Question of the day
Monday, Mar 21, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* How has inflation directly affected your life? This is about you, not someone else. Thanks.
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Campaign notebook
Monday, Mar 21, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As I write this, 13 of the 25 (!) candidates for the 1st Congressional District have had their petitions challenged. Click here for the entire list of objections.
* Breitbart…
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is endorsing Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) for reelection in Illinois’ 15th district, highlighting her devotion to securing the border and protecting both life and the Second Amendment, Breitbart News has learned.
Rep. Miller is facing off against fellow Republican Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) due to redistricting in the state, with portions of both of their districts (31 percent for Miller and 27 percent for Rodney) comprising the new 15th district. […]
“I’m proud to endorse Mary Miller for Congress in Illinois’ 15th Congressional District, and I ask my fellow patriots to support her,” Cruz said in a statement, describing Miler as “the kind of fighter we need in Congress who works every day to secure our border, protect life, and protect the Second Amendment.”
Notably, Miller has also earned the endorsement of former President Donald Trump who won the 15th district in 2020 with nearly 70 percent of the vote. He deemed her a “champion of our American First Agenda” […]
“Grassroots conservatives across the country follow Senator Cruz’s lead because he is an unapologetic conservative, and he is not afraid to take on the corrupt DC establishment of both parties to save America from the radical left,” Miller added.
* Taylor Avery at the Sun-Times…
They have been dubbed “The Griffin Slate,” based on the expectation that the Republicans running together for some of the state’s top offices will enjoy the financial backing of Ken Griffin, the richest person in Illinois.
But other than GOP candidate for governor Richard Irvin, none of the others on the slate has reported receiving any contributions from the hedge-fund billionaire — or many large donations from anyone else in the two months they’ve been running for statewide office. […]
Milhiser is the only one who has reported receiving any individual contributions of $1,000 or more since kicking off his campaign. He reported nine donations ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 made on two days in early March, totaling $28,654.48.
Kim, in his second bid for attorney general, hasn’t reported a contribution of $1,000 or more since 2013. At the end of last year, the Deerfield attorney reported a campaign fund balance of just $41.93.
Comptroller candidate Teresi had even less than that in her campaign account, with $35.40 on hand at the end of 2021. Records show her committee has never reported receiving a contribution of $1,000.
* Politico…
Former Congressman Dan Lipinski is getting involved in the competitive 1st Congressional District race to replace Rep. Bobby Rush.
Lipinski, an anti-abortion rights Democrat who was defeated by Rep. Marie Newman in 2020 in the 3rd District Democratic primary, is backing Chris Butler, a little-known South Side pastor who is campaigning as an anti-abortion rights Democrat. It’s Lipinski’s first foray “so far” into the 2022 contests, a spokeswoman told Playbook.
“I have not endorsed anyone else this year,” Lipinski said in a statement to Playbook. He said he’s backing Butler because of his “core commitment to families and working class values. He believes there is too much bickering and division today and he wants to bring people together to improve everyone’s everyday lives.”
After his 2020 Democratic primary loss, Lipinski said he was “pilloried in millions of dollars of TV ads and mailers” because of his anti-abortion views. Now the former congressman sees Butler as “part of a new generation of leaders in the Democratic Party.” […]
Lipinski is headlining a fundraiser Thursday for Butler [who has just $18,000 cash on hand]. Also on the invite: Benjamin Watson, a former NFL player who has become an anti-abortion advocate, Catholic women’s advocate Mary FioRito, anti-abortion Democrats Kristen Day and Nic Costello, and Illinois pastor Charlie Dates.
* More…
* Would-be Cook County judge’s description of her bar association ratings ‘a little deceiving,’ says group that rated her ‘qualified’ - ShawnTe Raines-Welch, whose husband is Illinois House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch, says bar associations found her ‘qualified.’ But one prominent group rated her ‘not recommended.’
* Aurora City Council set to vote on lobbying changes
* Chicago’s ward remap fight moves closer to a ballot referendum
* As Chicago’s ward remap battle rages on, attorneys and consultants are cashing in
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* Media advisory…
Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs will stand with workers and employers who participate in Secure Choice, the innovative plan that created a mobile retirement savings account that travels with the worker.
Frerichs spearheaded the Secure Choice retirement savings program to combat the retirement savings crisis in Illinois and across the country. Illinois is a national leader in offering an auto‑enroll IRA program.
WHO: Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and Central Illinois workers and employers.
WHAT: Employees, employers and advocates will explain how Secure Choice works, how it combats the retirement savings crisis gripping the nation, and why it can save taxpayers money.
More than 100,000 workers and 6,400 employers participate in Secure Choice, with $82 million already saved.
WHEN: 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 21, 2022.
WHERE: Capitol Blue Room in Springfield.
Chef Michael Higgins from Maldaner’s was one of the press conference participants and he talked about how he wishes he’d had something like this available when he was younger and about the benefits for his workers.
* About a half an hour before the press conference…
Republican State Representative Tom Demmer issued the following statement in advance of Treasurer Frerichs’ press conference on Illinois’ Secure Choice Retirement Program.
“Two years ago, Treasurer Frerichs joined with Governor Pritzker to support a radical tax increase plan on Illinois families. Frerichs even took the measure a step further by saying it could be ultimately used to tax retirement income—including pensions and 401ks—like Secure Choice. Thankfully voters rejected Frerichs’ call for taxing retirement income. However, with Frerichs continuously advocating for tax increases—even taxing retirement income—Illinois families and retirees have anything but secure choices for their hard-earned income and savings.”
In addition, over the last 8 years Frerichs has accepted over $275,000 from former indicted Speaker Michael Madigan’s run political action committees. To date, Frerichs has not returned any of these questionable contributions.
My first thought was that Demmer wants Frerichs to help pay Madigan’s legal expenses by refunding contributions.
* Frerichs was asked about both topics in his press conference. First up, taxing retirement income…
Q: Right around the time I sat down in this chair, I got an email from your opponent’s campaign saying ‘Retirement savings? Well, retirement income is just what Treasurer Frerichs wants to tax.’ What is it you want to do? And how are you going to drive away from this, I don’t know if you want to call it an albatross or some other sort of winged or assorted animal, is this going to continue?
A: This is only gonna continue because my opponent continues to talk about something that’s not an issue. I have stated clearly, time and time again in front of the media that I don’t support a retirement tax, I’ve proposed no retirement tax, I’m not going to propose any sort of retirement tax. My opponent keeps talking about this because he doesn’t want to talk about the real issues of retirement. His numerous votes to reduce retirement benefits. His vote against creation of Illinois Secure Choice, something that’s going to give people a better retirement.
* Madigan…
Q: Your opponent also in the email he sent out before your news conference talked about 275,000 you got from Madigan-linked political campaign funds. Do you just plan on giving that back somehow? What’s your reaction to this?
A: My opponent’s not reached out, I’ve not seen this. I don’t know what he’s referring to or how many [crosstalk, restating the question]
A: I think the justice system is working right now. Indictments have been filed. There’ll be a trial. And I think that we need to do, especially root out corruption in the state of Illinois. We need to have greater transparency and greater ethics to make sure that we don’t have corruption in our state.
Q: What about the campaign funds that you may have gotten from DPI under Madigan’s control? What should happen with those dollars?
A: I’m not aware of the funds he’s talking about.
* ILGOP press release after the press conference…
Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs was a deer in headlights today when asked if he would return over $275,000 in tainted campaign contributions from the former Madigan-run Democratic Party of Illinois over his tenure, claiming he now doesn’t recall one of his largest campaign donors.
Frerichs said he was unclear what the sources of campaign cash were, so let’s look at the most recent Madigan contributions to Frerichs’ campaigns for Treasurer:
• On October 17, 2014 Frerichs reported $38,712.96 from Madigan’s DPI Committee.
• On October 24, 2014 Frerichs reported $37,363.40 from Madigan’s DPI Committee.
• On October 27, 2014 Frerichs reported $73,632.24 from Madigan’s DPI Committee
• On November 24, 2014 Frerichs reported $40,000 from Madigan’s DPI Committee
• On October 31, 2018 Frerichs reported $55,400 from Madigan’s DPI Committee
• On November 15, 2018 Frerichs reported $30,000 from Madigan’s DPI Committee.
During his 15 years in Springfield, Frerichs has accepted over $275,000 in contributions from former indicted Speaker Michael Madigan’s run political action committees. To date, Frerichs has not returned any of these questionable contributions.
“It’s incredibly clear that Mike Frerichs has a Mike Madigan problem. Madigan was one of Frerichs’ largest donors in his campaigns for Treasurer, but now Frerichs says he doesn’t remember those contributions. Unbelievable, but true,” said Shaun McCabe, Executive Director of the ILGOP. “Frerichs needs to own up to his past support for and from Madigan and tell taxpayers what he intends to do with the over quarter of a million dollars in tainted contributions.”
DPI contributions are often pass-throughs from other sources so the candidates can obtain postage discounts. More than half of the above-mentioned DPI contributions were in-kinds for mailers.
…Adding… From Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego)…
My son who is in the Navy currently participates in an auto enroll type IRA. He has quite the nest egg already at 20 years old. I wish the military would have had that when I was in.
…Adding… Frerichs press release…
The innovative plan to create a mobile retirement savings account that travels with the worker topped the 100,000 enrollment milestone, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today.
Frerichs set up the Secure Choice retirement savings program to combat the retirement savings crisis in Illinois and across the country. Illinois is a national leader in offering an auto enroll IRA program. Workers in Illinois began saving in July, 2018.
“A retirement savings tool that can travel from job-to-job with the worker makes it easier to save, allows a worker to retire with dignity, and saves taxpayer money by reducing the need for publicly funded safety net programs,” Frerichs said.
Today, more than 100,000 workers and 6,400 employers participate in Secure Choice, with $82 million already saved. None of this was possible without Secure Choice. The 100,000 milestone was surpassed in the first quarter of this year.
“I chose to enroll in Illinois Secure Choice to increase my retirement options,” said Sam Hall, a father of three children who works as the program director for DREAAM in Champaign, the Rantoul Division, a social services organization helping boys and young men between the ages of 5 and 24. “The enrollment process was easy, and I feel more secure knowing I have a plan for retirement.”
DREAAM stands for Driven to Reach Excellence and Academic Achievement for Males. Tracy D. Dace is the Founder. “As a CEO, I was impressed with the ongoing support from the Illinois Secure Choice team to establish an account, enroll employees, and manage the administration of the deductions,” Dace said. “The built-in support indicated a commitment to excellent customer service and overall program quality.”
The General Assembly required employers to either offer a retirement savings plan or participate in Secure Choice, which is overseen by a seven-person board chaired by Frerichs. Secure Choice investments are managed by a private-sector financial services firm and kept in a trust outside of state government and its finances.
Key to passing legislation that created Secure Choice was the assurance that employers would not be financially liable for plan administration and would not be legally liable for investment changes. Employees can opt-out of the program at any time.
“I supported the expansion of Secure Choice as a state legislators because we need to be able to do more for our workers and small businesses,” said Mike Murphy, a former Republican lawmaker from Springfield and current President and CEO of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.
Enrollment began in 2018 with companies at least two years old and with 500 or more employees. Smaller companies enrolled in phases thereafter to ensure a smooth transition. The success was so strong that most business groups initially neutral or opposed to Secure Choice did not oppose the legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2021 to expand the program. That legislation requires employers with at least five employees to provide a retirement vehicle, or access to Secure Choice, by November, 2023.
The access is critical:
• Nearly half of all working-age families have nothing saved for retirement.
• Although Social Security is not intended to be the sole source of retirement income, 23 percent of Illinois retirees rely on Social Security for at least 90 percent of their retirement income.
• Workers are 15 times more likely to save for retirement if they can do so at work.
• However, 40 percent of Illinois private-sector employees work for a business that does not offer a retirement savings plan.
About Illinois Secure Choice
Illinois Secure Choice is managed by Ascensus, a private-sector financial services firm responsible for all recordkeeping and day-to-day aspects. Fund options include BlackRock, Charles Schwab, and State Street Global Advisors. Participants are enrolled in a default target-date Roth IRA with a five percent contribution rate. Participants can choose to change their contribution level or fund option at any time. More information can be found at www.ilsecurechoice.com.
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* Gov. Pritzker’s prepared remarks at an unrelated press conference today…
Before I take questions, I want to address the BA.2 Omicron subvariant, which is 30-50% more transmissible than the original Omicron and is causing surges in COVID caseloads in some places around the world. BA.2 was first detected in Illinois in January.
To be clear up front: Illinois is currently in a good place. The number of admissions and COVID patients in hospitals continues to stabilize and drop across the state – that is what I look at most closely.
That said, IDPH is watching the trend of this subvariant very closely. The virus is very much still here, and it isn’t going away. But with vaccines, the existing variants are manageable. However we’ve seen other countries impose new mitigations because of their experiences with this more transmissible subvariant.
With cases and hospitalizations low here, and with COVID threats seemingly off in the distance, the last few weeks has given us time to make sure we are prepared for a potentialnext wave – whether it’s BA.2 or any other variant.
Our state stockpile is nearly fully replenished. We have more 1.5 million rapid tests on hand, with a half a million more on the way in the coming weeks. I’m also calling on all schools to consider their current testing capacity and make sure they are prepared with a strong testing plan in place if we experience another surge. Testing allows you to monitor the prevalence of infection, which will help keep children in classrooms and keep educators and staff safe.
We are also talking to pharmacies and healthcare providers about increasing their inventory of the various FDA-approved oral BA.2 treatments in case you test positive. These COVID-19 medications are available with a prescription at most Walgreens and Walmarts in Illinois. However, for the pills to work, you must use them within 5 days of getting sick. Talk to your healthcare provider now to make sure they can get you the medication in a timely manner if you DO test positive.
It’s estimated that about 25% of current cases in Illinois are from the BA.2 variant, and although that percentage has been steadily rising, we have not seen a commensurate rise in cases or hospitalizations. In other countries, we’ve seen greater challenges from BA.2, which is why we are closely monitoring it. The world seems smaller and more connected because of COVID, so what’s happening elsewhere could possibly affect us here. For now though, things in Illinois are improving. If conditions here change, I’ll address the people of Illinois with needed actions. If you want to know about the current COVID-19 risk level in your community, the CDC produces a county-by-county transmission map for the public to stay informed. Just go to CDC.gov and you can enter your county to get more information. If you or your loved ones are considered “high risk” for Covid-19,protect them and yourself with masks and social distancing in public places, no matter what the community transmission level may be.
And of course: if you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet, this is a great time to do so. That includes staying up-to-date with your booster.
We also know that boosters work for this Omicron subvariant to reduce the likelihood of hospitalizations and deaths, particularly for seniors. The key is: actually getting vaccinated and boosted. So go to vaccines.gov to find a first shot, a second shot, or a booster shot near you.
The most maddening thing about the last omicron surge was not being able to find rapid tests. Hopefully, that won’t happen again.
* New York Times…
At local, state and federal levels, the nation has been relaxing restrictions and trying to restore a semblance of normalcy. Encouraging Americans to return to prepandemic routines, officials are lifting mask and vaccine mandates and showing no inclination of closing down offices, restaurants or theaters.
But scientists are warning that the United States isn’t doing enough to prevent a new surge from endangering vulnerable Americans and potentially upending life again.
New pills can treat infections, but federal efforts to buy more of them are in limbo. An aid package in Congress is stalled, even as agencies run out of money for tests and therapeutics. Though less than one-third of the population has the booster shots needed for high levels of protection, the daily vaccination rate has fallen to a low.
Always bet on Congress to do stupid things like blocking that funding package.
* USA Today…
Key COVID metrics such as cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to drop almost every day, and are hovering around levels last seen in July before the delta variant surge.
Daily reported deaths have ranged from 1,685 to 2,076 daily in March after deaths of 3,000 or more daily for much of January and February.
The plummeting metrics have led to the lifting of state mask mandates—in schools and public buildings—in what officials consider a return to normalcy.
On Thursday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he expects cases to rise in the state due to surges seen in parts of Asia and Europe. But he said he doesn’t expect to reinstate “universal statewide mandated protective measures.”
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* Press release…
Republican candidate for governor Paul Schimpf says it’s time to shift the balance of power away from politicians and bureaucrats and back into the hands of individuals and working families. Today, Schimpf released his “A New Start for Illinois” plan which will put Illinois back on a path for economic success after failed leadership has led to higher taxes, slower wage growth, and increased overreach on our businesses and families.
“If the disease is powerful and corrupt politicians, then the cure is to limit the politicians and empower the people of Illinois,” Schimpf said. “My ‘New Start for Illinois’ plan begins with the premise that politicians are often the problem, not the solution. We have a state constitution that includes a bill of rights, but politicians have eroded those rights. Legislation that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago is now passing the Illinois General Assembly. I’m focused on limiting the government overreach that is hurting Illinois families and businesses.”
Schimpf’s “A New Start for Illinois” plan calls for:
• “No Tax On Tax” Constitutional Amendment that would prohibit governments from charging sales tax (or any percentage-based tax) on taxes and fees.
• A constitutional amendment clarifying that parents, not the government, determine their children’s education and healthcare.
• Make “Curriculum Transparency” is a requirement for any receipt of state P-12 education funding.
• Law enforcement (including corrections officers) and first responders are a protected class under Illinois Hate Crimes Law.
• Emergency administrative regulations and any administrative regulations that increase or create fees and penalties require an affirmative 7-member approval vote from JCAR in order to become effective.
• Assessors may only increase property value assessments upon legal transfer of the property or a change in the property’s zoning.
“This all comes back to fixing and regrowing Illinois’ economy to the powerhouse it can, and should, be,” Schimpf said. “Safer communities mean people will be more willing to go out and spend money without the fear of crime, eliminating Illinois’ excessive tax increases—from adding tax to taxes or the never ending property tax fight—means businesses, recent graduates, and families will want to stay here long-term, and weeding out corruption and government overreach will put trust back in our state leadership again.”
“A New Start for Illinois” also calls for additional first responders as a protected class to the Illinois Hate Crimes law and guaranteeing parental rights in determining education and healthcare decisions for their own children. “We need curriculum transparency because parents deserve to know what material is being presented to their children,” Schimpf said.
Thoughts?
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* Greg Hinz…
A group of Illinois congressmen is urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to focus on such things as racial equity, climate change and maintaining existing roads, rather than building new ones, in spending the tens of billions of new transportation dollars the state will get under the big federal infrastructure plan that was enacted this year.
In a letter, the eight reps—all Democrats, and all but one whose districts include part of the city of Chicago—assert that the state must do business in a different way if it is to thrive.
But while the call for change has the support of groups, such as the Active Transportation Alliance, which favor more money for bike paths and bus lanes, it may not receive much applause in downstate and suburban areas. And some Democratic congressmen whose districts are wholly suburban did not sign. […]
In the letter, the eight reps contend that Illinois’ transportation system now produces “the most greenhouse gasses of any sector in the state” and subjects Latino and Black communities to excess pollution.
“These challenges are why the U.S. Department of Transportation encourages state and local governments to invest the funds…..in ways that mitigate climate change, improve safety—especially for disadvantaged communities—address racial equity and remake our transportation system so it is accessible to all users,” the letter states.
From the letter…
Invest in Maintenance and Modernization - Not Expansion: Years of experience in the Chicago region and metro areas across the country shows highway expansion fails to achieve long-term congestion relief but instead, increases pollution and further isolates people who can’t afford or aren’t physically able to drive. The policy framework from the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) for implementing the BIL calls for states to prioritize projects that fix existing infrastructure and improve our transportation corridors so they safely move more people - not vehicles -above projects that expand road capacity. It’s critical Illinois take this guidance to heart and reevaluate planned road expansion projects in IDOT’s Multi-Year Plan (MYP), transparently analyze the costs and benefits, and shift investment towards more efficient and effective projects.
Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Bill Foster, Lauren Underwood and Cheri Bustos did not sign.
* From a Daily Herald interview with new Illinois Tollway chair Dorothy Abreu…
Q: Which construction project has caught your interest?
A: The most exciting one is the tollway (I-490) that we’re building that’s just going to wrap itself around O’Hare International Airport and create access from the western point that will relieve a ton of congestion.
I wouldn’t be too sure of that.
* WTVO…
Illinois is among the states considering lowering the State Gas Tax. Right now, drivers in the Land of Lincoln pay about 39 cents on a gallon after the tax doubled in 2019.
Earlier Friday, Gov. JB Pritzker signaled that he’s willing to make a change.
“We are looking at ways we can reduce the gas tax across the State of Illinois, because we recognize, even since I introduced my budget, that war has broken out and the result of that war is that oil prices have gone through the roof,” he said.
* WGEM…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed freezes on raising the gas tax and grocery tax in his budget for the next year. However, Reps. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon), Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis), Mark Luft (R-Pekin), and Amy Elik (R-Alton) argue more should be done sooner.
Even since the governor’s address in January, gas prices have risen. The average price a month ago was $3.68 per gallon; now it’s nearly a dollar more at $4.54 a gallon, according to AAA. Inflation is at the highest rate it’s been in 40 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
They argue these policies would help relieve struggling Illinois residents from rising costs. Representatives on border districts say it’s no secret that residents cross state lines to get fuel and food in a state where the taxes are cheaper.
“Across the river from my district is St Louis. It is not uncommon to see gas prices in Missouri anywhere from 50 cents to 70 cents a gallon cheaper than Illinois on a given day,” Elik said.
In terms of exploring other ways to ease financially struggling families, such as raising the minimum wage, Demmer said they wanted to focus on tax relief.
* Post-Dispatch…
A crude oil spill from a broken pipeline has triggered a cleanup in and along a Madison County waterway for more than a week, with thousands of barrels of oil discharged next to a Mississippi River tributary.
A cause of the spill is still under investigation. Recent history, though, shows pipeline incidents in Missouri and Illinois are most often caused by the failure of their own materials and equipment, according to government records.
Hundreds of such issues have arisen over the past two decades amid the web of pipelines that crisscross the St. Louis region.
“Those can be preventable, within reason,” said Richard Kuprewicz, president of a business called Accufacts Inc., and a specialist in pipeline investigations, auditing, risk management and other related matters.
In almost 50 years of investigative work, he has “never seen a failure by a true accident,” he said. Many pipeline spills happen, he said, because of something going wrong with their operation, maintenance, or even the quality of the pipe.
* Fox 2…
Illinois’ attorney general filed a lawsuit against Marathon Pipe Line LLC, alleging the company created a substantial danger to the environment and public health during a crude oil spill near Edwardsville last week.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed the suit Friday in Madison County. An estimated 165,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from the pipeline, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Some of the oil reached the nearby Cahokia Creek.
Raoul alleges Marathon violated the Illinois Environmental Protection Act by causing or allowing the oil to leak in an area that includes residential neighborhoods, commercial properties, agricultural properties, forested areas, and a wetland.
* Inside Climate News via the Sun-Times…
When Illinois lawmakers decided last year to ban most coal-burning power plants by 2030, it was because their harmful effects are well known.
The emissions they spew into the air are a leading cause of death, illness and climate change.
For now, though, the new law hasn’t slowed the plants at all. Last year, Illinois’ coal-burning power plants burned more coal than the year before, stepping up production by 39% — the biggest percentage increase among the top 10 coal-burning states, according to federal data.
Faced with the coming deadline that will require most of them to shut down, 10 of the state’s 13 coal-burning electric plants boosted production in 2021.
Part of that 2021 increase may have been due to the availability of vaccines and more people returning to work.
* More…
* With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine resulting in lower supplies to oil markets ahead of peak demand season, International Energy Agency 10-Point Plan proposes actions to ease strains and price pain: 1) Reduce speed limits on highways by at least 10 km/h. Saves around 290 kb/d of oil use from cars, and an additional 140 kb/d from trucks.
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* Press release…
For the first time ever, the Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) announced today fines totaling $339,000 for Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, for violating the material change notice requirement in the state’s Network Adequacy and Transparency Act.
Network adequacy filings are an important tool to help ensure that consumers have access to a network of providers that meets proper time and distance standards. This is critical to ensuring that patients have access to care that they need.
The Department found that the company did not properly file updated network adequacy filings following the termination of its contract with Springfield Clinic which serves approximately 100,000 consumers in Central Illinois. After months of delay, the Department finally received BCBS’s final filing for its network adequacy review on Thursday. The Department determined that the filings were 244 days late and 95 days late, accumulating a total fine of $339,000. Late fees are $1,000 per day.
“Insurance companies must be able to show that they have adequate provider networks, so that Illinois consumers have access to the medical care and providers that they pay for,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This fine should serve as notice that we will require insurers to maintain adequate provider networks and uphold all consumer protections under the law.”
Although the Department reviews every plan’s network for adequacy when the plan is filed, the law recognizes that a plan’s network may change mid-plan year. In anticipation of these potential changes, there is a provision that if there is a “material change” in the network, the company must submit updated network adequacy filings to demonstrate that the change has not rendered the network inadequate. Under state law, insurers are required to report to the Director any material change to an approved network plan within 15 days after the change occurs.
“This is the first time the Department has issued a fine for the material change filing requirement in the Network Adequacy Transparency Act,” said IDOI Director Dana Popish Severinghaus. “We’re disappointed that the company continues to evade acknowledging this material change. Under Illinois law, the removal of a major health system, like Springfield Clinic, is a material change that could render a network, or parts of a network, inadequate. We are committed to exercising the Department’s full authority to protect consumers from being harmed in a corporate contract dispute.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield must pay the fine immediately, and the company has 10 days to contest the fine. The Department will continue its review of the network adequacy filing for compliance with applicable state and federal laws.
The Notice of Apparent Liability for late filing of Network Adequacy can be found here.
* Last week, Richard Irvin’s campaign suggested imposing those daily fines, among other things…
• Swiftly investigate Blue Cross Blue Shield’s compliance with the state’s network adequacy requirements, and impose fines for every day it is in violation.
• Order Blue Cross Blue Shield to provide true continuity of care coverage as required by state law and re-adjudicate previous claims that should have been considered in-network.
• Consider capping Blue Cross Blue Shield’s enrollment if the company does not swiftly come into compliance with provider network adequacy requirements.
Now that the government has network adequacy requirement data, it can take a look at what’s actually going on. But the Department of Insurance dropped the ball here. No way should it have allowed BCBSI to not file those reports for so long, particularly since this impacts a hundred thousand people in central Illinois.
And though I doubt BCBSI would even notice a grand a day, the company is taking increasing Statehouse heat, including a recent call to strip its state tax-exempt status. Big Blue has stayed relatively mum so far, but they’re now starting to engage.
…Adding… A top official in the Pritzker administration says BCBSI is not a not for profit corporation, despite reporting to the contrary. “There is no tax exemption for BCBS in IL,” the official texted.
* From Harmony Harrington, Vice President, Government, Communications and Community Engagement at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois…
“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has been working closely with the Illinois Department of Insurance since contract negotiations first began with Springfield Clinic last May. Though we had a reasonable and well-informed opinion that Springfield Clinic’s decision to leave our network did not trigger any network change filing, when the Department requested one within the past few weeks, we promptly complied. As we evaluate the Department’s decision, we will continue to work collaboratively and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations while ensuring access, affordability and quality in health care for the more than 8 million Illinoisans we cover.”
The insurance company has claimed that Springfield Clinic is demanding a 75 percent increase in what they claim is an already high reimbursement rate. As a Blue Cross policyholder and a Springfield Clinic patient, I want this to end now. I don’t know what the state can do if the clinic is indeed making outrageous demands, but if BCBSI is to be believed, they’re not totally at fault here and Springfield Clinic needs to get to the table with reasonable expectations. /rant
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* A Republican operative joked last week that they should probably be required to report Foxx as an in-kind contribution. From the Richard Irvin campaign…
In yet another example of his pro-criminal, anti- police positioning, J.B. Pritzker last year signed a law allowing far-left State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to petition for sentence reductions for violent criminals. Naturally, despite skyrocketing crime in Chicago and Cook County, Foxx announced that this week she will begin petitioning the courts to release violent criminals from prison early.
Thanks to Pritzker’s enabling, Foxx’s resentencing initiative will potentially grant early release to criminals serving long sentences for violent crimes. Foxx will present three resentencing motions as early as this week with more planned for later this month. In total, Foxx’s office anticipates the early release of as many as 25 people by the end of the year. This is the latest affront to crime victims, in addition to her support for ending cash bail and her call to allow Jussie Smollet to escape paying for his crimes.
“Whether via pardon or commutation, signing his anti-police crime bill or enabling Kim Foxx to push for lighter sentencing for criminals, J.B. Pritzker always sides with criminals over police and community safety,” said Irvin for Illinois Spokesperson Eleni Demertzis.
* From the linked story…
Three men are slated for possible resentencing next week, the first to potentially benefit from a new state law allowing prosecutors to petition for shorter sentences ”if the original sentence no longer advances the interests of justice.” […]
The office is first reviewing cases of people who have served at least 10 years for a drug, theft, robbery or burglary conviction; people 65 or older who have served at least 20 years for a case not related to a sex crime or homicide; and people who have served at least 15 years for a case other than a sex crime or homicide and who were younger than 21 when they committed the offense. […]
Victims in each case will be notified “at different steps of the resentencing process,” and will have a chance to submit statements to the judge to consider at sentencing, the office stated.
Foxx did not offer an estimate of how many cases may be eligible for resentencing under those criteria. But prosecutors are scheduled to present their first three resentencing requests in court [this] week, according to Foxx’s office.
* Sun-Times…
Larry Frazier, 63, is one of the men hoping to shave significant time off his sentence when his case goes back before a judge Wednesday.
Frazier was 40 when he was given 60 years in prison for a home invasion that took place in Calumet Park when he was 36, according to court records.
At the time he was sentenced in 1999, Frazier was given an extended sentence because the victim was 62 — only a year younger than Frazier is now, documents show. Details of the case were not immediately available, but other charges Frazier faced included weapons offenses and unlawful restraint.
By that time, Frazier had already amassed a significant criminal record of charges, including theft and armed robbery, going back to the early 1980s, state records show.
In their motion, prosecutors noted the victim wasn’t hurt physically in the home invasion and argued that since being locked up, Frazier “has taken substantial steps toward rehabilitation,” though no details were provided. […]
Ed Wojcicki, executive director of the Illinois Chiefs of Police Association, said he finds the idea of resentencing inmates for the crimes they were convicted of fundamentally unfair.
“The rules are what they were when they were sentenced,” he said when reached by phone Friday. Wojcicki said he worries about the impact the resentencing hearings will have on crime victims.
* WBEZ…
The small number of cases means the initial impact could be small, but the effort carries significant political risks for Foxx because it turns the conventional understanding of America’s adversarial court system on its head, putting prosecutors and defense attorneys on the same side, pushing for leniency and forgiveness.
Foxx said they are embarking with caution, seeking to prove to the people of Cook County that the early releases will not endanger public safety before expanding the effort. Ultimately, it will be up to judges whether they will grant the motions and what kinds of sentences will be handed out.
Still, the county’s controversial top prosecutor is taking up the initiative at a time when her office is already under fire because of a perception that Foxx is going easy on criminals during a surge in violence.
“I think we have to show people that it works … There are segments of our population who believe, ‘you’ve done the crime you do the time, even if you wouldn’t get that same time today,’ ” Foxx said. “So I think the initial foray into this is to show people what it looks like, to de-stigmatize what the process looks like, to demonstrate that this is actually good public policy and it’s actually good for us as a community.” […]
“I’m always expecting backlash because it’s different than what we’ve normally done,” Foxx said. “Here in Cook County, we have been very much entrenched in a culture with our justice system that had been very punitive, that … the way to fight crime was to just lock everybody up.”
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** Greg Hinz followed up…
Foxx is firing back: “As a former and longtime defense attorney, Mayor Irvin knows all too well, of the evolution in sentencing laws, which he has used to advocate for the criminal defendants whom he represented,” her office said in a statement. “The resentencing initiative recognizes that the sentences previously imposed would be less if imposed today. The purpose of the law is to address that discrepancy.”
The Pritzker folks took aim at both Foxx and Irvin.
“The governor had hoped prosecutors would’ve first prioritized those who committed non-violent offenses,” they said in a statement. “This decision sends the wrong message at this moment in time.”
Still, they added, “As we continue to put forth good-faith solutions to both reduce crime and reform our criminal justice system, we will not be lectured by Republicans who see crime as yet another issue to exploit for cheap political shots. Richard Irvin can’t seem to decide what side of his mouth he wants to talk out of today and while he continues to ignore his long career profiting off of keeping violent criminals out of jail and free from accountability.”
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Madigan roundup
Monday, Mar 21, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* John O’Connor at the AP…
The state’s most powerful politician once explained that while mulling a tough decision, he’d often glance across his desk at a photo of the late Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley “and just ask myself, ‘What would he do?’ It’s very helpful.”
Michael Madigan’s fealty to the man both lauded and lambasted as “the Boss,” who died nearly a half-century ago, is understandable. Madigan, who made a hobby of collecting and consolidating power in nearly four decades as speaker of the Illinois House, owed his career to Daley, who halfway into his 21-year iron rule of Chicago took the young law school graduate under his wing.
But the anecdote in “The House that Madigan Built: The Record Run of Illinois’ Velvet Hammer,” by Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Ray Long, due for release Tuesday by the University of Illinois Press, hints at the 79-year-old Madigan’s undoing. His endurance flowed from his agility to change with attitudes and times — a young Catholic conservative who came to embrace abortion rights, same-sex marriage and recreational marijuana. But the attitudes and times ultimately outlasted his allegiance to the old ways. […]
To Madigan, who declined Long’s request to be interviewed, democracy and its institutions are a fulcrum to elevate the working class. An added bonus was fueling his power “by helping people through the government maze, and particularly the people who helped him with elections,” said Long, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist.
* Capitol News Illinois…
“I cannot imagine seeing a plea deal in this case,” said Nancy DePodesta, a former federal prosecutor and current white-collar criminal defense lawyer at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr. “I also think that you’re going to see a significant delay before this case goes to trial.” […]
In defending himself, Madigan could argue, DePodesta said, that much of what the government describes as racketeering isn’t that far beyond the parameters of what would be expected from anyone in a powerful office such as speaker of the House.
“So I think that if I’m the defense, I certainly want to try to minimize some of the statements, point to some of the things that perhaps the speaker did not say,” she said. “Certainly, explain what it means to be the speaker of the House, and what are some of the functions that are expected in in that capacity.” […]
“The government is not limited to the evidence that it has on the date of indictment,” she said. “In fact, it is very common for the government’s case to improve and become an even stronger case, as they continue to investigate and prepare for trial.”
* St. Patrick’s day fundraising email from the ILGOP…
Friend,
From Madigan’s indictment to Pritzker’s corrupt administration falling apart, corrupt Illinois Democrats have had a very UNLUCKY month. Perhaps that’s why Pritzker has dumped a whole pot of gold into his Facebook ad campaign.
Give some gold to our FIRE PRITZKER fund
Pritzker and his corrupt Democrat allies are ready to dump even more gold into clearing their names and deflecting from answering for their deeds. That’s why we’re asking you to chip in $17 to make sure Democrats’ luck RUNS DRY!
This St. Patrick’s Day, Illinoisans can raise a glass to the wheels of justice finally beginning to spin, but we can’t get complacent. There’s still lots of Springfield corruption that needs to be cleaned out.
We know we can count on you to take back Illinois. A truly LUCKY campaign season starts with your generous contribution.
Sincerely,
Illinois Republican Party
CONTRIBUTE
* Former one-term Democratic state Rep. Diane Pappas was recently appointed to the vacancy created when Sen. Tom Cullerton resigned. Maria Gardner at the Daily Herald caught up with her…
Pappas said her background as a Poland-born immigrant who moved to the United States with her family at the age of 10 has affected her point of view on a key question facing Democrats — the future influence of former House Speaker Michael Madigan,
Madigan, who resigned from the House after failing to win the speakership last year, was charged in federal court last week with 22 counts of corruption. He remains state central committeeman for the 3rd Congressional District, and party leaders have called for him to resign. Pappas, however, said she sees that decision as a personal choice for the former House speaker, who she said should be considered innocent until proven guilty.
In communist Poland where she grew up, “the presumption of innocence, if it even existed, was in name only,” she said
“You shouldn’t have to give up the things you’ve worked hard for just because you’ve been accused of something,” she said. “We have a judicial system because we thought that would be a fair way to determine these kinds of outcomes.”
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The FOP’s risky bet
Monday, Mar 21, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police’s top campaign priority this spring is defeating Sen. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) in the Democratic primary. The police group is backing Chicago police detective Erin Jones, who not long ago was described as a “loyal member” of the Northwest Side GOP Club.
The previous practice in that area of fielding Republican candidates against Democrats in the general election has simply not worked. In 2018, then-Rep. Martwick defeated Republican Ammie Kessem, a Chicago police sergeant and the current 41st Ward Republican committeeperson, by 21 points. Lindsey LaPointe was appointed to Martwick’s seat when Martwick was appointed to the Senate in 2019, and she buried Republican police detective Jeff Muehlfelder by 20 points in the 2020 general election. The failed Republican push in both years, and even long before that, was a project of GOP operative Dan Proft and folks affiliated with the Illinois Policy Institute.
Republicans have also run in Democratic primaries in that part of the world with disastrous results, but they’re going to try again with Detective Jones.
In addition to the Martwick vs. Jones race, LaPointe faces famed 911 dispatch operator Keith Thornton, who managed the radio response to Officer Ella French’s fatal shooting, and realtor Tina Wallace in the June 28 primary. Rep. Sonya Harper (D-Chicago) is up against Carolynn Crump, a cop with a PhD in business administration, as well as Steven Williams.
As noted above, Martwick is at the very tippity top of the FOP’s hit list. FOP President John Catanzara made it clear to his members last week that any politician who endorses or helps Martwick will feel the fiery wrath of his union.
Martwick, LaPointe and Harper all voted for the SAFE-T Act, the police and criminal justice reform bill that Catanzara said on a Facebook video last week was backed by the “Black Caucus and a ridiculously left-leaning agenda, radical Democrats in Springfield.” The Chicago FOP, Catanzara said, “has been very clear none of those members who voted for that [bill] will get any support from the FOP. Period.” Harper chairs the Legislative Black Caucus.
Catanzara also said in the video message that he told three Northwest Side alderpersons, who are loyal to the Chicago Firefighters Union, that if they back Martwick in the primary there will be consequences when they run for reelection next year. They and any others could introduce or even pass all the police-friendly ordinances they wanted, but it wouldn’t matter if they stood with Martwick over the cops, he warned.
Martwick himself has taken tremendous media heat for sponsoring a pension sweetener bill for the Chicago police, but the police union doesn’t care. They want that man gone, end of story.
Martwick is also absolutely despised by the charter school lobby, and those folks may wind up spending significantly more against him than the FOP, which recently boosted dues for its political push against its enemies.
I think LaPointe could be viewed as collateral damage. The cops definitely don’t like her, yet they don’t hate her with the intensity that they hate Martwick. But she represents half of Martwick’s district, so they might as well take both shots while they’re mucking around in Martwick’s neighborhood. Same goes for the charter schools.
One issue for the FOP is that LaPointe’s other opponent Tina Wallace will likely not bow out in favor of 911 dispatcher Thornton, who reportedly has district residency issues and has an opposition research file that’s like five miles deep. The general rule of thumb for incumbents when it comes to primary opponents is ‘The more the merrier,’ because multiple opponents can split the opposing vote into smaller fragments. But Wallace will undoubtedly want a clear shot at a majority-wins, two-way primary and will likely try to kick Thornton off the ballot.
The Illinois Association of Realtors is almost always supportive of any member, like Wallace, who runs for office. Coincidentally, the Illinois Network of Charter Schools hired the Realtors’ top political person away from them not long ago, so the two groups now have a lot in common.
Meanwhile, Crump will be “fully supported” by the FOP against Harper, who had real trouble gathering candidate petitions.
A gigantic question remains whether the FOP, INCS and the Realtors can convince enough conservative Chicagoans to take Democratic ballots to vote against liberal Democratic incumbents in liberal districts, instead of voting Republican. It’s not an easy ask and it almost never works, despite all the money that’s about to be dumped into these races.
It pretty much goes without saying that if the FOP loses these primaries, it’ll be tough to make the case to city council members that they need to be obeyed.
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