Rep. Unes announces he won’t run again
Thursday, Oct 24, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rep. Mike Unes (R-East Peoria) announced he isn’t running again…
Today I am announcing that I will not seek a 6th term in the November 2020 election. I plan to complete my current 2-year term which ends in January 2021.
I am eternally grateful to the people of the 91st District for the opportunity to serve as their State Representative for the past 9 years. It has been a special experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. By far, the most rewarding part of my position has been the ability to make positive differences in the lives of many throughout the district.
In spite of serving in the super minority, my work in Springfield has been very productive. I am proud to say that I have been among the most active legislators in the Illinois House, passing many pieces of impactful legislation into law. From helping those with special needs, to advocating for fairness for seniors in downstate long term care facilities, to providing protections for children who have been sexually abused, to supporting our veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom, I have taken your voice with me to Springfield to fight with passion for the betterment of our area and our state.
I have given this job the very best that I have every day, and that will continue as I complete my final term. I can proudly say that I have done so without changing who I am and what I believe in. I am a better person because of the work I have been able to do and the people that I have worked alongside. I am also very proud to have poured my heart into constituent service work over the past decade.
Above all, I am thankful to have a loving family that has been my rock through the ups and downs. Right now, I’m excited to spend more time supporting them as they have supported me.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank the many thousands of supporters that have given me the opportunity to represent the 91st District in Springfield. I will forever cherish the opportunity that has been lent to me. I wish for many blessings for you and our great State well into the future.
This could be a competitive district for the Democrats, but it wasn’t with Unes in the seat.
Rep. Unes voted for the 2017 tax hike and then lost his leadership slot at the start of this year. His East Peoria riverboat was given permission to move to Peoria in the gaming bill.
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* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reporting the death of a second Illinois individual who had recently vaped and been hospitalized with a severe lung injury. At this time, a total of 153 people in Illinois, ranging in age from 13 to 66 years old, with a median age of 22, have experienced lung injuries after using e-cigarettes or vaping.
IDPH is working with local health departments to investigate another 41 possible cases. Affected individuals have experienced respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Many have also experienced gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms worsened over a period of days or weeks before admission to the hospital. […]
More than 80% of the cases in Illinois report recent use of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing products, primarily obtaining them from informal sources such as friends or on the street. Additionally, almost half have also used nicotine-based products. IDPH has submitted 54 products and devices to the FDA for testing since August and has received preliminary results for 17 samples. Initial results from the FDA for Illinois are similar to information previously reported nationwide. Of the samples submitted, vitamin E acetate was found in two of the samples with THC. The FDA continues to perform additional testing. […]
At this time, health officials have not identified the cause or causes of the lung injuries with the only commonality among all cases being patients report the use of vaping products, including e-cigarettes. No one device, compound, or ingredient has emerged as the cause of these illnesses to date; and it may be that there is more than one cause of this lung injury.
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* The headline on this Center Square story is misleading: “As Illinois budget projections get worse, more call for tax on retirement income”…
With Illinois’ financial future looking grim, more organizations are advocating for a tax on retirement income.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office released its five-year plan, claiming that even with what his office described as “modest growth,” the state will need billions of dollars more than what it currently brings in.
Marie Dillon, director of policy with the Better Government Association, said Illinois’ budget mess was largely due to its pension debt that was caused by many who have retired and won’t pay taxes on their income.
“Illinois doesn’t tax your pension, it doesn’t tax your 401(k), it doesn’t tax your Social Security, and yet the state is broke,” she said. “The generation that is about to age out from state income taxes is responsible for the pension debt and would be leaving it to this younger generation.”
Illinois is one of three states that has an income tax that excludes retirement or pension income.
The BGA joins the Civic Federation, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and others in calling for a tax on retirement income.
The BGA has supported a tax on retirement income since 2016. This isn’t some growing movement.
Also, the Civic Committee only came out in favor of the retirement tax as a way to stave off the governor’s graduated income tax. It obviously didn’t work. And the CTBA loves them some taxes, so of course they’re for it.
* The BGA’s policy director did recently double down…
But do they really leave over taxes? That’s hard to prove or disprove. Florida is 60 degrees in February and has no income tax, period, so if you don’t already live there it’s probably not because Illinois isn’t taxing your pension checks. Maybe it’s because Florida is steamy from April to October and the cockroaches can fly. Maybe Illinois is home.
Florida used to be mine. But I wouldn’t move back to avoid paying income taxes, because I have too many reasons to stay in Illinois. Reason No. 1 is my son, a first-year public school teacher. Illinois should be more worried about keeping him than me.
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The challenges facing CEJA
Thursday, Oct 24, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tim Shelley at WGLT…
Four Central Illinois coal plants and a southern Illinois coal mine are slated to close by year’s end.
Environmental advocates say the Clean Energy Jobs Act would create new programs to help workers and communities impacted by the coal facility closures. And they say movement on the legislation is needed now.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said earlier this month he does not expect action on the legislation during this year’s veto session.
But State Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) says that is unacceptable.
“We cannot hold this bill up while ComEd and Exelon work out their legal troubles. That is not fair to the citizens of the state of Illinois,” she said.
* But Steve Daniels points out a problem with their bill…
Exelon has pinned its hopes on the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, an organization made up of environmental and consumer groups that often opposed the big power company but became allies in pushing for the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act. That law bailed out two Exelon nuclear plants while setting higher targets and providing more ratepayer money for renewable energy in Illinois.
That coalition now backs a bill that would have the state take over power-market functions in northern Illinois now performed by PJM Interconnection, which oversees markets in a multistate region from Chicago to Washington, D.C. Customers would pay more for power from carbon-free sources like nuclear plants and windmills, while buying less electricity in total than PJM does today. The measure would largely sideline the remaining coal-fired plants here and channel more money to Exelon’s nukes. Advocates say the bill wouldn’t raise overall rates.
If a bill benefits Exelon, it’s a no-go for the foreseeable future in Springfield.
* Todd Maisch with the Illinois Chamber…
In 2016, Illinois passed the Future Energy Jobs Act, requiring Illinois ratepayers to pay Exelon, a profitable company projected to make nearly $1 billion in Illinois over the next three years, to support two of its nuclear facilities. Because of these unnecessary subsidies, the capacity auction process has been distorted and federal energy regulators must now rethink the process in order to support competitive electricity costs and ensure state policy goals are respected.
There is a false narrative being promoted by the nuclear community and environmental advocates that uses a set of figures presented by an independent energy market monitor during this regulatory proceeding as the basis for saying electricity prices in Illinois will increase significantly. Those numbers are wildly mischaracterized and being used as fear-mongering to scare legislators and the public into rash decisions that will have costly consequences.
Proponents are not just conveniently ignoring the fact that, if either of the two proposed bills passes, electricity rates are guaranteed to increase, but they are actively saying the opposite.
Capacity charges account for 21 percent of your electricity bill. The capacity market reforms championed by Exelon would ultimately make Illinois acquire its own capacity, increasing those charges. As seen in other states, capacity charges would be double or more compared to what is acquired through the competitive market.
Take 21 percent of your bill and double it. That’s the size of the impact you can expect.
The enviros say rates will almost surely go up without their bill and they’ve pushed back hard against the Chamber’s analysis, claiming their bill would lower costs.
* The Clean Energy Jobs Act folks also say their bill would greatly benefit the solar and wind energy sector. But the actual alt-energy companies, particularly those involved with solar energy production, have their own bill. Let’s go back to Steve Daniels…
The nascent solar-energy industry says inaction could halt further development of solar farms in Illinois. Under the 2016 law, Illinois won’t have money to buy solar power next year, advocates say. Their proposals to free up cash for such purchases include limited fixes that wouldn’t raise rates for consumers and bigger changes that would.
Exelon stopped that bill from moving forward last spring (click here for a fact sheet). Instead, the company had its own bill and also supported the Clean Energy Jobs Act (click here for a fact sheet).
So, maybe the solution here is for the clean energy activists to craft a new package with the clean energy businesses without involving the nuclear-fueled and political hot potato Exelon.
If they don’t, then the governor isn’t going anywhere near their bill and I kinda doubt that Speaker Madigan will do something benefiting Exelon in these trying times. 60-30-1, folks.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Oct 24, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
Some Florida Republicans are nudging state Sen. Jim Oberweis to run for the congressional seat in the Sunshine state now held by Rep. Francis Rooney, who announced his retirement over the weekend.
Oberweis has a home in Florida, so while far-fetched, the idea isn’t totally impossible.
“There’s a push from Republicans in that district. All he’d have to do is move down there and he’d win,” Oberweis’ spokesman Travis Akin said.
But Oberweis is focused on the Republican nomination for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District, the seat now held by Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood.
Rooney lives in Naples. Oberweis has a place in Bonita Springs.
Florida law requires congressional candidates to be a “resident of the state when elected.”
And even though an Oberweis congressional bid in Florida is apparently not gonna happen, we can still have some fun with it.
* The Question: Your suggested Jim Oberweis in Florida campaign slogans?
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* Greg Bishop at the Center Square spent some time crunching numbers…
Despite being in the minority party, Illinois House Republicans are getting more infrastructure money for roads and bridges than majority Democrats, according to an analysis of the newly released multi-year $23.5 billion plan.
The district of Elwood Democratic state Rep. Larry Walsh Jr. is set to get the most capital money of all House members, at $1.52 billion. The second most, $1.1 billion, is headed for the district of Morris Republican state Rep. David Welter.
House Democrats will get $9.9 billion combined while House Republicans, who are in the super minority, will get a combined $12.1 billion.
Welter said a likely reason was that Republicans have larger districts with more miles of road. He said the spending breakdown was a good sign the spending plan was fair.
“I think when you have a large capital bill like this there are going to be things in it that were probably put in it due to political influence, obviously, but I think that’s a good sign at least that hopefully it’s been diverted to where the largest needs were,” Welter said.
The House has 74 Democrats, but one isn’t getting any new IDOT spending…
The one district not getting any money is represented by Naperville Democratic state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray. The page for her district spending doesn’t have any breakdown. Instead, it says: “No projects were planned for this legislative district for the current Proposed Six Year Highway Improvement Program.”
Stava-Murray didn’t return messages seeking comment. IDOT said road construction projects in that district were already underway.
“The only interstates are under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Tollway, which is separate from IDOT and not part of our agency’s multi-year planning process,” Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Guy Tridgell said. “There are just two IDOT routes in House District 81 and pretty small stretches at that: Illinois 53 and U.S. 34. Both of these are currently under construction. U.S. 34 from Ivanhoe Avenue to Kingery Avenue is being resurfaced this year and next. Illinois 53 from south of I-88 to 59th Street also is being resurfaced, with work wrapping up later this fall.”
* OK, so the House Democrats are receiving $9.9 billion, which works out to an average of $133.7 million per district (including Stava-Murray’s district, which actually receives nothing). Republicans are receiving $12.1 billion for 44 districts, which is an average of $275 million per district.
Discuss.
…Adding… From comments…
I’d really like to hear from Eastern bloc members to get their take on this.
Greg quoted him the other day…
To those who criticize lawmakers who voted against the tax increases to pay for infrastructure with their districts set to get more than a billion dollars, state Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, said even those who vote “no” have to pay increased taxes.
“The bill passed, I voted no, but we still have citizens that are paying the gas tax,” Hallbrooke said. “They should be the recipients of these improvement projects.”
Halbrook’s legislative districts gets $208.7 million, according to an individual district breakout for House Dist. 102.
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* The union is preparing for civil disobedience…
* Matt Masterson at WTTW…
The Chicago Teachers Union and city negotiators have reached more than 80 tentative agreements on various issues as of Wednesday night, according to CPS Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade. But the district is still waiting on counter proposals from the union on “top priorities” like class sizes, staffing and prep time. […]
Already the school district has postponed PSAT and SAT assessments until next week. If students aren’t able to take the PSAT before Nov. 1, they may miss out on applying for National Merit Scholarships, McDade said. […]
Speaking at a separate event Thursday morning, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she’s concerned about students planning to apply for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before the end of this month. […]
But the union says the two sides have gotten “nowhere” on enforcement language for capping class sizes or setting staffing levels.”
* Sun-Times…
[CPS Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade] said the district is waiting for counterproposals from the CTU team on class size and staffing levels — two major sticking points. If those are favorable, McDade said, “We can get some real strong movement.”
* Mitch Dudek and Matthew Hendrickson at the Sun-Times…
As the days without pay add up for striking teachers, security guards and other school workers, many say they are starting to feel the pinch in their pocketbooks. […]
What’s more, Chicago Public Schools could stop contributing to teachers’ health insurance premiums as early as next week when the month ends.
* The CTU and SEIU represent more than 30,000 CPS employees, so 400 crossing the picket lines would be 1.3 percent…
Not much.
* State representative from Chicago…
* Several Chicago legislators including House Majority Leader Greg Harris are openly supporting the striking workers, which could be problematic for CPS and the city if this strike lasts until veto session…
* At least three state legislators spoke at this rally yesterday. Sen. Ram Villivalam, Sen. Robert Peters and Rep. Delia Ramirez…
Click here for a longish thread on the contract negotiations by Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago).
*** UPDATE *** Hmm…
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* Background is here if you need it. Joe Cahill on new state funding for the Peotone airport…
In the Chicago area, O’Hare is adding 915,000 feet of cargo capacity, and Rockford’s airport is establishing itself as freight nexus. The fastest-growing cargo airport anywhere, Chicago Rockford International recently expanded to 200,000 square feet of cargo space. Amazon has designated Rockford as a gateway for its Prime Air logistics network.
What’s left for Peotone? Not much. Yet Pritzker wants to spend $200 million on a persistent folly.
Illinois taxpayers deserve better fiscal stewardship, especially with Pritzker digging deep into their pockets. He doubled the state’s gasoline tax to fund his infrastructure construction campaign, and wants voters to approve a constitutional amendment authorizing income tax hikes.
If he’s going to squeeze taxpayers so hard, the least he can do is spend their money wisely. Only essential projects with clear demand deserve taxpayer funding. That doesn’t include an airport nobody needs.
* StreetsBlog Chicago…
The Environmental Law & Policy Center’s Howard Learner told [Greg Hinz], “Illinois has a huge backlog of vital transit, rail, highway and bridge projects that improve community mobility. . . .Unfortunately, IDOT is allocating even more public funds than the Legislature appropriated in order to support the Peotone airport project that is opposed by the leading commercial airlines and doesn’t have a viable financial plan. Illinois has higher priorities.”
Indeed, why is the state planning to burn almost a quarter of a billion dollars on this boondoggle, other than to score some political points? Think of how much good that money could do if applied to relatively affordable sustainable transportation, such as creating rapid bus corridors. Heck, that cash would have been more than enough than the $160 million needed to build the first 5.6 miles of the proposed Ashland Avenue bus rapid transit corridor, including the purchase of new buses.
* Daily Southtown columnist Ted Slowik has long been a staunch opponent of the “boondoggle” project until recently, when he looked at an old chart about regional job concentration that he said airport supporters have used for years…
In 1960, shortly after the opening of O’Hare, jobs were fairly evenly distributed among the northern, western and southern suburbs surrounding Chicago. By 1980, however, there was a surplus of tens of thousands of jobs around O’Hare.
Within 20 years of O’Hare’s opening, the south suburbs lost more than 100,000 jobs and the northern and western suburbs gained more than 100,000 jobs. […]
With the commercial tax base decimated [in the southern suburbs], residential property tax rates skyrocketed. The tax rate in Park Forest is 34%. A cascading series of events has made it nearly impossible for businesses or homeowners to relocate to or remain in the south suburbs. […]
Amazon has declined comment on whether it would use the proposed South Suburban Airport. Again, there are no guarantees with the airport, only risk.
Yet, the risk of spending public funds for airport infrastructure is likely to pay huge dividends in future private investment.
Thoughts?
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* Kristen Schorsch at WBEZ…
Illinois doctors were ecstatic in July when Gov. JB Pritzker made it easier for some low-income children to get vaccinated.
Pritzker reversed a state rule that required physicians to pay up front for expensive vaccines for their patients who are part of the state-run Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP. Doctors had sounded the alarm for years that shouldering that financial burden forced them to turn away patients on CHIP, leaving those kids potentially unvaccinated. […]
But now that CHIP vaccinations are free to doctors again, the state is running out of them. On the cusp of flu season, doctors are worried about flu shots in particular.
“I have no flu vaccine for CHIP,” said Dr. Jihad Shoshara, president of west suburban Pediatric Health Associates, a large provider in DuPage County for low-income children. “Flu season is coming and we have a subset of our pediatric population that we can’t vaccinate.”
Go read the rest for the back story.
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* Sun-Times on the Lightfoot budget, specifically the $163 million “emergency services reimbursement” line…
Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said $30 million of that amount is expected to come from increasing ambulance fees for patients with private health insurance.
The remaining $133 million will come from reimbursements administered by the state for ambulance transports for low-income patients on Medicaid, Msall said.
According to the city, Chicago now provides about 260,000 ambulance rides a year for low-income patients, but gets only about 8% to 36% of those costs reimbursed. Going forward, that amount is expected to grow to about 50%.
“It sounds like they have an agreement with the state to get $133 million for previously un-reimbursed ambulance service for Medicaid patients taken to hospitals,” Msall said.
“It doesn’t sound risky. They’re saying they have an agreement. The risk is whether or not the state will approve the graduated real estate transfer tax and the casino [gambling] fix.”
* A.D. Quig on the real estate transfer tax portion…
“There isn’t a great appetite for (the real estate transfer tax) during the fall veto session,” said downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, but he added, “The mayor’s team hasn’t really gone down there and started advocating in force. It’s not too late, but time is running out.”
“I just don’t know if there’s the political will heading into primary season to ‘do Chicago a favor,’” Reilly continued. “If the transfer tax is rejected by Springfield, that leaves another $50 million hole in the mayor’s budget that would need to be filled. . . .If the Legislature doesn’t allow it in the next year, that does the city a great disservice in years two, three and four of the budget,” when the city would miss out on $100 million in annual revenue. […]
Northwest Side Ald. Nick Sposato, 38th, was more optimistic. “All the Chicago state reps and senators are on board,” he said, “but those aren’t the people we need to talk to.” The trick will be convincing downstaters. Lightfoot expects aldermen to lobby their local Springfield representatives in the days leading up to the veto session, which begins Oct. 28.
Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, who has become one of the mayor’s chief antagonists, said he’s hearing a different story: that legislators on the city’s South Side “haven’t had any communication whatsoever” from the mayor’s team. “I do not have a high confidence level in Springfield,” he said, rating the mayor’s chances of success at 30 percent.
* Team coverage in the Tribune…
“I think that’s an unknown right now,” [Ald. Roderick Sawyer] said. “I want to make sure we can balance a budget on our own accord and not have to rely too much on Springfield because I’m not sure that’s going to come, especially in the form of a transfer tax or the casino assist.” […]
“We have not received any contact or any information from the mayor’s office, but we would look at whatever they send,” said Jason Gerwig, a spokesman for Senate GOP leader Bill Brady of Bloomington. […]
[House Republican leader Jim Durkin’s] spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis said it’s unlikely the transfer tax will have support from House Republicans.
Amanda Kass, associate director of the Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said one of the budget’s risks is that it requires action from Springfield to balance.
*** UPDATE *** Text from Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin)…
Mayor Lightfoot needs to understand that there are 59 members of the Senate plus 118 in the House. We all DO NOT live in Chicago and some of us have casinos and others are about to get one. They had a chance to negotiate during session, they could have asked for what they needed. If they open the bill for Chicago, there should be a discussion on other parts of the bill as well. I will not vote for a bill that is solely set up on helping just Chicago.
Elgin’s Grand Victoria Casino is one of her city’s largest employers.
…Adding… More ahistorical nonsense from the Tribune editorial board…
Emanuel during his two terms experienced uneven success at getting the legislature to approve his initiatives. Lawmakers reluctantly approved his speed camera program in 2011, for example, but he struggled to get help with pension relief and Chicago Public Schools funding.
Why? State lawmakers think big city mayors should figure out how to solve their own problems.
Lawmakers do often believe that Chicago should solve its own problems, but that wasn’t the case for the police and fire pension “relief” plan (basically just helping him kick the can into the future which is now) and CPS funding. The pushback there was mainly from Gov. Bruce Rauner. Remember all those vetoes and his claims of a “Chicago bailout”? The Trib apparently does not.
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* Press release…
GOMB Releases Five-Year Forecast Showing Significant Long-Term Challenges Without Fair Tax
Despite making substantial progress on Illinois’ fiscal challenges this year, Illinois will continue to face significant financial challenges until it finds a long-term solution to its structural deficit, the annual Economic and Fiscal Policy Report from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget concludes.
The bipartisan, $40.1 billion fiscal year 2020 budget enacted by the Governor and the Legislature – the state’s first truly balanced budget in years – begins to pay down Illinois’ debt and sets Illinois on a path to return the state to fiscal stability, while making key investments in long-term programs. In fact, the state’s projected surplus has increased by $30 million since the budget was enacted, and projected deficits into the coming years are improved from the past administration. But the state must continue to grapple with a multi-billion-dollar structural deficit in nearly all of the out years, which would further exacerbate the state’s bill backlog and payment delays. Because of the state’s unfunded pension obligations, the deficit is projected to grow faster than the economy, even in good years, diverting revenues away from critical investments in areas such as an educated workforce and strong infrastructure.
As a result, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget is projecting sizeable deficits in the General Funds budget for fiscal years 2021 through 2025. Without changes to the current trajectory of the state’s finances, year-end accounts payable will continue to grow year by year, the report states.
“Without structural changes like the Fair Tax, Illinois will continue to struggle to make ends meet, pay our bills on time and deliver vital services, like public education and public safety,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “While years of mismanagement has created these issues, we have a strong path forward and solution with the Fair Tax, which will ask the wealthiest 3 percent to pay more while 97 percent of Illinoisans will pay the same or less. Thanks to the bipartisan efforts of the General Assembly, we’ve already made fiscal progress, and I’m committed not only to stabilizing our budget but also making sure that Illinois grows and creates an economy that works for everyone.”
There are few alternatives if the Fair Tax amendment is not enacted, according to the report. Illinois would need to consider dramatic budget cuts of approximately 15 percent to many essential services such as education funding and public safety, or the state would need to raise taxes on all households – not just the wealthiest Illinoisans – by 20 percent under the existing flat tax.
Since taking office in January 2019, Governor Pritzker has taken several steps to control state spending and has ordered agency directors to continue to responsibly manage the limited resources of state government by proposing reductions in their maintenance operations funding for the coming fiscal year, identifying significant efficiency and savings ideas, eliminating or consolidating duplicative programs, reducing funding for underutilized or inefficient services and making improvements in service delivery that streamlines costs.
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) is required to annually submit an Economic and Fiscal Policy Report to the General Assembly outlining the long-term economic and fiscal policy objectives of the state, along with the economic and fiscal policy intentions for the upcoming fiscal year and for the subsequent four fiscal years.
The report is here.
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Lightfoot unveils budget, but questions remain
Wednesday, Oct 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot offered her 2020 budget plan on Wednesday, laying out a plan to dig the city out of a daunting $838 million deficit without relying on steep property tax increases.
Lightfoot’s plan includes raising money through higher taxes on rideshares, property transfers and on all food and drinks sold in Chicago restaurants. It also relies on restructuring debt and increasing the rates of downtown parking meters, among other things.
* Click here for the budget outline. She’s projecting $352.2 million in increased revenues, including $50 million from her real estate transfer tax proposal that is pending General Assembly action. Greg Hinz explains much of the rest…
Lightfoot mentioned $163 million in new revenue from “emergency services reimbursements.” That makes up almost half of the $352 million in the new revenue she’s counting on. Officials say that money will come from the state, not ambulance users, and a deal to provide the funds has been reached with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration.
Tina…
Encouraging.
She also proposed $51.8 million in spending increases.
* But there’s a whole lot of undefined “hope” in this plan…
That’s a lot (3.1 percent of the budget) of “improved fiscal management” after years of austerity. Hope she hired some wizards.
Also, keep in mind that the debt refinancing produces a one-year savings on paper. They’re booking all the savings up front. The current hole then reappears next year.
* From her speech…
Our 2020 budget developed $150 million in savings and efficiencies through an approach known as “zero-based budgeting,” which means we built it from the ground up, ensuring every line was essential to the core service mission of every department.
She didn’t mention what would be cut to reach that goal, which is 3.3 percent of the budget.
So, she’s got about $490 million in reductions which will either disappear in a year (refinancing) or will be difficult to achieve (”improved fiscal management” and, politically once the details emerge, zero-based budgeting).
* Back to her speech…
As everyone here knows, we have spoken at length to the governor and his team, legislative leaders and other lawmakers, business groups, and other organizations about our need for Springfield to support a Chicago casino, as well as develop a statewide pension reform package.
She wasn’t specific about what a “statewide pension reform package” should look like.
…Adding… Expected news…
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Oct 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Abdel Jimenez at the Tribune…
[Kentucky] on Monday launched a six-month marketing campaign to lure Illinois businesses across the border with the promise of lower taxes and better weather.
The first billboard, which proclaims “Illinois isn’t pro-business, Kentucky is,” went up on Monday near 147th Street [on Interstate 57]. Eight more billboards are expected to go up before Oct. 28, heading south to the Kentucky border. Kentucky is paying about $87,000 for the billboards and creative costs, said Jack Mazurak, spokesman for the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. […]
“We have had a number of Illinois businesses inquire about doing business in the state,” said Vivek Sarin, Kentucky’s economic development interim secretary. “It’s enough to catch our attention and justify this campaign that we are launching.” […]
“A lot of this is fueled by our right-to-work law,” Sarin said. […]
Since passing the so-called right-to-work law, Kentucky saw “pent-up demand and a lot of interest generated” from Illinois manufacturers that typically have unions, Mazurak said.
More KY slogans at the link.
* The Question: Your suggested Illinois jobs-poaching marketing slogans for Kentucky? Snark will be allowed.
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* WGN TV interviewed University of Chicago Professor Roger Myerson, who was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Economics, on the governor’s proposed graduated income tax…
But University of Chicago Professor Roger Myerson says framing the debate around the idea that higher taxes would make people leave doesn’t think the issue through all the way. […]
Illinois owes roughly $132 billion in unpaid pension debt, which divides into less than $30,000 per household. Myerson calls this amount the, “hidden mortgage, hidden debt that politicians didn’t tell us about because they weren’t taxing us.” […]
To determine whether or not the state is better or worse off because of this unpaid obligation, Myerson said you need to compare it to a hypothetical Illinois where everyone has been paying more taxes over the last 30 years.
This would mean that the future tax bills for each household would be less, on average. But as a result, the state would become more desirable and housing would become more expensive. And homeowners would need to take on more debt to buy a house. […]
“Of course there is some cost to having to pay more taxes, that’s true. But, it’s not going to ruin the state of Illinois,” Myerson said. “What is more ruinous to Illinois is the systematic unwillingness to face the realities of budgeting, and accumulating debts that will just increase the burden in the future.”
Thoughts?
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New GOP candidate announces in Shimkus district
Wednesday, Oct 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers about this several days ago. Mary Miller is the spouse of Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland), an Eastern Bloc member…
Mary Miller, a conservative Republican, has announced her run for Congress in the state’s 15th Congressional District. Involved in agriculture, small business, education, church and family, Mary is running to stand up for the future of the American Dream.
“I want to advocate for faith, family, and freedom. I will do what is best to uphold the Constitution of the United States and fight against the far-left socialist agenda which is detrimental to the future of our country and is full of nothing but false promises,” said Miller.
Mary’s top priorities will be making the President’s tax cuts permanent, promoting Illinois agriculture, coal and oil production, pro-growth business policies and protecting our southern border.
“I stand with President Trump on immigration,” Miller said. “Everyone agrees that legal immigration has been, and will continue to be, an important part of what makes us a great country. But we cannot continue to allow people to sneak in illegally. We need to secure our border, build the wall, and reform our immigration system.”
Miller is passionately pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, a supporter of term limits, deregulation, and is for free and fair trade. Coming from the perspective of a middle class American, farmer, small business owner, and a mother, Mary understands the challenges people in the 15th District face every day.
“It will be a privilege to represent the hardworking taxpayers, businesses, and families of this district! I especially want to do what is best for the future of our children.”
Born in Oak Park, Illinois, Mary Miller graduated from Naperville Central High School and has a BS in Business Management and a BA in Elementary Education from Eastern Illinois University. Mary, and her husband Chris, have been married for 39 years and together they run a grain and cattle farm. They have seven children and sixteen grandchildren.
The 15th Congressional District includes all of 29 counties and parts of four counties. The District is almost 52 percent rural.
She’s also claiming to have raised $100,000 for her campaign. Miller could face Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) and Sarah Frey in the GOP primary to replace retiring US Rep. John Shimkus. Miller will attempt to run to the right of both, which is not a bad strategy in a GOP primary in a district like that one. The president won that district by 45+ points in 2016.
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* With all the usual caveats about Morning Consult’s opaque methodology, the company’s latest poll has Gov. Pritzker with a 43 percent job approval rating and a 42 percent disapproval rating. 14 percent are undecided.
He’s +47 with Democrats and -56 with Republicans, which is far worse (and probably more realistic) than the recent poll for Public Radio which had him at -36 with GOP respondents. That poll had his approval/disapproval rating at 59/41.
The Morning Consult poll taken during the first quarter of the year had Pritzker at 40/29, so his disapproval rating has climbed considerably since then. The governor was at 44/35 in second-quarter polling.
The company is claiming a margin of error of +/- 1 percent for 21,533 registered Illinois voters between July 1 and September 30.
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Today’s quotable
Wednesday, Oct 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dennis Byrne op-ed in the Chicago Tribune…
So long, Illinois. Goodbye, Chicago.
Here, I was born and raised. Schooled and worked. Practically my entire life has unfolded in Chicago and close by.
As a kid, I rode on Chicago street cars and the wooden “L” cars before there was a CTA. Took the old North Shore Line to high school and college. Flew out of Midway Airport when it was the nation’s busiest and before there was an O’Hare. Caddied in Northfield and labored over a North Avenue knitting mill’s steam table. I’ve worked for three Chicago daily newspapers. I love Chicago. Chicago is my town.
But I’ve had enough. Fed up. I’m gone.
There are as many reasons for leaving as there are people fleeing, the weather not being the least of them.
But that’s not the quotable. I mean, the dude is retiring to Florida after years of working in the North. Happens a lot. He’s chosen to make a big deal out of it. That’s his right. I wish him well. I love south Florida in the fall and winter.
* The hilarious part is the Tribune editor’s note at the end…
What does it tell you that Byrne, a lifelong resident of Chicago and an op-ed columnist here for 30 years, would prefer to risk living in Florida’s Hurricane Alley?
Yep, he’s risking his very life to leave Illinois.
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* Press release…
Today, State Representative Lindsay Parkhurst (R – Kankakee) is excited to announce major road and bridge projects for the 79th District stemming from the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan.
“I voted against raising taxes for the capital bill because Illinois families are already overtaxed. The people deserve more than two days to consider and vote on such an astronomical spending plan with money the state did not have to spend, but wanted to generate through a myriad of tax increases. However, this vote did not stop me from fighting to get capital projects for the taxpayers of the 79th District in the Rebuild Illinois Plan. I have, and will continue, to advocate strongly for local infrastructure projects to improve the safety of our roads and bridges, and to accommodate for growth in the area. I am happy to report many of these projects are included in IDOT’s Multiyear Plan,” Rep. Parkhurst stated.
The $8.5 million project to improve the efficiency at the intersection of Route 50 and Armour Road has been included in the Capital Plan. The project will span from the Bridge at I-57, down Armour Road, through Route 50, to the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge. The project includes adding turn lanes, removing the 4-way stop sign at CSL Behring and replacing it with a stoplight, and coordinating stoplights on Armour Road and Route 50 to increase the efficiency of the flow of traffic. The first part of this project is slated for 2020.
There is also an $11.5 million project to reconstruct the bridge and improve the geometrics including changing the alignment of the ramps to improve safety at the I-57 Exit 308 interchange. The first part of this project is slated for 2020.
In Grundy County, there will be a $22 million project on I-55 to improve the road and bridges from Gardner Road to the Will County Line. The first part of this project is slated for 2020. […]
The MYP for District 79 includes $447,195,000 for 77 state highway projects in the 79th District covering 113.59 miles.
Well, that’s one way of doing it.
Thoughts?
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IDOT ups the ante on Peotone airport
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Greg Hinz…
Tucked into the $23.5 billion five-year transportation program Pritzker unveiled yesterday (see pages 10-11) was a whopping $205.5 million for road construction work on Eagle Lake Road and Interstate 57. The proposed airport site is just to the east, and even though not one spade of dirt had been turned for runways or one airline has signed up, the road work is slated to go ahead.
Included: $150 million for a new interchange on I-57 at Eagle Lake Road, between 2021 and 2025; $19.5 million for construction engineering, and $10 million for land acquisition. Add it all up and it comes to $205.5 million, enough to build a couple of new high schools on the South Side of Chicago or speed western access to O’Hare International Airport, enough to begin work on extending the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line to the south city limits, or to fund the state’s annual hike in payments to its pension funds. […]
A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation confirmed the road plan increases that figure but deferred other questions to Pritzker’s media office, which said in a statement: “This funding represents an investment to promote critical economic development in the south suburbs, and the administration looks forward to continuing to discuss next steps with stakeholders.”
Maybe so. But how about guaranteeing that someone actually is going to use the proposed airfield before spending more than $200 million on roads through what now are just farm fields? As the Environmental Law & Policy Center’s Howard Learner put it in an email: “Illinois has a huge backlog of vital transit, rail, highway and bridge projects that improve community mobility. . . .Unfortunately, IDOT is allocating even more public funds than the Legislature appropriated in order to support the Peotone airport project that is opposed by the leading commercial airlines and doesn’t have a viable financial plan. Illinois has higher priorities.”
The state cannot constitutionally use Motor Fuel Tax revenues to build schools or fund the pension systems. But the caution urged here is legit. There is literally nothing at that proposed Eagle Lake Road interchange. If the airport is never built, it’ll be an exit to nowhere. And our other transportation needs are, indeed, very large.
Your thoughts?
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WBEZ…
Jose Alvarez, the tollway’s executive director, withdrew from his [Tuesday] speaking role at a planned City Club luncheon late Monday. That’s after WBEZ first reported on the City Club raid, and that federal investigators subpoenaed the organization for records about Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, D-Chicago.
“Executive Director Alvarez cancelled his appearance at the City Club while there are questions about the federal investigation involving the organization,” tollway spokesman Dan Rozek said in a statement released Tuesday. […]
In response to Alvarez’s sudden cancellation, the City Club issued a short statement Tuesday that said it “looks forward to welcoming Executive Director Jose Alvarez in the near future” and that it regretted any inconvenience associated with the cancelled program.
I give an annual speech for the City Club called “Christmas with Rich Miller.” It’s a fun event and we raise money for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. People also bring toys for kids under LSSI’s care. Tickets always sell out very fast. Last year, the City Club was kind enough to donate a table and we raised even more money for LSSI by auctioning off the seats.
The City Club and I usually set a date in the summer and then they sell tickets well in advance. I never heard from them this summer and made some travel plans for December. They reached out to me several days ago and I put them off while I tried to figure out logistics and whether to even do it. And then WBEZ reported that Jay Doherty’s office at the City Club had been raided and the City Club itself had been subpoenaed.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul didn’t cancel his City Club address yesterday, but he also didn’t take any customary questions from the media, saying he had an early afternoon meeting with other attorneys general.
My speech has become something of a tradition, and even though it’ll be a little bit of a hassle I could still make it to the venue. Or I could just hold an online fundraiser here for LSSI.
So, I’m gonna put it to a non-binding, advisory referendum. I reserve the right to make the final decision.
* The Question: Do the City Club speech or hold an online fundraiser? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
survey tool
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Pick a lane, please
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It looks like the CTU may have been “pulling a Madigan” at the bargaining table. Whenever the House Speaker wants to slow talks down or sabotage them, he sends lots of people into the room…
Lightfoot also complained that a 40-person CTU bargaining team is “unwieldy” and means CTU cannot “get back to us more quickly” on city proposals.
“I applaud them for their democracy, but that’s coming at a real cost, and the pace of this thing has to be accelerated,” Lightfoot said.
The mayor may have received her wish, because the union said Monday night that it wouldn’t have its whole bargaining team show up Tuesday if no progress would be made. Instead, the union said only its four officers would be at the table until things started moving in the right direction again.
That could be a positive sign.
* But then the mayor said this today…
She was also critical of CTU’s decision to not bring their full bargaining team to the table Tuesday.
“It’s unfortunate that the larger bargaining team has decided that they’re going to take the day off,” said Lightfoot. “There should be a sense of urgency all the way around.”
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Also, no mention in the piece that this was a complete flip-flop from yesterday.
One thing’s for sure, I do not believe Mayor Lightfoot wants this strike to spill over into the veto session. The Democratic super-majority generally favors teachers unions and she has some big asks.
* Related…
* What are CPS and the CTU fighting over?
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* Lori Lightfoot campaign press release from November 2, 2018…
Lightfoot will seek referendum approval to replace the regressive real estate transfer tax with a graduated real estate transfer tax. This change is estimated to generate between $80 million and $150 million in additional revenue that can be used to address homelessness and support housing that is affordable. Under the new graduated rate structure, nearly 95% of property transactions citywide would receive a tax cut on the sale of properties. For example, a transaction for a $250,000 home would result in $1,000 savings.
Once elected, all talk of a referendum disappeared and she has instead asked the General Assembly to pass a bill to implement the tax change (which is why I’m doing a post about it). And she decided she needed to use the vast majority of that revenue to help balance the city’s budget.
* Mayor Lightfoot press release…
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced today that the City of Chicago will increase funding for homelessness prevention by 36 percent, along with a commitment to increase the number of affordable units for Chicago’s lowest-income renters by 19 percent. This new package of investments and supports includes an increase in funding for the Flexible Housing Pool by $5 million to house more than 200 youth experiencing housing instability or homelessness, along with a commitment of $5 million from the corporate fund to the Low-Income Housing Trust Fund (LIHTF) for 520 new affordable housing units.
Together these investments will provide affordable housing to more than 700 new households through corporate fund contributions geared toward reducing homelessness and stably housing Chicago’s most vulnerable residents.
There’s no mention in the release about how that small increase would be funded.
* Bring Chicago Home Coalition…
Despite campaigning on a promise to dramatically increase funding for Chicagoans experiencing homelessness, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s inaugural budget proposal would perpetuate a severe shortage of aid for the more than 86,000 city residents who lack housing.
Chicago’s current spending to reduce homelessness ranks near the bottom of major U.S. cities, and Mayor Lightfoot’s budget proposal would do nothing to alter that dismal status, even though she promised revolutionary change through a dedicated new revenue stream. As Chicago’s massive homeless population braces for another winter, this is no time to leave them out in the cold financially.
Lightfoot would assign only an additional $5 million to programs specifically dedicated to relieving homelessness. The new funding would represent only a small fraction of the revenue that the city would generate from the proposed increase in Chicago’s Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), breaking Lightfoot’s campaign promise to make support for the homeless a principal beneficiary of the tax increase.
Fortunately, she still has an opportunity to uphold her word by asking state lawmakers to approve a RETT increase that dedicates a much larger portion of the proceeds to alleviating homelessness.
A 2018 poll conducted on behalf of CCH found that 66 percent of Chicago voters approved a RETT increase on property sales worth more than $1 million to fund programs that mitigate homelessness, and the BCH coalition introduced legislation in City Council that would authorize a referendum on this proposal on the March, 2020 ballot.
Lightfoot has said she plans to ask the Illinois Legislature for permission to institute a RETT increase without direct voter approval through a referendum – but her proposal excludes money for homelessness.
* Related…
* As hope for new source of city money fades, Chicago youth homeless programs at risk of losing federal funding too
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* Thomas More Society press release…
On October 21, 2019 the Thomas More Society filed a complaint against Illinois’ Reproductive Health Act with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. The new Illinois law requires health insurance policies to cover elective chemical and surgical abortions. According to the complaint, this mandate — which compels businesses and individuals to pay for even late term abortion coverage and offers no religious exemptions — violates the federal Weldon Amendment and Affordable Care Act
“This abortion-coverage mandate is a blatant violation of the religious and conscience rights of many who live or work in Illinois,” explained Thomas More Society attorney Michael McHale. “While the secular forces behind this mandate often erroneously object to any influence of religion on the state, here they had no hesitation in wielding state power against our sincerely held, common-sense religious beliefs to avoid paying for health insurance coverage of abortion.
The law, now known as Illinois Public Act 101-13, mandates every health insurance policy in Illinois that provides pregnancy-related benefits to provide coverage of elective abortions, and to do so without cost-sharing beyond that required for pregnancy-related benefits. It does not include any exemptions for religious individuals, religious organizations, or even churches.
The Thomas More Society, a national nonprofit public interest law firm and major force in the Constitutional defense of religious liberty, filed the complaint on its own behalf and on behalf of Flossmoor dentist, Dr. Richard Mantoan and his dental practice, Southland Smiles, Ltd. Both companies sponsor small group health insurance plans for their employees and offer a number of policy options purchased through BlueCross Blue Shield of Illinois. The new mandate requires both businesses to purchase health insurance policies that cover abortions.
The complaint details how the Illinois abortion-coverage mandate violates the federal Weldon Amendment, putting Illinois in jeopardy of losing billions of dollars of federal funding. The Weldon Amendment ensures that federal appropriations to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education may not be issued to any government that discriminates against a “health care entity,” including an insurance plan sponsor, on the basis that it does not provide health insurance coverage of abortion.
“This is exactly what the Weldon Amendment prohibits,” McHale said. “Illinois cannot force those of us who do not believe in paying for abortions to either pay for abortion coverage or drop our insurance. Doing so will require Illinois to forfeit federal funding for essential programs such as Medicaid.”
“Additional provisions of this radical abortion policy will force Illinois taxpayers to foot the bill,” added McHale, referring to the federal Affordable Care Act’s provision requiring a separation of abortion costs from other health care expenses. “It’s a direct violation of federal law. We should expect better from our lawmakers.”
“We are confident that the Office for Civil Rights will take our complaint seriously,” declared McHale. “Federal law clearly prohibits this brazen attempt to encroach upon our rights conscience. We urge immediate intervention to halt this illegal mandate.”
The complaint is here.
* React from Brigid Leahy, Senior Director of Public Policy, Planned Parenthood of Illinois…
The Thomas More Society’s complaint against the Reproductive Health Act is the latest tactic in an ongoing campaign to end access to safe and legal abortion. The Thomas Moore Society couldn’t stop the Reproductive Health Act in the state legislature, so they are desperately turning to the Trump Administration for help in cutting off access to abortion in Illinois.
The Reproductive Health Act ensures that everyone can make a personal decision when it comes to reproductive health care, including birth control, pregnancy-related care, and abortion. Having adequate coverage for care means people have the ability to make the decision that is best for them. Everyone should have coverage for a full range of reproductive health care, including abortion with access to safe medical care. Providing insurance coverage helps ensure that they will be able to see a licensed, quality health provider. Ten years ago, insurance plans routinely covered abortion just like other health care services. But, in recent years, it has become harder for Illinoisans to get insurance that covers abortion. The Reproductive Health Act addresses this issue by requiring state regulated insurance plans that cover pregnancy-related care to include coverage for abortion. This requirement is similar to a Maine law that passed earlier this year. In addition, California, New York, Oregon, and Washington require all state-regulated private health plans to include coverage for abortion.
* Personal PAC’s Terry Cosgrove…
It’s no surprise that extremists aligned with President Trump, such as Peter Breen and the Thomas More Society, who want to make abortion and birth control illegal for all women, are doing everything imaginable to enforce their right-wing religious views on everyone in Illinois.
* The RHA’s chief House sponsor, Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago)…
Once again exhibiting their complete disconnect from reality and the truth, the Thomas More Society has found a special ally in their efforts to limit access to reproductive health care in Illinois – the Trump Administration. Having been soundly defeated in the legislature – even after engaging in misrepresentations and exaggerations about the impact of the RHA, it was inevitable that they would turn to their friends in the Trump-Pence Administration, still using the tired lies we rejected this session. While we advanced access to care in Illinois, Trump appointees in Washington have attempted block people from accessing the reproductive health care, including abortion care, they need. This is just a speed bump. It will not succeed.
I asked for some examples of the group recycling “tired lies” and she sent me these two…
- The health care right of conscience act remains intact and religious objections are respected.
- The preposterous fear-mongering over abortion late in pregnancy. This is the biggest red herring of all and completely disrespects both pregnant people and health care professionals in their suggestions that it is anything but a medical tragedy when there is no other option but to end the pregnancy. Nobody does this on a whim. No doctor and no parent. It’s infuriating.
…Adding… Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake)…
This complaint is just one more ineffective attempt to deprive women of their right to quality health care.
Illinois expanded access to care with the Reproductive Health Act despite opposition from anti-women groups like the Thomas More Society, who seek to force their extremist politics onto others and limit access to safe and legal abortion.
As we proved when we passed the RHA, Illinois will not let the Thomas More Society or the Trump Administration get in the way of women’s health. Reproductive care is health care.
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* Lansing State Journal…
Dozens of websites branded as local news outlets launched throughout Michigan this fall, with monikers like Lansing Sun, Ann Arbor Times, Thumb Reporter and UP Gazette, promising local news but also offering political messaging. […]
[Metric Media CEO Bradley Cameron’s] biography also says he has worked for pharmaceutical manufacturers, technology companies, and is retained by national conservative leaders to respond to “government targeting of their operations and initiatives.”
According to the sites’ privacy policy pages, they are operated by Locality Labs LLC, a Delaware company that similarly affiliated with a network of local sites in Illinois and Maryland, and business sites in nearly every U.S. state.
The publications Locality Labs operates in Illinois, which include both websites and printed papers, provide different descriptions of their editorial direction.
West Cook News, for example, says its “core belief” is in “limited government, in the constructive role of the free market and in the rights of citizens to choose the size and scope of their government and the role it should play in their society.” It is funded in part by advocacy groups who believe the same.
Messages left with Locality Labs’ various Illinois publications were not returned. Locality Labs CEO, Brian Timpone, could not be reached for comment.
* I’ve been calling these publications “Dan Proft papers,” but Timpone runs the show. He’s a former Statehouse reporter and House Republican spokesperson. I’ve reached out to Brian for comment and will post it if/when I get it.
Check out this list of business publications operated by Locality Labs…
Again, that’s only the business publications. From the West Cook News page, here’s a list of their community publications in Illinois…
They also run several legal news sites, including the Madison-St. Clair Record in the Metro East…
Dude’s got some reach. (Headline explained here.)
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* I’m not certain I follow this argument. Which specific freedoms are being encroached upon by a camera that is programmed to snap a pic of your car if you run a red light?…
Illinois state Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) argues that the use of red-light cameras to enforce speeding and other driving infractions sends the wrong message to the public.
“They need to go because they’re the epitome of a police state,” Bailey told the SE Illinois News. “If you gotta have law enforcement from cameras, there’s a real problem. Think about it, if you have an officer out there doing the job, he’s doing much more than just standing around to write tickets. By sticking a red-light camera someplace, it’s our freedoms that are being encroached upon.”
But this is a good point…
Chicago has 309 red-light cameras spread out across the city, compared to an average of just under 69 in New York, Philadelphia and Phoenix, the three cities with the next highest amount of cameras.
“All that money with no accountability for it just breeds a culture of corruption,” Bailey said. “With this system, you’ve got the ability to choose who and what company you’re going to work with and no one knows nothing about that process.” […]
“It seems there’s very little oversight,” he said.
Yep. Their business model involves recruiting politically connected sales persons to convince mayors to install cameras and then those sales persons make a commission every time the cams ding a motorist.
I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
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* Background is here. Let’s take a look at the new IDOT plan…
Acting IDOT Secretary Omer Osman, a Pritzker appointee, said slightly more than $9 billion of the $23.5 billion that will be spent from fiscal years 2020-2025 will come from the federal government, about 39 percent of the total funding. He said the passage of the so-called horizontal infrastructure bill — dealing with roads and bridges rather than buildings —this May upped the state’s contribution to the multi-year plan from 12 percent to 58 percent.
The money will go toward maintaining 4,212 miles of roadways and 9.2 million square feet of bridges, according to the governor’s office. The projects on the list were identified “based on the principles of asset management” to “maximize system performance and minimize lifecycle costs.” […]
According to the governor’s office, 75 percent of the funds are allocated to reconstructing and preserving roadways and bridges, while 16 percent is dedicated “to strategically expanding the system in areas where data have shown the investment will be highly effective.” The rest will go to “necessary traffic and safety improvements.”
In total, $7.58 billion will go toward roadway reconstruction and preservation, $4.99 billion to bridge replacements and repairs, $1.59 billion to “safety and system modernizations,” $3.08 billion to strategic expansion of the system and $2.11 billion for system support such as engineering and land acquisition, according to the governor’s office.
* Tribune…
Republican Sen. Don DeWitte, of St. Charles, said for years state leaders have allowed “critical infrastructure to crumble.”
“This capital plan is going to do exactly what its name promises to do — it will rebuild Illinois,” DeWitte said.
The infrastructure spending plan is being fueled in part by gas and cigarette tax hikes, as well as increased license plate fees. The motor fuel tax doubled to 38 cents per gallon and will be indexed to future inflation increases. Municipalities in Cook County were authorized to levy a separate 3-cents-per-gallon motor fuel tax, while the collar counties were permitted to raise their taxes on motor fuel up to 8 cents per gallon.
Rather than using a “worst-first” approach, the plan aims to “determine interim repairs to extend the life cycles of the state’s key roads and bridges.” Among the factors IDOT used in evaluating the projects to be included in the plan are pavement condition, crash history, average daily traffic and bridge condition.
* SJ-R…
“There is no acceptance in anyway whatsoever, in fact a full-throated rejection by my administration, by this IDOT, of any of the deception, the corruption that has been uncovered or has yet to be uncovered,” Pritzker said. “We are being extremely focused and careful to make sure that every dollar that gets spent in this capital plan is done completely above board and done the right way and with taxpayers in mind. Every bit of this is receiving an extra focus, an extra lens, to make sure it is done above board and everything is on the up and up.”
Comptroller Susana Mendoza attended the news conference and said her office “will aim to break out as many of these payments as possible so that we can confirm that normal state spending is occurring.”
Acting Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said the road plan is twice the size it would have been without the new capital plan passed last spring. The plan covers $23.5 billion of spending on road, bridges and other transportation projects over a six-year period. The total includes federal matching funds, but Osmon said the state will now be picking up a larger part of a project’s cost.
“That will give us the flexibility of matching any federal fund,” he said.
* Center Square…
Pritzker said the state is also using a federal Transportation Asset Management Plan standard.
“Many other states have been working toward that standard, we are for the first time working toward that standard,” Pritzker said. “What does that mean? It means we’re saving a lot of money for taxpayers as we’re focusing on our roads and bridges.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation said TAMP is “a strategic and systematic process of operating, maintaining, and improving physical assets, with a focus on engineering and economic analysis based upon quality information, to identify a structured sequence of maintenance, preservation, repair, rehabilitation, and replacement actions that will achieve and sustain a desired state of good repair over the lifecycle of the assets at minimum practicable cost.”
Illinois’ TAMP was accepted by the federal government in August.
* WICS TV…
Sangamon County will see seven projects, including adding new lanes on interstates, bridge replacements and a new pedestrian overpass. […]
“I wasn’t excited about the 19 cents, I was hoping for a little bit less than that,” Rep. Mike Murphy, R-Springfield, said. “But we have neglected the roads and bridges for so many years, something like this had to be done and I really do think it’s going to be a game changer for the state of Illinois.”
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Watch the Dems dance
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square…
A new report reveals federal agents sought information about longtime Illinois House Speaker and Democratic Party of Illinois Chairman Michael Madigan as part of a broader probe into ComEd’s lobbying practices. […]
State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, said the latest revelations seem to “continue a long-standing tradition in Illinois of what looks like public corruption.”
“This is disturbing especially when coming on the heels of the capital bill, which a lot of us supported, which we all think is a good thing for the state of Illinois, coming on negotiations when it comes out of the energy bill when we see the largest utility in the state of Illinois is named in this,” Butler said. “I think it’s troubling.” […]
“I hope my Democrat colleagues are asking some serious questions to the Speaker as to what’s going on,” Butler said. “We’re going to have an opportunity to see if there are any answers come veto session.”
State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, said she doesn’t spend much time with party leadership.
“I don’t get into the fray with all that,” Scherer said. “I come here, I do my job, I go home and I don’t get into all those upper levels and I’m fine not being up there, quite frankly.”
Asked if she still has confidence in Madigan, she said “for right now, I’m just going with the flow and we’ll see how everything pans out.”
“I believe in following the law. I follow the law and I like to see that everyone does,” she said.
Watching the House and Senate Democrats dance around these questions could be a full-time job during veto session, which starts in six days.
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