* Background is here if you somehow need it. Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago)…
Today’s vote makes clear the House Democratic Caucus is ready for a change in leadership. I want to thank Representative Kathy Willis and Representative Stephanie Kifowit in joining me on this journey to elect Illinois’ first woman Speaker. I am grateful for the support of so many of my colleagues and will continue to work to earn the support of the rest and unify the caucus.
*** UPDATE *** Some folks I’ve talked to tonight misread that press release and wrongly assumed that Kifowit was supporting Williams. Here’s Rep. Kifowit…
I am still in the race.
…Adding… Rep. Williams…
I’m sorry if my statement was misinterpreted…Rep. Kifowit remains a strong contender as we both continue to make the case for new leadership in the Illinois House.
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* 6:56 pm: According to three sources, Rep. Kathy Willis has dropped out of the race for Speaker.
This post will be updated.
* 7:12 pm: Hearing Rep. Willis has endorsed Rep. Ann Williams for Speaker.
* 7:18 pm: Not only do they bar reporters from the floor, have Illinois State Police troopers escort credentialed journalists to and from the restroom, but they are repeatedly yelling at grown adults tonight for telling reporters what’s going on in a caucus meeting about the future of this state. The HDem leadership attitude on display this week is really a bit much.
* 7:33 pm: Haven’t confirmed this yet, but nice job by Maxwell…
Hearing 1 Present.
I’ve been trying to tell folks that Madigan is more than 6 votes short.
* I’m hearing the same…
* Confirmed…
They’re done for the night, by the way.
* 8:17 pm: Of those who hadn’t pledged one way or the other, Suzanne Ness, Denyse Wang Stoneback and Michelle Mussman all voted for someone other than MJM. Ness and Stoneback were with Rep. Ann Williams, Mussman was with Rep. Stephanie Kifowit. More tomorrow.
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* Rep. Stava-Murray told me yesterday that she had prepared a line of questioning for Speaker Madigan today that would be tough…
“Everyone’s yelling at her,” I was told. “She just said ‘very angry questions were being asked of the other three yesterday and nobody yelled at them.’” Decent point. Even so, she apparently didn’t exactly rally the caucus to her side.
*** UPDATE *** WCIA’s Mark Maxwell had this react from Rep. Mary Flowers…
“That was so out of place for her to put that on the Speaker,” Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) told reporters Sunday night. “And I’m not making any excuses for him. But he didn’t bring racism into Springfield, where the worst race riot has been years ago.”
“Before the speaker was born, we had systemic racism,” Flowers said. “We had 400 years of slavery, so we won’t go there. And I think everybody [has] a little bias in them. But everyone is trying to evolve to do the right thing.”
If Stava-Murray’s attack was designed to weaken Madigan’s alliance with the Black Caucus, Flowers’ comments show it may have only strengthened it. The legislature is in the middle of a thorny debate about police reform measures, and several members, including Flowers, value Madigan’s experience as a negotiator who can muster the votes to pass difficult legislation.
“He’s a hard working man,” Flowers said. “Negotiating with various entities across this state is heavy lifting, and I would not want to be driving with an inexperienced driver that may run this state further off the track.”
* Hannah Meisel caught up to another Black Caucus member…
Stava-Murray’s heated exchange with the Speaker didn’t sit well with Black Caucus members in the room.
“The Black Caucus is fully capable of advocating for itself and Black issues,” State Rep. André Thapedi (D-Chicago) told NPR Illiinois. “We don’t need anyone to do that for us.”
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* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 4,711 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 81 additional deaths. Illinois has now reported more than one million cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cook County: 1 female 30s, 1 male 30s, 3 females 40s, 1 male 40s, 2 males 50s, 5 females 60s, 2 males 60s, 6 females 70s, 12 males 70s, 10 females 80s, 5 males 80s, 4 females 90s, 7 males 90s
DuPage County: 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
Franklin County: 1 female 80s
Fulton County: 1 male 90s
Kane County: 2 males 80s
Knox County: 1 male 50s
Madison County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s,1 male 90s
McLean County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s
Montgomery County: 2 females 80s
Peoria County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 80s
St. Clair County: 1 male 90s
Tazewell County: 2 males 70s
Will County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,028,750 cases, including 17,574 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 77,775 specimens for a total 14,103,289. As of last night, 3,527 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 740 patients were in the ICU and 391 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 3–9, 2021 is 7.9%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 3–9, 2021 is 9.1%.
*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. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
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* Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) appears to have had some sort of medical emergency. Live video from BlueRoomStream.com showed Bailey lying on his back on the floor for several minutes. He eventually stood up and was placed in a gurnee by paramedics and wheeled out of the House chambers at the BOS Center.
…Adding… Photo…
…Adding… House GOP Leader Jim Durkin said Bailey has been experiencing some “gastrointestinal issues over the past few days” and likely passed out because he hadn’t yet eaten today.
Leader Durkin said Bailey “hit his head,” but said he believes Bailey will “be fine.” He asked for prayers for a quick recovery so Bailey can rejoin the chamber.
I’m told by a witness that Bailey hit his head “hard,” but was coherent within seconds of going down.
*** UPDATE *** From Rep. Bailey…
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*** UPDATED x6 - Lake County Democratic Women, Northwest/North NOW, McHenry NOW, Resistor SisterHood, Democratic Women of McDonough County, Illinois Handmaids, Peoria NOW, Indivisible Oak Park, Friends Who March, Indivisible Illinois, Chicago NOW, Women’s March Chicago, Illinois NOW join call *** Women’s groups urge vote for woman as new House Speaker - All 19 MJM opponents say they are still together
Sunday, Jan 10, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Democratic Women, We Will, Vote Mama and She Votes…
Open Letter to the House Democratic Caucus
We are writing today to strongly encourage the House Democratic Caucus to choose a woman as their new leader when they convene to vote for the Speaker of the House of the 102nd General Assembly. As statewide women’s organizations, we’ve watched with pride and gratification as the declared candidates to the current Speaker, Michael Madigan, have all come from the House Democratic Women’s Caucus, which in the past several years has taken the lead on legislation important to us such as the Clean Energy Jobs Act, Equal Rights Amendment Ratification, and Reproductive Health Act, as well as initiatives on minimum wage, education, and mental health.
While we appreciate the leadership the current Speaker has provided, we believe it is time for a change, and choosing a strong female leader is the change that is needed. We’ve also watched with some concern arguments that are being made that Speaker Madigan is the only one running who can hold the caucus together, pass important legislation, and help re-elect his members. This suggests that the female candidates that have announced do not share these same qualities. We do not believe that to be true. Further, we find that sexist school of thought to be one that has permeated the legislature in Springfield for decades. Changing that culture is another reason why it is important that a woman should be chosen to lead.
All the female candidates that have declared their intention to run for Speaker of the House have done so in an environment that has been hostile to a change in leadership; this alone gives credence to their courage and fortitude. Illinois is on the precipice of a great transition as we work to come out of a global pandemic and restore jobs to working families and revive an economy that has been ravaged by Covid-19. We recognize strong leadership is needed to meet these challenges and many pressing issues, especially the much-needed criminal justice reform being championed by the House Black Caucus. We believe that all the women who have announced their candidacy are up to this challenge and strongly urge the House Democratic caucus to elect one of them as their new Speaker.
* Meanwhile…
Today, 19 Illinois House Democrats in opposition to Michael Madigan’s re-election as Speaker of the House released the following statement:
“After meeting the past two days in Springfield, and having had the opportunity to participate in multiple candidate forums in the Speaker’s election, our position has not changed. We will not be supporting Michael J. Madigan for Speaker of the Illinois House at any stage of the voting process. It is time for new Democratic leadership in the Illinois House.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Illinois NOW has joined the call to elect a woman Speaker. Click here for the revised press release.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Women’s March Chicago has now signed the letter. Click here.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Indivisible Illinois and Chicago NOW have also joined the letter.
*** UPDATE 4 *** More signatories…
Illinois Handmaids
Peoria NOW
Indivisible Oak Park
Friends Who March
*** UPDATE 5 *** The Democratic Women of McDonough County has added its name to the list and released this statement…
The Democratic Women of McDonough County, a 501(c)4 non-profit, firmly supports the call for Illinois to have our First Woman Speaker named. It’s time for Democrats to show allyship to women and send a strong message of solidarity with womens rights and interests, which are the interests of all our communities. Representation matters.
*** UPDATE 6 *** More…
Lake County Democratic Women
Northwest/North NOW
McHenry NOW
Resistor SisterHood
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* Capitol News Illinois…
A bill aimed at making college education and teacher preparation programs more accessible and affordable for people of color began working its way through the General Assembly on Saturday with the formal introduction of language that lawmakers have been negotiating for months.
The action came on the second day of the General Assembly’s lame duck session, which is focused heavily on a racial and social justice agenda developed over the summer and fall by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.
Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, who chairs the House Higher Education Committee, introduced the language in the form of a 268-page amendment to Senate Bill 458. During a hearing Saturday, she said the omnibus bill touches on numerous aspects of higher education, but she focused the hearing on a few key parts: restructuring the AIM HIGH scholarship program; increasing the diversity of the state’s teaching workforce; and reforming the way schools place students into non-credit bearing “developmental” or “remedial” classes.
Go read the rest for the details.
* And while we’re on this topic…
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Today’s quotable
Sunday, Jan 10, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Todd Greenburg of Normal…
When I was starting out as an attorney 40 years ago, I told my first boss, John P. Meyer, a former state senator, that I was unsure which political party to associate with. “You can go into the Republican Party and try to moderate it, or you can go into the Democratic Party and try to reform it,” he told me.
Forty years later, the political parties in Illinois are about where they were then.
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* NBC News…
An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob.
“At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,” said the voice on the recording, which was obtained by NBC News.
The calls, which did not advocate violence or suggest the building should be breached, was sent out by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association. The groups share funding, staff and office space in Washington, D.C.
In a statement to NBC News, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who runs the fund, said the calls were sent out without his knowledge.
* Illinois’ attorney general responds…
* Related…
* Inside the Capitol siege: How barricaded lawmakers and aides sounded urgent pleas for help as police lost control
* A mob insurrection stoked by false claims of election fraud and promises of violent restoration
* Journalists were attacked, threatened and detained during the Capitol siege
* Companies act quickly on employees involved in D.C. riot - If they don’t, “their reputation stands to be shredded in the public sphere,” says Northwestern’s Danielle Bell.
* Chicago-area CEO fired as companies grapple with how to respond to employee participation in US Capitol siege. ‘This is a character-forming moment.’
* Police departments across the U.S. open probes into whether their own members took part in the Capitol riot
* Crain’s: The police union’s chief should resign over this
* FBI: No evidence antifa involved in Capitol riot
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* I went over this with subscribers earlier today, but here’s WTAX…
Illinois House Democrats will start voting on Sunday, as House Speaker Mike Madigan is in danger of missing out on a nineteenth term.
He has been speaker – except for 1995-96 – since 1983. But people close to him were caught up in the #MeToo scandal, and, more recently, Commonwealth Edison has admitted to a nearly decade-long attempt to bribe him to get its way in the legislature. The massive bribery case has implicated Madigan, though he is not indicted.
Three Democrats want to succeed him as speaker: Stephanie Kifowit of Oswego, Ann Williams of Chicago, and Kathleen Willis of Addison. It will take sixty votes of the 73-member caucus to win, and 19 of them have publicly said they are not going to vote for Madigan.
Black and Latino lawmakers are sticking with him.
* Sun-Times…
The Sunday vote will likely be a voice vote.
That’s likely because Madigan opposes using secret ballots, which would allow representatives to vote anonymously, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Just one vote should help us figure out where people are at,” the representative said. […]
Assuming none of the 19 changes position, Madigan will be at least six votes shy of the 60 he needs to continue in the leadership role he’s held for nearly four decades.
* Subscribers have been following these developments as well…
* Perspective…
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* Tribune…
Police unions and law enforcement organizations from across Illinois were united on Saturday in opposition to a broad criminal justice overhaul the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus is pushing during the General Assembly’s lame-duck session, while Cook County’s top prosecutor weighed in with her support.
Many of the objections from police unions and others were aired during a nearly four-hour Senate committee hearing, and centered largely on proposed restrictions on collective bargaining rights for police and the removal of protections for officers against lawsuits alleging civil rights violations. […]
Tamara Cummings, general counsel for the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, warned that eliminating so-called qualified immunity for officers would “open the floodgates for frivolous lawsuits.”
“This bill goes beyond reasonable reform and goes beyond necessary reform, and it’s frankly punitive,” Cummings testified before the Senate Executive Committee.
* Sun-Times…
Law enforcement officials criticize the bill as only making their jobs harder.
Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, minority spokeswoman of the House committee, said she was frustrated the bill was being brought during the lame duck session.
“If you’re going to run it as an omnibus bill then it’s a bill that should be negotiated until you can find not only bipartisanship on it, but you might actually be able to come to an agreed bill,” Bryant said of the proposal, which packages together several subjects related to criminal justice reform.
Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, the current chair of the Black Caucus, sought to quash the idea that the bill was rushed and said during the Saturday committee “… we’ve tried to reform the police system a number of times and every time it’s always an excuse from law enforcement to work with us.”
* ABC 7…
In the lame-duck session, state lawmakers discussed a new controversial criminal justice reform bill put forth by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.
“This is a big problem and requires a bold response. House Bill 163 as now amended is a bold response,” said John Rakowski with the Illinois State Bar Association.
* The ISBA’s Rakowski noted that when several criminal justice reform measures were proposed in the past, opponents predicted an “apocalypse.” This bill, he said, would not cause an apocalypse either…
When you look at this bill as a whole, what you see is that it really about three things.
It’s about transparency and accountability. It’s about basic humanity. It’s about making a better and more skilled law enforcement for the state of Illinois.
Transparency includes such things as wearing body cams. It includes a provision not to erase the tapes after they’re recorded. It requires reporting details of deaths of people in custody. It allows the reporting of police misconduct without the person who was abused or potentially abused having to be sworn in and take an oath. It publishes what the police are doing in terms of the hardware that they purchase. That’s transparency that this bill provides.
It provides accountability. It provides whistleblower protection, for example. It provides a specific thing to [garbled] that is not in the police reports. Police reports have to be truthful. It requires that applications for no-knock search warrants have detailed plans for implementing the no-knock search warrant, and that the affidavits in the background information be accurate. It requires officers to identify themselves to others. This is accountability. This is exactly what we want in our judicial system and in our law enforcement system.
The next thing that brings us to is humanity. There are provisions in this bill to provide medical care when it is imminently needed. I don’t think there is a person in this room or probably in the state that thinks that we shouldn’t provide medical care when it is imminently needed. It requires that pregnant women who are in custody have their condition recognized and treated and the concerns that they raise be tended to. It requires that the police provide more than just one phone call if a person becomes arrested and can’t contact somebody on the first phone call. It provides that there should be warnings issued by the police, just verbally, nothing very formal, before they start clearing protesters out of the street. And it requires that non-lethal force in clearing streets, such as rubber bullets, not be used indiscriminately. […]
If you give immunity in this blanket fashion that is given now to certain police officer conduct, the rights that are in the US Constitution, the rights that are embedded in Article One of the Illinois Constitution become meaningless, because a right without a remedy is not really a right at all.
And then the last thing this bill talks about is improving law enforcement for all of Illinois. It provides for training in sensitive areas such as bias and gender. […]
It provides for tighter grounds for deciding who can be certified to be a police officer, and makes clear and more transparent for everyone how you revoke a certified police officer, when it is clearly shown that there are problems with this person being a law enforcement officer. […]
Another aspect of better law enforcement is that with the body cams that this mandates and phases in over a period of years, there will be no question as to what happened that day on the street, when it happens, because there’s going to be a record of it. The officers’ body cam. The car cams. All that is going to be available, it’s going to be preserved. And that makes for better law enforcement. […]
Be fair, equitable, humane and transparent. Those are the key issues. This is a broad bill. And it is a broad bill that requires a great deal to digest, but at the same time, it is not a particularly difficult thing to understand if you break it down into its relative segments and realize that as a whole, this is a bill that will make a better Illinois.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Related…
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*** UPDATED x1 *** You gotta be kidding me
Saturday, Jan 9, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hannah Meisel…
The Coronavirus outbreak at the state-run LaSalle Veterans’ Home claimed a 36th life earlier this week, though the spread within the home has been in control for weeks after infecting 90% of residents and killing more than a quarter of the facility’s population.
But during the deadliest days of the outbreak in November, some residents were not able to get basic toiletries like soap due to an antiquated policy that’s been changed in recent weeks. The old policy meant that residents at the facility would have to wait up to a week for new supplies once their shampoo, toothpaste or other personal care items ran out.
Just before the New Year last week, the home changed its policy after pressure from the local Veterans’ Assistance Commission, which had organized a toiletry drive in November during the height of the outbreak. But the group later found out that the personal care items that had been donated were not being distributed. The old policy predated Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia, but local VAC Superintendent Steven Kreitzer says she should have stepped in to change it sooner — especially as the outbreak raged.
“God forbid a veteran soiled themselves and had to take him in to take showers,” Kreitzer said. “Those nurses couldn’t get into that supply closet because there’s no one there to open it. And if the veteran is out of shampoo or just had a little bit left, they had to utilize somebody else’s shampoo to make sure somebody is being taken care of.”
Kreitzer said that he and the VAC were told by nursing staff that they were personally buying toiletry items for veterans in order to get around the process. The old policy mandated that when a veteran ran out of a personal care item like toothpaste or shampoo, nursing staff would have to fill out a request form and send it to the facility’s social services division. That staff would then have to contact the veteran’s family to ask if they were willing to buy the resident what was needed. Only if the family was unable to do so would a resident be able to receive one of the donated toiletry items.
*** UPDATE *** Correction and clarification issued…
This story has been corrected and clarified. Veterans were unable to get immediate access to donated name-brand toiletries due to a process that has since been changed, but the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs says residents never went without basic personal care supplies if they ran out. […]
“At no point during the pandemic or any other time has a veteran in one of our homes not had access to soap, toothpaste, or any other basic hygiene product,” Dooley said. “Those items are provided to all veterans in our homes, free of charge, on a regular basis, 24 hours a day. The donation process is used for specialty items that veterans request beyond the standard products they are provided.”
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* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 6,717 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 101 additional deaths. Illinois has now reported more than one million cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bond County: 1 female 70s
Boone County: 1 female 40s
Cook County: 1 female 40s, 3 males 40s, 1 male 50s, 3 females 60s, 4 males 60s, 2 females 70s, 3 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 3 females 90s, 1 male 90s
DeKalb County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Effingham County: 1 male 80s
Fulton County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 90s
Hamilton County: 1 female 50s
Jefferson County: 1 male 70s
Kane County: 2 males 50s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
Kankakee County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
Lake County: 1 teen, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Logan County: 1 male 50s
Macoupin County: 1 male 70s
Madison County: 2 males 70s, 1 male 90s
Marion County: 1 female 70s
Massac County: 1 female 90s
McHenry County: 1 male 70s
McLean County: 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
Mercer County: 1 female 90s
Monroe County: 1 female 60s
Montgomery County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
Morgan County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s
Moultrie County: 1 male 70s
Peoria County: 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
Perry County: 1 female 90s
Piatt County: 1 male 80s
Pike County: 1 male 80s
Randolph County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Rock Island County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Sangamon County: 1 male 30s
St. Clair County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
Stephenson County: 1 female 60s
Tazewell County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
Vermilion County: 1 male 80s
Whiteside County: 1 female 80s
Will County: 1 female 60s, 3 males 70s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s, 1 female over 100
Winnebago County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,024,039 cases, including 17,494 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 102,903 specimens for a total 14,025,514. As of last night, 3,589 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 742 patients were in the ICU and 393 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 2–8, 2021 is 8.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 2–8, 2021 is 9.3%.
*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. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
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* County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx…
States Attorney Foxx Speaks Out in Support of Critical Criminal Justice Reform Legislation, Illinois House Bill 163
“I believe that the spirit of Illinois House Bill 163 is meant to build trust in police departments across Illinois while addressing long-needed problems to alter unfair criminal justice policies rooted in systemic racism that result in our jails and prisons being disproportionately occupied by Black and Brown individuals. And although not perfect, with thoughtful deliberation and collaboration House Bill 163 can be worked to address concerns, which is why I support this critical piece of criminal justice reform legislation.”
* Leader Durkin…
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) issued the following statement on Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announcing her support of House Bill 163:
“Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has formally shown her true intentions today by walking away from victims of crime, neighborhoods desperate for safety and men and women of law enforcement. As a former Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, I believe her support of House Bill 163 may be the most disappointing and irreconcilable breach of trust between State’s Attorney Foxx and the citizens of Cook County. Every elected State’s Attorney throughout Illinois strongly opposes House Bill 163 except State’s Attorney Foxx. These anti victim and anti law enforcement proposals have no place in our society. Ms. Foxx should change the name on her door to Office of the Public Defender.”
* Related…
* Kim Foxx sees links between mob action at U.S. Capitol and Jussie Smollett demonstrations outside her office: In 2019, members of the Proud Boys, the American Guard and the American Identity Movement joined a protest outside of her office that was organized by the city’s Fraternal Order of Police after Foxx’s office dropped charges against Smollett, a former actor in “Empire.” Experts said at the time that was part of a plan by the groups to recruit new members. Current FOP President John Catanzara, a frequent foe of Foxx’s, also attended that 2019 rally and has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump.
*** UPDATE *** SA Rinehart is a Democrat…
A direct statement from Lake County State’s Attorney Eric F. Rinehart:
House Bill 163 represents important changes to our criminal justice system. I fully support these efforts to make our communities safer and our courthouse fairer. This bill includes reforms that I have been advocating for and discussing for years. But more work needs to be done to ensure these critical reforms also take into account our police officers and survivors of crimes.
Yesterday, the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Association sent a blanket letter opposing the first version of the omnibus bill. The letter the Association sent does not fully reflect my views and should have been formatted to include individual signatories as opposed to purporting to represent the views of all its members.
The following reforms are vital to our State. This bill:
• requires body-worn cameras in every law enforcement agency throughout the State
• creates a duty to aid on the part of law enforcement officers
• connects substance abuse treatment programs with First Responder duties
• creates accountability for officers who knowingly lie in police reports
• prevents destruction of law enforcement misconduct records
• strengthens whistle-blower protection for those who report government misconduct
• increases and improves de-escalation and mental health training for law enforcement
• expands access to the law enforcement misconduct database
• maintains felony-murder rule but narrows its application to individuals with violent intent
• requires police to develop a plan to protect children during search warrant raids
• empowers the Attorney General to investigate deaths occurring in police custody
• bans use of chokeholds and other extreme measures
• establishes statewide use of force standards by 2022
For these reasons, I cannot express blanket opposition or support to HB163. Rather, I will keep working throughout the weekend with legislators and policy advocates to improve the bill and to ensure that it adequately protects victims from their abusers and attackers. It is my sincere hope that we can accomplish these reforms in this legislative session.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Because… Madigan!
Saturday, Jan 9, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Herald & Review editorial…
The state’s lame-duck legislative session in the Bank of Springfield Center opened Friday with unacceptable restrictions on media members. […]
The restrictions have nothing to do with security. They are in theory pandemic-related. But just as other professionals have been forced to adapt their work efforts to protect the safety of themselves and others, reporters have figured out social distancing, wearing masks while conducting interviews and regular sanitization of equipment used.
Limited access hampered the coverage of sessions in May 2020 as well, to the benefit of no one. In addition, the May sessions allowed for outdoor interviews. Those interviews will be less available in January’s cold.
The main floor of the Bank Of Springfield Center is 40,000 square feet, more than enough room for both legislators and credentialed media. Socially safe seating is essentially already used in the House. The media members’ letter also details ways in which communication and reporters could be allowed to do their jobs without danger or disruption.
When asked, the governor’s office could only provide IDPH guidance that was issued for legislative committee hearings last year. The House has yet to reveal its session guidance source. Another pic of the cavernous space…
Also, the security argument is just totally ridiculous and absolutely insulting to credentialed members of the news media. And to add insult to injury, reporters who need to use the restroom must be escorted from and back to the mezzanine by Illinois State Police troopers.
Wouldn’t letting them on the floor allow for less oversight?
* Also, seeing pics like this of Eastern Bloc Reps. Chris Miller and Brad Halbrook on the convention center floor makes me wonder why the House Speaker is so worried about us…
Reporters ain’t the problem here. (You can caption that pic in comments if you want.)
…Adding… Rep. Miller (no relation) was just called out on the floor for not wearing his mask.
* On to Mark Brown’s latest column…
It’s been two months now since it became apparent Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan would face the strongest challenge ever posed to his leadership, yet no obvious front-runner to replace him has emerged.
If Madigan indeed is to be replaced, that should start to change as House members return to Springfield this weekend to wrap up the business of the outgoing Legislature and get organized for the new one.
Democrats were scheduled to meet privately Saturday for their first (mask-covered) face-to-face discussion about who should lead them.
It’s hard to imagine them making headway quickly.
Until Madigan is ready to step aside — there’s not even a hint of that at this stage — most of the leading potential alternatives are staying on the sidelines.
That last line is right. Nothing can really happen unless and until Speaker Madigan decides to step aside.
* I filled in subscribers today about yesterday’s caucus, but Mark Maxwell has some more…
Undeterred by his opposition, Madigan methodically maneuvered through the process and continued to persistently persuade his colleagues to support him. In a Friday night candidates’ forum organized by downstate and moderate Democrats, Madigan offered to relax his grip on political power if members let him stay in his role.
According to members who listened to Madigan’s pitch Friday night, he also offered them more input and control in interviewing and hiring their own staffers, and pledged a more collaborative style of leadership.
His challengers, Reps. Kifowit, Ann Williams (D-Chicago), and Kathleen Willis (D-Addison), offered a variety of changes in the House rules and in the way members could move their bills through committees, and laid out their strategies to raise campaign funds in ways that benefit more members.
Willis, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, highlighted her experience on Madigan’s leadership team, though the Speaker noted it pales in comparison with his own.
He’s been promising a lot of things.
*** UPDATE *** I told subscribers about this earlier today…
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Senate prepares to pass long-sought CTU bill
Saturday, Jan 9, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
A 25-year-old, one-page section of an Illinois law governing educational labor that limits the Chicago Teachers Union’s bargaining rights could be repealed as soon as this weekend in Springfield, a move that would mark a celebratory end to a long lobbying fight for the union.
A repeal could have serious short-term implications for Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plans if the bill passes and is signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and a significant long-term impact in the CTU’s relationship with CPS. The repeal bill was passed in the House in March 2019, and it appears likely the Senate will follow suit in the week ahead — though it’s unclear if the governor will immediately sign it. A Pritzker spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Lightfoot, who campaigned on repealing this part of the law, is now concerned about those prospects. In a letter sent to state senators Friday, she wrote that a repeal “at this critical time would impair our efforts to reopen Chicago Public Schools and jeopardize our fiscal and educational gains.” […]
Section 4.5 of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, passed in 1995, only covers unions negotiating with Chicago Public Schools — all other districts in the state are not affected. The section limits the bargaining power of the CTU — and other unions that represent school support staff — to bread and butter labor issues such as pay and benefits. It allows CPS to avoid negotiations over several school-related topics such as class sizes, staff assignments, charter schools, subcontracting, layoffs and the length of the school day and year. […]
Section 4.5 was cited last month by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board as a key reason why an injunction sought by the CTU to stop CPS from resuming in-person classes could not be granted. The issues the union wanted to negotiate over, the board said, weren’t mandatory subjects of bargaining under Section 4.5 — so it wasn’t clear that the CTU’s accusation that CPS violated labor law by failing to negotiate was valid.
* The CTU response is in the story, so here’s the response of Chicago Federation of Labor Bob Reiter…
January 6, 2021
President Don Harmon 329 Capitol Building Springfield, IL 62706
Dear President Harmon:
On behalf of the Chicago Federation of Labor, I write today to express the CFL’s support of HB 2275, sponsored by Senator Cunningham, and to ask that the Senate pass the bill during the upcoming lame duck session.
The right to collectively bargain is fundamental to establishing safe working conditions, fair appropriate compensation, and, as has been increasingly used by labor unions across Illinois, to provide for the common good in our communities. This is particularly important in school settings, as providing real equity to those we serve – increasingly, low-income students and students of color – is vital for both our democracy and our workforce.
HB 2275 is thus an important equity measure for 20% of students in Illinois as well as tens of thousands of workers. HB 2275 overturns a component of the 1995 Chicago School Reform Act that put unacceptable limitations on subjects of collective bargaining for every bargaining unit in the Chicago Public Schools, including limits on negotiating over staffing levels, time and location of work, health and safety standards, and outsourcing work to third-party contractors, all of which have taken on heightened importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. CPS is the only district in the state with this particular provision, and even within CPS, charter school operators are required to negotiate over these crucial issues.
Early in my career as a labor attorney and advocate, I directly represented Chicago Teachers Union members in the workplace. I feel strongly now, as I did then, that the inequity created by the 1995 law is a continuing blight on public sector labor law in our state. Many have pledged over the decades to correct this unjust provision, and the time to act is now.
The right to collectively bargain over these crucial issues is of the utmost importance to us. HB 2275 restores that right for the State’s largest school district and brings fairness and equity to educational collective bargaining in Illinois. We ask that you support the bill and assist in its passage. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
In solidarity,
Robert G. Reiter, Jr.
President, Chicago Federation of Labor
The Illinois AFL-CIO’s response is here.
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* Sen. Schimpf (R-Waterloo) has confirmed to reporters that he plans to run for governor. And he chose to begin the campaign by opposing a mask mandate…
* Center Square with the background…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has refiled an emergency COVID-19 rule similar to one that expired Monday to continue statewide mask and social distancing requirements in Illinois for another 150 days. […]
Karr said the statewide rule filed Monday by the Pritzker administration was an improvement over the expired rule.
“This puts in place that you can hand them something in writing,” Karr said. “So, you could give them a notice that IRMA had produced that said, ‘You know you should be wearing a face mask, we may ask you to leave,’ and that helps the retailer avoid, try to avoid, some of those confrontations.” […]
The updated emergency rule also prohibits gatherings of more than 50 people. […]
Enforcement of the rule will be up to “all local boards of health, health authorities and officers, police officers, sheriffs and all other officers and employees of the state and any locality,” it says.
If a business refuses to comply with a written warning and a subsequent written order to disperse, “that business, service, facility or organization open to the public shall be subject to the penalties set forth in Section 8.1 of the act.” That could lead to a Class A misdemeanor with penalties up to $2,500 fine or up to a year in jail.
…Adding… From comments…
From another story line: “I can think of little that is more important than saving lives and getting to the bottom of this tragedy,” Schimpf said. “We are still waiting to hear from an IDPH official who was actually making decisions when this tragedy began, so we can find out why it took so long to get a team on site to manage this crisis.”
I have news for Sen. Schimpf. Community spread leads to spread in nursing homes. If he really cares about the lives of the folks in our care, why is he so opposed to the most basic of all protections?
*** UPDATE *** Washington Times…
At least 50% of new coronavirus infections are spread from people without symptoms, according to a study published this week.
People who are asymptomatic or never experience symptoms made up about 24% of all transmissions, while presymptomatic individuals accounted for 35% for a total of 59%, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
Jay Butler, CDC deputy director for infectious diseases and a lead author of the study, told Business Insider that the findings back up public health guidelines about social distancing and mask wearing.
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AG Raoul unveils police licensing bill
Saturday, Jan 9, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced legislation to improve the police certification and de-certification process as part of his ongoing effort to advocate for policies that make lasting, systemic change to policing in Illinois.
House Bill 841, sponsored by Sen. Elgie Sims and Rep. Justin Slaughter, was initiated by Raoul and focuses on three key areas for reform: creating uniformity for officers and departments across the state, promoting professionalism in law enforcement, and increasing transparency. Currently, the ways in which law enforcement and state’s attorneys investigate and take action in response to officer misconduct vary from department to department. Currently the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) can de-certify an officer only in the event of a felony conviction and a limited list of misdemeanors.
“Now more than ever, meaningful law enforcement reform is essential to restore the public’s trust in law enforcement and to hold officers accountable for egregious misconduct that should render them unworthy of being a police officer anywhere in the state,” Raoul said. “This is a product of months of collaborative discussion with law enforcement partners and is just one component of what must be a multifaceted approach to improving accountability, transparency, and professionalism among officers. I am committed to continuing to collaborate with our law enforcement partners and reform advocates to improve policing in communities throughout Illinois, and I encourage members of the General Assembly to pass this legislation to help achieve this goal.”
“I am gratified that Attorney General Raoul has shown support and leadership on this issue,” Sims said. “These reforms seek greater protections not just for the community, but for police officers. Justice is served when it is applied with consistency and due process. Trust is established when the public knows that authority figures are held to account. Inconsistent standards and a lack of transparency create distrust toward officers, and that in turn endangers not only them, but all of us.”
“As we address police accountability, it is critical that Illinois strengthen its oversight and enforcement policies for law enforcement,” Slaughter said. “This measure puts forth a robust certification and de-certification process that will increase public safety and comprehensively improve policing in Illinois.”
HB 841 will make the following improvements to the police certification and de-certification process in Illinois:
• Creating uniformity during the review process: Currently, the ILETSB must automatically de-certify an officer only if he or she is convicted of a felony or a limited number of serious misdemeanors. The bill empowers the ILETSB to investigate allegations of serious misconduct that may not automatically lead to de-certification, but conduct that warrants a review of the officer’s actions, such as excessive use of force, failure to intervene when another officer uses excessive force, tampering with a body or dash camera, or dishonesty in the reporting of a crime. Following an investigation and hearing in front of an administrative law judge, if the officer is found to have engaged in misconduct then a Certification Review Panel may issue a determination to de-certify the officer. The Certification Review Panel would be composed of representatives from law enforcement, prosecutors, community activists and crime victims’ advocates.
• Promoting professionalism: A mandatory reporting system would be created in which an officer would report to the ILETSB that they have completed their mandatory in-service training, are still employed by a department, and have not engaged in conduct worthy of de-certification. Frequent reporting and the ability for the ILETSB to audit the training reports helps ensure that officers are in compliance with Illinois’ professionalism standards, and that officers in communities are consistently equipped with the current training mandated by the state.
• Increasing transparency: The bill would improve upon three areas of information sharing: information shared between hiring departments; information shared between departments and prosecutors; and information shared between the ILETSB and the public. Raoul’s proposal includes an expansion of the Officer Professional Conduct database to include relevant disciplinary information, including reports of dishonesty, misconduct, and the results of an officer’s de-certification. Expanding the information included in the database means personnel decisions would no longer rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. Additionally, prosecutors will have access to the information needed to make necessary disclosures about officers involved in criminal cases. The expanded and publicly-available database is an important tool that would add greater transparency and accountability to improve public trust in law enforcement.
As part of Attorney General Raoul’s calls for comprehensive policing and criminal justice reform, he has advocated for broader pattern and practice authority for state attorneys general and improved crime victim compensation. Raoul worked with the Illinois Black Caucus to include language in House Bill 163 that would give the Illinois Attorney General’s office clear authority under state law to investigate and resolve patterns or practices of unconstitutional policing by local and state agencies. Additionally, as recommended by Raoul, HB 163 would improve the Crime Victim Compensation Program. The bill would allow the Attorney General’s office to more efficiently administer benefits in order to make resources more accessible to survivors. Modernizing the program will not only allow the Attorney General’s office to better meet crime victims’ immediate needs, but will also contribute to breaking the cycle of community violence.
* I wrote about this for Crain’s last July…
George Floyd’s murder convinced him to revive his proposal from when he was in the state Senate to license police officers.
The idea came from then-Sen. Tim Bivins, a Republican and former Lee County sheriff. Sheriffs and police chiefs often complain that even when they do try to remove an officer from duty, union contracts and arbitrators often wind up forcing them to put the officers back on the public payroll.
Licensing could solve that problem by making bad cops ineligible for police work statewide. The idea has some support among police leaders, but the Fraternal Order of Police hates it.
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* November 5…
Durkin said the Pritzker administration should start with 4% across the board cuts to the state budget. After that, Durkin said Republicans are willing to negotiate with the administration to make additional cuts that could be made.
* January 4…
Illinois House Republicans say they’re still waiting on Gov. JB Pritzker to propose specific spending cuts to the state’s current year state budget, which is $4 billion out of balance.
There were other, similar demands, but you get the idea.
* Yesterday…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday he’s freezing the implementation of new business tax credits and calling for legislators to stop changes to the state’s income tax framework to save coronavirus-ravaged Illinois just over half a billion dollars.
Outraged Republicans called it “just one more hit” for struggling business owners.
The new, expanded state tax credits would have cost the state $20 million annually, according to the governor’s news release announcing the freeze and proposal. They were authorized in 2019 as part of a series of tax changes that were scheduled to take effect at the start of this year. […]
“We have businesses contacting us every day, asking for more and more relief, and for the governor to decide that the state’s bottom line is more important than these businesses’ bottom line is something that we’re really outraged by,” said state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, knocking Pritzker for unveiling the proposal in a news release rather than discussing it with the Legislature.
* Related…
* Small business grant program ends, paying out more than $275 million
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* Ugh…
* Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs…
January 8, 2021
To residents, families or responsible parties, and staff of the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy:
Since our last COVID-19 update there has been zero (0) additional case of COVID-19 among residents at our home, for a total of one hundred and thirty-four (134) COVID-19 cases among residents since the start of the pandemic. To date, ninety-nine (99) residents have recovered from COVID-19. Sadly, five (5) residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have passed away since our last update, with seventeen (17) residents total having passed away due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Additionally, since our last COVID-19 update there have been two (2) additional case of COVID-19 among employees at our home, for a total of one hundred sixty-two (162) COVID- 19 cases among employees since the start of the pandemic. To date, one-hundred and forty- six (146) employees have recovered from COVID-19.
* Meanwhile…
The COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans home continues to claim lives, with 36 residents lost to the disease so far. As the Illinois Senate is set to convene over the weekend, State Senators Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) and Sue Rezin (R-Morris) are asking for an additional Veterans Affairs hearing to be held on the ongoing crisis.
“The Senate is going to be in Springfield for the lame-duck session to deal with issues of great importance, and I can think of little that is more important than saving lives and getting to the bottom of this tragedy,” Schimpf said. “We are still waiting to hear from an IDPH official who was actually making decisions when this tragedy began, so we can find out why it took so long to get a team on site to manage this crisis.”
“It has been over two months since the deadly outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home, and we have had only two legislative hearings on the subject,” said Sen. Rezin. “The people of Illinois deserve to know how this virus was able to run rampant through the home. The Illinois Department of Public Health must tell us why it took them 12 days to conduct a site visit. There is no good reason for us not to have a hearing during lame-duck session and certainly no acceptable excuse for IDPH to refuse to testify.”
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