Friday, Nov 6, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
“Among all the states, Illinois jumped to the head of the pack when it comes to the environment in 2016 with its Future Energy Jobs Act, a law creating a welcoming market for installing solar energy. But because of delays in acting on a successor law to provide new funding, the solar energy industry is leaving the state in what is being called a falling off of the “solar cliff.”
Illinois is estimated to have lost close to 3,500 solar jobs already, and 1,000 more jobs could be gone by the end of the year…
Illinois has worked hard to become a leader in green energy, attracting jobs in the industry and improving the environment. The state has become an important home to businesses installing solar energy and making use of “community development” projects, in which property owners without good access to sunlight can share projects with other property owners.
The trial court abused its discretion by granting a temporary restraining order where the petitioner failed to establish a likelihood of success on the merits. […]
Turning to the substance of this appeal, defendants contend that the trial court improperly granted FoxFire’s request for a TRO because FoxFire did not establish a likelihood of success on the merits. […]
In order to show a likelihood of success on the merits, the party seeking injunctive relief need only “raise a fair question as to the existence of the right which [it] claims and lead the court to believe that [it] will probably be entitled to the relief requested if the proof sustains [its] allegations.” Because both the Act and subsequent statutes confirm the governor’s authority to issue successive proclamations arising from a single, ongoing disaster, we find that FoxFire failed to establish a probability of success on the merits.
Because the Act plainly authorizes the governor to issue successive disaster proclamations stemming from one, ongoing disaster, the trial court abused its discretion in finding that FoxFire established a likelihood of success on the merits.
When interpreting a statute, a court’s primary objective is to ascertain the legislature’s intent. The best indicator of the legislative intent is a statute’s language, given its plain and ordinary meaning. Where a statute is unambiguous, a court should apply the statute as written without the use of extrinsic aids.
“It is not permissible to depart from the plain language of the statute by reading into it exceptions, limitations, or conditions not expressed by the legislature.” […]
To maintain the separation of the legislative and judicial branches, courts should avoid implementing their own “notions of optimal public policy” into legislation.
Pursuant to section 7 of the Act, “[i]n the event of a disaster *** the Governor may, by proclamation declare that a disaster exists.” 20 ILCS 3305/7. Once such a declaration has been made, the governor may exercise his emergency powers “for a period not to exceed 30 days” following the proclamation. The State notes, and we agree, that nothing in this language precludes the governor from issuing multiple disaster proclamations—each with its own 30 day grant of emergency powers—arising from one ongoing disaster.
While section 7 does not contain any limitations to the governor’s power to issue successive disaster proclamations, other sections of the Act do contain limitations on other local officials’ capabilities to exercise that power. […]
From this section of the Act, it is plain to see that where the legislature intended there to be a check on an official’s powers to make consecutive disaster declarations, it explicitly provided as much. […]
However, by failing to consider the entirety of the Act before concluding that the governor’s authority to address the COVID-19 pandemic were “limited by the legislature to 30 days,” the trial court improperly considered section 7 of the Act in a vacuum. The trial court’s interpretation of the Act also violated a second maxim of statutory interpretation by reading limitations into the Act that were neither provided nor intended by the legislature. Because the trial court ignored these maxims of statutory interpretation, we find that it abused its discretion when finding that FoxFire established a likelihood of success on the merits. […]
Our reading of the Act is bolstered by recent legislation that explicitly refers to the governor’s authority to issue successive disaster proclamations. […]
Each of these three statutes explicitly contemplates the governor’s authority to issue successive disaster proclamations. In fact, the amended language of the Unemployment Insurance Act mentions the governor’s power to issue subsequent proclamations specifically to address the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
FoxFire, seemingly abandoning its argument regarding the governor’s authority to issue successive disaster proclamations, now argues that section 7 of the Act imposed an additional prerequisite to the governor exercising his emergency powers to address the pandemic. Specifically, FoxFire reasons that before utilizing his emergency powers, the governor needed to show that “strict compliance with the statutes/rules at play must hinder the action [he] desires to take.” FoxFire concludes that, because the governor did not show strict compliance of section 2(c) of the Public Health Act (20 ILCS 2305/2(c) (West 2018)) hindered his efforts to address the pandemic, he was not authorized to suspend that statute by issuing EO61.
We understand and certainly appreciate amici’s cause for concern, especially considering the extreme hardships that the restaurant industry has faced in light of the ongoing pandemic. However, as we have noted above, we are not tasked with questioning the policies behind EO61. Instead, pursuant to the trial court’s issuance of the TRO, we are only tasked with determining whether the governor had legal authority to proclaim successive disasters to address the pandemic. Even if we were to consider the wisdom behind EO61, we note that the record is insufficient to guide us in such an analysis. As FoxFire has already suggested, the record contains no reference to any facts, figures, or expert testimony to support or rebut the governor’s implementation of EO61. Therefore, while we appreciate amici’s contentions, they unfortunately bear no relevance to the issue underlying this appeal.
The Governor’s Office was notified this afternoon of a recent exposure to COVID-19 and as result of that possible exposure is currently conducting contact tracing and following all necessary health protocols from IDPH. The exposure was the result of an external meeting with the Governor that took place on Monday in a large conference room in the Governor’s Office. The Governor was tested today and his results will be made public when available. The Governor is currently isolating pending his test results.
From what I know, the governor has very few in-person external meetings. But he did say he met Monday with restaurant industry representatives, which would be quite ironic since they were trying to convince him to keep restaurants open for indoor dining.
I’m assuming that reporters who’ve attended his press conferences this week should probably now get tested as well.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is headed back to quarantine again after his office was notified this afternoon of a recent exposure to COVID-19 that occurred during a Nov. 2 meeting with Illinois Restaurant Association representatives.
Sam Toia, president of the association, confirmed the positive case among his team. The restaurant association has been actively lobbying the governor’s office to ease limits on indoor dining the state imposed amid a surge in COVID cases across the state.
A half-dozen association members met with Pritzker’s team this week to discuss easing indoor dining restrictions. “We were social distancing, everyone had their masks on,” Toia said. “We did everything like we were supposed to do.”
Toia is saying the same thing about the alleged safety of indoor dining, by the way.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Governor Pritzker and staff who attended the meeting Monday where they were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 have tested negative. The PCR tests were conducted Friday afternoon. This is the second negative test result for the Governor and staff after they underwent their weekly test on Wednesday.
Per the CDC, the Governor and staff who attended the meeting, are not considered close contacts because they met with the individual prior to 48 hours before symptom onset. Following CDC guidance, the Governor and staff will not be required to quarantine for 14 days.
A press release is coming on this, but the governor explained today that outside Cook County and Chicago, contact tracers were able to reach 90 percent of those who test positive. The city and the county have real issues that need to be fixed. I’ll be updating as he goes along.
* He talked about outbreaks and exposures…
These are two words that get thrown around incorrectly, a lot, but they actually have very specific distinct meanings in public health. To start, let’s talk about an outbreak.
The location of an outbreak is more difficult to identify than the location of an exposure. An outbreak is defined as five or more cases that are linked to a specific setting during a 14 day period. Linked cases must be from different households and not already connected from other sources. And while certain settings like a college campus a factory or group home may make it easier to determine an outbreak, most establishments that are frequented by the public like restaurants, or grocery stores are not easily determined as the setting of an outbreak, based upon those rules. Add on to that that this disease is a respiratory in nature and a person might take some time before they start to show symptoms. And you can see why where outbreaks occur is important information, but far from the whole picture.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Exposures…
Much more useful for identifying regular locations that amplify the spread of the virus is exposure data. Particularly useful for the average person who wants to design their day to day in a way that reduces the highest risks.
Exposure data comes from contact tracers talking to confirmed positive covid patients about the places that they went in the time before they were symptomatic or tested positive for. For most people, especially those who don’t have the ability to work from home. That’s going to amount to multiple locations.
The day before a person tested positive for example, she might go to work, and then stop at a grocery store, and then stop and get drinks with friends at a bar that’s three exposure locations, and that’s just one day. Why is this important? Because exposure data is going to give you a sense of where you’re at the greatest risk for catching COVID-19, and particularly when we see community transmission as high as it is around the state, the risk is going to scale up across the board. Remember, masks are vitally important and the best tool for reducing risk but even with a mask. You don’t eliminate risk, especially when the inside in proximity to other people. And when you’re taking your mask off in public to eat, or to drink, or even to chat. You’re upping your risk.
So here’s our exposure data, to date, in Illinois, as you would guess workplaces in schools are going to be big. Because anyone reporting to their workplace every day, or any student or teacher engaged in in person learning, who tested positive is probably going to list school or work as a place they were before they tested positive.
But the single largest category of exposure locations statewide is restaurants and bars. And we see similar trends on a region by region basis, which you can review on the IDPH website. This aligns with the CDC study that came out earlier this fall. The study shows that when a COVID positive person could not identify a close contact that may have given them they were twice as likely to report dining in a restaurant in the two weeks prior to diagnosis.
These are facts. And if the facts change we can change our response, but all the data we have so far. points to these locations where people move, remove their masks in close contact for an extended period of time, as a major source of risk and, frankly, importantly, our mitigation plans, reflect the fact that those are a major source of risk.
* School exposure data…
Moving to school exposure data. I know the size of that school column on the exposure sites might alarm some parents. So I want to offer a couple of caveats on this data.
First, this is exposure data, not necessarily the exact location where a student or teacher actually contracted COVID-19. Anyone who goes into a school building regularly would have likely reported school as a place they went before they became a confirmed positive. That doesn’t at all mean that school is where they contracted the disease originally. And remember that masks are required in school and are not intended to be removed for extended periods of time.
Second, while we have school based data broken out by school on our website, this is exposure data that comes through contact tracings at local health department’s. The best data for any one specific school will come from the area local public health department. Schools are required to let parents and local health officials know about any positive cases. In terms of school outbreaks we have 10 schools that have currently reported confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks across the state. Again local health departments will be the best source of information on any specific school.
These outbreaks do not include secondary cases that may occur in a household among a household member who’s not been on the school grounds, but they do include those associated with before and after school programs like sports.
* Back to outbreaks…
In our statewide outbreak data we see a pattern of formal group gatherings, making up the majority of our confirmed outbreaks. Again, these are the settings where it’s easiest to trace the origins of someone’s illness and declare a situation a formal outbreak. I mentioned that the reasons why outbreaks are difficult to pin down, and I’ll add that with rates of spread the way they are right now, it’s only going to get harder, because this disease isn’t concentrated. Right now, it’s widespread.
* I’d been meaning to get to this, but other stuff got in the way. From last week…
The Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees has given preliminary approval to a $5.69 billion state contribution to the System for fiscal year 2022, a 10.7 percent increase over the current fiscal year’s government contribution of $5.14 billion.
Last year’s five-year forecast from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget predicted the FY22 TRS contribution would be $5.38 billion. So, that’s an increase of $310 million above the projection and a $550 million overall increase. And it obviously comes at a time when the state can least afford it.
Despite the pandemic and continued economic uncertainty it has caused, through the first one-third of FY 2021, base receipts are up $472 million. The growth reflects the surge in July income tax receipts related to the filing deadline extension. Through October, combined net income tax receipts are up by $1.545 billion. While net sales taxes are up only $54 million, that modest yet surprising gain serves to demonstrate the consumer’s recovery efforts from COVID- 19 driven economic disruptions.
All of the other revenue sources combined have declined a net $111 million, principally due to the one-time court settlement proceeds receipted last fiscal year. Overall transfers are off considerably, down $710 million, much lower reflecting the significantly lower Income Tax Refund transfer levels as well as other miscellaneous transfers. With another poor showing in October, federal sources are now down $306 million year to date.
To stress the point, income tax receipts for this fiscal year only appear higher because the April 15th deadline was extended until July.
The Board also announced that due to the economic upheaval created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the final TRS investment return for FY 2020 was +0.55 percent, net of fees, on June 30. By comparison, on December 31, 2019, the half-way mark in FY 2020, the TRS rate of return was +13.41 percent.
“TRS has enough money on hand to pay all pensions for years into the future,” said TRS Acting Executive Director Stan Rupnik. “Yet, the System still carries a large long-term unfunded liability that leaves TRS vulnerable in an era of economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus.”
The System’s unfunded liability increased by $2.6 billion during FY 2020 to a total of $80.7 billion. The total liability – all benefits owed to all TRS members for all time – increased by $4.1 billion to $135.6 billion.
Despite the growth of the unfunded liability in FY 2020, the funded status of TRS remained relatively stable at 40.5 percent; compared to 40.6 percent in FY 2019 and 40.7 percent in FY 2018.
* It probably goes without saying that Local 150 has been a major backer of House Speaker Michael Madigan…
It’s more clear than ever that Illinois’ fiscal challenges are severe and immediate, and it is disheartening to see leaders wasting our time playing the blame game only days after the election. Even in the best of times, that doesn’t pass for leadership, but with what we’re…
… facing, it is a disservice to every citizen in Illinois who is looking to Springfield to do its job. The election is over, though ballots are still being counted, and Illinoisans are ready to focus on solutions rather than finger-pointing. #amnesia
* Attorney General Kwame Raoul has filed a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court to consolidate 11 more COVID-19 lawsuits with the ones that were already consolidated in Sangamon County. Click here for the motion. I didn’t even know some of those lawsuits had been filed.
[Katy Hasson, president of the IHSA board of directors and principal at Rockridge High School] said the IHSA directors were aware of the consequences of their action, primarily that schools would not likely have the support of their liability carriers if they forged ahead with the season.
That situation, and a decision whether to play basketball, now confronts local schools and their local boards of education across the state.
A straw poll of more than 300 Illinois Athletic Directors Association members showed that about 9% were certain they would play basketball this season, 29% said they wouldn’t and 62% were unsure.
“Difficult to go against a recommendation of a million dollar plus liability,” she said. “That’s a huge decision.”
* Meanwhile, from a Center Square email…
Restaurant owners looking to get some of the federal funds the state is doling out might be on the hook if they violate the governor’s orders. The DCEO said it could take funds away or force payback from businesses that get the grants but don’t comply with mitigation efforts such as the prohibition on indoor service.
I checked with Lauren Huffman at DCEO…
Compliance with all relevant laws, including the statewide social distancing guidelines to protect public health and safety, is a condition of eligibility for the BIG program. DCEO will take appropriate actions regarding applicants and grantees who are not complying with the statewide public health orders in coordination with IDPH and ISP.
As part of the BIG grant application, applicants agree to this…
The subrecipient has complied and will continue to comply with all relevant laws, regulations, and executive orders from the State and federal government, including the social distancing guidelines as promulgated by the Executive Orders of the Illinois Governor.
Businesses that have been awarded funds and don’t comply, which could be grounds to rescind the award and require return of funds.
* Coming a bit late to this, but it appears that Cook County is barely running any sort of contact tracing operation. WBEZ…
Dr. Rachel Rubin, who runs the Cook County Department of Public Health with another physician, said the county isn’t focusing on where outbreaks have been. The suburban region is roughly 700 square miles — too big to monitor and analyze the addresses of people who test positive for the virus and see if clusters arise, Rubin said.
“I can’t tell you how many restaurants are affiliated with particular positive cases, because this requires us to talk to the individual who is positive and ask them where their movements have been over the prior two weeks,” Rubin said. “It also requires them to be honest, and people don’t necessarily want to ‘tattle on their friends.’ ”
“In suburban Cook County, we frankly are not up to speed yet to where we can talk to those contacts right away,” she added. […]
She didn’t have specific numbers, but she said the county has traced a “fraction” of the just over 75,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region. Instead, the county focuses on specific areas, like schools and people in their 20s, where cases are rising quickly. And the department investigates complaints, such as if people are not wearing masks at specific restaurants.
The state has got to change the way it handles public health. Too much authority is given to local health authorities, who too often just do their own thing or are (in some Downstate areas) are brow-beaten by local county boards into submission.
Illinois needs a more regional approach. We just have way too many counties.
A state labor court on Thursday rejected the Chicago Teachers Union’s request to delay the district’s school reopening plans at this juncture, but said it would reconsider the case when Chicago set a specific date for teachers and students to return to buildings.
The request is part of a broader effort by the union to force Chicago Public Schools to negotiate the terms of its reopening through an unfair labor practice lawsuit.
School officials say they intend to bring pre-kindergarten and some special education students back to school buildings sometime in the second quarter, which runs from Nov. 9 to Feb. 4. They have not yet released a return date or the results of a recent parent survey.
The ruling comes in response to an injunction filed by the union last month. The union accused the district of refusing to bargain over its reopening plan, and asked the state’s education labor board to delay a return to in-person school until the district begins bargaining.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 10,376 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 49 additional deaths.
Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, beginning November 6, 2020 and going forward, IDPH will report confirmed cases and probable cases combined. A confirmed case is laboratory confirmed via molecular test. A probable case meets clinical criteria AND is epidemiologically linked, or has a positive antigen test. If a probable case is later confirmed, the case will be deduplicated and will only be counted once. Probable deaths and confirmed deaths will continue to be reported separately.
Today’s additional deaths:
- Carroll County: 1 female 90s
- Champaign County: 1 female 70s
- Coles County: 1 male 70s
- Cook County: 1 female 60s, 2 males 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 4 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
- DuPage County: 1 female 60s
- Edgar County: 1 male 80s
- Fayette County: 1 male 90s
- Ford County: 1 female 90s
- Jackson County: 1 male 60s
- Kendall County: 1 male 80s
- Knox County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Macon County: 1 male 80s
- Macoupin County: 1 male 70s
- Marion County: 2 females 80s
- Mason County: 1 female 90s
- Monroe County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 100+
- Peoria County: 1 male 60s
- Piatt County: 1 male 80s
- Pike County: 1 male 80s
- Rock Island County: 1 male 90s
- Sangamon County: 1 male 60s
- Shelby County: 1 male 80s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 90s
- Tazewell County: 1 male 70s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 70s
- Wayne County: 1 female 70s
- Whiteside County: 1 male 50s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Will County: 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 465,540 cases, including 10,079 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 98,401 specimens for a total 8,215,129. As of last night, 4,090 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 786 patients were in the ICU and 339 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 30 – November 5 is 9.6%. This is the number that IDPH has been consistently reporting in its daily releases and is calculated using total cases over total tests. Similar to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH has been using test positivity for regional mitigation metrics on its website since mid-July. Test positivity is calculated using the number of COVID-19 positive tests over total tests. On October 29, 2020, IDPH began reporting the statewide test positivity in its daily releases. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from October 30, 2020 – November 5, 2020 is 11.1%.
Case positivity and test positivity rate are both relevant and offer insight into the bigger COVID-19 picture. Case positivity helps us understand whether changes in the number of confirmed cases is due to more testing or due to more infections. Whereas, test positivity accounts for repeated testing and helps us understand how the virus is spreading in the population over time.
Seventy-five counties, plus the city of Chicago, are currently reported at a warning level – Adams, Alexander, Bond, Boone, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Chicago, Christian, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Cook, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Effingham, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Iroquois, Jackson, Jasper, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Madison, Marion, Mason, Massac, McHenry, Mercer, Monroe, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Rock Island, Saline, Sangamon, Scott, Shelby, St. Clair, Stephenson, Tazewell, Vermilion, Wabash, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Whiteside, Will, Williamson, Winnebago, and Woodford.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
*** UPDATE *** Some of you have noticed that IDPH has some different case numbers today. Dr. Ezike explained this at the daily briefing…
In addition to the data that the governor just spoke about I want to tell people that we are also adding similar to the CDC. We will begin reporting confirmed, and probable cases.
I know that the various CDC terms may be new and are confusing, so I want to explain this update so you can best understand the numbers. I’m thrilled that so many people are following along on our on our website and following the information, so want to make sure it’s all clear.
As treatment and testing have evolved, so too has our response. In August, the national case definition was changed so that an antigen test alone would be considered a probable case. The increased use of antigen tests, we will get more probable cases and we want to make sure that we capture all of those cases that are diagnosed via antigen test, similar to how the CDC does this, and similar to how other states are calculating this as well, so that we can show our actual true Burden of Disease here in Illinois. The result of this is that the total number of cases, since the beginning of the pandemic that we report today is going to look quite a bit higher, because we have added all the probable cases, since the beginning of the pandemic.
Those were already reported each week on our website but we’re bringing that in so there’s approximately 7600 additional cases that will be added to Illinois, total number of cases. To be clear, these are being counted as new cases that occurred in the last 24 hours. These are previously reported probable cases that are now being included in our total grant case count. Instead of having them separated out. So today for the cases that we’re, new cases that were reported over the last 24 hours. That number is 10,376. And that creates total number of cases, 465,540.
November 6, 2020
To residents, families or responsible parties, and staff of the Illinois Veterans Home at LaSalle:
We are committed to communicating with you in a responsible and transparent manner about COVID-19 (coronavirus). Today we want to update you regarding our COVID-19 status. At this time we have 48 positive residents and 12 positive employees. We are following the latest medical guidance and will work with state and local health officials regarding any possible quarantines and to ensure the full care, testing and protection of anyone potentially exposed.
As always, our top priority is the health and safety of our veteran heroes and the devoted staff who care for them. Throughout this pandemic we have been following recommendations from state and local health officials to safeguard everyone at the facility. This includes continuing our health screenings of staff and residents, maintaining social distancing practices, wearing face coverings, using gloves and gowns when indicated, and intensified cleaning and disinfection protocols. We are grateful to our team for remaining highly vigilant for signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and for responding swiftly, appropriately, and professionally to any potential cases.
We understand this news can be distressing, which is why we encourage you to contact your loved ones for mutual support of one another. While we conduct additional testing, we are taking the extra precaution to suspend all visitation until we have a clearer picture of our status. We appreciate your understanding and support for any precautions we may need to take. We promise to keep you informed as we do everything possible to keep our residents safe. Our military veterans and our wonderful home staff are strong and resilient people. With your continued support, we will get through this together.
“The citizens of Illinois have delivered a clear message to our political leaders in Springfield,” Griffin said in an emailed statement to Forbes. “Now is the time to enact long overdue reforms to save our state from fiscal ruin. Illinois should forever be a place where people want to live, work and raise a family.”
* I told subscribers about this attempt to oust Leader Durkin on Thursday morning. Here’s Politico today…
While Democrats wring their hands about leadership, state House Republicans are buzzing about the Nov. 16 vote for minority leader. Rep. Tony McCombie has put her hat in the ring to run against Rep. Jim Durkin, who’s held the position since 2013.
McCombie told Playbook she’s talking to caucus members as she moves to line up support. “What I’m hearing is that people want change,” she said. “We need to build a bench. We need to diversify the caucus. We need more women and people of color. And we need to quit talking about it, take action and do it.”
McCombie’s campaign comes as Republicans nationwide elected at least more 13 women to Congress — a record-breaking recruitment effort.
“We have been the minority party for a long time and haven’t picked up net seats since 2013,” she said. In 2012, House Republicans held 47 seats and today they hold 44. They are picking up two, and possibly three, after Tuesday’s election thanks to the coattails of President Donald Trump. “To hold the majority accountable, we have to expand our caucus not just accept bread crumbs and make deals [with Democrats] that don’t expand our caucus or our voice in Illinois.”
McCombie’s entry in the leadership race prompted Durkin’s team to announce that he’s “already secured a majority of votes” to hold on to the minority leader position, according to a statement sent to Rich Miller’s CapitolFax blog.
That may be so, says McCombie, but an election will prompt some healthy discussion.
If Durkin is right and he’s already secured the majority, then I’m not sure what sort of discussion this challenge will prompt. We’ll see.
And the HGOPs picked up four net seats in 2016, including her seat. The Republicans were slammed all over the country in the 2018 midterms.
Also, Rep. McCombie chairs the House Republican Organization. You know, the same group that recruits candidates, raises money and oversees campaigns. So, when she talks about recruiting more women and people of color and winning more races, that’s actually what she’s supposed to have been doing for the past couple of years.
I asked her about this today and haven’t yet heard back. I’ll let you know if I do.
* Also, on a related note, congrats to Mahoney on being named to Crain’s 40 Under 40…
“There’s always a middle ground,” says Michael Mahoney. The trick, especially at a time of unprecedented polarization at every level of American government, is to find that middle ground and get something done, to be “a problem solver,” as his boss describes him.
Mahoney is widely considered in Springfield to be just that, someone who certainly is loyal to his boss, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, but also someone who knows how to digest and frame complex issues in such a way as to highlight the advantages to all sides of resolving those issues instead of just fighting. […]
Included along the way was a stint as policy adviser for pension and revenue to ex-Gov. Bruce Rauner, who was little inclined to find common ground with Democrats on much of anything. Rauner “knew what he wanted to do, but he had no idea how to do it,” says Mahoney. “You have to put time into being a politician. It’s not easy.”
That last line says it all.
…Adding… Text from Rep. McCombie…
HRO encompasses a lot of parts as you know… 2018 was an overall restructure year…. and our executive director change was not in place til end April/May… the bench needs a few on the seat to get started… as you know petitions start in the fall. Jayme Odom did a fantastic job with the lack of bench warmers and time she had to vet candidates. Some of which were soundly elected!
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday said he will again impose tougher statewide restrictions if the latest resurgence of the coronavirus, which has now claimed more than 10,000 lives in Illinois, continues to escalate. […]
“If the current trajectory continues, if our hospitals continue to fill up, if more and more people continue to lose their lives to this disease, we’re going to implement further statewide mitigations, which nobody, and I mean nobody, wants,” Pritzker said during a particularly bleak daily coronavirus briefing.
Illinois hasn’t had this many people in the hospital since May 21st. And the ICU bed situation hasn’t been this dire since June 4th.
“If the numbers keep going in the wrong direction, we will need to impose further mitigations,” Pritzker said. “I think we all remember what phase three looked like, what phase two looked like. Those are all things that are under consideration.”
The second phase of Pritzker’s regional, five-phase reopening plan allowed “nonessential” retail stores to reopen for curbside pickup and delivery, and for outdoor activities like golf and boating to resume. The third phase allowed for manufacturing, retail, offices, and salons and barbershops to reopen with capacity limits and physical distancing between people. Gatherings were limited to 10 people.
Illinois is currently averaging 3,400 hospitalizations due to coronavirus, well above the 1,500 the state reported at the start of October. Data has also shown a rise in the number of patients in the ICU, which have more than in the last month, Pritzker said.
“If the current trajectory continues, if our hospitals continue to fill up, if more and more people continue to lose their lives to this disease, we’re going to implement further statewide mitigations – which nobody wants to do,” Pritzker warned. […]
Pritzker warned specific regions, including Region 7, which includes suburban Will and Kankakee counties and is at a 13.4% positivity rate, and Region 1 in northwest Illinois, which is at an “alarming” 15.8% positivity.
“We are headed down a dark, dark path toward where we were last spring,” Pritzker said.
Across the state, hospital admissions have increased dramatically. In fact, every region in the Chicago area has seen hospital admissions double or more than triple in the past 30 days.
Numbers like these, Pritzker said, suggest the resurgence mitigations are not working or are simply not being followed to be effective.
Gov. Pritzker admonished municipalities that are not enforcing the indoor dining ban amid reports that a large number of bars and restaurants have continued to ignore the restrictions.
“When one of them gets a citation, others hear about it. When five of them get a citation, all of them hear about it,” Pritzker said. “They know that if there was enforcement, if there were actual consequences for their actions at the local level, and they’re supposed to enforce state laws. And when they don’t enforce them, people die.”
“Far too many local governments across the state are failing to enforce any mitigation measures, allowing this continued rise in positivity to balloon out of control. It’s time to take some responsibility,” Pritzker exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Pritzker and IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike both cautioned Illinoisans about traveling, hosting parties or gathering in large get-togethers over the upcoming Thanksgiving Day holiday.
“Let’s be clear. Travel will increase your chances of contracting and spreading COVID-19, as well going to a crowded event, as well having multiple people in your home for Thanksgiving,” Ezike said. “So, in terms of travel, we do recommend avoiding travel to areas of higher risk. But as you are seeing, that is almost everywhere. That includes essentially every county here in Illinois. That includes almost every state in the United States and many countries around the world.”
*** UPDATE *** The governor said today at his briefing that he wasn’t leaning toward closing down all restaurant on-site service because outdoor service was much safer.
Amid growing calls for police reform, Illinois’ top law enforcement official has been quietly working to build support for a proposal to license police officers in Illinois.
Currently, officers are certified by the state, but often don’t lose that certification due to misconduct. A licensing process aims to change that.
“What we’re trying to do is put together a credible system that can distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate complaints,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. […]
Under the proposal, police officers would be licensed and could lose licensing if accused of repeated or serious misconduct. Departments can now move to fire bad cops, but strict union protections often make discipline a difficult and lengthy process.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said he supports the proposal.
“The overwhelming number of police officers are good, honorable people who just want to do the right thing. That being said, I think in every department there’s usually at least one,” Berlin said.
Raoul and Berlin worked closely together on the Sterigenics issue. Raoul is also working with people like Markham Police Chief Terry White. The Chicago FOP opposes the proposal. Read the rest for that.
As Raoul and others work through the sausage-making process, I wondered aloud whether proponents may be missing the moment. Hot issues always fade in time, and the General Assembly is not scheduled to return to Springfield until after the November election.
Raoul said he agreed the moment may pass. “The sustainability of it is a legitimate question,” he said. But, he added, “there is something very, very different” going on now in the wake of Floyd’s death under the knee of that Minneapolis police officer.
“Now, let’s face it, we’ve had several of these incidents that make people pop up and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do something.’ But there is something really different here. Part of it was just the depravity” of the eight-minute video of a man dying. Laquan McDonald was killed by 16 shots, “but it was a quick 16 shots. This is like a slow, ‘I don’t care, I can do this.’ ”
But, Raoul said, it’s the leaders of law enforcement who could prove to be the ally that pushes this idea across the finish line, even several months from now.
Illinois Democrats and the Illinois House should consider replacing House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, said Wednesday.
“The ongoing investigation surrounding Speaker Madigan is an unnecessary distraction and makes it harder to carry out the work of helping the people of Illinois,” Duckworth, of Hoffman Estates, said in a statement exclusively to The State Journal-Register.
“As our nation hopefully embarks on a brighter path with a new president, the Illinois Democratic Party and the Illinois House of Representatives should consider new leadership to continue the progress we’ve made at the state level and build on it.”
Notice that Duckworth went further than either Durbin or Pritzker. Both of them focused solely on Madigan’s Democratic Party of Illinois chairmanship. Duckworth mentioned the Illinois House as well.
…Adding… The Cook County Assessor isn’t exactly on the same level as a US Senator, but Madigan’s firm does a lot of work in that field, so here you go…
“It’s time for Speaker Madigan to step down as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. Now more than ever, we need new, reform-oriented leadership that can drive an agenda for working families.”
* Background is here if you need it. Gov. Pritzker was asked today: “To be clear, you agree with Sen. Durbin that we need new leadership at the party?”
“Yes,” the governor said.
I’ll update this in a bit.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker was asked to clarify something he said earlier when he was asked about Durbin’s comments regarding Speaker Madigan’s party chairmanship…
Look, I agree with Senator Durbin that opponents were able to tap into voters’ concerns about corruption and their lack of trust in government. There are real challenges there, and you know that I have proposed significant ethics reforms that I know that the legislature needs to take up. The Republicans and the billionaires that sided with them were effectively able to use the speaker as their foil. And that hurt our ability, our state’s ability to get things done.
And the truth is that Democrats are standing up for the middle class and getting important things done to support them. But it is clear that Senator Durbin is expressing something that I think is accurate.
…Adding… Press release…
Last night in a television interview, Senator Dick Durbin said about Speaker Michael Madigan: “All across our state – and the advertising told the story – we paid a heavy price for the Speaker’s chairmanship of the Democratic Party…I hope he takes that to heart and understands that his presence as chairman of our party has not helped.”
Today, during his daily COVID-19 briefing, Governor Pritzker was asked if he believed Madigan should step down as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. He responded with a “yes.”
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider released the following statement in response:
“Let me be clear: a superficial and political demotion as Chairman of the DPI does nothing to end Madigan’s reign of corruption as Speaker of the House. His position at the heights of our state government is where he derives his power and where he still diligently gives Governor Pritzker his marching orders. Suggesting the Speaker step down as party chair is a cop out.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
Please see the following statement from Chairman Madigan:
“I am proud of my record electing Democrats who support workers and families and represent the diversity of our state. Together, we have successfully advanced progressive policies that have made Illinois a strong Democratic state with supermajorities in the legislature. Illinois is the anchor in the ‘blue wall’ that has been reconstructed in the Midwest, and I look forward to continuing our fight for working families as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.”
More Americans than expected filed for state unemployment benefits last week, underscoring churn in a labor market that continues to recover only gradually.
Initial jobless claims in regular state programs totaled 751,000 in the week ended Oct. 31, down from an upwardly revised 758,000 in the prior week, Labor Department data showed Thursday. On an unadjusted basis, the number of applications was little changed.
Continuing claims — or the total number of Americans claiming ongoing state unemployment assistance — fell by 538,000 to 7.29 million in the week ended Oct. 24, the sixth straight decline. Still, the number of people claiming support in a federal program that offers extended assistance increased as more Americans exhausted their regular state benefits.
A total of 73,515 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of Oct. 26 in Illinois, which had the second largest weekly increase (38%) in the nation, according to the latest report released Thursday.
According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) there were 10,705 new claims filed during the same week in 2019. That’s a 587% increase.
The latest claims reported by IDES are a 38% increase over the previous week of Oct. 19, when the state reported there were 53,138 claims filed in Illinois. The state’s rate of increase is second only behind Kentucky, which saw a 69% increase in unemployment claims. However, Illinois had by far the largest increase in overall claims, with 20,377 more than the previous week. No other state reported an increase of more than 4,000 claims.
I believe we have an epidemic of asymptomatic super spreaders of this virus. Two of my fours sons are positive and have no symptoms. That God for contact tracing. They are fine and are in quarantine. Now another of my sons and I are scrambling to get tested. He got a cancellation and is in a line that will be hours long. I’m still trying to get an appointment. We will also be in quarantine.
These long testing lines are starting to make me very nervous.
* And while we’re talking about asymptomatic spreaders…
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike suggested Wednesday that poll workers, voters and others who participated in the election throughout the state be tested for the coronavirus. […]
She asked that even people who test negative for COVID-19 following a week of exposure to “be careful” as many develop symptoms up to two weeks after encountering the virus.
Individuals not wearing a face covering around their nose and mouth in grocery stores, gas stations and other retail businesses in Springfield can now be fined $50, and businesses can get hit with a $250 fine for not requiring customers to comply with the mask mandate.
A subsequent violation for a business would lead to a $500 fine. Face coverings are proven to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The Springfield City Council approved the ordinance at an emergency meeting Wednesday night.
I’m told the Illinois Retail Merchants Association supported this ordinance and believes the state should follow suit.
…Adding… From IRMA…
IRMA is pleased the city of Springfield will begin fining individuals for not wearing face coverings in retail locations. This is exactly the approach the state should have been taking from the beginning instead of asking businesses to serve as law enforcement officials. Businesses should be held accountable for what they can control (e.g. one or more of the following: sign on door, using public address system to remind consumers, social distancing markers on the floor by point-of-sale, someone at the entrance to remind consumers). Individuals should be held responsible for wearing face coverings. The most common excuse is a consumer claiming they have a medical reason they cannot wear a face covering. At this point, retailers are prohibited by law from inquiring further or taking an additional action. Another common action is the consumer removes it the moment they are in the store or out sight of an employee. Likewise, retailers cannot physically restrain anyone. The most common refrain is “simply don’t sell to them”. That is neither simple nor realistic. Consumers are regularly claiming medical exemptions and retailers risk legal claims on denial of service. Finally, such confrontations put retailers in harm’s way and we’ve recently seen these tragedies become reality in Illinois.
* More from Springfield’s city council via the SJ-R…
At the same time, the council passed on an opportunity to endorse a “phased” mitigation plan rolled out by Mayor Jim Langfelder and Sangamon County leaders Tuesday afternoon that directly defies Gov. JB Pritzker’s mitigation order by allowing indoor bar and dining service to continue at 25% capacity for at least two weeks. […]
A resolution affirming the approach to mitigations along with other measures — including the discouragement of private house parties and giving bars and restaurants a six-month credit on their annual liquor license renewal fees — was tabled after an hour of debate.
Some council members, such as Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner and Ward 8. Ald. Erin Conley, said they were unwilling to buck Pritzker and sign off on lax mitigations. Others, like Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath and Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer, worried the 25% capacity might be too low for many bars and restaurants to stay afloat. […]
Langfelder acknowledged after the meeting that he does have the authority under his emergency powers to implement the contents of the resolution on his own. He said he plans to sign an emergency order in the coming days reflecting that.
“I thought it was better to have a discussion with everybody, and then move in that direction,” Langfelder said. “So we’ll probably be forthcoming with that resolution. But the most important part was the mask ordinance. And I appreciate the council passing that unanimously.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a new report showing 61-thousand children nationwide tested positive for the virus last week. As of October 29, there have been over 850-thousand cases reported in children. Children have represented more than 11% of all cases of the virus in the country.
During the daily COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in the latest statewide report that children were the third-largest group in terms of the number of cases.
“They are involved in activities and group things as well,” Ezike said. “There are sports, there’s dance, there’s school, there’s trick-or-treating, there are birthday parties, so there is ample opportunity for our younger residents to get the infection as well.”
According to a CDC report in October, adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 were twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19 than kids between 5 and 11 years old.
While cases of severe illness appear to be rare among children, most times it is in infants younger than 1.
I personally know of two infants with the illness. Not a good thing.
Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) issued the following statement after he was chosen as Leader-Elect of the Illinois State Senate Republican Caucus by its members this afternoon:
“I want to thank my colleagues for choosing me for this important role.
“There are exciting days ahead. Illinois voters sent a powerful message this week by overwhelmingly rejecting the constitutional tax hike amendment and sending the message that they do not trust state government with broader taxing powers.
“We Senate Republicans hear you loud and clear and are ready to act.
“During my tenure in the legislature, I have made meaningful reform my top priority. Our caucus will embrace a fundamentally new direction for Illinois. We need balanced budgets, smaller and smarter government, lower taxes, economic reforms, and a world-class education system that prepares our next generation to stay and succeed here, not flee to another state.
“We will work every day to rebuild voters’ trust, weed out corruption, grow our caucus, reform our spending and revive what makes Illinois such a great state.
“I look forward to partnering with my House Republican colleagues to give voice to the message voters sent us on Tuesday signaling their distrust of state government and to fight for the reforms they so clearly want.
“We have no time to waste. Let’s get to work.”
In his first act as Leader-Elect, Senator McConchie chose Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) as his Deputy Leader.
“There is no denying that we are at a crossroads as a party and a state,” said Illinois State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris). “I believe Dan is the person best equipped to guide us down a new and different path. He will put in the thoughtful action needed to recruit fresh, more diverse candidates and engage groups who have not previously seen a place for themselves in the GOP. It is a new day here in Illinois, and I am looking forward to working with Dan as his Deputy Leader to help rebuild our organization and our state.”
“I am proud to have supported Dan as the new leader of our caucus because he has the intelligence, work ethic and curiosity needed to build our Senate Republican Caucus,” said Illinois State Senator Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington). “His passion for policy is unmatched, and we need that focus on real solutions to bring the people of Illinois the reforms they deserve. I am looking forward to working alongside him and our colleagues as we build a stronger, more effective Senate Republican Caucus.”
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Democratic Illinois Senate President Don Harmon issued the following statement congratulating Sen. Dan McConchie on being elected the next Republican leader.
“I look forward to working with Senator McConchie as the Senate continues to lead by example and with a commitment to pragmatism and bipartisanship that was the hallmark of Leader Brady’s tenure in the post. Congratulations Senator McConchie.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 9,935 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 97 additional deaths.
Adams County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Carroll County: 1 female 80s
Clinton County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Coles County: 1 female 70s, 2 female 90s, 1 male 90s
Cook County: 1 male 20s, 2 males 50s, 1 female 60s, 5 males 60s, 2 females 70s, 4 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 5 males 80s, 7 females 90s, 1 male 90s
DeWitt County: 1 female 90s
Douglas County: 1 male 70s
DuPage County: 1 male 70s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 80s
Fayette County: 1 female 70s
Franklin County: 1 female 80s
Jackson County: 1 male 80s
Jo Daviess County: 1 male 90s
Kane County: 1 female 70s
Kankakee County: 1 male 80s
Knox County: 1 female 90s, 1 female 100+
Lake County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
LaSalle County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Macon County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 90s
Madison County: 1 female 40s
McDonough County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
McLean County: 1 female 30s
Monroe County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
Morgan County: 1 female 60s
Peoria County: 1 female 70s, 2 females 80s
Pike County: 1 female 100+
Randolph County: 1 female 90s
Rock Island County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Saline County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s
Stephenson County: 1 female 90s
Tazewell County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
Vermilion County: 1 male 70s, 3 males 80s
Wayne County: 1 female 80s
Whiteside County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
Will County: 1 female 50s, 2 males 80s
Williamson County: 1 female 50s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 447,491 cases, including 10,030 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 86,015 specimens for a total 8,116,728. As of last night, 3,891 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 772 patients were in the ICU and 343 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 29 – November 4 is 9.1%. This is the number that IDPH has been consistently reporting in its daily releases and is calculated using total cases over total tests. Similar to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH has been using test positivity for regional mitigation metrics on its website since mid-July. Test positivity is calculated using the number of COVID-19 positive tests over total tests. On October 29, 2020, IDPH began reporting the statewide test positivity in its daily releases. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from October 29, 2020 – November 4, 2020 is 10.5%.
Case positivity and test positivity rate are both relevant and offer insight into the bigger COVID-19 picture. Case positivity helps us understand whether changes in the number of confirmed cases is due to more testing or due to more infections. Whereas, test positivity accounts for repeated testing and helps us understand how the virus is spreading in the population over time.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
The grounds of the Bolingbrook Golf Club melted from white with five-day-old snow back to its former green as day wore on Saturday during the Illinois Republican Party State Central Committeeman meeting, as those inside the Taylor ballroom pondered what went wrong for their party on Nov. 6. […]
After a lengthy executive session Saturday afternoon, one actionable step the party made public after the conclusion of meeting was to launch a Vision 2020 project, in which state central committeemen will travel their districts to speak with constituents in order to come up with party platform. The first phase of that vision has a late January deadline.
One issue that may not feature as prominently on that platform as in years past is longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago). Though Rauner had made the alleged “corruption” of Madigan and other Democrats central to his message, Schneider admitted it’s a line that may have played itself out.
“We realize that in 2014 and 2016, the anti-Madigan message did extremely well,” he said. “It lost its luster in 2018. It clearly was overplayed. People have heard enough. They agree with the Republican Party that Madigan is the party, but give me something else now.”
* Some folks always want to take their ball and go home if they don’t win. The folks leading this charge definitely fall into that category…
Several counties in Illinois on Tuesday passed nonbinding resolutions by wide margins to create a new state, separate from Chicago and Cook County.
Questions posed to voters in various counties asked if they should join with others outside of Cook County to create a new state.
In Clay County, nearly 80 percent of voters approved the question. Nearly 73 percent of Shelby County voters approved, while 63 percent of Christian County voters did so and in Crawford County, nearly 76 percent of the voters said yes.
A group tracking the movement, called Red State Secession, counted 24 counties that approved it, with most votes being between 70 percent to 80 percent in favor.
Last month, the chairman of New Illinois, a nonprofit group organizing the efforts, said it’s about constitutional rights to representation.
“The guarantees clause of the U.S. Constitution, it guarantees us a republican form of government,” Merritt said. “What’s that? That’s where we have a voice, where we’re represented, but unfortunately our state government is very Chicago focused. Laws get passed, policies get put in place that may be in the best interest of a large urban area but they’re not in the best interest of a rural state like Illinois.”
Thursday, Nov 5, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
“Among all the states, Illinois jumped to the head of the pack when it comes to the environment in 2016 with its Future Energy Jobs Act, a law creating a welcoming market for installing solar energy. But because of delays in acting on a successor law to provide new funding, the solar energy industry is leaving the state in what is being called a falling off of the “solar cliff.”
Illinois is estimated to have lost close to 3,500 solar jobs already, and 1,000 more jobs could be gone by the end of the year…
Illinois has worked hard to become a leader in green energy, attracting jobs in the industry and improving the environment. The state has become an important home to businesses installing solar energy and making use of “community development” projects, in which property owners without good access to sunlight can share projects with other property owners.
* Dan Johnson makes a good point about the graduated income tax defeat in comments…
You know one of the *real* problems is that so many people think of the state as a separate, alien entity from themselves. As if state debt isn’t their debt as well. Or that state “spending” isn’t related to their families — not their kid who goes to a public school or their local hospital or their alma mater (public or private). That’s our real problem.
I think that’s true, but I also think people may have forgotten the lesson they learned during the Rauner years, when critical services were cut.
* Either way, the belief that the state government is a “separate, alien entity from themselves” is at the very core of the most recent Tribune screed…
We don’t know what Pritzker will do, but his morning-after message suggests the fight for the soul of Illinois governance isn’t over yet.
Because there it was on Wednesday, a threat in writing to voters who rejected Pritzker’s wasted push. Quentin Fulks, who oversaw the governor’s failed effort, conceded defeat in a statement, warning the more than 2.7 million voters who rejected the governor’s cash grab that they would have to “answer for whatever comes next.”
The people will have to answer? Not Springfield? Interesting.
First, Fulks was more likely referring to those who led the opposition, not the people who voted against the proposal.
But, whatever the case, the people spoke. We can debate why they did what they did until the cows come home, but voters sent an unmistakable message that they opposed this particular plan to raise taxes on high-income earners.
And so now everyone will find out yet again what starving state government means. Illinois is not the federal government. The solutions are not as simple on the state and local levels as they are at the federal level because those governments cannot just print more money. Unlike in DC, shortfalls eventually have to be made up, which is why pension payments are so high. Magic beans are just not real here, no matter how much the Tribune and your uncle on Facebook want them to be.
So, the Tribune can say “Springfield” should shoulder the burden all it wants, but the reality is that “Springfield” is all of us in Illinois.
* Also, governors can’t just snap their fingers and make things happen. Pritzker found that out the hard way with the “Fair Tax.” Support has to be built for change among the public at large and among the ruling Democrats’ coalition. People can tell pollsters that they support “pension reform,” but they also told pollsters for decades that they supported a generic graduated income tax. We saw how that worked out on Tuesday.
Jerry Brown made deep cuts in his state budget which forced people to realize that California government really does matter. But he did that early in his term. He had time to fix it before he ran for reelection. Pritzker chose a different route and any forced budget carnage now will undoubtedly spill over into his 2022 reelection bid. And with Ken Griffin activated, a reelection won’t be the cakewalk that 2018 was.
* As we proceed, always keep in mind these three things that are regularly emphasized on this website …
* Sarah Mansur at Capitol News Illinois explains the known replacement process for Justice Tom Kilbride. But there’s not much of a precedent for replacing a Supreme Court justice, and the court itself has opaque procedures (to say the least)…
Under article 6, sections 3 and 12, of the Illinois Constitution, the state Supreme Court must appoint an interim justice to fill the vacant seat, by a vote of at least four justices, until the next election in 2022. […]
The constitution states that the “person appointed to fill a vacancy 60 or more days prior to the next primary election to nominate Judges shall serve until the vacancy is filled for a term at the next general or judicial election.”
Both Kilbride and Justice Lloyd Karmeier, who is retiring, have terms that end on Dec. 6.
If the court meets to appoint a justice before then, the two outgoing justices could be involved in selecting the temporary successor, said Ann Lousin, a constitutional law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago John Marshall Law School.
“If [Kilbride] does sit in on the meeting, he would have a say in his successor,” Lousin said. “He would be one vote out of seven.”
Now that Kilbride has lost, the court could seek an interim appointment until a replacement is elected in 2022. It’s unclear to court watchers whether Kilbride would have a vote on an interim justice to take his spot. Kilbride’s term ends in December.
One scenario Republicans envisioned is that the six remaining justices ― three from each party ― deadlock on a temporary Kilbride replacement. That would keep the court evenly balanced until the next election in 2022, a race in a nonpresidential year that Republicans hope to win.
But the opponents of the Fair Tax lied about what would happen if it passed. And they left all of the working people holding the bag. It’s no surprise these are the same people who pushed for Bruce Rauner’s agenda and will resurrect his failed crusade any way they can.
So let me just say to the people of Illinois, you deserved a fairer tax system and you still do. But that didn’t happen. Republicans swore their allegiance to the wealthiest interests in the state, and they threw middle class families under the bus.
The governor has been talking about his graduated income tax proposal since 2017. The General Assembly voted to put it on the ballot in May of 2019. He’s had way more than enough time and money to explain this thing to the voters.
* As of now, the Fair Tax is losing statewide 2,243,840 to 2,753,526, but Joe Biden is carrying Illinois 2,898,728 to 2,261,096.
The tax proposal won in Chicago and suburban Cook County. Biden has so far tallied 761,601 votes in Chicago while the Fair Tax has totaled 612,730. In Cook, Biden has 503,765 votes, to the Fair Tax’s 414,360.
Biden is winning DuPage County 256K-183K, while the Fair Tax is losing 182K-247K.
Nobody would expect the governor’s tax proposal to equal Biden’s total, but Pritzker unmistakably missed a whole lot of people who should’ve been on his side.
Face it, man. You got outdone. There’s nobody to blame but yourself.
