Tuesday, May 21, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.
A technology that some say is a key tool to address climate change and others say is a cash grab for heavy industry could face new regulations – if lawmakers can find the time before their scheduled adjournment this week.
Carbon capture and sequestration technology is used to take carbon dioxide – a powerful greenhouse gas – and move it through pipelines before storing it deep underground. Several interest groups – including business groups, environmentalists and labor organizations like the AFL-CIO – are pushing for a bill that would regulate the emerging technology at the same time some companies are pitching pipeline projects to state regulators. […]
Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, said on Monday that while she sees a path to move a bill by the end of the week, she and others involved in the talks are operating on a very short timescale. […]
Lawmakers have floated various forms of regulation of the industry in the past, but none of them have received the level of support necessary for passage in the General Assembly.
* The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association…
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association issued the following statement after the House Executive Committee advanced House Floor Amendment 2 to HB817, which includes a five-year extension of the Research & Development Tax Credit that strengthens key tax incentive programs to grow investments in Illinois:
“Research and development are central to the success of our state’s manufacturing sector, with manufacturers constantly creating new products and improving existing ones. By extending this important tax credit for another five years, manufacturers can continue to invest in new technologies to grow our economy and revolutionize our world, including electric vehicle battery development and quantum research,” said Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “This has long been a priority of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, and we thank Governor JB Pritzker and lawmakers for recognizing the importance of enacting policies to attract and grow manufacturing in Illinois, which employs 650,000 workers and contributes the single largest share of our state’s economy. We are especially appreciative to Rep. Dave Vella and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for their leadership on this issue, and for pursuing additional changes to strengthen tax incentive programs including the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois Act (REV Act) and the Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity Act (MICRO Act) to grow investments in Illinois supply chains.”
Caterpillar Inc. has entered into a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor to resolve alleged systemic hiring discrimination against 60 Black applicants at the production facility in Decatur.
Caterpillar Inc. will pay $800,000 in back wages and interest to affected job applicants and offer jobs to 34 eligible class members to resolve the allegations. The company also agreed to ensure its hiring policies and procedures are free from discrimination and provide training to all managers, supervisors, and other company officials who oversee hiring decisions.
From March 30, 2018 to March 30, 2020, the department’s Office of the Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that Caterpillar discriminated against 60 Black applicants who applied for fabrication specialist/welder positions at its Decatur facility.
*** Statehouse News ***
* WBBM | Illinois legislator draws up play for funding of new Bears, Sox stadiums: State Representative La Shawn Ford has filed a resolution calling on the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to consider selling properties to private developers to build stadiums.“They could buy the land over by Comiskey, U.S. Cellular [Guaranteed Rate Field], they could purchase that land,” Ford said. “That would be something that they could develop and be the landlords or you could find other communities in the city of Chicago that could use a shot in the arm to make that community more vibrant.”
*** Chicago ***
* Block Club | Downtown Teen Curfew Remains This Summer Despite Mayor Johnson Saying He’s Not A Fan: Mayor Brandon Johnson has said the policy doesn’t align with his vision for Chicago. The Mayor’s Office declined to comment Monday when asked by Block Club whether the curfew would be repealed this summer, despite park advocates calling on Johnson to do so. […] Adults 21 and older can use the park 6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. People younger than that must be accompanied by a “responsible” adult who is 21 or older if they are entering the park after 6 p.m.
* Crain’s | Trucking milk to Texas, $100K in unused bottles: How the wheels fell off Oberweis Dairy: Oberweis tried to capitalize on the shift to home delivery during the pandemic and started selling tomahawk steaks, seafood and other non-dairy items. It opened delivery routes in Texas and “spent aggressively” to rope in new customers. It also bought a fleet of delivery trucks, opened a new production line and bought thousands of milk crates and bottles. The company stretched itself too thin with those spending decisions, experts said. The delivery routes — which involved trucking milk from Oberweis’ North Aurora production facility down to Texas, then hauling used bottles back up — were not profitable, according to the filing. Not enough people signed up for delivery, the trucks were underutilized and about $100,000 worth of new quart-size milk bottles still sit unused.
* Neil Steinberg | A journey on public transit in Boston shows just how good Chicago has it: Taking the T was worth it just to realize the powers that be in Boston, despite representing a metropolis founded in 1630, couldn’t manage to run the train all the way to the airport. It stops 1,000 yards away. In Boston’s defense, Mayor Michelle Wu makes a habit of joining Bostonians on their daily commutes to see for herself what’s happening. Can’t imagine Brandon Johnson doing that. He’s studying the inside of the basket he’s hiding under.
* Block Club | Sam & Gertie’s, Uptown Vegan Jewish Deli, To Close This Weekend After 4 Years: Kalish is now focusing on his eighth concept for Wilson Avenue and plans to open a diner in early June, he said. Dear Flo’s, 1313 W. Wilson Ave., will open in the former Kal’ish space. Although there are no plans to reopen Sam & Gertie’s, Kalish hopes to offer holiday pop-ups for Hanukkah, Passover and Rosh Hashanah.
* Tribune | Buffalo Grove mayor, police chief hold social media chat discussing safety programs: In a video interview with Village President Eric Smith and police Chief Brian Budds posted recently to YouTube, the village announced that the new public safety initiatives were also announced to village residents in an electronic newsletter. Budds, who joined the village a year-and-a-half ago, said he was asked then to assess the police department and its technology. The chief said he identified some opportunities — particularly with gun safety, automated license plate readers and drones — that contribute to his department’s effectiveness.
*** Cicadapocalypse ***
* IDNR | IDNR seeking entries for cicada-themed art show: Illinois is the epicenter of a rare double cicada brood emergence this summer, and IDNR wants to commemorate the occasion with a public art show in Conservation World during the 2024 Illinois State Fair, Aug. 8-18. Anyone can participate. There will be a junior exhibit for youth 17 and younger, and an adult show for everyone 18 and older. Deadline to enter is Sunday, June 16, 2024.
* Fox 2 Now | Want to taste Cicadas? Join the Bug Chef for cicada dishes at the Butterfly House: Those with a thirst for cicadas can join the Bug Chef at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House on May 24 for cicada dishes and an educational forum on the practice of eating insects. There will be two demonstrations on May 24, at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. The Butterfly House requests that guests attend only one demonstration to allow others the opportunity to learn about cicadas. Seating is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
*** National ***
* NYT | Scarlett Johansson Said No, but OpenAI’s Virtual Assistant Sounds Just Like Her: Days before OpenAI demonstrated its new, flirty voice assistant last week, the actress Scarlett Johansson said, Sam Altman, the company’s chief executive, called her agent and asked that she consider licensing her voice for a virtual assistant. It was his second request to the actress in the past year, Ms. Johannson said in a statement on Monday, adding that the reply both times was no. Despite those refusals, Ms. Johansson said, OpenAI used a voice that sounded “eerily similar to mine.” She has hired a lawyer and asked OpenAI to stop using a voice it called “Sky.”
* AP News | Graceland is not for sale, Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough says in lawsuit: The granddaughter of Elvis Presley is fighting an attempt to publicly auction his Graceland estate in Memphis, alleging that a company’s claims that the king of rock ’n’ roll’s former home was used as collateral for an unpaid loan are fraudulent. A public auction for the estate had been scheduled for Thursday this week, but a Memphis judge blocked the sale after Riley Keough sought a temporary restraining order and filed a lawsuit, court documents show. Keough, an actor, is Presley’s granddaughter and the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley.
* Sun-Times | Traveling abroad for Pride Month? LGBTQ+ Chicagoans respond to worldwide travel alert: The U.S. State Department issued a “worldwide caution” alert Friday, saying it had learned of an “increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events.” The State Department did not specify where the threats may happen, but CBS News reported the alert was based on intelligence citing threats by ISIS against Pride events in parts of Europe.
“Menu prices are sure to increase, making restaurant visits less appetizing. We’re also wondering: Will customers continue to eat out as often and tip generously — or at all — when prices increase and service charges and other fees are added to bills? And what about those servers who already make more than minimum wage because of tips, especially in bustling, high-end establishments? Nationally, according to a 2022 survey by the National Restaurant Association, tipped workers make an average of $27 an hour.”
New AFSCME report underlines problems with plan to close Stateville, relocate Logan prison
Union supports rebuilding facilities on existing sites, no closures
A new report from the union representing employees of the Illinois Department of Corrections underlines the many problems with the agency’s proposals to close Stateville Correctional Center for reconstruction for three to five years starting as soon as September, and to close and relocate Logan Correctional Center from Lincoln to Crest Hill.
The executive summary of the report follows.
AFSCME Council 31 supports building a new women’s correctional facility, but strongly opposes the relocation of Logan Correctional Center.
Likewise, AFSCME supports building a new facility at Stateville Correctional Center, but strongly opposes closing the current facility before the new one is built and opened. (IDOC has implied the current facility could be closed as soon as September—a rushed timeline that should be slowed to ensure sound answers to the many questions raised here and elsewhere.)
The current IDOC proposal would threaten layoffs with disparate harm to employees of color, worsen staffing shortages, cause upheaval in the lives of correctional employees and individuals in custody, disrupt correctional operations and destabilize other facilities.
Specific to Stateville, although IDOC has cited its consultant CGL’s report as the rationale for the closure and reconstruction proposal, department COGFA filings omit major parts of that report which contradict its plan.
THREAT OF LAYOFFS & DISPARATE IMPACT
IDOC does not identify a sufficient number of vacant positions at nearby facilities for the nearly 500 Stateville CC employees whose jobs are threatened by closure. There are just 44 vacancies at the Joliet Treatment Center (10 miles away) and 24 vacancies at Sheridan CC (30 miles). IDOC fails to disclose how many if any vacancies are available at the Northern Reception & Classification (NRC) center on Stateville’s grounds.
Closing Stateville would disproportionately harm Black, Latino, and women workers. Region 1 where Stateville is located has:
• More employees of color than all other regions combined;
• 68 percent of the department’s Black employees;
• Its largest proportion of women (41 percent); and
• Its largest Latino workforce (11 percent).
Similarly, the two correctional facilities near Logan CC (Lincoln and Decatur CCs) have just 54 vacant positions between them. The next two closest (Jacksonville and Taylorville CCs) are 60 miles away and have just 25 vacancies combined. In total that’s fewer than 80 jobs available in nearby IDOC facilities for Logan CC’s 454 employees.
The economic impact study submitted to COGFA by IDOC indicates that closing and relocating Logan CC could result in the loss of $68.5 million in economic activity in local communities.
WORSEN STAFFING SHORTAGES
Logan CC now has just 66 percent of its authorized headcount and 85 percent of its budgeted headcount.
Closing and moving Logan CC will, over the three-to-five-year anticipated timeline, exacerbate this shortage as employees seek to transfer to other facilities or state agencies in order to remain employed in the local area.
Because of the lack of viable alternatives for Stateville employees, closure will likely result in the loss of experienced IDOC employees who retire or resign rather than face significant travel or relocation.
UPHEAVAL FOR INDIVIDUALS IN CUSTODY
Because 71% of Stateville CC’s 435 individuals in custody are from the seven-county Cook-and-collars region, relocation elsewhere in the state will undoubtedly lengthen the time and distance their families and others must travel to visit.
Meanwhile, just 40% of the 1,039 women housed at Logan CC are from the Cook-and-collars region. There is no evidence for IDOC’s claim that relocating them to a new facility in Will County would improve access to families and social supports.
Because the only other facility for women—Decatur CC—is a minimum-security facility inappropriate for Logan’s population, there would be no option for offenders from central and southern Illinois to remain near these supports.
Stateville CC operates a medical facility with an ER, triage center, dialysis, imaging, lab, in-patient and long-term beds, a dental clinic and specialists including mental health treatment, physical therapy, podiatry, optometry and more. Some 60 percent of the Stateville population is on “medical hold” and requires frequent care. IDOC’s filing to COGFA is silent on how the medical needs of individuals in custody will be met if Stateville is closed.
DISRUPT CORRECTIONAL OPERATIONS
IDOC data already indicates a steady rise in staff assaults and incidents among individuals in custody, and in disciplinary transfers for dangerous or disruptive behavior—especially at the maximum- and medium-security facilities likely to receive individuals from Stateville CC if it is closed. Receiving facilities will be unable to ensure safety for their staff and current population.
Closing Stateville during reconstruction and relocating Logan CC to Will County will increase the amount of time spent transporting individuals in custody to court writs.
It will end or require the rebuilding from scratch of Stateville’s and Logan’s robust academic, career & technical education, industries, volunteer services, and treatment programs.
Closing Stateville for up to five years will eliminate its ancillary services such as administrative and security operations, visitor facilities, mail processing, its law library for individuals in custody, and other services that the NRC and the minimum-security unit on its grounds depend on (importantly, including the medical services described above).
OMISSIONS FROM IDOC FILINGS
IDOC does not accurately reflect that its consultant CGL rated much of Stateville as functional, including Cell House B, the administrative building, law library/school, vocational school and dining complex.
Further, IDOC neglects to point out that CGL found that “Stateville has significant space within its secure perimeter to accommodate new structures” and “there are several vacated buildings within the perimeter that could be demolished to provide additional options.”
The department does not mention that recent investments have addressed roofing repairs and other deferred maintenance projects recently completed or already underway, including to the commissary roof, dining complex, main gate, gym, south sallyport, electrical work, asbestos remediation, an extensive project to replace water heaters and the installation of a new fire alarm system.
While IDOC’s COGFA filing does cite a report from another consultant, HTA, it omits that the HTA report concludes that all areas of immediate concern could be repaired for just $12 million.
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Labor unions, government officials, business voices, and the academic community are speaking up about the critical role that carbon capture and storage (CCS) can play in helping Illinois reach its clean energy goals. The Capture Jobs Now Coalition is supporting SB3311/HB569 to advance CCS projects, prioritizing jobs and economic development in local communities.
Matt Rush, Farmer from Fairfield and Past President of the Illinois Corn Growers Association:
“This important technology will help the corn ethanol industry pursue domestic and international low carbon fuel markets, bolster investment in existing production facilities and better position the industry to develop market opportunities like sustainable aviation fuel.” (March 2024)
Joe Heinrich, Executive Director of the Smart Carbon Network and Rick Terven, Jr., Legislative & Political Director for the Illinois Pipe Trades Association:
“Illinois is the country’s second-largest corn-producing state and third-largest producer of ethanol. Illinois is a key supplier of the products needed to keep our country fed and fueled. It also means Illinois’ economy relies on demand for these products to remain afloat. Thanks to carbon capture technology, we can increase demand for Illinois corn and ethanol while spurring job creation, investment, and value-added agriculture.” (September 2023)
The Constitution isn’t a suicide pact, but the same can’t be said for the way government unions run Illinois. Behold the new union strategy to kill the state’s pension reforms using Social Security as the political cudgel.
Following state credit downgrades, Illinois Democrats in 2010 reduced pension benefits for new state and local government workers. Current workers weren’t affected. The modest reforms raised the retirement age to 67 from 60, capped the final earnings that are used to calculate annual pension benefits, and reduced retiree annual cost-of-living adjustments.
These so-called Tier 2 modifications are saving the state and its localities billions of dollars a year. Yet unions now claim they violate a 1990 federal law that requires government worker pensions to be at least as generous as Social Security benefits. Otherwise, public employers and employees must pay the 12.4% Social Security payroll tax.
For many public sector employees in Illinois, their pension serves as a Social Security replacement, meaning they (and their employers) do not pay Social Security taxes (Federal Insurance Contributions Act, FICA, taxes). The IRS establishes a minimum standard of benefits replacement that plans must provide to maintain this FICA exemption. Analysis by CGFA and other organizations suggest Tier 2 is unlikely to meet the safe harbor requirements, primarily because the pensionable earnings cap is lower than the Social Security wage base (SSWB).
If Tier 2 does not meet safe harbor requirements, the state risks paying (and requiring employees to pay) FICA taxes, likely at significant expense. Proposals that simply raise the pensionable earnings cap will likely result in modest increases in the pension liability and budgetary demands .
The governor’s proposed budget for fiscal 2025 suggests that Illinois’ pension boards and the legislature consider raising the Tier 2 pensionable earnings cap to match the SSWB. A CGFA-commissioned actuarial analysis from June 2023 estimated this would slightly increase the state’s unfunded pension liability by $285 million (less than 1%) and raise the 2045 annual contribution by $625 million, roughly 3% higher than under current law. Total cumulative annual contributions from 2023 to 2045 would rise $5.6 billion, or 1.7%, if the state raised the Tier 2 earnings cap to the SSWB. This level of changes would not shift Fitch’s perspective on the credit implications of the state’s long-term liability burden or high carrying costs.
“Being in violation of IRS rules is generally never a good place to be, so addressing this potential safe harbor [issue] is something that the state recognizes [it needs to do] — the governor has put a proposal in his legislative budget; the legislature has been talking about this,” Eric Kim, head of U.S. state ratings at Fitch, told The Bond Buyer. “The state and the local governments do need to address the Tier 2 issue. It’s just a question of how they do that.”
Kim noted that Cook County confronted the issue last year with House Bill 2352, which brought the county into alignment with IRS safe harbor provisions.
For the state, “there are a number of different options,” Kim said. “Our view is that the most basic option, simply raising the pensionable earnings cap to match the Social Security wage base, seems like it would be the most credit-neutral. Getting rid of Tier 2 entirely does pose some risks from a credit perspective.” […]
Fitch’s Kim had some laudatory words for one of the governor’s other policy proposals regarding pensions: a plan to add three years to the amortization cycle and target 100% funding of the pension liability.
“We think [that] would be potentially a significantly positive move,” he said. “We’re waiting to evaluate and see, one, is the legislature open to that … and what does an actuarial analysis look like? But we have consistently said that one of the challenges for Illinois is its significantly large long-term liability burden.”
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.
ILSA Issues Statement Following Suppression of House Bill 4148
Union condemns House Speaker Welch and Senate President Harmon after bill to establish framework for legislative staff to unionize is effectively killed.
We are the Organizing Committee of the Illinois Legislative Staff Association.
When House Bill 4148 was passed by the House in November last year, we dared to hope that a new day had begun in Illinois. We looked forward to the opportunity to work with the Senate to refine the bill, work out some of its shortcomings, and to begin the process of good-faith negotiations with the Speaker’s office toward which we had worked for so long.
Sadly, this has not been the case. Instead, once HB 4148 arrived in the Senate, it was sponsored by Senate President Don Harmon, who simply sat on it. It was not voted on, it was not debated, it was not assigned to a committee, it was not so much as considered. And when we reached out to Harmon’s staff to begin a dialogue on October 25, 2023, November 28, 2023 and February 9, 2024, we were ignored.
There will no doubt be a great deal of hand wringing and excuses about how the Speaker “can’t control the Senate.” Indeed, we’ve already been subjected to just this type of disingenuous rhetoric during our most recent perfunctory meeting with the Speaker’s team.
It’s easy to see why such excuses don’t hold water. Just look at Senate Bill 2412, which abolished the practice of parties slating candidates for election. That bill came out of nowhere on a Wednesday and was not only passed by both House and Senate, but signed into law by Governor Pritzker, by that Friday.
That is what happens when legislative leadership prioritizes a bill.
The handling of HB 4148–and the return of leadership to their former policy of stonewalling us–confirms what we already suspected, that there was never any intention of this bill becoming law. It is clear to us that Speaker Welch and President Harmon had an understanding: Welch would pass a bill to deflect rising criticism, and Harmon would make sure that the bill went no further.
Speaker Welch took advantage of our sincere desire to work with him and used it to score political points while continuing to undermine our efforts to organize. This whole exercise was nothing but a hollow ruse, meant to gaslight us while we drafted his bills, staffed his committees, crafted his talking points and analyzed his budget.
Following the introduction of HB 4148, Speaker Welch implied for all the world that ‘allowing’ us to unionize was his idea. We chose to tolerate this political theater while there appeared to be a good faith dialogue between ourselves and management. As long as there was finally going to be progress, we were content to allow Speaker Welch to save face.
But now, the Speaker and his team have chosen to spurn our goodwill and abuse our trust.
The truth is that Speaker Welch first had his aides rebuff his staff, then repeatedly ignored us for ten months, whined to other members of the House that we were ‘bullying’ him, and only accepted that he’d have to act after being repeatedly embarrassed in the press and realizing that we weren’t going away. Even then, he thought that he’d get away with passing a bill that created an empty husk of a union without the power to achieve any meaningful change.
Speaker Welch promised that there would be a new day in Springfield, but his stance when it comes to this issue shows that he intends to continue right on living in the Madigan era. It’s time for this Speaker to decide what his legacy will be in the context of workers’ rights. Will he deliver on his promise, or is he just another machine politician?
With the 2024 elections approaching, we hope our union siblings throughout Illinois are paying attention. We hope they are watching how Speaker Welch treats unions when they don’t have the money to fund his war chest—or to help him hamstring his political opponents during the primary season. We hope they are considering what this means for them–and whether their trust in the Speaker is misplaced. We hope they are asking themselves whether Speaker Welch will be there for them if, someday, they should need him more than he needs them. The same goes for President Don Harmon. We encourage our union siblings to think long and hard, and to act accordingly.
We hope businesses and chambers of commerce see how Speaker Welch is comfortable telling them to work with unions while he does the opposite. We hope they see how his stance on unions suddenly changes the moment it is he who would be potentially inconvenienced, not just the “little people.” “Unions for thee but not for me.”
With the DNC fast approaching, it’s also perplexing that the Speaker is comfortable showing such blatant hypocrisy when it comes to unions, given the unequivocal support for the right of every worker to organize explicitly laid out in the Democratic Party platform. Time will tell whether the DNC is so comfortable saying one thing while doing another that this is who they feel should represent the Democratic Party in Chicago this summer.
Where does that leave us? Now that it’s clear that there’s nothing to be gained by following any “process” laid out by the Speaker’s office, we’re through bending over backwards to be cooperative and collegial. We have always maintained that no new law is required to enable us to unionize, and that the Workers’ Rights Amendment guarantees all workers in Illinois the right to organize and bargain through their chosen representatives. We now intend to exercise that right, with or without the Speaker’s cooperation and without waiting an additional year, or more, for another poison-pill “legal framework”. The Speaker had the chance to craft a framework with which he was comfortable, and squandered it. That ship has sailed.
A legislative staff union has been formed and will negotiate on behalf of willing legislative employees. It is only a question of when–and of how much unpleasantness must impede the people’s work before that can happen. That decision is entirely Speaker Welch’s to make, and we call on him to make it.
ILSA would have preferred that it not have come to this. We would have preferred for the Speaker and his aides to have had the maturity, character and integrity to deal with us openly and honestly. But, sadly, this has not been the case.
Speaker Welch should put aside his misguided, union busting policies and voluntarily recognize ILSA’s proposed bargaining unit or hold an election administered by an impartial third party.
Regardless of the Speaker’s decision, ILSA will continue to fight until our rights are taken seriously. If Speaker Welch thought that charades and delaying tactics would put this behind him, then he is about to discover that he has been mistaken.
The people of Illinois deserve a government that embodies the principles it advocates, that conducts itself with integrity and that can effectively serve its constituents. Speaker Welch and President Harmon are not living up to that standard.
We are the Illinois Legislative Staff Association. We’ve said before that we are not giving up or going away. We will not be intimidated. We will not be dismissed. We will not be ignored.
*** Adding *** Member of the ILSA organizing committee, Brady Burden indicates there will not be a strike. “If they can’t pass a budget, it won’t be because of us.”
*** Adding *** From Speaker Welch’s spokesperson Jaclyn Driscoll…
The Speaker’s record is clear. He was proud to stand alongside staff to deliver a change in current statute. He remains hopeful the bill will be signed into law.
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Consider the case of a patient with severe pain due to sickle cell crisis, when blood flow to an area is blocked by the sickled cells. The patient goes to an emergency department for treatment. The patient meets nationally recognized clinical guidelines for inpatient care, so is admitted to stabilize their emergency condition.
But the Medicaid managed care organization (MCO) insuring the patient denies inpatient coverage. Over a week later, during a peer-to-peer review, the MCO medical director agrees the patient meets the MCO’s clinical criteria for inpatient care. MCO leadership, though, says the criteria should be ignored because there “has to be more than just IV pain meds to approve an inpatient admission.” The denial is upheld.
The example above is one of numerous instances of MCOs managing their costs by denying needed medical services, instead of improving healthcare for Medicaid customers as promised 12 years ago.
The Illinois hospital community is asking legislators to pass commonsense legislative reforms developed by the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA). These reforms address harmful prior authorization practices and eliminate barriers to healthcare for 3.6 million Illinoisans—with NO impact on the State’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget. Support IHA’s MCO reform package.
Illinois legislators soon will be asked to consider a series of incentives as part of the state’s intensifying push to become the nation’s hub for quantum computing. […]
According to the legislation, the campus must be a minimum of one-half square mile but not more than four square miles. Such a facility, first reported by Crain’s, would require billions of dollars to construct and massive amounts of power to operate. […]
The quantum-computing industry is still in its infancy, but the technology invented so far operates at super-cold temperatures. One of the provisions of a bill introduced in the House by state Rep. Dave Vella, D-Loves Park, would include a 20% income-tax credit on construction wages. Another provision would exempt companies in the quantum enterprise zone from taxes and gas and electricity purchases, as well as some sales taxes on other purchases. […]
The bill sponsored by Vella, which touches on incentives for other industries, as well, is expected to get a committee vote this week before heading to the full House. It largely tailors existing incentives that the state already uses to attract various types of manufacturing, including electric vehicle and battery manufacturers, as well as data centers and semiconductor and electronics makers.
* Citizen Action/Illinois…
Following is a statement from Julie Sampson, Executive Director of Citizen Action/Illinois, in response to new, misleading advertisements from the pharmaceutical industry attacking HB4472, proposed legislation which would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board, an independent body with the authority to evaluate high-cost drugs and set limits on what Illinoisans can pay:
“It is unsurprising that PhRMA is spending money on advertisements spreading misinformation to defend its interests in the wake of new research showing that 31% of Illinoisans reported skipping or not refilling their medication due to cost, and 77% are concerned about affording their medication.
“Our solution to address rising prescription drug costs, a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB), attacks the problem by building upon new federal drug price negotiations – a policy that PhRMA spent millions to oppose. Contrary to the false attacks of PhRMA’s ads, the work of a PDAB is designed to protect consumers from the excessive and often unpredictable price hikes imposed by pharmaceutical companies.
“We’ve seen time and again that PhRMA will mislead consumers about how a drug that costs $5 to manufacture ends up costing the consumer $1000 at a U.S. pharmacy. PhRMA’s smears do not absolve them from addressing the very real concerns of Illinoisans who face rising drug costs.”
Hot Bills/Topics Discussed in Committees this Week
1. SB1400 SA3 (Lightford) Student Discipline
SB1400 has been an extensively negotiated bill between school management and the teachers’ unions. The original intent of the bill was to address needed changes to Section 10-22.6 of the School Code which deals with student discipline. Given the significant opposition to earlier versions of SB1400 by a coalition led by Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE), IASB and other advocate groups agreed to scale back the bill and attempt to first start addressing the student and staff safety concerns around student discipline by requiring ISBE to issue guidance on various topics. Senate Amendment 3 does just that and directs ISBE to create model guidance for the development of reciprocal reporting systems, school bus safety procedures, evidence-based interventions, and re-engagement of students that received exclusionary discipline to provide a more uniform approach to student discipline.
The bill passed out of committee unanimously with much support from committee members.
2. HB299 (Yang Rohr) HA2 Artificial Intelligence Bullying
This bill was filed just this week and added to a shell bill, leaving little time for negotiations. The bill requires, that by the 2025-26 school year, “cyberbullying” must also include “bullying through the distribution by electronic means or the posting of a digital replica of an individual who is engaging in an activity in which the depicted individual did not engage in, including, but not limited to, sexually explicit digitized depictions of the individual.” The bill also adds definitions including artificial intelligence, digital replica, and generative artificial intelligence.
The sponsor did note the urgency of addressing this issue given the serious impact of these AI images on other students.
Concerns with the bill included definitions being too descriptive and needing to be broadened, noting that districts may not have the ability to determine where the image originated on social media platforms, school districts needing guidance on this issue, and wanting additional discussion on disciplinary consequences for these actions and the serious impact to the victim. The bill passed out of committee with a unanimous 14-0 vote.
3. SB2568 (Villa) 403(b) Plans
This bill puts new parameters in place for 403(b) plans, both on the types of 403(b) plans that can be offered and that they must be mutually agreed about by the school district and collective bargaining units. While the bill would allow employees to maintain 403(b) plans to which they are currently contributing, any employees not currently contributing to a 403(b) plan would only be able to choose from 403(b) plans that meet these new requirements. The new parameters are intended to narrow down available options to more fiscally prudent ones. However, up to 90% of current 403(b) options would be eliminated under this bill, significantly reducing employee choice. IASB, along with IASA and Illinois ASBO opposed the bill and testified to the significant liability and legal concerns with the legislation. The bill passed out of committee on partisan lines, although some legislators indicated that they were only voting to get it out of committee. IASB will continue to work on this bill given the significant outstanding concerns.
4. HJR71 (West) Native American Mascots
This Joint Resolution is in response to HB5617 which was a bill filed earlier this session by Representative West with the intention of eliminating the use of Native American Mascots in schools. Instead of moving HB5617 this session, Representative West filed HJR71 in an effort to collect more data on this issue. Although nonbinding, HJR71 urges the State Board of Education to conduct a study on the number of schools, school districts, and other public school associations across the state that currently utilize Native American names, logos, and mascots. One question raised through conversations on the topic has been the cost for school districts to change their mascot. The Illinois State Board of Education will send out a short, voluntary survey to school districts asking what their mascots are and what the cost would be to replace the mascots if needed.
Discussion in committee included the concerns over how school districts will decide whether they need to change their mascots and who makes that final determination. Some legislators expressed concern over ensuring all Native American voices throughout Illinois are heard on this issue. The resolution passed committee with a 9-4 vote.
The bill bans anyone from organizing, sponsoring, promoting, conducting, or participating in “any contest, organized competition, tournament, or derby that has the objective of taking any fur-bearing mammal” for cash or prizes. Violators could be fined between $500 and $5,000.
Mammals that would be protected by the state law include coyotes, foxes, badgers, beavers, bobcats, minks, muskrats, opossums, and raccoons.
The bill passed the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday 62-45. Five Democrats, Anthony DeLuca, Jay Hoffman, Dave Vella, Larry Walsh and Lance Yednock, joined the Republicans to vote ‘No’ on the bill. […]
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will be sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago).
A bill that would pave the way for Illinois residents to have access to electronic driver’s licenses and identification cards has passed the House, and will now head to the state’s Senate.
The bill, introduced by State Rep. Kam Buckner, passed the House unanimously on Monday, bringing it one step closer to implementation. […]
Under provisions of the bill, all Illinois residents eligible to receiver a driver’s license or an identification card would be eligible to obtain those documents in an electronic format, and would be able to use them in any situation calling for identification. […]
Some groups, including the ACLU, have expressed concerns about the use of mobile identification documents, citing fears that law enforcement could search a person’s phone without proper consent. The bill in Illinois would explicitly prohibit law enforcement officers from searching through a phone’s contents after viewing the mobile identification card, according to the legislation.
The Chicago Red Stars want the state to amend the public revenue source that comes from hotel taxes to include the women’s soccer team. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority (ISFA) already distributes hotel tax monies to the Chicago Bears and White Sox, which are both asking that that funding source be extended as they work to build new stadiums. They’re asking for additional help, too. […]
State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado’s legislation (HB5841) asks that ISFA meet “equity goals” that include professional women’s sports.
Delgado’s measure says if bonds are issued “to fund facilities for professional men’s sports, some bonds must also be issued to fund facilities for professional women’s sports.”
“Equity is at the heart of this bill,” Delgado told Playbook. “We must treat women’s professional sports with the same level of respect and investment as we have men’s professional sports.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle hope an independent study of Illinois property taxes can lead to solutions for the broken system. […]
While some argue an independent study could lead to actual property tax reform, local Republican representatives threw cold water on the idea. […]
Senate Bill 3455 passed out of the House on a 94-14 vote Monday. The legislation previously gained unanimous support in the Senate. This plan now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.
“The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce was proud to advocate for Senate Bill 3455 to allow the Illinois Department of Revenue and the Department of Economic Development and Opportunity to evaluate the fairness of property taxes across the levy, assessment, appeal and collection process,” the organization stated. “We appreciate Sen. Robert Martwick and Rep. Mary Beth Canty for their leadership on this effort and our partners in the House and Senate for supporting this important measure.”
* Children’s Advocates for Change President Tasha Green Cruzat and Family Focus President Dara Munson…
A bill pending in the U.S. Senate would increase the federal child tax credit. It’s not as extensive as the 2021 changes but could still lift as many as 400,000 children above the poverty line nationally in its first year, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Yet Illinois lawmakers don’t need to wait on Congress to secure relief for Illinois families.
Illinois has a state and local tax system where the lowest-income households pay twice as much of their income in state and local taxes as the top 1 percent, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Our tax system is not only regressive but also increase s the racial wealth gap, given differences in household income by race and ethnicity.
Illinois lawmakers can bring economic relief to Illinois households, and reduce racial and ethnic inequities, by passing a refundable state child tax credit. A current proposal introduced in the General Assembly (HB 4917 and SB 3329) would create a credit of $300 per child for most families below the state household median income level.
This legislation, supported by more than 50 advocacy organizations across the state, would help approximately 1.4 million children.
A pilot program that has given nearly $2 million to local farms would be expanded into a permanent fund under a measure that received unanimous approval in the House.
Senate Bill 3077, which also got a unanimous vote in the Senate last month, would create a special fund for the Department of Agriculture to administer the Local Food Infrastructure Grant Program. In its pilot phase, the state awarded $1.8 million to 19 local farms for a variety of projects, like building a meat processing center and a new kitchen.
Under the measure, the IDOA would be able to work with a partner nonprofit and grant money from the newly created Local Food Infrastructure Grant Fund to select small farms for things like food processing and cold storage.
Grant amounts could range from $1,000 to $75,000 if it’s for an individual project and up to $250,000 if it’s a collaborative project.
* ICYMI: Lawmakers trying to ensure women’s sports aren’t left out of any Chicago Bears stadium deal. Tribune…
- Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado’s proposal would require the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to issue “some bonds … to fund facilities for professional women’s sports” if any future bonds are issued for any men’s team.
- The legislation, which faces longs odds of passage before lawmakers adjourn, is ambiguous in parts and likely to change if it comes up for a legislative vote
- Co-sponsor Rep. Kam Buckner said the most important part is for women’s sports to be a part of the conversation.
The IOC has been made aware of several instances of a fraudulent email that has been sent to vendors, requesting them to update their banking information. This email is not legitimate and is part of a phishing scam targeting vendors that may receive payments from the IOC.
The IOC will never, under any circumstances, send unsolicited forms requesting sensitive bank account information. Your financial security is important to us, and we take every measure to protect your information. If you ever have doubts about the legitimacy of a communication claiming to be from us, please reach out to our Electronic Commerce staff at (217) 557-0930.
*** Isabel’s top picks ***
* Capitol News Illinois | Nursing home industry unlikely to see much help from Springfield in tough budget year: But with a tight budget year, leaders in the General Assembly can’t promise a huge windfall for the struggling industry. House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, who leads a working group on Medicaid issues, told Capitol News Illinois the industry asked for $75 million to make up for increased property taxes, which the state had at one time subsidized.
* WGLT | Why Rivian never got its $49.5 million in state EDGE tax credits: Seven years ago, a mysterious startup called Rivian Automotive secured a commitment of nearly $50 million in state tax breaks to help it revive Normal’s auto plant. It never got the money. State officials confirmed Monday that Rivian has not received any of the tax breaks, part of the EDGE tax credit program, despite hiring significantly more people and investing more money in Normal than initially expected. A Rivian spokesperson said they “chose not to pursue the EDGE tax credits.”
* WTTW | Illinois Wants … Your Cicada-Themed Art for a State Fair Exhibit: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has announced its plan to host a cicada-themed art show during the Illinois State Fair and is seeking entries from the public, looking for interpretations of cicadas or broods. The exhibit will commemorate 2024’s historic double emergence of Brood XIII cicadas in northern Illinois and Brood XIX in the south. The two haven’t made a joint appearance since 1803, before Illinois was even a state.
*** Chicago ***
* NBC Chicago | Thousands of sexual assault cases die each year inside Chicago’s justice system: A six-month investigation by NBC 5 Investigates found that of more than 21,000 alleged sex crimes reported to Chicago Police between 2018 and 2023, police made arrests in fewer than 1,600 reports – that’s just 7 percent. From there, NBC 5 Investigates discovered hundreds of sexual assault cases died on the vine between the time they were reported to police and were adjudicated in court.
* Block Club | Lost In Translation: Migrant Kids Struggle In Segregated Chicago Schools: But the promise of housing comes with a cost: Families are moving to more affordable neighborhoods that also are some of the city’s most segregated. As a result, students are landing in schools with little to no bilingual staff or support, according to data obtained through open records requests and more than 50 interviews with families, teachers and experts.
* Sun-Times | Brother of convicted businessman James Weiss pleads guilty to lying to FBI, IRS: Joseph Weiss, brother of convicted businessman James Weiss, pleaded guilty Monday to lying to the FBI and the IRS about James Weiss’ ties to the late Chicago mobster Frank “The German” Schweihs. The charges against Joseph Weiss became public last October, revealing the alleged connection between his brother and Schweihs days before James Weiss was set to be sentenced.
* Tribune | Chicago police, city officials appear to miss goals on meeting requirement to report and review when officers point their weapons: Five years after pledging to firm up recordkeeping on incidents where police officers point their weapons at people while performing their duties, the Chicago Police Department and other city officials appear to have fallen short of goals outlined in a federal consent decree guiding reform, the Tribune has found. […] But in a response to a FOIA filed by the Tribune seeking those records during the five-year window since CPD agreed to the more stringent disclosure requirement, OEMC first provided records that indicated just 12 incidents where officers had made such a notification. Later, the office provided a spreadsheet with nearly 17,000 rows listing “firearm-pointing incident reports,” or FPIR notifications, made since early 2019.
* Crain’s | Fitch lowers the University of Chicago’s financial outlook to negative: Fitch Ratings lowered its outlook on the University of Chicago to negative from stable as the school stares down a deficit of $239 million and rising debt. In its most recent review of the university’s finances, the credit rating agency said the revised outlook reflects current “operating pressures” expected to continue in the medium term. The school has a AA+ rating with Fitch, its second-highest score.
* Crain’s | Tempus, Chicago’s biotech darling, files to go public: Tempus’ database includes 7.7 million clinical records and is used by more than 7,000 physicians across hundreds of provider networks and more than 65% of all academic medical centers in the U.S., the filing shows. Tempus’ biggest customers include pharmaceutical giants AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline. Tempus generated total revenue of $320.7 million and $531.8 million in the years ended Dec. 31, 2022 and 2023, but also incurred net losses of $289.8 million and $214.1 million, respectively, the filing shows. As of March 31, Tempus had accumulated a deficit of $1.5 billion, according to the filing, and the company disclosed it anticipates needing to raise additional capital to fund existing operations, develop its platform and commercialize new products.
* CBS CHicago | Chicago’s Wild Mile transforms its river into a wildlife sanctuary: Despite what the naysayers may think, the Chicago River is currently in the best shape ever. Today, it is home to 105 species of life, proving that this intervention is working. Urban Rivers earned the Parker/Gentry award from the Field Museum this year for its groundbreaking work.
* Sun-Times | Summer program adds Saturday hours for teen drivers at Chicago area DMVs: When school’s out this summer, getting into the DMV is about to get easier for Chicago area teenagers and their parents. Ten driver services facilities will be opened on Saturdays exclusively for teen drivers applying for their first licenses and permits, under a new summer program announced Tuesday by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.
* NBC Chicago | Construction progresses on new exhibits at the Shedd Aquarium. Here’s a sneak peek in photos: The projects began in 2023 as part of a $500-million-dollar makeover dubbed “experience evolution,” which the Shedd touted as the “most significant physical transformation of its lakeside home in recent history.” Situated in arguably the aquarium’s most prominent space - its iconic rotunda - will be the Water of Wonder. Guests will be able to experience the beauty and diversity of aquatic life by walking between towering saltwater and freshwater habitats, according to a news release from the Shedd. On one side, they’ll see vibrant and colorful corals, while a planted freshwater habitat will be visible on the other.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Tribune | Northwestern hazing accusers, ex-coach lawsuits consolidated for trial: Hazing lawsuits from five ex-Northwestern football players will go to trial jointly with the suit brought by former head coach Patrick Fitzgerald, a Cook County judge ruled Monday. Both sides accuse the university of wrongdoing from different angles: The ex-players say the school and Fitzgerald allowed a culture of abusive hazing, while Fitzgerald denies any knowledge of hazing and accuses the school of wrongfully firing him after the scandal broke last year. The consolidation could put Northwestern into a tricky spot, potentially having to argue that the school rightfully fired Fitzgerald because he should have known about hazing at the same time it defends itself against the ex-players’ claims that they were abused.
* Daily Herald | Libertyville, Vernon Hills teachers call for superintendent’s dismissal: The 293-member District 128 Federation of Teachers announced the vote Monday, saying Herrmann has created a “chaotic and hostile” work environment, forced key administrators to leave, fomented distrust among educators and has been unwilling to listen to teacher concerns.
* NBC Chicago | Stunning images show scope of cicada emergence in Chicago area: From close-up shots detailing the anatomy of a cicada to images of swarms emphasizing the massive scope, images showcased the cicada emergence beginning in the Chicago area and across Illinois. It’s a scene being reported across the city and suburbs as large amounts of cicadas emerge from the ground, with more expected in the coming days.
*** Downstate ***
* KSDK | Rural Illinois town losing its ambulance service: Signs that say “EMTs needed” line the front of the Village of New Athens ambulance service headquarters. However, that won’t be the case anymore, as the town’s service officially ends on June 2. […] Behnken said when the board increased wages to attract sufficient staffing; the mayor said the village started losing money. Since September, the New Athens Ambulance Service has lost over $180,000.
* SJ-R | Springfield’s oldest flower shop abruptly closes. Here’s what we know: Fifth Street Flower Shop at 739 S. 5th St. in downtown Springfield closed on May 17, according to owners Sara and Doug Camp, who announced the closure of the business on Monday. The couple cited personal and financial reasons for the abrupt closure. […] The shop had to stop taking orders from May 10 to May 12 due to a sheer volume of orders for Mother’s Day. On May 10, Camp said the store’s manager and designer, Nicki Shaub, quit on May 10, adding to staffing issues ahead of the holiday.
* WCIA | Elvis, a famous library, and Abe Lincoln: Looking back on Ridge Farm’s history ahead of 150-year celebration: Elvis Presley stopped into the Ridge Cafe, previously called “The Hut,” many times on his drives between Chicago and Memphis. “He went back to the corner and looked at the jukebox I sat by many times in grade school and high school, he looked at her [the waitress] and said ‘You don’t have any Elvis Presley records on here,’” Goodner described.
*** National ***
* Independent | The internet is disappearing, study says: The effect means that vast amounts of news and important reference content are disappearing. Some 23 per cent of news pages include at least one broken link, and 21 per cent of government websites, it said – and 54 per cent of Wikipedia pages include a link in their references that no longer exists. Much the same effect is happening on social media. A fifth of tweets disappear from the site within months of being posted.
* Bloomberg | U.S. to deploy more than $50 million to shield private hospitals from cyberattacks: While the attacks on UnitedHealth and Ascension have served as high-profile examples of the damage caused by cyber criminals, the US health-care sector is increasingly under duress. Over the past five years, there’s been a 256% increase in large breaches reported to HHS involving hacking and a 264% increase in ransomware. “It’s Ascension today, it’ll be somebody else tomorrow, or next week, or the week after that,” [HS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm] said.
