influx of Mexican immigrants came to the US fleeing political unrest in their home country. With them, they brought the practice of smoking cannabis recreationally. And it took off. The Spanish word for the plant started to be used more often too. Marijuana. Or as it was spelled at that time, marihuana, with an “H. This is when the more sensational headlines about the drug began to appear.
In 1936, a propaganda film called Reefer Madness was released. In the movie, teenagers smoke weed for the first time and this leads to a series of horrific events involving hallucination, attempted rape, and murder. Much of the media portrayed it as a gateway drug. […]
Harry Anslinger took the scientifically unsupported idea of marijuana as a violence-inducing drug, connected it to black and Hispanic people, and created a perfect package of terror to sell to the American media and public. By emphasizing the Spanish word marihuana instead of cannabis, he created a strong association between the drug and the newly arrived Mexican immigrants who helped popularize it in the States. He also created a narrative around the idea that cannabis made black people forget their place in society. He pushed the idea that jazz was evil music created by people under the influence of marijuana. […]
In the first full year after the Marihuana Tax Act was passed, black people were about three times more likely to be arrested for violating narcotic drug laws than whites. And Mexicans were nearly nine times more likely to be arrested for the same charge.
The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the firm that will reassess the distribution of state funds among SIU Carbondale, SIU Edwardsville and the SIU School of Medicine.
AGB Consulting, a subsidiary of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, will start its system-wide funding study “immediately,” according to SIU System Interim President J. Kevin Dorsey.
AGB plans to deliver findings within this fiscal year, which could begin to impact budgeting and funding distribution as soon as next fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2019, Dorsey said. The study will cost the university $97,000.
Calls for such a study have intensified since the Board of Trustees voted 4-3 to reject a controversial transfer of $5.125 million from SIUC to SIUE in April, proposed as compensation for the funding disparity.
Duane Stucky, the board treasurer, said the university system has distributed its state money the same way since about 1975. Meanwhile, the number of students studying at the Edwardsville campus has been growing until it surpassed the flagship campus in Carbondale for the first time this fall. […]
It’s expected to be completed within six months, when the trustees can use it to make a decision about how to dole out state cash for the next fiscal year, officials said in a news conference after the meeting.
* The study was discussed by the board of trustees yesterday…
Instead of an updated mathematical formula indicating what share of state funds each campus should get based on costs, the firm AGB Consulting returned a set of policy recommendations to help the board create its own formula.
To [Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees Chair Phil Gilbert], that feels like a “punt,” he said, dodging the most controversial aspect of the project: quantifying the differences between SIUC and SIUE. […]
Lacking clear mathematical weighting directions from AGB, the board will now “take the bull by the horns,” Gilbert said at Wednesday’s board meeting, creating an ad hoc committee of trustees and administrators to work out a formula.
That places the board right back at the center of a potentially future-altering decision. […]
The board hopes to agree on a weighting formula by its December meeting, Gilbert said, drawing on internal data and the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s annual statewide institutional cost comparisons.
For a while, it felt as though summer had been cancelled in Chicago. Remember that snow in spring? However, beginning on Thursday the temperatures will soar to the high 90s and thunderstorms will make the hot weather even more humid.
The worst of the heat is expected on Friday, but Thursday temperatures will start to rise into the mid-90s. The miserably high temperatures triggered an excessive heat warning, which is in effect until Saturday night. Severe thunderstorms are predicted Thursday morning and Saturday, which won’t provide much relief, but will instead pump up the humidity.
The heat index, which is an estimation of what the temperatures will actually feel like, could hit 104 to 114 each afternoon. A heat warning is issued when the heat index reaches certain dangerous levels—protocols were set after the deadly July 1995 heat wave that killed more than 700 people in Chicago, according to the Tribune.
The Village of Palatine is warning residents to take precautions this week as the area will experience dangerous heat Thursday through Saturday, and possibly into Sunday. According to the Village, Governor JB Pritzker is carrying out his Keep Cool Illinois campaign by making more than 120 state facilities available as cooling centers to provide Illinoisans a place to stay cool and comfortable during the season’s hot days.
According to the National Weather Service in Lincoln, heat indices through Saturday are expected to range from 110 to 112 degrees.
The heat index, said Matt Barnes of the NWS, figures in the air temperature and the amount of humidity in the air.
It is enough, Barnes said, for an excessive heat warning to kick in through Saturday.
The blazing temperatures should be short-lived, Barnes said, with a cold front expected to pass through the area late Saturday evening. There is a chance of thunderstorms late Saturday into Sunday and that will moderate temperatures into the mid to upper 80s, Barnes added.
In the midst of summer’s high temperatures, DeKalb, Winnebago and Boone Counties are ensuring the public is safe in times of extreme heat.
The Rockford City Market is moving many of its vendors inside the market building and under the Rockford City Market Pavilion on Friday due to the ongoing heatwave.
The DeKalb County Health Department is sharing tips to help the public stay cool, hydrated, and informed.
* Click here for the results. Since it’s Morning Consult, keep in mind that its methodology is, shall we say, a bit on the opaque side. All of the numbers are also quite old since the poll was taken from April 1 through June 30.
Anyway, they have Pritzker’s approve/disapprove at 44-35 with 21 percent undecided. He’s +51 with Democrats and -45 with Republicans. Independents split even. His approval rating alone (not net) ranks him 41st in the nation. He ended the first quarter at 40-39, so more people now have an opinion of him.
* Click here for US Senate results. Again, these numbers are old and the methodology is opaque. Durbin’s approval was 40 percent and his disapproval was 35. He was +45 with Democrats, -45 with Republicans and -6 with indies. His first quarter rating was 50-34, so he has declined.
