Parents and students rallied at the Capitol today to remove the masks from children. I was proud to stand with them in support of our children, their mental health, and education. Other states are having success dropping the masks and it’s past time Illinois did the same. pic.twitter.com/hWN9SRHTF2
— Darren Bailey for Governor (@DarrenBaileyIL) May 18, 2021
I really don’t get those people.
* But let’s zoom in…
Won’t get the vax, won’t wear a mask. Yeah, that’s a great coalition to build when running for governor. /s
When James McIntyre advocates for queer kids facing abuse and neglect in the state’s foster care system, he draws on painful personal experience of his own time in the system—and the abuse he endured. McIntyre was only three years old when his parents’ drug use and neglect forced Illinois child protection authorities to place him and his four siblings in foster care. A couple eventually adopted him and two siblings years later, but that home wasn’t the solace he was promised.
He tells the Reader that after he turned seven years old, his adoptive mother would beat and starve him. And her biological son raped him for years. After escaping that home by feigning mental illness, McIntrye says he was shuffled between foster homes until he turned 21 and aged out of the system.
Amid all the trauma and abuse, McIntyre says being gay made his circumstances even worse. From the state’s Department of Children and Family Services, from foster agencies, and from foster families themselves, he says he was routinely told to hide the fact that he was gay. “Being gay was seen as a safety risk,” he says. “And so instead, they force the gay kids in the closet and say, ‘We don’t have any gay kids.’ Because then it would be seen as an unsafe situation to acknowledge that one of their kids is gay.”
In February, the state’s auditor general reported that the Illinois DCFS failed in myriad ways to adequately care for LBGTQ+ kids. The report found “a lack of reliable and consistent information regarding LGBTQ youth in the care of the department'’ and “a lack of monitoring and oversight of private agency compliance” with its policies and procedures related to LGBTQ+ youth. […]
The 16 recommendations in the auditor’s report mostly target the agency’s lack of enforcement and oversight of its policies related to LGBTQ+ youth, known as Appendix K. But the report also states that the agency has no formal process for identifying LGBTQ+ youth, with housing placement practices being similarly opaque. […]
In a statement provided to the Reader, the agency said that it has taken “aggressive measures to improve the services and care provided to LGBTQI+ youth since the time period covered by this audit.” A representative for the department says the audit additionally doesn’t reflect the current state of the department, as it uses data mostly from 2017 and 2018.
* OK, but have things improved since then? I asked the Illinois ACLU’s Ed Yohnka that question…
Generally I would say that the experiences of most LGBTQ youth in care have not significantly improved over the time we have been investigating their experiences – since 2017. We acknowledge DCFS has done some work to address this population’s needs since the time of the audit, but that work has not yet translated into any better experiences for young people in state care.
*** UPDATE *** DCFS…
The Department of Children and Family Services, under its current leadership, has taken aggressive measures to improve the services and care provided to LGBTQI+ youth since the time period covered by this audit. The progress is outlined in our audit responses, and DCFS continues to work diligently to provide resources and guidance to its staff and external partners to ensure that we meet the needs of this vulnerable population.
Background…
As part of our commitment to providing services across the state, DCFS has created a new hiring plan and is working to fill every vacancy as quickly as possible. The newly created position of Chief for LGBTQI+ Services has recently been filled.
This audit was conducted in 2019 using data primarily from 2017 and 2018.
Recent efforts include maintaining and expanding a list of providers, agencies, and organizations across the state that are available to meet the needs of LGBTQI+ youth. These providers include affirming therapists, LGBTQI+ organizations and agencies, and health care professionals that provide gender-affirming hormone therapy.
In June 2020, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Clinical Division and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion began a coordinated effort to expand programmatic support for LGBTQI+ youth in care.
The Clinical Division completes staffing and consultations, while providing clinical recommendations regarding interventions, resources, and resource linkages for the youth in care.
The DEI LGBTQI+ Services team is addressing competency training needs and recruitment of affirming caregivers, continuing to build resources, and investigating all claims of discrimination as it relates to our LGBTQI+ youth and their families.
The Clinical Division and DEI are working closely together to ensure that DCFS is following best practices for LGBTQI+ youth and their families.
The Illinois Senate is gearing up for a debate over a package of ethics reforms, possibly as early as this week, but it’s one that Republicans say doesn’t go far enough.
Senate Bill 4, which moved out of the Senate Ethics Committee on April 21, is a package written largely by legislative Democrats that would enact new rules governing lobbying, campaign fundraising, who can serve on political committees and the operations of the General Assembly. […]
That bill reportedly has been the subject of negotiations between the chairs of the Senate and House ethics committees, Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, and Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park. But Gillespie indicated Monday that further changes may be made before the bill comes up for a vote. […]
Senate Republicans, however, argued in a news conference Monday that while the Democrats’ bill has some good reforms, it falls short of the kind of ethics legislation that they say Illinois needs.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, from June 6 , 2021 through July 10, 2021, a retail licensee may offer a single drink of alcoholic liquor at no cost to a customer as part of a publicly advertised promotion to encourage participation in any COVID-19 vaccination program if the customer provides proof of COVID-19 vaccination received at any time. Drinks may be provided under this Section only from 12 p.m. through 10 p.m.
House Speaker Chris Welch has signed on as a co-sponsor of the underlying bill.
* This Republican-sponsored Senate bill (Anderson) had its deadline extended to May 21st by the Democrats and then yesterday the Democrats agreed to waive the posting requirements so it could be heard in committee today…
Amends the Fireworks Regulation Act of Illinois. Provides that the storage, possession, sale, and use of nonfireworks shall be permitted at all times throughout the State. Requires regulation of nonfireworks, including their storage and sale, to be consistent with the standards set forth in the National Fire Protection Association’s Code for the Manufacture, Transportation, Storage and Retail Sales of Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles, 2006 edition. Provides that the amendatory provisions do not apply to the City of Chicago. Defines “nonfireworks”.
When a West Side preschooler was banned by his school from wearing his hair in braids, his mother resolved to take a stand against the school’s hair policy.
Though the school, Providence St. Mel, has not backed down, the family’s fight to wear their Black hair with pride has inspired a state bill that would bar schools from discriminating against students based on their hairstyle.
The bill drafted by Sen. Mike Simmons (7th) with the Illinois State Board of Education would require schools to remove any language from their policies and handbooks that prohibits students from wearing Black hairstyles. The bill was overwhelmingly approved by the state Senate last week and will now move to the House.
High-profile incidents of schools and workplaces cracking down on Black hairstyles — including one in North Carolina last week where a softball player was forced to cut her hair during a game — have pushed more states to pass laws to ban hair discrimination. California, New York and New Jersey were the first states to adopt versions of the CROWN Act — Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair — and several other states have adopted or considered similar measures.
* Other stuff…
* At long last, a new Illinois energy bill is likely imminent
* They all eventually masked up when called out for their House rules violation by Democrats…
Most House members are still wearing masks, except for a few Republicans. Ironically, they’re the same group that sent a letter to MLB teams protesting vaccination zones in stadiums because they might “stigmatize” unvaccinated people. pic.twitter.com/wsmmgldsqU
A year ago experts predicted that one-third of the restaurants in America might close in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. Chef and activist Tom Colicchio said the number of casualties could go as high as 75%.
New data from the National Restaurant Association, a Washington-based industry group, found that 90,000 restaurants across the U.S. have closed permanently or long-term. That’s less than 14% of the country’s restaurants. It’s lower than the 110,000 figure reported by the association in December, when the executive vice president for public affairs, Sean Kennedy, described the industry’s status as “an economic free fall.”
While that’s still disastrous compared with the 50,000 restaurants that shutter in a typical year, the most dire scenarios were averted thanks to such initiatives as government loans like the Paycheck Protection Program and changes in local restrictions.
* The mayor announces the return of Lollapalooza. Warning: You will not get these two minutes back…
🚨NEWS🚨 @chicagosmayor & @lollapalooza organizers are thrilled to announce that the world class festival will return to Grant Park at full capacity July 29-August 1, 2021.
Full COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results will be required to attend Lollapalooza. pic.twitter.com/mrG5TuXqbm
When Gov. J.B. Pritzker eased statewide mask requirements Monday, many businesses in Chicago, where the mask rule remains in place, were still scrambling to figure out how to respond to last week’s updated guidance from federal health officials.
Some businesses worried they would face more pushback from customers who took new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as permission to visit barefaced. Others were wary of prying into customers’ vaccination status.
“There was no warning, and it put us in a position where we had to plan for it immediately,” Julia Steiner, a bookseller at The Book Cellar in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood, said shortly before the governor’s announcement.
After the CDC released its guidance, The Book Cellar posted signs and messages on social media saying masks would be required until further notice. The store wanted to make sure everyone is able to browse, including kids who aren’t yet eligible for the vaccine and those with health conditions who can’t get vaccinated, Steiner said.
* Other stories…
* Constable: Are those who don’t wear masks vaccinated or … ‘the other’?: “In horror and science fiction there is the thing called ‘the other.’ Things that threaten to change us,’” explains Dann Gire, the legendary film critic and a founding director and past president of the Chicago Film Critics Association. Gire thinks this column’s premise merits four stars, but, as with some films, he might give the end result a two-star rating. “The other” can take the form of zombies, aliens, robots, insanity or just death, but there are worse things than death. “It’s much worse to be assimilated and become ‘the other,’” Gire says.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
From OSF HealthCare’s new OnCall building in Peoria, healthcare professionals manage telehealth services across the system’s 14 hospitals and in its primary and specialty care offices. Catapulted by the pandemic, telehealth can address health inequities and disparities.
Jennifer Junis, senior vice president of OSF OnCall Digital Health, told WCBU that telehealth can be particularly helpful in rural areas where distance may limit access to care. As part of its telehealth efforts, OSF HealthCare deployed hotspot tablets in rural households that lack WiFi or internet.
To reduce barriers and improve patient outcomes, the Coalition to Protect Telehealth urges the Senate to pass House Bill 3498. This bipartisan legislation, passed unanimously in the House, will ensure Illinoisans continue to have access to innovative telehealth services after the pandemic.
UnityPlace in Peoria offers virtual psychiatric appointments, substance use disorder treatment and group therapy. UnityPlace President Dr. Ted Bender told WCBU it was clear when the pandemic began that remote treatment options would become more common.
“I think it’s here to stay, and I think it’s a great thing,” Dr. Bender said. “It’s going to improve access, which in mental health is the key to everything.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,495 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 21 additional deaths.
Coles County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s
Cook County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 50s, 2 females 60s, 2 males 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 3 males 80s, 1 female 90s
Peoria County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s
Tazewell County: 1 male 80s
Will County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
Winnebago County: 1 male 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,368,709 cases, including 22,466 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 58,222 specimens for a total of 23,904,959. As of last night, 1,503 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 407 patients were in the ICU and 234 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 11-17, 2021 is 2.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from May 11-17, 2021 is 2.8%.
A total of 10,433,777 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 56,593 doses. Yesterday, 25,936 doses were reported administered in Illinois. The server pharmacies use was experiencing delays and some doses administered at pharmacies are missing from yesterday’s number. The issue looks to be resolved and those doses are expected to be included with tomorrow’s data.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
The Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus endorsed on Monday a long-stalled plan to put an elected board of Chicago residents in charge of the Chicago Police Department, joining the City Council’s two other major caucuses in a revolt against Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Eight months ago, Lightfoot promised to introduce her own plan for an elected board to oversee the CPD after she dropped her support for the measure crafted by a coalition of community organizations under the umbrella of the Grassroots Association for Police Accountability, known as GAPA, saying it would limit her ability to keep the city safe.
Lightfoot has yet to do introduce her own plan despite telling reporters for months it was on the verge of being introduced. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WTTW News on Monday afternoon.
Lightfoot’s decision to drop her support of GAPA put her at odds with several of her allies on the Chicago City Council, and ultimately led to supporters of GAPA joining forces with the supporters of a competing proposal known as CPAC to craft a compromise measure known as Empowering Communities for Public Safety.
They now apparently have enough combined votes to override a mayoral veto. So, she could wind up with an elected school board and an elected police board - two promises she made and then backtracked on.
Under the compromise, Chicago voters in the 2022 primary would be asked to approve a binding referendum empowering a civilian police oversight commission to hire and fire the police superintendent, negotiate police contracts and set CPD’s budget.
Lightfoot would lose the power to hire and fire the police superintendent. Her Law Department and hand-picked negotiators would lose the power to negotiate police contracts.
And Lightfoot and aldermen would be stripped of the power they now hold to establish the CPD budget, ceding that power as well to an 11-member civilian oversight commission that would have nine elected commissioners and two mayoral appointees.
Even if voters reject the binding referendum, the 11-member commission would have the final say in disputes over police policy unless two-thirds of the Council decides otherwise. The commission also would be empowered to take a vote of no-confidence in the superintendent and hire and fire the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. […]
“I wear the jacket, as every mayor does, for violence in this city, for crime in this city. And the notion that we’re gonna outsource that to someone else and have no responsibility — no ability to impact this — I don’t know anybody who thinks that’s a good idea,” Lightfoot said last month during a conference call with City Hall reporters.
Nobody except a super-majority on the city council, that is.
The operator of a proposed Southeast Side metal-shredding and recycling plant is suing the city for more than $100 million in damages, contending officials have improperly stalled and otherwise gone back on their word to let the facility begin operations.
Southside Recycling contends Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration buckled to political pressure and “repeatedly violated” a 2019 agreement, “as well as its own rules and guidelines.” The 2019 agreement set terms of how the company, then operating as General Iron, would move to a 175-acre site at 11600 S. Burley Ave. from its location near the Clybourn Corridor in Lincoln Park. Read the lawsuit at the bottom of this story.
“Following a two-year zoning, rulemaking and permitting review process, SR built the most environmentally conscious recycling facility in the country and has fully complied—and then some—with every city requirement necessary to be granted an operating permit,” the lawsuit states. “Yet, when it came time for the city to follow its own rules and promises and to award the permit to SR, the city chose to avoid, delay and suspend its review of SR’s permit application.”
The suit asks the U.S. District Court to order the city to issue the final permit needed to open the new facility, on which Southside Recycling says it’s already spent more than $80 million. It also asks for “damages well in excess of $100 million.”
The company’s complaint makes a number of arguments that RMG has repeated for more than year as it addressed objections to the move to the Southeast Side. But it also accuses the city of violating its constitutional rights as a landowner. By not issuing a final permit to operate on its own land, the lawsuit claims, the city “has effectively taken the value of RMG’s property without just compensation.”
“This illegal taking is particularly pronounced because the City lured RMG into permanently ceasing operations at the North Side facility and constructing a new facility on the Southeast Side,” the complaint said.
The Chicago Park District is conducting a “broad investigation” into complaints that dozens of workers at the city’s pools and beaches regularly committed “sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, workplace violence, and other criminal acts” – sometimes against minors.
Confidential reports obtained recently by WBEZ show investigators with the park district inspector general’s office have already gathered evidence corroborating accusations against at least three male lifeguards for sexual assault, harassment or retaliatory threats against their subordinates – including one incident involving the sexual assault and attempted rape of a 16-year-old girl. The park district’s watchdog says its investigation is “wide-ranging, comprehensive and robust,” with more reports to come.
“Where appropriate, I’ve urged them to make referrals to the appropriate criminal law enforcement authorities,” Lightfoot said at an unrelated news conference in the Bronzeville neighborhood.
When asked if police had been contacted by the park district, the mayor replied, “I don’t have specifics on that, but I’m urging them to do that if the investigation determines that criminal conduct has taken place.”
That’s a pretty weak response.
It’s not mentioned in this Tribune story, but why would a parent ever encourage a kid to work as a Chicago lifeguard with that cloud hanging over the Park District?…
Numerous park districts say they’re well behind their lifeguard hiring goals, with dozens of slots left to fill as opening day approaches. The lingering effects of the pandemic have complicated an already difficult task, some managers say, making teens (and their parents) more reluctant to seek the quintessential summer job. […]
The Chicago Park District also faces a dearth of applicants this year. Chief program manager Alonzo Williams, testifying at a City Council committee hearing earlier this month, put some blame on the COVID-induced shutdowns of a lifeguard apprenticeship program for two years running.
Yeah, maybe stop raping girls.
* Related…
* 2 Chicago police officers shot in Lawndale on West Side, officials say: “This is the 29th officer in 2021 with the Chicago Police Department shot at or shot,” Brown said. “The fifth and sixth officers shot in 2021. These totals for the last 15 months are 108 shot at or shot. Sixteen shot in the last 15 months.”
* Getting Hosed: City Offers 91-Year-Old Retired CPS Teacher A “Payment Plan” For A $57,000 Water Bill: Getting Hosed was going to be a single story about a couple billed $58,000 for water they didn’t use. Now, it’s more than two years of chronicling unfair and potentially unlawful water billing practices in Chicago. The CBS 2 Investigators have found the City department whose taxpayer-funded responsibility it is to provide safe, affordable drinking water has utterly failed consumers and undermined our investigative efforts at every turn.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
We can’t have fair maps if those maps aren’t drawn using the full set of detailed Census data. But, due to census delays, Illinois politicians are planning to use outdated, estimated numbers to draw election maps that will last for a decade.
We know those estimates missed tens of thousands of us. We need the next set of election district maps to fully reflect our communities, and the only way that can happen is if those maps are drawn with current, complete Census data to give all our communities accurate and fair representation.
Call Governor Pritzker’s office today to ask that he push lawmakers to seek court permission to delay the process so that the next set of election maps are drawn with COMPLETE Census data, NOT old estimates.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Employers in Illinois provide prescription drug coverage for nearly 6.7 million Illinoisans. In order to help keep care more affordable, employers work with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who deploy a variety of tools to reduce prescription drug costs and help improve health outcomes. In addition to helping employers, PBMs also work with the Illinois Medicaid program in the same way to help control costs. Over the last five years, PBMs have saved the state and taxpayers nearly $340 million.
Today, Illinois faces a multibillion budget shortfall as more Illinoisans are relying on Medicaid to help meet their health care coverage needs. As legislators work to address these challenges, one way to help ensure continued cost savings is by strengthening the PBM tools that the State and employers use, which are poised to save employers, consumers and the State $39 billion over the next 10 years. These are meaningful savings that will help continue to contain costs, ensure consumer access to medicines and drive savings in public health programs.
Amid a pandemic and economic challenges, now is the time to strengthen, not limit, the tools that employers, consumers and the State rely on to manage costs and ensure consumers can access the medicines they need.
Republican state legislators have written to Chicago Cubs and White Sox officials, calling on them to reconsider efforts to separate vaccinated fans from those who aren’t. They’re concerned that separate seating “could stigmatize unvaccinated Illinoisans.”
“We strongly feel that Covid vaccines are a personal medical choice and those that do not receive it should not be excluded or stigmatized… Vaccine passports or solicitation of proof of vaccination should not be a requirement for Illinoisans to enjoy America’s pastime,” according to letters sent to Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer and White Sox President for Baseball Operations Kenny Williams. (They’re the execs concerned about the game on the field, not the butts in seats, but we get the point.)
The letters were signed by GOP Reps. Andrew Chesney, Dan Caulkins, Brad Halbrook, Tony McCombie, Chris Miller, Adam Niemerg, Joe Sosnowski, and Blaine Wilhour.
Spokesmen for the teams say it’s an unnecessary dustup since the special sections end later this month when the capacity level of the stadiums go up from 25 percent to 60 percent, as dictated by the city and state.
* Here’s the letter, which is downright hilarious…
Upon news that the Chicago White Sox will be requiring vaccination credentials to attend certain fan sections of ballgames at Guaranteed Rate Field, we ask for your thoughtful reconsideration of proposals which could stigmatize unvaccinated Illinoisans.
We strongly feel that COVID vaccines are a personal medical choice and those that do not receive it should not be excluded or stigmatized. If you agree, we ask for your intercession with this policy at Guaranteed Rate Field. Vaccine passports or solicitation of proof of vaccination should not be a requirement for Illinoisans to enjoy America’s pastime. Segregation of patrons unwilling or unable to show proof of vaccination would not only be an infringement on the liberties and freedom of Illinoisans, but also a violation of individual medical privacy.
Operation Warp Speed, under President Donald J. Trump, allowed the development of COVID vaccines at a rate we have never seen in world history. These remarkable medical breakthroughs are helping allow Americans to get back to work and are protecting those who are medically able and willing to receive the vaccine. What we cannot permit, though, is disparate treatment of our constituents based on medical treatments. We are deeply troubled by potential stigmatizing of Illinoisans based on medical status. The CDC has not yet advised that all age groups and medical conditions are eligible for COVID vaccination, and as such, many Illinoisans are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine.
Kids should focus on remembering to bring their gloves to ballgames, not be worried about bringing vaccination credentials. We understand people are frustrated with the private-sector-shutdowns imposed by the Pritzker and Lightfoot Administrations and are doing everything they can, as residents and businessowners, to take steps toward a return to “normalcy;” however, that return should not be predicated on exclusion of individuals based on vaccination status.
Respectfully, we request you review and intercede in these policies which we feel are discriminatory and exclusionary.
It sounds like they want to make the unvaxed a protected class.
HHS says protected health information under HIPAA includes information that relates to a person’s past, present or future physical or mental health or condition. HHS has a list of what information is protected on its website.
While HIPAA rules apply to covered entities and specific business associates, the rules don’t extend to most businesses, according to Glenn Cohen, a professor at Harvard Law School.
“Because the average business is not a covered entity or a business associate of a covered entity within the meaning of HIPAA, the statute does not prohibit them asking them about vaccination status,” Cohen said in an email to the VERIFY team.
Kayte Spector-Bagdady, a lawyer and bioethicist who is also the associate director at the University of Michigan’s Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, said there is sometimes a misunderstanding of what HIPAA does.
“People often feel like HIPAA protects them from being asked about their medical information, or prohibits other people from asking about their medical information,” Spector-Bagdady said. “Neither is true. HIPAA prohibits health professionals, such as your doctor, from sharing your identified health information without your permission in most circumstances. People can always ask about your health information, and you can almost always decline to answer. But not answering health questions might come at a cost – such as not being able to enter your workplace or board a plane.”
A little-noticed line in a recent criminal filing suggests federal prosecutors consider a popular political fundraising tactic to be legally questionable.
Why it matters: Fundraisers often boast of “5x” or other contribution matches to coax small-dollar donations. The Justice Department indicated in a court filing Monday this could amount to “material misrepresentations” if, as critics often contend, there’s no evidence the match ever occurs.
Limited-time matching gives ideological supporters extra incentive to donate to a campaign they care about. But legal experts say it is hard to see how donation matching could happen given campaign contribution limits. And there are no accountability mechanisms to determine whether campaigns actually follow through with their promises.
“I think these promised matches are largely a marketing ploy from direct mail fundraising,” said Michael Kang, a law professor at Northwestern whose expertise includes campaign finance. “They stir up contrived urgency.”
Political campaigns have long use matching donations as a fundraising tactic. Roll Call identified several congressional campaigns, both Republican and Democratic, that said they would match donations during the last midterm cycle.
* I get these sorts of pleas a lot…
Rodney Davis has a CRITICAL end-of-month fundraising deadline coming up, and he’s falling behind his fundraising goal.
That’s why I’ve just activated an EMERGENCY 500% matching through MIDNIGHT tonight!
EMERGENCY 500% MATCH DONATE
* Raja Krishnamoorthi uses it often…
RAJA 2X-MATCH: ACTIVE
NAME: Rich Miller
I will personally ensure your gift is 2X-matched by major donors
* But it’s also being done by state campaigns. Here’s Alexi Giannoulias…
Our email match is still going and we are $13,400 short of our $25,000 goal for tomorrow. Can you chip in $25, $50, $100 or whatever you can to help us meet the matching donation?
* ILGOP…
Will you do me a favor and make a donation to the Independent Maps Fund today? I’ve personally authorized a 200% match on all contributions made BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
Nearly every major industrial source of ethylene oxide makes it relatively easy for Americans to know how much of the cancer-causing gas drifts into surrounding communities.
The only outliers are two Illinois-based companies that for years have failed to report emissions to the Toxics Release Inventory, a Tribune review of federal records found.
A Medline Industries plant in north suburban Waukegan last appeared in the inventory during the mid-2000s, even though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency later determined the facility has been responsible for some of the nation’s highest cancer risks from air pollution.
Oak Brook-based Sterigenics stopped filing annual reports with the EPA in 2018, the same year neighbors and political leaders fought to shut down one of the company’s sterilization plants in west suburban Willowbrook.
Sheesh.
*** UPDATE *** Jesse Greenberg at Medline…
Illinois has the toughest ethylene oxide restrictions in the country. Our emissions data is public and available on the IEPA website for anyone to access at any time. Our Waukegan facility didn’t submit reports to the Toxic Release Inventory because federal rules didn’t require it. The USEPA recently changed that reporting requirement, which we welcome, and as a result the company will file reports moving forward.
* Last week, we discussed Republican gubernatorial candidate Gary Rabine’s position that the state ought to opt out of a federal unemployment program…
Gary Rabine, a candidate for Governor, is calling for Illinois to join the list of a growing number of states opting out of the federal unemployment benefits.
“Small businesses have suffered long enough and now with their inability to find workers to fill their openings, they will suffer longer,” Rabine said. “It is very important that we stop the unemployment stimulus now and get our kids back to school in Illinois.”
Right now, Illinoisans collecting unemployment insurance receive an extra $300 a week from the federal government, intended to help them through the pandemic. Individual governors can opt their states out of that benefit. So far, 18 Republican governors have announced they will not allow their citizens to receive additional money in their unemployment checks. […]
Rival GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey joined Rabine in calling for Illinois to opt out of the unemployment benefits.
“The government over-incentivizes healthy people to stay home which closes businesses and destroys local economies,” the state senator and farmer from downstate Xenia said. “For the last year, I have been standing up for hardworking Illinoisans and advocating to reopen our state and get people back to work.”
Bailey, his wife and the family farm have received more than $2.3 million in federal agricultural subsidies, according to data compiled by the Environmental Working Group.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked about this topic yesterday…
There are a number of reasons that people are collecting unemployment at the moment and why it’s important for them to continue to collect that unemployment. Some people, it isn’t just, I know there’s some talk among Republicans that somehow the people who are collecting it are lazy or they don’t want to work because, gee, they’re getting an extra $300.
The reality is there are many people who have children at home that they still need to take care of because of the circumstances of the pandemic, took them into their circumstances as well where people are afraid to go back to work and they’re staying out of the workforce, or at least staying away from taking a new job.
And these are people who have, those are legitimate reasons that people might remain on unemployment. It’s a temporary time period in which receiving those benefits. But we are slowly but surely, our economy is improving, we are seeing people getting hired. We had roughly about 93,000 people who were hired in the first quarter of the year. So we’ve made a lot of progress, and I don’t want to pull the rug out from under people that have certainly legitimate reasons for remaining on unemployment.
But Rabine said that only “a paltry 266,000 jobs” were added nationally in April, which he says “suggests the federal unemployment benefits are keeping workers out of the workplace.”
“The No. 1 reason now that people aren’t going back to work is fear, or if they can’t find childcare, or schools are still closed,” [Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo] said May 9.
Raimondo’s office pointed to an experimental government survey that asks people why they aren’t working. It’s called the Household Pulse Survey and it’s larger in scope than the readings that the Labor Department uses to gauge the unemployment rate.
In the last half of April, an estimated 6.7 million said they were caring for children not in school or day care. Another 4.2 million said they were “concerned about getting or spreading the coronavirus.” Those numbers don’t map readily to the standard job reports, but they do give a sense of the scale of these factors.
Raimondo said the pandemic was particularly hard on women. At the trough of the pandemic downturn, the unemployment rate for women was 16.1%, nearly three points higher than men. The virus cratered the hospitality industry, a sector where many women work, and it upended day care and schooling, making it harder for them to return to work.
Stefania Albanesi, professor of economics at the University of Pittsburgh, said work schedules in hotels and restaurants can be “unpredictable and non-conventional, so childcare challenges may be particularly severe for mothers when considering those openings.”
Government numbers show that having kids makes a difference in labor force participation, and it matters more for women than men. Labor force participation is still down for both men and women compared with January 2020, but women are coming back into the workforce more slowly. Women with young kids under age 6 got back into the workforce at half the pace of men over that period; among women with school-age children, it’s one-third.
The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would hear a case from Mississippi challenging Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to an abortion. Regardless of that outcome, abortion access will likely continue uninterrupted in Illinois due to a series of laws enacted in recent years in anticipation of a federal rollback.
“The Reproductive Health Act does protect a person’s right to make the decision about a pregnancy and while I can’t predict what the Supreme Court would say, it would be our expectation that the Reproductive Health Act would still provide protections here in Illinois,” said Brigid Leahy, senior director of public policy at Planned Parenthood Illinois. […]
“One of the reasons Roe v. Wade needs reviewed, is even proponents of abortion recognize it’s not a well-written decision,” [Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield] said. “The court said (at the time) that we need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins, but that is the question. They sidestepped the question and said they’re just not going to answer it.”
Because of that, he said, it leaves the possibility of regulation open, such as when a fetus is viable. That is widely accepted as during the third trimester, though in practice it has usually been interpreted to allow abortion at any point in the pregnancy.
“Where do you draw the line?” Paprocki said. “The Catholic Church would argue conception (is where to draw it), but even 15 weeks would be an improvement on what we currently have.”
The RHA was passed with the possibility in mind that the Supreme Court would eventually invalidate Roe v. Wade.
The case is an appeal from Mississippi in which the state is asking to be allowed to ban most abortions at the 15th week of pregnancy. The state is not asking the court to overrule Roe v. Wade, or later cases that reaffirmed it.
But many supporters of abortion rights are alarmed and many opponents of abortion are elated that the justices could undermine their earlier abortion rulings. If the court upholds Mississippi’s law, it would be its first ratification of an abortion ban before the point of viability, when a fetus can survive outside the womb. Such a ruling could lay the groundwork for allowing even more restrictions on abortion. That includes state bans on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks.
If Mississippi wins, it gets to enforce its 15-week ban, which lower courts have so far prohibited. In addition, other conservative states would certainly look to copy Mississippi’s law. A decision that states can limit previability abortions would also embolden states to pass more restrictions, which some states have already done and which are already wrapped up in legal challenges. Challenges to those limits would continue.
That said, the immediate practical impact of a win for Mississippi could be muted. That’s because more than 90% of abortions take place in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have all enacted state laws that explicitly protect the right to an abortion, which will remain in effect in the event that Roe is overturned.
State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, was encouraged to see the U.S. Supreme Court take up the appeal.
“I think the Mississippi law should be allowed to stand,” he said, adding that we will know more once the case is heard.
Windhorst would be like to see the court overturn 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision and 30-year-old Casey decision that gave and affirmed a woman’s right to seek an abortion.
He has sponsored legislation in the past in Illinois to limit abortions to 20 weeks except in the case of serious health issues of the mother.
“If the court was to overturn Roe v. Wade, it would leave the issue up to the states to determine what freedoms or restrictions to apply to abortion,” Windhorst said. “If the court were to uphold the Mississippi statute, my colleagues and I would look at whether some similar legislation could pass in Illinois.”
…Adding… Planned Parenthood Illinois Action…
We are disappointed, but not surprised that the Supreme Court announced it will review Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, which is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. With the conservative-majority Supreme Court, anti-abortion legislatures and governors have become even bolder in their attacks on essential health care.
Illinois passed the Reproductive Health Act in 2019, which recognizes the full range of reproductive health care as a fundamental right and ensures abortion will remain legal in our state even if Roe v. Wade is overturned. While we are grateful for this additional protection, it does not safeguard our residents from all threats to our reproductive rights.
Importantly, Illinois also serves as a safe haven for surrounding states, many of which have increasingly restrictive laws that create medically unnecessary barriers for people seeking abortions and other essential health care. If the Supreme Court allows the Mississippi abortion ban to stand, it would put reproductive health care in jeopardy nationwide. And it would create inequity for abortion care, making where you live and how much money you make determine what health care you can access. We will never stop our fight to help everyone have access to the essential health care they need and deserve.
Following guidance from the CDC that fully vaccinated people can stop wearing a mask and practicing social distancing in most indoor and outdoor settings, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health have announced that Illinois will align state executive orders with the latest CDC guidance and rescind IDPH emergency rules enforcing masking and distance.
The CDC continues to require masks for everyone in healthcare settings, in congregate settings and on transit. In addition, in line with CDC guidance, the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health require masks in schools. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services requires masks in daycare.
“Getting vaccinated is the ultimate protection from COVID-19 and the quickest ticket back to normal life,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With public health experts now saying fully vaccinated people can safely remove their masks in most settings, I’m pleased to follow the science and align Illinois’ policies with the CDC’s guidance. I also support the choice of individuals and businesses to continue to mask out of an abundance of caution as this pandemic isn’t over yet.”
“While the updated guidance from the CDC is welcome news, let me remind everyone that this guidance is only for those people who are fully vaccinated,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Individuals who do not have the protection afforded by one of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines should still wear a mask. While more than 64% of adults in Illinois have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, we need to increase that number. To slow down disease spread and the development of even more deadly variants, we need as many people as possible to be vaccinated.”
The Governor is issuing an updated executive order to remove the mask requirement for fully vaccinated people in most settings, and the Illinois Department of Public Health is rescinding emergency rules in the Control of Communicable Disease Code that enforce masking and distancing for vaccinated people in business settings. In line with CDC guidance, individuals who are unvaccinated should continue wearing masks in most settings and both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals should continue to wear masks on public transportation, in congregate facilities, and in healthcare settings.
As of today, more than 4.6 million Illinoisans are fully vaccinated — 58% of residents 16+, 64% of residents 18+ and 86% of residents 65+.
LATEST CDC GUIDANCE
The CDC still recommends that unvaccinated people continue to take preventive measures, such as wearing a mask and practicing social distancing. In their latest guidance, the CDC now reports that indoor and outdoor activities pose minimal risk to fully vaccinated people and that fully vaccinated people have a reduced risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to unvaccinated people.
Fully vaccinated people can:
• Resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance
• Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel
• Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States
• Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings
• Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic
• Refrain from routine screening testing if feasible
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
• Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations
Two bills worth watching are headed to the full State Senate. House Bill 12, drafted by the Illinois Education Association, would expand coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act to thousands of education support professionals across the state.
Currently, to be eligible for FMLA an employee must have worked 1,250 hours during the previous year. Many educational support staff (such as secretaries, teachers’ aides and bus drivers) currently don’t qualify due to the limited number of days they are able to work during a school year. HB 12 reduces the minimum threshold to 1,000 hours, so that more education support professionals would qualify
Meanwhile, House Bill 119, also sent to the Senate, would create a drug repository program, which would allow people to return certain unused prescription drugs that would be reused for eligible populations.
Illinois House members sent legislation to the state senate that would expand the state’s Family and Medical Leave Act and the Senate Health Committee passed a bill that would create a Prescription Drug Repository Program.
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2022 shall provide coverage for treatment to eliminate or provide maximum feasible treatment of nevus flammeus, also known as port-wine stains, including, but not limited to, port-wine stains caused by Sturge-Weber syndrome. Provides that treatment or maximum feasible treatment shall include early intervention treatment, including topical, intralesional, or systemic medical therapy and surgery, and laser treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in children aged 18 years and younger that are intended to prevent functional impairment related to vision function, oral function, inflammation, bleeding, infection, and other medical complications associated with port-wine stains. Provides that the coverage for port-wine stain treatment shall not include treatment solely for cosmetic purposes. Makes conforming changes in the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code.
Looks like a constituent issue bill. I’d never heard of nevus flammeus before and just noticed “port-wine stains” on the calendar and decided to look it up.
State Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, filed a bill last week to prohibit the state from requiring so-called vaccine passports. He’s looking at expanding it to prohibit certain private functions from requiring such proof.
“Where in order for me to go to this concert series that I have to show my medical credentials is absolutely outrageous,” Chesney said.
Chesney’s House Bill 4081 filed Thursday remains in the House Rules Committee.
Illinois schools could be required to offer fully in-person learning this fall, as youth vaccinations are underway and federal health officials roll back mask mandates.
Illinois State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala is recommending the State Board of Education vote to approve her declaration: “Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, all schools must resume fully in-person learning for all student attendance days, provided that … remote instruction be made available for students who are not eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine and are under a quarantine order by a local public health department or the Illinois Department of Public Health.”
The state board will vote on the resolution supporting Ayala’s declaration on Wednesday. The resolution as made available Friday night as part of the board agenda.
Mr. Perry’s case underscores how willing some American pathologists have been to rule in-custody deaths of Black people accidents or natural occurrences caused by sickle cell trait, which is carried by one in 13 Black Americans and is almost always benign. Those with the trait have only one of the two genes required for full-blown sickle cell disease, a painful and sometimes life-threatening condition that can deform red blood cells into crescent shapes that stick together and block blood flow.
As recently as August, lawyers for Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer convicted last month of murdering George Floyd, invoked sickle cell trait in an unsuccessful motion to dismiss the case against him, saying that the condition, along with other health problems and drug use, was the reason Mr. Floyd had died.
The New York Times has found at least 46 other instances over the past 25 years in which medical examiners, law enforcement officials or defenders of accused officers pointed to the trait as a cause or major factor in deaths of Black people in custody. Fifteen such deaths have occurred since 2015. […]
Medical experts also said it could be misleading to attribute death to the trait based on the presence of cells that have clumped or sickled — something that often happens when people with the condition stop breathing. Finding the crescent-shaped blood cells during an autopsy is to be expected, the experts said, and does not mean the cells were like that before death.
In the case of Mr. Floyd, the medical examiner in Minneapolis noted the curved cells and said he had had sickle cell trait. But the autopsy indicated that it had not contributed to his death, and there was no evidence the cells had sickled before he died. In their unsuccessful motion to dismiss the case, Mr. Chauvin’s lawyers nonetheless suggested that the trait could cause trouble breathing.
The argument echoed claims made in other cases as early as 1973, The Times found. That year, 28-year-old George Lucas died in the Cook County jail in Illinois, according to media reports at the time. Inmates testified that guards had beaten, strangled and suffocated him with a blanket, while jail officials said they had only strapped him to his bed.
But after sickled cells were found during the autopsy, the coroner said Mr. Lucas would not have died were it not for the trait, Dr. James Bowman, a pathologist who participated in the hearing, wrote in an academic article years later. The death was deemed natural and the guards were not charged. “Thus,” Dr. Bowman wrote, “the dangerous precedent for legalized murder of persons with sickle cell trait could become established.”
* Remember that Sunday death reporting tends to be on the low side. Even so…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 946 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including six additional deaths.
- Cook County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- DuPage County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,367,214 cases, including 22,445 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 33,148 specimens for a total of 23,846,737. As of last night, 1,512 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 398 patients were in the ICU and 220 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 10-16, 2021 is 2.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from May 10-16, 2021 is 2.9%.
A total of 10,407,841 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 61,275 doses. Yesterday, 32,253 doses were reported administered in Illinois. More than 64% of individuals 18 years and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
Time is now short to come up with a plan to close the $1.3 billion gap in next year’s budget, but state Sen. Elgie Sims of Chicago, the Senate Democrats’ top negotiator, said he thinks budget talks need to go beyond the immediate crisis and focus on charting a better course for years to come.
He said he’s “cautiously optimistic” the state will get the green light to repay some of its debts with the federal relief money, but he also noted that the money can be used to cover expenses through the end of 2024. […]
“If we’re going to turn our fiscal ship around and make sure that we’re putting ourselves on a path to fiscal stability, it’s going to be important that we recognize that even with the rosier revenue projections, there’s still significant challenges and significant decisions that need to be made to cover those gaps,” he said.
* The governor held a bill-signing event today, but the questions afterward were mostly about the state’s mask mandate. Here are some excerpts of his answers…
We’re working on making changes to our mask mandate in the state to meet the CDC’s new masking guidance that they gave late last week. So we’ll be announcing those changes shortly, it just takes a little bit of time to work through. […]
I do think that the CDC guidelines are good ones and that we will follow them here in the state. […]
One of the reasons that the CDC issued the rules as they did was the recognition that studies have now been done showing that if you’re vaccinated, you’re protected. If you’re unvaccinated you are not protected. So I encourage people who are unvaccinated still to wear their masks, but to go get vaccinated because I think we all want to get past this, we all would like to take off our masks. But we do need those who are unvaccinated to go get a vaccine and they can do that right now, today, it is available to them. […]
That’s going to be up to private businesses and individuals if they want to carry something like that [vax ID] with them […]
We are relying on people to do the right thing, we are relying upon people to recognize that they don’t want to go infect other unvaccinated people and they don’t themselves want to get sick and so it’s important for people to protect themselves and I think there’s real motivation for people to go get that. […]
We’re not going to stop people and, you know, start checking a vaccine passport as part of some state mandate. […]
I think we’re, as fast as we can, we’re trying to make the changes. As you know, we have a disaster proclamation that needs to be altered. There is a JCAR rule that needs to be rescinded. There’s just a variety of things. It’s been a complicated 14-15-16 months of putting in place a mask mandate and making sure that people are following it, and now obviously we’re working on unwinding it in an appropriate fashion. […]
Well, I was pretty clear, we’re going to follow the CDC guidelines. So if you can read the CDC guidelines, you know what we will be doing in the state of Illinois. I said that last week, I think you were actually at one of the press conferences that I gave that answer in.
I was told this morning by the governor’s office that a new executive order will be ready soon.
Beginning Tuesday, Walmart and Sam’s Club will no longer require vaccinated shoppers and employees to wear masks in stores outside of municipalities that require it, the retailer announced Friday. […]
The memo — which says employees will get a $75 bonus for providing proof they are vaccinated — does not detail a method for ensuring customers without masks are fully vaccinated.
Beginning Monday, masks will also be optional at Starbucks for those who are vaccinated, according to the coffeehouse chain’s website, which notes that its updated mask policy applies to all locations, “unless local regulations require them by law.”
Meijer, Target, CVS and Walgreens are among the stores that, following the latest CDC guidelines, have stated they will continue to require all customers to wear masks for now.
While people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 won’t be required to wear masks in many settings, updated federal guidance recommends that masks and social distancing still be required in schools for the rest of the school year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Saturday that clarified schools should continue to use the current COVID-19 prevention strategies, including universal masking and social distancing. Originally, the CDC announced Thursday that fully vaccinated people wouldn’t need to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors, except under certain circumstances or when state, local, or company policy requires masks.
Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday he will be phasing out the statewide moratorium on evictions by August, as he announced the launch of a $1.5 billion rental relief program for Illinois.
“We will work with our partners to bring an end to the eviction moratorium in August, with a gradual phase out over the next few months, with more details to come,” Pritzker said. […]
Pritzker said the new program is approximately four times larger than the rental relief program Illinois launched last year during the pandemic, which provided assistance to nearly 36,000 renters in the Chicago area alone.
The governor said more than 120,000 renters could see relief through the new program.
* NBOA…
Earlier today Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a statewide rental assistance program. The following statement can be attributed to Michael Glasser, President of the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance (NBOA), which represents Chicago’s smaller to medium sized housing providers (also known as landlords).
“We salute the Governor and the General Assembly on this much needed legislation for Emergency Rental Assistance. After such a challenging year when many tenants were unable to pay rent, this program will help to stabilize neighborhood housing, and stem the mounting disinvestment in many neighborhoods.”
This post will likely be updated.
…Adding… Press release excerpts…
After leading the nation in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, in ensuring the state’s most vulnerable residents had a roof over their head, Governor JB Pritzker today announced that applications for the second round of rental assistance funding are now available to help Illinois residents who have experienced economic hardship due to the pandemic. The Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP) will deploy multiple rounds of funding totaling $1.1 billion dollars to Illinois renters and landlords in an effort to prevent evictions. An additional $400 million in rental assistance will be provided by larger municipalities. The state will also be standing up a separate program to support homeowners with $400 million in mortgage assistance.
Governor Pritzker also signed HB 2877 into law establishing a new structure to efficiently distribute rental assistance to Illinois residents and provide for sealing of eviction records until August 1, 2022. […]
HB 2877
HB 2877 creates the COVID-19 Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program Act, providing additional protections for renters and homeowners and establishing an even stronger framework for rental assistance programs. Signing HB 2877 reaffirms the Pritzker administration and General Assembly’s commitment to housing stability, as it creates a program to effectively administer rental assistance to struggling household and temporarily enhances eviction sealing and foreclosure protections.
“Families suffering from financial hardship should not have to worry about losing their homes. I’m proud to have taken action, with my colleagues in the General Assembly, preventing evictions and providing funding for the rent assistance working families need. Legislation like House Bill 2877 will give people experiencing housing distress the means to keep a roof over their heads as they seek better opportunities as the economy recovers from the pandemic,” said Majority Caucus Whip Omar Aquino (D-Chicago).
“It is critical that vulnerable households have the resources and support they need to stay in their homes as we recover from this pandemic, and I am working hard in Springfield to ensure this aid is available to those most in need,” said Assistant Majority Leader Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago). “I encourage those who have experienced financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 to speak with their landlord and apply today.”
“We salute the Governor and the General Assembly on this much needed legislation for Emergency Rental Assistance. After such a challenging year when many tenants were unable to pay rent, this program will help to stabilize neighborhood housing, and stem the mounting disinvestment in many neighborhoods,” said Michael Glasser, President of the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance.
HB 2877 is effective immediately.
Illinois Rental Payment Program
The Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP) will provide direct funding to support Illinois tenants unable to pay their rent due to a COVID-19-related loss of income. Approved applicants will receive one-time grants of up to $25,000 paid directly to their landlords to cover missed rent payments as far back as June 2020 and prepay payments through August 2021, or until the $25,000 is exhausted, whichever comes first. Applications for ILRPP will be accepted Monday, May 17 through Monday, June 7. Interested residents can apply online at: ILRPP.IHDA.org.
“The Illinois Housing Development Authority has a proven track record of helping keep families safe and sheltered as COVID-19 continues to impact our state. In 2020, IHDA assisted over 56,000 families to ensure that they had the resources and support they needed to stay in their homes,” said IHDA Executive Director Kristin Faust. “I thank Governor Pritzker for entrusting IHDA with this additional funding, and I encourage those who have seen their income decline as a result of COVID-19 to visit our application portal and apply to the Illinois Rental Payment Program today.”
Tenant eligibility requirements:
Household must have experienced a financial hardship directly or indirectly due to the pandemic.
2020 household income was below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), adjusted for household size.
The household lives in Illinois and rents their home as their primary residence.
Household must have an unpaid rent balance.
Priority will be given to households earning less than 50% of AMI and to households with one or more members that have been unemployed for at least 90 days.
[…] To assist low-income families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, last year Governor Pritzker announced the Help Illinois Families program, aimed at providing emergency relief on household costs through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) programs. To date, more than 260,000 households have received $280 million in benefits through the CSBG and LIHEAP programs, which includes the Utility Disconnection Avoidance Program (UDAP) funds directly credited to customer accounts in threat of imminent disconnection. There is $30 million in LIHEAP funding still available for new clients through the end of the current program year which ends May 31, 2021. A new program year will begin September 1, 2021, and residents qualifying for LIHEAP will have access to additional funds provided to the state through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
A DuPage County judge has ordered a full recount of the November race for DuPage County auditor, ruling there are enough ballots in question to potentially overturn the results.
“Any in-precinct ballot that is not initialed shall be deemed defective and not counted,” Judge Craig R. Belford wrote in a written ruling Wednesday.
According to the initial count, incumbent Republican Bob Grogan lost to Democratic challenger William “Bill” White by 75 votes, 233,121 to 233.046.
Grogan sought a recount, claiming in court filings that an election judge at a Downers Grove Township polling place failed to initial all ballots as required by Illinois law. In Downers Grove Township precincts 76, 118, and 130, a total of 436 uninitialed ballots were cast, 259 for White and 177 for Grogan, documents state
State Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, has taken on an additional role after being elected Thursday night as Rock Island County Democratic Party Chairman. […]
Halpin may have set his sights higher though; he is considering running for Congress to represent the 17th District after U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, announced April 30 she would not seek re-election.
“I’m looking at it, but right now I am focused on finishing up the (legislative) session,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do in the last two weeks, so it’s not something I’m putting a lot of energy into right now. I’ll probably make a decision sometime over the summer.
“It’s fair to say I am considering it. I certainly haven’t made up my mind yet.”
* Press release…
The Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association voted Sunday to endorse Alexi Giannoulias for Illinois Secretary of State in the 2022 primary election.
“I’m honored to have earned the endorsements of so many accomplished and dedicated leaders, and I look forward to working with them in fighting for what’s important for Southern Illinois,” said Giannoulias who received the support of the 22-county-group as well as four other nearby counties. “Our campaign continues to build a strong broad-based coalition heading into the primary and Southern Illinois voters will play an important role in determining who wins the race.”
Giannoulias, a former Illinois State Treasurer who is the only Secretary of State candidate to have run and won statewide multiple times, received the endorsements during the group’s meeting at International Union of Operating Engineers Local 318 Hall in Marion.
Illinois Labor leader Ed Smith, CEO of ULLICO and Retired VP of LIUNA Midwest Region also pledged his support for Giannoulias.
“Alexi is genuine in his commitment to Southern Illinois families and our communities,” said Vivian Robinson, Vice Chair of the Illinois Democratic Party and 15th District State Central Democratic Committeewoman, representing 33 counties in the southern part of the state. “His dedication will continue as Secretary of State in promoting an ambitious agenda to increase safety on our roadways, modernize the office to make it easier to obtain necessary driver’s licenses and registrations, and strengthen the State’s ethics laws to prevent waste and corruption.”
“We know that Alexi will advocate on behalf of working families and work hard to rebuild the middle class, especially as we emerge from the COVID crisis,” said the President of the Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association and Perry County Chair Calen J. Campanella. “Alexi has a proven track record of standing with Southern Illinois and has the passion, vision and ideas that will help restore trust and build confidence in our elected officials and government.”
“The people of Southern Illinois are known for their toughness and resilience and no one embodies that better than Alexi,” said Jackson County Chair Mike Barone. “On issues that matter most in our community, Alexi has our backs and has been fighting beside us from the very start of his political career. He is the only candidate in the race with the experience, heart and vision to unite Illinois and move us forward.”
“We need leaders like Alexi who will serve as the next nominee of Secretary of State,” said Hardin County Chair Dennis Austin. “More than ever, now is the time for steady leadership from a proven leader who knows how to get things done. Throughout his career, Alexi has shown his ability to build coalitions and determination to fight for families, especially as we emerge from the pandemic.”
* Meanwhile…
On Saturday, May 15th, the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association (IDCCA) invited announced Democratic candidates for Secretary of State to address the 102 Democratic Party County Chairs at the quarterly General Membership Meeting. Five candidates, Chicago Alderwoman Pat Dowell, former State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, State Senator Michael Hastings, Chicago Alderman David Moore, and Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, spoke and took questions. Following the meeting, IDCCA President Kristina Zahorik issued the following statement:
“Illinois has so many great Democratic candidates looking to carry on and build upon the legacy of IDCCA Party Builder Honoree Secretary of State Jesse White. It will be an exciting primary. The five candidates shared their vision with us and look forward to meeting everyone in person as the state continues to open up. My fellow Chairs and I look forward to electing another great Democrat to serve the people of Illinois as Secretary of State.”
The scheduled meeting was conducted via Zoom. It was attended by nearly 70 County Chairs, along with invited guests Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Congresswoman Robin Kelly, US Senator Dick Durbin, candidate Comptroller Susana Mendoza, candidate Treasurer Mike Frerichs, and members of the IDCCA Leadership Circle.
The IDCCA has not endorsed any candidate planning on running in next year’s Democratic primary for Secretary of State.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has vetoed only a tiny handful of bills since assuming office in 2019 and taken a mostly hands-off approach to this year’s spring legislative session. But that may soon change.
Pritzker and his top staff began contacting lawmakers and interest groups last week to tell them how they need to “fix” their bills and to warn them that the governor will veto their legislation if the requested changes aren’t made.
This is the first kinda-real spring session not only since the pandemic began, but also since both the House and Senate elected new presiding officers. As a result, committee chairs in both chambers have been far more reluctant than usual to bottle up potentially problematic bills, while floor debates have frequently involved sponsors promising colleagues that their legislation would be fixed when it crossed the rotunda to the other chamber.
Well, the bills have pretty much all been moved to the other chamber, and lots of problems remain.
Last Wednesday alone, House committees approved 107 Senate bills for floor action and passed 227 during the full week. Senate committees approved 100 House bills last week.
The biggest problem with this haphazard flood of bills is that many require mandates for additional state spending. The governor’s office rightly points out that the state doesn’t have the money to be creating tons of new and costly programs. Several others would also impose unfunded spending mandates on local governments.
In the past, former House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton would put a brake on most bills like that. But the new leaders, House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon, are allowing members to police themselves and are standing back as bills pass that could either create fiscal issues for the state or create laws that, in the opinion of the governor’s office, won’t do what the sponsors may have intended.
“Every other day we’re going through bill review [and saying] ‘That doesn’t even make sense. We can’t do that. That can’t actually be effectuated,’” said one exasperated high-level administration official last week.
“At the end of the day,” the official said, “the governor can’t let a bad bill go through that we can’t afford, or can’t actually implement, or doesn’t actually work.”
The respect level for this governor’s legislative operation has never been high in either chamber, to put it mildly. In some circles, it’s even reviled and ridiculed for its ineffectiveness.
But the grumbling has noticeably intensified this year as members complain that the governor’s office has been of no help all session. Just the other day, one lobbyist who works often with a particular state agency was talking about how the agency had zero involvement with bills this year that could significantly alter the agency’s mission. His advice to members was to run their bills the way they wanted.
So, naturally, some members are chafing at the belated veto threats after months of near radio silence. The time to work on many of these bills was a month or two ago, they say. But with the clock ticking down to the scheduled May 31st adjournment they’re being told to change their bills or find themselves working on veto override motion roll calls this summer.
Because Pritzker has so rarely vetoed any bills, more than a few folks are having a difficult time taking these threats seriously. They expect he’ll talk a good game and then roll over to avoid making enemies.
But, in fairness, Pritzker had Madigan and Cullerton shepherding members for him during the 2019 session and had no real need to issue any threats. The 2020 spring session ended up being just a few days long because of the pandemic and everything was negotiated. Now, it’s pretty much anything goes. And even though veto threats are usually a final weapon and not a legislative strategy, he may have no choice at this late date but to do something drastic.
Others contend that some of the advice they’re getting from the governor’s office is off the mark. While the governor’s people are trying to tell members what their bills would actually do in the real world, their interpretation is sometimes just flat wrong.
I’m told, however, that some members have listened to the gubernatorial advice and have agreed to alter their legislation. So, we’ll see.
But if you thought that one-party control of the Illinois House, Senate and the governor’s office always meant things always run smoothly at the Statehouse, well, think again.
