After speaking to the investments made possible by the FY22 state budget this morning, Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2017, the FY22 Budget Implementation Act, as well as the certification of the General Assembly’s concurrence on Senate Bill 2800, the state’s spending plan.
“By signing the state budget today, Illinois is taking a giant step forward, toward true fiscal stability,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We balanced the 2022 fiscal year budget independent of the American Rescue Plan, by working together with tireless lawmakers who went up against the challenges of a global pandemic and passed a budget that meets the moment. Together, we are putting Illinois on the right track.”
“As we come out from the pandemic, this budget is a reflection of our commitment to working-class families, small businesses and underserved communities,” said House Majority Leader Greg Harris (D-Chicago). “With this budget, we’ve dispelled the myth that fiscal responsibility needs to come at the expense of support services. We’re doing both and our economy will rebuild quickly and more equitably because of it.”
“Not only is this budget balanced, it provides stability by making our full required pension payment, paying down the borrowing we needed last year and funding many of our priorities to put our state on the right path,” said State Senator Elgie Sims (D-Chicago), the Senate’s chief budget expert. “As a member of the Illinois legislative Black Caucus and sponsor of its criminal justice pillar, I am also proud that this budget funds the enhanced training and other associated improvements passed earlier this year to enact the SAFE-T Act.”
FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
OVERVIEW
The State of Illinois’ Fiscal Year 2022 budget plan for both operations and capital is contained in SB2800, along with SB2017, the budget implementation bill. The Fiscal Year 2022 General Funds budget plan reflects $42.3 billion in base spending. The budget funds additional investments in the areas of education and human services while fully funding the Fiscal Year 2022 certified pension contributions and continuing progress on debt repayments. The Fiscal Year 2022 budget also directs federal dollars received from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) to aid businesses, families, and invest in Illinois’ communities. The estimated Fiscal Year 2022 General Funds base revenues for the enacted Fiscal Year 2022 General Funds budget total $42.367 billion, reflecting changes to corporate tax loopholes included in SB2017.
During calendar year 2020, the State borrowed $3.2 billion from the federal Municipal Liquidity Facility for cash management and to pay for essential state operations at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The $1.2 billion borrowed in June 2020 was fully retired in fiscal year 2021; however, the $2 billion December 2020 loan originally was scheduled to be repaid in three installments by December 2023. With improved economic performance, the Comptroller is expected to be able to set aside $1 billion by the end of fiscal year 2021 for early repayment of the December 2020 borrowing and the remainder during fiscal year 2022. The early repayment will save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in interest costs.
Budget Honors Commitments to Paying Down Illinois’ Debts
Fully funds the $9.8 billion General Funds pension contribution
Repays $2 billion emergency Federal Reserve loan early saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars
Repays funds Illinois borrowed from itself to ease cash flow
Keeps pace with payment of the state’s bills, with bill payment delays at the lowest levels in years
Provides $50 million to College Illinois! prepaid tuition trust fund to begin to shore up its assets
Corporate Loophole Closures
The FY22 budget closes four tax loopholes worth $655 million to the state and $42 million to local governments including:
$314 million: Cap Corporate Net Operating Loss Deductions at $100,000 per year for the next 3 years
$214 million: Roll Back Federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act 100% Accelerated Depreciation Deduction
$20 million: Freeze Phase Out of Corporate Franchise Tax
Federal American Rescue Plan Act Funding
Focusing crucial investments in Illinois Businesses, Families and Communities
ARPA allocated $8.1 billion in federal dollars to Illinois from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and $254 million from Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund to help Illinois over the next three years address the impact of the pandemic on Illinois families, businesses, and communities, and to replace revenues lost to the state during the pandemic. As a down payment on economic recovery and for continued response to the impact of COVID-19, the budget allocates $2.8 billion in ARPA dollars for crucial investments for multi-year commitments to key areas, including:
$380 million for the ongoing costs of the state’s response to COVID-19 at IEMA and other state agencies;
$307 million for health care providers, long-term care facilities, and mental and behavioral health programs to support the public health response and improving public health outcomes;
Over $100 million in assistance to impacted industries such as tourism;
$128 million for violence prevention and youth employment programs;
$163 million in grants to community support organizations, including $87 million to welcoming centers;
$114 million for affordable and supportive housing programs;
$56 million for investments in education; and
$450 million for the Governor’s Economic Recovery Plan:
$300 million for Back to Business Grants, with 40 percent of the funds going to communities that were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic
$10 million for Tourism promotion and Main Street festival grants
$50 million for Workforce Recovery efforts
$20 million for Community Navigators and targeted business support services
$25 million for the DCEO RISE program for local economic recovery planning and partnerships
$45 million in capital for commercial corridors and downtowns that have experienced disinvestment
In addition to the investments outlined above, the ARPA allocations in the budget includes a $1 billion investment to accelerate critical infrastructure needs, including statewide broadband, to spur the economic recovery and create jobs and reserves $2-$3 billion to replace lost revenues to the State to fund essential government services.
EDUCATION - PREK-12 AND HIGHER EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS
PreK-12:
Includes an increase of $362.1 million General Funds for Evidence Based Funding - $7.6 billion in total EBF appropriations
Continues to support Early Childhood Education at $543.7 million
Funds a new principal mentoring and recruitment program - $1.8 million General Funds
Appropriates over $8 billion in federal funds to K-12 schools from federal COVID-19 relief packages for costs to respond to the impact of COVID-19 on education, including funds for summer school, tutoring, technology needs, closing the digital divide, remote learning, mentoring, bridge programs and mental health professional development. $582.9million (CARES Act), $2.3 billion (CRRSA) and $5.4 billion (ARPA)
Higher Education:
Preserves university operations funding at $1.2 billion
Increases funding to the Monetary Award Program (MAP) by $28.2 million to $479.6 million General Funds
Includes $35 million for the fourth year of AIM HIGH, a merit-based scholarship program that is intended to help stem the outmigration of Illinois’ high achieving students
Includes federal pandemic aid for higher education agencies, including $44 million at IBHE, $37 million at the ICCB and $7 million at ISAC to enhance programs for higher education students
In addition, universities and community colleges received approximately $2.5 billion in direct aid from the COVID-19 relief packages through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) that flow directly to the institution
CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY HIGHLIGHTS
Increases Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Program (R3) appropriation by $30 million to $75 million at the Criminal Justice Information Authority. This additional funding will support new initiatives with increased cannabis tax revenues
Provides funding for a new cadet class at the Illinois State Police
Includes a $10.3 million increase in General Funds to the Law Enforcement Training Standards Board for basic and in-service training requirements, including a focus on crisis intervention training for new and current officers.
Provides $2 million at the State Police for officer worn body cameras and another $3.4 million at LETSB for local government camera grants
SOCIAL SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS
Includes $1.1 billion in General Funds at Department of Children and Family Services, a 10.8 percent increase to address increased caseloads and rate reimbursement increases
Includes at the Department of Human Services:
A $170 million General Funds increase for services for people with developmental disabilities, to partially implement the Guidehouse rate study and for Ligas consent decree compliance, to a total $1.5 billion General Funds
$3.4 billion in child care program resources from state and federal funds
Eviction Mitigation/Rental Assistance Program
Additional funding for Mental Health Block Grant through ARPA funds – $25 million in federal funds
Additional funding for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant through ARPA funds - $25 million in federal funds
Includes an increase of $59.5 million General Funds under the Department on Aging’s Community Care Program and additional funds for Home Delivered Meals and for the Senior Employment program and Area Agencies on Aging
Appropriates $2 billion in federal funds to the Department of Public Health for COVID-19 response including testing, contact tracing, and vaccine distribution
Includes additional funding to support 45 new positions and enhance care at the state’s four veterans’ homes and provides funding for the Chicago Veterans’ Home
Includes additional federal funding for Illinois Department of Employment Security for improvements to the state’s unemployment insurance program administration
MEDICAID
Maintains all eligibility and benefit levels in the Medicaid program to ensure individuals retain their health coverage
With the assistance of enhanced federal matching rates through the end of the calendar year, protects eligibility for currently enrolled participants
Includes funding for the Medicaid Working Group omnibus legislation (SB2294) and Public Act 102-004
Expands Medicaid-like coverage for noncitizens 55+ from 65+
REBUILD ILLINOIS
The fiscal year 2022 capital budget, included in SB2800, represents a continuation of the historic Rebuild Illinois program and other ongoing capital initiatives.
Allows the state to keep investing in projects for statewide transportation, environment, education, and community and economic development infrastructure
The FY22 capital budget also utilizes $1 billion in ARPA funds to cash-fund critical infrastructure projects for water and sewer projects and for statewide broadband, including Connect Illinois
TRANSPORTATION
Will allow IDOT to continue to hire staff to execute the landmark Rebuild Illinois construction program
Fully funds the Fiscal Year 2022 Road Program at $3.32 billion. The FY22-27 MYP totals $20.7 billion
Includes $50 million funding for Passenger Rail Operating Assistance – Amtrak
Provides a $14 million appropriation through ARPA to support the State’s airports
Provides a $17 million appropriation through ARPA to support rural transit districts
Today, Governor JB Pritzker signed SB 825 into law further expanding access to the ballot box for Illinoisans by increasing access to curbside voting, establishing permanent vote by mail registries, establishing a central polling location in counties across the state, strengthening cybersecurity standards for election authorities in Illinois, and providing viable voting opportunities for justice-impacted individuals. The legislation also establishes June 28, 2022 as the new 2022 general primary election date.
SB 825 grants sheriffs outside of Cook County the ability to establish polling locations at local county jails, a practice already in place in Cook County. Individuals awaiting trial and sentencing who are residents of the community surrounding the county jail will now be permitted to vote at the jail’s polling place.
“With attacks on voting rights on the rise in states across the nation, Illinois is proud to stand up for a strong, secure, and accessible democracy,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This legislation articulates the rights of Illinois citizens to vote by mail, allows those awaiting trial to cast their ballots, and makes a state holiday of Election Day 2022. I want to thank sponsors Senate President Don Harmon and Representative Maurice West, as well as the Women’s Legislative Caucus leadership, and county clerks across the state for their commitment to protecting the fundamental right to vote.”
The legislation builds on the administration’s previous actions to protect and expand voting rights in Illinois which include extended hours at permanent polling places, expanding the state’s vote by mail program, and making election day a state holiday.
“This keeps in place a number of voter conveniences that have proven popular,” said Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). “It’s a great example of lawmakers listening to the diverse voices of voters and taking steps to maintain and encourage voter participation.”
“All throughout the country, we are seeing efforts by Republicans to stifle the people’s right to vote—particularly among communities of color,” said Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Westchester). “In Illinois, we believe our democracy is only stronger when more people have access to the ballot box. That’s why we passed this elections bill to establish permanent mail-in voting and make election day a state holiday.”
“With the signing of Senate Bill 825, we are telling the nation that Illinois is all about voter empowerment, not voter suppression. Illinois is about increasing accessibility for all people to vote while preserving the integrity of the ballot box,” said State Representative Maurice West (D-Rockford). “I want to thank Speaker Welch and Senate President Harmon for teaming up with me and thank you to Governor Pritzker for empowering voters by signing this legislation.”
“COVID-19 demonstrated the interest and efficiency of voting by mail,” said Senate Majority Caucus Whip Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “This becomes a permanent change that will encourage more voters to participate in the election process.”
“Our democracy is at its healthiest when we have high voter participation. We are making sure that voters have the secure access they deserve,” State Representative Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) said. “Making sure our high school students can get registered as soon as they are eligible and recognizing the importance of voting with a state holiday on General Election Day will go a long way to create our next generation of involved citizens.”
* Looks like the governor got outflanked by the president…
Today @POTUS will sign the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, establishing June 19th as a federal holiday. As the 19th falls on a Saturday, most federal employees will observe the holiday tomorrow, June 18th.
— U.S. Office of Personnel Management (@USOPM) June 17, 2021
* It is my company policy to take off all state and federal holidays…
With President Joe Biden signing legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021, Governor JB Pritzker announced that state government offices will be closed Friday, June 18 in accordance with the new federal law recognizing the importance of emancipating enslaved Americans.
On Wednesday, Gov. Pritzker signed Illinois’ law to make Juneteenth a state holiday at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, in the shadow of the Emancipation Proclamation.
“I’m pleased to see the federal government join Illinois in recognizing Juneteenth as an official holiday, offering all Americans a day to reflect on the national shame of slavery and the work we must do to dismantle systemic racism,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Most importantly, let us stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Black Americans who will celebrate Juneteenth as a milestone in their fight for every ounce of the freedom that is their God-given right – and continue with them in that fight.”
When Gov. Pritzker signed Illinois’ Juneteenth legislation earlier this week with the bill sponsors, he reiterated his commitment to leading the nation in dismantling structural racism.
In addition to closing state offices on Friday, June 18, Illinois will continue the recognition of Juneteenth throughout the state, lowering all flags covered by the Illinois Flag Display Act to half-staff on Saturday. In addition, a Juneteenth flag will fly proudly over the Illinois state Capitol in Springfield on every Juneteenth, starting this year.
…Adding… In addition, the comptroller’s office is giving everyone a floating holiday because some folks need to come in to the office to get the bills paid. From SoS White…
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced that all offices and facilities will be closed Friday, June 18 in observance of Juneteenth, as declared by Governor JB Pritzker following President Biden’s signing of Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
All Tuesday through Saturday Driver Services facilities will be open for business on Saturday, June 19.
Monday through Friday Driver Services facilities and offices will be open for business on Monday, June 21.
Individuals can visit the Secretary of State’s website, www.cyberdriveillinois.com, to locate the nearest Driver Services facility and the hours of operation.
As a reminder, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has extended all expiration dates to August 1, 2021, for driver’s licenses/ID cards. White encourages people to conduct business online at www.cyberdriveillinois.com for services such as renewing license plate stickers, obtaining replacement driver’s licenses/ID cards and if eligible renewing driver’s licenses.
Two coal-fired power plants in the Chicago area, both major sources of air pollution, will be closed by their owner in June of next year.
Citing economic pressures and the company’s transition from coal, NRG announced the planned retirements of the plant in Waukegan and another in Romeoville in 2022. Together, the two sites employ 111 workers.
* NRG…
Today NRG announced during our Investor Day meeting the intention to retire several plants following the recent PJM capacity auction results. Closing these plants was a difficult, but necessary decision in light of the low market prices. The directly affected plants in Illinois are Will County and Waukegan. Both sites have an anticipated June, 2022 retirement date. We understand the impact this decision will have on our employees and the local communities. Employees will have the opportunity to apply for open positions within NRG. NRG will also provide transition assistance and severance in accordance with NRG policies and will engage in Effects Bargaining with IBEW Local 15 for the employees they represent at the impacted sites.
* Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition…
“All eyes are on NRG and state leaders to ensure that communities are included in planning the transition of these plants and the polluted sites they sit on. The closing of the last Chicago-area coal plants also points to the urgent need to pass comprehensive clean energy legislation that includes provisions for a just transition.
“Like the Clean Energy Jobs Act, the Governor’s current proposal helps communities with transition grants and support for displaced workers when they see coal-fired electric coal plants cut and run.
“It also creates and expands workforce training and access to seed capital and contractor equity to create jobs and wealth in Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and environmental justice communities like Waukegan, which bear the greatest cost of pollution but often share few benefits from clean energy technology.
“Today’s announcements from NRG show that the Governor’s plan to move Illinois beyond coal is actually right in line with market economics, and efforts to extend the life of municipal coal plants like Prairie State and CWLP are very out of touch with communities and energy sector trends. Having responsible and certain timelines to transition beyond fossil fuels couldn’t be more important, so that we can replace aging coal with renewable energy like wind and solar, and not new sources of pollution like gas.”
The Waukegan plant has been the target of local protests for years because of its proximity to tens of thousands of residents along the lakefront. Residents are concerned about the air pollution as well as ponds of coal-ash waste. The plant employs 65 people, the company said.
“We fought too long and too hard over the course of many, many years to make sure that we’re providing real supports for people who have come to the city who want to raise their families, do the right thing, contribute to our tax base. Yet, we’re gonna vote on a bill that disenfranchises them and then say, ‘We’ll take care of it on a trailer bill?’” said Lightfoot, her voice rising as she referenced plans to pass followup legislation to address issues like how undocumented parents could vote, among other issues.
“Too little, too late. If you know that the bill is flawed, wait. Fix it.”
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, filed a motion to reconsider shortly after the legislation passed, a procedural move that will keep the bill in that chamber unless the motion is removed. Ramirez’s chief of staff said in a statement Thursday she placed the hold on the bill “to ensure that it makes it to the Governor’s desk at the appropriate time.
“She will lift the hold in the next few weeks after conversations with stakeholders on a trailer have begun,” the statement said. […]
[Lightfoot said] “The bill that was passed is not. It’s deeply-flawed. … That’s why we’re gonna be meeting to negotiate on a trailer bill. But, for me, it’s never been about politics. I can’t speak for others.”
Lightfoot said the motion to reconsider sets the stage for, what she called, “real negotiations for the first time over the last couple of months.”
The Bears renovated Soldier Field in 2002, and are locked into a lease at the historic stadium through at least 2033, according to officials.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot addressed the situation Thursday, acknowledging that while the lakefront site is “challenging,” the team is locked into a lease, and she is confident that the NFL won’t let the team break it.
“A couple of data points that I think you should be aware of are the Bears have a lease with Soldier Field until 2033, and the NFL doesn’t let any teams break their leases,” she said. “I was just on a call with senior leadership in the last two weeks. So there are things that they’d like to see differently at Soldier Field, and we want to do whatever we can to accommodate it. It’s a great iconic site, but it’s a challenging site.”
The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971 and have a lease running through 2033. The organization doesn’t consider that lease to be a barrier, a source said, because it could negotiate a buyout and construction on a new facility would take years anyway.
Recently built NFL stadiums have been extravagant in design and enormous in price. The newly opened stadiums in Los Angeles and Las Vegas cost $5 billion-$6 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively. The others in the last seven years are for the Falcons ($1.6 billion), Vikings ($1.1 billion) and 49ers ($1.3 billion).
Democrat Alexi Giannoulias released a new ad in his campaign for Secretary of State today that features support from prominent progressive leaders.
The new ad, titled “Commitment”, includes endorsements from Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García and members of 22nd Ward Independent Political Organization (IPO). It showcases Giannoulias’ dedication to progressive causes and to the Latino community.
“His commitment to social justice is clear,” Garcia says of the former State Treasurer. “His commitment to voter rights, his commitment to ethics…let the community know that they have a trusted friend and ally in Alexi.”
The 60-second online ad also includes: Alderperson and Committeeperson Michael D. Rodriguez; Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Commissioner Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda; 22nd Ward IPO President Vanessa Uribe; and State Representative Edgar Gonzalez Jr. (D-21st District).
Giannoulias adds: “We need leaders who are going to fight for fairness and equity and inclusion. For far too long, members of the Latino community especially have been underserved. We need to make sure that we have government services there for our underserved communities.”
The ad marks the second released by the Giannoulias campaign. The first ad launched in April, highlighted Giannoulias’ fight to successfully save jobs at Illinois suit maker Hartmarx and focused on the impact of the Covid crisis and the resulting hardships facing workers and middle-class families.
An Illinois man has brought a class action lawsuit against Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign committee, alleging the committee violated federal telephone consumer protection law by making “pernicious” and unsolicited robocalls to state residents’ cellular phones, urging them to vote for Rauner.
Peter Garvey filed suit March 23 in Cook County Circuit Court against Citizens for Rauner Inc., alleging the organization breached the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The suit was filed on Garvey’s behalf by Chicago lawyer John Sawin. […]
According to Garvey, a typical message from March this year stated:
Hi, this is Bruce Rauner. I’m callin’ to ask for your vote in Tuesday’s primary election. Illinois is worth fightin’ for and with real reform, together we can bring back Illinois and provide the future our children deserve. Please join me in the fight against Mike Madigan and his special interest allies. I’m askin’ for your vote on Tuesday, March 20.
I dunno about you, but that robocall script triggered my PTSD.
The settlement will provide a total of $1,000,000 (the “Settlement Fund”) to fully settle and release the Class Members’ claims against the Rauner Campaign and Rauner. If you received a telephone call, text message or ringless voicemail message from the Rauner Campaign or Rauner and you fit the definition of the Settlement Class, as defined below, then you can choose whether to participate in the settlement.
The Court presiding over the lawsuit must still decide whether to approve the settlement. Settlement payments will be made only if the Court approves the settlement, and after any appeals are resolved. Please be patient.
On or about March 23, 2018, Named Plaintiff filed a complaint against the Rauner Campaign in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Chancery Division, Case No. 2018 CH 03859, alleging that the Rauner Campaign violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by making calls and delivering ringless voicemail messages to cellular telephones. On or about October 22, 2018, Rauner Campaign filed a third-party complaint against Victory Phones LLC and The Stratics Group Inc. relating to the alleged calls at issue. On or about November 30, 2018, The Stratics Group Inc. filed a Notice of Removal to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, where the Action remained pending. […]
Defendants deny all claims asserted in the Action and deny all allegations of wrongdoing and liability. Defendants desire to settle the Action on the terms set forth herein solely for the purpose of avoiding the burden, expense, risk and uncertainty of continuing these proceedings. […]
Subject to preliminary approval and final approval by the Court as required by Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and subject to the remaining provisions herein, the Parties desire a full, complete, and final settlement and resolution of all existing disputes and claims as set forth herein, and to fully, finally and forever resolve, discharge and release the claims (as set forth herein) of Named Plaintiff and the Settlement Class Members, in exchange for Defendants’ agreement to jointly pay the total amount of one million U.S. dollars ($1,000,000), inclusive of Settlement Costs and Settlement Awards as explained and set forth below. […]
With no consideration given or received, Plaintiff has agreed to limit the request for an award of reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses to no more than 33.333% of the Settlement Fund, plus reimbursement of reasonable litigation costs and expenses.
Citizens for Rauner is still active and reported having $533K in its account at the end of the last quarter. It has reported no expenditures to its legal defense firm Seyfarth Shaw.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday is set to announce a new promotion to encourage Illinois residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19: a vaccine lottery.
Pritzker will detail the promotion during a news conference at 1:30 p.m. at Access Community Health Network in Chicago, according to his public schedule.
You can watch it live at NBC 5’s site. I’ll likely update this post later.
…Adding… A big one…
First drawing is July 8.
As long as you got a vaccine within the state lines, you're eligible. You don't have to do anything to register.
Illinois state lottery will draw names for prizes ranging between $100K and $1 million.
As Illinois continues to lead the Midwest in vaccinating our residents, Governor Pritzker announced a new $10 million ‘All In for the Win’ promotion that will reward vaccinated Illinoisans by automatically entering them into a series of cash and scholarship lotteries with prizes up to $1 million.
More than 70% of Illinois adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDC, making Illinois the first state in the Midwest to reach President Biden’s goal.
“All In For The Win is yet another way we’re working to ensure every single resident is protected from COVID-19, and especially, this virus’ more dangerous variants,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Vaccines are incredibly effective and keep you protected – and they also make your community safer. Getting the shot is how we truly end this thing, so vax up, Illinois. If you do, you might even hit the jackpot.”
“While our vaccination numbers in Illinois are good, in fact the best in the Midwest, we still need more people – as many people as possible – to get vaccinated,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “The pandemic is not over and as long as the virus is allowed to circulate, it can mutate and form new variants. We need to slow the virus’ activity – and the best way to do that is through vaccination.”
All In for the Win offers $7 million in cash prizes to vaccinated adults, ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, and $3 million in scholarship awards to vaccinated youth, held in Bright Start 529 College Savings Plan. Residents who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Illinois are automatically entered into the lotteries. There are no sign ups, no forms, and no lines to wait in.
Residents are encouraged to get vaccinated before July 1st to ensure they’re entered into every draw and have the most chances to win a prize, including the first million-dollar top prize on July 8th. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will continue to check their records before each drawing. Once entered, residents remain eligible in all future drawings, unless they win.
The first drawing will take place on Thursday, July 8, 2021, and the promotion will run until Thursday, August 26, 2021, with a series of drawings for 43 cash prizes — including three million-dollar jackpots — and 20 scholarship awards.
One million-dollar cash winner and three $150K scholarship winners will be drawn on July 8th, and weekly drawings will continue throughout the summer. Drawings include weekly $100K cash prizes and regional lotteries to ensure people from every part of the state are among the lucky winners. The grand finale — which includes two million-dollar cash prizes and seventeen scholarship awards – will be drawn on August 26. To view the complete drawing schedule, visit allin.illinois.gov.
After each draw, IDPH will reach out to the winners to ask for authorization to share their name and contact information with the Illinois Lottery. At no time will any state entity other than IDPH have information about a participant or winner without their consent. The Illinois Lottery will then help the winner through the claim process to receive their prize.
* For all my adult life, Illinois has lagged the nation in recovering from recession. This is no different, but it needs to be a much higher priority now that the state is getting itself on more sound fiscal footing…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate remained at 7.1 percent, while nonfarm payrolls were down -7,900 in May, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The April monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, up slightly from +300 to +1,600 jobs. The April preliminary unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 7.1 percent.
The May payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th. The BLS has published FAQs for the May payroll jobs and the unemployment rate.
In May, the three industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Leisure and Hospitality (+6,300), Manufacturing (+2,000) and Educational and Health Services (+1,900). The industry sectors that reported the largest monthly payroll declines were: Government (-10,000), Construction (-5,600) and Financial Activities (-1,300).
“With the move to Phase 5 last week, Illinois is positioned to fully reopen and restore industries impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. “IDES will continue to support claimants while focusing on assisting employers and jobseekers to reconnect dislocated workers to the workforce.”
“Illinois is on the path to recovery, as evidenced by last week’s reopening of all sectors of the economy, and by steady improvements seen by key industries in monthly labor reports this year,” said DCEO Acting Director Sylvia Garcia. “Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, we are working alongside lawmakers and leaders across numerous industries to lay a strong foundation for a recovery that will support us all. In the coming months, we’ll deploy additional economic relief included in the State’s recently passed budget that helps heavily impacted industries fully reopen, prepares more individuals to return to work and accelerates a recovery for all our communities.”
The state’s unemployment rate was +1.3 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for May, which was 5.8 percent, down -0.3 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -8.3 percentage points from a year ago when it was at 15.4 percent.
Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +390,600 jobs, with gains across most major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases were: Leisure and Hospitality (+137,400), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+97,000) and Professional and Business Services (+52,500). The industry groups with jobs losses were: Financial Activities (-1,700) and Mining (-200). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were up +7.3 percent over-the-year as compared to the nation’s +8.9 percent over-the-year growth in May.
The number of unemployed workers fell slightly from the prior month, a -0.4 percent decrease to 436,800, and was down -53.9 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force was up +0.2 percent over-the-month and about unchanged (0.0 percent) over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
Before I take questions, I’d like to take a moment to make a bittersweet announcement.
The past two and a half years have been some of the most difficult in the history of state government. Even more so than normal, these past few years have required superhuman dedication by those who work in the highest levels of government, being away from their families at all hours of the day and night, and making agonizing decisions about saving lives and protecting livelihoods.
The bonds you create in these times of crisis last a lifetime.
Beside me every step of the way has been Deputy Governor Dan Hynes, who has been a steady first mate to steer our fiscal ship out of decades of turbulent waters, the last one having been one of the rocky-est. He has been my friend for nearly 30 years.
Dan, from day one of your service in this administration, you helped breathe life into state agencies that had been hollowed out and belittled for years.
In our first year, you helped land a bipartisan agreement on a balanced budget that made unprecedented investments in our infrastructure and human services. Since then, you have helped bring more structural balance by leading a team that consistently finds creative ways to get every dollar we’re entitled to receive from the federal government, reducing the burden on Illinois taxpayers. You found efficiencies where no one else saw them. You helped reach a landmark deal with AFSCME, treating our workers fairly and generating hundreds of millions in savings for taxpayers.
Throughout this pandemic, you found ways for us to support our small business and industry, keeping thousands of them alive during the hardest days and deepest uncertainty. You focused on helping them rebuild, evidenced by the $570 million in rebuilding support in this budget.
For the first in years, Illinois doesn’t have a debt backlog, and we paid off billions in outstanding debts – including to small businesses that provided services for the state and depended on those prompt repayments to stay open and pay their staffs.
Looking to the future, you helped create new, durable industries with Illinois attracting data centers and electric vehicle manufacturers from across the country and internationally.
And I want to close by thanking you for helping me accomplish something no one else in state government has been able to do, despite 75 years of trying: consolidate downstate police and fire pensions so that they could reap the savings and benefits of becoming a large pension fund, instead of a piecemeal of nearly hundreds of tiny funds that all paid administrative expenses and were shut out of the highest earnings of large investment funds. This is generational change for Illinois, and you made a difference for first responders and their families, and you helped save billions for property taxpayers.
I’ve known Dan for a long time, and I asked him to join my administration because I knew I needed his unparalleled knowledge of the state budget and his well-deserved reputation as a fiscally responsible leader. As you can tell, he delivered.
But what I’ve come to learn about Dan over these past few years is that he also has a profound understanding of our economy and business climate, and a zeal for making our economy stronger and helping businesses thrive. He will be deeply missed.
Despite Dan’s departure, I’m incredibly excited to announce that former State Senator Andy Manar will be taking over as Deputy Gov for Budget and Economy upon Dan’s departure. Over the last 2 and a half years I’ve been so lucky to serve with so many smart and amazing people who are deeply committed to working families. Andy follows in that proud tradition. He comes with a deep well of respect all across the state, and he will provide immeasurably important perspective in this new role.
As much of the country emerges from masking and social distancing, undervaccinated pockets in the U.S. still threaten to bring the virus roaring back.
Less than 25% of the population is fully vaccinated in at least 482 counties, according to an analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data by Bloomberg News. Many of these counties are more rural and less economically advantaged than the rest of the U.S., and a majority of their voters in the last presidential election chose Donald Trump, according to the analysis of 2,700 U.S. counties.
Though more than 174 million Americans have received at least one dose of a vaccine, accounting for about 64.6% of the adult population, such averages belie stark gaps in vaccination rates at a local level. With more contagious versions of the virus like the delta variant taking hold, this creates opportunities for further spread.
* To see a larger version of this interactive map, click here…
The fate of a $1.3 billion natural gas plant under construction in Grundy County is mainly what kept the Senate from acting yesterday on the most ambitious state energy bill in 25 years.
Competitive Power Ventures, a Silver Spring, Md.-based power generator, threatened to pull the plug on a massive gas-fired facility it’s building in Morris if the bill as drafted yesterday was passed, the company confirmed today.
That was what Senate President Don Harmon was referring to yesterday after the Senate’s adjournment when he said somewhat cryptically: “There are significant investments and significant jobs associated with those (gas) plants. People could be out of a job Monday if we passed that bill today.”
The issue for CPV is provisions environmentalists have championed that not only would set a firm “decarbonization” date for the burning of natural gas to generate electricity, but also would require steady declines in emissions over the years leading up to that.
* The governor’s office believed, however, that they had found a way to address the issue. This is from the testimony that Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell was prepared to deliver to a Senate committee on Tuesday morning, several hours before the plug was pulled…
We also clarified that declining caps on natural gas would be in the aggregate and would both allow the potential build of new plants like JPower and CPV Three Rivers, and then advantage them to stay open the longest.
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…
• The language in the Governor’s bill never had individual plant declining caps. There is an aggregate cap on the total of emissions from gas plants that goes down 20% every five years. So, if for example, there are 1,000 tons of GHG emissions, they would have to be at 800 in five years—not that Plant A would have to reduce by 20 percent.
• The language was clarified after this issue arose in the legislators’ meeting Saturday morning, and labor had both a walk-through of the language Monday evening, as well as bullet points that we gave them which reiterated this point. So, I’m not sure where Mr. Rumsey got his information, but it was wrong.
• In addition, because we specifically didn’t want to discourage the construction of the plant referenced in the article, as well as two other gas plants that are in permitting stages, we clarified that under the EPA rulemaking that will determine which plants needed to close sooner rather than others, that the newest plants would have the advantage because of the environmental technology that’s installed on the newer plants.
• So, while other gas plants may rightfully be thought of to be in danger of closing in 5 years or ten, it isn’t likely that any of the new plants would be in the early closure mix.
The Illinois House on Wednesday gave final approval to a comprehensive gun safety measure aimed at modernizing Illinois’ 53-year-old firearms owner’s identification card law while also requiring background checks on private sales of firearms.
The bill passed by a 75-40 vote, but a procedural hold was placed on the measure to prevent it from going directly to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk. Supporters said they expected the hold to be lifted quickly.
The action comes almost two weeks after the Senate gave its backing on a 40-17 vote, and follows constituent complaints about delays in getting a FOID card or having it renewed amid an flood of applications to Illinois State Police, which has been swamped trying to process the numerous requests.
The bill provides additional money the state police for dealing with FOID and concealed carry applications, and seeks to boost efforts by law enforcement to take away firearms from people who have had their FOID cards revoked, including from those who are deemed to be a threat to themselves or the public.
During floor debate, Rep. Keith Wheeler, R-Oswego, said he had issues with some of the language in the bill, but he would vote for it because of its increased enforcement mechanisms. Wheeler said he had family connections to two people killed in the Aurora Shooting at the Henry Pratt Company warehouse.
“And just so it’s clear to everyone, that (shooter) had his FOID card revoked, almost five years before that horrible incident occurred. Five years before the shooting, but law enforcement had no tools to be able to recover that (gun),” he said.
Trevor Wehner, who was killed in the shooting on his very first day as an intern, Wheeler said, was the son of his high school classmate, Tom Wehner. Wheeler said he voted for the bill per Tom Whener’s request.
“There are a lot of things in this bill that I don’t love, that I don’t think are going to work the way they may be intended,” Wheeler said. “And I commit to all my friends in the (Second Amendment) community that we will work on getting those corrected before this bill takes effect… But this bill gives law enforcement the actual chance that necessary tools to prevent another tragedy.”
Backing off mandatory fingerprinting, which will be voluntary, was a key to compromise with gun rights groups like the Illinois State Rifle Association.
State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst, said the bill is incomplete and will end up in the Supreme Court.
“It is not going to fix the outstanding problems that people are experiencing when it comes to actually getting their FOID cards,” Mazzochi said. “It is also not doing anything to increase the penalties on individuals who are arrested for gun crimes without a FOID card.”
State Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, said Illinois should do away with FOID cards.
* Hannah Meisel wrote a good piece on the FOID bill before the House took it up yesterday and I neglected to post it. She included info about another bill that also passed yesterday…
And another piece of legislation that aims to improve on Illinois’ so-called “red flag” law appears poised to see a vote on Wednesday. The firearms restraining order law — a measure Willis passed three years ago — allows loved ones to petition a judge to issue a temporary restraining order to take firearms from those who post a danger to themselves or others.
Freshman State Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback (D-Skokie) already passed her legislation that would expand the law to also take away a person’s ammunition and other “firearm parts” in addition to guns and aims to speed up the process by which those items are confiscated after a restraining order is granted.
Additionally, that bill mandates the creation of law enforcement training curriculum on how to use the restraining orders and also asks the State Police to develop a public awareness campaign around the red flag law, as Stoneback says it’s currently underutilized.
The Senate, however, made minor amendments, and the House looks ready to concur with those changes Wednesday.
Representative Marie Newman (D-IL) felt sick to her stomach while watching the results come in on election night 2016. She stayed up late and followed along on three different computer screens and her television as it became clear that Donald Trump would be the next president.
Eventually she turned in, hoping for a miracle that would not come. “I’m a super optimistic person, and every day [I] get up and it’s a fresh day. I never let a bad day before affect the next day, ever, but I was a hot mess,” Newman tells Teen Vogue.
She was worried about her daughter, Evie, who, just two years earlier, had come out as transgender and begun her transition. “All I could think about is this individual that I believe to be literally a piece of garbage in every way was going to roll back all of Evie’s rights,” Newman says. “All of our economic rights, all of our health care rights.”
The next day Newman canceled her meetings and sat at home in her pajamas trying to think of what she could do about Trump’s election and protecting her daughter. That’s when, she says, she decided to run for Congress.
Evie, now a 20-year-old sophomore at DePaul University, had doubts at first. “I was very much disillusioned by the Trump election and that made me kind of skeptical of electoral politics as a whole,” she recalls, speaking to Teen Vogue over Zoom from her north Chicago apartment in a joint May interview with her mom. “I didn’t really understand why she was doing it, because I don’t think that a single person alone could really change the structures of power that exist in this country.”
Newman lost her first campaign, in 2018, in a hard-fought primary election against former Rep. Dan Lipinski, a conservative Democrat who opposed abortion access and consistently voted against LGBTQ+ rights. But she tried again in 2020, when she narrowly defeated Lipinski in the Democratic primary (by 2,816 votes), and then bested her Republican opponent in the general election.
With her win, Newman joined a small but vocal — and growing — list of federal lawmakers who have trans people in their immediate families. According to Newman, there are six representatives with close trans or nonbinary family members, including her Progressive Caucus colleague Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).
Chicago will soon have an elected school board thanks to a bill passed by members of the Illinois House Wednesday over objections from Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
The House voted 70 to 41 to advance the bill, handing another loss to Lightfoot who has been vocal in her opposition to the prospect of an elected board. The bill will soon head to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has voiced support for an elected board and is expected to sign the legislation.
The measure was just one piece of legislation state representatives debated and passed during their one-day special session Wednesday.
House Bill 2908 as amended would create a 21-seat board in January 2025, initially split between 11 mayoral appointees — including the board president — and 10 elected members.
As she made her closing argument for the bill, Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago), the House sponsor, urged lawmakers to take “final action.”
“I invite you to be on the right side of history, by voting … and finally, giving my niece and my nephew and all of us who wished in our public schools, when we were there, [that we had] an elected representative school board that is accountable to us,” she said. […]
Ramirez promised subsequent bills to clean up some outstanding issues, including campaign finance rules. These outstanding issues were raised by opponents of the bill, who said their absence meant it wasn’t ready for passage. But Ramirez said the parents who worked for the elected board for more than a decade deserved this assurance that the city would move to an elected school board.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently reiterated his support for an elected board. But before committing to signing this year’s bill, Pritzker said he is waiting to see whether the House would change it. The bill will not immediately go to his desk because Ramirez placed a temporary procedural hold on it. Ramirez said that was done to protect the bill from opponents and to give Lightfoot an opportunity to negotiate some outstanding issues.
Gov. JB Pritzker’s office released a statement following the passage of the bill, saying, “When the governor ran for office he supported an elected school board and still does.”
Pritzker will be at Chicago’s Thompson Center Thursday morning to discuss the state’s budget, and he’ll likely be asked about the legislation. CPS has not yet issued a statement on the decision.
Ramirez also said a variety of issues, including the financial entanglement of city and CPS, were raised only in recent days and contended it appeared to be people “playing games” to try to derail the overall legislation.
But Rep. Bob Rita, a Blue Island Democrat, warned about unintended consequences in moving the bill with a number of follow-up issues still needing to be addressed.
“I’m hoping that we’re not going to go forward and that this is going to be something that, down the line, we’re going to say our intentions were right and we did it wrong,” Rita said.
In debate on the House floor before the vote, Chicago Democratic state Rep. Ann Williams said the elected school board issue has been the most talked about topic from her constituents during her decadelong tenure in the General Assembly.
Today’s vote represents the will of the people, and after more than a quarter of a century, moves our district forward in providing democracy and voice to students and their families. This is the culmination of a generation of work by parents, rank-and-file educators and activists, who recognized the shortcomings of mayoral control of our schools and demanded better for our children. This is their legacy. This is Karen’s legacy.
Our union is grateful for the work of state representatives Kam Buckner and bill sponsor Delia Ramirez, Sen. Rob Martwick, and Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon, who were instrumental in bringing this landmark change to Chicago Public Schools. We look forward to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s signature on this bill, and thank everyone who has fought to grant Chicagoans the right that residents in every other school district in the state possess: the right to an elected representative school board.
A state legislator who represents the West Side of Chicago hopes to use his surprising prostate cancer diagnosis to encourage residents to get screened too.
“When a doctor tells you you have an aggressive cancer and you have to have surgery, there’s automatically a feeling of fear,” Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“The moral of the story is if I hadn’t advocated for myself it would have metastasized and become a death sentence,” the legislator said.
Ford plans to talk about his experience — and urge others to be screened — Thursday morning at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to be there in support, Ford said. […]
Ford said his decision to speak out months after his surgery is also to address the disparities in life expectancy between Black and white men and help people “understand this issue.”
* I’ve kinda watched this “critical race theory” thing develop out of the corner of my eye, but it appears to have grown into our latest national outrage and the governor jumped into the fray yesterday. Before we get to that, here’s a primer from Education Week…
In truth, the divides are not nearly as neat as they may seem. The events of the last decade have increased public awareness about things like housing segregation, the impacts of criminal justice policy in the 1990s, and the legacy of enslavement on Black Americans. But there is much less consensus on what the government’s role should be in righting these past wrongs. Add children and schooling into the mix and the debate becomes especially volatile. […]
Critical race theory is an academic concept that is more than 40 years old. The core idea is that racism is a social construct, and that it is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.
The basic tenets of critical race theory, or CRT, emerged out of a framework for legal analysis in the late 1970s and early 1980s created by legal scholars Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Richard Delgado, among others.
A good example is when, in the 1930s, government officials literally drew lines around areas deemed poor financial risks, often explicitly due to the racial composition of inhabitants. Banks subsequently refused to offer mortgages to Black people in those areas.
Today, those same patterns of discrimination live on through facially race-blind policies, like single-family zoning that prevents the building of affordable housing in advantaged, majority-white neighborhoods and, thus, stymies racial desegregation efforts.
* Wirepoints has been moving away from pandemic coverage to things like CRT…
* They Aren’t Telling The Truth About Illinois’ Pending ‘Culturally Responsive Teaching Standards’: The biggest tragedy, if the rule becomes effective, is that the actual result will be the same as we’ve seen everywhere from critical race theory and identity politics in general: more hostility and strife. Traditional goals of color blindness and the melting pot, which are expressly rejected by critical race theory, have given way to obsession over immutable differences.
* Chicago Public Schools going to the max with ‘culturally responsive teaching standards’: Suppose you wanted to draft the most comprehensive K-12 school policy you could for mandatory thought, speech and conduct that complies with Critical Race Theory or wokism, as it’s more often called. You probably couldn’t top the Chicago Public School district’s pending Culturally Responsive Education and Diversity Policy.
* More political indoctrination coming to Illinois classrooms as ‘media literacy’ mandate nears passage: The kicker is at the bottom of the bill, which calls for the Illinois State Board of Education to prepare instructional materials. Those are the folks that imposed Illinois’ infamous, new Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards, which they and its supporters lied brazenly about, and which call for teaching woke critical race theory as unassailable fact.
* University of Illinois poised to make woke ideology and conduct mandatory for faculty: Give them credit at least for being open about what they intend: no diversity of opinion about race. Wokeness shall be mandatory under pending directives for University of Illinois faculty. Take a look at the proposed standards on promotions and tenure provided in a Communication and FAQ, the product of three university “task forces.” They’ve been issued by the U of I’s provost and were recently reported by Campus Reform. The school’s term for it is DEI — Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — the prime buzzwords for wokeness and critical race theory.
The right wing has decided that they’re going to grab on to anything, that they can use a few words, put it together and make it sound like it’s an attack on white people, then they’re going to go make it an issue. That is not something that we believe in here in Illinois. What the right wing is doing around the country is not something that we’re going to do here.
* Fox News: Illinois teacher defends pushing critical race theory on students, calls opponents racist
* How Education Has Changed In Illinois Since 2020 Racial Justice Protests: “Which by the way is not even a huge part of these standards,” he said. “But all of this idea of anti-critical race: everybody has a race theory. When you start critiquing the mainstream theory about race, that’s when people get upset.”
So I'll spend all day feeling a little less like the communications director for the Speaker of the House and more like the kid in Youth & Government who, well, forgot to pack dress socks.
* Make sure you click here to keep an eye on the live coverage post today while the House is in session. Speaker Welch will be doing a media availability after session ends, so you may want to monitor that, too.
You can use this post to comment on whatever happens.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The budget fix just passed 71-44-1 after some spirited debate.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The FOID bill, HB562, just passed 75-40.
*** UPDATE 3 *** HB1092, the Firearms Restraining Order Act, passed 61-47 (it only required 60 votes).
*** UPDATE 4 *** HB2908, the Chicago elected school board bill, passed 70-41.
In response to House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s announcement temporarily permitting remote voting, State Rep. Steve Reick (R-Woodstock) has issued the following statement:
“Intraparty strife among Democrats has resulted in their inability to come to terms on an energy bill that they’ve been negotiating amongst themselves for months, having never taken Republican and downstate members’ concerns into account. Yet we’ve still been called back to Springfield under the pretense of voting on a so-called ‘climate bill’.
But we have another reason for being in Springfield today. The 3,088-page, $42.3 billion dollar budget that the supermajority Democrats shoved down the throats of hardworking Illinoisans minutes before the midnight deadline on May 31 was so full of drafting errors that the state cannot legally spend the money it appropriates until almost a year from now. Consequently, Gov. Pritzker issued an amendatory veto of the budget yesterday and sent it back to us for approval.
The problem is that there won’t be enough Democrats on hand in the House today to approve his veto and fix the mistakes they themselves made.
But fear not, the Speaker is temporarily amending the House rules to permit remote ‘participation’ in today’s House session. Remote legislating was not permitted in the House chamber throughout the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet now that the state is fully reopened, the Speaker is allowing its use to cover for rank incompetence.
I’m sure my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who are unable to join us in Springfield today have valid reasons for their absence. After all, this session was scheduled with only one week’s notice. But if you can’t be here, you shouldn’t be able to cast a vote. Any lawmaker not physically under the dome today who chooses to vote remotely is not only committing a dereliction of his or her elected duty but is perpetuating the Speaker’s affront to the legislative process.”
One member is attending to his dying father. Another has a family medical issue. The Senate has allowed remote voting since last year, but a quorum has to be present.
* The Question: Do you favor or oppose allowing remote floor voting as long as a quorum is physically present in the chamber? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
We have come a long way in assisting all parties in getting to yes. And I continue to work to bring comprehensive clean, equitable, and ethical energy reform to the state of Illinois. That, and nothing less, is what the people of this state deserve the proposed climate bill, worked on by all parties, preserves for decades jobs that already exists, and creates new clean energy jobs, too. Most importantly, it does so well protecting consumers and fighting climate change.
But let me make myself perfectly clear. Our long-term goal is to create meaningful, climate change policy that makes Illinois, a leader in protecting our people, the environment, and the clean energy industry that we can grow. I will not sign a bill that does not match the gravity of this moment.
That means that a bill claiming to contain meaningful decarbonization measures, but does not pass muster on the details and does not move us toward a clean energy economy is not a real climate bill.
The bill I put forward is about the health and the well-being of our communities and a measurably precious resource, as reinforced by the events of the last year.
We can decarbonize while creating and maintaining good-paying union jobs. That’s why I held working group sessions to put all the multiple clean energy on the table for negotiations. My door remains open to all parties willing to find reasonable compromise that secures Illinois clean energy leadership.
Here’s what’s happening: People are bringing up issues that they had settled on months ago, to try to bring them up now at the last minute hoping that everybody will say, well that’s okay we’ll just let that one go, so that we can get a bill. That’s not how it works.
We set out principles here. We’re going to get those principles, hard and fast in this bill, and that is what we need. I mean honestly, who here does not believe that we are headed for a future that we should be headed for a future in Illinois, of leadership in clean energy. We should have an industry, a whole industry of electric vehicles in Illinois based upon the clean energy principles that we set out. We should have a cleaner environment as a result of what we do in this bill. Those are enormously important principles to have in the bill and they are in the bill. Everything that gets brought up that takes us back from decarbonisation is a backward movement. I’m not going to let it happen.
He then predicted the process would take another few weeks or a month.
Today, Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation declaring June 19, Juneteenth, an official state holiday. To commemorate the abolition of slavery throughout the United States and its territories in 1865, Juneteenth will be recognized as National Freedom Day in Illinois.
The state continues to build upon efforts to actively dismantle systemic racism through robust reforms in the areas of criminal justice, education, health care, and economic opportunity. House Bill 3922 is another historic step in striving toward equity and justice across Illinois.
“Just as Illinois led the nation as the first state to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, in 2021, we are leading the nation in tackling structural racism head on thanks to the guiding vision of Leader Lightford, Representative Ford, Speaker Welch and the entire Illinois Legislative Black Caucus,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “It brings me exceptional pride to sign into law the declaration of Juneteenth as a formal state holiday in Illinois, making us one of the few states in the nation to give it the full status it deserves.”
Illinois will recognize Juneteenth throughout the state, lowering all flags covered by the Illinois Flag Display Act to half-staff on Saturday, June 19. In addition, this year and henceforth, a Juneteenth flag will fly proudly over the State Capitol in Springfield.
“Making Juneteenth a state holiday is a breakthrough in Illinois history,” said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood).“It reminds us that freedom and racial equality have always been a hard-fought battle for Black Americans and gives us an opportunity to celebrate our culture and achievements.”
“Today, we can all stand proud that Illinois will officially recognize America’s second independence day,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Westchester). “As the first African-American Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, this moment will forever be a treasure in my heart, and I hope it will become a treasure for all Illinoisans. It’s a day of remembrance, but also a day of joy and perseverance.”
“On June 19, 2020 Governor JB Pritzker made a commitment that he would work with the General Assembly to pass a bill to commemorate Juneteenth as a state holidays and today it happen,” said Representative La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago). “Today is the first day for Illinois to officially recognize the pain of the black enslaved and a day to move forward with work to repair the harms for black people.”
All Illinoisans are urged to reflect on our collective history and the actions we can take to build a more fair and equitable society. To learn more about the historical impact of Juneteenth, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will display the Emancipation Proclamation through July 6. In addition, the Illinois State Museum will showcase art celebrating Black lives through their Noir Art Exhibition.
The legislation clarifies that Juneteenth will be a paid holiday for state workers and public education professionals when June 19 falls on a weekday. Given that June 19 falls on a Sunday in 2022, the first paid state holiday for Juneteenth will be in 2023.
Despite a last-minute plea from Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the way now appears completely clear to final approval Wednesday of a bill to mandate a fully elected Chicago Board of Education.
Lightfoot met today via Zoom with members of the Illinois House Black Caucus and urged them to sidetrack the measure, which already has passed the Senate and is awaiting concurrence to an amendment in the House.
But the answer was no, though some changes the mayor wants may be included in a follow-up trailer bill later this year.
“I do believe we should be able to get the required number of votes and get this through tomorrow,” caucus Chairman Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, told me in a phone call. “I think the votes are there.”
A member shall receive a salary and allowances as provided by law, but changes in the salary of a member shall not take effect during the term for which he has been elected.
* Press release excerpt from Sen. Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles)…
One area of the budget that wasn’t changed within the FY 22 budget was a pay raise for legislators. “The budget ‘fix’ required an amendatory veto by the Governor,” added Sen. DeWitte. “This is the same Governor who is on record as opposing pay raises for lawmakers, yet when given the opportunity to strike the pay raise language in his amendatory veto, he kept those raises in the bill. JB Pritzker had an opportunity to right a wrong, and failed to do so by making sure legislators received undeserved pay raises in FY 22.”
Not trying to pick on Sen. DeWitte here. He seems like an otherwise decent legislator. And legislators in both parties and in both chambers are saying the same thing as him. But this argument is pure political posturing and blatantly unconstitutional.
It’s really up to the majority Democrats who are also griping to sponsor and pass legislation to remove legislator cost of living raises from state statutes starting in the next General Assembly. Frankly, the COLA doesn’t bother me. But if it’s so darned onerous, then get rid of it already and dispense with the silly public rending of garments every year.
A potential energy deal lawmakers were expected to take up in the Illinois Senate on Tuesday has stalled.
The Senate was called into session to take up an energy deal Gov. J.B. Pritzker wanted to subsidize nuclear energy and lay out a path toward more renewables over the next few decades.
During a Senate committee Tuesday, state Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, said the good news is there was broad agreement on major provisions of the bills, including increasing investments in renewable energy and subsidizing nuclear energy with the goal of having 100% renewable energy sources by 2050.
But, he said the bad news is there’s a difference among stakeholders about whether to order coal-fired plants closed in 2035 or 2045.
“I don’t believe it’s a gigantic gulf,” Cunningham said. “I believe that it is a difference that can be corrected. I don’t think the two parties are too far apart but they are far apart right now and unfortunately, because of that the work of the working group has stalled.”
[The energy bill] contains goals of putting the state on a path to 40 percent renewable energy by 2030 through an increased fee on ratepayer bills; encouraging adoption of electric vehicles through rebates and incentives; and getting the state to 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2050. It also strengthens several ethics measures for public utilities.
It also provides several ratepayer subsidies for the development of renewable energy and preserving the profitability of nuclear energy.
That includes, but is not limited to, $694 million in subsidies to three nuclear plants owned by energy giant Exelon at a cost of about 80 cents on the average monthly ratepayer bill; an added $1.22 to an average bill to fund new renewable development; 86 cents for an expanded low-income weatherization program; about 18 cents per month to incentivize the transition of closed or closing coal plants to solar facilities; and another 9 cents per month for the conversion of coal sites to battery storage.
After adjournment, Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, made a statement similar to one he made June 1 after the Senate failed to call an energy bill for a vote ahead of the regular session adjournment.
“There are still some points of contention between two critical constituencies — between labor and the environmental activists — I believe they’re going to be continuing to meet as early as this evening to try to work out those differences and the Senate stands ready, willing and able to return as soon as an agreement is reached,” he said Tuesday.
Harmon did not say how many Democratic lawmakers peeled support from the proposed energy package, but noted he was “confident that the bill as proposed would not have passed today,” if brought for a floor vote.
Still, he said he is also “confident” an energy bill will pass this summer.
A spokesman from Exelon said in a statement the company is “disappointed” a bill didn’t come up for a vote and “absent quick passage of legislation, Exelon has no choice but to proceed with retiring Byron in September and Dresden in November, as previously announced.”
In a statement, the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition said they were disappointed the Senate was heading home without a deal.
“Thousands of union workers and solar installers may now lose their jobs, while the climate crisis worsens and Black and Brown communities continue to struggle,” the statement reads in part. “We are deeply disappointed the Senate adjourned without taking action on a carbon-free energy future, but stand ready to enact the Governor’s plan as soon as possible.”
“I think everybody has digested the fact that coal is going to have to go offline in 2035 unless some significant technology improvements become available and affordable and I think people are coming to terms with that,” Harmon said. “Really the conversations over the last 36 hours have revolved around this newfound emphasis on the pace of decarbonization in the natural gas space.”
The holdup now, Harmon said, is over the elimination of another fossil fuel. Environmentalists want natural gas capped until it’d be gone in Illinois come 2045, a deadline that labor organizations contend is a job-killer.
Meanwhile, Illinois’ burgeoning solar industry is standing at a so-called cliff, as the lack of an omnibus energy law means structural and financial problems with an existing law meant to prop up renewable energy via state-backed credits remains unfixed.
The lack of accord this spring on a plan that aims to set the state on a path to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s goal of 100% carbon-free energy by 2050 was seen as a sign of a growing disconnect between the legislature and the Democratic governor.
Don’t bet against a deal. Too many interests have too much at stake, including the unions that Mitchell noted were in line to secure many more jobs in newer industries than the coal-fired and nuclear power ones they’re trying to save now if the bill becomes law.
But, so far, no one that the enviros or the unions will listen to has been able to tell either to stand down.
I disagree in part. The enviros have moved a lot. Labor is being labor, however.
There seems to be a massive knowledge disconnect here. This is about decarbonizing the electric sector. This has literally zero to do with how you heat your home if you use natural gas. Zero.
Natural gas will continue to flow into your homes for home heating and cooking, etc.
Too many of y’all are way overreacting based on false information.
A southern Illinois congresswoman voted against honoring police who protected the United States Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, was one of 21 House Republicans who voted against the bill to award Congressional Gold Medals to U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers, while 406 members of congress voted in favor of it.
Miller’s office did not return a request for comment Tuesday evening. […]
A violent mob forced its way into the Capitol building in January, sending members of Congress into hiding as the insurrectionists vandalized and looted the building.
Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick died of injuries from the riot. Capitol officer Howard Liebengood and D.C. officer Jeffrey Smith also died days after the insurrection. The bill honors them and other officers, including Capitol officer Eugene Goodman, who diverted rioters away from Senate chambers.
* Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association President Kristina Zahorik…
“Illinois continues to suffer embarrassment from the actions and comments of Mary Miller, now because she does not support honoring the heroes who defended our nation’s Capitol. 406 of her colleagues joined the bi-partisan vote and just 21 House Republicans, included Mary Miller, voted no.”
I got a call from someone who told me about an infamous spot in one Illinois prison, where guards would beat incarcerated men. Then someone died. After years of digging, here is what I found. https://t.co/h2Jxan5WPZ
Wednesday, Jun 16, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Prairie State is the largest single source of planet-warming carbon pollution in Illinois (and in the top ten polluters in the country when it comes to CO2). Its closure would provide significant benefits to public health and the climate.
According to the report, Prairie State’s emissions each year are equal to “2.7 million typical passenger cars—more than twice as much CO2 as any other point source in Illinois.”
It’s also the state’s top emitter of many pollutants that harm human health: it “emits more methane, SO2, and NOX than any other power plant in the state,” according to RMI’s report. Those toxins take a toll on Illinoisans: Prairie State causes about one premature death every week.
It’s time for Illinois to support a just transition away from the disastrous, dirty, Prairie State coal plant. Our wallets, our lungs, and our climate will be better off.
