During that forum, Roskam also accused the Democrat of calling Republicans ‘pedophiles.’ After the debate, Casten told reporters he didn’t remember ever saying that.
This is the first time we’ve heard that he said this, but clearly he did.
He posted this tweet in December of last year and since he’s deleted all of his tweets prior to March of this year (presumably in an effort to get away from tweets like this one):
*** UPDATE *** From the Casten campaign…
“Peter Roskam is a 25-year career politician with practice showing faux indignation. When sexual abuse of students was reported at Ohio State University and that Jim Jordan knew about it, Peter Roskam didn’t call for an investigation - he welcomed Jim Jordan with open arms. Sexual abuser Dennis Hastert? He celebrates that he has his desk in his office. When asked to speak out against Roy Moore? He wouldn’t. When Donald Trump called Barack Obama the founder of ISIS? Crickets.”
“And when it comes to women’s health care, Peter Roskam wants to make abortion illegal, with no exceptions for victims of rape and incest and Sean finds that to be profoundly disturbing.”
Two low-slung industrial buildings, tucked behind a Target store in west suburban Willowbrook, are about as nondescript as they come. For years, they have been home to Sterigenics International, a company that has quietly gone about its business of fumigating medical instruments, pharmaceutical drugs and food to kill bacteria and pests.
But a new federal study is putting a bright spotlight on the company, finding that people living nearby face some the nation’s highest cancer risks from toxic air pollution.
A gas used by the company, ethylene oxide, is far more dangerous than previously thought, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In one census tract near the plant, the EPA estimates the risk of cancer is more than nine times the national average.
Another federal agency concluded the cancer risks could be significantly higher. […]
The company also stands out because since 2011 it has been owned by a private equity firm co-founded by Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, who left the firm a year later to begin campaigning for public office. […]
“This is not an emergency. This is not a public health immediate crisis. This is something we are managing,” Rauner told reporters after a bill-signing event in Chicago. “We are going to work with the federal government to monitor this whole situation … and try to reduce exposures from this as much as we can.” [Emphasis added.]
* As Anders Lindall pointed out, the governor still has a personal stake in that company…
* Today, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, who represents Willowbrook, introduced this bill…
Provides that a facility emitting ethylene oxide at levels higher than federal or State standards shall immediately cease operations until the level of emissions are reduced below both federal and State standards. [Emphasis added.]
The leader apparently disagrees with the governor that this situation is “not an emergency.”
And while I seriously doubt that the bill is a direct result of Rauner throwing him under the bus at the Daily Herald yesterday, I don’t doubt that it probably felt just a wee bit satisfying to file this bill today.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) is joining local officials, including House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and Willowbrook Mayor Frank Trilla, in calling on Sterigenics International, Inc. to cease operations until further testing is completed.
“Recent news reports and discussions at a town meeting this past week have many people, myself included, greatly concerned about the safe operation of the Sterigenics facility. New research from the USEPA indicates that ethylene oxide is far more dangerous to the public than previously believed,” said Curran. “Given the new revelations about the dangers of ethylene oxide, I join with those encouraging Sterigenics to cease operations at the Willowbrook facility until further testing is done.”
The letter sent to the company on Friday, which was signed by state, local and municipal officials (see attached), notes that it is “imperative that the community be assured that Sterigenics is acting as a good corporate citizen and are taking all steps necessary to protect those who are potentially impacted by the emissions of ethylene oxide from their facility.”
Curran says today’s letter is just a first step in addressing the concerns residents have about this facility. “Next week I intend to file legislation in the Illinois Senate that will create new notification protocols that will alert surrounding property owners of an air emission leak, reopen the company’s current air permit for additional public comment and expand the public comment period for any future permit renewals.”
Throughout this process, Curran has also been conferring with the Attorney General, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency and will continue working with them to make sure they have all regulatory and enforcement tools necessary to protect the public health and safety.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Oof…
"Bruce Rauner's literally poisoned our community," one of many furious Willowbrook residents said at last night's town hall about a GTRC-owned company using a chemical classified as a carcinogen. (Can't be long before @JBPritzker turns this into an anti @BruceRauner ad) pic.twitter.com/8I6Wv77ke7
Under current law, should Sterigenics, or any other permitted facility, violate any condition of its permit such as an emissions standard, the Illinois EPA would initiate appropriate action, whether that be enforcement or other corrective action. The type of action depends upon the nature and severity of the violation. If such a violation involved an imminent threat to human health or the environment, the Agency would send that matter to the Attorney General for enforcement, including immediate injunctive relief.
And they’re not making that referral because the company is currently in compliance with both state and federal environmental regulations.
“Rod possessed none of the skills, work ethic, discipline, integrity, or focus to perform any real work once he won office,” Tusk wrote.
He described a typical Blagojevich workday as “a loose mix of a few phone calls, watching ‘Sports Center,’ reading long biographies of Napoleon, preparing for a run, going for a run, stretching after the run and then showering for at least 90 minutes after that.” […]
Tusk said the less-benign explanation [for why he was hired] came to him after Blagojevich’s indictment in 2009.
“I was still a naive kid. I didn’t understand the cesspool of Illinois politics. I didn’t know the players. And in retrospect, a few things were conspicuously absent from my job portfolio: hiring, grants and contracts,” he wrote.
“If you’re looking to execute a massive pay-to-play scheme — auctioning off jobs, contracts and grants to the biggest campaign donors — it’s all you care about. Rod and his cronies figured they could do what they wanted — and let me worry about running the state — and I’d never notice,” he wrote.
OK, but he also deliberately avoided that stuff. During an end of session party when Attorney General Lisa Madigan was investigating Rod for allegedly selling jobs, contracts and bill signatures, I asked him if he was worried about his own legal status. He made it a point to stress to me that he had nothing whatsoever to do with things like that. And then he split at the end of Blagojevich’s first term.
* Greg Hinz read the whole book and came away with this…
The core of Tusk’s book is the suggestion that just about everyone and everything in public life is crooked, conniving, dumb as a rock or an ideological zealot—this from the guy who more or less ran Illinois government for a few years, served as communications director for U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, worked for former Philadelphia Mayor (and later Democratic National Committee Chair) Ed Rendell, and not only worked for but ran re-election campaigns for former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Of that crew, Bloomberg—and presumably himself—are the only ones that Tusk seems to have any fondness for. To quote just one of his many put-downs of the political class: “The vast majority of people who run for office are desperately insecure, often even self-loathing. They need attention and validation at all costs. Running for and holding office is the only way most of them can get it (since they typically lack the talent to meaningfully succeed at anything in the real world).”
His damnation of Blagojevich is particularly strong. The ex-state rep and congressman “possessed none of the skills, work ethic, discipline, integrity or focus to perform any real work once he won office,” he writes. It was so bad that when the governor was needed to act on pending legislation before a pending deadline, he couldn’t be bothered. “I’m picking out fabrics for three new suits (today),” Blagojevich supposedly said. “It’s gonna take a while.”
So Tusk pretty much took control of Blagojevich’s administration—too much control, the kind of thing a hungry young man would do, some others in the Blagojevich world tell me. But control nonetheless. […]
The gist of the book is advice to new-economy entrepeneurs—after leaving Illinois, Tusk made a fortune consulting for Uber—on how to get stubborn pols on the take to give them what they want. Given that, I’m not surprised by his overall conclusion.
* The Question: Your memories of or insight into Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s first term?
* The Chicago Sun-Times editorial board asks several good questions about the horrific fire in Little Village that killed ten children. Here are the state-related questions…
What interactions, in detail, did the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services have with the children and their families? One of the mothers, who lost five children, reportedly had been investigated by the department for 21 complaints since 2004. Two of those complaints, including a case in which the mother involved a 16-year-old daughter and a 7-month-old relative in a shoplifting scheme, were confirmed.
What services did DCFS offer to the children and their families? What services were accepted? Who made contact with the family, made the assessments and provided services — DCFS directly or a private contractor?
Charles Golbert, the acting Cook County Public Guardian, told the Sun-Times that the extraordinary number of DCFS complaints about the one family, even if most of the complaints were deemed “unfounded,” should have prompted DCFS to take more aggressive action, including bringing cases to court. How valid is that criticism?
Most of the children were school-age. Did local school districts — either the Chicago Public Schools or in the suburbs — notice anything? Were there red flags? Was there any communication among the schools, DCFS and police agencies about these children and their families?
In a statement, the Department of Children and Family Services said it tries to be as proactive as possible to prevent neglect when investigating struggling families.
Before the fire, the department already had been transitioning to a more holistic approach of evaluating families, which puts more of an emphasis on previous history, instead of reviewing complaints independent from each other, a spokesman said.
“This fire and this tragedy certainly confirms the need to do what we were already moving towards,” said Neil Skene, assistant to the department’s director.
Why did DCFS ever think it was a good idea to review multiple complaints about the same family “independent from each other”?
…Adding… A commenter…
DCFS gets taked over the coals either way. Anonymous@11:23 and Rep. Sosnowski are blasting DCFS for investigating a kid walking her dog alone, and then DCFS gets blasted for not separating this family.
My response…
When you think about it, those two examples you used go right back to the question I asked.
By deliberately not putting cases into a broader context, DCFS sets itself up for failure both ways. Either they go overboard on a silly one-off, or they don’t see the forest for the trees on a family with lots of issues.
* Related…
* DCFS drops bombshell as it investigates Little Village fire deaths: DCFS, in its news release, said: “None of these individual reports by itself rose to the level of our removing children from their parents. Our current direction at DCFS is to be as proactive as possible in dealing with struggling, vulnerable families.” Charles Golbert, the acting Cook County Public Guardian, said the report was shocking. “It’s an extraordinary number of investigations for any one family. And it’s an extraordinary number of investigations that were unfounded,” Golbert said. An unfounded investigation means the agency couldn’t find credible evidence of child abuse or neglect.
* Was Enough Done To Protect Children Killed In Little Village Fire?: In the last decade, DCFS has had seven directors. In roughly the same period, a state report found 19 children died for undetermined causes, while their families were under DCFS supervision. Another 10 were killed in their own homes, while families were receiving DCFS services. “It’s not possible to make consistent systemic types of changes at DCFS without consistent, high quality leadership and DCFS has not had that over the last decade,” Golbert said.
Three years ago this month, the Legionnaires disease crisis claimed a dozen lives at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy. Today, as plans to build a new vets’ home in Quincy take shape, an Adams County man who lost his father to Legionnaires’ disease at the home speaks to WGEM News for the first time. […]
Eugene Miller tested positive for Legionnaires’ and official state emails later revealed at the time of his death, the state knew for nearly a week it was dealing with a Legionnaires’ crisis at the vets’ home.
“And we actually saw the dates of what was done and said, it just brought it home to us,” [Tim Miller] said. “Our dad could have maybe had a different outcome had we known that information when our dad was sick and beginning to show signs.” […]
“Our team has done, by in large, an excellent job,” Rauner said. “People aren’t perfect, occasionally they stumble here and there but the reality is we’ve done everything we were asked to do, immediately.”
When Miller heard that statement, he decided to speak out.
“What I think it really gets down to, the hardest thing is that he (Rauner) doesn’t want to give any thought to the fact that maybe the ball was dropped in a big way and that people died because they didn’t know what was going on,” Miller said. “It’s really a hard pill to swallow to see him say ‘we did it right, we did what we were supposed to do’ because that’s not the case.”
* Marni Pyke has been all over this story for the Daily Herald…
Gov. Bruce Rauner wants the Illinois tollway to get its act together regarding reports about nepotism, potential patronage and infighting among executives.
At a Daily Herald editorial board interview Wednesday, the incumbent Republican said he “was pretty upset” regarding the tollway’s hiring the sister-in-law of GOP House Leader Jim Durkin as engineering manager in 2017.
“I’ve troubled by some of the allegations that have surfaced,” Rauner said. “I’ve called the board and said, ‘Look, guys, If I have to send in some investigators, I’ll do it.’” […]
Rauner campaigned in 2014 on ridding Illinois’ government of cronyism, and he frequently excoriates Pritzker and House Speaker Michael Madigan on that subject.
Laura Durkin’s last job was in office furniture sales in 2001, the Daily Herald reported; tollway leaders contend she was the most qualified person for the $80,000-a-year engineering department job. The tollway also has a $6.6 million subcontract with Morreale Communications as part of a larger engineering contract. The firm is led by CEO Kim Morreale, who is married to Chicago’s only Republican state representative, Michael McAuliffe. Tollway officials say they follow state procurement laws and the Morreale firm was hired on its merits.
Investigators? Is he gonna send the state cops in or hire a private detective or something?
* The ban was probably unnecessary to begin with because, as explained earlier this week, two of the protesting cheerleaders didn’t return to SIUC this semester and the third had already decided to stop taking a knee during the anthem. And legally speaking, it was highly problematic, as explained by Brian Munoz at the Daily Egyptian…
SIU Athletics has rescinded new language in the Student Athlete Code of Conduct that said any displays of activism will not be tolerated and could lead to the individual’s removal from their respective program. […]
“However, some have interpreted the language to suggest that our aim was to restrict the free speech rights of our students – that was never our intent,” [Tom Weber, associate athletic director over communications] said. “We fully support the free expression of ideas and opinions among our students and the entire Saluki family.” […]
“The government can make neutral rules for students to follow and universities can set higher standards of conduct for athletes, cheerleaders and other student leaders,” [William Freivogel, a media law professor at SIU] said. “But in the process, the government can’t discriminate based on the content or viewpoint of speech.”
Freivogel said the university cannot punish a student leader for taking a knee during the anthem if the school is also not prepared to “punish pro-flag, pro-military or Tim Tebow-style religious gestures.”
Gregory Magarian, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said he shared similar sentiments.
“If we’re going to say there’s nothing political about standing for the national anthem then we are saying one of two things – we’re saying it’s meaningless, or we’re saying that we are absolutely forcing a consensus political view on everybody and it has political significance – and you will obey that political significance, or you are out.”
*** UPDATE *** Ed Yohnka, Director of Communications and Public Policy, ACLU of Illinois…
SIU has done the right thing by reversing this ill-conceived policy. Students at a public university should be able to weigh in on matters of public concern without threats of reprisals and discipline. This action represents an opportunity for the University to foster an active dialogue about a range of issues – including the need for police reform in our nation. We hope the University will embrace this moment and create an atmosphere where views can be expressed and exchanged in a thoughtful manner.
The political network created by the billionaire Koch brothers announced plans to support eight House Republicans on Thursday, pledging financial resources and activists to help re-elect several vulnerable congressmen deemed “principled” conservatives. […]
The announcement comes a month after Trump assailed the Koch brothers as “a total joke in real Republican circles.” Days earlier, network patriarch Charles Koch had condemned the increased government spending under the Republican president’s leadership and Trump’s push for import tariffs. […]
Despite the clash with the White House, the Koch network remains one of the most powerful political organizations in the country. The sprawling organization is on pace to spend as much as $400 million on politics and policy ahead of November’s election. And its coalition of trained activists across 36 states has no rival.
The candidates backed by the network’s political arm, Americans for Prosperity, include eight men from seven states: Reps. Rod Blum and David Young of Iowa, Dave Brat of Virginia, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Steve Chabot of Ohio, Will Hurd of Texas, Erik Paulsen of Minnesota and Peter Roskam of Illinois.
“The candidates we are supporting this fall have each been strong, principled leaders committed to removing barriers to opportunity in the federal government that are preventing people from realizing their full potential,” AFP President Tim Phillips said in a statement. […]
Last month, AFP announced it would not support Rep. Kevin Cramer in his challenge to Democratic incumbent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota because of his views on trade and immigration.
That elicited a response from Trump, who called then the “globalist Koch Brothers” and their network’s influence “highly overrated.”
*** UPDATE *** Sean Casten…
“Two of the largest corporate benefactors of Peter Roskam’s tax scam have announced they’re returning the favor,” said Casten. “It’s understandable that the Koch Brothers, who stand to benefit from $1.4 billion in tax breaks thanks to Peter Roskam, would want to financially support him. But what is not factual are the policy positions they attribute to Peter Roskam as their rationale.”
“Peter Roskam voted to strip health coverage away from 30,000 of his constituents, eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions, added over $2 trillion to the deficit, voted against protecting Dreamers, and voted against increasing funds for veterans’ health care and post-traumatic stress disorder - that’s a record I’d be running from, not supporting.”
In their rationale for backing Roskam, the Koch Brothers erroneously attributed leadership to Roskam for his work on health care, budgets, Dreamers, and veterans. Casten highlighted where Peter Roskam is, in reality, bad on those issues:
Voted to repeal all or part of the Affordable Care Act 60 times, and voted for Paul Ryan’s bill which would have left 23 million Americans - including more than 30,000 6th District residents - without health care and raised premiums 20 percent.
Voted for a tax bill that adds $2 trillion to the deficit, with 83 percent of the benefits in Peter Roskam’s tax scam going to corporate special interests and the wealthiest one percent, while its $10,000 annual cap on state and local tax deductions will force thousands of middle-class families to pay more.
Voted against the DREAM Act as well as to restart deportations of undocumented immigrants protected under DACA and DAPA.
Voted against increasing funds for veterans’ health care and PTSD treatment.
* Employee Accuses Pritzker Group of Union-Busting: “If he’s going to be a businessman and politician who’s campaigning on a progressive platform, you’ve gotta prove that you’re progressive in your business as well,” Dean said Thursday. “He campaigns on unionizing. He says unions are a great thing, they’re what built the middle class. He wants to campaign on collective bargaining rights. And he’s actively union-busting at his own company.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** The person who runs the day to day operations of this little company really ought to have his or her head examined. I mean, nobody over there stopped to think that maybe, just maybe fighting a unionization effort might damage the guy who pays all the bills? Anyway, it appears the message finally got through what must be a very thick skull…
At Entertainment Cruises, we know our shipmates make our company great, and we are committed to open and transparent dialogue with our employees. We support the right of our shipmates to engage in organization activities and to make sure that all voices are heard in that effort. If a petition is filed with the NLRB, the NLRB’s process provides a fair mechanism for employees to vote in a secret ballot election. Entertainment Cruises respects this right and will conduct itself throughout the process with integrity and fairness.
*** UPDATE 3 *** From Kathy Hanshew, Manager of the Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board, Workers United/SEIU…
We are deeply disturbed by the Pritzker Group and Entertainment Cruises’ response to the SeaDog workers’ recent demand for union recognition. Sending workers seeking workplace justice and union representation to Donald Trump’s NLRB for a fair process is akin to sending undocumented immigrants to Donald Trump’s ICE for a fair process. It’s a horrible idea.
Pro-union Democrats, including both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, support the Employee Free Choice Act or EFCA. EFCA would mandate that private sector employers recognize a union based on a simple authorization card count or card check. Bosses love NLRB elections because even though a solid majority of Americans approve of unions, only about 8% of Americans actually belong to them. The Millionaire and Billionaire class and the NLRB are to blame.
We continue to demand that JB and Tony Pritzker and Entertainment Cruises work out a fair process for organizing so that their workers gain union recognition through a simple card count. This was the process recently used by TRONC when employees decided to organize at the Chicago Tribune, and it will work just fine for Entertainment Cruises workers out at Navy Pier.
Will the real JB Pritzker please stand up?
*** UPDATE 4 *** I agree with the gist of this take…
Yeah, this is still Union busting. We are a seasonal company, and will be losing most of our staff over the next few weeks. A delayed vote is literally their only chance to still shut us down. In the meantime, they will continue their campaign of lies, rumors and intimidation.
* I have a gazillion press releases in my inbox from Jim Dodge and the ILGOP touting just one issue: Passing a constitutional amendment to consolidate the treasurer’s and comptroller’s offices into one. Dodge spent days on the road with Darlene Senger touting this single issue. And yet…
Republican state treasurer candidate James Dodge acknowledged Thursday he was mistaken over how a hallmark of his campaign — a proposed constitutional amendment to combine the offices of treasurer and comptroller — would go before voters. […]
In discussing the proposal, Dodge told the editorial board that he should be treasurer to act as a point person to assist voters on such a proposed amendment when it “comes out of the House and let’s say the governor signs it.”
Under the Illinois Constitution, governors don’t have signing or veto power over proposed constitutional amendments.
Asked about his comment afterward by a reporter, Dodge said governors “have to sign the legislation to put it in front of the ballot” before voters.
Told he was incorrect, Dodge replied: “OK. I stand corrected.”
#facepalm.
Not to mention that he didn’t even support the issue when he ran for comptroller against Judy Baar Topinka in 2010.
* Was really busy today and completely spaced out about a question and now it’s after 4 o’clock and I got nothing. I’m therefore declaring an open thread. Keep it Illinois-centric, please. Thanks.
Four times, I asked @JulianaforLG for specifics about @JBPritzker's proposed tax rate structure. Four times, she said it will be negotiated with the General Assembly, indicating voters will have to elect them first and find out how much it will cost them later. pic.twitter.com/wMSaqsHTwa
* This state does this all the time and we never seem to learn. We need to narrow the spending base and broaden the tax base. Instead, we broaden the spending base while constantly narrowing the tax base. It’s lunacy…
When state lawmakers pushed through a trio of tax breaks in spring 2017, the idea was to ease some of the financial pain caused by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s series of major property tax hikes on Chicago homeowners, especially senior citizens.
The changes, however, also had an unintended consequence: Thousands of homes in south suburbs such as Harvey and Park Forest fell off the tax rolls, meaning those homeowners no longer pay any property taxes at all, and an even greater number are paying less.
While that’s good news for many, it’s also resulted in tens of millions of dollars in property taxes being shifted onto remaining homeowners and businesses. They are now being hit with even higher bills in an impoverished, long-struggling, largely African-American region where an outsized property tax burden already made it difficult to attract the retail shops and industry needed to reverse economic woes made worse by the Great Recession.
Adding to the economic challenge is an impending change to a business tax break that was a prime development tool for the area. As of Saturday, Cook County will require businesses that get the job-creation perk to pay prevailing wages, which could increase labor costs. South suburban mayors say that will lead some businesses to avoid setting up shop in their towns, and also further a trend of companies crossing borders to northwest Indiana or Will County to escape high property taxes.
How could they possibly not know the consequences? When one person pays less, somebody else is gonna have to pay more. This phenomenon is much slower-moving with income and sales taxes, but, eventually, the revenue base becomes so narrow that the rates have to go up. Property taxes, however, produce a near-instant reaction because of the levy. Somebody always has to pick up the slack almost right away.
This is not some advanced economic theory, people. It’s elementary school-level math.
* Brian Mackey takes a look at regional jealousy and the debate over how to pay for things…
“Do we get our cut of the pie?” asks John Jackson, a professor of political science at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
“It’s probably a more explosive question in Illinois because we have such a long-standing, divisive debate about regionalism. And that debate takes the form of Chicago/Cook County versus Downstate. … And Downstate that resonates because we firmly believe that we’re not getting our fair share,” he says.
* He brings up Paul Simon Public Policy Institute polling which always shows that Illinoisans demand state budget cuts, but not to schools, universities, public safety, anti-poverty programs and programs for people with disabilities…
Jackson says political scientists call that disconnect “symbolic conservatives and operational liberals.” Such people want government programs, especially if it benefits them directly, “but they want to get rid of somebody else’s waste and fraud. And that’s the way the legislature has essentially acted, and government in the state has acted.”
The idea of symbolic conservatives and operational liberals calls to mind something a state senator told me years ago. It was Jeff Schoenberg, a Democrat from Evanston who’s since left the legislature. Then-Gov. Pat Quinn had proposed closing a few state facilities Downstate, and local legislators were resisting.
“They talk a good game about being fiscally conservative, but when it comes to closing a public facility that’s under-utilized or not cost efficient, they’re like New Deal Democrats,” Schoenberg said in 2012.
An effort to give lawmakers the power to block Gov. Pat Quinn from closing large state facilities fell one vote short of passage in the Senate Wednesday. … In addition to Forby, those supporting the idea included state Sens. Mike Jacobs of East Moline, John Jones of Mount Vernon and Kyle McCarter of Lebanon.
The year before Sen. McCarter tried to block Quinn from shuttering a facility in his district, he did this…
State Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon… conducted a Statehouse news conference just now to accuse Democrats of not taking the budget crisis seriously. McCarter and other GOPs called for a $30 billion ceiling on the budget (it’s a little over that now), with cuts and reforms designed to get rid of the major new income tax hike that went into effect this year. […]
McCarter delivered the message standing next to a 125-pound roasted pig that a butcher in his district had had shipped in to dramatize the pork-laden state budget.
Gov. Rauner, by the way, pledged to keep that facility open during the 2014 campaign.
* Mackey also made the same observation I did on Monday evening when Metra melted down for the second week in a row…
Remember earlier today when several suburban Republican legislators were screaming about the prospect of more government spending? One even called increased spending “evil.” I wonder if any of them took the Metra home after their press conference.
* And that brings us to yesterday, when Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti was asked how the governor planned to cut taxes…
Chris Kaergard: What’s your plan to reduce the tax hike? Speaking of plans that need fleshing out what’s your administration’s plan to reduce the tax hike?
LG Sanguinetti: Well our administration’s plan over the course of the four years that we’ve been in leadership, in going forward, is to [cross talk]. Well of course because there will be another term because I firmly believe that after the voters do their homework they will find that Bruce Rauner is, is the leader in Illinois that will make Illinois a wonderful place to have businesses, to grow your families here, to grow your businesses here. Why? Because over the course of time we will be less punitive to businesses, which is something that we’ve always fought for. We’ve seen it with the Angel Investment Tax Credit and the fact that we resuscitated it. We saw that with the LLC fees and the fact that Bruce Rauner took it back to the tune of 70%. Why? So that our small farmers could decide to open up their businesses. Other businesses could come here and take a leap rather than doing it in our neighboring states where it was so much cheaper in the past. This is the sort of governor that you will have in Bruce Rauner. One that will not be punitive to businesses and one who is truly a leader. Not an individual that was anointed by Mike Madigan who has been in office since I was a mere 3 months of age. Thank you.
A company owned by J.B. Pritzker is warning its employees not to join a union, according to a letter one of its employees posted to Facebook.
“There’s only one way to guarantee that you can avoid the problems a union could possibly cause. Just SAY NO!” the letter reads.
Billy Dean, an employee for SeaDog Ventures, which is an Entertainment Cruises company, posted the letter to his Facebook page. Dean claims he started pushing to form a union after his employer increased his workload up to “12-15 hour days with no break.”
Entertainment Cruises is owned by The Pritzker Group, which is owned by Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker and his brother Tony Pritzker.
“What is real interesting about this is I work for JB Pritzker, “pro-union” gubernatorial candidate for Illinois,” Dean wrote. “Right now his progressive rhetoric doesn’t match his action.”
As JB has said throughout the campaign, he supports workers’ right to organize and he believes the process should be fair, open, and free of intimidation. JB also believes in workers’ rights to collectively bargain as an important tool toward raising wages. JB has stepped away from Pritzker Group and is no longer involved in the management of the company. He believes that all employers should respect those rights of workers and unions. JB is proud to have the support of the Illinois AFLCIO and dozens of unions across the state and as governor, he will continue to fight for the tools working families need to thrive.
* OK, but just this week, the Pritzker campaign tied Rauner to a company that he retired from years ago…
Days after the U.S. EPA slammed a company tied to Bruce Rauner for toxic air pollution that could cause cancer, Rauner and former lobbyist turned IEPA Director Alec Messina are holding a press conference on the Volkswagen settlement.
* But, on the other hand, Pritzker has said he’s pulled back from running his companies. So, if he stays true to his word then he can’t go back in and do something about this union situation.
To mix metaphors, he’s in a trick box here, but he’s picked his lane and has to stay in it.
* With the recent departure of Monique Garcia from the Tribune (and no word yet on whether she’ll be replaced), the Statehouse press room is darned near empty. This video taken near the press room yesterday pretty much sums up the situation…
I guess we could consider this an open thread about the state of journalism today.
Democratic congressional hopeful Sean Casten said he thought President Donald Trump had a “tremendous amount in common” with al Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden, the man responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
“In many ways—and I don’t mean to sound overly, I don’t know, hyperbolic on this—Trump and Osama Bin Laden have a tremendous amount in common,” Casten said, according to audio of a February meeting with voters that was obtained by the Free Beacon […]
Casten, a “clean energy entrepreneur” who emerged on top of a tight primary in Illinois’ sixth district in March, made the bizarre comparison after he was asked by a voter for his plans to advance gun-control legislation if he were elected. The comment was part of Casten’s explanation that gun-control opponents, whom he appears to be comparing to al Qaeda supporters, are what will keep gun-control legislation from advancing to the House floor.
“They have both figured out how to use the bully pulpit to activate marginalized young men,” Casten said. “Every demagogue has done this—find a group of angry people and give them something to be angry at.”
* I reached out to the Casten campaign for a response…
Sean’s words were poorly chosen, and he regrets them. Even prior to this election, Donald Trump’s politics of disparagement and division have been exacerbating the bonds that hold our diverse nation together. And Sean believes that Donald Trump has gone out of his way to divide Americans for his own personal gain rather than bringing us together to solve issues like gun violence.
*** UPDATE 1 *** ILGOP…
Democrat Sean Casten’s recent comparison of President Donald Trump to Osama Bin Laden is disrespectful, repugnant, and disqualifying” Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Travis Sterling said. “In this era of deep partisanship this type of harmful rhetoric shows that he is out of touch with the communities in Sixth district.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Roskam’s communications director Veronica L. Vera…
Sean Casten has called Republicans pedophiles, likened abortion to gallbladder surgery and called Republican Party donors ‘a bunch of morons.’ Our communities need a solutions-oriented Representative who can bring people together to get things done. This kind of hateful, vicious language is exactly the wrong approach.
Today, Indivisible Illinois endorsed JB Pritzker and Juliana Stratton for governor and lieutenant governor. The statewide coalition is made up of over 50 local chapters spanning every congressional district in Illinois, and their endorsement follows Indivisible Chicago’s from after the primary election.
* Rauner campaign…
Snapchat Filter Highlights Pritzker Insult of Bernie Sanders at Indivisible Event
Today, JB Pritzker will be holding an event with Indivisible Chicago – a group that strongly supports Bernie Sanders.
But in 2016, Pritzker called Bernie Sanders a “Yutz” on Twitter. The term “Yutz” is Yiddish for a foolish, annoying, or socially inept person. The tweet has never been deleted.
To remind voters of Pritzker’s attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of voters, the Rauner campaign is launching a Snapchat filter geo-targeted to the Indivisible event featuring Pritzker’s old comment.
View the filter below:
* JB even included a handy link to the Urban Dictionary definition…
I’d like to get a balanced budget and a capital bill with a balanced budget, and put a lot of resources into our universities across the state, but especially U of I… The U of I is a major economic engine for this state and I want to take them to a whole other level… We need a budget to do it, we need a capital plan to do it…
On Wednesday, Rauner dangled the potential of a capital bill after the Nov. 6 election, though he declined to say what funding sources would be used to finance bonds to enact a massive infrastructure plan.
“I hope and believe that shortly after the election in November, we will come together. I’ve had some indications from members of the General Assembly that we’ll all come together and get done promptly a large capital bill,” Rauner said at Union Station, the site of recent problems involving Metra delays to suburban commuters. […]
As for new revenue to finance a capital program, Rauner said the state should “make the structural changes in our economy so we’re growing more, reduce the regulatory burden on our businesses, reduce the … income tax burden on our businesses, so that we can bring more businesses here, grow our tax base.” As a result, Rauner said, “We will have more than enough revenue to fund a large capital program.”
But those “structural changes” also have included Rauner’s push to eliminate a requirement that prevailing regional union wages be paid to construction workers on public projects, and other efforts to weaken private and public sector collective bargaining.
Capital plans cost money, even with “structural changes.” You need a funding source. If he’s gonna keep talking about it, then he should tell us how he plans to pay for it. After all, he and his surrogates have repeatedly demanded that JB Pritzker detail his progressive income tax proposal.
Area Republican legislators gathered Wednesday to demand Democratic governor candidate JB Pritzker more clearly detail his tax proposals.
Flanking Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti at Peoria County GOP headquarters, each asserted that voters deserve to know the details of Pritzker’s graduated income tax proposal — a topic on which he has avoided releasing any specifics.
“We think that Mr. Pritzker needs to come clean with the public about the specifics of his plan before they cast a vote in November or in early voting,” state Sen. Jason Barickman of Bloomington said of the concept that would impose different tax rates on different levels of income rather than Illinois’ current system in which everyone pays the same rate.
Lack of information on such a major policy proposal is “intellectually dishonest,” state Rep. Ryan Spain of Peoria said. He called on Pritzker to “have the guts to tell you what that looks like.”
That’s a legit hit. But I also want to see how Rauner will pay for a capital plan. And while he’s at it he could toss in his specific ideas for how he intends to lower taxes.
…Adding… No surprise here…
FWIW, I asked Sanguinetti to give specifics on her ticket's plan to lower taxes. I need to review the audio, but those specifics seemed a bit sparse.
Governor Rauner continues his legacy of broken promises as a failed administration attempts another stunt to shadow four years of incompetency. You don’t raid the road fund every year of your administration, requiring the Constitution to be amended to stop the bleeding, and then credibly make a call to repair our roads and bridges. You don’t raid downstate road districts of their funding by spending money on the Obama library project in Chicago, and then make a call to increase transportation and infrastructure investment because our competitiveness and job creation is faltering. What you do is lead. You lead every day of an administration, not just attempt to during the weeks leading up to an election. You don’t wait to veto endless Bills after failing to work with the legislature, you work with the legislature to curb the need to veto Bills. There is no doubt that we need a Capital Bill. We have a $4.6B annual shortfall in transportation and infrastructure needs in the State of Illinois, and that number continues to grow every day. If you want to grow an economy invest in it.
By the time of November’s election, Democratic candidates and liberal groups will have raised an astounding $1.5 billion in online contributions alone. And nearly every cent of it will arrive first in a mostly empty basement, where a printer the size of a carry-on suitcase processes checks next to a solitary cardboard cutout of former President Bill Clinton.
This is ActBlue, the not-for-profit group that has become a ubiquitous presence in Democratic politics, providing an online fundraising platform for just about every entity inside the party. If you’ve ever donated to one of the party’s candidates, or one of the recently formed grassroots progressive “pop-up” groups, you probably used ActBlue.
Few groups, then, have a better view of how a surge of relatively small, online contributions is reshaping the party’s priorities and campaigns — or how they are poised to upend the upcoming Democratic presidential primary.
There’s also an interesting new startup out there called GroundUp that allows Dems to link their credit cards to its system. They select the candidates they want to support and then every time participants make purchases, Ground Up rounds up to the next whole dollar amount and sends the “spare change” to the campaigns.
A month after acknowledging an impasse over whether Chicago police should make a record each time they point a gun at a person, it appears state and city lawyers will put the question to a federal judge.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office filed a motion Wednesday to partially lift a stay of her lawsuit seeking a consent decree to govern reforms at the Chicago Police Department. That stay has given her office a chance to negotiate with City Hall.
Now, partially lifting the stay over just the handgun issue would likely put that matter in the hands of U.S. District Judge Robert Dow.
“Focused litigation on a single, limited issue” could play out at the same time as the consent decree approval process, Assistant Attorney General Cara Hendrickson wrote in Wednesday’s motion.
* The Question: Should police be required to fill out a form when they point their gun at someone? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
A high-stakes veto battle over how to regulate the car-sharing business is shaping up in Springfield.
Yesterday Gov. Bruce Rauner rejected a measure approved by the General Assembly this spring that would require companies that connect individuals who want to lease their cars to others via a phone app to generally follow the same regulations and pay the same taxes as traditional companies.
The action likely sets off round two of a high-stakes lobbying battle, pitting new-economy firms such as Turo against long-time rentals companies like Enterprise. With a gubernatorial election set to occur before any votes are taken, the outcome is uncertain. […]
Bill advocates have not yet commented on the governor’s veto, which the Legislature can now accept or vote to override. If nothing happens, the bill dies. But given that some Republicans voted for the original bill, including Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, those override votes may be within reach.
Good point on Brady and Durkin.
* From the company which helped push the bill to Rauner’s desk…
“Why the Governor would veto bipartisan legislation that exempts peer-to-peer car rental providers from basic requirements is beyond comprehension,” [Enterprise Rent-A-Car] told Ars. “Ensuring vehicle safety, offering transparent pricing, and collecting essential state and municipal fees is just common sense. If peer-to-peer doesn’t pay taxes or fees, cities/municipalities will have to find ways to make up for lost revenue. That will only hurt local businesses and citizens while peer-to-peer companies get a free pass. We are confident the Legislature will right this wrong.”
“Gov. Rauner’s amendatory veto will enable car sharing to significantly lower the cost of personal transportation in Illinois. Every household will have the opportunity to redirect thousands of dollars per year from idle cars to education, paying off debts or saving for retirement,” said Allstate Chairman, President and CEO Tom Wilson. “The governor’s proposed changes will foster the innovation necessary to make car sharing a reality and should be supported by the legislature as a vote for family economic wellbeing.”
General Motors supports Governor Rauner’s decision to veto SB 2641 and seek a reasonable legislative compromise that protects consumers and allows innovative mobility platforms to operate in the State of Illinois. His actions today recognize that peer-to-peer car sharing can provide mobility solutions and economic opportunities for both vehicle owners and program users.
“It’s a telling symbol of Illinois’ unique reputation for politics that a one-sided and rushed effort to shut down new competition failed everywhere else but succeeded here,” said Mischa Fisher, chief economist and advisor to Governor Rauner. In the statement released along with the veto, Governor Rauner returned the bill to the Illinois Senate with a list of changes that would protect the operations of the car-sharing companies.
“It’s easy for even an active follower of tech and startups to think that the constant marginal progress we see is automatic,” Fisher told Ars. “But what nearly happened in Illinois is a reminder that the legal rules matter, and if we want to have competitive marketplaces that produce new goods and services in any state, we don’t want incumbent players authoring their competitors’ rules without any oversight or feedback.”
Over the last few days, Governor Bruce Rauner’s unleashed a “series of controversial” vetoes on bipartisan legislation that left one analyst suggesting they “probably didn’t help him” in his tough reelection battle. In fact, Rauner made abundantly clear to Illinois teachers, veterans, families, and immigrants that he has turned his back on them.
“This week, Bruce Rauner once again abandoned Illinois teachers, veterans, and families in pursuit of his fleeting reelection bid,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Already badly trailing in the polls after a two-year budget impasse, Rauner is adding insult to injury by vetoing critical legislation that would help working families across the state.”
* The governor has signed and vetoed so many bills the past couple of weeks that it’s all become a blur. So, I was wondering when I read that release earlier today if anyone was going to put some of his more controversial vetoes together into one list. The Pritzker campaign did that this afternoon…
Governor Veto is on a roll, nullifying bill after bill that would benefit working families. With so much critical legislation tossed aside by this failed governor, the Rauner campaign is left with no choice but to orchestrate a Veto Distraction Tour to provide cover from Rauner’s failures.
Here are 10 bills Bruce Rauner vetoed this session that he doesn’t want to talk about:
SB 2481: Rauner vetoed increasing the amount Veteran families can seek in a lawsuit against the state following his fatal mismanagement in Quincy.
SB 2892: Rauner vetoed raising teachers’ wages from the current minimum of $9,000 to $11,000 a year that hasn’t been updated in decades.
HB 4572: Rauner vetoed protecting Illinoisans from workplace discrimination if they work at a small business.
HB 4469: Rauner vetoed making it easier for people in jail to exercise their voting rights.
SB 2273: Rauner vetoed removing Illinois from the controversial Crosscheck voter registration system.
SB 3103: Rauner vetoed protecting immigrant tenants from being evicted or retaliated against.
SB 34: Rauner vetoed protecting immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking and other crimes when they report those crimes to law enforcement.
SB 35: Rauner vetoed making public schools, health care facilities, or courthouses safer for immigrant families.
HB 2624: Rauner vetoed protecting Illinoisans with pre-existing conditions from losing their healthcare coverage.
HB 4165: Rauner vetoed allowing the legislature and public from holding the governor accountable for restricting access to healthcare.
“Illinoisans aren’t interested in a desperate distraction tour from Bruce Rauner as he casts aside bill after bill that would help working families thrive,” said Pritzker campaign spokesman Jason Rubin. “Governor Veto can try and run from his own record but this failed leader’s damage to communities across this state and resistance to progress is plain for all to see.”
There’s a ton more nuance to those vetoes than the Pritzker people are admitting to, but as I’ve said a kabillion times before, voters don’t do nuance.
* Not all that many years ago, the Democrats dominated Chicago and southern Illinois. The Republicans dominated the suburbs (including much of suburban Cook County) and the non-urbanized Downstate areas. Nowadays, the Democrats (particularly at the presidential top of the ticket) are doing much better in suburbia and not so well in southern Illinois. Some of this, particularly in southern Cook and eastern DuPage, can be explained by black and Latino migration out of the city. But that’s not all of it. Here’s Ted McClelland…
In 2016, Hillary Clinton won Illinois by an even larger margin than her husband, but she won only 12 counties, most of them in the Chicago area. She won DuPage County 53%-38%, and lost Williamson County 67%-28%.
Since 2000… the Democrats have become the party of urbanized, well-educated voters, which has made them much more appealing to suburbanites. Today’s suburbanites are more likely than the previous generation to be pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-environment, pro-gun control, and pro-government, willing to tax themselves for schools and libraries — all values associated with the Democratic Party. When the Republican Party was dominated by moderates in the Midwest and Northeast, it won the suburbs comfortably. But as the party is increasingly led by conservative partisans, suburbanites are shying away. Even the Chicago Tribune, once the voice of Midwestern Republicanism, has not endorsed a Republican presidential nominee since 2004.
The same qualities that have made the Democrats so popular in the suburbs have repelled rural voters. In May, I visited Williamson County for the Old King Festival in West Frankfort, which celebrates the area’s biggest industry. The local state representative, Dave Severin, who took office after defeating a Democratic incumbent in 2016, began his speech by shouting “Gods, Guns and Coal!” Then he cracked, “In Chicago, they don’t even know how to spell ‘coal.’ ” In socially conservative Williamson County, the Democrats are seen as hostile to Christian teachings on abortion and homosexuality, and to the coal industry, which Donald Trump promised to revive and protect. […]
In this reordering of political allegiances, the Illinois Republican Party traded the Chicago suburbs for Southern Illinois, the Democratic Party vice versa. The Democrats got the better end of that deal, because the suburbs are far more populous.
The Democrats did get the better end of that deal, but most of it was at the very top of the ticket in presidential years. There are still a lot of suburban Republican state legislators, for example. And some urbanized Downstate areas did see a spike for President Trump in 2016. We’ll see if that holds, but the suburban trend is certainly not all that friendly to the GOP.
While a crowd of 9,112 fans removed their hats and stood at attention for the National Anthem prior to last Saturday’s SIU vs. UNI showdown in Saluki Stadium, three Saluki cheerleaders used the public stage to take a knee in protest.
Sophomore cheerleaders Czarina Tinker, Ariahn Hunt and Alaysia Brandy were unsure of how the rest of the squad would react to their intent to kneel during the anthem, so they decided not to share their plans. […]
“It’s not a protest against the flag. It’s not a protest against Donald Trump,” the Chicago native said. “It was a protest for our civil rights that we are still fighting for, that we have been fighting for, for hundreds of years and we’re not getting any justice.”
Brandy, who is studying biological sciences and is also from Chicago, agreed that while some people have expressed support, many of the responses have been unsettling.
“These people know our faces and names now. And we’re getting death threats and sexual assault threats, and being called the N-word so many times,” Brandy said.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Carbondale honored three SIU cheerleaders at the 36th Annual MLK Breakfast.
At the breakfast three sophomore cheerleaders Ariahn Hunt, Alaysia Brandy and Czarina Tinker were recognized for kneeling during the national anthem at the athletic events in order to protest against racial oppression. […]
Dr. Linda Flowers, NAACP Carbondale Branch president, said “They are college students whose courage transcends cheerleading. They have risked their safety, dare I say their cheerleading careers, to protest violence and injustices to African Americans.” […]
“The three young ladies were recognized for their courage in standing up for what they believe in,” [Vice Chancellor Lori Stettler] said. “That is foundational to everything we believe in as a society and as an institution.”
Stettler apparently wasn’t on the same page as campus leadership, however.
SIU Athletics administration has also added new language to the Code of Conduct policy that states any displays of activism will not be tolerated and could lead to the individual’s removal from their respective program.
“It is a privilege and not a right to be a student-athlete, cheerleader or spirit member at Southern Illinois University,” according to the addition provided by Liz Jarnigan, SIU Athletics senior woman administrator.
“Members of the department including student athletes cheerleaders and spirit members must remain neutral on any issue political in nature when wearing SIU official uniforms and when competing/performing in official department of athletics events and activities,” according to the addition provided to the Daily Egyptian. “Any display (verbal or non-verbal) of activism (either for or against) a political issue will not be tolerated and may result in dismissal from the program.” […]
“We have this policy because we’re wanting to put forward a message of unity and by taking sides or offending one side or the other… that’s not what we believe [is our] purpose,” Jarnigan said.
Brandy said she will no longer be taking a knee during the anthem and her decision to do so was made before the changes from the administration.
*** UPDATE *** Ed Yohnka, Director of Communications and Public Policy, ACLU of Illinois…
Southern Illinois University’s new policy suggesting that players or cheerleaders could be removed from their respective program for peaceful ‘displays of activism’ falls short of the critical responsibility of a public university to honor and protect free speech rights for their students. It is more troubling that the policy specifically suggests that such displays will not be tolerated on ‘a political issue.’
A central purpose for any public university is to engage students and the community in the issues of our time. Schools should not threaten students – or hide them away – because they engage in protests that some in the community may not agree with. SIU administrators should act immediately to reverse these new restrictive policies and welcome a full, vocal debate on all issues on the campus.
Gov. Bruce Rauner and Illinois EPA Director Alec Messina launched the “Driving a Cleaner Illinois” program today, aimed at improving air quality in the state by primarily removing old diesel engines from service.
This program makes way for cities, schools, transit agencies, and private businesses to submit project ideas to the Illinois EPA detailing how they will replace the old engines with newer, more environmentally friendly options.
“Taking old diesel engines off our streets and out of our rail yards will lead to better air-quality for all of us,” Gov. Rauner said. “The projects that will be funded in this first round will provide benefits to the most sensitive populations, including school children and residents in areas that do not meet federal air quality standards.”
The “Driving a Cleaner Illinois” program is funded through a recent $108 million allocation to the state of Illinois from the Volkswagen (VW) Settlement.
The Illinois EPA is opening the first round of funding with $20 million for government-owned commuter rail and government-owned public transit bus projects in the Chicago Metropolitan area, which has the highest population and most robust public transportation networks in the state.
Subsequent funding rounds will include other areas of the state that were affected by the VW vehicles, including the Metro-East St. Louis area along with Champaign, DeKalb, LaSalle, McLean, Peoria, Sangamon and Winnebago Counties.
“Commuter rail projects will remove some of the oldest, dirtiest diesel engines in Illinois from service,” said Illinois EPA Director Alec Messina. “Funding replacement of transit buses will promote all-electric and alternate fuel technology and funding for electric school buses will protect the public health of some of our most vulnerable Illinoisans.”
“The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is striking the right balance in its implementation of the VW plan,” said Todd Maisch, President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. “Leveraging investments in new transportation infrastructure and heavy industry while maximizing emissions reductions will drive much needed investments in Illinois communities and goes a long way in making our environment even cleaner. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce applauds the IEPA for their efforts.”
Mark Denzler, Vice-President & COO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, stated, “The IMA is pleased that Governor Rauner and the Illinois EPA have devised a thoughtful strategy to utilize the VW Settlement funds to get the best bang for the buck through future emission reductions.”
The Illinois EPA is also proposing to fund an electric school bus pilot project in Cook County. Electric school buses are a relatively new technology and a pilot project will provide school districts with information on the potential for future use. The Illinois EPA is proposing to spend more than any other state on electric school buses, an additional $9 million in future funding rounds.
Jen Walling, Executive Director of the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC), voiced support for the program stating, “The proposed VW final settlement plan set out by IEPA will kick start electrification of the transportation sector. Electrifying the transportation sector leverages our increasingly clean energy-powered grid to clean our air, lower carbon emissions, and improve health conditions for the most vulnerable. The Illinois Environmental Council is especially excited about the plan’s carve-out for electric school buses, which will protect young children from air pollution. IEC thanks Governor Rauner and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for working with environmental advocates and environmental justice communities on this final VW settlement plan.”
* ELPC…
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency today released its final plan for spending the state’s $107 million share of the $2.7 billion Volkswagen Mitigation Trust funds. The Environmental Law & Policy Center has been active in discussions about the plan. Al Grosboll, ELPC’s Legislative Director and Senior Policy Advocate, said in response to the final plan:
“The Environmental Law & Policy Center is supportive of specific components in the Illinois EPA plan,” Grosboll said. “While ELPC will continue to raise some questions about the Agency’s plan, we are pleased the IEPA included funding for electric school buses and electric charging stations for light-duty vehicles. The inclusion of these programs reflects the Agency’s responsiveness to citizen requests and environmental concerns.”
* ICJC…
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) released its final plan today to invest the $108 million settlement the state received from Volkswagen. The plan was revised after advocates called for more public input in the process.
The revised plan includes a significant increase in investments toward electric vehicle charging infrastructure, a reduction in administrative costs, and prioritizes public transit, including electric school buses.
Statement from the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC):
“The plan the IEPA released today gives Illinois the opportunity invest VW settlement money to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and the electrification of mass transit systems, resulting in jobs, consumer savings, and cleaner, healthier air.
“This investment in electric vehicles will further develop the state’s clean energy economy and add to the economic and health benefits the state is already experiencing from the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA). The Volkswagen settlement provides Illinois with a unique opportunity to shift the focus of our state’s transportation economy toward cleaner, cheaper and more reliable technology. As the clean transportation sector continues to boom across the country, Illinois must position itself as a leader in this new sector that has the potential to transform our state’s economy.”
“Bruce Rauner has consistently failed to protect the environment, gutting environmental protections and showing complete disregard for the Illinois communities he is hurting,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This is insult to injury from a failed governor who has been absent in the national fight to resist Donald Trump’s devastating policies and has unleashed his own attacks on the environment in Illinois.”
For every dollar DuPage County taxpayers send to Springfield, the state returns 31 cents.
That’s the lowest rate of return among all 102 counties in Illinois, according to a recently released study conducted by researchers at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
That puts DuPage County in a tie for the state’s biggest “giver.” Taxpayers in the other five counties in the Chicago area also put in more than what comes back from the state, according to the report. […]
Tiny Putnam County southwest of the Chicago area tied with DuPage, getting back 31 cents for every dollar sent to Springfield. That’s likely linked to a Cook County-based oil company that moved its sales offices to Putnam County to save on sales taxes.
The Daily Herald created a cool interactive county map, so click here and have a look.
When some politicians around here need a convenient excuse for the fiscal problem of the day, they go to their default position: Blame Chicago.
The party faithful are sure to believe anything and everything negative about the Windy City, which was given that name by New York newspapers’ editorial writers in the early 1890s to mock over-the-top boasts of Chicagoans touting their 1893 World’s Fair.
Blaming Chicago and Cook County — saying the city and the state’s most populous county take in more than their share of precious state money — is especially popular in the Rockford area.
The problem is, it’s not true. The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale ran the numbers.
The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute has some bad news for all those people who think Chicago gets all of the benefits of state spending.
In short, it doesn’t.
A paper titled “The Politics of Public Budgeting in Illinois” looked at how various regions of the state fared under state budgets. In other words, how much did a region pay in taxes vs. how much did the region get in return of state spending?
In Cook County, home of Chicago, where downstaters believe all of their tax money ends up, residents paid about $2 billion more in taxes than they got back from the state, the paper found. In the suburbs, people paid more than $4.2 billion more in taxes than they got back.
And downstate? They paid about $8 billion in taxes and got $12 billion worth of spending. The paper further separated areas of downstate and determined the central part of the region got back nearly twice as much as it paid in.
But the raw data is still fascinating — especially if you saw those original, condensed reports about our region taking more than it gives.
It’s true, regionally. But at the county-by-county level it seems that most of the Peoria region still actually gives more than it takes. (Fulton County is an exception, having both a high poverty concentration and a state prison. Knox and Stark counties also receive more than they give.)
Using the same controls researchers did regionally to account for the missing data on payments and revenue, we found that for every dollar Peoria County sends out in tax revenue it receives back about 93 cents. In Tazewell County it’s about 82 cents. Woodford County gets about 91 cents and it’s 88 cents in Marshall County.
The study also showed that approximately 19.9 percent of the state’s disbursement revenue went towards southern Illinois, 12.4 percent went to central Illinois, 11.1 percent to northern Illinois, 8.7 percent went to southwest Illinois, 6.2 percent went to Cook County and 3.5 percent went towards the Chicago suburbs.
“We get told that over and over again by people in office and people running for office that we’d be great as a state if just weren’t for us having to support Chicago,” [John Jackson of the Simon Institute] said.
Some have even proposed splitting Illinois into several states. In fact, Robert Marshall made separating the state the counterpoint of his failed Democratic Primary campaign earlier this year.
Jackson says such a change could have drastic effects.
“If it weren’t for the support from northeast Illinois we would be north Mississippi basically,” he said.
Union and Johnson Counties are the biggest beneficiaries of state funding, with each getting back more than six dollars for each dollar they send to Springfield.
As the report concludes in boldfaced type: “It is quite clear that downstate taxes are not being disproportionately siphoned off and spent in the city of Chicago. . . .The lower income regions of Illinois as a whole are receiving significantly more in state expenditures than they contribute in taxes. Indeed, in the southernmost region, there would be very little activity at all without the state.” […]
Why the sharp disparities? Part of it is that income levels tend to be lower the farther south you get. Another part is that state government and all of the state’s major public universities, except the University of Illinois at Chicago, are downstate. And the major state pension funds all are headquartered in central Illinois. […]
The study does have some flaws. For instance, it uses data that don’t yet incorporate changes in the state’s elementary and secondary school aid formula, which delivered a pile of new money to Chicago and other poorer school districts around the state. Also of interest is the conclusion that the current tax system “certainly is not progressive,” something that works to the advantage of higher-income areas.
But there should be no debate over its main finding: “Facts should count for something, indeed for a lot, and are essential to any form or rational decision-making.” Amen.
Shelbyville state Rep. Brad Halbrook was a chief co-sponsor of a resolution urging Congress to recognize Chicago as the 51st state. He doesn’t dispute any of the report’s findings on state spending but said that it only tells half of the story in terms of regional antipathy for the power that Chicago politicians wield over the rest of Illinois.
“We continually see unfunded mandate after unfunded mandate,” he said. “Whether it’s on schools, local governments, or even individuals, we continue to see regulation that drives costs up.”
Illinois lawmakers often write laws that exclude or pertain to only Chicago by saying they’re only applicable or don’t apply to counties or municipalities with a population of more than two or three million people. Reasons for these exceptions vary and can be logical, but Halbrook said the laws tend to give Chicago more autonomy, send specific funds or services, or require things from other towns that are not required from the state’s largest city.
“Some of this legislation is for everybody but Chicago or Cook County,” he said. “They exempt themselves out and I think it’s really improper to do that.” […]
Jackson said those mandates and orders are small when compared to the amount the state spends on the regions, typically for higher education. Plus, it takes more than just Chicago lawmakers to pass state mandates. Many urban areas have legislators who often vote with Chicago on issues that Halbrook criticized.
State Representative Helene Miller Walsh (R-Mundelein) was sworn into serve the 51st legislative district of Illinois on August 18th, 2018.
Helene is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Leenie Productions, LLC, a multi-media production company. In addition to her business, Rep. Miller Walsh is involved in various philanthropic endeavors, and she has held leadership positions on several campaigns for Northwestern’s Prentice Women’s Hospital. Having experience working as a business leader while contributing to various philanthropies in the community, Miller Walsh brings a valued perspective and unique skill set to the General Assembly.
Rep. Miller Walsh was appointed to serve on the following committees in the House of Representatives:
Economic Opportunity
Elections & Campaign Finance
Human Services
Labor and Commerce
International Trade and Commerce
Unemployment Insurance Subcommittee
* She does have some unique skills, and her Facebook page proves it. Or at least it did before she scrubbed it. Here’s some stuff you haven’t seen unless you followed her. Opining on Roy Moore…
After BuzzFeed published an article documenting Nehlen’s mobilization of online followers against the “Jewish media,” he tweeted out pictures of top media executives at CNN, NBC, and The New York Times with little stars of David superimposed on their faces. “Do the people pictured seem to have anything in common?” he wrote, before apparently deleting the tweet. […]
“Poop, incest, and pedophilia. Why are those common themes repeated so often with Jews?” he tweeted.
At a meeting before the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, Republican candidate and Grundy County State’s Attorney Jason Helland countered by calling White “the term-limit king.”
“He didn’t want to run in 2014. He didn’t want to run in 2018. I think it’s time to retire Jesse White,” Helland, of Mazon, said.
Asked if he had an issue with White’s age, Helland replied: “Absolutely,” adding White’s “not capable” of continuing serving until his term would end in January 2023.
White, well-known for the Chicago tumbling team that bears his name, later replied: “By the way, I think I’m in better shape than this gentleman.”
Libertarian candidate Steve Dutner, of, Elgin called Helland’s comments a “form of ageism.”
It’s not a “form of ageism,” it’s outright ageism. And it’s not the first time he’s done this, either. Click here if you need a reminder.
SB 904, as approved by the General Assembly, proposes changes to the Workers’ Compensation Act to: 1) provide to medical providers a mechanism for collection of the 1% per month interest penalty provided by Section 8.2 of the Act; and 2) provide penalties for the Department of Insurance enforcement of the electronic claims transaction requirements under the Act.
This Administration has advocated since taking office the need for reform of our workers’ compensation system to provide relief to employers from the high costs of our system. Unfortunately, the majorities in the General Assembly have sent to me legislation that does not provide the changes needed to bring our workers’ compensation costs in line with other states. Failure to work with our business community, legislators supporting reform, and my office to enact meaningful reform has resulted in the maintaining of our high costs, which are driving high wage jobs with good benefits out of our state.
SB 904 is not reform, does nothing to assist injured workers and dramatically tips the balance in favor of medical providers in a system where Illinois has the second highest medical fee schedule in the country for overall professional services and the highest in the country for major surgery services. Furthermore, SB 904 diminishes an employer’s ability to determine causation and whether an injury is work-related.
A much more balanced approach is necessary to meet the bill’s purpose and to reduce the friction in the billing and payment of medical bills in our workers’ compensation system. Rather than creating lengthy disputes in our court system, I propose a procedure through the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission which would result in more timely determinations of interest payments for all concerned. Furthermore, this administration is dedicated to the proper enforcement of the Insurance Code, and the Department of Insurance will be issuing guidance on compliance with the relevant law.
* That line about how the bill “dramatically tips the balance in favor of medical providers” didn’t go over well with the docs…
Illinois physicians are deeply disappointed by Governor Rauner’s amendatory veto of Senate Bill 904, which included important bipartisan protections within the workers’ compensation system. The Governor’s action gives workers’ comp insurance companies continuing latitude to skirt current law on payment of workers’ compensation claims. Quality medical care is key to reducing workplace injuries and getting injured workers back to work. This is an important benefit to both the injured worker and the employer.
We consider Governor Rauner’s amendatory veto of SB 904 a huge setback for the medical community, employers and injured workers. The important care provided by doctors, hospitals, and other providers is threatened because of a loophole being exploited by workers’ compensation insurance companies that allows them to authorize treatment and then not pay a medical provider, which can stretch as long as three years.
This loophole is so egregious that even the Illinois Appellate Court sent a notice to the Illinois Department of Insurance about the questionable practices of Illinois workers compensation insurance companies.
Right now, doctors in Illinois are owed millions of dollars for approved workers’ compensation medical care. We know of one medical practice that is currently owed $24 million in pre-authorized claims. Senate Bill 904 would avoid the bureaucracy of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and allow for a right of action in Circuit Court to collect those amounts receivable with an interest penalty, a right that was written into the law in 2005 and agreed to by the business community.
By rejecting SB 904, Governor Rauner also allows insurers to continue ignoring mandatory electronic billing requirements enacted in 2011. These insurers are clinging to an all-paper based billing system that delays care and payments.
ISMS thanks the members of the General Assembly for passing SB 904 by an overwhelming margin. On behalf of Illinois physicians and the injured workers we serve, ISMS will seek an override of this amendatory veto.
* When it comes to workers’ comp, there are three competing interest groups: business, unions and medical providers. Sometimes, biz and labor team up to whack the docs, sometimes labor and the docs turn on business. Sometimes, when everybody works together, all three agree to a haircut. They didn’t all work together this time. Here’s the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association…
“The IMA applauds Governor Rauner for stopping an attempt to significantly increase the cost of workers’ compensation for Illinois employers that already face the 8th highest costs in the nation,” said Mark Denzler, Vice President and COO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “This legislation sought to impose draconian new penalties on job creators while also limiting information that could be used to determine whether an injury was caused by the workplace. Lawmakers need to address the structural inequities in the system, including creation of a primary cause standard, creation of a drug formulary, use of American Medical Association standards, and reigning in medical costs. It makes absolutely no sense that a doctor can charge 350 percent more for performing the exact same surgery under workers’ compensation that they would receive under private insurance
Today, the Rauner campaign is launching a new digital ad titled “Yep,” as Illinois students are starting the new school year.
The ad centers around the tax credit scholarship program signed into law by Governor Rauner designed to help low-income students. But JB Pritzker has made it clear that he will immediately get rid of this program if elected, denying these students the opportunity for a better future. This is in spite of the fact that Pritzker paid zero state income tax in 2014 due in part to him claiming tax credits for educational expenses.
The ad features footage of a press conference in April in which Pritzker was asked about the program.
“We’re going to get rid of them,” Pritzker said of the tax credits.
This is JB Pritzker. He took tax credits to protect his wealth. In fact, he paid no state income tax in 2014 after taking tax credits. But as Governor, JB Pritzker would end tax credits that helps low-income students. The hypocrisy is clear. Tax credits for Pritzker, but not for low-income students.
Early figures show 28 percent of the scholarships are going to kids who don’t qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. A family of four can make up to $73,800 and get one or more scholarships; once they’re selected they can make up to $98,400 without losing their tuition help. While poor kids are supposed to get priority under the law, that doesn’t necessarily happen. Kids who live in a low-performing school district also get priority. And donors can designate funds to specific schools. If scholarship groups can’t find enough free-lunch kids at that particular school, they can give the designated funds to non-poor applicants (more on this below).
Some school choice advocates are fine with this; they’re pushing for the middle class to be included in tax credit scholarship programs. Enrollment of middle-income students in private schools has been falling.
It looks like many scholarship winners were already attending private school.
This has also happened in other states. Many Illinois private schools made sure to get the word about the scholarships out to their families; some held application events so their students would have a better shot at the new first-come, first-served scholarships. At St. Mary Star of the Sea School on the Southwest Side, 30 kids are getting tax credit scholarships. According to Principal Candice Usauskas, two-thirds were already students there. All seven kids who will attend Frances Xavier Warde with taxpayer help were already students at the school, according to the group that awarded their scholarships.
We may never know how many scholarship winners were already attending private schools because scholarship groups aren’t required to report that information.
