Payday lenders offer short-term, small-dollar, and high-interest consumer loans. Consumers get payday loans primarily from state-licensed storefront locations—of which there were an estimated 13,700 nationwide in 2018—where loans have a median amount of $350 and typical fees equate to an average annual percentage rate (APR) of almost 400%. Unlike traditional financial institutions, such as banks and credit unions, there is no centralized national database on the location of payday lender storefronts.
This article uses data that provide the zip codes of licensed storefront payday lenders in Illinois beginning in 2006 and ending in 2021 after which, under the Predatory Loan Prevention Act, there were no longer any licensed payday lenders in the state. This data set allows us to document the locations of payday lender storefronts in Illinois during a period of consolidation in the payday lending industry, bookended by two major economic disruptions: the subprime mortgage crisis and Great Recession that ensued and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Because few states keep historical records of licensed payday lenders and their locations, these Illinois licensure data offer a rare glimpse at where payday lenders locate their storefronts. In particular, we find the following key facts about Illinois payday lenders:
-Over two-thirds of lenders located their storefronts in clusters—zip codes with two or more storefronts—with the largest clusters in high-population zip codes.
- Payday lenders were substantially more likely to locate and cluster their storefronts in zip codes with a relatively high fraction of residents in poverty.
- Payday lenders were substantially more likely to locate and cluster their storefronts in zip codes with a relatively high fraction of the residents reporting their race and ethnicity as other than non-Hispanic White to the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Payday storefronts followed similar location patterns in Chicago as they did across all of Illinois.
* After Indiana, Pritzker will keynote the Ohio Democrats’ Annual Family Reunion with Sen. Cory Brooker….
New: On Friday, @GovPritzker@JBPritzker to headline Indiana Democratic Party Hoosier Hospitality Dinner in Indianapolis with Georgia Rep. @NikemaWilliams
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers (PPGR) announced the expansion of availability for medication abortion, now available to patients up to 12 weeks pregnant.
The expansion, up from the previous 11 weeks of pregnancy, will allow more patients to access abortion services when they need it, via telehealth and in-person clinic visits. […]
Patients up to ten weeks pregnant who have an Illinois mailing address may also order medication abortion via the PPDirect mobile app from the privacy of their home without needing to schedule a clinic visit.
Environmental and conservation groups celebrated this week following Illinois’ “historic” signing of an agreement to begin construction of a project designed to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.
With the leading edge of Asian carp thought to be 10 miles downriver of the Brandon Road Lock, the last line of defense between the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan is a barrier at Romeoville.
Gov. J.B. Priztker signed the agreement alongside the state of Michigan and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The $1.14 billion project will be funded by the federal, Illinois and Michigan governments, with the federal government taking on 90% of the cost.
Advocates, some of whom have been pushing for the project since the early 2000s, said the signing will help protect the region’s fishery, economy and quality of life.
*** Statehouse News ***
* The Real Deal | Behind the evolution of rent control’s politics: [Sen. Natalie Toro’s] bill wasn’t seen as a threat by real estate lobbyists, they said, and she didn’t put up much of a fight. She introduced an older version of legislation crafted by Chicago’s Lift the Ban Coalition – which is pushing for a new bill in the House – suggesting a lack of coordination with the group. Toro’s bill died after she didn’t call it in time to meet a legislative deadline. “I don’t know to what degree (Toro) believes in the issue, but I think she introduced the bill because she believed the politics were good,” said state Rep. Will Guzzardi, who has introduced a series of bills to lift the ban since 2017. “And that just goes to show you how far this issue has come.”
* WAND | New Illinois law extends deadline for Underground Railroad Task Force: The task force was previously required to submit a report with recommendations to the governor and General Assembly by July 1. However, the new law extends that deadline until the end of this year. “This task force will bring a better understanding of how the Underground Railroad operated, as slaves escaped the south for freedom and a better life in Illinois,” said Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria). “By giving Illinoisans a clear understanding of the past, we are creating a greater future.”
*** Statewide ***
* WMBD | Hurricane Beryl’s remnants to impact Illinois Tuesday into Wednesday: The center of Beryl is forecast to track into southern Illinois by Tuesday evening, then eventually head northeast into central Indiana by early Wednesday. Such a path will place central Illinois and Peoria on the northwest fringes of this system. Note the “cone of uncertainty” still expands roughly 100 miles north and south of the projected path. This means the exact track is not etched in stone. Locally, this is a scenario where just 50-75 miles could mean the difference from staying dry to a sizeable rain event.
* Press Release | Illinois State Fair Museum looking for nominees for Illinoisan of the Day honors at this year’s fair: The Illinois State Fair Museum Foundation is seeking 10 individuals to spotlight each day of the Illinois State Fair as an Illinoisan of the Day. The Illinoisan of the Day program looks to honor individuals who exemplify the qualities and characteristics associated with Illinois- integrity, dependability, sense of community and strong ethics.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Johnson spikes threat to his control over City Council meetings: After contentious debate, a last-minute opposition effort from Mayor Brandon Johnson defeated a measure that would have empowered the City Council with an extra layer of legislative independence from the Fifth Floor. The bevy of weekend phone calls from Johnson’s legislative affairs staff helped prevent the City Council Rules Committee from advancing a resolution today allowing City Council attorneys to provide legislative counsel on the floor of the chamber during parliamentary fights that often devolve into arcane battles over the body’s own rules.
* Tribune | In high-profile Jayden Perkins murder case, defendant takes unusual step of defending himself against experienced prosecutors: The case against Crosetti Brand is striking on its own: A man with a documented history of abusing multiple women is accused of barging into an Edgewater apartment just a day after being released from prison, attacking his ex-girlfriend and killing Jayden when the boy tried to help his mother. But procedurally, the matter stands out even more as it unfolds at the busy Leighton Criminal Court Building. Brand is serving as his own attorney, arguing the case without the expertise of a licensed lawyer, and he has demanded a speedy trial — meaning the case is proceeding toward trial at a pace nearly unheard of in a building where murder cases can linger for years or even a decade.
* Sun-Times | Most murders of transgender women in Chicago go unsolved: ‘I can’t let go without answers’: Most law enforcement agencies do not track transgender homicides, but researchers have recorded over 300 transgender people murdered nationwide between 2010 and 2021. The national clearance rate was just over 50%, but police in Chicago cleared only 14%, they found. […] The Sun-Times used interviews, news clips and information from LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations to identify at least 14 trans and gender-non-conforming people killed in Chicago since 2016. They were all Black or Latinx and were all killed in neighborhoods on the South and West sides. In all but one case, the victims were trans women.
* WBEZ | Chicago Teachers Union criticizes CPS leadership over state of contract negotiations: While the teachers union is only escalating through words so far, not actions, they aren’t ruling out more significant steps — even a potential strike vote if they don’t see progress in bargaining by the end of the summer, CTU Vice President Jackson Potter said. “Hopefully, we won’t face that,” Potter said in an interview Thursday. […] The CTU contract expired June 30, but contract negotiations typically last past expiration through the summer and into the fall.
* Tribune | A migrant family felt ‘blessed’ to be picked for a state rental program. They were given units that seemed unlivable — with a difficult choice.: The state did document some problems with landlords. Records show migrants turned apartments down several times because of “unsafe living conditions.” A few caught fire. One tenant and landlord got into a verbal altercation and then the landlord refused to turn over the keys. Another tenant was shown a second-floor apartment but given keys to the basement and told that the “upstairs unit is for Americans.” The state eventually demanded dozens of landlords pay back more than $620,000 — about $175,000 of which was repaid as of late June, according to the most recently available state data.
* Block Club | South Siders Mourn The Loss Of Huge Music Festivals: ‘Man, What Else Do We Have?’: Two South Side festivals which drew thousands of people in support of world-renowned musicians, Chicago artists on the come-up and local small businesses have shut down in consecutive years. Hyde Park Summer Fest called it quits this year after a nine-year run, as first reported by the Hyde Park Herald in May. The Silver Room Block Party, which for its last years was at Oakwood Beach, came to a close last year.
* Center Square | Black households in Chicago lag behind others, without liquid assets: Illinois State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, says he could have easily predicted the findings of a new “Color of Wealth” survey that highlights the typical Black Chicago household has fewer liquid assets and less to fall back on than any other racial or ethnic group. In addition to finding that Black households have a median net worth of zero compared to $210,000 for white families, researchers from the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy also found that black residents are far less likely to own stock, individual retirement accounts and homes compared to white, Mexicans and Puerto Rican families.
* Crain’s | Cut traffic, connect to the lake to reboot Mag Mile: study: At the heart of its recommendation is a concept that is simple, yet difficult to achieve: Making Michigan Avenue a place to linger, with space that favors pedestrians over cars. The days of Boul Mich as a shopping mecca that have defined it for decades need to be left behind, Gensler contends, noting the record-high 30% retail vacancy rate along the avenue. The share of vacant street-facing storefronts on the Mag Mile is even higher. Filling and repositioning those spaces should be more entertainment uses, art, experiential retail, food and beverage options and other hospitality-focused features that don’t require seven lanes of car traffic running through them, the firm says.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Tribune | Skokie police sergeant files lawsuit alleging gender discrimination: According to the lawsuit, filed June 21 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Russell seeks back pay for lost wages and benefits, a promotion to commander, front pay if appropriate and compensatory damages, as well as punitive damages against Police Chief Jesse Barnes, former Police Chief Brian Baker, and Commander Timothy Gramins, among other demands. Per the lawsuit, Russell was passed over for a promotion to commander eight times since December 2017, despite receiving a higher assessment score than a male co-worker who was promoted to commander in 2022. According to a news release from the village, that male co-worker was later promoted to deputy police chief in January 2024.
*** Downstate ***
* STLPR | There’s a peachier outlook for most southern Illinois orchards this summer: “We’re really happy with where our peaches are at right now,” said Austin Flamm, who runs Flamm Orchards near Cobden about 100 miles southeast of St. Louis. Last year, a cold spell in the winter knocked out all but 10% of their crop. It was the worst loss in 16 seasons for the fruit and vegetable farming family. However, this year’s weather largely cooperated, and peach production at Flamm’s will stand at 100%. In fact, the crop was so plentiful Flamm and his team had to trim back some trees earlier this year.
* WICS | SIU medicine seeks participants for schizophrenia clinical trial study: The Journey 2 study is testing the effectiveness of a novel medication called valbenazine. […] The participants’ health and safety will be closely monitored throughout the study period. All study-related visits, tests and study drugs will be provided at no cost. Enrolled patients receive a stipend and may be reimbursed for travel.
* SJ-R | Popular downtown Springfield summer music festival not returning in 2024: The decision is due to “costs and logistics,” said Barry Friedman, who acquired the rights to run the downtown festival from Downtown Springfield, Inc. in 2016. It is held the last weekend of August. “We will regroup and examine the possibility of returning in 2025,” Friedman said.
*** National ***
* Bis Now | As Data Centers Go Nuclear To Meet AI Power Demand, Worries Grow About The Impact On Everyone Else: The owners of about a third of the U.S.’s nuclear power plants are in talks with tech companies about providing electricity to them directly, The Wall Street Journal reports. Nuclear plants would give well-funded data centers a 24/7 source of carbon-free energy and enable speedy addition of the centers, which are sprouting rapidly amid the global AI race, the WSJ states. Amazon Web Services is working with Constellation Energy, the largest owner of U.S. nuclear power plants, on a deal to get electricity from one of its plants on the East Coast, according to the WSJ.
* Politico | RNC committee approves dropping national limits on abortion from party platform: The platform, which will be finalized by a vote of the full convention body next week, represents a major change for the GOP — and one that anti-abortion advocates had spent months rallying against. The new language describing abortion as an issue to be decided by the states is in line with the position held by Trump. Still, anti-abortion leaders are lauding the inclusion of language pointing to 14th Amendment protections that conservatives have long argued protects life beginning at conception.
On July 4, 2022, a mass shooting occurred during an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, United States. The shooting occurred at 10:14 a.m. CDT (UTC−05:00), roughly 15 minutes after the parade had started. Seven people were killed, and 48 others were wounded by bullets or shrapnel.
* Two days later, the FBI issued this announcement…
• A Family Assistance Center (FAC) will open today, Wednesday, July 6, beginning at noon. Support services and crisis assistance will be offered, including counseling and mental health services, spiritual care, and financial assistance, if needed.
• FAC services are available to those directly impacted by the events at the Highland Park 4th of July Parade. Victims are not just those who are physically injured, but also those were present and may be experiencing emotional distress. […]
Who and what will be the services offered?
• Crisis counseling
• Trauma-informed therapists
• Spiritual care
• Red Cross disaster mental health assistance
• IL Attorney General’s Office will provide information on accessing IL Crime Victim Compensation Program benefits
• Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office will provide county-level victims services and basic updates on the criminal case
• FBI Victim Services
• Therapy dogs
• Childcare for those visiting the FAC
Who should be accessing which resources?
The FBI’s Victim Services resources are available for:
• Members of the public present at and injured at Monday’s parade
• Next of kin of deceased victims
• Members of the public present at Monday’s parade and experiencing emotional distress
Local community resources are being provided for any member of the public affected by Monday’s events, whether present at the parade or not.
* The reason I bring this up is that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said today that he has asked the federal government for resources to help deal with the aftermath of mass shootings in his city. As you know by now, more than 100 people were wounded in Chicago during the long Independence Day weekend and 19 people died. The city experienced four mass shootings during that period, according to the Sun-Times…
“Remember the mass shooting that happened in Highland Park and all of the services that they got? That’s what we’re asking for. That’s all,” the mayor said.
“What other suburban places get around the country when mass shootings happen like that, we’re just simply saying that Chicago deserves that as well.”
* The Question: Do you agree with the mayor on this specific topic? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Illinois State Police say an automated license plate reader program has helped the agency identify witnesses or suspects in 82 percent of highway shooting cases this year, including all eight that resulted in a death.
But as the state looks to further expand its network of more than 400 cameras this year, it faces a lawsuit accusing ISP of operating “a system of dragnet surveillance” by using the cameras to monitor all traffic that passes them.
The fiscal year 2025 state budget that lawmakers approved last month includes $7 million in new funding for the technology as well as $2.5 million reappropriated from a previous year. […]
The libertarian legal group Liberty Justice Center contends the constant nature of that surveillance violates the rights of two Cook County residents named as plaintiffs in their lawsuit filed May 30.
For the third year, the Illinois State Police (ISP) is reporting a decrease in the number of shootings on Chicago area expressways. At the midway mark for 2024, ISP is reporting a 36% decrease in the total number of Chicago area expressway shootings compared to this time last year. When compared to 2021, we’ve seen a 65% reduction in shootings. The number of non-fatal injury expressway shooting in the Chicago area is down 47% compared to this time in 2023.
“Year after year, we have seen a decrease in the number of Chicago area expressway shootings,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “This year’s reduction, on top of the decreases we’ve seen over the last two years, shows our tactics to reduce violence on the expressway are having an effect. ISP will continue to dedicate the resources needed to help keep the public safe.” […]
After the number of expressway shootings reached an all-time high in 2021, ISP implemented a multifaceted approach to reducing expressway shooting, including increased patrols, the creation of Special Operation Groups focused on strategic violent crime reduction missions, the use of automated license plate readers, increased Air Operations, intensive investigations, and enhanced forensic services.
Part of stopping crime includes solving crime and ISP Division of Criminal Investigation special agents aggressively pursue all leads in expressway shootings. In one instance, special agents began an investigation following an expressway shooting stemming from a road rage incident in early June. Agents conducted numerous interviews and reviewed license plate reader photos, which led to the identification of the vehicle and possible suspects. During the investigation, agents obtained several search warrants, conducted surveillance, and collected evidence. Within two days of the shooting, the investigation resulted in one person being charged with two counts of attempted murder, and another being charged with Aggravated Fleeing to Elude and three counts of Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon. This is just one example of the extensive and thorough investigations ISP special agents conduct to get violent criminals off the expressways.
In its ongoing mission to reduce expressway shootings, ISP is faced with several challenges. Victims and witness increasingly are reporting road rage was involved in expressway shootings. ISP’s approach to reducing expressway violence will continue to evolve as we address new challenges and implement successful strategies.
* “ISP Statewide Anti-Violence Enforcement (SAVE) Unit North and Troop 3 Chicago Patrol statistics for January 1–June 30″…
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., was sitting in her Evanston kitchen on Friday night, just back from a hit on MSNBC where she strongly urged Democrats to stop calling for President Joe Biden to step aside and unite behind the Biden-Harris ticket. […]
On Friday, in another segment of “All In with Chris Hayes,” Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., made news when he called on Biden to step aside. Quigley is one of five House Democrats — as of Sunday — to say on the record that Biden should be replaced. […]
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is one of those House members who wants to consult with his colleagues before making a decision on what to do. […]
Rep. Lauren Underwood is a member of the Biden Harris campaign National Advisory Board and has been traveling the country doing events for the Biden-Harris ticket. On Sunday, her senior political adviser, Pavitra Abraham, told me nothing has changed and Underwood “supports the president.”
Rep. Danny Davis’ position is that Biden should stay, his chief of staff, Tumia Romero, told me. “Likely any other option creates deep divisions within the Democratic Party. Biden has earned the right to stay in the race.”
Rep. Jonathan Jackson told me Biden should stay, but he didn’t elaborate.
Rep. Robin Kelly announced her support for Biden last night.
As President Biden watches his support among some key Democrats in Congress quietly crumble, one group has emerged as a vocal base of support on Capitol Hill: Black lawmakers, particularly older ones.
While most elected Democrats have avoided publicly weighing in on Mr. Biden’s fate and many have privately expressed skepticism that he can remain the party’s candidate after a disastrous debate performance, senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus have filled the void with full-throated expressions of support.
It is reminiscent of how Black Democrats rallied behind Mr. Biden to help propel him to his primary victory in 2020. It also speaks to a broader racial and generational divide in the party that could be consequential in determining how it moves forward from the president’s current crisis.
More than a dozen Black Democrats in both the House and Senate have begun to offer a strong defense of him, even as their colleagues whisper in increasingly urgent tones about pushing him aside.
“Some Democrats just naturally get nervous,” said Mark Guethle, who is the newly elected chair of the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association and “100 percent” behind Biden. “Look,” he said, “I’ve been around politics for 40 years. We all know Joe Biden has a speech impediment. We all know that he was tired [in that debate]. And I don’t care how old Joe Biden is. He is fighting for the middle class. He has always fought for the middle class. If anybody should drop from the race, it should be Donald Trump.” […]
State Sen. Dave Koehler and Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell aren’t ready to commit either way. Dowell said she’s talking to constituents “before I put my hand on the scale.” […]
Also with Biden: Attorney Gen. Kwame Raoul, Comptroller Susana Mendoza, state Reps. Jehan Gordon-Booth, La Shawn Ford and Margaret Croke; state Sens. Elgie Sims, Adriane Johnson and Javier L. Cervantes; Chicago Alds. Walter Burnett Jr. and Gilbert “Gil” Villegas; Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering; Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon; Illinois AFL-CIO chief Tim Drea; delegates Desiree Rogers, Beth Penesis and Chris Dunn; and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun. […]
A big name keeping quiet: Gov. JB Pritzker hasn’t commented since Biden’s interview Friday on ABC, suggesting he’s concerned about the president’s chances. Earlier last week, Pritzker spent 13 minutes on CNN offering carefully worded support, saying he’s “100 percent on board” with Biden “unless he makes some other decision.”
“The reality is that President Biden has won our party’s nomination in 2024, and it is up to him to choose his path forward,” Budzinski said. “I believe if he decides to stay in this race, and he has indicated that he obviously is, I’m going to be supporting him because I think there is just too much at stake for any other alternative.”
Schneider also discussed the presidential race in the wake of a poor debate showing from President Joe Biden that has some of his congressional colleagues, including fellow Illinois Democrat Mike Quigley, calling for the incumbent to step aside.
“The debate was a debacle,” Schneider said. “There is no question about that.”
Schneider said he is talking with his colleagues and leadership about next steps.
“My commitment is to do everything we need to do to ensure that we win in November, that Trump is not reelected to the White House.”
* US Rep. Eric Sorensen dodged repeated questions from a Quad Cities interviewer…
“I’m really focused here on the things I need to do in the district,” Sorensen said. “I’ve seen the clips from the Thursday night debate, but I wasn’t watching live because it’s not a decision that is front and center in my mind.”
I just don’t think that my opinion matters for, for the people at home.
* Greg Hinz asks who would be VP Harris’ running mate if Biden stepped aside and she had the nomination in hand…
Pritzker, unlike, say, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro or North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, comes from a solidly blue state that would be expected to go Democratic. Beyond that, while Shapiro and Cooper both share law-enforcement backgrounds — with Harris as a former state attorney general — Harris and Cooper are also said to be personal friends.
Pritzker comes from the business world. But the huge wealth the Chicago billionaire could bring to to the race at a critical time might make a difference, and Pritzker has made no secret of his desire to be a national political player.
Sources close to him are divided on whether he’d accept the No. 2 job. Pritzker himself and his team aren’t commenting.
Pritzker is due to speak at events thrown by both the Indiana and Ohio Democratic parties this upcoming weekend. Perhaps he’ll say something then — and perhaps by then we’ll know more about Biden’s situation.
* More…
* Biden tells Hill Democrats he ‘declines’ to step aside and says it’s time for party drama ‘to end’: Biden wrote in the two-page letter that “the question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it’s time for it to end.” He stressed that the party has “one job,” which is to defeat presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in November. “We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election,” Biden said in the letter, distributed by his reelection campaign. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.” He followed up the letter with a phone interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show, on which he insisted that “average Democrats” want him to stay in the race and said he was “frustrated” by the calls from party officials for him to step aside. “They’re big names, but I don’t care what those big names think,” Biden said.
* Parkinson’s doctor made 10 White House visits, logs show: Dr. O’Connor, the White House physician, said he “assembled a team” of medical specialists, including “movement disorder neurologic specialists to carefully examine and assess the president” during his Feb. 28, 2024 physical exam. The team concluded “that much of his stiffness is in fact a result of degenerative osteoarthritic changes of his spine.” Dr. O’Connor said he conducted “an extremely detailed neurologic exam” that found no evidence consistent with “cerebellar or other central neurological disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s.”
Monday, Jul 8, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
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* “Overall, Illinois’ economic and financial position has improved in recent years, but it still lags behind other states and the country as a whole,” is the conclusion of Benjamin L. Varner, Chief Economist for the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. The numbers are not good. Let’s start with Gross Domestic Product…
During the first quarter of 2024, Illinois’ economy contracted by 1.3% on an annualized basis, ranking 45th among the states and the District of Columbia. … The U.S. as a whole grew by 1.4% during this period.
To analyze growth since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Commission compared real GDP growth since the fourth quarter of 2019. The United States has grown 8.6% post-COVID-19, one of the highest rates among advanced economies. In contrast, Illinois’ economy has grown only 2.8%, ranking 46th
Employment levels in May 2024 were compared to May 2023 and February 2020, the last month before significant declines during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2024, Illinois had approximately 6.15 million payroll jobs, an increase of about 44,000 jobs compared to 2023. … On a percentage basis, this growth equated to just 0.7%, ranking 45th. […]
The U.S. now has just over 6.2 million more jobs than in February 2020, representing 4.1% growth. Illinois, on the other hand, has barely surpassed its pre-COVID-19 level, with approximately 14,000 more jobs in May 2024 than in February 2020, equating to only 0.2% growth. This ranks Illinois 45th in the nation.
Over the last decade, Illinois has consistently been about 0.8% to 0.9% above the U.S. average. In May 2024, preliminary data indicates that Illinois’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.9%, which is 0.9% higher than the U.S. average of 4.0%, ranking 47th among the states and the District of Columbia. Over the last year, Illinois’ unemployment rate increased by 0.7 percentage points, from 4.2% to 4.9%. This increase is higher than the average state increase of 0.4% and the national increase of 0.3%.
During the first quarter of 2024, Illinois had a seasonally adjusted total income of approximately $912 billion at an annual rate, the fifth highest in the country. The year-over- year change from the first quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024 was 3.7%, which was below the U.S. growth rate of 4.4%. Illinois’ growth over the previous year ranked 40th. […]
Illinois was similarly one of the slowest-growing states regarding total income growth since the outbreak of COVID-19. Since the fourth quarter of 2019, Illinois’ total income grew by 22.0%, significantly below the U.S. increase of 27.2%, ranking 46th over this period.
Changes to primary election fundraising, the electoral college and the state’s voter registration database are now law after Gov. JB Pritzker signed a wide-ranging bill on Monday.
The legislation, containing several unrelated election measures, passed near the end of the legislature’s spring session on a vote of 68-38 in the House and 51-3 in the Senate.
A measure loosening restrictions on political parties’ spending during primary campaigns sparked pushback from some House Republicans during debate of the bill.
Under the new law, parties will be allowed to transfer an unlimited amount of funds to candidates during primary elections. In previous elections, parties were limited in the amount of money they could give candidates based on the office they sought. That provision was put in place in 2009 as part of a reform campaign by then-Gov. Pat Quinn, who took office after his predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, was removed from office following a corruption scandal.
* The governor signed 59 bills last Monday. Press release…
Bill Number: HB4621
Description: Creates the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services within the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately, except that Sections 10 and 15 take effect on July 1, 2025 […]
Bill Number: SB2862
Description: Provides that the Board of Higher Education shall compile, on an annual basis, a list of the most in-demand jobs in this State, along with the starting salary, the median salary, and the typical education level for those jobs.
Action: Signed
Effective: July 1, 2024 […]
Bill Number: SB3414
Description: Requires private insurance to cover continuous glucose monitors without cost-sharing and prohibits prior authorization for continuous glucose monitors.
Action: Signed
Effective: July 1, 2024 […]
Bill Number: HB5559
Description: Requires auto insurance companies to explain in detail how they decided a car was a total loss, including repair costs, salvage value, and market value.
A bill recently signed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker allows property owners along North Michigan Avenue and other commercial corridors in Chicago to impose a small tax on themselves to fund area improvements, but a new district won’t be in place along the Magnificent Mile until at least 2026.
Backed by Mayor Brandon Johnson and pushed through Springfield by Chicago Democrats, state Rep. Kam Buckner and state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, the legislation creates business improvement districts, or BIDs, in the city.
A BID allows commercial property owners to self-impose a fee on themselves that would then be spent within the boundaries of the district to attract businesses, update storefronts, add security, and fund infrastructure projects and beautification efforts. Residential properties would be excluded.
The districts are similar to the dozens of special service areas, or SSAs, already in place in Chicago, but proponents argue they provide more control to those being taxed over how the money is spent. They also provide more flexibility in how the tax is assessed, who sits on the board overseeing the funds and whether they could potentially bring in much greater revenue. […]
The initial term of a BID would be five years, with renewals lasting up to 10 years.
Illinois is hoping to lure more talk show and game show productions to the state now that Gov. JB Pritzker has signed a bill that removes some restrictions that kept unscripted shows from participating in the state’s production tax credit program.
The Illinois Production Alliance announced Monday that Pritzker has signed bill HB 5005 into law, which allows national talk shows, contest-based shows and game shows to participate in the state’s Film Production Services Tax Credit program. The expansion of production tax credits was part of an omnibus economic development bill also includes incentives for quantum computing development and redevelopment zones across Illinois. […]
Illinois leaders have made the case that production tax credits handed out by the state more than pay for themselves. According to an economic impact study commissioned by the Illinois Production Alliance, the state’s program brings a $6.81 return on investment for every dollar given out in tax credits. Illinois generated more than $3.6 billion in economic activity from 2017 to 2022. About 94% of film and television production that lensed in Illinois took part in the program.
Tuesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed two bills to try and ease the burden for people who owe medical debt.
One new law will allow the state to establish a fund to purchase and forgive medical debt. The state is spending $10 million this year to start the fund.
“This low-cost program to eliminate medical debt will alleviate a major burden on families across Illinois,” said Pritzker, a Democrat. […]
The other new law Pritzker signed Tuesday will help everyone who racks up medical debt in Illinois starting Jan. 1, 2025. It will bar credit agencies from using medical debt accrued in the state when creating someone’s credit report.
Governor JB Pritzker signed SB2930 and HB5507 in advance of the 2024 Chicago Pride Parade. SB2930 requires nonprofits to publicly report the aggregated demographic information about their boards of directors to encourage nonprofits to reflect the diversity of the communities they support. HB5507 removes barriers to the process of changing legal gender on a birth certificate for Illinois residents born in other states. […]
Unlike Illinois, many other states require a court order to change one’s legal gender marker on a birth certificate, creating a significant barrier to access for transgender individuals seeking to affirm their gender identity. HB5507 clarifies that Illinois judges have the authority to issue documentation to support those gender marker corrections, allowing Illinois residents to access this change without the expense of returning to their state of origin.
In Illinois, certain private companies and boards and commissions are already required to report aggregated demographic data about their boards of directors. SB2930 expands that requirement to include the leadership boards of nonprofits that report $1 million or more in annual grants. These statistics, available for at least three years on an organization’s website, are intended to assess each nonprofit’s leadership strengths and opportunities for growth and to implement strategies to recruit qualified individuals from diverse communities for board service.
Ill. Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, signed a bill Monday into law requiring schools create and implement a cardiac response plan by Jan. 1, 2025.
“Which includes but is not limited to procedures to follow in the event of a cardiac emergency, a listing of every AED and location within the school and information on hands-only CPR and use of AEDs,” said state Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, the legislation’s House sponsor.
The new law also requires staff to learn hands-on cardiac response training including how to do CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Another bill on Pritzker’s desk would make sure schools have AEDs on hand. They’re currently only required to be around during sports. The bill would require schools have AEDs available throughout the school day and during all after-school activities.
Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. (D-Chicago) introduced HB 2239 in February 2023. It took almost a full year to get the bill assigned to the House Gaming Committee, and it was re-referred to the House Rules Committee last April.
Gonzalez’s bill didn’t make it any further before the legislature recessed on May 24. Lawmakers will meet for two weeks in the fall. It’s important to note, however, that the current makeup of the General Assembly can meet at any time until January 11, 2025. The legislature meets biennially, meaning their sessions last over two-year periods.
Speaking to PRO this week, Gonzalez said opposition from businesses invested in video gaming terminals (VGTs) helped dash any hopes that HB 2239 would get a hearing from the House Gaming Committee during the current session.
“Our priority this session was the budget, and although igaming was presented as a potential new revenue stream for the state, members of the House and Senate were wary of its implementation, especially after VGTs expressed opposition to the bill,” Gonzalez told PRO on Monday.
The Illinois bill, which ensures children under 16 are compensated for social media content, went into effect on July 1
A revolutionary new piece of state legislation protecting child influencers is now in effect in Illinois, ensuring that children under the age of 16 will be compensated for appearing in their parents’ social media content.
On July 1, the state of Illinois officially enacted an amendment to its existing Child Labor Law, which specifically states that children under the age of 16 are entitled to a share of the revenue from their adult guardians’ vlogging content, defined in the bill as “content shared on an online platform in exchange for compensation.”
According to the law, if a child appears in at least 30 percent of a parent or caregiver’s social media content over the course of 30 days, the minor is entitled to monetary compensation. Adults are required to set aside those funds to be put in a trust, which the minor can access when they turn 18. The law also allows child influencers to take action against parents who failed to properly compensate them for their work, according to a statement from the office of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who signed the bill into law in August 2023.
Several new ordinances and laws taking effect in Illinois on Monday, July 1 include enhanced benefits for some workers in Chicago, protections for children of social media influencers, additional protections for independent contractors, changes to school assessment tests and the ability for undocumented immigrants to obtain an Illinois driver’s license.
Beginning July 1st, the minimum wage in Chicago will rise to $16.20, up from $15.80.
Statewide, the minimum wage is currently $14.00 an hour, which will increase to $15 an hour by January 1st, 2025. Tipped workers currently receive a minimum wage of $8.40.
Chicago workers will receive at least 10 days off each year, thanks to the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave ordinance.
Under the ordinance, workers who work at least 80 hours within a 120 day period are guaranteed five days of paid leave and five days of sick leave.
During the last couple weeks of the spring state legislative session, Senate President Don Harmon got whacked twice by allies, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, but still managed to keep his cool.
On May 14, the pro-choice powerhouse group Personal PAC issued a blistering press release blasting the Senate supermajority for an “unacceptable decision” to strip abortion services from the governor’s birth equity bill, which banned co-pays and other added insurance costs for most prenatal and postnatal care. Pritzker quickly chimed in, saying if the House-approved bill was indeed stripped of abortion coverage, he wouldn’t sign it.
Eleven days later — the day before the Senate took up the state budget package — an internal administration talking points memo was mistakenly sent as a blast text message by a member of Pritzker’s staff to House Democrats. The incendiary blast text was sent shortly after the Senate Democrats, in consultation with the Republicans, amended a House bill reforming the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.
The Senate’s bipartisan amendment included requirements like live-streaming Prisoner Review Board hearings, which the Pritzker administration claimed at the time would cost a fortune and, according to the mistakenly texted memo, was actually part of a plan to undermine the state’s Mandatory Supervised Release program because hearing officers would be intimidated into not releasing deserving prisoners while being video streamed.
“This is a right-wing wolf in disingenuous transparency clothing,” the administration’s text told House Dems. “It eliminates [Mandatory Supervised Release] by design. And it’s appalling that senate democrats [sic] are so eager to please their Republican friends that they would undermine justice and push to keep people incarcerated who, by measure of actual law, should be out on MSR.”
There was real fear in the building the accidental broadside could derail the budget.
Budget package stayed on track
Through it all, though, Harmon didn’t overreact. The entire budget package cleared his chamber with far more Democratic support than it received days later in the House. Things could’ve been so much different.
“It did not trouble me in a way it may have in the past,” Harmon told me last week after I asked if he had matured over the years.
The Senate, he pointed out, eventually “passed the birth equity bill, and in the form it was passed.” He later added, “I think there were some misunderstandings that could’ve been resolved by a telephone call.”
And Harmon said of the Prisoner Review Board amendment imbroglio: “We weren’t intending to pick fights. It was a bit of a surprise to me the level of engagement and the way it happened. I’d much rather work with the governor to make this work than to spin our wheels for nothing.” He said he’d be “happy” to have a conversation with the governor to “make sure all voices are heard” going forward.
“In the end, we’re judged by what we produce, not the rough drafts in between,” Harmon said. “The partnership with the governor, responsible budgeting has been a real anchor here for all of us, I think. And again, my priorities going into any session are to do the best I can to make sure the members of our caucus have the opportunity to advance legislation that’s important to them and to make sure we adopt a responsible, balanced budget. So, I try to focus on those things and not worry about the political flame-throwing that just seems to be part of our process.”
Harmon and the governor didn’t start off on the best terms. The two were old allies, but their top staffs just did not mesh well, to say the least.
But Harmon told me things started to change toward the end of the 2023 spring session. “I think the challenges we faced in passing the budget last year have solidified the relationship between the Senate staff and the governor’s staff and demonstrated our ability to work well together,” he told me.
Harmon wouldn’t specify what those “challenges” were, but it’s pretty obvious what he meant.
Last year, House Speaker Chris Welch agreed to a budget deal with the other two leaders. An announcement was made, but then Welch got heat from his caucus and needed to find more money for his members. Rather than walk away, Harmon and Pritzker and their staffs worked with Welch to find a solution.
Former House Speaker Michael Madigan wouldn’t have been nearly as accommodating, to say the least. Making accommodations and overlooking attacks just weren’t his thing. Times have indeed changed.
* ICYMI: A major shake-up of Metra, CTA and Pace? Now’s the time to speak out as public hearings kick off. Daily Herald…
- Tuesday marks the beginning of several state Senate Transportation Committee hearings on the future of Chicago-area transit.
- Proposed legislation would dissolve the boards of Metra, Pace, the CTA and RTA, and create a 19-member Metropolitan Mobility Authority board.
- Out of nearly $780 million in transit system-generated revenues, 44% comes from Metra and Pace, 54% derives from the CTA, according to the RTA’s 2024 budget.
- There will be tough questions about who pays more into the system, who’s riding and who deserves the most representatives on the proposed MMA board — city or suburbs?
* The Marshall Project | Domestic violence survivors in Illinois are in prison for abusers’ crimes: There is no comprehensive data about how many people are in prison for the crimes of their abusers. Through a search of legal documents, though, the Marshall Project was able to identify nearly 100 people across the country convicted of assisting, supporting or failing to stop a crime by their alleged abusers. Some of the women showed clear signs of abuse at the time they were arrested. One Illinois woman was in a neck brace.
* The Pantagraph | Behind the Pritzker administration’s quest to signal Illinois is ‘open for business’: After taking “a lot of good notes,” Pritzker and his team got to work. They determined early on that creating a new state-level economic development corporation “was going to take too long.” So the reworked apparatus would be housed within existing state agencies. It starts with the governor’s office, with Manar and first assistant deputy governor Claire Lindberg quarterbacking the effort day-to-day. Pritzker gets personally involved in pitching Illinois to CEOs and serving as a go-between different companies across the state when necessary.
* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois switching to ACT exams for state assessments: In recent years, though, many colleges and universities stopped requiring either the SAT or ACT as part of their application and admission processes. In 2021, Illinois lawmakers passed the Higher Education Fair Admissions Act requiring all public universities and community colleges to adopt a “test-optional” policy for admissions, meaning students could voluntarily choose whether to include them in their application package. But ISBE continued using the tests as part of its federally mandated statewide assessments.
* Capitol News Illinois | State ends fiscal year with nearly $5B cash on hand: Comptroller Susana Mendoza noted the high cash balance helped Illinois generate over $558 million in interest income in FY24, a 53 percent increase from the previous year. She said in a news release she plans to exercise new authority granted to her office in the budgeting process this year to pre-pay required monthly pension payments while funds are available. “This will enable the (pension) systems to plan accordingly and keep more of the pension funds in their investment portfolios,” Mendoza said in a statement.
* WCIA | Senate GOP Leader talks Republican chairman exit ahead of convention: There are only a couple of weeks left until the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, but the Illinois Republican Party is struggling its way onto the convention floor after chairman Don Tracy announced that he will be resigning due to turmoil within the party. […] That infighting Tracy discussed grew as former president Donald Trump became the flag bearer for the national republican party. Republicans are going to officially nominate Trump as their candidate in Milwaukee. And Curran — who is seen as a more moderate Republican, is standing by him. “President Trump is our candidate. I thought his debate performance was very good the other night. I think he displayed a lot of vigor for the for the office he’s seeking to return to,” Curran said.
* WGLT | Soil and water conservation districts leader sees budget cut as a call to action: The new state budget includes a $4 million, or nearly 50%, cut to operating funds for Illinois soil and water conservation districts. That’s the money used to pay experts and other front-line staff who advise farmers and other property owners about conservation practices, like cover crops and no-till farming, and help them access federal or state cost-share funds to implement them. The intergenerational harm comes because many of those projects take years to complete.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Mag Mile landlords get the OK to tax themselves — but not without a delay: A bill recently signed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker allows property owners along North Michigan Avenue and other commercial corridors in Chicago to impose a small tax on themselves to fund area improvements, but a new district won’t be in place along the Magnificent Mile until at least 2026. Backed by Mayor Brandon Johnson and pushed through Springfield by Chicago Democrats, state Rep. Kam Buckner and state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, the legislation creates business improvement districts, or BIDs, in the city.
* Tribune | In Chicago’s tent cities, ‘a multitude of challenges’ to address the city’s rising homelessness: On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that cities and states can enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outdoors, which has experts and advocates for the homeless worried that accumulating citations and criminal proceedings could raise even higher barriers to housing and stability for people who started out with no place to go. […] In an interview with the Tribune, Sendy Soto, Chicago’s chief homelessness officer, said the homeless in Chicago had nothing to fear from the ruling. The city plans to stick with its housing-first approach to getting homeless people off the streets.
* The Triibe | Garfield Park and Englewood residents dream of safe futures: As Chicago enters the summer months, often marked by increased violence due to warmer weather, The TRiiBE interviewed people experiencing the most divestment in West Garfield Park, East Garfield Park, and Englewood to understand their visions for safety. In these interviews, they describe what they believe would be most effective in creating safety and security in areas with high levels of poverty, the challenges and barriers shaping the safety of their neighborhoods, and the role law enforcement should play in building a safe community. […] For Englewood residents, safety isn’t solely about policing; it’s about coming together. Initiatives like the R.A.G.E. Englewood (Resident Association of Greater Englewood) have been pivotal in giving residents the agency to reclaim their neighborhoods. Tra’Vonne Wright is an Englewood resident and member of the Getting Grown Collective, a neighborhood organization that supports communities through agriculture projects, policy collaboration, and health access. He spoke about organizations like R.A.G.E. fighting against gentrification and helping residents buy back homes, Grow Greater Englewood which supports sustainable farms and businesses, and Teamwork Englewood which provides essential resources and amenities.
* Tribune | ‘I want her to worry about who’s waiting on the corner’: How one man uses Facebook to frighten his children’s mother and why police do nothing: She had been locked in a custody and child support battle for years with her ex-partner, a computer whiz with a sizable social media following and a well-documented disregard for court orders. Since moving to Florida in 2021, he had been offering money on Facebook for information regarding his children. […] In a telephone interview with the Tribune, the children’s father, Micah Berkley, confirmed he wrote the posts soliciting pictures of his daughters on social media. He said he also seeks photographs through targeted Facebook ads that appear in the feeds of people who live within a ½-mile radius of Ward’s house and the children’s school. […] “I hear she’s scared,” he told the Tribune. “She should be scared. She should be terrified. I want her to worry about who’s waiting on the corner whenever she walks outside.”
* Tribune | A dedicated bus lane on Western Avenue? Nearby aldermen support overhaul plan to make CTA less ‘Loop-centric.’: The proposal will certainly face complaints. A similar idea floated by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel for Ashland Avenue flopped about a decade ago amid opposition, including from drivers who decried the project they said would slow car traffic to a crawl on the major thoroughfare. But the coalition pushing the latest plan for so-called BRT is stepping on the gas. Their aspirations, if realized, would amount to the most dramatic reimagining of a Chicago roadway in decades.
* WTTW | Bronzeville Community Microgrid Charts a Path to a Green Energy Future: The Bronzeville Community Microgrid is powered by rooftop- and ground-mounted solar installations at the CHA’s Dearborn Homes. Large batteries in the community then store that power. Natural gas-fired generation is also available to ensure continuous power to the community in the event of a major grid interruption, according to ComEd.
* Daily Southtown | Landmarks: ‘Globally rare’ habitat in Lockport gets an $8 million boost, Army Corps attention: And May 31, county, state and federal officials gathered at the site to cut a ceremonial ribbon for Lockport Prairie and nearby Prairie Bluff preserves, where the 6-year, $8.3 million “major ecosystem restoration project” had just wrapped up, marking the completion of a plan that had been in discussions since the 1990s. The Army Corps of Engineers invested $5.5 million in federal aquatic ecosystem restoration funds, while the Forest Preserve District contributed $2.8 million in land value, according to a Will County news release.
*** Downstate ***
* BND | Fight over $3.5 million to help fund East St. Louis police pensions heads to court: Seizing state money from the city of East St. Louis to help pay for police pensions is unconstitutional and would reduce local government’s ability to provide essential services to its citizens, the city says in a lawsuit against the Police Pension Board and Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza. […] Nick Mueller, president of the East St. Louis Police Pension Board, told the BND that city officials knew the board would be asking for the intercept. Some city officials were present when the board voted last month to proceed with the intercept request. They voiced no objections, Mueller said. Nine days later, on June 20, the city filed its lawsuit in St. Clair County Circuit Court. The pension fund, the pension board and Mendoza are named as defendants.
*** Sports ***
* Daily Herald | ‘We’re in a much better place’: Arlington Heights mayor says Bears have responded to proposed deal: “We’ve worked very hard to come to an agreement with the school districts that I think the Bears can be comfortable with, and that’s been communicated to the Bears, and that’s what we’re discussing now,” Mayor Tom Hayes told the Daily Herald. “So I feel very comfortable that should the Bears reengage with us and continue to explore the Arlington Park site, that the road is going to be much easier than we found in past months.”
* Tribune | Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese surpasses Candace Parker for the WNBA all-time consecutive double-double record: To set the new record, Reese surpassed former Sky star and Naperville native Candace Parker, who previously set the record with a 12-game streak between the 2009 and 2010 seasons. She had already passed Parker’s record for a single-season double-double streak in last week’s loss to the Minnesota Lynx. The Sky lost 84-71 to the Storm on Sunday. Reese finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
* Tribune | From reliever to starter to All-Star: Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet earns 1st All-Star nod: The Chicago White Sox left-hander earned All-Star honors for the first time in his career Sunday as he was named the team’s lone representative to the American League roster. “Now that it’s real, it definitely has a different feel to it,” Crochet said. “Excited. Thankful for the people who voted. Thankful for my teammates. I wouldn’t be here without them. I know it’s been a bumpy season, but the relationships we formed in the clubhouse really makes it easy to go out there and play hard for the guys.
*** National ***
* Tribune | Illinois AG Kwame Raoul joins Democratic counterparts in defending DEI initiatives: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul took the lead on a letter signed by 19 Democratic attorneys general late last month reaffirming their position that programs supporting diversity are valid and mitigate racial discrimination, part of an effort to take back the narrative from conservatives. The letter was delivered to the American Bar Association, Fortune 100 company CEOs and other organizations that may be targeted for DEI initiatives. In an interview, Raoul said he wants to ensure “this very well-coordinated effort to undermine efforts to be inclusive, both in higher education and the corporate sector, does not succeed.”
* ABC Chicago | Six Flags, Cedar Fair complete $8 billion merger to create largest park operator: Six Flags this week completed an $8 billion merger with rival Cedar Fair to create the largest amusement park operator in the United States. Together, they operate 42 amusement and water parks across 17 states. The success of the deal will determine the future of these amusement parks, and diehard rollercoaster fans are watching carefully. Some are optimistic that the condition of Six Flags’ parks will improve. Others worry it will become more expensive to get into their favorite parks.
* NerdWallet | Corporations want you to rent, not own. Can lawmakers stop them?: Corporate landlords raise rent and charge ancillary fees because they can. “These institutions have outsized power in our housing market, and that influence is growing,” said U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, in an email. “By 2030, Wall Street could control 40 percent of U.S. single-family rental homes.” […] Merkley, the Oregon senator, has introduced a bill that would force corporate landlords to sell their houses. The End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act “is intended to give all families a fair chance to buy a decent home in a decent community at a price they can afford, because houses should be homes for families, not a profit center for Wall Street,” Merkley said in an email. His bill would make corporate landlords sell at least 10% of their inventories of single-family rental homes every year for 10 years or face steep tax penalties. A similar bill was introduced into the House, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington.
* AP | Boeing accepts a plea deal to avoid a criminal trial over 737 Max crashes, Justice Department says: The plea deal, which still must receive the approval of a federal judge to take effect, calls for Boeing to pay an additional $243.6 million fine. That was the same amount it paid under the 2021 settlement that the Justice Department said the company breached. An independent monitor would be named to oversee Boeing’s safety and quality procedures for three years. The deal also requires Boeing to invest at least $455 million in its compliance and safety programs.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday told Gov. J.B. Pritzker and 23 other Democratic governors that he has no plans to drop out of the presidential race and downplayed poor poll numbers after a damaging debate performance that has set off a wave of panic in the party.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the governors, along with Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, in an hour-long White House discussion described by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, chair of the Democratic Governors’ Association, as “honest and open” and by Pritzker as “candid.” […]
Moore, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Gov. Gavin Newsom all sent out social media statements of support for Biden shortly after the meeting: “I heard three words from the President tonight — he’s all in. And so am I. @JoeBiden’s had our back. Now it’s time to have his,” Newsom wrote.
A campaign spokeswoman for Pritzker said the governor called the meeting “candid” and said “he appreciated hearing directly from the president.” He did not post a statement of support for Biden on social media Wednesday night.
* Pritzker on CNN…
Pritzker: “Right now, Joe Biden is our nominee & I'm 100% on board with supporting him, unless he makes some other decision & then I think we're all going to be discussing what's the best way forward…Joe Biden will do what's best for the Democratic party & winning in 2024.” pic.twitter.com/ecNROJk6sE
Q: [If Biden does drop out] would you consider taking his place at the top of the ticket?
Pritzker: Look, right now, Joe Biden is our nominee, and I’m 100% on board with supporting him as our nominee, unless he makes some other decision, and then I think we’re all going to be discussing what’s the best way forward.
Q: But, as a Democratic governor right now, people are watching this and wondering what’s going to happen. You don’t think it’s a non-zero chance that we are in a situation where you’re discussing who a new Democratic nominee would be?
Pritzker: Well, I don’t know. You’d have to ask that to Joe Biden, is it non-zero, because he’s the nominee of the party, unless he says otherwise.
Q: Would you support a vice president Harris? I mean, the polling from CNN today, she’s polling better than he is with with independents, and that she is actually within striking distance of Donald Trump in that hypothetical matchup.
Pritzker: Well, the Democratic Party has a great bench. And I think you and I both know there are some hyper capable people that whose names have been mentioned as potential for the future. But right now, we’re focused on the 2024 race and the fact that Joe Biden is going to be the nominee, unless otherwise stated. So I, look, I think, very, very highly of Kamala Harris. She has stood by Joe Biden in these difficult circumstances. She’s somebody who has real backing among certain parts of the party. And so I think, again, she’s a terrific member of a class of Democrats who I think are all in very good stead and well liked within their states or across the government.
Q: You made clear that you do have concerns, and that those concerns have not been addressed, that you haven’t heard from President Biden. You want those concerns to be addressed. You want him communicating more. If he doesn’t do that, will you change whether or not you’re supporting him on this ticket?
Pritzker: He’s our nominee, and the most important thing is we have to win in 2024. The alternative is particularly unacceptable, Donald Trump.
Q: But that’s exactly what I’ve heard from Democrats, is if you’re so concerned about a second Donald Trump presidency, how can you tell voters that you should leave that person they saw on the debate stage Thursday night on the top of the Democratic ticket?
Pritzker: I think Joe Biden will do what’s best for the Democratic Party and for winning in 2024 and that’s, again, why he’s got to go communicate with people. I think we need to just make sure that everybody is heard. What I don’t like is shutting down dissent, shutting down discussion. I know there are people in the party that want people to just be quiet, but the truth is, I think people need to express themselves. We’re a party that accepts that, and I’m pleased about that, and then we’ll come to a conclusion here. Joe Biden will come to a conclusion about it. He’s a patriotic American who believes in the Democratic Tibet in our bodies, and has fought for them, his entire life. And so I think he’s going, again, he’s going to stres, all of that and make a decision on his own.
“First of all, I think there is a healthy conversation going on within the Democratic Party, we’re not a cult like the MAGA Republicans, we tolerate dissent and we think it’s good for democracy to have this conversation,” Pritzker said on CNN. “For me anyway, my word is my bond. I honor my commitments. Joe Biden is going to be our nominee unless he decides otherwise.”
A group of Democratic governors, including Pritzker, met on a call on Monday. Pritzker said none of the governors on the call said Biden should leave the race but rather the overall takeaway was that Biden needs to communicate with the nation better and more frequently after the unsettling debate performance.
“It was all a fairly positive conversation, people expressing themselves and of course talking about what they’d like to hear from the president, then what they think the strategy ought to be going forward and then I think everybody wanted to be able to express that to the president directly and that’s why Gov. (Tim) Walz, the head of the Democratic Governors Association, asked for the opportunity and the president was readily willingly to do it,” Pritzker said.
* Pritzker and other governors will be meeting with Biden this evening…
Among the Democratic governors who were planning to attend in person were Tim Walz of Minnesota, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Daniel McKee of Rhode Island, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gavin Newsom of California, according to their aides. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy were planning on attending virtually.
Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) suggested that the “only thing” that could adjust President Biden’s decision about staying in the race post-debate is poll numbers.
Quigley emphasized during an interview Tuesday on CNN that Biden’s decision to continue is his alone, following a rocky debate performance last week against former President Trump. The Illinois Democrat suggested that weak polling in the wake of the event is the only thing that could sway the incumbent. […]
“I think what I’m stressing is it has to be his decision,” Quigley said. “But we have to be honest with ourselves that it wasn’t just a horrible night, but I won’t go beyond that out of my respect and understanding.”
Despite “legitimate questions and concerns raised by President (Joe) Biden’s debate performance” last week, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski on Tuesday declined to call for the octogenarian Democratic incumbent to step aside as the party’s nominee.
“It was a terrible night for President Biden. And I don’t think we can sugarcoat that,” said Budzinski, a Springfield Democrat, adding that she was reconciling the performance with “what I believe to be a remarkable set of achievements coming out of his first term in office.” […]
“The reality is that President Biden has won our party’s nomination in 2024, and it is up to him to choose his path forward,” Budzinski said. “I believe if he decides to stay in this race, and he has indicated that he obviously is, I’m going to be supporting him because I think there is just too much at stake for any other alternative.”
State Senator Robert Peters of Illinois said this morning that the decision for President Biden to stay in the race lay with him and his team, but he stressed that if Biden was going to continue campaigning he had to bring the energy that he had at this year’s State of the Union “every day.” “If that can’t be done,” Peters said, “then that is something that needs to be taken in serious consideration.”
President Joe Biden defiantly vowed on Wednesday to keep running for reelection, rejecting growing pressure from within his Democratic Party to withdraw after a disastrous debate performance raised questions about his readiness. He said he would not be forced from the race.
“I am running. I am the leader of the Democratic Party. No one is pushing me out,” Biden said, according to a top aide who posted his comment on the X social media platform.
Biden and Harris made a surprise appearance on a Democratic National Committee call, according to three people familiar with the matter who were given anonymity to discuss the private conversation. The people said it was a pep talk, stressing the stakes of the election and returning to Biden’s previous post-debate comments that he would get back up after being knocked down.
It was one of several efforts by the president and his top aides to try to calm increasing anxiety among his allies on Capitol Hill and at top levels of his party.
* More stories…
* Press release: Illinois Reaches Record High Cash Balance, Exceeds FY24 Revenue Estimates. Cash balance nearly 9% of FY25 enacted General Funds Budget: Today Governor JB Pritzker announced that the State of Illinois ended FY24 approximately $125 million, or .2%, above projected FY24 General Funds revenue estimates. Illinois also ended the fiscal year with the highest ever General Funds cash balance, capping off another year of fiscal responsibility and stewardship as Illinois continues to regrow its fiscal portfolio and restore fiscal stability following years of mismanagement. … The state closed the month of June with a $4.67 billion General Funds cash balance, up from $3.85 billion at the end of June 2023. Of the $4.67 billion balance, $2.1 billion was in the Budget Stabilization Fund and $1.74 billion was in the General Revenue Fund. All in, the General Funds end-of-year cash balance totals almost 9% of the FY25 enacted General Funds budget. Credit reporting agencies and investors monitor state cash reserves to assess Illinois’ financial position and gauge the state’s ability to weather potential economic downturns. Improved fiscal conditions have led to lower credit spreads and reduced cost of borrowing for Illinois taxpayers.
* Illinois’ assault weapons ban won’t be heard by Supreme Court: The U.S. Supreme Court will not consider challenges to Illinois’ controversial assault weapons ban, for now. That doesn’t mean it’s not headed to the nation’s high court one day. In fact, a federal judge in southern Illinois has been preparing for a Sept. 16 trial in which he could more fully take on the question of whether the weapons ban passes constitutional muster. Whatever that trial’s result, it could soon put Illinois’ law back on track to the Supreme Court, which Justice Clarence Thomas says must offer more guidance “on which weapons the Second Amendment covers.”
* Statement from Protect Illinois Communities on the US Supreme Court Refusing to Review the Protect Illinois Communities Act: Today, Protect Illinois Communities President Becky Carroll released the following statement in response to the US Supreme Court refusing to review the Protect Illinois Communities Act: “After nearly 18 months of requests from extremist organizations to block the Protect Illinois Communities Act, the US Supreme Court has refused to take up the case, ensuring the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines stays in effect and continues to help save lives. “This victory would not have been possible without the hundreds of survivors, advocates and activists everywhere from Chicago and East St. Louis to Highland Park and Peoria who came together in just a few short weeks during the holiday season in 2022 to pass this historic legislation. We are grateful for the tireless leadership of Governor JB Pritzker, Speaker Chris Welch, Senate President Don Harmon and Representative Bob Morgan for championing the Protect Illinois Communities Act, and are thankful it will continue to keep weapons of war off our streets.” Protect Illinois Communities was proud to work with representatives from organizations including Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action, Everytown Survivor Network, People for a Safer Society, Illinois Alliance to Prevent Gun Violence, Parents for Peace and Justice, Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, March for Our Lives, Amnesty International, and Purpose Over Pain, as well as countless doctors, faith leaders, local elected officials and others.
