At the request of the City of Chicago, Governor JB Pritzker is activating 125 personnel from the Illinois National Guard to stand by to support the Chicago Police Department with a verdict expected in the trial of Derek Chauvin. Members of the Guard will deploy to Chicago beginning tomorrow, April 20, to pre-position and support the Chicago Police Department as needed.
The Illinois National Guard will carry out a limited mission to help manage street closures and will not interfere with peaceful protestors exercising their First Amendment rights, much the same role as Guard members played in previous deployments.
“At the request of Mayor Lightfoot, I am activating members of the Illinois National Guard to support the city in keeping our communities safe,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “It is critical that those who wish to peacefully protest against the systemic racism and injustice that holds back too many of our communities continue to be able to do so. Members of the Guard and the Illinois State Police will support the City of Chicago’s efforts to protect the rights of peaceful protestors and keep our families safe.”
“Our greatest priority at all times is ensuring the safety and security of the public,” said Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “While there is no actionable intelligence at this time, we want to be fully prepared out of an abundance of caution. Our city has a long history of peacefully expressing its First Amendment rights and I encourage residents to exercise their rights to free speech this coming week thoughtfully, respectfully and peacefully.”
“The Illinois National Guard Soldiers assigned to this mission are trained, equipped and prepared to assist law enforcement authorities with protecting lives and property of Illinois residents,” said Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard.
Governor Pritzker also directed the Illinois State Police (ISP) to support the Chicago Police Department with additional troopers. The troopers will work closely with the Chicago Police Department and other local law enforcement, supporting efforts to keep the community safe.
“The Illinois State Police will work closely with Chicago Police Department, other local law enforcement and the Illinois National Guard to protect peaceful protests and keep the community safe,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “We appreciate the assistance of these agencies in our continuing mission to protect people, peaceful protests and property.”
The State Emergency Operations Center is monitoring operations throughout the state and is poised to fulfill requests from local governments, if they arise. All Soldiers will be tested for COVID-19 prior to deployment and they will be offered a COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, Soldiers will be outfitted with personal protective equipment, such as face shields and masks, to address the threats of our current COVID environment.
Soldiers assigned to this mission are from the Illinois National Guard’s 33rd Military Police Battalion. These individuals are specially trained in riot control operations. The 33rd Military Police Battalion is comprised of Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, based in Machesney Park, the 233rd Military Police Company, based in Springfield, the 333rd Military Police Company, based in Freeport, and the 933rd Military Police Company, based in Fort Sheridan. The battalion is drawing Soldiers from each of these companies.
* Dean Olsen at the State Journal-Register about bickering between the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the foundation which shares a name and which is now persona non grata…
[Melissa Coultas, ALPLM acting executive director] said the [Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation] has a “parasitic” relationship with the ALPLM, adding that the ALPLM has “faced delay or outright rejection from the foundation when we’ve requested simple information on fundraising efforts and basic finances that purport to support the ALPLM. … I have never experienced anything close to this level of stonewalling and hostility.”
When comparing the foundation’s reported income to what ALPLM receives, Coultas said, “the amount is just over 7 cents on every dollar — a mere 7%.
“We concede some foundation spending, such as payment on its Taper Collection debt, indirectly benefits the ALPLM. But the details on that are hazy — and other spending is a complete mystery to us,” Coultas said.
On the other side, foundation CEO Mast said the ALPLM has issued “misleading narratives that aren’t supported by the facts.” She said the foundation has raised $42 million to benefit the ALPLM since the site’s inception, with half going toward paying for the Taper Collection.
And in the past year, about 70 cents out of every dollar raised or earned by the foundation — not 7 cents — was “put toward ALPLM expenses,” Mast said. She added that the foundation has “robust practices” to promote financial accountability as a nonprofit and posts financial documents that it files with the IRS on its website.
Of that, the foundation spent $823K on salaries and benefits, $407K on interest payments, $90K on office expenses, $65K on lobbying expenses and $61K for “other” expenses, among other things.
In support of the library, the foundation lists $502.5K in direct support, $240.5K for grant expenses, $217K for special events and $25.6K for investment expenses and $24K for investment expenses.
So, that’s neither 70 percent nor 7 percent.
* I reached out to ALPLM spokesperson Chris Wills…
When we talk about seven cents on the dollar, we are examining the Foundation’s claim that it provides about $2 million a year to the ALPLM. Most people hearing that would assume it means giving the ALPLM $2 million to spend on our needs — exhibits, equipment, marketing, etc. That may be the amount that flows through the Foundation’s accounts, but it is wrong to think they give us that amount to spend. In fact, if you look at their wording, the Foundation says the money merely “supported expenses for ALPLM.”
In the attached document, look at the section labeled “Foundation Average Expenditures by Function FY18-20.” That is our best estimate of how the Foundation spends its money.
First, 40 percent of that money goes to the Foundation’s own payroll. Another big chunk, about 19%, goes to interest on the Foundation’s debts. About 12 percent is grant money that comes from other institutions (and ALPLM staff, not the Foundation, are often the ones writing the grant requests and other administrative work). Another 12 percent goes to “special events” which we presume are costs associated with the Foundation’s fundraising events. The Foundation will not explain to us how that money is raised or where it goes. There are other spending categories we don’t fully understand. The amount we can verify that they actually raise and then make available to the ALPLM is about 7.5 percent of their claim.
So of the $2 million they claim, only about 7 cents of every dollar is actually the cash support most people would envision when talking about the Foundation assisting the ALPLM. As we said in the hearing, we think the ALPLM does benefit from some of the other Foundation spending. If they had met with us or even answered our written questions, we might have a clearer idea of the total impact.
I should also note that we put together the attached document because we kept getting questions from our board and from the administration about how the Foundation did or didn’t assist the ALPLM. We could not provide concrete answers from the Foundation, so we did our best to come up with an overview on our own. The Foundation says its financial picture is discussed at meetings that include ALPLM representatives. What they don’t mention is that the ALPLM representatives are NOT given copies of the financial reports their board discusses.
Governor JB Pritzker today announced Gary Johnson will be the new Chair of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Board (ALPLM). Johnson was appointed to the ALPLM Board of Directors in September 2019 after serving as President of the Chicago History Museum for 15 years. He previously spent 28 years as a lawyer and partner in international law at Mayer Brown and Jones Day.
“The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is a treasured institution that pays homage to not only the country’s first president from Illinois but also our great state’s incredible history,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I am pleased to announce Gary Johnson will serve as Chair of the Museum’s Board, bringing years of prior, award-winning service with him. I am confident he will excel in the role and work to ensure the ALPLM remains a top destination for Illinoisans and visitors alike.”
Under Johnson’s leadership, the Chicago History Museum received the National Medal from the Institute for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest award for museums and libraries. He also served for 10 years as President of Museums in the Park. Additionally, he worked as Vice Chair on the Special Commission on the Administration of Justice in Cook County.
“It is an honor to become the chair of this board. This is an important time for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum,” said Gary Johnson. “It has accomplished so much for both Springfield and the nation. At the time of its anniversary, we look ahead to making it become even more relevant in our national dialogues.”
Gary Johnson is a member of the American Law Institute and a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Illinois State Bar Association Foundation, and he served as president of the Chicago Council of Lawyers. Johnson earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, his Master of Arts from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and his Bachelor of Arts from Yale College. He also holds an honorary doctorate from Lake Forest College.
Johnson’s appointment to ALPLM Board Chair is effective immediately.
Despite broad bipartisan support for measures to reduce the tax Illinois levies on trailers, legislation has failed to advance.
State Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond, has House Bill 636. There are 62 co-sponsors on the bill, more than enough to pass the House with a simple majority of bipartisan lawmakers.
Bourne said there are nine identical bills from Republicans and Democrats that decrease the trailer fee that was increased in the governor’s capital bill enacted in 2019. […]
State Rep. Mike Zalewski, who is the chairman of the House Revenue and Finance Committee, said despite having more than enough cosponsors to pass the measure in the House, he won’t let it out of committee.
“Until I’m provided with a funding alternative, I’m not going to willy nilly send every single bill to the floor,” said Zalewski, D-Riverside.
The following day on the House floor, state Rep. Tim Butler said the fee increase wasn’t negotiated as part of the governor’s capital plan. Some Republicans said they were told it was a drafting error, but Butler said it’s led to as many as 150,000 fewer trailer plate renewals and needs to be addressed because people can’t afford it.
Chairing that committee means telling lots of people “No” when you’d rather just say “Yes.” Zalewski told me last week they’re trying to work it out. We’ll see.
Illinois could be moving closer to a ban on the sale of dogs and cats that have been sourced from breeders at retail pet stores.
House members have approved a measure that would prohibit a pet shop operator from offering for sale a dog or cat that has been obtained through a breeder or a person reselling animals from a breeder. Retail pet stores still would be allowed to offer dogs and cats obtained from an animal control facility or an animal shelter.
State Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, says the stores don’t have an incentive to make sure families can take on the financial burdens of these pets, which often end up with serious health problems.
“These pet stores want to buy really, really cheap animals, really, really, really young,” Chesney said. “They want to pull the heartstrings of an uninformed buyer. They want to sell it at a very expensive cost. And any time they get a buyer that’s unhappy, they’re going to just pay them a bunch of money to go away because they have so much profit built into these animals.”
* Email from Rep. Stoneback’s office…
Rep. Stoneback introduced HB 3483 to strengthen our state’s Firearm Restraining Order. The bill is timely in light of all the mass shootings our country has seen this past year. I wanted to bring this to your attention in hopes of having it included as part of your “It’s just a bill” segment. I’ve included a quote below that you may use as part of the post. Thank you for your time and consideration.
“In the wake of the over 150 mass shootings our country has experienced so far this year, our state legislature must do more. The Firearms Restraining Order (FRO) in Illinois is a crucial—but vastly underutilized—tool to prevent tragedies by temporarily removing firearms from those who pose a significant danger to themselves or others. My bipartisan bill, HB 3483, would strengthen this law by closing loopholes and providing much-needed educational resources for law enforcement as well as the general public.”
Provides that the Department of Public Health, subject to appropriation or other available funding, shall conduct a program to promote awareness of firearms restraining orders to the general public. Provides that beginning July 1, 2022, the program must include the development and dissemination, through print, digital, and broadcast media, of public service announcements that publicize the options victims of domestic violence have to seek help with special emphasis on the firearms restraining order. Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall develop and approve a standard curriculum for a training program on the Firearms Restraining Order Act. Provides that the Board shall conduct a training program that trains officers on the use of firearms restraining orders, how to identify situations in which a firearms restraining order is appropriate, and how to safely promote the usage of the firearms restraining order in a domestic violence situation. Officers who have successfully completed this program shall be issued a certificate attesting to their attendance. Amends the Firearms Restraining Order Act. Provides that a firearms restraining order includes the seizure of the respondent’s ammunition. Provides that “family member of the respondent” includes a former spouse and a person with whom the respondent has or allegedly has a child in common. Provides that a petition for a firearms restraining order may be filed in any county where an incident occurred that involved the respondent posing an immediate and present danger of causing personal injury to the respondent or another by having in his or her custody or control, or purchasing, possessing, or receiving, a firearm or ammunition. Includes printing a petition for a firearms restraining order for which no fees may be charged by the circuit clerk. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall submit a yearly report to the General Assembly concerning the applications and issuance of firearms restraining orders.
Community colleges across the state now have the ability to provide the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s (UIUC) innovative, saliva-based COVID-19 test at no cost to any state resident who wants one.
The testing will be funded through an agreement between the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and SHIELD Illinois, the University of Illinois System unit that is deploying the test throughout the state.
Under the agreement, the state’s 49 community colleges can test their own students and staff, and can choose to serve as community testing sites where any Illinois resident can get a free test.
There are currently five active SHIELD Illinois community testing sites – Black Hawk College, Heartland Community College, Lincoln Land Community College, Oakton Community College, and Sauk Valley Community College – and more in development.
The agreement is being funded with money the state received through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan.
UIUC’s innovative, saliva-based COVID-19 PCR test has held the virus in check at the U of I System’s three universities thanks to widespread testing with rapid results. The test, known as covidSHIELD, was granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February.
The Illinois GOP has never been a fundraising juggernaut, and yet the first quarter numbers were still pretty bleak.
For the first quarter, Illinois GOP reported receiving a little more than $115,000 in donations, leaving $74,374 in the bank after expenses, according to the State Board of Elections.
Usually, the ILGOP does much better with its federal fundraising, but they only raised about $100k in January and February and had about $230K on hand.
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin raised $125,000 in the first quarter and had about $267,00 on hand after expenses. His House Republican Organization, which funds GOP reps’ campaigns, raised $111,000, leaving a mere $200 in the bank after expenses. And Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie raised $68,000 and has $432,000 cash on hand. His caucus committee raised $206,000 and has $209,000 in the bank.
As I told subscribers on Friday, HRO reported raising $219K since the end of the quarter. Their new House Republican Majority committee reported $48,500 in contributions this month.
The Democratic Party of Illinois, meanwhile, received about $2 million, leaving it with $2.6 million cash on hand. And Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker reports having $35 million in the bank, thanks to his self-funding.
DPI reported raising just $2,500 since Robin Kelly was elected party chair. That $2 million was a transfer from Democratic Majority before Chairman Madigan left office. He then moved half of that back to the caucus committee.
Democrats currently have five active party-wide committees. Each of these committees may broadly distribute funds to other Democratic committees across the state, helping pool and direct party funds to various strategic races. Put together, the five Democratic committees had a total of $5,411,409 in available funds as of March 31st, and raised $3,139,147 from January 1st to March 31st. By contrast, Republicans have four active party-wide committees. As of March 31st, all of them totaled $434,280 in available funds, having raised $432,559.68 from during the same time period - a startling advantage for Democrats, giving them a major financial edge of more than 12 times the current funds of Republicans.
Much the same holds true for the committees of each party’s leadership: Senate President Don Harmon’s individual committee had $5,988,860 in available funds as of March 31st, with newly-elected Speaker Chris Welch holding $1,223,835 (Note: Madigan had over $10 million in his individual campaign account). By contrast, Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie only had $432,323, with House Minority Leader Jim Durkin holding $266,564. Outside of the General Assembly, Governor Pritzker’s committee currently has $35,084,460 in available funds ($35,000,000 of which was donated by Pritzker himself on March 12th), while Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton’s committee holds $33,663. Once again, Democrats take the lead - and it bears mentioning that funds in these individual committees can also be transferred to other candidates. These well-funded individual committees may also serve as party-wide assets.
Democrats are clearly poised to have a strong financial advantage next year - a lot more money is going to start trickling into political committees as the year goes by, but the Democratic Party has a formidable head start. However, it remains to be seen how much difference it will ultimately make: Democrats poured millions into political committees supporting last year’s progressive tax ballot initiative, yet it still failed to pass when a single Republican donor (Ken Griffin) stepped up and matched the pot. As always, it will ultimately come down to individual Illinoisans, and for whom they choose to cast their vote.
Note: Additional leadership funds were collected by both parties via A -1 filings: Republicans received $133,750 and Democrats received $288,000.
Much colder temperatures bring the possibility of snow beginning late tonight and into Tuesday. Accumulations are expected to be light and mostly confined to grassy areas, but be extra cautious on bridges, overpasses and ramps. #ilwxpic.twitter.com/ristHafAHM
In the House, state Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, is carrying legislation to establish a path for ratepayers to win restitution if a utility company engages in criminal wrongdoing. In its deferred prosecution agreement, ComEd said its corrupt lobbying yielded legislative victories valued at more than $150 million for the company.
Her legislation also would do away with automatic rate increases for ComEd customers based on a preset formula. It would bar utilities like ComEd from billing ratepayers for charitable contributions or for legal fees tied to criminal investigations.
And Williams’ measure would establish a czar to oversee utility ethics compliance at the Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates utilities.
That czar would have access to a database that ComEd and other utilities would be required to log, showing “requests for anything of value” sought by public officials or their staffs. But those records of potential job or contract asks wouldn’t be directly accessible to the public under current language in Williams’ bill — something she said she’s willing to reconsider.
Her legislation also would prevent ComEd-hired lobbyists from subcontracting, which the company acknowledged in its deferred prosecution agreement as a way political friends of Madigan’s were funneled rewards. That practice, which evaded state lobbying disclosure rules, enabled ComEd lobbyists to hire Madigan associates as consultants, who did little to no work.
“It’s really a shame that we have to babysit the utilities in this way,” Williams told WBEZ. “But unfortunately, ComEd has shown us that they were really willing to make a mockery of the legislative process.”
* AARP Illinois, Illinois PIRG and the Environmental Law & Policy Center recently released a laundry lists of reforms they’d like to see…
Restitution
Make ComEd really pay for its $200 million settlement by taking it out of future revenues, in turn lowering customers’ bills
Explore other ways to get money back for ComEd customers, as the General Assembly has done before
Regulation
End automatic “formula” rate hikes for ComEd and Ameren
End “Rider QIP,” a mini-formula rate for gas utilities
Commission an independent audit of ComEd’s grid
Establish integrated grid planning for ComEd and Ameren
Provide the Illinois Commerce Commission with increased resources and staffing to effectively carry out its mission
Reform
End utility political giving
No longer allow utilities to charge customers for charitable giving
Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), asked about the $2,000 he got from [embattled US Rep. Matt Gaetz], told Forbes he “probably got 5 million bucks” in campaign contributions in the 2020 cycle and said to “ask the TV stations and radio stations that got my money where it’s at… ask them what charity they’re gonna give it to.”
* Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association President Kristina Zahorik…
“Rodney Davis has now refused to donate to charity the tainted campaign cash he received from Matt Gaetz and continues to deflect from commenting on the damning allegations surrounding Matt Gaetz. While three of Rodney Davis’ colleagues have donated Matt Gaetz’s money to charity, Rodney has only made jokes and now quips that he already spent the money — well we have the receipts.”
“Rodney Davis closed out his reelection with money in the bank, but pretends he’s spent it all to avoid having to unburden himself and his constituents of Matt Gaetz’s dirty money. Either Rodney Davis is lying, or he’s unable to keep his own finances in order just like the FEC has recently questioned him about.”
In 2020, Rodney filed FEC campaign disclosures showing he had $229,247 cash on hand after the campaign, and $140,435 at the end of the year. On February 9, 2021, Rodney Davis’ campaign received a Request for Additional Information (RFAI) from the Federal Election Commission regarding debts he owed. The RFAI mandated a response by March 16, 2021, but Rodney Davis’ campaign has so far apparently not filed the required, amended report with the requested “…clarifying information as to why this activity was not disclosed on your original report.” The FEC states that “Failure to adequately respond by the response date noted above could result in an audit or enforcement action.”
53% of those 18 years and older and 50% of those 16 years and older in Illinois receive at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,959 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 22 additional deaths.
- Cook County: 1 female 50s, 3 males 50s, 2 males 60s, 1 male 70s, 3 males 80s, 2 females 90s
- DuPage County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 80s
- Mason County: 1 male 60s
- Peoria County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 80s
- Will County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 80s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 50s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,304,200 cases, including 21,685 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 47,506 specimens for a total of 21,776,820. As of last night, 2,128 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 491 patients were in the ICU and 227 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from April 12-18, 2021 is 4.0%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from April 12-18, 2021 is 4.7%.
The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses for Illinois is 9,930,945. A total of 8,119,867 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 125,212 doses. Yesterday, 65,233 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
One month ago today, the average daily doses figure was 102,775. That’s a 22 percent increase.
After a year of grim milestones, Sunday marked a hopeful statistic in America’s fight against the coronavirus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of all American adults have now gotten at least one vaccine dose.
After months of limited vaccine availability, every adult in the country will be eligible to sign up for vaccination on Monday. The only remaining states still with certain adult age restrictions — Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont — will open vaccine registration to all people age 16 and older, meeting a federal deadline for all adults to be eligible set earlier this month.
About 130 million adults have gotten at least one vaccine dose, the CDC reported Sunday. And 84 million, or about a third of all adults, are fully vaccinated. (The CDC considers people “fully vaccinated” if they have received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.) The U.S. has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.
The City of Chicago has reached a milestone in its vaccine rollout with 50% of Chicago adults having received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. About four times as many Chicagoans have now received a first dose of vaccine as have ever been diagnosed with COVID. The vaccine numbers – more than a million Chicagoans and another almost 350,000 non-Chicago residents who have received the vaccine – is equivalent to the number of regular vaccines the City would administer in three years.
The City has officially moved into Phase 2 of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility today, meaning all Chicagoans age 16 or older are eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Anyone 16+ living in the City of Chicago can look for vaccine appointments at zocdoc.com/vaccine or use the City’s COVID-19 Vaccine Finder to identify additional vaccine providers. For Zocdoc, Chicagoans under 18 must have a parent or guardian book vaccine appointments on their behalf.
The governor’s office says that 53 percent of 18+ Illinoisans have received at least their first shot. 50 percent of Illinoisans 16+ have had at least one shot.
Just remember, though, that a member of Gov. Pritzker’s own staff who had received their first shot contracted COVID. Unless you got the J&J, one ain’t done.
The nationwide pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine is likely to end by Friday, Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, said in a series of interviews on Sunday.
“By Friday, we should have an answer as to where we’re going with it,” Fauci said on ABC News’s “This Week.” “I would think that we’re not going to go beyond Friday in the extension of this pause.”
* Back to vaccines. According to IDPH, 26.14 percent of all Illinoisans (3,330,480 people) are fully vaccinated. That’s a tiny bit above the national rate of 25.4 percent, according to the CDC.
The disparity in vaccination rates has so far mainly broken down along political lines. The New York Times examined survey and vaccine administration data for nearly every U.S. county and found that both willingness to receive a vaccine and actual vaccination rates to date were lower, on average, in counties where a majority of residents voted to re-elect former President Donald J. Trump in 2020. The phenomenon has left some places with a shortage of supply and others with a glut.
* Meanwhile, this sort of fraudulent behavior is gonna increase demand for vaccine passports…
One eBay user sold more than 100 blank CDC vaccination cards. The Post found the eBay account belongs to a Chicago-area pharmacist. by @ddiamond. https://t.co/U63A6le7wM
Several private companies have started developing vaccine passport apps that can be downloaded on smartphones. And in late March, New York became the first state to launch a free, voluntary vaccine passport available to all the state’s residents.
In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been relatively mum on the issue. When asked by reporters in March, he said that he likes the idea “that everybody will have with them easily on their device some way to show that they’ve been vaccinated.”
“Look, your friends, your neighbors, we all want to get together,” Pritzker said. “You may also want to show each other that ‘hey, it’s okay, we can take our masks off … as the CDC has allowed, as long as the group of people getting together have all been vaccinated.”
Pritzker said “there’s nothing wrong with that as long as it’s your choice,” but said that a vaccine passport should not be required to enter an event.
* The 2019 budget implementation bill is preventing thousands of autistic kids from getting therapy. Here’s Megan Valley and Raymon Troncoso from the Belleville News-Democrat…
(D)espite a 2014 federal mandate that states cover autism treatment through Medicaid, Illinois was one of a handful of states that didn’t provide Medicaid coverage for behavioral therapy until 2019.
However, an error in implementation created restrictions on who could provide behavioral therapy, an obstacle that has functionally prevented Illinois’ Medicaid plan from covering behavioral therapy despite it technically being included in Medicaid spending on paper. […]
A notice from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services released in October confirmed that dual credentials would be required to receive Medicaid funds through the department for behavioral therapy.
But the Illinois Autism Task Force, based in the Illinois Department of Human Services, warned in a February letter to Gov. JB Pritzker and the General Assembly that “the dual credential requirement will result in devastating barriers to access.” That same letter said only 26 BCBAs possessed one of the other required certifications and it was unclear whether any of the 26 provided behavioral therapy.
The Autism Task Force, in a 2020 meeting, claimed that $42 million placed in the state’s FY 2020 budget for behavioral therapy through Medicaid remained untouched due to the mistake.
Paul estimated there are about 3,500 ASD-diagnosed children under age 5 who are covered by Medicaid in Illinois.
Former State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias released his first ad of the 2022 campaign season today that features his fight to successfully save jobs at Illinois suit maker Hartmarx and protect worker rights at Republic Windows.
The new ad entitled “Working Together,” which was produced by Adelstein & Associates, discusses the impact of Covid crisis and the resulting hardships facing workers and middle-class families, but it also offers hope.
“When times get hard, it means we need to fight hard,” Giannoulias says in the ad. “Because the stakes are so high. We know what we need to do: Fund projects to put folks back to work; protect the right to organize; and help working families get ahead. We need to do it together, in solidarity. That’s how we win. That’s how we bring back the middle class.”
The ad also highlights Giannoulias’ efforts as Illinois State Treasurer to prevent Hartmarx from closing and laying off hundreds of workers.
Giannoulias threatened to pull the state’s $8 billion investment portfolio from Hartmarx’s main creditor, Wells Fargo, in 2009 after it planned to shut down the plant and liquidate the hundreds of jobs. Wells Fargo relented, agreeing to sell the factory to an owner willing to preserve the jobs at the Des Plaines plant.
In addition, the ad mentions Giannoulias’ role in helping to reach a settlement between Bank of America and Chicago-based Republic Windows to ensure its workers receive wages, vacation and health care after the factory shut down.
“We’re excited to release our first ad and committed to reemerge from this pandemic with a stronger economy that is focused on renewed opportunities for working families, a stronger middle class and better lives for all Illinoisians,” Giannoulias said.
* The Illinois Constitution requires that new legislative maps be enacted by June 30th, but the census data won’t be available until September or so. The National Conference of State Legislatures has suggested using the population estimates from the US Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey and Illinois Democrats have come up with a bit of spin to cast aspersions on the official numbers…
Democrats have said they intend to finish the legislative mapmaking process by June 30, ensuring they will be relying on alternative data to the actual federal 2020 census.
“That’s our constitutional responsibility and that’s our goal to be done by June 30,” said state Sen. Elgie Sims, the Chicago Democrat who is vice chair of the senate redistricting committee. […]
Illinois’ Constitution does not require the use of federal census data for legislative redistricting, and some leading Democrats question the accuracy of the final census data by pointing to efforts by former President Donald Trump’s administration to block the counting of undocumented immigrants.
“There’s nothing that says that this (census) data is going to be accurate anyway because there were significant steps made to impact and influence some of that data,” Sims said. […]
Kathay Feng, the national redistricting director for Common Cause, said to rely on survey data to draw maps “is a guaranteed malapportionment lawsuit.”
Every redistricting cycle involves lawsuits. You can bet your house there will be filings on this topic.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Speaking of redistricting and possibly getting dragged into lawsuits, here’s Lynn Sweet…
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the most prominent Republican in Illinois, said if Democrats carve up his congressional district in the pending remap, he would consider a statewide run for senator or governor in 2022.
Kinzinger made the comment Thursday on the Chicago Sun-Times political show “At the Virtual Table. On the show another guest, new Democratic Party of Illinois chairwoman Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., said freshman Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill. — not Kinzinger — should be the Democratic target if a district needs to be eliminated.
With Democrats having the upper hand in a remap and Illinois likely to lose at least one seat because of population declines, Kelly said, “If we have something to say about it, I don’t think that it’ll be Adam’s seat.” […]
It is “fine with me” if “her seat is no longer there,” [Kelly said about Miller].
*** UPDATE 2 *** Meanwhile…
Dear Governor Pritzker:
On Monday, April 12, 2021 we requested from the Chairs of the House and Senate redistricting committees that yourself or a high-level member of your office testify at the only scheduled joint House-Senate redistricting hearing. The hearing is scheduled for this next Monday, April 19, 5:00 p.m. in East St. Louis.
At a House Redistricting Committee the evening of Friday, April 16, 2021, the Chair of the Committee that evening stated House Democrats had yet to receive a response to our request.
As the Spokesmen on the respective Senate and House redistricting committees, we ask for your attendance at this hearing.
Comments from Members of the Democratic party during hearings on the 2021 redistricting process lead us to believe that the majority fully plans to enact new maps, without using decennial census data, for both the Legislature and U.S. House of Representatives through a process that includes your approval of new maps by June 30, 2021.
To date, with over 30 hearings being conducted, not a single House or Senate hearing has included testimony from your office.
Given your numerous stated positions in favor of fair mapping, as well as a commission process for redistricting, it is vital that both the people of Illinois and our Committees hear directly from your office in a public hearing as to your views and plans for redistricting.
Sincerely,
Senator Jason Barickman
Representative Tim Butler
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot rebuked rumors of her resignation that began circulating on social media late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, saying she will serve “today, tomorrow and into the future.”
Community activist Ja’Mal Green said in a now-deleted tweet Saturday night that Lightfoot would resign from her position on Sunday, with later rumors speculating a potential resignation was due to rumors of personal infidelity.
Lightfoot responded to the rumors Sunday morning in a series of tweets, where she said “it’s shocking and disappointing” to see people with a prominent social media presence “peddling this trash as truth.”
“It’s shocking and disappointing to see some media members and verified Twitter handles are peddling this trash as truth,” Lightfoot said. “If people hadn’t noticed, we have major challenges in Chicago we need to address TOGETHER. This nonsense that some apparently have the luxury of indulging in has not fed one person, stopped the pandemic, housed anyone living on the street or saved one young person.”
On Saturday, Activist Ja’Mal Green, a frequent Lightfoot critic, posted — and then deleted — a tweet saying Lightfoot was going to resign. On Sunday, Green tweeted that he was “sorry” he helped spread the rumor that she was resigning. […]
Rumors about politicians are nothing new, particularly on social media. But it’s rare for elected officials to publicly respond to unsubstantiated rumors unless reporters ask about them at a news conference. Lightfoot’s unorthodox decision to address the tweets opens the door to more of the public finding out about the rumors than otherwise would have.
Green said the rumors about Lightfoot were “circulated” by members of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, the union that represents Chicago’s rank-and-file police officers.
In a Facebook post Sunday, the FOP urged its members to “temper their public comments” while attempting to distance John Catanzara, the union’s embattled president, from the conversation.
“There are many rumors flying around about the Mayor,” the FOP said. “Several posts and comments have mentioned President Catanzara being in possession of proof and that he is pushing the issue. BOTH ARE FALSE!!!”
“Pushing rumors,” the FOP added, isn’t the proper way to address the “extreme differences” between the union and the mayor.
“No parent would want their child to read disgusting rumors about them, including US. Extend that courtesy in this situation also,” the FOP said. “Have some empathy and use common sense.”
* It’s tempting to just laugh this whole thing off, but…
Weaponized gossip. It's designed to undermine the credibility and marginalize the person who is the target. It often has no basis in reality. I know - it happened to me as an elected official. It's got a name. It's a tactic. Recognize it when you see it, and push back.
Attack her on her policies, her positions - have at it. This is the oldest sexist/homophobic/racist trick in the book & some of you peddling this crap should know better. https://t.co/MeNlAQWD8P
Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford really has her work cut out for her if she wants to forge a compromise on an elected Chicago school board.
Lightford agreed to become the sponsor of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s alternative school board proposal last week. Sen. Rob Martwick (D-Chicago) has been pushing a bill for years that would elect 21 school board members, which have long been appointed by the city’s mayor. Leader Lightford has a reputation among the education establishment for being an honest broker and, frankly, she excels at negotiations like this, but this one will be particularly difficult.
Mayor Lightfoot’s proposal was privately criticized by numerous House and Senate members in both parties last week when it finally emerged.
It puts off the first school board election until 2026, and then only elects two out of seven members. Seven years from now, in 2028, the city’s voters would elect a third member, but the mayor would appoint three more, giving appointed members an 8-3 majority. Mayor Lightfoot said often during her campaign that she supported a “fully elected” school board. This proposal is more like tokenism.
The mayor can currently appoint school board members without any sort of confirmation process. They are direct appointments without input or oversight by the City Council, and her bill would keep it that way.
Some opponents who testified in committee last week against Sen. Rob Martwick’s elected school board bill criticized the measure for having no provisions to allow undocumented immigrants to serve on the board, as they currently can on local school councils. But Lightfoot’s proposal only requires that the mayor’s appointments “strive to achieve representation that reflects the diversity of the City of Chicago,” although it does remove both citizenship and voter registration requirements for the elected positions (which will create quite a stir on the political right).
Martwick’s bill would prohibit school board employees and contractors from running for the board. Lightfoot’s bill would do essentially the same, but would also require that all election candidates must have served on a local school council, the governing board of a charter school or contract school or the board of governors of a military academy. That would severely limit the types of people who can run for the tiny handful of seats, and particularly helps lock out candidates affiliated with the Chicago Teachers Union, which is the major force behind the Martwick bill.
Leader Lightford criticized Martwick’s proposal in committee for not specifically guaranteeing districts be created on the city’s West Side, but Martwick pointed out that his bill mirrors the city’s representation in the Illinois House. With only two initially elected members and considering the large populations on the city’s North and South Sides, no guarantees can be given that the mayor’s proposal would give the West Side a seat at the table in the first round of elections.
Martwick’s bill would let the General Assembly draw the initial district maps and then turn it over to the elected board for the remap. Lightfoot’s bill would give the mayor pretty much complete and permanent control over the map-making process.
This is the mayor’s first volley, but it’s such a lowball offer that it doesn’t appear to be taken all that seriously by members. Some legislators had been intrigued by the idea of a “hybrid” school board, but this is far more SUV than Prius and they appeared to be laughing it off.
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin claimed during debate on the House’s own elected school board bill that Mayor Lightfoot told him the Democratic leaders had walked away from a hybrid plan and wouldn’t call her proposal for a vote. That was denied, and I doubt the mayor did herself any favors by claiming such a thing.
The House passed its version of the bill, which mirrored Martwick’s legislation except for sunsetting the entire process in five years, with 71 votes. Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) was the lone Republican in favor. A couple of Democrats voted “Present” and some were absent. The bill was backed by both teachers’ unions.
The Democratic leaders themselves both said through their spokespersons that the mayor’s proposal was under review.
Sen. Martwick pledged to negotiate in good faith, but pointed to the strength of his position (including that House vote and the Senate committee approval) compared to Lightfoot’s.
To the question the other day about if they should threaten to send vaccines to Chicago as a ploy to get people vaccinated that are hesitating to get one. I decided to conduct a little experiment on a Facebook friend that is antivax and always ranting about Chicago. I sent him a message that I heard this might happen and this morning on facebook he posted that he got his first dose because he didn’t want someone else to get it. So the tactic worked and we got one more person in region 2 with their first dose. A victory!
* Well, it’s kinda/sorta happening. Here’s Jordan Abudayyeh…
The federal government allocates vaccine doses to states based on population. The City of Chicago is treated as its own entity separate from the state and is also allocated doses based on its population. As the state entered phases 1A, 1B, 1B+ of the vaccine roll out doses were distributed to local health departments based on population. In addition, the state allocated doses to mass vaccine sites throughout the state, 12 of which are in suburban Cook County and the collar counties. Doses were also allocated to FQHCs, safety net hospitals and rural teams. On top of these various allocations the federal government is also supplying vaccine directly to pharmacy partners that are based in all regions of the state.
Over the past several weeks as demand has started to shift in various regions of the state, local health departments have begun requesting fewer doses or skipped ordering their allocation altogether. When that occurs, IDPH reassigns those doses mass vaccine sites in areas where demand is higher, like Cook and the collar counties. Beginning this week, the local health department first dose allocations distributed to local health departments will be based on demand identified by the local health department instead of population. This shift in policy aims to address remaining inventory some local health departments have, while also directing doses to areas where demand exceeds current allocations. You will see in the attached spreadsheet that if you look at the percent of population with first doses, DuPage County is actually number one, Cook County is number five, indicating that recent redirection of doses is making an impact in those communities with higher demand.
On Tuesday, IDPH announced it is transferring 100,000 doses of vaccine to City of Chicago (50,000 first and 50,000 second doses).
All redirected doses (doses the local health department didn’t order) either get put back in the overall state pot and are distributed the next week (benefitting the larger counties) or, in the last two weeks for example, we sent Moderna vaccine not ordered by the local health departments to Cook County. Last week, that was 11,000 doses, and the previous week it was 4,800.
Just looking at the Moderna vaccine allocation, the following are the number of doses from the listed counties that redirected doses to the state for reallocation, by week.
• 3/15 – 900 returned
o (Egyptian, Logan, Pike, Stickney)
• 3/22 – 2200 returned
o (Brown, East Side, Egyptian, Hamilton, Pike Scott, Wayne)
• 3/29 – 3400 returned
o (Bureau, Cass, East Side, Egyptian, Fulton, Hamilton, Henderson, Jefferson, Logan, Pike, Putnam, Richland, Scott, Shelby, Vermilion, Wayne)
*** UPDATE *** Clarification from the governor’s office…
DuPage County did not reject their dose allocation like other counties. The county requested they get their doses next week because they are second doses and will be due next week. We apologize for the misunderstanding. DuPage County has been administering doses at a quick pace and their mass vaccination site is incredibly efficient.
Many people struggle to pay processing fees for housing applications when they have little to no income. Democratic state lawmakers want to create a special grant program to provide assistance for anyone left in that situation.
Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Downers Grove) wanted to create the Emergency Solutions Grant program to help families who don’t make enough to have a place to call home. The plan could prohibit landlords, mortgage companies, and rental property owners from charging administrative fees on housing applications submitted by people using this assistance.
Assistance previously came from the Emergency Shelter Grant program which was created through the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act.
Property owners would still have the ability to conduct background checks on applicants. However, anyone violating this legislation could face unlawful practice charges under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
The Illinois House approved a proposal Thursday to add sexting curriculum to sex education courses in schools.
Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) championed this plan last year when it unanimously passed out of the House. However, it couldn’t get approval from the Senate before the COVID-19 pandemic cut session short.
His plan covers age-appropriate content for students in sixth grade through senior year of high school. The Democrat reintroduced the bill because he feels students need to understand the consequences of sending or sharing sexually explicit messages.
West’s proposal could require sex education courses to include information on the long-term social, legal, and academic consequences of sharing or forwarding suggestive photos, videos, or messages. He also noted there’s a disturbing increase in sexting online.
“60% of sextortion, as the detective told me who I had a conversation with, 60% are from individuals that they know. 40% comes from gaming, the games that they play,” West said.
Lawmakers advanced a bill Thursday to make it a felony offense if a person kills or injures a police animal while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Rep. Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, sponsored House Bill 3019, which passed with 72 votes in favor. He said it was brought to him by a state’s attorney from his district.
“We had an unfortunate circumstance of a drunk driver who hit a police safety vehicle, instantly killing a rescue canine that was within that vehicle,” Sosnowski said. “Unfortunately what came out of this was that there’s actually nothing that could be charged to that particular drunk driver if nothing else had happened.”
Newly proposed legislation intends to prevent poor dental health among Illinois youth.
State Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest, filed Senate Bill 346.
This bill would allow preventative dental services in schools.
If passed, SB346 would let the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services implement a school-based dental program that would allow out-of-office preventative services, such as teeth cleanings.
The Illinois Municipal League is working with municipal leaders across the state in a legislative platform that aims to ensure long-term funding for cities, towns and villages.
It’s called “Moving Cities Forward” and calls for initiatives that protect municipal revenues. One is the protection of the Local Government Distributive Fund, which sets aside a percentage of state income tax revenues for municipalities and other local governments. […]
Local elected officials are also asking state lawmakers to address the fiscal strain posed by downstate public safety pension funds by extending the amortization schedules, so municipalities are better equipped to meet their obligations to both public safety personnel and taxpayers.
The “Moving Cities Forward” platform also addresses the need for local governments to provide economic relief to local businesses as they work to overcome the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cole said IML’s proposal would allow municipalities to provide grants, subsidies or loans to local businesses within Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts that have experienced business interruptions.
* Jeanne Ives…
Dear Friend,
In 2019, Illinois passed a $45 Billion Capital spending plan.
Unbeknownst to nearly everyone, the plan included $25 million to pay off up to $40,000 of other people’s student loans if they purchase a home in Illinois.
It also gives them an additional $5,000 for a down payment. It is called the SmartBuy Program.
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The state allocated up to $25 million to the program in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2019 Rebuild Illinois capital plan.
To date, the agency has paid off an average of $24,100 in student loan debt.
So, expect this program to grow exponentially over the next few years unless there is significant push back on state lawmakers from Illinois voters – remember, the nature of government is to expand, not reform or contract.
Worse still, Illinois voters / taxpayers had no voice in this decision.
The City of Rockford pays a lobbyist to advocate on its behalf, and city officials and local lawmakers say that’s a good thing.
Exactly one week ago, the BMO Harris Bank Center got millions from the state, but few saw the work behind the scenes in Springfield.
“We use our lobbyist in a very efficient and effective manner and try to maximize the return on investment for us,” Rockford City Administrator Todd Cagnoni explains.
For the last decade, Rockford has paid Michael Cassidy, who is now with his own firm, Zephyr Government Strategies, to lobby and advocate for the city.
“Typically, on an annual basis, our Legislative and Lobbying Committee, in conjunction with our City Council, approves a number of priorities for our lobbyist to focus on,” Cagnoni says.
Rockford City Council approves Cassidy’s contract on an annual basis. A couple weeks ago, it re-upped his $120,000 contract for this year.
In addition to BMO Harris, Cagnoni says infrastructure improvements, youth outreach, and COVID grants for bars and restaurants are a few more recent successes for Cassidy, the city, and residents.
Local lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say Cassidy has been helpful in meeting the city’s goals.
* The Question: What are your thoughts on local governments hiring Statehouse lobbyists?
A national clean energy trade organization has released a report showing growth in electric transportation-related jobs in Illinois could position the state to lead the domestic supply chain.
Advanced Energy Economy, an industry association which promotes advanced energy technologies and services, released its “Electrifying Illinois” report which shows the state is on pace to reach 83 percent job growth in electric transportation-related work by 2024, regardless of legislative action.
The report was funded by the AEE and prepared by the research group BW Research Partnership with a focus on examining economic and job opportunities as the automotive industry transitions to electric.
The anticipated growth would drive the workforce numbers up from the current 5,200 workers in Illinois to roughly 9,500 workers within the next three years, or less than three years, according to the study, which used multiple data collection methods to analyze the state’s electric vehicle supply chain.
The Illinois car dealer lawsuit against electric automaker Rivian is the latest chapter in a nationwide debate over the options consumers have to buy cars.
Many states, including Illinois, have laws to restrict new car sales to independent dealers. University of Michigan law professor Daniel Crane said those are a product of the days the Big Three manufacturers Ford, General Motors and Chrysler dominated car sales, as opposed to the variety of automakers that exist now.
“They had disproportionate bargaining power vis-a-vis their franchise dealers,” said Crane. “You had just the Big Three, dealers were mostly mom and pop organizations, and the argument that dealers made was that the Big Three were taking unfair advantage of them.”
Dealerships aren’t necessarily mom and pop businesses anymore. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, the average new car dealer in Illinois made close to $49 million in sales last year. That’s before taking services and parts into account. […]
For a time, the Illinois Secretary of State’s office said it wouldn’t renew Tesla’s dealer licenses because the company-owned showrooms broke state law. Eventually, Tesla reached a compromise with the Secretary of State and the auto dealers. That deal allowed Tesla to have up to 13 dealer licenses. The Secretary of State’s office assured dealers at the time it wouldn’t grant licenses to other manufacturers.
But Rivian’s entrance onto the scene has forced state agencies to take another look at the laws in place. Last July, an informal opinion from the Attorney General’s office said state law doesn’t explicitly require manufacturers to go through independent dealers to sell their vehicles. The Secretary of State office has subsequently stood by that opinion.
I don’t understand what’s going on. I don’t think most of America understands what’s going on in our news and with our headlines and with these police shootings. Friends, it’s very simple. If you’re pulled over, if you’re asked on the street for questions good grief why wouldn’t you cooperate? There’s one thing in common with every one of these shootings and that’s that these people decided not to comply, not to cooperate with law enforcement. The men and women of law enforcement of our police force are here for one purpose, that is to serve and protect. To keep us and our communities safe. Why would you run and not stop if you’re innocent? Why would you do that? We have got to start teaching our children the importance of right and wrong. I think that’s what we’re missing today, we’re living in some interesting times and we know that. […]
People in downtown Chicago, they’re not the churches, they don’t desire this nonsense. It’s just simply that they’ve heard a singular message for a long time and they’ve heard nothing else and they don’t know any different. That seems to be the case from many of our conversations. But they want the law enforcement, they want police officers, they want to be safe in their communities. Yet we have these instances and events where one person you know takes off running from law enforcement and bad things happen. […]
Every day brings a new story in the headlines and it’s amazing. But the one thing again that I see that we have this all of this has in common is from people who are concerned that they’re not innocent, they run from the law. When you do that, we’re gonna have problems. Don’t put these people in that kind of position. God help our Governor that stands up and speaks in agreement with this stuff, that’s our problem. When you have leaders in Springfield and in Washington who stand with this stuff then that’s a fair sign that we’ve got to get engaged and we’ve got to stop this.
* Gov. JB Pritzker at the conclusion of an unrelated event today to announce $1.6 billion in federal aid to expand access to early childhood education and child care…
Today I come to this event that is really about great joy about our future and our children’s future, but I come with a heavy heart and profound grief. And I hope I speak for all Illinoisans who are aching for Adam Toledo and his family. The video of Adam’s death is devastating, just devastating. It is unbearable to think of his family, seeing these last moments of his life. And it is searing to know that a 13 year old lost his life in this way. It’s abundantly clear that our entire system failed Adam. The appropriate authorities must move quickly to investigate and adjudicate what happened that night in Little Village in the interests of justice and accountability. For all of us, we also have much work to do. And I asked all of us to commit to this work and to pray for Adams’s Family, for his friends, and for his community. And to pray that all Illinoisans can be safe, especially our young people.
…Adding… From comments…
Interesting, so Bailey thinks we should comply with the law?
Tell me more about his anti-mask anti-quarantine actions and positions?
Friday, Apr 16, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Visiting a healthcare professional can be consequential: Cancer is diagnosed, patients are supported as they manage chronic conditions, and services and treatment are delivered to support mental health. During the pandemic, accessing healthcare in person was difficult, especially early on when non-emergent care was put on hold.
Telehealth saved the day, offering a safe option for Illinoisans to continue needed care. A recent editorial in the Chicago Tribune identified telehealth as one of a handful of pandemic-related changes that caused “the public and elected officials to reconsider some of the laws and regulations that had long been taken for granted.” Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers all began fairly reimbursing healthcare professionals for telehealth visits—recognition of telehealth’s integral role in healthcare.
The editorial says, “Virtual consultations and treatment have expanded options for both medical professionals and patients. They have been shown to work well, saving patients time and travel expenses…. Once the pandemic has subsided, there is every reason that telehealth should be expanded and retained as a way to deliver care and counseling.” The Coalition to Protect Telehealth couldn’t agree more. Learn how permanent telehealth coverage will continue to provide Illinoisans’ access to quality, appropriate care.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 3,866 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 21 additional deaths.
- Bureau County: 1 female 80s
- Cook County: 1 male 40s, 2 males 70s, 2 males 80s
- DuPage County; 1 female 50s, 1 male 90s
- Henry County: 1male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Jefferson County: 1 female 90s
- Kane County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Lake County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- LaSalle County: 1 male 70s
- Madison County: 1 female 90s
- McDonough County: 1 male 80s
- Tazewell County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 50s
- Will County: 1 male 60s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,296,381 cases, including 21,630 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 93,602 specimens for a total of 21,571,023. As of last night, 2,058 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 468 patients were in the ICU and 205 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from April 9-15, 2021 is 4.2%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from April 9-15, 2021 is 4.9%.
The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses for Illinois is 9,777,825. A total of 7,779,290 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 129,664 doses. Yesterday, 166,885 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
Illinois approved more than 25,000 new wind and solar projects in a few years before the state’s program went over the funding cliff in 2020.
Now thousands of Illinois residents and businesses are lined up to invest in renewable energy, but our state policy has put everything on hold.
The Illinois Power Agency ran out of funding to approve new renewable energy projects in December. With state incentives in limbo, many solar businesses across the state haven’t sold a new system all year. That puts thousands of jobs at risk unless we pass legislation to fix this.
Customers are ready to invest, solar installers are desperate to get to work and our clean energy goals are slipping further out of reach. The General Assembly needs to act before it’s too late. Take action at www.pathto100.net
The Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) today announced it has requested an advisory opinion from the Federal Election Commission.
In a letter, DPI presented three possible scenarios for a governance structure to the FEC for its input. Once the FEC provides its guidance, DPI will put a governance structure in place to ensure compliance with all state and federal campaign finance laws. See letter to the FEC attached.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly is not the first federal officeholder to chair a state party. The Democratic Party of Georgia is currently chaired by Congresswoman Nikema Williams and until recently the Republican Party of Colorado was chaired by Congressman Ken Buck. However, the FEC has not previously issued guidance on how a federal officeholder can lead a state or local political party and ensure compliance with federal campaign finance laws and regulations.
“I’ve pledged to lead the state party in a more inclusive manner with more voices at the table, and we are seeking guidance from the FEC that would allow for additional members of the state central committee to serve in a leadership role,” Kelly said. “We’ve provided several approaches to the FEC that adhere to the law and solidify our collective vision to engage more people and voices in the state party platform. As the first woman and first woman of color to chair the Democratic Party of Illinois, and with the involvement of a diverse set of voices across our state, I’m confident we’ll move forward electing Democrats up and down the ballot.”
The FEC is expected to provide a response within 30-60 days, and DPI has requested an expedited response.
Additionally, election attorney Michael Dorf has been named chair of DPI’s state fund, ensuring compliance with all state campaign finance laws while DPI waits for guidance from the FEC.
This advisory opinion request deals with the last of these restrictions, specifically 52 U.S.C. § 30125(d)’s prohibition of a Federal candidate or officeholder, or an entity that is “established, financed, maintained, or controlled by” a Federal candidate or officeholder, from raising or spending funds in non-Federal elections unless those funds do not exceed limits imposed under the Act, and do not come from sources prohibited under the Act (collectively, the “Non-Federal Funds Ban”).
The Non-Federal Funds Ban was “premised on Congress’ judgment that if a large donation is capable of putting a Federal candidate in the debt of the contributor, it poses a threat of corruption or the appearance of corruption.” As Senator John McCain, one of the principal sponsors of BCRA, explained, the Non-Federal Funds Ban was part of a “system of prohibitions and limitations on the ability of Federal officeholders and candidates, to raise, spend and control soft money” in order “to stop the use of soft money as a means of buying influence and access with Federal officeholders and candidates.”
• Whether the Congresswoman has the authority or ability to direct or participate in the DPI State Account’s governance through provisions of constitutions, bylaws, contracts, or other rules, or through formal or informal practices or procedures.
• Whether the Congresswoman has the authority or ability to hire, appoint, demote, or otherwise control the DPI State Account’s officers or other decision-making employees or members.
• Whether the Congresswoman provides funds or goods in a significant amount or on an ongoing basis to the DPI State Account, such as through direct or indirect payments for administrative, fundraising, or other costs.
• Whether the Congresswoman causes or arranges for funds in a significant amount or on an ongoing basis to be provided to the DPI State Account.
Option 1: The Special Committee
Under Option 1, the DPI would establish a Special Committee, consisting entirely of individuals who are not Federal candidates or officeholders, to administer the DPI’s State Account. The Special Committee would have complete responsibility for the State Account’s operations and activities, without the review or approval of Congresswoman Kelly. Among other things, the Special Committee would be responsible for the State Account’s fundraising (including solicitations), and spending (including decisions related to contributions by the State Account, advertising on behalf of candidates, and transfers). In carrying out these responsibilities, the Special Committee could delegate responsibilities to one or more individuals associated with the DPI, provided that the individuals in question are not Federal candidates or officeholders.
Congresswoman Kelly would also be restricted from “financing” the State Account. Among other things, the Congresswoman would not make contributions or transfers to the State Account from her personal funds or her Congressional campaign, nor would the Congresswoman solicit non-Federal funds on behalf of the State Account.
Option 2: The Delegate
Under Option 2, the DPI would delegate the administration of the DPI’s State Account to a Vice Chair. Much as under Option 1, that Vice Chair would have complete responsibility for the State Account’s operations and activities, without the review or approval of Congresswoman Kelly. Among other things, the Vice Chair would be responsible for the State Account’s fundraising (including solicitations), and spending (including decisions related to contributions by the State Account, advertising on behalf of candidates, and transfers). As under Option 1, the Vice Chair would be permitted to delegate responsibilities to one or more individuals associated with the DPI, provided that the individuals in question are not Federal candidates or officeholders. The same restrictions on “financing” described under Option 1 would also be in place under Option 2.
Option 3: Recusal
Under Option 3, Congresswoman Kelly would recuse herself from all matters involving the State Account. Among other things, Congresswoman Kelly would not participate in decisions regarding: (i) the State Account’s fundraising, including solicitations; (ii) spending, including decisions related to contributions by the State Account, advertising on behalf of candidates, and transfers; or (iii) personnel, including the supervision and review of individuals tasked with running the State Account. The same restrictions on “financing” described under Option 1 would also be in place under Option 3.
All of these proposed options are basically the same objections raised by the other side during the campaign for DPI chair.
* Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, Jr. (D-Chicago) speaking today on the House floor about the police shooting of Adam Toledo in his district, just four blocks from his house…
Did you see the video? It just came out yesterday. I watched it on the floor here at my desk. The officer said, ‘Police! Stop! Stop right effing now!’ So what did Adam do? He stopped. The officer said, ‘Hands! Show me your effing hands!’ What did Adam do? He put his hands up.
So if you put your hands up, they shoot. If you put your hands down, they shoot. If you walk, you run, you hide, you sleep, you do exactly as they say, they still shoot. So, I ask the members of this chamber: What are we supposed to do? What the hell are we supposed to do?
Will County Republicans voted overwhelmingly Thursday night to censure Rep. Adam Kinzinger for his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump.
The 111 to 5 vote (and one abstention) for censure “is meant to remind the representative who he represents: the people who elected him, not his self-interests,” said Will County Republican Chairman George Pearson, adding that Kinzinger’s decision to start a PAC that “goes against other Republicans was a betrayal.” Pearson said his next task is to find a challenger for Kinzinger’s seat.
* An April 13 letter from Will County Republican Central Committee (WCRCC) Chair George Pearson to GOP township chairs in his county…
Fellow Chairs,
The WCRCC has received two (2) notices from our landlord and the Lockport Township Organization’s former chair. I entered the office today to find both notices on my desk.
The first, more pressing, is an eviction notice for rent in the rears of $6,000.00. Due to the Central Committee not having our first quarter fundraiser, we have not met our obligations. I have sent out multiple fundraising letters and have received promises but no checks as of yet. The question becomes, do we push to keep the space or vacate our location in Crest Hill?
Between our townships, can we raise the cash between us to cover? A committee has been formed to create a fundraiser on June 18th, the “Freedom Dinner” with possible guest speakers of Texas State Party Chair Col. Allen West (Ret.) or North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson. Both I know will draw big crowds.
I, for one, appreciate having an office to conduct our business and store signs for our candidates during races. Voters have enjoyed having a place to come in and learn about the issues. We have hosted several training classes and a few township organization meetings. I am asking for your assistance in keeping our location. What say you?
The second notice is more troubling than anything. Pete Delany (former Lockport Township Republican Chair) has reversed his original donation to the Central Committee of the office furniture in lieu of their rent. Pete Delany did a verbal deal with me for the work in the space like painting, striping, and waxing the floors as well as donating the furniture in lieu of rent contribution for LTRO utilizing the space for their meetings. The former chair of Lockport Republicans is displaying his anger over his slate lost during his December caucus. That slate also had a democrat elected at their caucus who neither side bothered to check his voting record. The Lockport Republican slate on the ballot (represented by Jim Louch - Lockport Township High Commissioner) had more people show up to the Lockport caucus and passed rules that favored the “visiting” team. That pushed Pete Delany (former chair), the new chair, Bill Passiglia, and their new vice-chair, Ed Piante, to promote the Democrat slate in Lockport Township. After multiple meetings with Pete, Jim, and Jessica Cannady, an offer was made to Pete’s wife, Barb Delany, to join Jim Louch’s slate, the Delanys refused. That caused some extremely tight races in Lockport, which gave the Democrats an advantage for most of the seats. The Delany’s, Bill Passaglia, and Ed Piante all displayed Democrat signs on their lawns. Now, I get a notice from Pete stating he is giving the furniture to LTRO, when two months ago, he was trying to give it away to Joel Johnston, the guy renting space in the back of our office.
If we are moving with keeping the office, I would like to make an offer to Pete to finalize a written agreement for the furniture issue with Pete.
It’s likely further COVID-19 mitigations will be imposed in the next few weeks as metrics continue to trend in the wrong direction, but health officials on Thursday were still trying to determine what exactly that will mean.
Will restaurants be shut down? Will organized sports be halted?
“We are waiting for IDPH to get some more clarification on that,” said Monica Hendrickson, administrator for the Peoria City/County Health Department. “There is a likelihood that mitigations will come in. Will it look like what we saw in the fall? Not necessarily. We have to recognize that we are living in a different environment where vaccine availability does exist.”
Local mitigations will be based on the metrics, which are very different from when Illinois’ COVID-19 plan was created, said Hendrickson.
“When the mitigation plans were first put forward in the fall, we were in a landscape where vaccines did not exist. Now it looks considerably different, and we are also looking at a different population that is being impacted,” she said.
Peoria is in Region 2. Its latest available average test positivity rate was 7.6 percent. Counties within the region…
Bureau: 6.9%
Fulton: 6.6%
Grundy: 6.7% (with the latest one-day positivity rate of 17.3 percent)
Henderson: 0.7% (hardly anyone tested)
Henry: 6.2% Kendall: 8.8%
Knox: 3.1%
LaSalle: 5%
Livingston: 3.4% (with a recent one-day positivity rate of 13.6 percent)
Marshall: 5.8%
McDonough: 3.8%
McLean: 5.9%
Mercer: 5.9% Peoria: 12.8%
Putnam: 4.1% (very few tests)
Rock Island: 5.1% (two days in past week at 9 or above) Stark: 17.6% (very few tests) Tazewell: 10.9% (eight days this month in double digits)
Warren: 3.1% Woodford: 8.6%
Peoria residents facing financial hardships from COVID-19 are receiving a helping hand from the local government to help them pay their electric, gas, and water bills.
The city council Tuesday night agreed to shift Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars to set up a utility assistance program.
The city is making almost $302,000 available. The maximum grant is $5,000 per household for up to six months of utility assistance.
Eligible applicants must prove they’ve been negatively impacted by the pandemic, and their bills must be overdue.
Today, the federal government is in the midst of one of the biggest expansions of the social safety net in U.S. history, committing $5 trillion over the last year to keeping American families afloat. President Biden predicted the flood of aid could cut child poverty in half.
And yet for all its successes, the trillions in aid have often failed to reach the poorest Americans in places like the south end of Peoria. Because many in Shawna’s neighborhood have jobs that paid them in cash and because they didn’t report their income to the government, they were unable to qualify for unemployment insurance. Because they moved frequently, failed to file taxes or owed fines for back child support or past criminal activity, they often didn’t receive their full stimulus checks.
As the pandemic dragged on month after month, hundreds struggled simply to keep the lights on. Last fall, 5.4 percent of all residences in Shawna’s 61605 Zip code — about 300 houses — were cut off for failing to pay their power bill. Another 250 houses in a neighboring Zip code — or about 4 percent of all residences — also lost power.
The disconnections, which were reported to the state government by private utilities, should have been a flashing red light that the social safety net was missing Peoria’s poorest.
And yet the cutoffs throughout Peoria’s south end went largely unnoticed. Local charities with money to help with power bills reported no surge in requests for assistance. City officials speculated that the disconnection statistics must be wrong. “They don’t seem real,” said Ross Black, Peoria’s community development director. “We get calls any time someone loses power. … Our phones would have been ringing off the hook.”
Mike Madigan has spent over $2.7 million on lawyers so far this year alone.
The Southwest Side Democrat is no longer the speaker of the Illinois House, a state representative or leader of the state Democratic Party.
But he’s still Public Official A, the name given to him in a federal document that implicates him in a long bribery scheme that ended his political career — and continues to cost him in legal fees.
A total of $6,798,304.20 to be precise.
That’s because the latest $2,744,828.83 comes on top of $4,053,475.37 Madigan had already shelled out to lawyers since early 2018, a total that included fighting lawsuits filed by former political rivals and other legal troubles.
House Republicans said Thursday morning that Democrats constantly ignore the need for reforms in Illinois.
They claim more than 600 House bills have passed out of the committees since January. Of those proposals, Republicans say 82% have Democratic sponsors while only 18% came from their caucus.
Rep. Amy Elik (R-Alton) recalled when Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch took office with a pledge to keep his door open and have accessibility for members from both parties. She noted that the Hillside Democrat explained all lawmakers could work together to solve the issues facing Illinois. However, she feels Welch hasn’t lived up to that promise.
“Here we are, with 45 days until session adjournment and the Democrat-controlled legislature has failed to put forth any meaningful or substantive legislation dealing with fighting corruption, providing tax relief, and unfortunately no plan put forth to adopt a balanced budget,” said Elik.
Republicans argue ethics reform and property tax rates are the largest issues facing Illinois. Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) explained it’s been months since the Com-Ed scandal implicating former Speaker Mike Madigan.
* From Speaker Welch’s spokesperson Jaclyn Driscoll…
Bipartisanship has been an integral part of Speaker Welch’s legislative career, and it remains a top priority. Republicans should work across the aisle and come to the table to discuss bills that will help build a better future for the people of this state. Unfortunately, many of their bills are designed to eat up precious time during a pandemic on issues that voters have already rejected at the ballot box
*** UPDATE *** From Rep. Mark Batinick in response to Welch…
“From the Speaker’s statement, it is clear that the Democrats have no interest in addressing our state’s most pressing issues if bills on ethics reform, pension reform and property tax reform are considered a ‘waste of time’ to their caucus. The only issue Illinois voters have rejected at the ballot box is the Democratic-led graduated income tax that was resoundly dismissed by voters of all parties.
Tensions over the legislative process boiled over on the House floor on Thursday. State Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) expressed cynicism with the upcoming discussion over the consent calendar — a list of bills and resolutions that are deemed non-controversial and do not warrant lengthy debate.
“There’s quite a bit of apprehension from many of us on this side of the aisle, and I think understandably so, after a letter came out taking off of the consent agenda close to a dozen bills of House Republicans with no explanation, no insight, no discussion from our side of the aisle that we’re aware of,” Brady said.
State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) responded that his side of the aisle has been focusing on Democrats’ priority legislation and “working on a balanced budget.”
“We will be continuing to have meetings on rules in the future, and we will certainly notify you when those discussions happen,” he said.
Three times the number of African Americans were arrested for marijuana-related offenses in Chicago than other ethnicities combined in 2020, according to Chicago Police Department arrest totals retrieved under a Freedom of Information Act request. […]
During the first year of marijuana legalization, Black people led all ethnic groups in arrests with 2,311, making up more than three-quarters of all marijuana arrests in Chicago. Latinos made up the second highest number of arrests with 506.
Whites made up about 4% of arrests in Chicago, with 117 arrests across the city for the entire year. Asians and Pacific Islanders made up fewer than 1% with just 25 arrests. […]
The arrests don’t represent people smoking pot on the sidewalk or inside their homes. Most arrests involve possessing or attempting to sell amounts over the legal limit of 30 grams. Smoking marijuana while driving remains illegal.
Friday, Apr 16, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
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