An Indiana General Assembly bill filed by one of the state’s most powerful lawmakers would set up a commission to “embrace” neighboring counties in Illinois that want to secede and join the Hoosier state.
House Bill 1008, which was unveiled on Tuesday by House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, would create a so-called “Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission,” with the goal of embracing Illinois counties “that want to join low-tax, low-cost Indiana.”
The House Republicans included the bill on a list of their top priorities for the 2025 session, which specifically noted that dozens of counties in Illinois have voted since 2020 “to secede from their high-tax state.” […]
He said it would require Illinois lawmakers to pass a similar resolution. It’s unclear what the political appetite for that would be.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Institute of Government and Public Affairs | Evaluating Illinois State Agencies and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act: Although NAGPRA was a significant step, gaps remain in the law that limit its applicability, which could hinder culturally appropriate care and repatriation. For example, Native American Ancestors may be unaccounted for in medical examiner and coroner offices (MECOs). These agencies are typically the first point of contact when unidentified human remains (UHRs) are discovered, and identifying human remains as Native Ancestors is not always straightforward or even possible given limited contextual details. Such identifications would require awareness of NAGPRA (and other relevant laws) and have access to specialists qualified to make such determinations.
* WGN | Illinois proposal raises age for mandatory road tests to 87 for older drivers: “Age alone does not necessarily determine if someone should have a driver’s license,” Giannoulias said during a morning press event. “Driver’s ability and medical health should serve as the main determining factors.” Data published by the Illinois Department of Transportation for the last several years indicate the crash rate for drivers aged 70 and older is lower than every other age range of drivers.
*** Madigan Trial ***
* WTTW | ‘I Put the Knife Into Cullerton’: Madigan Details Falling Out With Senate President as Testimony Continues: “Does Cullerton have any association to your son at all?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu asked. Madigan confirmed that Cullerton is his son’s godfather and that Madigan and his wife had chosen him for that role. “And you’re talking about putting a knife into Cullerton, is that right?” Bhachu asked. “Correct,” Madigan answered.
* South Side Weekly | Calls Widen for Police District Councilor’s Resignation: Last summer, the Weekly reported on tensions in the 14th PDC, which represents parts of Wicker Park, Logan Square, and Humboldt Park. (Each of the city’s twenty-two police districts has a three-member council, which were first elected in 2023.) At the time, formal complaints had already been filed against Orlikoff for his behavior. In April, a PDC 14 meeting devolved into a shouting match between Orkiloff and members of the public. During the uproar, he attempted to grab Chairperson Chris Laurent’s gavel, and he kept arguing with attendees after the meeting. In September, Laurent introduced a measure at a citywide meeting of district council members calling on the CCPSA to formally censure Orlikoff. It needed thirty-two votes to pass, and failed by a single vote.
* Chalkbeat Chicago | Meet the new Chicago Board of Education: The Chicago Board of Education is changing. After the city held its first school board elections in history, 10 people elected by their communities will join 11 mayoral appointees to serve for the next two years. The 21-member hybrid school board will be sworn in Wednesday, Jan. 15 — marking an historic shift in governance as 30 years of mayoral control in Chicago comes to a close.
* WTTW | CTU President Stacy Davis Gates on Contract Negotiations, Future of Chicago Public Schools: Contract negotiations between CTU and CPS are still on pause. Part of what the union is asking for is 5% raises annually for the first two years of the contract, and 4% to 5% increases for the third and fourth years of the contract. The district said it’s offering 4% because that’s all it can afford. CTU is also asking for fine arts programs, libraries and librarians, and 20 minutes of prep time for teachers, among other things. Davis Gates characterized negotiations so far as abysmal.
Covering a panel today by City Club of Chicago where the focus will be reimagining downtown.
The concept is reimagining Chicago downtown as a cultural hub or “the cultural stadium”
Some interesting examples in here like a floating farmers market, entertainment hub et. pic.twitter.com/4S3SGIktlr
* CO Star | Will this Chicago office sale lead to world’s tallest teardown?: Local investors John Murphy of Murphy Development Group and Gerald Kostelny of InSite Real Estate have a contract to buy the more than 1.3 million-square-foot tower at 311 S. Wacker Drive at a fraction of the more than $302 million it last sold for in 2014. Those investors’ involvement is significant, because they already have been working in recent years with development behemoth Hines on potential ground-up projects for vacant sites on each side of the 961-foot-tall tower at 301 S. Wacker and 321 S. Wacker.
Possible plans to demolish the 65-storey tower at 311 South Wacker, Chicago
Would be the tallest building ever demolished voluntarily
* Crain’s | United Center owners reveal new details of planned 1901 Project: The families that own the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks will detail their proposed 1901 Project on Jan. 16 for the Chicago Plan Commission, according to a presentation on the city’s website. The panel’s approval is a key step toward final City Council sign-off for a 14 million-square-foot development surrounding the venue at 1901 W. Madison St. that could reshape the city’s Near West Side over the next decade-plus.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Tribune | EPA warns of toxic forever chemicals in sewage sludge used on farmland, including thousands of acres near the Chicago area: The findings are particularly relevant for northeast Illinois, where more than 777,000 tons of sludge from Chicago and Cook County have been spread on farmland during the past eight years — in many cases near residential areas. Only the Greater Los Angeles area distributed more sludge to farmers during the same period. Officials at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago have known their sludge fertilizer is contaminated with forever chemicals since at least 2013, the Chicago Tribune reported in a 2022 investigation.
* ABC Chicago | Mother left shocked by initial $7K bill for daughter’s 11-mile ambulance ride between hospitals:
“Sticker shock was huge. Huge. Because it was over $7,000 for 11 miles. I couldn’t believe it,” Dudzik said. Dudzik says she has excellent insurance under a union, so most of her bill was covered. She was left with a $1,300 balance. “I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, you know, how is this not regulated?’ I started making phone calls. I called the union who controls our insurance, and they’re like, ‘It is the wild, wild west out there,’” Dudzik said of when she received the initial bill.
* Daily Herald | Elgin launches new webpage to keep residents informed on ‘Tent City,’ homelessness initiatives: Days after the third fire at the “Tent City” homeless encampment since early December, Elgin has launched a webpage to provide up-to-date information on their efforts to relocate the residents and offer ways people can help. The “Homelessness Response” page on the city’s website, ElginIL.gov/EHR, features a donation portal, volunteer opportunities, updates on Tent City, a timeline of the city’s initiatives, a human services resource guide, a community partner directory and a list of frequently asked questions.
* Daily Herald | Rosemont considers sale of publicly owned theater to private entertainment group: But Mayor Brad Stephens emphasized a sale is still only a possibility and that discussions — which have been ongoing for less than a year — continue. “Any good deal for any of our assets is something we have to look at,” he said. Stephens said the private group — an undisclosed “substantial” entertainment firm — came to the village expressing interest in taking over ownership and operations of the 4,400-seat live performance space.
* Shaw Local | McHenry record shop owner is known for helping others. Now he’s the one in need.: Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Wille posted about a family who was facing eviction, unable to pay their rent, Gasek said. With the help of others on the page, the rent was paid and the residents were able to stay in their home. “He has a good following because he has a good heart,” Gasek said. The community is now stepping up to help Wille. He was hospitalized with pneumonia shortly before Christmas. The illness worsened, and Wille was placed on a ventilator. According to a post to the record store’s Facebook page, Wille was taken off the ventilator last week.
*** Downstate ***
* WCBU | Pekin business park could be home of an estimated $550 million methanol plant: The Pekin City Council voted 5-2 to approve giving Ambient Fuels of New York, N.Y., the opportunity to purchase about 47 acres of a 57-acre site from the city for the plant. Ambient plans to use ethanol, carbon dioxide and green energy like offsite solar to manufacture methanol with a lower carbon footprint than traditional plants. Ambient has a two-year option to purchase the 47 acres for $1 million. The company will make quarterly payments to the city of $7,500 in the first year and $16,750 in the second year while its doing its due diligence for the plant.
* Illinois Times | Adams Street at a crossroads: “The idea of TIF is that the market doesn’t support the full cost of renovation because the project is in a distressed area of town,” said Abby Powell, director of business development for Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, who previously served as the TIF administrator for the city of Springfield. “A bank would not be able to lend against the full cost because a project wouldn’t appraise out to get funding from a traditional lender. This is called gap financing because it’s a gap between what the market supports and what the project requires.”
* WGEM | West Central Illinois non-profits receiving additional ARPA funding: In total, $24,000 is set to be divided between agencies in Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike counties. The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Consolidated Appropriations Act, both from 2021. This round of funding is considered phase 42. The local Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) board awards the money. United Way of Adams County is the coordinating agency for the local board. Meaning they administer funds to the participating non-profits.
* 25News Now | Free tuition idea rejected by PPS board: The Board of Education for Peoria Public Schools is unwilling to offer free tuition to children of full-time school employees who live outside the district despite claims that the action could help recruit and retain teachers. The board voted 3-3 with one member absent. A tie vote means the motion failed. However, board members might revisit the issue later and vote on a measure offering a steeper tuition discount than what’s currently available.
* WCIA | Sangamon County accepting applications for board member vacancy: After District 21 board member Clyde Bunch died in December, the board is looking to appoint a resident who will serve in his place until a special election in November 2026. To qualify for the seat, candidates must be registered voters in District 21 and have lived there for more than a year. Applicants also must be a member of the Democratic Party, as Bunch was a Democrat.
* Herald-Whig | Hancock County kicks off year-long bicentennial celebration: On a historic day for Hancock County, Brezlynn Taylor made some history of her own. The seventh-grader from Carthage Middle School visited the courthouse for the first time, touring the historic structure Monday as the county kicked off its year-long bicentennial celebration.
* Cannabis Business Times | PharmaCann Cannabis Cultivation Workers Vote to Unionize in Illinois: Cannabis workers at the PharmaCann cultivation facility in Dwight, Ill., have voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 777. “We already represent over 100 PharmaCann Teamsters throughout Illinois,” said Jim Glimco, president of Local 777. “We look forward to getting these workers a great union contract, just like we’ve already done for PharmaCann retail workers throughout the state.”
*** National ***
* AP | Hanging out at Starbucks will cost you as company reverses its open-door policy: Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said the new rules are designed to help prioritize paying customers. Anderson said most other retailers already have similar rules. “We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in our stores,” Anderson said. “By setting clear expectations for behavior and use of our spaces, we can create a better environment for everyone.”
* NBC Chicago | Meta’s new hate speech guidelines permit users to say LGBTQ people are mentally ill: The company’s new guidelines prohibit insults about someone’s intellect or mental illness on Facebook, Instagram and Threads, as have previous iterations. However, the latest guidelines now include a caveat for accusing LGBTQ people of being mentally ill because they are gay or transgender. “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird,’” the revised company guidelines read.
Madigan testifying to his efforts to build consensus in state government. He says of state legislators, "either make them happy or don't make them not-happy."
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For the first time, Illinois lawmakers are signaling support for using taxpayer money to assist the Chicago Bears with a potential stadium project—if the team chooses the Michael Reese Hospital site near McCormick Place instead of the lakefront Museum Campus.
House Speaker Chris Welch emphasized that the state is open to funding infrastructure improvements at the Michael Reese location, citing its potential to drive economic development in the area.
“If they choose a site like Michael Reese that could use economic development, that’s a different conversation,” Welch said.
State Senator Kam Buckner, whose district includes the proposed site, confirmed that $466 million in surplus money is available to support infrastructure like roads and bridges.
Governor JB Pritzker is open to talks with the Bears regarding the Michael Reese site, according to sources.
* From Gov. Pritzker’s spokesperson…
Governor Pritzker’s position against public funding for a Bears stadium has not changed. The organization is welcome to explore other options.
I asked Rep. Buckner about the story yesterday and he said, “None of this is correct. The Governor’s folks and I were both disputing simultaneously.”
Neither of the claims were included in the station’s 9 o’clock TV story.
Reporter: Welch says the Bears have not approached lawmakers about this yet. Says they’d be willing to listen, because a stadium there could lead to development of an underdeveloped neighborhood.
Welch: If they chose a site like Michael Reese, which, that’s a neighborhood in Bronzeville that can certainly use some great economic development. You know, that’s a different conversation. The state, you know, has a road fund that we could probably help with building roadways or improving the roadways around the area. That’s a totally different conversation than what’s being asked right now.
* Background is here if you need it. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias was asked whether he plans to use a digital driver’s license at an unrelated news conference today…
Reporter: Is this something you plan to use?
Giannoulias: Yes, because we use our phones. I’m going to the Bulls game tonight. I don’t have a ticket anymore, I’m going to have my phone. [If I] take my daughters to the movie, it’s on my phone. Almost everything we do is on our phones. The world is moving that way. When you go to board a plane, I rarely see people with paper tickets anymore. So everything we do, the way we conduct our day to day lives, is moving more and more towards the digital world. I’m looking forward to using it. And the feedback we’ve heard is people are very, very excited.
The Question: Will you add your driver’s license to your Apple wallet? Make sure to explain your answer.
The former Republican Illinois Attorney General candidate is taking the Illinois House Minority Leader to federal court over alleged censorship on her social media page used to communicate government business.
An attorney representing Thomas DeVore, who ran unsuccessfully for AG in 2022, filed the lawsuit Monday in the Northern District of Illinois federal court, alleging Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, is censoring DeVore. […]
A spokesperson for McCombie said they will defend the lawsuit.
“This is a politically motivated legal filing and we look forward to vigorously defending the complaint in court,” the spokesperson told The Center Square Monday evening.
Defendant McCombie was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, and took office on January 11, 2017. Defendant McCombie created her first Facebook Page when she was running for the office of State Representative. This Page was created on May 19, 2015 and was titled as “Tony McCombie for State Representative 71st District”. On November 17, 2016, after winning her election as state representative, McCombie changed the name of the Page to be simply “Tony McCombie”, which appears to be the page name today. This Page appears at the URL www.facebook.com/McCombieforIllinois
Leader McCombie has utilized this Facebook Page to discuss government business and to interact with users about government business since taking office in January 2017. (Hereinafter this Page will be referred to as the “Primary Public Forum”).
You can talk about some government issues on a campaign page. You cannot post about campaign issues on a government page. It’s like how you can use campaign funds to support your district office operations, but you can’t use your state district office allowance to subsidize your campaign operation.
McCombie created an additional public forum of Facebook on September 16, 2024. This Page is labelled “Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie.” The Page appears at www.facebook.com/IllinoisHouseMinorityLeader This Page only has a few hundred followers compared to the Primary Public Forum which has over 17,000 followers. (Hereinafter, this page will be referred to as her “Secondary Public Forum”) […]
For the very first time on January 10, 2025, only after citizens began questioning her blocking and censuring of citizens, including the Plaintiff, on her Primary Public Forum, did McCombie make a public Facebook post on her Primary Public Forum attempting to deflect the criticism of her constituents regarding her blocking of constituents. In these Facebook communication on or about January 10, 2025, she for the first time makes inferences that the Primary Public Forum was not her official page and that it was only her Secondary Public Forum where she could not ban citizens, or otherwise restrict their speech. […]
DeVore expressed critical viewpoints of Leader McCombie’s political actions on her Primary Public Forum in response to Facebook post(s) she had made about government business. As a result of DeVore’s expression of these critical viewpoints, Leader McCombie has banned him completely from her Primary Public Forum and has otherwise deleted his comments. As such, his comments are no longer viewable by the general public, including the over 17,000 followers of Leader McCombie’s Primary Public Forum.
The GOP leader is just the latest elected official to be sued for allegedly blocking opinions posted on social media. President-elect Donald Trump was sued in 2017 for blocking critics on what was then Twitter. The case ultimately went to the Supreme Court and was dismissed.
In another case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on when public officials’ social media posts are official, via POLITICO.
Closer to home: Chicago Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) recently agreed to pay $157,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by critics blocked from his Facebook page.
And a case is pending against state Rep. Charlie Meier, a Republican from Okawville, for hiding “critical” comments on his Facebook page. The case was filed by four people who claimed their First Amendment rights were violated. Their attorney: DeVore.
Michael Madigan last week testified at his landmark corruption trial that he became “very angry” when he learned his associates had been doing little or no work for years after receiving contractor jobs with utility giant Commonwealth Edison.
But on Monday, jurors heard a wiretapped phone call in which the longtime House speaker seemed to laugh off the notion that some had “made out like bandits” while doing essentially no work.
That call was played in court during Madigan’s third day on the witness stand as government prosecutors launched into their cross-examination of the man who had long been Illinois’ most powerful politician. […]
Before Madigan retook the witness stand Monday afternoon, attorneys in the case spent the entire morning arguing over which issues Madigan could actually be questioned on — including the so-called “bandits” tape.
Instead of leaning back in his chair and talking directly to the jury, as he had on direct examination, Madigan was more hunched, peering directly at Bhachu standing at the lectern and at times looking down through the eyeglasses perched at the end of his nose.
He often attempted to answer “yes” or “no” questions by offering extensive context, which prompted Bhachu to repeatedly ask him to listen to what he was asking.
At another point, Bhachu asked if Madigan if he thought another ComEd contractor, longtime 13th Ward precinct captain Edward Moody, was an “honest person.”
Madigan paused for several seconds, prompting Bhachu to interject: “That’s a yes or no question, by the way. Was Ed Moody honest?
Still, the most damaging part of Madigan’s testimony may have come near the end of the day, after Bhachu asked about Madigan’s “low” tone of voice in the meeting with Solis. Jurors first saw the video recording in November, but Bhachu played it for them again with the 82-year-old Madigan on the stand — visibly older and grayer than he was in his exchange with Solis more than seven years earlier.
Solis secretly recorded the meeting after agreeing to work undercover for the FBI in a bid to avoid prison for his own alleged wrongdoing. Madigan can be seen waving his hand before his face appears in the left side of the frame, as he lectures Solis about having used the words “quid pro quo” in a previous chat.
“You shouldn’t be talking like that,” Madigan told Solis on July 18, 2017. “You’re just recommending our law firm. … Because if, if they don’t get a good result on the real estate taxes, the whole project would be in trouble.”
Madigan testified last week that he thought he’d sent a message to Solis, in that moment, that he wouldn’t be part of a “quid pro quo.” But Bhachu on Monday went on to cite at least five other examples of Solis suggesting such an arrangement.
Madigan nevertheless told Collins last week he “never heard anything negative” about Solis when considering a recommendation to Pritzker’s administration on his behalf.
“I didn’t hesitate. I had a long history of helping Mr. Solis,” Madigan told Collins.
Bhachu hammered on this apparent contradiction — how Madigan decided to help Solis and said he had never heard anything negative about him, but was still surprised and concerned over what must have looked like Solis’ repeated ethical lapses. […]
Blakey gave Madigan’s attorneys until Tuesday morning to address the question, but said the former speaker “isn’t leaving the stand” until he gets a definitive answer.
The courtroom, packed with so many onlookers that court officials opened a second overflow room with a video feed, watched as Bhachu questioned Madigan about his efforts to help find employment for the son of longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush. […]
“This is a guy I’m gonna wanna help somewhere along the road,” Madigan said of Rush in another wiretapped call in August 2018, a little over a decade after his sentencing. […]
“You knew he’d abused his position of public trust?” Bhachu asked of Rush’s taxpayer-funded job with the state prison system.
“Ten years prior,” Madigan replied, going on to say that he was interested in how Rush was “trying to rehabilitate himself,” noting he’d spent five years doing community outreach for a church on Chicago’s South Side. […]
McClain never found a job for Rush, even after asking a ComEd official about him months later in a phone call jurors heard earlier in trial. But in a newly introduced exhibit Monday, Bhachu showed Rush’s temporary $20-per-hour consultant contracts with one of Madigan’s campaign funds for the fall of 2018 into the beginning of 2019. The former speaker testified that Rush worked on legislative campaigns that election cycle.
“For 20 years, I worked as a sex worker here in the city of Chicago,” Reyna Ortiz said at a news conference Monday, surrounded by allies from organizations like Equality Illinois, Brave Space Alliance and the Chicago Abortion Fund. “And for over 20 years, I lived under the fear and threat of violence.”
Ortiz, who chairs the Sex Worker Advisory Group — a coalition of current and former sex workers — is among those advocating for Illinois to become the first state in the U.S. to fully legalize the exchange of money for sex among consenting adults.
Illinois in 2013 reduced the crime of prostitution to a misdemeanor, and Equality Illinois CEO Brian Johnson said that has contributed to a 97% reduction in arrests and prosecutions of sex-related offenses, so fully decriminalizing sex work would be codifying standard police practices. […]
Some Illinois lawmakers have for years talked about removing criminal penalties for sex work, but Johnson said he’s “absolutely hopeful” this attempt will be successful, with state Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) and state Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) serving as sponsors.
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, and state Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, would remove criminal penalties for adults engaging in consensual sex work, remove arrest and conviction records for sex workers and establish a sex workers’ bill of rights.
Advocates for sex workers said they believe these policy changes would offer sex workers the ability to better vet clients and meet with them in safer places. The proposed policy changes would also allow sex workers to report crimes against them without fear of consequences in their own lives.
“The threat of arrest and prosecution keeps sex workers unsafe and in the shadows, and this threat must be eliminated,” said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois. “This law is essential now more than ever.”
Between 45% and 75% of all sex workers worldwide will experience violence at some point in their careers, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. About two-thirds of trans people killed in Illinois in the last decade were sex workers, according to state data analyzed by Equality Illinois.
Amends the Public Utilities Act and the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Prohibits alternative retail electric and gas suppliers from paying incentive-based compensation to people engaged in in-person solicitation or telemarketing. Provides that certain tariffs may be filed by an electric utility with respect to electric utilities providing supply service through an electric aggregation program. Provides that an alternative retail electric utility supplier or alternative gas supplier shall not automatically renew a consumer’s enrollment after the current term of the contract expires when the renewed contract provides that the consumer will be charged a rate higher than the current contract rate unless: (i) the alternative retail electric supplier or alternative gas supplier complies with specified notice and disclosure requirements; and (ii) the customer expressly consents to the contract renewal in writing or by electronic signature at least 30 days, but no more than 60 days, before the contract expires.
One of the 37 states where it’s illegal to engage in Super Bowl boxes is Illinois, but if one lawmaker has his way, the fine people of the Prairie State will be able to safely invest their money in Super Bowl squares without fear of Johnny Law breaking down their front door and tearing their 18×24 piece of oak tag paper to smithereens.
Only hitch: It’s about the dumbest law anyone could come up with to govern Super Bowl squares. It’s turning the single most innocent form of gambling — and something that the AGA figures about 36.5 million Americans did last year — into a government money-making scheme.
The bill is called the Social Gaming Act, and was introduced by Rep. John M. Cabello. It would allow Super Bowl squares, but only at existing establishments that are already licensed for video gaming. It would charge board manufacturers a $5,000 licensing fee, distributors a $1,000 licensing fee, and gaming locations a $50 yearly fee. It would also cap the max payout at $1,199.
Obviously, this is made to be a cash grab for the state, which is fine, that’s what states do, but trying to corral Super Bowl squares into an income stream just seems … well, again, dumb.
Creates the Kratom Consumer Protection Act. Provides that no person shall sell, offer for sale, provide, or distribute kratom leaf or a kratom product to a person under 21 years of age, with requirements for online age verification. Provides that no person shall sell, offer for sale, provide, or distribute a kratom product that contains certain chemical compositions. Provides that an individual, business, or other entity shall not produce, sell, or distribute a kratom product that is attractive to children. Provides that no person shall sell, offer for sale, provide, or distribute a kratom product that is adulterated with a dangerous non-kratom substance. Provides that no person shall offer for sale any kratom product that contains synthesized or semi-synthesized kratom alkaloids or kratom constituents. Requires federal compliance for kratom products and processors. Imposes a tax of 5% on the retail sale of kratom products. Requires quarterly returns for the tax. Provides that a person who knowingly files a false or incomplete return is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Provides for rulemaking and other powers for the Department of Revenue. Incorporates certain provisions of the Retailers’ Occupation Tax Act and the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act. Provides that any person who sells a kratom product in violation of this Act shall be subject to a civil penalty up to $5,000 for the first violation, and up to $10,000 for a second violation. Provides that, for a third violation and each subsequent violation, the person shall be fined a minimum of $10,000, up to a maximum of $20,000, and shall be prohibited from selling kratom products in this State for 3 years. Defines terms. Limits home rule powers. Repeals the Kratom Control Act.
* ICYMI: CTA President Dorval Carter to step down. Tribune…
- Carter will step down at the end of this month, according to the release, before taking over as CEO of St. Anthony’s Hospital.
- Carter’s retirement comes as a debate brews in Springfield about whether to combine the CTA with Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority, and how to fund local transit amid a looming $771 million budget gap once federal COVID-19 relief funding runs out.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson’s spokesperson said Carter’s interim replacement will be announced at the next CTA board hearing, which is scheduled for Wednesday.
* Block Club | City’s Year-Old Food Scrap Dropoff Program Diverted Nearly 250 Tons Of Waste From Landfills: The Department of Streets and Sanitation sent more than 723,000 tons of residential trash to landfills between January and November of last year, including more than 173,000 tons of food waste. That’s more than 555 pounds per household. But more than 6,000 Chicagoans have signed up for the city’s Food Scrap Drop-off program since its launch in October 2023, composting more than 295 tons of food scraps through the end of November 2024, the city reported.
* WJBD | State Representative Charlie Meier announces he has prostate cancer: Meier says there is a stigma around prostate cancer among men, but says it doesn’t have to be that way. His message to this: put down your pride and stay up to date on your regular health tests. If you are over the age of 50, you have a higher risk of prostate cancer and should be routinely checked, even if you do not show any of the symptoms. Meier say early detection for all cancers is important.
* WGN | Illinois House speaker urges Mayor Johnson to reveal Springfield wish list: To enact his progressive agenda, Mayor Brandon Johnson is looking to Springfield for an assist, but powerful Speaker of the Illinois House Emanuel “Chris” Welch warns that money is tight. “The mayor of Chicago and mayors all across this state will have to come to us with realistic expectations. They can expect to hear us say ‘no’ from time to time,” the Democrat told WGN during a Monday sit-down interview. “We’re entering into this budget season with a $3.1 billion projected deficit, that’s billion with a ‘B.’
*** Statehouse News ***
* WCIA | Advocates excited new Illinois law will help non-English speakers in court: Non-English speakers in Illinois will have access to free translators during their administrative hearings starting July 1. Thanks to a law signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker, all administrative hearing notices must include a section in multiple languages that the recipient can request interpretive assistance for the hearing. These administrative hearings include family disputes, non-moving traffic violations, unlicensed businesses and more.
* AG Kwame Raoul | Assaults on DEI must be met with reaffirming commitments to equity in the workplace : As ideologically driven organizations continue to pressure companies to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs, I stand with my fellow like-minded attorneys general to remind corporate leaders of their previous commitments to prioritize diversity in the workplace and the value these policies add to companies’ cultures and financial bottom lines. The assault on diversity, equity and inclusion policies have even leached into our law enforcement agencies. Following the horrific New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, instead of uniting our country, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., issued a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray attempting — without merit — to tie the act of terrorism to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
* Tribune | Illinois Congressional Democrats plot ways to blunt policies after Trump takes office: “Trump has not been kind in his descriptions of Chicago,” said U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who represents parts of Chicago and many northern suburbs. “There’s definitely going to be a lot of pushback (from Illinois officials), and it’ll be obvious what Trump is doing: He wants to punish certain blue states.” Still, Illinois Democrats figure they have an avenue for some success in the latest Trump era.
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson testing ShotSpotter replacements as alderman tries for his own pilot: As Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration conducts pilot testing on first-responder technologies to replace the ShotSpotter system he discontinued, one skeptical alderman wants to move ahead on a technology tryout he set up himself. Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, announced his plans Monday to test a technology that helps police identify and respond to gunshots with tools like acoustic detectors, infrared cameras and even drones. The pilot program would cover half a square mile in the Back of the Yards neighborhood and cost the city nothing, but it can start only with Johnson’s approval, Lopez said.
* WBEZ | CTU, CPS views on large fund balance key in contract talks: The $1.1 billion fund balance is a massive improvement from negative balances almost a decade ago. But although CTU believes, “They have a sufficient amount of reserves,” officials at CPS say, “There is no mythical pot of gold.”
* Zena Naiditch | Stacy Davis Gates’ comments reinforce harmful prejudices about students with disabilities: I was appalled to hear Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates’ recent remarks comparing Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to a special education student who cannot be suspended. This statement is deeply offensive and perpetuates damaging stereotypes about students with disabilities who are disproportionately suspended and excluded from school. Students with disabilities are legally entitled to, and rely on, individualized education programs (IEPs) to make progress in the classroom educationally and emotionally. Every individual deserves respect, dignity and the opportunity to succeed. Comments such those made by Davis Gates undermine these values and reinforce harmful prejudices about students with disabilities.
* Tribune | Bally’s resumes demolition at Freedom Center as city lowers revenue projections, looks to permanent casino to meet goals: Halted for nearly a month in the wake of a river spill, demolition at the future site of the permanent Bally’s Chicago Casino complex resumed Friday after the city approved a new plan for razing the last vestiges of the Freedom Center. Disappointing results from the first full year at the temporary Medinah Temple facility may make supplanting the former Chicago Tribune printing plant with the planned $1.7 billion gambling palace an even higher priority for both Bally’s and the city, which has reduced its casino tax revenue projection for 2025.
* SBJ | McDonald’s ends NASCAR’s Chicago street race founding sponsorship: NASCAR sought around $2M annually over three years for founding partner positions, including ad time with NBC Sports, SBJ previously reported, but the terms it eventually struck with McDonald’s were unclear. McDonald’s assets included promotional rights; branding in a dedicated section of the 2.2-mile circuit around Grant Park and signage at other parts of the track, fan entrances, concert stages and wayfinding placards; and ad inventory on NBC, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM Radio broadcasts, and NASCAR’s digital platforms. SBJ could not establish why McDonald’s chose to conclude the relationship, but it remains a major sponsor of 23XI Racing in NASCAR.
* Block Club | Cops Rescue Coyote From Humboldt Park Aldi In Viral Video: A video of the incident shared widely on social media shows two officers standing in a refrigerated section of the store with a broom and dustpan as they move inventory to try to secure the animal. One of the officers then reaches into the refrigerator and grabs the coyote’s tail. The officer pulls on it until the animal is fully removed, but it is then seen immediately leaping back into the refrigerated section, according to the video.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Mount Prospect chamber’s suit against management firm pits mayoral hopefuls of neighboring towns: The suit seeks to block the firm’s access to a $50,000 grant the chamber obtained last year from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, as well as other damages and legal costs. The litigation pits Trisha Chokshi, the Mount Prospect chamber board chair and a candidate for Mount Prospect mayor, against Arlington Heights mayoral hopeful Jon Ridler, the founder and CEO of the management company.
* Daily Herald | Gurnee native reached for the moon. Now he’ll be steering spacecraft to lunar landing: As a high school student, studying physics in a classroom wasn’t enough for Curtis Szajkovics. So, he and fellow science aficionados designed a giant catapult that won international recognition. On Wednesday, the Gurnee native will aim higher when he serves as a flight controller with NASA contractor Firefly Aerospace, helping to guide a spacecraft to a moon landing.
*** Downstate ***
* WIFR | Former Illinois 67th District Rep. Chuck Jefferson remembered by community, lawmakers: The 79-year-old Jefferson served in the Illinois legislature from April 2001 to July 2014 and acted as Assistant Majority Leader. […] “He was a trailblazer,” said current 67th District Rep. Maurice West. “Little did I know, that…18, 19 years later I was going to follow in his footsteps.”
* WAND | Sangamon County passes vote to have referendum to eliminate County Recorder on ballot: County Board Member Tony DelGiorno proposed a resolution that would add a question to the ballot for the Consolidated election on April 1, 2025, that would eliminate the office of Recorder of Sangamon County, closing officially on April 1, 2026. DelGiorno’s amendment was shot down in favor of Tom Madonia Jr.’s amendment, which moved the question to a later ballot and included contracting a consulting service to evaluate merging tactics.
* WCBU | A stampede of artsy bison heralds Peoria County’s 200th birthday: Edward Barry, vice president of the Peoria Historical Society, said the county’s borders looked very different when it was founded in 1825. “Peoria was the size of the Netherlands, clocking in at over 16,000 square miles,” Barry said at a kickoff event Monday at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. “Including the present day counties of Putnam, Knox, Henry, Tazewell, Mason, Logan, McLean, Woodford, and Marshall”
You can click here and here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
Speaker Welch Announces Committee Chairs for New Session
Bipartisan Slate Includes Republican Veteran to Lead VA Committee
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch announced a bipartisan slate of veteran policy experts and new leaders to chair House committees in the coming legislative session, including selecting the first Republican to chair a committee in more than a decade.
“Enacting policies that help families make ends meet, protect and expand the rights of working people, and create opportunity for a bright future takes careful review, deliberation, and thoughtful discussion—and that’s the work that needs to be happening every day in our committees,” Welch said. “The chairs I have selected bring invaluable legislative knowledge, firsthand experience at the critical junctures where policy is implemented on the community level, an abiding sense of compassion, and a deep appreciation for the importance of the work we’re doing on behalf of Illinois families.”
In addition to selecting subject matter experts with years of experience from his own caucus, Welch tapped Republican Representative and 27-year United States Army veteran Dan Swanson to lead the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
“As a veteran, Representative Swanson has served our country with honor and distinction, and I know he will bring the same solemn sense of duty to leading a bipartisan Veterans Affairs Committee,” Welch said. “Every committee unites people of different backgrounds and perspectives in order to achieve a common goal. Whether that goal is serving our veterans, supporting our students and educators, improving our workplaces, or protecting the dignity of everyone who calls Illinois home, the work before us is clear and we all must be ready to talk, to compromise, and to do that work together.” […]
The Appropriations: Personnel & Pensions Committee was created this year in the House Rules. In consultation with members, Speaker Welch has agreed to create a new Gun Violence Prevention Committee; an International Relations, Tourism, & Trade Committee; and a Museums, Arts, & Culture Committee.
In order to better reflect their purviews, the Elementary & Secondary Education: Curriculum & Policy Committee will be renamed as the Education Policy Committee, and the Restorative Justice Committee will be renamed as the Restorative Justice & Public Safety Committee.
The full list of new chairs is here. The previous committee chairs are here.
* From Heather Wier Vaught’s excellent newsletter…
Illinois Supreme Court Annual Report:
Each year the Illinois Supreme Court submits a comprehensive report summarizing the operations of the judicial branch, including an overview of the state and local resources required for the operation of the Illinois court system, and statistics and trends within the judicial branch. Last week the Court released its 2023 report, offering a glimpse of the work of the judicial branch and the state and local costs to operate the judicial branch. The report is here and the statistical summary is here. A few highlights:
- Illinois has “legal deserts” and a real need for lawyers outside of Cook County, which has more lawyers than the entire nation of Japan. In 35 counties there are fewer than 10 practitioners and 13 counties have less than 5 practitioners. Some counties only have a resident circuit court judge, a State’s Attorney, and one part-time public defender. Litigants are left representing themselves in a variety of legal disputes ranging from contract and tort cases to dissolution and family law cases.
- There were more than 3 million cases on the circuit court dockets. The number of newly filed cases in the circuit courts continues to drop. All but one category has experienced declines, with the most dramatic declines in cases involving chancery, traffic, and DUI. The only category of law seeing an increase is juvenile. From 2019 to 2023, the number of new filed juvenile cases increased by 30.5%. Nearly 1/3 of new cases were filed in Cook County.
- The Appellate Courts saw an increase in the number of filings in all districts. With more than 6,500 cases, the Appellate Court has the highest caseload it’s had in decades, with an increase in criminal cases and decrease in civil cases.
- The Supreme Court disposed of 1,788 cases in 2023. A total of 449 miscellaneous cases were filed, including 69 disciplinary cases and 296 name-changes. The Supreme Court issued a total of 69 opinions.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Tribune | Debate over the future of CTA, Metra, Pace, RTA to heat up in Springfield this year: Discussions about the way transit is overseen and how to fund it are likely to gain steam during the new legislative session but the path forward is shaping up to be contentious. A proposal in Springfield to combine the CTA, Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority has been met with pushback, and a coalition of labor groups is working on an alternate option. The push to boost funding for transit could be complicated by a projected multibillion-dollar deficit in Illinois’ next budget and competing requests from Chicago, such as a potential ask for more Chicago Public Schools funding and a package for a new Bears stadium.
* The Triibe | Will Illinois restore voting rights to incarcerated people?: Chicago Votes is the lead organization behind the proposed Reintegration and Civic Empowerment (RACE) Act, or Senate Bill 3482. If passed by the Illinois House and Senate, then signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, RACE would give the right to vote to people who are incarcerated in Illinois prisons and require civic education courses be available to them while they’re incarcerated. “The reason why it’s the norm for people in prison not to have the right to vote stems directly from slavery, Black laws and Jim Crow. It doesn’t take much intellect to see the inequities and to draw that correlation,” Chicago Votes co-executive director Stevie Valles said. The nonprofit organization aims to build an inclusive democracy by putting power in the hands of young people.
* Bloomberg | Illinois House Adds Pension Panel With Budget Shortfalls Growing: Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch wants to vet the state’s underfunded pensions through a budgetary lens as the legislature looks to close a potentially $3 billion deficit for the year ahead. The chamber passed rules Thursday that included creating a new standing appropriations committee for pensions and personnel. Welch, a Democrat who has led the state House of Representatives for four years, said the new panel will hone in on appropriations and will be separate from an existing committee that focuses on pension policy.
*** Statewide ***
* Crain’s | Contractors brace for the demise of diversity initiatives: Contractors already are seeing changes. The Illinois Department of Transportation recently republished a solicitation for roadwork without a diversity goal as a result of a directive from the U.S. Department of Transportation stemming from litigation in Kentucky. In that case, two white contractors challenged the Transportation Department’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, leading to an injunction covering any state in which the white contractors might bid for federally funded work. The December IDOT bid solicitation was the first in recent memory without a diversity goal.
* WGN | Illinois will give you a $4K rebate to purchase an electric vehicle in 2025: The Illinois General Assembly appropriated $14 million for the rebate program, which opens January 21st, 2025, and will remain open until April 30th, or until the funding runs out. The money was made available by the Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. Illinois residents who purchase a new or used electric vehicle from an Illinois licensed dealer can apply for $4,000 for cars, trucks, and SUVs, or $1,500 for an electric motorcycle.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Supreme Court won’t stop DOJ from probing National Association of Realtors: The U.S. Supreme Court turned down an appeal from the National Association of Realtors, leaving the embattled Chicago-based trade group open to a Department of Justice investigation of its commission practices. The court’s announcement affects homebuyers and sellers, because it will likely prolong uncertainty over what new standards will be developed to replace the NAR’s decades-long commission practices that led to allegations of price-fixing.
* Crain’s | Salt Shed brings hemp drinks to its bars: The Salt Shed, a music venue next to Goose Island, joins bars and restaurants in offering hemp-derived THC drinks alongside traditional alcoholic beverages. Bars at the venue will start selling Señorita, a THC margarita beverage, tomorrow. “We’ve seen (nonalcoholic) drinks as a whole carve out market share, and hemp-derived THC drinks are popping up and gaining notoriety,” says Natalie Labriola, director of business development and sponsorships at 16 On Center, which operates the Salt Shed. “As a whole, the venue wants to have as many NA options as we can.”
* Sun-Times | ASPIRA charter to shut Haugan Middle School over enrollment drop, nearly ‘million-dollar deficit,’ CEO says: The ASPIRA network, which operates three publicly funded but privately managed charters under Chicago Public Schools, approved closure of its ASPIRA Haugan Middle School campus by a unanimous 6-0 board vote Wednesday. Located in Albany Park on the Northwest Side, the school enrolls 89 students in grades 6 to 8 this year and is set to close at the end of June.
* Tribune | Four Chicago magnet schools awarded $15 million grant to implement personalized learning : Avalon Park is among four Chicago magnet schools that have received a $15 million grant over five years to implement this model, allowing students to create their own learning paths, explicitly tailored for them. The instructional model allows students to work with teachers to co-design their learning path, pace and environment based on their strengths, needs and interests.
* Block Club | Bitter Cold Blankets Chicago, But (Brief) Reprieve To Come Friday: There will be bitter cold in the city to start the week before temperatures warm back up to the 40 degrees by Friday. High temperatures Monday and Tuesday won’t go higher than the teens, with overnight lows dropping into the single digits, said Mark Ratzer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
* Tribune | Zach LaVine is having the best season of his career. So why is the Chicago Bulls star overlooked?: The Chicago Bulls guard is cruising through a six-game streak with 30 or more points. He’s shooting better than ever in a completely reimagined offense. But around the league — and, even more important, in the trade market — the response to the best season of the two-time All-Star’s career feels tepid at best. That leads his teammates to ask the same question every week: Are any of you even watching this guy? “I don’t understand it,” Lonzo Ball said. “(He’s) definitely a top-three shooting guard in the NBA right now. I don’t understand why people talk down on him. He’s a true professional.”
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Crain’s | Fermilab’s first female director steps down: Lia Merminga, director of the Fermi National Laboratory in Batavia, has stepped down from the job. Merminga was the first woman to lead Fermilab, a physics research facility that’s home to an advanced particle accelerator, when she was appointed in 2022. University of Chicago physics professor and former Fermilab Deputy Director Young-Kee Kim was named interim director, and the lab is launching a search for a permanent replacement for Merminga.
* WGN | Tiffany Henyard asks judge to force trustees to show-up to meetings: Trustees Chis Gonzalez and Carmen Carlisle have previously said they were refusing to attend board meetings due to security concerns and fear that Henyard would use meeting to fill a vacancy on the board and shift control back into her hands. As a result of the stand-off, Henyard says the township was unable to renew insurance policies forcing her to lock the township building in South Holland and suspend bus service.
* Daily Herald | Bell Works ‘Metroburb’ leads renaissance of repurposing abandoned corporate HQ sites: Hoffman Estates village officials and the developer say 2025 could be the tipping point for realizing an ambitious vision — turning the former AT&T headquarters into the self-contained “Metroburb” of Bell Works Chicagoland. Inspired by Somerset Development CEO Ralph Zucker now admits there was a major decision to be made whether to stop or push ahead at the height of the pandemic nearly five years ago.
*** Downstate ***
* SJ-R | Grayson appears in court while Illinois Supreme Court mulls state petition: The former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy charged with first-degree murder in the July 6 fatal shooting of Sonya Massey in an unincorporated neighborhood of Springfield has a new court date while the Illinois Supreme Court decides whether to take up a State’s petition over his pre-trial detention. Sean P. Grayson of Riverton again appeared before Presiding Circuit Court Judge Ryan Cadagin by Zoom Monday morning as Massey’s family members and supporters, including her mother, Donna Massey, packed the small courtroom in the Sangamon County Complex.
* WCIA | Urbana mayoral candidates face off: Williams and Adams went back and forth talking about funding plans, city services, youth engagement and more. “What I’m most interested in is creating a safe, connected and affordable Urbana, and I want to make sure everybody feels like they are welcomed and that everybody can come to Urbana,” Adams said. They both said Urbana should be inclusive and inviting to all.
* WTVO | Wrongfully convicted man awaits approval for $9.5M settlement from City of Rockford: Jon Horton, a man wrongfully convicted of murder in 1993, awaits approval from city council members to confirm that he will receive a $9.5 million settlement on January 13th. The 48-year-old spent more than two decades in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Horton has been out since February 2017.
*** National ***
* NYT | Dementia Cases in the U.S. Will Surge in the Coming Decades, Researchers Say: The number of people in the United States who develop dementia each year will double over the next 35 years to about one million annually by 2060, a new study estimates, and the number of new cases per year among Black Americans will triple. The increase will primarily be due to the growing aging population, as many Americans are living longer than previous generations. By 2060, some of the youngest baby boomers will be in their 90s and many millennials will be in their 70s. Older age is the biggest risk factor for dementia. The study found that the vast majority of dementia risk occurred after age 75, increasing further as people reached age 95.
* I really like this man and wish him nothing but the best…
From the Desk of
State Representative Charlie Meier
January 13, 2025
A Message to Residents of the 109th Representative District
Dear Friends,
Late last year, during an annual routine blood test, I learned I share a bond with millions of Americans. I have cancer of the prostate. I was surprised when I received word from the doctor, because I’ve always gotten back a clean bill of health. This time is different. I am going to start radiation immediately at St. Elizabeth’s in O’Fallon. My treatment will take at least 28 days. The good news is that this type of cancer is very treatable.
I am sharing this news because I have always been, and will continue to be, transparent and forthright in sharing information I believe you deserve to know. I expect to be able to continue my work representing the people of Bond, Clinton, Madison, St. Clair, and Washington counties. With the benefit of outstanding doctors, early detection, and the support of so many friends and family, I plan to get through this and keep fighting for you in Springfield. I have decided to step aside from my leadership position in the House Republicans to focus all of my energy on the people of the 109th and my health.
Now, I want to write directly to the men who are reading this. If I did not have my routine blood test to measure my PSA levels, I would have never known anything was wrong. I showed none of the common symptoms. There is a stigma around prostate cancer among men, but it doesn’t have to be that way. My message to you is this: put down your pride and stay up-to-date on your regular health tests. If you are over the age of 50, you have a higher risk of prostate cancer and should be routinely checked, even if you do not show any of the symptoms. Some of the warning signs may be overlooked, but please do not take the chance. I want to share an overview of prostate cancer, some of the symptoms, and other information that could be useful to you here. Early detection for all cancers is important, and more information on that is available here.
To all the other families and individuals who are fighting cancer or any other health condition, my heart goes out to you and know that you have a friend in the fight. I will keep you all in my prayers, and hope you will keep me in yours as well.
* For live updates from journalists in the courtroom, click here and here. Tribune…
The hotly anticipated cross-examination of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan kicked off Monday with a sledgehammer of a wiretap: Audio of a 2018 phone call in which Madigan and his co-defendant Michael McClain chuckle about how some ComEd contractors “made out like bandits,” as Madigan put it, for doing very little work.
“That’s you laughing, sir, isn’t it?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu asked Madigan after playing the audio of the phone call.
Madigan confirmed that yes, it was.
The tape has the potential to be highly damaging to Madigan’s case, and his attorneys fought hard to keep it away from jurors. Prosecutors were only allowed to use it after Madigan, who in a surprise move last week took the stand in his own defense, testified that he was angry and surprised to learn that some of the men he had referred to ComEd had allegedly done little or no real work.
* Reporter Jon Seidel has the background on the “Bandits” recording…
Bhachu turns to questions about Madigans network of friends and associates, noting in particular the former speaker’s close relationship to former Ald. Frank Olivo.
Bhachu shows a note that Olivo’s son sent Madigan that reads “Dear Uncle Mike, Congratulations on the 2012 election.”
Madigan agrees that he socialized with Olivo and his wife, and watched Olivo’s son grow up.
Shortly after, Bhachu circles back again.
“It’s your testimony today, is it, that you had no idea that your longtime friend and political ally — whose son calls you ‘uncle’ — was getting paid eight years straight for doing little to no work for ComEd?”
Bhachu drills down on Madigan's claim on direct that he was just concerned that Moody should focus on his new full time job. Bhachu points out Moody had a full time job as jury coordinator for 23 years but Madigan wasn't concerned about that.
* Capitol News Illinois | Jurors to hear tape of Madigan saying ComEd contractors ‘made out like bandits’: Prosecutors allege Acevedo did no work for those monthly checks, which were paid indirectly through a loyal Madigan aide-turned-lobbyist for AT&T. The feds allege the same was true of four other Madigan political allies who ended up on contracts with electric utility Commonwealth Edison from 2011 until the FBI’s investigation into Madigan’s inner circle became public in 2019. But the former speaker this week claimed ignorance of that fact and said he was “very angry” to learn of the no-work contracts as part of the government’s investigation.
* Sun-Times | Meet the prosecutor challenging Michael Madigan on the witness stand: Soon after the feds’ latest campaign against Chicago corruption began to roil local politics and dominate the headlines, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu stepped off a crowded elevator one day at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. When the elevator doors had closed and Bhachu was gone, a man inside quipped, “good thing I’m not a politician.” By that time years ago, word was out that the no-nonsense prosecutor was at the center of an investigation swirling around some of the most powerful politicians in Chicago including, most notably, then-Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.
* Politico doesn’t appear to know the difference between a leadership team and committee chairs…
The Illinois House speaker also announced a new management team, including replacing and reshuffling committee chairs.
“We’re tasked with serving the common good, and this leadership team that you’re about to see is going to help us do that,” Welch said. “It’s a really talented group of people, they’re dedicated to collaborating. They’re already established leaders. I just think that this is an exciting group.”
The team has plenty of familiar faces, with Rep. Robyn Gabel remaining as majority leader. Rep. Kam Buckner moves up as speaker pro-tempore and co-budgeteer, a position previously held by Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth. She is now assistant majority leader.
Off the team is Rep. Aaron Ortiz, who missed a crucial budget vote last spring without notifying anyone that he was leaving town.
* Anyway, Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth has released a statement after her demotion from Speaker Pro-Tempore to Assistant Majority Leader…
It was an honor to follow in the footsteps of my good friend and former Majority Leader, Greg Harris, to serve as budgeteer, and to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate, as well as Governor JB Pritzker and his senior leadership team, to deliver two consecutive balanced budgets that not only improved the lives of people across Illinois, but ensured the state continued its progress towards fiscal responsibility and sustainability.
I’ve had the privilege to help lead some of the most significant legislation passed in Springfield over the last several years: the historic 2019 capital infrastructure program; adult use cannabis legalization; becoming the only state in the country to pass Paid Leave For All, with labor, business and advocates as proponents; and shepherding fixes to the SAFE-T Act that brought along both law enforcement and grassroots organizations as proponents.
I am looking forward to continuing to serve on the leadership team of Emanuel “Chris” Welch and to supporting his historic speakership. This year is likely to be extraordinarily challenging for our state, its institutions and elected leaders who may find themselves tested in ways we have never been before. We’re going to need all hands on deck to navigate through the rough seas that lie ahead and I stand ready to do my part.
Given the size and diversity of our caucus and the projected fiscal deficit, it’s critically important we have a budget approach that expands seats at the table and incorporates new perspectives into the process. I look forward to working with and fully supporting Leaders Kam Buckner, Eva-Dina Delgado and Will Guzzardi in their new roles - and I know they’re going to be great.
I’m excited to apply my experiences and history of consensus building to serve the Caucus as I begin this new session focused on my first loves under the dome: policy and strategy. Thank you to Speaker Welch for the opportunity to again help lead the House Democratic Caucus. I look forward to what we will accomplish together on behalf of the people of Illinois.
Report: CPS on the ‘financial brink,’ state takeover not out of the question
The new Chicago Board of Education being seated Wednesday — the first to have elected members — will stare down a district on the financial brink: an imbalanced budget, rising costs, falling student headcount, a long list of infrastructure needs and steep debt and pension liabilities.
Budget watchdog group the Civic Federation warned current circumstances are “so serious that a State financial takeover… is not and should not be out of the question,” and urged the new board to right-size spending, make a long-term financial plan, and develop plans to advocate for revenue.
The new board’s immediate challenges are well-known: CPS has a $9.9 billion budget for this fiscal year that was balanced on its face, but didn’t include the costs of the first year of a new contract with the Chicago Teachers Union or the principals union. On the lower end, the contract with teachers alone could cost $125 million, but there has been no revenue source identified to pay for it. The current budget also relied on a series of one-time fixes like remaining federal COVID relief money and a tax increment financing surplus from the city.
One of the only people in the state saying that a state takeover “is not… out of the question” is the Civic Federation’s Joe Ferguson. Nobody in any major leadership position is saying such a thing, or even hinting it. Also, state money, unlike federal money, doesn’t grow on trees; the state has its own budget problems, and CPS is leaving a ton of savings on the table.
I mean, is this “debate” gonna be like Bears Stadium 2.0, where a bunch of Chicago bigshots and pundits just assume the state is running to their rescue?
The bottom line is CPS spent temporary federal COVID money like it was permanent money. And now they’re deep in a hole at the same time the state finds itself in a hole. They also have a hugely unpopular mayor, a bitter internal fight over the superintendent’s fate, a very tough teacher contract dispute, a super-controversial teachers union leader and are in a regional mass transit system that is also in desperate need of funds.
A failure by the Board to demonstrate responsible fiscal management for the crisis at hand could have significant consequences. Rating agencies have warned that any actions to further jeopardize the CPS’ financial stability, including drawing on reserves or issuing debt to pay for teacher salaries, would result in credit rating downgrades. Further downgrades would result in increased interest rates for borrowing at a time when the District is already paying high interest on debt due to its below-investment-grade ratings. In a worst-case scenario, CPS could lose access to debt markets if the lenders view the financial risk so significant as to require piercing the 9% threshold for tax-exempt bonds. The current situation is so serious that a State financial takeover, similar to the Chicago School Finance Authority created to address the 1980 CPS financial crisis, is not and should not be out of the question. To avoid such a drastic response, which could stabilize the District but harm its reputation, it is incumbent on the new Board to provide responsible oversight.
With large deficits projected over the next several years and no readily available revenue sources sufficient to address them as pandemic relief funding ends, the Board of Education must commit in earnest to a long-term financial planning process that moves the District away from crisis management to sustainability. Solutions to these issues will require implementing both cost-saving and revenue-generating measures, including operational efficiencies, spending cuts, and newly structured, sustainable revenue sources, potentially including increases to the property tax levy and additional financial assistance from the State of Illinois. Solutions must be forward-thinking and long-term, as CPS’ financial challenges will only grow as the District spends down the last tranche of federal pandemic relief dollars in FY2025 and awaits the conclusion of ongoing labor contract negotiations. By laying out a full picture of the financial landscape, the Civic Federation hopes to support the Board in the monumental task ahead.
The Illinois Secretary of State‘s office is working to bring IDs in Apple Wallet to Illinois residents in the future with the goal of launching by the end of the year, Secretary Alexi Giannoulias announced today.
This capability will enable residents to seamlessly and securely add and present their driver’s licenses and state IDs in person and in apps using their iPhone or Apple Watch. The news follows legislation that took effect at the beginning of the year, which enabled the Secretary of State’s office to begin this work. The plan includes robust testing requirements to ensure the office delivers the most secure and private product for Illinois residents, Giannoulias said.
“We’re excited to have kickstarted our work with Apple – a company that shares our commitment to data security – to provide IDs in Apple Wallet that will offer convenience and privacy for Illinoisans,” said Giannoulias, whose office pushed for the legislation enabling the development of mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs in Illinois. “This is the first component of a multi-faceted approach to deliver a state-of-the-art mobile driver’s license and state ID program that leverages best-in-class technology for residents.”
Once the program launches, driver’s licenses and state IDs in Wallet will provide an easy and more secure way for Illinoisans to present their identification. Users will have the ability to add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet and simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to present it in person, without taking out their physical card or handing over their device.
The office has set up a sign-up page for Illinoisans to receive updates about the mobile driver’s license and state ID program and when IDs in Apple Wallet will become available for users.
Anyone interested can visit www.ilsos.gov/mDL to sign up.
Mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs will not be mandatory and will serve as a companion – rather than a replacement – to a physical card.
Presenting an ID in Apple Wallet will allow for more security and privacy than presenting a physical card. Using Apple Wallet, only the information needed for the transaction is presented, and the user has the opportunity to review and authorize the information being requested with Face ID or Touch ID before it is shared. This means that a mobile driver’s license or ID holder can provide proof of their age when legally purchasing alcohol or renting a car, without sharing other personal information – like their address.
Illinois joins ten states and territories that have adopted IDs in Apple Wallet, including Arizona, Colorado, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio and Puerto Rico.
Giannoulias also expects to bring mobile driver’s licenses and IDs to additional digital wallets, such as Google Wallet for Android users, in the future.
HB 4592, which enabled the Secretary of State’s office to begin the process of developing mobile IDs in Illinois, was sponsored by State Representative Kam Buckner (26th District – Chicago) and State Senator Michael Hastings (19th District – Frankfort). The bill is part of Giannoulias’ commitment to modernizing the office, while getting up to speed with other states that already have secure mobile driver’s license and state ID programs in place.
I refuse to use Face ID and Touch (fingerprint) ID. Unlike a password, you can’t change your own biometrics after a hack.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates was criticized on social media for a comment she allegedly made at a recent union House of Delegates meeting comparing Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to a student with a specialized education program.
“Pedro is the terrible student in the classroom that can’t get suspended because he should have an IEP and maxed out his days,” Davis Gates allegedly said Wednesday night, using the abbreviation for individualized education program.
She did not respond to a request for comment from the Tribune. But she did apologize for the comment on X.
“That is a paraphrase of my misspeaking, something I immediately apologized for (I’m someone who takes accountability) in a larger conversation about Pedro’s position in the district,” she wrote.
She compared him to a “terrible student” with an IEP? What?
* But she didn’t “immediately” apologize, according to WBEZ…
The delegates who spoke to WBEZ said when Davis Gates was done speaking, CTU Vice President Jackson Potter spoke with her and she immediately went back to the stage to apologize.
So, apparently, she had to be urged to issue the apology.
And SDG should’ve known that her ugly slam wasn’t even accurate…
One special education teacher, who was at the meeting but did not want to be identified, told WBEZ it displayed an alarming lack of understanding about special education. Students with disabilities disproportionately are suspended and subject to exclusionary discipline. CPS special education students can be suspended for no more than 10 days without a hearing.
* The leader of a very large disability service provider, Access Living’s CEO Karen Tamley, had this to say…
As the mom of a CPS graduate with an IEP and multiple disabilities, as a disabled person and as CEO of Access Living, I am deeply disappointed by the recent comments attributed to CTU President Stacy Davis Gates, who reportedly chose to compare CPS CEO Pedro Martinez to a disabled student who can’t be suspended. Davis Gates quickly apologized, but this statement reflects an ableist bias which must be challenged and cannot be tolerated. I’ve heard from many families and advocates this weekend who are very hurt and upset. Students with disabilities and our community in Chicago deserve better than this, and have a right to expect that our leaders will hold themselves to the highest standards, which includes examining and confronting their own unconscious biases.
Today, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. announced that he will retire from leadership of the nation’s third-largest public transit agency, effective Friday, January 31, 2025. Carter’s retirement ends a 40-year career in public transportation that has included nearly 10 years as CTA president.
“The City of Chicago is grateful to President Dorval Carter for his decades of service with the Chicago Transit Authority,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “His leadership reimagined the movement of our city. His stewardship of the Red Line Extension project is just one of the notable achievements in his historic career.”
His retirement comes as a debate brews in Springfield about whether to combine the CTA with Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority, and how to fund transit amid a $771 million budget gap looming when federal COVID-19 relief funding runs out. Some lawmakers have pushed for addressing transit oversight and leadership before tackling the funding cliff, which could hit as soon as next year.
Carter’s departure also followed a pointed endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson last week, with the two of them shrugging off the threat of a potential showdown with state leaders over the future of the transit agency during a news conference announcing the final chunk of federal funding for the Red Line extension to 130th Street.
The announcement also doubled as an endorsement of Carter’s job performance, with the mayor sending a blunt message to members of the Illinois General Assembly who were mulling tying a bailout of the CTA’s finances to changes in transit leadership: “Any attempt to hold hostage the people of Chicago for anyone’s political gain, we’re certainly not going to acquiesce to those levels of constraints.”
This post will likely be updated.
But it’s kinda ridic for the mayor to threaten war with the General Assembly over the embattled Carter just a few days ago when he was gonna quit today.
“Today marks a historic and long overdue change at the Chicago Transit Authority,” a spokesperson for advocacy group Commuters Take Action said in a Thursday statement. “Commuters Take Action sees a new hope for Chicago transit. Change will not happen overnight, but we are ready to see a transit agency that delivers frequent and reliable service.
“We also hope the next president works with organizations like ours and engages with the communities they serve, especially by riding the CTA regularly.”
…Adding… One of the legislators working on transit reform…
Ald. Daniel LaSpata (1st), chair of the Council’s Transportation Committee, called Carter’s resignation a “pivot point for the CTA on a lot of levels.”
LaSpata said he was “personally excited for fresh leadership” at the mass transit agency after a decade-long Carter era that “fell short on accessibility and vision,” among other things.
“A lot has been made of the racial politics of this. For my constituents, that was never what it was about. It was about the reliability of service, expansion of service, engagement with bus rapid transit, engagement with the media and social media,” LaSpata said.
“I don’t know why that was so challenging for President Carter. But this is news that will be broadly and positively received by my constituents.”
For all of his strength as a former federal bureaucrat whose contacts helped him deliver $1.9 billion for the Red Line extension, LaSpata said Carter will be best remembered by his transit-dependent constituents as “inaccessible” and for being “unwilling to listen and take seriously concerns people were bringing up.”
…Adding… Sen. Villivalam…
State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) released a statement following the announcement of Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter’s retirement:
“I would like to thank President Carter for his years of public service and I wish him the best in his retirement.
I look forward to continuing to work with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority and all stakeholders to ensure our region has a safe, reliable and accessible world class public transit system that is accountable to our taxpayers, commuters and all of our residents.”
One of the big bills expected to run during the just-concluded lame duck session, the regulation of hemp derivatives such as delta-8, did not even get called in the House.
The sponsor, State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), says he is hopeful to nail it down this year. Gov. JB Pritzker criticized opponents for killing a bill meant to protect children. But Buckner says it’s just not that simple.
“It’s a complex issue. It’s a public health issue, it’s a public safety issue, it’s an economic development issue, it’s a regulatory issue,” said Buckner as the 103rd General Assembly adjourned. “When you talk about all four of those big areas, they take some conversation. This isn’t the first time we have had that conversation. I think the first delta-8 bill was filed three years ago.”
The president of the Illinois Healthy Alternatives Association says a proposal in the General Assembly would decimate the state’s hemp industry.
Justin Ward says the bill, which seeks to ban the sale of products like HHC and Delta 8 outside of licensed cannabis dispensaries, would put many hemp farmers out of business.
“It would absolutely wipe out the entire hemp industry here in Illinois.” He says, “It would make 95% of the products currently available on the market, and widely popular among Illinois consumers, illegal. This would be hugely detrimental to farms like ourselves, potentially putting us out of business.” […]
Neither bill was called in the lame duck session, but Ward, who’s also co-founder of Stoney Branch Farms in Rushville, says he expects the issue to re-surface in the spring legislative session.
Amends the Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act. Provides that, beginning 18 months after the amendatory Act’s effective date, (1) no store or food service business shall provide or sell a single-use plastic carryout bag to a customer and (2) no grocery store shall provide or sell a single-use paper carryout bag to a customer. Preempts home rule powers. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.
The new session of the Illinois General Assembly is likely to consider further regulation of the health industry’s middlemen for prescription drugs, including a sweeping bill regulating rebates, audits, steering customers toward preferred pharmacies, and specialty drug issues.
House Bill 1159, introduced by state Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-South Holland, would increase the state’s regulation of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, that work with self-insured employer plans as well as health insurance providers.
The bill, similar to one Jones introduced last session, would amend the Illinois Insurance Code to forbid PBMs from limiting access to prescriptions or steering patients to certain pharmacies, specifically by “unreasonably designating the covered prescription drugs as a specialty drug,” the bill’s synopsis said.
It also would make PBMs remit 100% of any drug company rebates or fees to the health benefit plan sponsor, consumer or employer and forbid a PBM from paying a reimbursement less than the national average drug acquisition cost, plus a professional dispensing fee.
Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that a minor found to be guilty may be committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice if the minor is at least 14 (rather than 13) years and under 20 years of age, provided that the commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice shall be made only if the minor was found guilty of a felony offense or first degree murder. Provides that when a minor of the age of at least 14 (rather than 13) years is adjudged delinquent for the offense of first degree murder, the court shall declare the minor a ward of the court and order the minor committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice until the minor’s 21st birthday, without the possibility of aftercare release, furlough, or nonemergency authorized absence for a period of 5 years from the date the minor was committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that on or after July 1, 2026 and before July 1, 2027, any minor 12 years of age or older arrested pursuant to the Act if there is probable cause to believe that the minor is a delinquent minor and that secure custody is a matter of immediate and urgent necessity, in light of a serious threat to the physical safety of a person or persons in the community or in order to secure the presence of the minor at the next hearing, as evidenced by a demonstrable record of willful failure to appear at a scheduled court hearing within the past 12 months, may be kept or detained in an authorized detention facility. Provides that on or after July 1, 2027, minors age 12 years of age and under 13 years of age and charged with first degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery in which a firearm was used in the offense, or aggravated vehicular hijacking, may be kept or detained in an authorized detention facility. Provides that no minor under 13 (rather than under 12) years of age shall be detained in a county jail or a municipal lockup for more than 6 hours. Provides that instead of detention, minors under the age of 13 who are in conflict with the law may be held accountable through a petition under the Minors Requiring Authoritative Intervention Article of the Act, or may be held accountable through a community mediation program.
Creates the Wholesale Prescription Drug Importation Program Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to establish the Wholesale Prescription Drug Importation Program. Provides that the Department shall implement the program by: contracting with one or more prescription drug wholesalers and Canadian suppliers to import prescription drugs and provide prescription drug cost savings to consumers in this State; developing a registration process for health benefit plan issuers, health care providers, and pharmacies to obtain and dispense prescription drugs imported under the program; developing a list of prescription drugs, including the prices of those drugs, that meet certain requirements set forth under the Act and publishing the list on the Department’s website; establishing an outreach and marketing plan to generate program awareness; ensuring the program and the prescription drug wholesalers that contract with this State comply with certain federal tracking, tracing, verification, and identification requirements; and other actions. Sets forth eligibility criteria for prescription drugs that may be imported into the State under the program. Contains provisions concerning anticompetitive behavior monitoring; program funding; program expansion; audit procedures; annual reporting requirements; the adoption of rules to implement the Act; and federal waiver or authorization requirements. Effective July 1, 2025.
State Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, has introduced a bill to divest the University of Illinois System from investments in fossil fuels.
The bill, which was introduced earlier this week, calls on the university system’s board of trustees to “not invest” the assets of any endowment fund in investments tied to any fossil fuel company. […]
Guzzardi, who introduced a similar bill last year that died in committee, told Crain’s the bill is part of an effort by students at the university system who have been demanding their leaders take action on divestment in fossil fuels and address their climate concerns. […]
In an emailed statement, an Illinois system spokesperson said, “The University of Illinois System, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the U of I Foundation value and demonstrate sustainable practices and innovation across our multiple missions, to help achieve the goal of a carbon-neutral economy. We employ a comprehensive strategy to discover, develop and implement solutions that reduce our carbon footprint and that can be shared across our nation and around the world.”
Everything old is new again, an axiom that feels especially true in the early days of a legislative session.
Consider House Bill 1089, from state Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, which would create the Illinois Container Fee and Deposit Act and, more directly, add an extra dime to the purchase price of beverage cans and bottles. Consumers could return the empties for a full refund, and 75% of unclaimed deposit money would go to the state Environmental Protection Agency while the rest is prorated amongst distributors based on sales.
If that sounds familiar, that’s because of the connections to Senate Bill 85 from January 2023. That proposal went through several revisions, collected sponsors and bounced between the Executive and Assignments committees before stalling out in late June. Last January I shared a piece from Marissa Heffernan at the trade publication Resource Recycling (tinyurl.com/ILbottlebill) which remains relevant for its exploration of factors like landfill fees, municipal expenses, litter abatement and input from recycling facilities.
The topic drew quality reader feedback, including from those familiar with similar programs in Iowa and Michigan and others who, like me, considered container redemption our first job, whether it was glass bottles in East Texas in the 1960s or feeding the aluminum can machine at Jewel in the 1980s until it spit out enough coins to buy a pack of baseball cards.
Every now and then you get a story that helps explain the statehouse power dynamic. The saga of the “intoxicating hemp” regulation bill is one of those stories.
The governor’s office began last week by handing House Speaker Chris Welch a list of 62 House Democrats who said they would vote for the hemp regulation bill.
The day ended with the bill in flames and a decision by the House speaker not to move forward.
The reasons for one of the biggest high-profile legislative setbacks the governor has ever had are varied.
Last month, the governor surprised some folks by endorsing legislation that had passed the Senate but then completely stalled out in the House after fierce opposition among a clearly divided House Democratic caucus. Instead of working to modify the legislation to mollify most concerns, Gov. JB Pritzker decided to push ahead, albeit with some changes.
That, as it turns out, was a mistake. Enough residual opposition remained to create big problems.
As you may already know, Welch has required almost every bill to have the support of 60 House Democrats before he’ll agree to advance the legislation to the floor. And Pritzker’s Monday roll call was hotly disputed by some members.
Asked if the governor really had more than 60 votes nailed down going into that marathon caucus meeting, Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said, “I can’t say for sure, but it certainly didn’t seem like it from sitting in that room.”
That caucus was about as raucous as it could get. At Welch’s request, the governor sent some top policy experts to make a presentation and answer questions. The two staffers were angrily heckled with insults and misinformation, to the point where one of Pritzker’s staffers left in tears after being called a liar and worse. The other was pulled out of the meeting by top staff shortly afterward.
The governor is understandably highly protective of his staff. And his top staff, who have the sharpest elbows in the business, were enraged.
The meeting left the Pritzker folks feeling like they’d been set up. They’d done what they were asked to do with the roll call, but instead of just bringing the bill to the floor, where it was likely to receive wide bipartisan support and as many as 90 votes, Welch stood back and allowed some of his members to go completely off the rails during an hours-long caucus that resulted in the bill’s demise (although it could be said in his defense that having an argument like that in private would be preferable to letting all that vitriol against the governor become public during a floor debate).
Welch tends to pull back when his caucus is divided. We’ve seen that happen before, including on budget deals that had to be redone after Welch received negative internal feedback.
That behavior can be seen as a good thing — an improvement over the days when Speaker Michael Madigan would tell his members they were doing something even when they were reluctant. But most leaders have also tended to know what their caucuses would stomach before they cut any deals or allowed a governor to lobby their members.
Throw in the recent chaos caused by the loss of just about every member of Welch’s senior staff, and now you’ve got even bigger problems.
In this business, there’s support and then there’s support. Members might know that they’ll have to vote for a bill if it reaches the floor, but they’d rather not be forced to choose. And peer pressure can be a major factor in stuff like this, particularly in a caucus where it seems like everything goes and no brakes are ever being applied.
The bill was perceived to be a threat to the very existence of hemp businesses owned by those locked out of the legal cannabis system. And many of those folks are people of color, and lots operate in neighborhoods that don’t have an abundance of local storefront entrepreneurs.
Many Illinoisans dislike the myriad janky gas stations and head shops that are openly selling an intoxicating product to anyone who is tall enough to reach the counter. But the main pushback was about how the regulatory bill favored the existing cannabis industry and long-established alcohol distributors at the expense of the little guy. The basic Senate proposal was seen as: Gather the big powers around the table and divide up the spoils. But that didn’t go down well in the House this time.
And now nobody is quite sure how to clean up this mess.
* ICYMI: Brenden Moore breaks down lame duck sessions and previews the challenges ahead for the General Assembly…
- Pritzker and lawmakers are preparing to contend with a projected $3.2 billion state budget shortfall this year.
- Speaker Chris Welch announced that his chief of staff Tiffany Moy was leaving. Word soon spread that three more top staffers — legislative director Kylie Kelly, chief counsel Kendra Piercy and spokeswoman Jaclyn Driscoll — were resigning.
- Then came Welch’s decision not to call for a vote on proposed new hemp industry regulations supported by the governor.
* Tribune | Ex-Speaker Michael Madigan is walking a tightrope by testifying. Will the gamble pay off?: Testifying on your own behalf in a high-profile case is a rare move that is fraught with risk, and one Madigan, a lawyer and legendary tactician, surely considered from every angle. The decision appeared to catch even prosecutors by surprise, though by the time Madigan faces cross-examination, they will undoubtedly be loaded for bear.
* WCIA | State’s medical debt relief program off to strong start: “That’s why our $10 million state investment can turn into $1 billion in relief ultimately,” Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Lizzy Whitehorn said. “But people don’t apply for it. Individuals don’t apply for it. When undue medical debt enters into an agreement with one of these health care providers with the hospitals, the hospital will then send a file with all of their their debts.” So far, the $10 million from the state has turned into $72 million dollars of medical debt relief. Over 50 thousand people have gotten some form of relief from the investment.
* ABC Chicago | Kennedy Expressway reversible lanes reopen to traffic: More than 275,000 drivers use the Kennedy every single day. After a delay, the reversible express lanes are finally open. Work on the express lanes was part of the second phase of the Kennedy construction project, which included pavement patching, installing new signage, lighting upgrades and bridge structure replacements.
* Shaw Local | Newly-inaugurated state Rep. Briel aims to tackle community needs: “This is about building a stronger Illinois, a place I’ve called home my entire life,” Briel said in the news release. “I’m honored to have been passed the torch and take on this responsibility to address the climbing cost of living, access to affordable health- and childcare, and drive policy that invests in public safety, health and education.” In addition, Briel aims to support workers’ rights, safeguard women’s health protections and cut government waste, allowing more resources and funding to be pooled into services communities rely on.
*** Statewide ***
* WIFR | Illinois union leaders celebrate AFL-CIO, SEIU reunification after 20 years apart: By joining forces, SEIU brings 2 million workers to AFL-CIO; around 15 million workers will fall under the combined labor group’s umbrella. “Workers are organizing in Starbucks and all over the place,” says Greg Kelley – SEIU Illinois’s president. He describes an evolving economy as a motivating factor to reconvene.
*** Chicago ***
* The Triibe | New lawsuits against ComEd allege racist and retaliatory behavior: Electric utility company ComEd made headlines last year after Chicago historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas, who once was a ComEd lineman, said he was lured out of his safe union job by the CEO and then promptly fired. The company, headquartered in Chicago, is making workplace news again now that several employees are openly talking to The TRiiBE about lawsuits filed against the utility, alleging civil rights violations, a hostile work environment and unlawful employment practices.
* Tribune | Former high-level assessor’s office employee under Berrios charged with taking bribes from lawyer: A former high-ranking director in then-Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios’ office has been charged with accepting sports tickets, restaurant meals and other bribes from a lawyer in exchange for help with property assessments. Francisco Perez, 50, of Chicago, was charged with one count of bribery conspiracy in a criminal information made public Friday. A court date has not been set, but defendants charged by way of information, rather than by grand jury indictment, typically intend to plead guilty.
* Sun-Times | City Hall insists ‘full-blown’ River West casino will thrive despite lackluster temporary casino performance: [Chief Financial Officer Jill Jaworski] acknowledged that the temporary casino generated just $16 million in gaming tax revenue for the city last year, less than half the $35 million Johnson’s first budget anticipated. The Medinah casino also came up short — at 80% and 65% respectively — on two other key measures: overall foot traffic and gaming revenues-per-admission. She blamed a “larger than expected impact from a lack of amenities and on-site parking” needed to “keep people in the casino longer.”
* Tribune | Chicago students pitch safety improvements for youth pedestrians and cyclists: High school students participating in the nonprofit West Town Bike’s after-school program told the Tribune that while they prize the time with friends, exercise and freedom to travel the city that they get from cycling, their routes don’t always feel safe. To make Chicago streets safer for young people to walk and bike, the students proposed a range of solutions, from fixes on specific roads to encouraging city planners to experiment with new ways to separate bikes from traffic. Their ideas didn’t always require changes to the built environment but rather a shift in perspectives.
* NBC Chicago | Sub-zero wind chills likely in Chicago area as bitter cold arrives: The Chicago area is expected to wake up to sub-zero wind chills and extremely chilly temperatures as a cold front moves through. Temperatures will drop into the teens, creating wind chill values that could reach as low as -4 degrees, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Pete Sack said.
* Block Club | Here Are The 50 Finalists For Chicago’s ‘You Name A Snowplow’ Contest: Past winners include “Skilling It,” “Ernie Snowbanks,” “Mrs. O’Leary’s Plow,” “Sears Plower,” and “Sleet Home Chicago.” “Each year, city staff looks forward to reviewing all the fun and imaginative names submitted by Chicago residents for this contest,” Cole Stallard, streets and sanitation commissioner, said in a statement. “It’s wonderful to see the creativity and engagement across the City, and we encourage all Chicagoans to take the time to check out the finalists and vote for their favorite snowplow names.”
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* WBEZ | Cook County judge who shared racist meme faces state probe, reassignment and bias training: In a screenshot obtained by WBEZ, Glennon-Goodman shared a meme that depicts a smiling young Black boy and a Black child’s leg with an electronic monitor on it. The meme is headlined “little tiks [sic] … My First Ankle Monitor.” Glennon-Goodman wrote on the post, “My husband’s idea of Christmas humor,” according to the screenshot.
* Daily Southtown | Seven candidates compete for four seats on Thornton Township High School Board: A 22-year-old recent college graduate and the mother of a star basketball player who died in 2018 are among those hoping to clinch seats on the Thornton Township High School District 205 Board this spring. Though much voter attention has been on the Thornton Township and Dolton municipal elections in February, four 4-year school board seats will be on the ballot. District 205 includes Thornton High School in Harvey, Thornwood High School in South Holland, and Thornridge High School in Dolton.
* Daily Herald | Suburban school districts slowly rolling out electric school buses: Susan Mudd, senior policy advocate for the Environmental Law & Policy Center, said Illinois districts and transportation companies have used grants and incentives to purchase about 700 electric school buses. Among those with electric vehicles: River Trails District 26 in Mount Prospect, which uses one electric vehicle; Naperville Unit District 203, which owns four electric buses; and Huntley Community Unit District 158, which has four electric buses and is looking to add six more in the next year or so, Chief Financial Officer Mark Altmayer said.
* ABC Chicago | Illinois State Police squad car struck while assisting crash in Barrington, officials say: Illinois State Police said the trooper was helping officers with traffic control while they investigated a crash. The trooper put on his emergency lights, but another car hit his squad car. The occupants in the other car are also hurt in the collision. All are expected to be okay, including the trooper, ISP said.
*** Downstate ***
* WICS | Push for voters to be able to recall a Sangamon County Sheriff continues: Since introducing the resolution to give Sangamon County voters the ability to recall a sheriff, Sam Cahnman’s proposal has received support from the public and the Massey Commission. In November, the Massey Commission sent its first two resolutions to the Sangamon County Board for consideration including what the Democrat, Cahnman, has been pushing for. Cahnman says, “The people of Sangamon County overwhelming want recall. Public opinion polls in Illinois last year show that 80 percent want recall. And among Republicans, it’s actually 90 percent.”
* SJ-R | King Breakfast at 50: Illinois Supreme Court justice to keynote event at new location: Frontiers member Allan Woodson said the core purpose of the breakfast is “to foster and promote racial harmony by bringing together diverse ethnic groups from the Springfield metro area to fellowship, celebrate and keep the King dream alive. “Each of the past 49 years, our members have identified and invited individuals to come share their experiences and visions with a focus on how Dr. King’s life and beliefs have impacted today’s world.”
* Jim Dey | Don’t bet rent on Decatur getting a ‘racino’: But no one should hold his breath waiting for groundbreaking. The Herald-Review noted that required legislation authorizing the facility has “yet to be filed.” The newspaper also wrote that a new gambling license would “technically be open to any group that applies for it.”
* Fox 2 Now | Illinois seeks compensation for residents exposed to radioactive waste: Some Metro East elected leaders are pushing for compensation for hundreds of residents who have been exposed to radioactive waste over the decades. On Sunday, those leaders announced they’re on a mission to do the right thing. “What was once a symbol of our nation’s strength has been a reoccurring nightmare for this community,” U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski said.
You can click here and here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
