MLB: “We regret that, without a collective bargaining agreement in place, we must postpone the start of Spring Training games until no earlier than Saturday, March 5. All 30 Clubs are unified in their strong desire to bring players back to the field and fans back to the stands.”
3/agreement that is fair to each side. On Monday, members of the owners’ bargaining committee will join an in-person meeting with the Players Association and remain every day next week to negotiate and work hard towards starting the season on time.”
* The Sun-Times piece starts with a comparison to Michael and Lisa Madigan and devolves from there…
There’s a familiar ring to it — the Illinois House speaker using his political muscle to help get a family member elected to a plum political post.
But this time it isn’t former House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, who orchestrated the election of his daughter Lisa Madigan first to the Illinois Senate and then as Illinois attorney general.
Madigan’s successor as House speaker, Emanuel “Chris” Welch, is trying to get his wife ShawnTe Raines-Welch elected a Cook County judge — even going door to door to collect signatures from registered voters to ensure she can get on the June 28 Democratic primary ballot, sources say.
She’s running for one of two open judgeships in a judicial district that includes a portion of the south, west and northwest suburbs that fall, in part, within Welch’s legislative district.
Wow, yeah. That’s exactly the same. Right.
And, oh my goodness, he’s going door-to-door himself to help his spouse collect signatures? Such a scandal.
* The Richard Irvin campaign says Irvin has had no access to or control of the law firm website since 2017, when he left the firm. From the DGA…
Richard Irvin may claim he’s “tough on crime” but for 15 years, he advertised his law firm to the very individuals he claims to want behind bars. The Richard C. Irvin & Associates’ website, which was registered in 2006, suddenly went dark last night. So what is Irvin trying to erase from his record?
Maybe it’s his use of language that downplays the severity of domestic violence, blaming it on how “emotions can run hot” or “tempers can flare,” or how his “Aurora domestic violence attorneys will zealously defend” the rights of violent abusers.
Or Irvin’s direct appeal to violent offenders like burglars, armed robbers, and home invaders.
It could be his defense of abusive and neglectful parents.
Or maybe it is how he brazenly advertised his five years as a prosecutor as the reason he can “craft effective defense strategies?”
Irvin has a lot to hide in his record, so he erased the whole thing — just like he erased his past support of Gov. JB Pritzker, history of voting in Democratic primaries, and former support for public health mandates.
“Like every other part of his platform, Richard Irvin’s ‘tough on crime’ attitude is a campaign illusion,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Irvin wants to hide his history of defending domestic abusers and other violent criminals because he knows it’ll hinder his political aspirations — but we have the receipts. Try as he may, Irvin can’t erase his horrible record on crime.”
Response from Eleni Demertzis…
JB Pritzker should spend less time concerned with a deleted website that’s been fully documented and more time explaining why he cleared the way for a convicted arsonist to become a fire chief.
More than three months after a political rival asked for them, Chicago City Clerk and Illinois secretary of state hopeful Anna Valencia finally has released hundreds of emails sought under the state’s open records law, and they do raise questions about how she appears to mix public, private and family business. […]
Other issues are more serious.
In July 2017, one email indicates Valencia was scheduling a lunch with Monterrey CEO Juan Gaytan. The lunch finally was scheduled for Sept. 19, and eventually canceled shortly before then. In the meantime, [her husband, Reyahd Kazmi] was signing up to do lobbying work for Monterrey as the firm struggled to retain a contract covering Soldier Field.
Early in 2018, Valencia thanked Gaytan for “your willingness to make introductions” to officials from the Chicago Fire, Chicago Bears and Chicago Sky for potential partnership with the CityKey municipal ID program her office runs for undocumented immigrants and some others without papers. The Fire, who play at Soldier Field along with the Bears, responded affirmatively, offering a detailed term sheet of ticket discounts it would make available to CityKey holders. Valencia, on her official city email account, forwarded the term sheet to her husband’s personal email account.
She set up a lunch that was canceled? Get the feds on Line 1.
— Richard Boykin has received $35,000 from former Senate candidate and local philanthropist Willie Wilson in his bid for Cook County Board president. Boykin filed his paperwork for his campaign with the Board of Elections yesterday.
— Karin Norington-Reaves, a candidate for Congress in the 1st District, has been endorsed by the Collective PAC, a political action committee focused on increasing Black representation in government.
* Operating on the proposition that governors own is one thing. They do. But…
Aurora Mayor and Gubernatorial Candidate Richard Irvin today called on Glenbrook School Board Member Joel Taub to resign from the board after publicly cursing out an individual for not wearing a mask at the Glenbrook School Board Meeting this week where children were present.
Statement attributable to Richard Irvin:
“No one should ever speak to others the way Mr. Taub did at that school board meeting, which is why he must resign. Mr. Taub’s outrageous behavior is yet another example of the disrespect and assault on parent’s rights from school board members who take their lead from J.B. Pritzker and his govern by fiat agenda. It is imperative that we restore respect and parents’ rights in our local school systems.”
The Illinois tollway’s embattled chairman Will Evans has resigned and will be replaced with a banking executive, officials said Friday. […]
Evans was appointed in early 2019 by Pritzker as part of reforms at the tollway that included hiring Executive Director Jose Alvarez following an uproar over patronage issues under the previous governor.
But clashes between the two men drew scrutiny from Illinois senators who held a hearing in October over a tollway reorganization instituted by Evans that several lawmakers said diminished Alvarez’s authority to run day-to-day operations.
Evans has not attended the December, January or February board meetings either in person or virtually.
Administration officials have said that Evans has been attending to a very ill family member.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker announced his appointment of Dorothy Abreu as the new Illinois Tollway Board Chairwoman. Abreu is a senior vice president at PNC Bank with over 20 years of experience in financial services, significant public sector experience and an active track record of service to the community.
Illinois Tollway Board Chairman Will Evans announced his intention to step down from his role, effective immediately, and return to retirement after more than three years of service. During his tenure, the Tollway continued to deliver on a $14 billion capital program, expanded opportunities for minority contractors, and launched a historic amnesty program for Tollway customers which helped to substantially reduce outstanding and future fines on unpaid tolls.
“I am pleased to announce Dorothy Abreu as the new Board Chairwoman for the Illinois Tollway. I am confident her two decades of banking experience in the private sector and her impressive work with government entities and non-profit organizations will lend itself to continued growth and fiscal responsibility at the Tollway,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Chairman Evans led the Tollway to historic progress and leaves behind a stronger, more accessible, and more equitable Tollway system. He has been a valued partner over the past three years, and I wish him all the best on his well-deserved retirement.”
Abreu has enjoyed a long and successful career in the Illinois banking sector, with responsibilities spanning commercial lending, community development banking, and asset management. A graduate of North Park University, Abreu is currently a senior vice president for PNC’s Corporate and Institutional Banking group, where she leads the delivery of financial solutions and banking advisory services to public institutions and non-profit organizations in the state. In particular, she has worked with clients to manage pandemic-related disruptions and operational funding needs. She has also led financing for high-impact projects focused on driving economic development and affordable housing in Illinois’ low- to moderate-income communities.
“I am honored to serve as the next Tollway Board Chairwoman and CEO and am committed to building on the strong progress made over the past several years,” said Dorothy Abreu. “The Tollway is a state-of-the-art system with hundreds of miles of roadways connecting millions of customers to work, family, and their daily lives. With an eye towards strengthening collaboration, equity and transparency, I am eager to get to work to and provide our customers with the experience they deserve.”
Abreu has extensive experience serving on boards of several high-profile organizations. She is the current president of the Latino Policy Forum, a member of the board of directors of the Chicago Community Loan Fund, a member of the governing board of Chicago Commons, and a member of the board of directors of Chicago Habitat for Humanity.
Latino legislators appear to have won this battle.
* Hospitalizations are down 33.19 percent from last Thursday (Friday, you will recall, was a holiday). However, the governor’s projection last week of just 500 hospitalizations by tomorrow turned out to be way off track. That projection was used to buttress the argument in favor of lifting the state mask mandate on February 28th. Barring a miracle, the actual number will be around three times that. “As long as they’re still going down, that’s all we need to see,” a spokesperson told me today. So, the end of the mandate is still on track. IDPH press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 20,896 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 417 deaths since February 11, 2022.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,013,709 cases, including 32,299 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since February 11, 2022, laboratories have reported 884,390 specimens for a total of 53,621,982. As of last night, 1,590 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 303 patients were in the ICU and 132 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from February 11-17, 2022 is 2.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from February 11- 17, 2022 is 3.1%.
Due to decreased demand at the state community-based testing sites (CBTS) and the availability of free at-home COVID-19 tests, the state testing locations will now be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays beginning this weekend. Locations previously open on Sundays will be closed this Sunday. The hours of operation at the locations will remain the same and can be found on the IDPH website COVID-19 testing page. We have seen an 87% drop in testing across the 10 state CBTS locations from the first of the year until now, and most locations are averaging fewer than 500 tests a week. To order free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government, go to covidtests.gov.
A total of 20,971,401 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 20,003 doses. Since February 11, 2022, 140,021 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, almost 76% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, 67% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and more than 48% boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
It’s suddenly become acceptable to say that COVID is—or will soon be—like the flu. Such analogies have long been the preserve of pandemic minimizers, but lately they’ve been creeping into more enlightened circles. Last month the dean of a medical school wrote an open letter to his students suggesting that for a vaccinated person, the risk of death from COVID-19 is “in the same realm, or even lower, as the average American’s risk from flu.” A few days later, David Leonhardt said as much to his millions of readers in the The New York Times’ morning newsletter. And three prominent public-health experts have called for the government to recognize a “new normal” in which the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus “is but one of several circulating respiratory viruses that include influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and more.”
The end state of this pandemic may indeed be one where COVID comes to look something like the flu. Both diseases, after all, are caused by a dangerous respiratory virus that ebbs and flows in seasonal cycles. But I’d propose a different metaphor to help us think about our tenuous moment: The “new normal” will arrive when we acknowledge that COVID’s risks have become more in line with those of smoking cigarettes—and that many COVID deaths, like many smoking-related deaths, could be prevented with a single intervention.
The pandemic’s greatest source of danger has transformed from a pathogen into a behavior. Choosing not to get vaccinated against COVID is, right now, a modifiable health risk on par with smoking, which kills more than 400,000 people each year in the United States. Andrew Noymer, a public-health professor at UC Irvine, told me that if COVID continues to account for a few hundred thousand American deaths every year—“a realistic worst-case scenario,” he calls it—that would wipe out all of the life-expectancy gains we’ve accrued from the past two decades’ worth of smoking-prevention efforts.
The COVID vaccines are, without exaggeration, among the safest and most effective therapies in all of modern medicine. An unvaccinated adult is an astonishing 68 times more likely to die from COVID than a boosted one. Yet widespread vaccine hesitancy in the United States has caused more than 163,000 preventable deaths and counting. Because too few people are vaccinated, COVID surges still overwhelm hospitals—interfering with routine medical services and leading to thousands of lives lost from other conditions. If everyone who is eligible were triply vaccinated, our health-care system would be functioning normally again. (We do have other methods of protection—antiviral pills and monoclonal antibodies—but these remain in short supply and often fail to make their way to the highest-risk patients.) Countries such as Denmark and Sweden have already declared themselves broken up with COVID. They are confidently doing so not because the virus is no longer circulating or because they’ve achieved mythical herd immunity from natural infection; they’ve simply inoculated enough people.
And, like tobacco smoke, what comes out of your mouth and nose can harm others.
California became the first state to formally shift to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement Thursday of a plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mandated masking and business shutdowns.
The milestone, nearly two years in the making, envisions a return to a more normal existence with the help of a variety of initiatives and billions in new spending to more quickly spot surges or variants, add health care workers, stockpile tests and push back against false claims and other misinformation.
“We are moving past the crisis phase into a phase where we will work to live with this virus,” he said during a news conference from a state warehouse brimming with pandemic supplies in Fontana, east of Los Angeles. […]
A disease reaches the endemic stage when the virus still exists in a community but becomes manageable as immunity builds. But there will be no definitive turn of the switch, the Democratic governor said, unlike the case with Wednesday’s lifting of the state’s indoor masking requirements or an announcement coming Feb. 28 of when precisely schoolchildren can stop wearing face coverings.
And there will be no immediate lifting of the dozens of remaining executive emergency orders that have helped run the state since Newsom imposed the nation’s first statewide stay-home order in March 2020. […]
Newsom’s plan sets specific goals, such as stockpiling 75 million masks, establishing the infrastructure to provide up to 200,000 vaccinations and 500,000 tests a day in the event of an outbreak, and adding 3,000 medical workers within three weeks in surge areas.
His administration has devised an easy-to-remember acronym for the new strategy: SMARTER, which stands for Shots, Masks, Awareness, Readiness, Testing, Education and Rx, the last of which refers to prescription medications for COVID-19.
California ended indoor mask requirements for vaccinated people Wednesday and will announce Feb. 28 how long the mandate for schools will remain in place.
The approach moving forward will emphasize increased vaccination and testing, fighting misinformation, stockpiling medical supplies and flooding areas of virus surge with temporary medical workers. The plan also calls for boosting the state’s surveillance, including increased monitoring of virus remnants in wastewater to watch for the first signs of a surge.
You may have heard that Illinois is among the top 10 states nationally in business startups for 2021, with nearly 200,000 businesses formed last year. That’s up from 170,400 in 2020. And 2020 was also a very good year.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker took credit for this positive development, declaring the state to be “back, and open for business” and touting some of his pet economic projects.
The governor’s triumphant recent statement, which claimed Illinois was sixth in the nation when it came to the number of 2021 startups, omitted any reference to the flip side of business startups: business failures. Unfortunately, a lot of Illinois businesses went bust in the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, though we don’t have a figure comparable to the U.S. Census count of “business applications” that Pritzker equated with startups (which is only a rough approximation, at that).
The governor also overlooked how severe layoffs early in the pandemic drove some of the suddenly unemployed to launch their own ventures out of desperation, and how the anemic growth of the labor force continues to put a drag on business creation nationwide.
And did he mention that business startups appear to be slowing, so that 2022 is likely to be below the 2021 peak? Or that business failures probably will run high in 2022, partly because new ventures often fail in their first year or two?
…Adding… OneMan with an all-time classic in comments…
Glad to see Debbie Downer is writing for the Trib.
The Trib Editorial Board Writes For Other Parts Of The Paper
Weddings:
The bride and groom were all smiles despite the fact half of all marriages end in divorce.
High School Sports:
The coach said he was happy to win the state championship, he didn’t mention how this might be the peak of some of his players’ lives and it might be all downhill from here.
Business:
When mentioning how they were pleased with store-to-store performance increases over the year McDonald’s executives didn’t address the fact that eventually, every single one of their current customers will die.
* I mean, even that grumpus David Greising is starting to come around a bit, albeit while avoiding any direct credit for the governor because maybe Griffin…
Mendoza introduced the concept before the pandemic hit in 2020. She’s bringing it back because the economy is recovering and the strong outlook for state revenues makes the idea of mandatory payments toward pensions and the rainy-day fund more politically palatable.
Pritzker’s budget proposal, delivered earlier this month, could set the stage for what Mendoza is trying to accomplish. He has earmarked $500 million between now and the end of the next fiscal year toward one-time pension payments and roughly $900 million toward rebuilding the rainy-day fund, formally known as the budget stabilization fund.
“You can see where it’s not traditionally in the wheelhouse to put $800 million or $500 million or $200 million into the rainy-day fund because there are so many interests that want that money right now,” Mendoza said. “But saying we’re going to put that money to protect ourselves from a fiscal downturn is a very disciplined approach.”
Such a law would mark a sharp change for one of the most profligate states in the union. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has celebrated the state’s credit upgrade last year, its first in two decades, with reduced taxes on gas and groceries and a property tax rebate: $1 billion in all. He calls the package the Family Relief Plan, which has a nice election-year ring to it.
* The House adjourned this morning until Tuesday before taking any votes, so no mask drama today. Three of the members ejected from the floor yesterday were given excused absences today: Reps. David Friess, Blaine Wilhour and Joe Sosnowski.
The Governor is disappointed in the appellate court’s decision and concerned for the health of those in schools – particularly vulnerable children and adults – and the ability to continue in-person learning. The administration is working with the Attorney General to request an expedited review of this decision from the Supreme Court.
In the meantime, the Governor urges everyone to continue following the doctors’ advice to wear masks so students can remain safely learning in classrooms, and is encouraged that the court made it clear that school districts can continue to keep their own mitigations in place.
…Adding… Republican AG candidate Steve Kim…
“JB Pritzker and Kwame Raoul have continued this needless crusade instead of addressing the issues that are holding this state back. It’s time for Kwame Raoul and JB Pritzker to stop pursuing frivolous mandates and address crime and corruption that is costing our state millions every year.
“The courts have spoken. We must empower our families and their civil liberties and end the mandates to return liberty to parents and their children.”
…Adding… Senate GOP Leader Dan McConchie…
The Governor’s quest for total control over our schools appears to be continuing as he once again is doubling down on his mask mandate on students. Pritzker is failing to accept defeat as his ego and desire for power continue to lead him through his decision-making process. It’s clear that the Governor can’t stand the thought of loosening his grip on ruling unilaterally through the pandemic, thus he is willing to go to every extent possible to maintain that power. The fact that he is easing the mask mandate on nearly everyone but students just proves his true intentions.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the following statement regarding the late-night decision issued by the Illinois Appellate Court of the 4th District.
“Late last night the Appellate Court declined to issue a substantive decision in the appeal, and we are disappointed by the court’s ruling. The Appellate Court’s failure to address the important legal issues in question has added to the confusion resulting from the circuit court’s decision prioritizing a relatively small group of plaintiffs who refuse to acknowledge science or the need for public health measures to protect vulnerable Illinois residents.
“The Appellate Court’s ruling focuses exclusively on the emergency rulemaking process used by the Illinois Department of Public Health with respect to a single technical rule. That rule does not affect the executive orders issued by the governor under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, including the governor’s executive order requiring the use of masks in school, the exclusion from school of persons exposed to COVID-19, and testing of unvaccinated school employees working on school premises. That order continues to apply to all persons not specifically named as plaintiffs in the Allen, Austin, Graves and Hughes matters.
“While the Appellate Court’s ruling does not affect the enforceability of the governor’s executive orders, the decision does fundamentally misapply important principles of Illinois law related to the issuance of temporary restraining orders, such as the order issued by the trial court. Attorney General Raoul intends to immediately ask the Illinois Supreme Court to address these significant legal errors and preserve the integrity of the rule of law in Illinois. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and the Attorney General is committed to defending the governor’s actions to mitigate the spread of a virus that has resulted in more than 32,000 deaths in Illinois alone, and to protecting the health and safety of all Illinois residents.”
* With one big caveat, this commenter pretty well summed things up in a single sentence…
JCAR acted as it did entirely because they were waiting to see what the courts said. And the courts are now saying well, thanks to that, we don’t really need to rule at all
I would definitely not say “entirely.” Instead, I’d say “at least outwardly,” meaning, for public consumption. But, yeah, let’s take a look at their public comments.
Democratic state Rep. Mike Halpin of Rock Island said he was voting to block the revised rule from taking effect because “we’re currently in a situation where the (temporary restraining order) says this rule is not enforceable.”
“It’s possible, if not probable, that this might change on appeal, but for now as we sit here, for that reason, I’ll vote” to block the rule, Halpin said.
Two other Democrats who voted with Republicans, Chicago Reps. Curtis Tarver and Frances Ann Hurley, gave the same reasoning.
It takes 8 votes to suspend an emergency rule. The Republicans only have 6 members on that committee.
On February 14, 2022, IDPH renewed the aforementioned September 17, 2021, emergency rules. However, on February 15, 2022, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) objected to and suspended IDPH’s renewal. Thus, none of the rules found by the circuit court to be null and void are currently in effect. Accordingly, for the following reasons, we dismiss defendant’s appeal because the expiration of the emergency rules renders this appeal moot.
And we still have no word from the governor’s office.
Illinois’ House speaker faces a lawsuit after Democrats voted to eject nine members who refused to follow the chamber’s mask rule. […]
Later in the day, attorney Thomas DeVore, who has a temporary restraining order against the governor’s mask mandates in schools, filed suit against House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, in Bond County Circuit Court. The lawsuit, DeVore said, is on behalf of his state Rep. Blaine Whilhour, R-Beecher City, and himself as an individual.
“Speaker Welch has no authority whatsoever to place quarantine measures on the peoples’ representatives to keep them out of that chamber,” DeVore told The Center Square. “It doesn’t even make any sense.” […]
Welch’s office didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
After being ejected from the chamber, ejected members were able to take part remotely when the House reconvened. At least one lawmaker, state Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, was prevented from voting on a resolution in person. She said her key was removed and she wasn’t allowed to vote.
DeVore said that’s a problem.
“They’re gonna say ‘you put a mask on or we’re going to exclude you from a foundational principle of representing your constituents,’” DeVore said. “They’re playing those games and completely eradicated her district from the process. There’s no way the courts are going to stand for that.”
Rep. Whilhour was still able to vote. He was ejected for following the chamber’s rules. Rep. McCombie was also ejected and then chose to not vote remotely. The House rules were followed, and the rules and the resolution to eject were passed with majority votes. Both members routinely participate in remote committee hearings, by the way.
Also, the Senate routinely denies floor access to all males who aren’t properly attired in a jacket and tie. Maybe that’s why the leader of this crew, Sen. Darren Bailey, has been so dutifully compliant with the rules since he was elected to that chamber.
* Also from yesterday…
State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) along with State Representatives Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville); Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur); Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City); and Chris Miller (R-Oakland) defied the Illinois House mask rules and were forced to vote on bills remotely instead of on the House floor.
They are issuing the following statement on what transpired on the House floor today.
“For the third day in a row, we refused to comply with the House mask mandate because of our commitment to highlight the unnecessary school mask mandate and because we are tired of rules and policies that don’t make any sense. This time the Democrat majority followed through with their threat to remove us from the House floor and we were forced to vote on bills remotely instead of in person on the House floor.
At one point House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch stated that there were more important things to do than spend time on the House floor debating masks. His statement illustrates how out of touch the Democrat majority is when it comes to the frustration of parents across the state of Illinois. These parents are tired of the cruelty brought on their children with these senseless mask mandates at schools. They are tired and frustrated and they want someone to listen to them. What can be more important than the concerns of parents about what is happening to their children?
Our message to Illinois parents is simple. We are listening to you. We stand with you, and we support you. The Democrats are feeling the heat because the public has had enough of the two years of the mandates and the disregard for their concerns. We must be resolved now more than ever to return Illinois to normalcy. We are going to keep fighting for your rights as parents to make healthcare decisions for your kids and we hope you will keep fighting too.”
Such drama junkies.
Rep. Caulkins was out sick yesterday and voted remotely. And being “forced” to participate remotely isn’t exactly an undue hardship. Your voice is still heard and your vote still counts. The rest of it is just patting themselves on the back for disruption. You’ve had your fun. Get back to work.
* Back to DeVore, who is soliciting clients for a new lawsuit…
Is your school district requiring masks on buses stating it’s a violation of law related to the mask requirement on public transportation? Our analysis of the law finds it is NOT. According to [USC02] 49 USC Ch. 53: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, school bus service is NOT defined as public transportation, and there is no federal jurisdiction in this matter.
We are looking for up to 4 plaintiffs per school district who want to bring this issue before the court for a flat fee of $2500.00
We will not be seeking class certification at this time; instead, we hope that should the court rule in our favor, the school district would let it apply to ALL students.
Should the court rule in our favor and the school district chooses not to allow the ruling to apply to all students who are riding buses and we will offer other parents the option at that time to join the case for a one time fee of $259
Not providing a link to that, but you can find it yourself if you want.
Illinois’ House speaker faces a lawsuit after Democrats voted to eject nine members who refused to follow the chamber’s mask rule.
After three days of debate about the House rules requiring masks, temperature checks and social distancing, state Rep. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago, motioned to eject members that weren’t wearing masks per the House rules. […]
“Every minute we waste talking to you all while you over there whining about wearing a mask, those people are still suffering and need your help,” Collins argued. “So do your job and comply with the rules of this House. If not, go remote. Simple.”
The Democratic-controlled Illinois House pushed through a new legislative watchdog on Thursday over objections from Republicans who charged that the majority party skirted the law to install its hand-picked candidate.
Michael McCuskey, a retired Democratic judge who served on the state and federal benches, was approved as the new legislative inspector general on a near-party-line vote Thursday in the House after a straight party-line vote a day earlier in the Senate. […]
Members of a bipartisan ethics panel deadlocked along party lines over naming Pope’s replacement, with each side accusing the other of obstruction.
Let’s not hide behind a process argument. We know what you mean by process. You know that means ’slow everything down.’ Let’s slow everything down and grind it to a halt, like some of have said in the press, in those press conferences that you hold.
Let’s slow everything down, like we saw here today. And yesterday. When we know it’s committee deadline week. And we’re here on the floor arguing about House rules that have been in place for two years. Arguing about something as simple as putting on a mask to protect the health and wellbeing of everyone in this chamber. Why are we arguing about masks today? Slow everything down to bring this place to a halt.
Let’s slow it down, even on something as monumentally important as filling the role of the legislative inspector general, even if an exceptionally qualified jurist is brought before us. You heard it from Rep. West. This impasse should have never happened. You can bemoan the process, even while you ignore your own sides’ culpability in that process because you certainly can’t stand up here and deny Judge McCuskey’s qualifications. Every single person that spoke praised Judge McCuskey. He’s an honorable man.
Sadly, our best efforts for four months, four months, process has failed. Because as you said in the media, you want to bring it to a screeching halt. As you use our rules here, every single time we’ve come here over the last 13 months. Slow everything down. Let’s get to work. Time to act is now. The games stop today.
We’ll see today if he can back up his words when the House convenes at noon.
An Illinois appellate court dismissed Governor J.B. Pritzker’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling against his mask mandate in schools, calling the request “moot” after a legislative committee suspended the requirement’s renewal.
On Thursday, the Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court rejected the appeal, noting that the state’s department of public health on Feb. 14 had renewed the emergency rules, originally enacted in September 2021, but that a legislative committee had then suspended that renewal this week.
“Thus, none of the rules found by the circuit court to be null and void are currently in effect,” the court wrote in its ruling on Thursday. “Accordingly, for the following reasons, we dismiss defendant’s appeal because the expiration of the emergency rules renders this appeal moot.”
While the public is rightfully interested in the propriety of the circuit court’s determination that the emergency rules are “null and void,” such circumstances do not automatically make the issue one of a public nature as defined by the public-interest exception. Further, given the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic—which affects the State defendants’ response to the pandemic—and JCAR’s decision on February 15, 2022, it is not clear these same rules would likely be reinstated. As a result, we do not find the public-interest exception applies in this case.
Man, the three House Democrats on JCAR really put the state’s position in a bad spot when they voted to suspend that emergency rule.
* And what about the governor’s executive orders? Pritzker believes they are still in effect for schools that are not part of the case, but nobody really knows for sure. From Justice Holder White’s dissent…
As it stands, the majority’s decision leaves open the question of whether the circuit court properly enjoined the enforcement of the executive orders.
…Adding… Jesse Sullivan…
Gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan issued the following statement:
“This governor will stop at nothing to ensure he alone controls the lives of our schoolchildren. More than 500 Illinois school districts were already ignoring his hollow threats. Now, the appellate court has sided with parents in striking down Pritzker’s mandate. The governor has proven he only cares to listen to the most extreme ideologues within the Chicago Teachers Union and Washington D.C. As governor, I promise to put parents’ voices first.”
…Adding… CPS…
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) stands by our proven COVID-19 safety mitigation measures and is pleased the Appellate Court has confirmed that the Temporary Restraining Order does not prohibit school districts from independently requiring masks, vaccinations for staff, and requiring individuals who have tested positive or have been exposed to COVID-19 to learn/work from home. Our schools will continue to enforce these policies, including mandated universal masking.These safety measures are what have allowed us to provide our students with the in-person learning environment they need throughout this school year. We will continue to follow these protocols until such time as our public health partners advise us that restrictions can be safely lifted.
We are encouraged to see COVID-19 cases dropping, and we remain optimistic about what this will mean for our school communities in the future. Our top priority remains the safety and stability of CPS students, staff, and families.
Background
• February 4, a downstate court issued a legal decision regarding Governor Pritzker’s requirements for COVID-19 safety measures in schools. This decision was immediately appealed by the Illinois Attorney General. Today the appellate court upheld local control, clarifying the TRO does not prohibit school districts from implementing their own safety policies and protocols with the following language:
“We note the language of the TRO in no way restrains school districts from acting independently from the executive orders or the IDPH in creating provisions addressing COVID-19. Thus, it does not appear the school districts are temporarily restrained from acting by the court’s TRO.”
…Adding… IFT…
Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) President Dan Montgomery issued this statement following the 4th District Appellate Court’s ruling on the motion for a stay.
“The Illinois 4th District Appellate Court’s decision released late last night makes one thing clear: school districts are free to implement their own safety measures around COVID-19. And they should. Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have insisted that proper mitigations are in place to protect students, teachers and staff, and their families. This was to reduce sickness and death and to keep schools open for in-person learning as much as possible. Today’s appellate court ruling does nothing to change that calculus.
“We continue to insist that school districts statewide abide by existing collective bargaining agreements that are in place to promote health and safety in schools and to follow our laws around safe schools and workplaces. As cases continue to decline, discussions about removing these mitigations must be based on good public health decisions. Medical science tells us that vaccinations, masking, and proper ventilation have been the best ways to maintain health in schools. Schools have been able to remain open because of the implementation and enforcement of these mitigation strategies designed to protect everyone in school communities, including their families.”
…Adding… IEA…
The following is attributable to Illinois Education Association (IEA) President Kathi Griffin regarding the 4th District Appellate Court ruling on the State of Illinois’ appeal of Judge Grischow’s Feb. 4, 2022, Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in the Sangamon County COVID school litigation:
“We appreciate the clarity brought forth in the Fourth District Appellate Court’s decision last night dismissing defendants’ appeal of the temporary restraining order (TRO) finding that the expiration and non-renewal of Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois State Board of Education emergency orders regulating COVID mitigations in schools made their arguments moot. There has been much confusion over what Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow’s original ruling even meant. It appeared to apply only to those districts named in the original court cases, which would be about 150. But according to school administrators, there are at least 500 mask-recommended districts now in Illinois.
“Students crave consistency. But, Judge Grischow’s Feb. 4 decision to enter a TRO in the case sent schools into chaos.
“A bright spot in the decision clarifies for which parties the TRO applies. The appellate court affirmatively stated that ‘the language of the TRO in no way restrains school districts from acting independently from the executive orders or the IDPH in creating provisions addressing COVID-19.’
“These past few weeks have been tumultuous in schools around the state. They have been described by some as the worst time in our teachers’ and education employees’ careers. They’re getting angry emails, having to comfort scared students and are working to help calm other students who are dealing with the trauma that this pandemic has caused. Schools are supposed to be students’ safe haven. That’s not what we’ve been seeing at many of our schools recently. We know school board meetings have been canceled and schools have shut down because of threats and protests. This has to stop.
“Mitigation efforts are not political. They are put in place to keep students and school staff from getting sick, or from bringing home COVID-19 to loved ones who may be susceptible.
“As the weather gets warmer and as hospitalizations continue to decline, we are hopeful that school districts will adhere to their duty to bargain in good faith with local associations over health and safety issues, including mitigation efforts, and remind all that any existing collective bargaining agreements or memoranda of understanding around these issues remain intact.
“We need people to remember we are all in this together – parents, community members, educators and our students. There is a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. We need to come together to find thoughtful solutions to bring some calm back to our schools, which will provide a better environment for our teachers and staff to provide students the important learning and emotional support that they need.”
…Adding… Irvin campaign…
Gubernatorial candidate and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin released the following statement following the Appellate Court’s dismissal of Governor Pritzker’s appeal to reinstate the statewide mask mandate for schools:
”The court’s decision is a win for parents and schools across our state who have been victims of Pritzker’s unilateral control over the last two years. This is just the first step in restoring parents’ rights and getting local communities back to the table when it comes to the decision-making process.”
Earlier this week, bipartisan legislators in Springfield voted unanimously to block the Governor’s emergency powers to mandate masks in schools. Parents and communities across the state have been outspoken critics of Pritzker’s attempts to keep kids masked after announcing that the indoor mask mandate would end for everyone else.
A subsidiary of AT&T led by a former top aide to ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan could face a criminal charge as an apparent offshoot of an ongoing federal investigation into the dethroned Chicago Democrat, the company revealed in a federal regulatory filing.
The telecommunications giant reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission that a consulting contract executed in 2017 by Illinois Bell Telephone Company LLC is the focus of a previously undisclosed federal investigation led by U.S. Attorney John Lausch in Chicago.
Recently, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois informed us that they are considering filing a charge against one of our subsidiaries, Illinois Bell Telephone Company, LLC (Illinois Bell), arising out of a single, nine-month consulting contract in 2017 worth twenty-two thousand five hundred dollars.
Since 2019, Illinois Bell has been cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office concerning their widely reported investigation of certain elected Illinois politicians and related parties for corruption. Based on our own extensive investigation of the facts and our engagement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we have concluded that the contract at issue was legal in all respects and that any charge against Illinois Bell or its personnel would be without merit. We cannot predict the outcome of the government’s investigation, which could (i) result in criminal penalties, fines, or other remedial measures, (ii) adversely affect our reputation with customers, regulators, and other stakeholders, and (iii) impact our existing federal and state government contracts and our ability to win new contracts in the future.
This could be a lot of things. AT&T’s own lobbying contracts are labeled as consulting contracts.
The same day ComEd and Lausch’s office agreed to the deferred prosecution deal, Madigan’s state office received a far-reaching federal subpoena seeking records concerning AT&T, Walgreens, Rush University Medical Center and a host of operatives and lobbyists inside Madigan’s political orbit.
That subpoena sought “any and all contracts, agreements, letters of engagement and correspondence related to the retention, hiring or engagement of any person to provide services, including lobbying, consulting or other services to AT&T of Illinois of any of its parents, subsidiaries or affiliated business entities.”
* In other news, Judge Leinenweber took some action today. Here’s Crain’s..
Former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore and three other defendants will face trial after a federal judge today rejected their motions to dismiss the charges.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber ruled against several motions aimed at undermining the feds’ charges that the four had participated in ComEd’s admitted scheme to curry favor with former House Speaker Michael Madigan in order to win lucrative state laws over nearly 10 years. […]
They did win one concession from the judge. He agreed that prosecutors should give them more specifics on acts and statements that comprise its conspiracy charge. In addition, he put off ruling on defendants’ demand that prosecutors remove reference in their indictment to actual passage of the laws that ComEd and Exelon supported and which were the alleged focus of the scheme.
A bill of particulars is appropriate when the indictment fails to sufficiently apprise the defendant of the offending conduct, and additional information is needed in order for the defendant to be on notice prior to trial. […]
The Court finds less specificity in the conspiracy count. The Government has not provided any notice as to the nature of the false statements for the ongoing, eight-year scheme alleged in Count One. For a complex eight-year conspiracy at a public company, alleging general concealment and false statements, even with some identified example documents, does not allow Defendants to prepare for trial. The Indictment sets these false statements in general terms, alleging Defendants “created and caused the creation of false contracts, invoices and other books and records to disguise the true nature of certain of the payments and to circumvent internal controls.” (Indict. ¶ 3.) Because “[t]here is a good chance that the government will offer at trial false statements and bad acts that are within the scope of one or more of these general allegations,” the Court grants Defendants’ Motion for Particularization as to the false statements requested for Count One.
Finally, Defendants move to remove the surplusage in the indictment under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 7(d). Defendants argue that the paragraphs describing the favorable legislation passed in the State of Illinois legislature is too attenuated to the rest of the indictment and may be prejudicial to the jury. The Court finds the Motion to be premature prior to the Government’s presentation of its case-in-chief. The Court denies the Motion, but Defendants may renew it prior to the jury receiving a copy of the Indictment.
* But the very, very bad news for the defendants and for folks who may be acting in the gray area, was in the denial of motions to dismiss…
Defendants take Sun-Diamond’s requirement on specificity and uses it to argue there must be a completeness of understanding between Public Official A and Defendants.
However, the plain text of the statute demonstrates there does not have to be proof that the agent of local government received the illegal gratuity with requisite intent, only that the person attempting to provide the illegal gratuity ‘corruptly gives, offers, or agrees to give’ a thing of value. (”It was not necessary for the government to prove as to these counts that [the legislator] actually received the bribes”). Defendants mistake these components of the law as having interchangeable standards. They do not.
From one of the smartest lawyers I’ve ever known…
His interpretation of 666 means you don’t have to have a quid pro quo. The member doesn’t have to get something specifically. The mere thought someone would do something that could be beneficial, if done so with corrupt motive, would be criminal. If two lobbyists discuss ways to “persuade” a member, that could be illegal. The member doesn’t need to even know about it. Doesn’t have to be tied to a bill. Doesn’t have to be tied to any act.
* The Illinois House just voted to remove Republican Reps. Sosnowski, McCombie, Wilhour, Halbrook, Niemerg, Welter, Friess, Miller and Chesney from the chamber for refusing to wear face masks during session. The refusal is a violation of House rules…
Most House Republicans then walked out of the chamber with their evicted colleagues.
Republican Leader Jim Durkin says the HGOP will accept the consequences if his members are kicked out, but calls for hearings to examine the Governor’s pandemic restrictions. pic.twitter.com/YNsLkbw51c
So much for Leader Durkin’s pledge to accept the consequences of the vote. Sheesh.
…Adding… Republicans requested a caucus. Democrats will also caucus. The House is now in recess for approximately one hour.
…Adding… There’s a roll call coming up. Stay tuned…
The House is back in session. Rep. McCombie remains maskless on the floor in defiance of the order for her to leave. It appears the House Speaker has decided not to physically remove her. Unclear yet if she’ll be allowed to vote while in violation of House rules. pic.twitter.com/tAdT50xmXQ
Later in the day, attorney Thomas DeVore, who has a temporary restraining order against the governor’s mask mandates in schools, filed suit against House Speaker Emanual “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, in Bond County Circuit Court. The lawsuit, DeVore said, is on behalf of his state Rep. Blaine Whilhour, R-Beecher City, and himself as an individual.
“Speaker Welch has no authority whatsoever to place quarantine measures on the peoples’ representatives to keep them out of that chamber,” DeVore told The Center Square. “It doesn’t even make any sense.” […]
“They’re gonna say ‘you put a mask on or we’re going to exclude you from a foundational principle of representing your constituents,’” DeVore said. “They’re playing those games and completely eradicated [McCombie’s] district from the process. There’s no way the courts are going to stand for that.”
On the heels of her husband’s historic election as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, Attorney ShawnTe Raines-Welch has announced her intention to fill the vacant 4th Subcircuit Judgeship.
“I am on an incredible mission to serve the people of my community and my district,” said Raines-Welch, who has spent nearly a decade as an attorney litigating civil rights, labor, and employment law matters. She also serves on numerous boards and volunteers across the 7th District. “My ties to the 4th Subcircuit are deeply rooted. I grew up here. I am still here, and I am seeking to bring diversity and a committed focus to the judge’s seat as the first African-American and first female to serve.”
Raines-Welch specializes in legal work for municipal governments, including cities, school districts, park districts, and other local taxpayer-funded public bodies at an established municipal law firm. She has defended police officers in frivolous civil rights cases and represents local school districts.
A 2009 graduate of the John Marshall Law School, Raines-Welch began her legal career as a plaintiff’s attorney handling personal injury claims involving auto accidents, premise liability, FELA claims, and other general torts.
Her experience covers many aspects representing both plaintiffs and defendants and all aspects of courtroom litigation. When questioned about her husband, Emanuel Chris Welch’s support of her campaign, she says she is fortunate to have her family and community’s backing.
“I know that my husband’s name will be evoked in this election many times. It’s the challenge of having a high-profile family and husband. It’s the challenge of professional women everywhere. The way I see it, Chris is creating his imprint on history, but it in no way vanishes mine. I believe in justice–using laws to fairly judge and determine consequences especially in black and brown communities. I also believe in inclusion– the practice of providing equal access to opportunities and resources to all. My work is my own, and I look forward to making a difference for my children and all of the families in the 4th Subcircuit.”
Raines-Welch is married to Emanuel Chris Welch, the Speaker of the Illinois House, and they have two children, Tyler and Marley.
Raines-Welch is running for a vacancy in the 4th Judicial Subcircuit of Cook County, filling the vacancy left by Patrick Rogers. The 4th Subcircuit includes 37 municipalities, including Bridgeview, Oak Lawn, Palos Heights, Lyons, and Willow Springs in the all of Lyons, Riverside and Stickney Townships, and portions of Leyden (western half), Palos (northeastern half), Proviso (west and South half), and Worth (northwest half) townships. Raines-Welch will hold her kick-off fundraiser on March 9th, 2022. To learn more, visit https://raineswelchforjudge.com/.
A pack of progressive candidates have crashed this year’s Democratic primaries, hoping to unseat incumbents and push the party to the left. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the fifth-ranking Democrat in the House, has other plans.
Jeffries and two of his House Democrat allies on Wednesday rolled out the first slate of endorsements from Team Blue PAC, a political action committee intended to protect incumbents from intraparty attacks. The endorsements and their attendant $5,000 campaign contributions are the strongest demonstration of support yet from Jeffries and his allies — and serve as a warning shot to primary challengers seeking to unseat incumbents as Democrats fight to hold onto their fragile majorities. […]
The lawmakers united in an effort to provide resources to the increasing number of House Democrats who face primary challenges — in particular, from the left. That circumstance faces the five incumbents who received endorsements on Wednesday: Reps. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.), and Dina Titus (D-Nev.). Davis and Maloney face opponents backed by Justice Democrats […]
“Democratic leadership should be spending every dime of our party’s resources on helping frontline incumbents in swing districts and protecting our majority instead of coming into a deep-blue district that is clamoring for new leadership,” says Kina Collins, who’s challenging Davis.
$5K ain’t much. Just sayin…
* DGA…
GOP Megadonors Take Opposing Sides, Escalating IL GOP Infighting
Far-right megadonor Richard Uihlein donated $1 million to Darren Bailey’s GOP primary campaign yesterday, just days after Ken Griffin confirmed he’d bankroll Richard Irvin at the top of his Rauner Reboot ticket.
Uihlein’s involvement fulfills the Chicago Tribune’s warning that Griffin’s backing of Irvin was “opening the door to further divisions within the state GOP.”
With the two megadonors taking opposite sides, Bailey and Irvin are set on a collision course that’s sure to escalate the already nasty GOP primary infighting. “Backing Bailey will put them at odds with Illinois’ richest billionaire, Ken Griffin,” wrote FOX 32.
Bailey has already slammed Irvin for not knowing his Republican talking points well enough, alluding to his flip-flopping on issues like abortion and supporting Gov. JB Pritzker.
Uihlein and Griffin both gave millions to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner as he decimated social services and tanked Illinois’ finances — and now they’re each hoping their chosen candidate will help drag Illinois backward.
The Uihleins’ non-profit has spent millions funding Big Lie candidates and bankrolling “right-wing extremist organizations, including ones designated as hate groups.”
It’s no surprise that Uihlein is now backing Bailey, who won’t answer whether he thinks the 2020 election results were valid. Last week, he refused to answer a reporter’s questions about the January 6th insurrection and whether he would accept the results of this year’s election.
“Richard Uihlein and Ken Griffin may be torn on which empty suit will best carry out their far-right agenda — but one thing they can agree on is wanting to undo Illinois’ progress,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “As Darren Bailey and Richard Irvin spout their donors’ talking points, they’ll have to duke it out with each other and the rest of the crowded field to win over a deeply divided base.”
* From Lynn Sweet…
On the Thursday “At the Table,” the Sun-Times political show I co-host with Laura Washington, we’ll be talking about Biden’s upcoming Supreme Court pick with author and CNN host and legal analyst Laura Coates, out with a new book, “Just Pursuits,
plus former Gov. Jim Edgar and WBEZ’s Dave McKinney. At 6:30 p.m. Chicago time. One click link to watch:
*** UPDATE *** This could be important in the Republican primary against Rep. Mary Miller (R-No Relation)…
Farmer trustees representing county Farm Bureaus in the 15th Congressional District are endorsing U.S. Representative Rodney Davis for re-election.
County Farm Bureau leaders meeting as trustees for Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR® – the organization’s political action committee – unanimously endorsed Rep. Davis for his outstanding voting record and many other efforts in the 117th Congress on behalf of farmers in his district.
Congressman Davis has been a true friend of agriculture while serving in Congress. He continues to lead efforts on behalf of Illinois Farm Bureau to improve the lives of Illinois Farm Bureau members. Rep. Davis serves on the Subcommittee of Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research and the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy and Credit.
15th District ACTIVATOR® chairman Terry Ferguson said, “our trustees are proud to announce Rep. Rodney Davis will receive the Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR® endorsement. He has been a leading advocate for Illinois farmers. Not only has he been a voice for us on the two most recent Farm Bill conference committees, but over the years Rep. Davis has brought many agriculture leaders to the district to hear directly from us.
Rising input costs, supply chain crises and opportunities to expand the biofuels market are areas that need to be addressed. We are confident Rep. Davis is a fighter that will get the job done. Voters in the 15th congressional district should choose Rodney Davis.”
The endorsement by Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR® places Congressman Davis in a group of select individuals in the state. They understand the leading role Illinois agriculture plays in the global marketplace and the far-reaching benefits of its products. It proves he recognizes that agriculture’s benefits go beyond the vital function of feeding Illinois, the nation, and the world.
Are units at Pontiac prison going to be closed, maybe taking jobs with them? The governor’s office said it’s only in discussion. […]
(A) spokeswoman for the governor said the document was “a draft plan” assembled for discussion within the agency.
“It was not presented to the Governor’s Office for final approval because it is a draft that is expected to be updated after more discussions,” Press Secretary Jordan Abudayyeh said in a statement. “The Department is always interested in considering new ideas to better serve their population and this draft plan is an attempt to spur discussion about ways to improve services.”
[IDOC chief of staff Camille Lindsay] said in an email the department has not started moving people in order to reduce the populations in these facilities.
That claim was disputed by a representative from AFSCME Council 31 – the union that represents IDOC officers.
“The department began moving offenders out of Pontiac last week with no advance notice to the union, the employees or the individuals who were moved,” said Anders Lindall, public affairs director for AFSCME Council 31.
Lindall noted that the union subsequently received notice of IDOC’s intent to reduce populations at Vandalia and Pontiac with a target date of March 16 for the first phase with additional unit closures to be completed by the summer.
Some may consider it a bit of a moonshot, but a drive is under way in Springfield to make Illinois a competitor in the race to win new semiconductor chip factories.
At the behest of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, state Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, D-Oakbrook Terrace, has introduced legislation to offer potentially huge tax credits to manufacturers who set up here, as opposed to going to Texas, California or any of the other usual-suspect states.
Hilton’s bill already has cleared the Senate Revenue Committee, and though it will have to return for some technical changes, the measure appears to have a pretty good head of steam.
Hilton said the bill is quite similar to a bill passed last year offering a wide range of employment, utility-tax and other credits to electric vehicle makers and suppliers. The measure, designed to boost the impact of automakers like Rivian that already are in the state, hasn’t yet paid dividends, but state officials say it should prove a success in months to come.
On Feb. 16, State Senator Sally Turner’s (R-Beason) legislation designed to provide additional privacy protections for victims of child sex crimes passed unanimously out of the Illinois Senate.
“This legislation will empower judges to grant additional privacy to victims of child sex crimes who chose to testify by allowing the judge to use their discretion to remove non-interested parties from the courtroom,” said Sen. Turner. “This will help ensure that these vulnerable victims are not forced to speak about one of the worst moments of their life in front of countless strangers.”
Senate Bill 2942 clarifies that a judge can use his or her discretion to clear disinterested parties, excluding media, from the courtroom during the victim’s testimony even if the victim is over 18 years of age as long as the crimes were committed while the victim was still a minor. To safeguard the constitutional rights of defendants, the judge must find that particular parties do not have a direct interest in the case and must put their basis for that finding into the record.
“I am pleased to see the Senate unanimously recognize the importance of providing as much privacy protection as reasonably possible to every victim testifying about their abuse as a child,” continued Sen. Turner. “I look forward to continuing to advocate for the victims of these horrendous crimes as this legislation moves through the process.”
While Senate Bill 2942 was in committee, Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz and McLean County State’s Attorney Don Knapp testified in support of the legislation and addressed its importance. The legislation now heads to the House for further consideration.
The courts in Illinois are allowed to operate largely outside the prying eyes of the press and public because the state’s Freedom of Information Act does not apply to them.
The judicial branch can deny access to the same sorts of records that other local and state government officials are legally obligated to release upon request.
But a bill introduced last month in Springfield would change that.
The bill’s sponsor is Democratic state Rep. Curtis Tarver II of Chicago.
He told WBEZ it was long past time to shine more sunlight on the inner workings of court systems across Illinois.
A measure to make the capitol complex more accessible for visitors with disabilities clears an important hurdle thanks to State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago).
“The Capitol grounds belong to all of the people,'’ said Peters. “Everyone, regardless of ability, should be able to freely move about the Capitol and be able to navigate their way through our public spaces.”
Senate Bill 0180 requires the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate to each appoint an accessibility coordinator to work in consultation with the Architect of the Capitol to address accessibility needs for each chamber.
The measure also creates the General Assembly Accessibility Task Force, which will include members appointed by each legislative leader and a chair jointly appointed by the Speaker and the President. Other appointees would include individuals with a disability or advocates for people with disabilities. The task force shall examine issues concerning accessibility of the General Assembly to persons with a disability. The task force must submit a report of their recommendations to the General Assembly by Dec. 31, 2023.
“This task force will address a critical lack of inclusion in the very center of democracy in this state,” Peters said. “I hope that after the task force completes its recommendations, that we are able to make our capitol grounds more accessible to all.”
The measure passed the Senate Executive committee on Wednesday.
* Senate Resolution 633 is entitled “CVS Awareness Day.” But if you read the resolution’s synopsis you might think Walgreen’s is actually behind the proposal to help wreck its top competitor’s brand. Yuck. /s
A bill that would allow Chicago Public Schools principals to unionize is advancing in Springfield, though obstacles remain a year after a similar effort stalled.
Chicago principals have long complained they don’t have a voice in their working conditions or district policies, but a school administrators union has never existed in the city because state law hasn’t allowed one.
House Bill 5107 would change that, amending the Illinois School Code and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act to make principals, who are supervisors, eligible for collective bargaining exclusively in Chicago. […]
The bill, sponsored by State Rep. William Davis, D-Harvey, passed the House Labor and Commerce Committee by an 18-9 vote Wednesday to advance to the full House. A similar bill passed the House last year and made it out of a Senate committee but wasn’t called for a vote before the full Senate.
A bill that would bring equity to Chicago principals’ salaries and help CPS recruit and retain quality leadership for students has been blocked in the Illinois House of Representatives after misleading pressure from CPS lobbyists.
House Bill 5405, which was set to be called in committee today, was pulled from the agenda at the last minute after CPS lobbyists convinced leadership that the legislation would “preempt ongoing negotiations” with the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association.
“There are no ongoing negotiations, and there never were. That’s exactly why we need this state law to make sure that CPS gives school leaders fair compensation, and doesn’t undercut us behind closed doors,” said Troy LaRaviere, president of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association. “Today’s maneuver makes it clear just how vulnerable Illinois and its leadership is to anti-union tactics from CPS, and ultimately students are hurt the most as CPS continues to lose school leaders year after year.” […]
CPS’s own data shows that one out of every two teachers is paid at a higher hourly rate than the principals who supervise them. This means that teachers who are interested in becoming assistant principals and later principals have to take a pay cut to do so while also giving up the 12 weeks off teachers have over the summer.
(a) The salary schedule for school administrators in the school district must be set so that:
(1) the average hourly rate of pay for an assistant principal is at least 7.5% greater than the average hourly rate of a regular teacher with more than 5 years of experience; and
(2) the average hourly rate of a principal is at least 22.5% greater than the average hourly rate of an assistant principal.
Illinois’ General Assembly is poised to be the next battleground in the fight over COVID-19 public health requirements in schools. Republican lawmakers have filed several bills about masking and vaccine mandates in schools that would limit decision-making by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the state board of education, and the Illinois Department of Public Health.
HB 4083 by Rep. Adam Niemerg, would prevent the state board of education, local school districts, and schools from requiring school staff or students to wear masks. The Parental Medical Choice Act, HB 4149, sponsored by Rep. David Welter, would prevent the state or any local government or institution from requiring a child to receive a public health service.
HB 4575, sponsored by Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, would block the state board of education from revoking or removing a school district’s recognition, a tool the state board used at the beginning of the year to pressure districts into implementing the state’s mask mandate. Removing state recognition pulls state funding from schools and blocks students from participating in events sponsored by state athletic associations.
Several House Republican legislators have also signed onto the COVID-19 Religious Exemption Act, HB 4239, also sponsored by Niemerg, which would expand the definition of “religious exemption” and offer more loopholes for those who do not want to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
It is unclear how far some of these bills will go in the legislature — some are still waiting to be assigned to committee. But the efforts have garnered considerable attention, with thousands of witness slips, and echo debates in school districts across the state and country, where COVID mitigations in schools are seeing pushback from parents and Republican lawmakers.
There’s little to nothing “unclear” about their respective fates. They’re all almost assuredly dead. The House’s committee deadline is tomorrow. Rep. Niemerg’s bills have been assigned to the House Executive Committee, where they will die. Rep. Mazzochi’s bill has no co-sponsors.
* Yesterday, Bailey told his Facebook audience that he and his people “weren’t allowed in the room” when Irvin spoke to the Illinois Sheriffs Association in Peoria, even though Bailey had spoken ahead of Irvin…
But can you imagine what the mayor of a sanctuary city, what the mayor of someone who has propped up and praised everything Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot have done, what the mayor of anyone who has indeed, pushed back on his police force, could you imagine what he could have possibly said to the Illinois Sheriffs Association?
Yet there are some sheriffs who have who have signed on to this slate, this slate of people who are running with Mayor Irvin. Friends, get that list. Find out if your people in your community, elected officials are on that list, and go talk to them and ask them what on earth are they thinking? And here’s what they’re going to tell you. They’re going to tell you well, he’s probably going to win because he’s got more money. That’s all they’re going to tell you. And that’s really all they probably care about is the money. Friends I’ve been telling you from day one, money is not going to win this election. Grass roots is going to win this election. We have the grassroots by the grace of God ever since I sued and won against JB Pritzker on July 2nd of 2020, ever since I stood up against the mask mandate, and got kicked out of General Assembly in August of 2020, the grassroots movement has been building because I and others have been standing for you since day one. People understand that. So that’s why we have over 100,000 followers on our Facebook page, continue to share and push out and get people to come along and join our group. That’s why we have over now well over 10,000 active workers throughout the state people out distributing signs, setting up meet and greets, gathering petitions.
— Richard Irvin & Avery Bourne For Illinois (@IrvinBourne4IL) February 17, 2022
* But this was more serious…
The Richard Irvin for Illinois Campaign today is calling on J.B. Pritzker to disclose the actual recommendation he received from the Prisoner Review Board (PRB) in a case where the governor pardoned a convicted arsonist with Democratic political connections, clearing the path for the arsonist to become a fire chief.
“The governor owes an explanation to every firefighter, first responder and family in Illinois as to why he would clear the path for an arsonist to become a fire chief because it defies all logic,” said Irvin Spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “Given the arsonist’s Democratic political connections, the governor should immediately release the recommendation he received from the Prisoner Review Board.”
Under statute, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board is not allowed to publicly disclose their recommendations to the governor, however, the statute imposes no such restrictions on the governor.
The Governor’s Office had no problem releasing the full PRB file to The Capitol Fax Blog yesterday, so there is no reason the governor cannot release the recommendation of the board.
The PRB recommendations are confidential, and always have been.
* I told subscribers about this earlier today. Press release…
Statement from Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White
Endorsing Anna Valencia for Secretary of State
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as Illinois Secretary of State and I thank the people of Illinois for entrusting me with the opportunity to serve them for an unprecedented six terms. I am proud of what we have accomplished during the past 23-plus years. Through our efforts, we have made Illinois roads safer, improved customer service and cleaned up an office that had been under a cloud of controversy and corruption prior to my tenure.
Since announcing I would not seek another term, I have been frequently asked who I would support as the next Secretary of State. It was important to me that such a person would be committed to good government and public service, that they would take on the job and the responsibility that goes with it, and that they would have the credentials and character that the people of Illinois richly deserve representing them in such an important office.
The Democratic Party is fortunate to have three strong candidates running for this office. However, I believe, one candidate stands out above the rest.
That’s why I am proud to announce my endorsement of Anna Valencia for Secretary of State.
I have known Anna for many years. I am impressed by her energy, commitment to public service and her dedication to getting the job done. As Chicago City Clerk, she has successfully modernized the office and made day-to-day customer service a number one priority. She has the ability and understanding to deliver important services to the public in a consistent, organized and effective manner.
Anna’s personal history gives her a unique ability to relate to Illinoisans of all backgrounds and regions. She grew up in a strong family with a commitment to the Labor movement and they continue to share the values of helping working men and women and improving society for all.
Like me, she comes from the Metro East region – a downstate area across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Anna currently makes her home in Chicago.
Anna is an excellent fit as Secretary of State. She will be a champion of road safety, working to build on our record of saving teen lives and combating drunk driving. She will be a strong advocate for good government and enhanced customer service—keeping up with rapidly changing needs and technologies.
And as it was in 1998, this year’s election for Secretary of State will also be historic.
I made history as the first African American to be elected Secretary of State. And Anna will make history as the first woman and first Latina to be elected Secretary of State.
I believe in my heart that Anna Valencia will be an outstanding Secretary of State and I am deeply proud to offer her my unwavering endorsement.
It goes without saying that this puts her squarely in the game.
Secretary of State candidate Anna Valencia released the following statement today after Secretary of State Jesse White endorsed her to succeed him:
“I am humbled and honored that Secretary White has endorsed me to carry on his legacy for the people of Illinois. He made history as our first Black Secretary of State, and I look forward to earning the votes of Illinoisans to make history as the first woman and first woman of color to hold the office. Secretary White is admired, respected and beloved in every corner of Illinois because he consistently shows up and delivers for all communities. I plan to build on his legacy by bringing my experience to the Secretary of State’s office to keep making government more accessible, innovative and open. I am grateful that Secretary White is putting his faith in me, and I will never stop fighting for working class families, women, communities of color and immigrants who need a champion in their elected leaders. I am ready to carry on the torch that Secretary White is passing on to me.”
…Adding… Ald. Moore…
While I am disappointed that Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White chose to endorse one of my opponents in the race to replace him, it is not a surprise. Secretary White has a long history with Senator Dick Durbin and his pick comes out of the organizations of both elected officials.
Again, I am the only candidate in the race who helped circulate petitions for White in his first run for secretary of state in 1997. I believed he was the best person to change the perception of the office from a political steppingstone marred in scandal and corruption to one of customer service and integrity.
I will continue to travel the state to touch as many Illinoisans as possible to share my vision for how to build on the foundation White has put in place during his tenure and how to modernize and improve the secretary of state’s office for the future.
I asked if he was canceling tonight’s fundraiser, and will let you know if I hear back.
…Adding… Sen. Durbin…
“Secretary of State Jesse White’s endorsement of Anna Valencia to be the first woman to hold this statewide office is a game changer. White not only has been our most effective Secretary of State, he is hands down the most popular Democratic statewide official in modern history.”
“I am happy to join him and my colleague Tammy Duckworth in supporting Anna’s campaign to be our first woman Secretary of State.”
…Adding… Alexi Giannoulias campaign…
We’re proud of the more than 200 endorsements Alexi’s campaign has received from elected officials, Democratic groups and organized labor – including SEIU, which has more than 2,500 employees in the Secretary of State’s office, the Cook County Democratic Party and Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association. Alexi’s broad-based, grassroots organization is a clear signal that his message of modernizing the office to reduce long lines and wait times, protect voter rights and increase opportunities to register and to reimagine libraries to increase access and equity is resonating with Illinois voters.
…Adding… Media advisory…
One day after Secretary of State Jesse White offered his “unwavering” endorsement of Secretary of State candidate Anna Valencia, Secretary White and Valencia will campaign together TOMORROW, February 18 at 11am CST at Manny’s Deli. After greeting voters, they will hold a media availability.
WHO:
Secretary of State Jesse White
Secretary of State candidate Anna Valencia
WHAT:
Campaign stop and media availability
WHEN:
TOMORROW, February 18th
11am CST
WHERE:
Manny’s Deli
1141 S Jefferson Street
Chicago, IL 60607
…Adding… Sen. Duckworth…
As the first statewide elected official to endorse Anna Valencia’s campaign to be the first woman elected as Illinois Secretary of State, I’m thrilled that our current Secretary of State—who knows better than anyone the kind of grit and work ethic needed to serve in this critical role—sees what I’ve always seen in her too. Jesse White has been one of our state’s best and most effective leaders for decades, and he knows what I know: Anna Valencia is the best candidate in this race, and she will be a fantastic Secretary of State for all Illinoisans when she is elected.
…Adding… From Ald. Moore’s spokesperson…
Thank you for sending the state statute. Currently, David Moore is an announced candidate for Illinois secretary of state. Until petitions are filed and the candidate’s name makes the ballot, he is not an official candidate. Also, David’s birthday fundraiser was planned a year ago. He’s held a birthday fundraiser for the last 10 years. So, he does not plan to cancel it.
“Candidate” means a person who has filed nominating papers or petitions for nomination or election to an elected State office, or who has been appointed to fill a vacancy in nomination, and who remains eligible for placement on the ballot at either a general primary election or general election.
