* Gov. Rauner was at an Illinois Chamber event today and was asked about his plans for his next four years as governor. He started by pointing to “record K-12 funding” and “more equitable school funding,” then said he wanted to do this…
More effective funding for our higher education system, both community colleges and our university system. We need a lot of restructuring of our universities and our community colleges because we’ve got too much capacity, we’ve got a lot of redundancy, we’ve got a lot of overlap.
But we need more resources for higher education. And I’m committed to doing that.
Restructuring, too much capacity, redundancy and overlap. That sounds like downsizing talk to me.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner decimated the state’s colleges and universities during his 736-day budget crisis, yet today he’s saying, “we need more resources for higher education.”
Throughout the manufactured budget crisis, colleges and universities across the state were forced to make devastating cuts year after year. Students fled, tuition was hiked, employees were laid off, and even bond ratings and rankings plunged under Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership.
“Bruce Rauner held our state colleges and universities hostage during his budget crisis, holding back vital state dollars while employees were laid off and students fled,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This failed governor is the reason we don’t have more resources for higher education, as our critical institutions continue to rebuild from his devastating leadership.”
* Appointed freshman Rep. Jonathan Carroll’s (D-Northbrook) HB4237 would give individual Illinois taxpayers a state tax credit for donations to a state-chartered charity for education. The idea is to get around the federal government’s new state and local tax deduction limit of $10,000. According to Greg Hinz, it is picking up some bipartisan support, including House Republican Leader Jim Durkin…
Carroll said he could call the measure vote a House vote almost anytime now, and believes the outcome will be close but favorable. Other Springfield insiders say a House vote easily could be delayed until later in the spring as the House works on other matters.
But significantly, spokesmen for both House Speaker Mike Madigan and GOP Leader Jim Durkin say they favor passage. “The bill does have some appeal,” said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown. And given that the IRS recently approved prepayment of some property tax bills to avoid the caps, “Perhaps they’ll support this too.” […]
Gov. Bruce Rauner has no official position. A source close to him tells me he believes the IRS will reject such a plan.
But that source did not promise a veto, and the reason seems obvious: While Rauner argues that the new federal rules provide a good reason to adopt some of his plans and reduce local property taxes, it’s hard to see a governor running for re-election vetoing a bill that would provide significant tax savings to tens of thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands of voters, many of them in affluent, GOP-leaning neighborhoods and towns.
Some experts consider IRS rejection of such a plan as extremely likely, if only because charitable contributions are not supposed to confer a benefit on the donor. But the measure almost certainly would end up in court, with no firm timetable on when a decision would come.
* Speaking of all this, if you click here you’ll see Rep. Allen Skillicorn’s very useful interactive map of Illinois by income levels. I tried to embed the map here and failed. So head on over. It’s also useful when discussing a progressive income tax.
As Zuckerberg prepares to testify before Congress, Facebook is quietly fighting a crucial privacy measure in the Illinois Statehouse. Starting tomorrow, state legislators will consider a new amendment to the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) that could neuter one of the strongest privacy laws in the US, giving Facebook free rein to run facial recognition scans without users’ consent.
For years, Facebook has been battling a lawsuit based on BIPA, which required explicit consent before companies can collect biometric data like fingerprints or facial recognition profiles. According to the plaintiffs, Facebook’s photo-tagging system violates that law, identifying faces in uploaded photos with no clear notice or consent. (Similar lawsuits have also been filed against Google and Snapchat.) Facebook added a more explicit consent provision earlier this year, but the lawsuit has continued on the basis of the earlier collection.
This week’s amendment would carve out significant new exceptions to the bill, allowing companies to collect biometric data without notice or consent as long as it’s handled with the same protections as other sensitive data. Companies could also be exempted if they do not sell or otherwise profit from the data, or if it is used only for employment purposes.
Our biometrics are easy to capture. Once captured, we generally cannot change our biometrics, unlike our credit card numbers, or even our names. Databases of biometric information are ripe targets for data thieves. .
The Senate proposal would allow companies to collect biometric information on their employees if it is used exclusively for employment, human resources or identification, as well as safety, security or fraud prevention.
That’s troubling to Adam Schwartz, a senior lawyer at the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation. Currently, employers can take their employees’ fingerprints to have them clock in; they just have to notify them first.
That empowers “workers in Illinois to have a say in what their employers are doing with their biometrics,” Schwartz said. The proposed change would take away that power.
As is the case with many bills, Sen. Cunningham says he started out to address a constituent problem. The law provides for fines of $1,000 per violation if it’s unintentional. Cunningham told me about a nursing home in his district that dumped its old time-card system for fingerprint registration, but was unaware that it needed to notify its employees. So, it faced a penalty of $1,000 for each unintentional offense. That worked out to $4,000 per day per employee - $1,000 when they clocked in, another $1K when they clocked out for lunch, another $1K when they clocked back in from lunch and another $1K when the clocked out at the end of the day. Take that times 200 employees and it was looking at an $800,000 per day penalty.
So, it should come as no surprise that trial lawyers, particularly a narrow set of trial lawyers who file these sorts of lawsuits, are hotly opposed to Cunningham’s bill. Cunningham said he worries about “small employers being sued for technical violations.” But the trial lawyers have a lot of juice in the General Assembly.
In a ruling that may have significant impact on the recent wave of biometric privacy suits, an Illinois state appeals court held that plaintiffs must claim actual harm to be considered an “aggrieved person” covered by Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), in a dispute arising from the alleged unlawful collection of fingerprints from a Six Flags season pass holder. […]
The plaintiff, whose son’s fingerprint was collected by Six Flags after purchasing a season pass for one of its Great America amusement parks, filed suit on behalf of her son and similarly situated class members, against Great America LLC and Six Flags Entertainment Corp. for allegedly violating Illinois’ BIPA by failing to obtain proper written consent or disclosing their plan for the collection, use, storage, or destruction of her son’s biometric information. The plaintiff further claimed that had she known of Six Flags’ collection of fingerprints, she would not have allowed her son to purchase a season pass.
Six Flags argued in a motion to dismiss that the BIPA allows only “aggrieved” individuals to sue for all alleged violations, and that the plaintiff’s son and other similar plaintiffs who had not suffered actual harm have not met the necessary threshold to bring a claim.
* Back to the Tribune for just one reason why big companies like Facebook and Google are hoping to revise Illinois law…
The law already appears to be influencing some product rollouts. Nest, a maker of smart thermostats and doorbells, sells a doorbell with a camera that can recognize visitors by their faces. However, Nest, owned by Google parent Alphabet, does not offer that feature in Illinois because of the biometrics law. Google’s Arts & Culture app rolled out a new feature late last year that matched users’ uploaded selfies with portraits or faces depicted in works of art, but it’s not available in Illinois, likely due to the state’s biometric law.
Opponents are concerned that the proposed changes would only require private entities to notify people if their biometric data is to be kept for more than 24 hours. Additionally, the law would only protect biometric data linked to “confidential and sensitive information,” such as a driver’s license number or Social Security number.
In honor of Equal Pay Day, women took to the Capitol to fight a decades-old battle for equal wages.
They say women deserve equality under the law and they’re calling on lawmakers to rise up and join the movement. One major way is by adopting the Equal Rights Amendment, found in the U.S. Constitution.
Simply put, the amendment protects someone from being discriminated against on the basis of gender and ensures equal rights for men and women.
Since it passed Congress in the 70’s, 37 states have adopted it. Illinois is not one of them. In fact, it’s the only northern state which hasn’t done so.
It takes 38 states for an amendment to become part of the Constitution. That’s why, Tuesday, women’s rights’ advocates were pushing for Illinois to be the final piece of the puzzle.
Dozens went to the Capitol Tuesday to call on lawmakers to put children first.
Several child advocacy groups met with lawmakers for Early Childhood Advocacy Day. They say they want full funding for programs like childcare and early childhood education.
The governor’s budget would slash childcare assistance funding by $96 million. Some say it’s unfair. Enrollment for childcare has dropped since Governor Bruce Rauner changed eligibility requirements.
Sometimes, taking daily medication is a matter of life or death. But, some healthcare providers are taking advantage of that and putting lives in danger.
Now, lawmakers are tackling the problem from all angles. One bill would stop insurers from switching drugs offered in a patient’s plan.
Several healthcare professionals who support the move say “bait and switch” is unfair and unhealthy. They say, when people sign up for healthcare plans, they should get exactly the drugs their bodies need and already rely on.
Monday, the idea came to a committee hearing, but not without some backlash. Business groups say the change could hike prices for employers.
* Gov. Rauner was asked yesterday by Bernie Schoenburg about recent allegations made by Sen. Sam McCann regarding the 2015 AFSCME arbitration bill vote…
He said Rauner suggested he skip the vote if he wouldn’t vote no, but made it clear that there was “one way to make him angry,” which would be a “yes” vote.
“And he looked at me, and said, ‘I’ll destroy you and your family if you go through with this,’” McCann said.
“No, I did not say that,” Rauner told Bernie with a laugh. Schoenburg asked if McCann was lying. “There’s a lot of wild stuff goes on in politics, I’ll say that,” Rauner replied.
Dahl: Speaking of that. House Bill 40, Ives and Madigan are together and Swedish grandparents. I mean, you’ve got a reputation for not telling the truth. [Rauner laughs.] How can people cast a vote for you with all that stacked up against you?
Rauner: I’ve fought hard for the people of Illinois to create a better future. We need to grow more jobs, we need to bring down our property taxes, we need integrity in government with term limits. I’m fightin’ for the people and a better future for our people and our children and grandchildren…
Dahl: But what about being a man of your word? You’re taking on water there.
Rauner: People know that I’m a fighter on principles that will make us a better future. Lower taxes, more jobs and integrity in government through term limits.
* Meanwhile, here’s a fun little snippet that came in over the transom. It’s from Gov. Rauner’s speech last night to the Annual Innovations in Construction, Asphalt, and Transportation Conference in Peoria…
And my kids were leavin’ Illinois. I’ve got six kids, they were leavin’ Illinois. I said ‘This is ridiculous.’ And my partners in my bidness said, ‘Bruce we gotta get out of here, we gotta leave.’ And I said: ‘I ain’t not leaving Illinois. I was born here. I’ve lived here my whole life. I’m not gonna run away. We’re gonna fix this, and that’s why I decided to run for governor.’
“I ain’t not leaving Illinois.” Man, does that Dartmouth/Harvard grad love talking like a hillbilly. Not to mention that it’s a double negative. Maybe those Italy reports were true? /snark
* Related…
* State Rep. McSweeney: Tim Schneider is “head of the Rauner Party, not the Illinois Republican Party”
Wednesday, Apr 11, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Did you know that health plans are changing Illinois families’ benefits while consumers are locked into their plans for the year? People in Illinois, especially those living with chronic conditions, carefully shop for a health plan which covers the treatments they need at prices they can afford. But health plans aren’t delivering the benefits they have marketed and sold to Illinois consumers.
House Bill 4146 Fixes the Health Plan Bait-and-Switch
House Bill 4146 would simply prevent insurers from making unfair – and potentially unsafe – benefit changes while Illinoisans are locked into the plan. The legislation, however, would still allow insurers to utilize generics, add treatments to their formularies and also remove them for safety reasons.
Insurers need to deliver on the policies they sell. The Illinois Legislature should support HB 4146 to make health coverage fair.
States that impose graduated income tax rates, which vary in application but number 33 in all, present a troublesome case for their residents, and would, undoubtedly, present an equally problematic case here in Illinois; looking at California, for example, which has one of the most so-called progressive income tax bracket systems, with a base rate of 1% and a top marginal rate of 13.3%, an Illinois taxpayer that is earning a median household income of approximately $59,000 would be subject to a 9.3% income tax rate under the Golden State’s model - nearly doubling the current Illinois tax; using the New York tax structure, the Illinois taxpayer would be subject to a 6.33% state tax rate; using the New Jersey model, that same Illinois taxpayer would be subjected to a 5.525% income tax rate [Emphasis added]
HR975, supported by nearly the entire House @ILGOP caucus and @BruceRauner, calls a graduated income tax a "repugnant affront to Illinois families" and uses three states to make its point: California, New York, and New Jersey#twill#ilgovpic.twitter.com/aJrVOApWn8
— Illinois Working Together (@IllinoisWorking) April 11, 2018
* The essential problem with the resolution, as IWT points out, is that the House GOP looks at marginal, not effective tax rates. Click here if you need an explainer…
Your marginal tax bracket, or marginal tax rate, and the actual tax rate you pay on your income are usually two different numbers. This is because you don’t pay your marginal tax rate on your entire income, thanks to deductions, exemptions, tax credits, and the way the tax brackets are structured.
…Adding… The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability also weighed in on this topic. Click here.
* Related…
* House GOP blasts Pritzker’s plan for graduated income tax: Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh called the resolution a “political stunt” to distract from Rauner’s “failure as governor.” The Illinois individual income tax rate is a flat 4.95 percent. Although he has not specified the rates he prefers, Pritzker has suggested a higher rate for higher levels of income — the idea being that those bringing home a bigger paycheck can afford to pay more in taxes. He hasn’t suggested bringing in more revenue with the rates. But Durkin scoffed at a Democratic plan that could be revenue-neutral. “They are not going to pass a progressive tax without having more money to spend. It’s in their DNA,” Durkin said. “That’s how they operate, and giving them more ability to raise taxes on individuals at different rates is going to be a disaster.”
* House Republicans Pledge To Oppose Progressive Income Tax: Yet – a poll last year by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute showed 72 percent of voters support changing the state constitution to allow a progressive tax. Twenty-four percent are opposed.
* Republicans aim to make sure Pritzker’s income tax plan doesn’t progress: “First of all business owners will flood out of the state. It will lower our tax base, but more importantly in every state that puts in a graduated income tax hike, the middle class ends up paying more. The middle class gets whacked in the end,” Rauner said.
* Illinois House GOP voices opposition to progressive income tax: Rep. David Harris of Arlington Heights was the only House Republican not to sign the resolution. Harris could not be reached for comment. He was one of 10 House Republicans to split with Durkin and vote for last summer’s budget and tax package. “Taxpayers cannot afford the current increase in taxes,” Durkin said at a Statehouse news conference. “There’s no way the Democrats should even be floating an idea of the progressive tax. Both opponents and proponents know how debilitating this tax would be to Illinois taxpayers.”
* IL Policy Institute: Fifty lawmakers are taking a pledge to fight a progressive income tax in Illinois, denying progressive tax proponents the support needed to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
Governor Bruce Rauner says if asked by President Trump, he would send Illinois National Guard soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Frankly, the president is the commander-in-chief of our military,” he said while fielding questions at an event in Springfield Tuesday. “Illinois has not been requested to send troops. If we are requested, I believe we’ll honor that request.”
So far, only Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico have agreed to send guardsmen, after President Trump called for a military response to what he calls “lawlessness” at the border.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Expected response…
.@BruceRauner needs to stand up to Trump’s blatant racism and political pandering. This is an unnecessary and irresponsible use of our National Guard.https://t.co/WTLLB2mvIF
State Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago)son of immigrant parents that crossed the Mexican border in 1959, issued the following response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’sstatement that he would comply if President Donald Trump ordered Illinois National Guard soldiers to the Mexican border:
“Governor Rauner has shown us time and time again that he is totally unwilling to speak out against the president’s offensive, racist policies and statements. Sending Illinois National Guard soldiers to the border would be a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money. It would also send a message to immigrants in our state that they should be treated like criminals instead of valuable members of our communities. The governor needs to be a leader and stand up for the millions of immigrants living in Illinois
* I went over some of this poll with subscribers earlier today. Keep in mind that the proponents used both a Republican and a Democratic pollster. The 20 House and Senate districts polled were mainly in the suburbs, with three Downstate districts. Polling memo…
To: Interested Parties
From: Randall Gutermuth (American Viewpoint) and Jason McGrath (GBA Strategies)
Re: Recent Survey Findings in Key IL Legislative Districts Regarding Gun Dealer Licensing Act (SB 1657)
Date: April 11, 2018
The following outlines the key findings from a survey of key State House and State Senate districts commissioned by the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition and conducted by the bi-partisan team of American Viewpoint and GBA Strategies regarding the state regulation of gun dealers.
These findings conclude that there is widespread bi-partisan support for requiring firearms dealers to be licensed by the state. This includes widespread support from gun owners.
“As you may know, recently there was a proposal passed by the state legislature to require firearms dealers to become licensed by the state of Illinois. From what you know, do you favor or oppose this proposal?”
• Across these districts, 71% of voters favor the proposal, with only 23% opposing it. Intensity is much greater on the supporting side, with 52% strongly favoring the proposal and 16% strongly opposing it.
• Nearly two-thirds of Republicans favor the proposal (65%-30%) as do an overwhelming majority of voters in GOP-held Senate (71%-22%) and House (73%-22%) districts.
• The key swing voting bloc of Independents favor this proposal 68%-25%, including Independent women favoring it by a 79%-16% margin. Support from Independent women is nearly as high as it is among Democrats overall (80%-13%).
• There is also little difference seen by geography. For example, voters in the downstate districts favor the proposal 67%-23% and voters in the west suburbs favor it 74%-19%.
Given that gun owners also widely support this proposal underscores that this isn’t seen as an infringement of 2nd Amendment rights.
• 33% of respondents are in a household that owns a firearm. These voters favor the proposal by a greater than two-to-one margin (63%-30%).
Opponents of this proposal will struggle to build opposition.
• After hearing a balanced set of arguments from both sides, more than two-thirds of voters continue to favor the proposal (67%-30%).
• The most powerful argument from proponents was:
o For years, Congress has cut essential funding for law enforcement to prevent gun dealers from selling guns illegally. As a result, gun dealers operate with minimal oversight and are inspected only once every five years. This has resulted in over 4000 illegal guns that each year are traced to gun dealers in Illinois. Licensing gun dealers in our state will improve monitoring and help ensure that guns sold in Illinois don’t end up in the wrong hands. (69% very/somewhat convincing)
• None of the opposing arguments we tested were as resonant as the most powerful arguments from supporters. In particular, arguments about regulatory burdens and the costs to small gun manufacturers fell flat.
o This proposal will put an enormous regulatory burden on gun owners and add between $150 and $300 dollars to the price of any new firearm. This will result in many gun dealers closing, causing law-abiding citizens to drive hundreds of miles to find a gun dealer still in business and will result in the loss of hundreds of well-paying jobs. (42% very/somewhat convincing)
o Small gun manufacturers in Illinois will be priced out of business with the proposal to license gun dealers, as they would have to comply with this proposal as well. The costs to manufacturers would be prohibitive and they would have to move out of state or shut down, forcing many Illinoisans to lose their jobs. (40% very/somewhat convincing)
In the divisive and polarized world of today, it is rare to see a legislative proposal that sees this level of support across partisan lines. The upside for legislators is significant, while the downside for Republicans concerned about their base is extremely limited. Requiring gun dealers to be licensed by the state is both good policy and good politics.
* Methodology…
N=600 interviews were conducted on March 26-28, 2018 in 20 key State House and in State Senate Districts located primarily in the suburban Cook and Collar Counties of Chicago and a few downstate. 40% of interviews were conducted with a cell phone sample of those who couldn’t be reached on a landline. The margin of error for the full sample is +/- 4.0% at the 95% confidence level and the margin of error among sub-groups is greater.
* Accompanying press release…
During a time of significant political divisiveness, there is one issue where Illinois voters across party lines are united: license gun dealers in Illinois as part of the Gun Dealer Licensing Act (SB 1657), thus paving the way for an override of Governor Rauner’s veto of this bill.
Despite passing with bipartisan support this session, Governor Rauner vetoed SB 1657 shortly before the March primary. Starting April 10, the state Senate has 15 days in which to override his veto; if overridden, it will then move to the House, opening another 15 day window for an override.
The Gun Dealer Licensing Act would require criminal background checks for all gun shop employees. It would require training to help gun shop employees identify a buyer purchasing a gun for someone else, require basic store security measures to help prevent theft, and strengthen law enforcement’s ability to catch those responsible for illegal gun trafficking.
The Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition (ILGVP) conducted a bipartisan poll to gauge public opinion around this bill in key swing suburban cook, collar county and (a few) downstate districts. Support for this bill is widespread, with 71% of voters across these districts favoring the proposal. This gives legislators in traditionally more conservative and gun friendly districts assurances that their voters strongly support putting common-sense measures in place to ensure firearms from local gun dealers don’t hand end up in the hands of those looking to do harm.
“Republicans, Independents and gun owners all support this common-sense legislation that would help keep illegal guns out of our communities,” said Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention PAC (GPAC). “Legislators can rest assured that their constituents are on the right side of this issue and they are empowered to vote to override the Governor’s veto of SB 1657.”
The Governor argued that the bill duplicated the work of the Federal government in regulating gun dealers to justify his veto. However, while the ATF is required to monitor gun dealers across the country, including Illinois, they are significantly underfunded and understaffed due to Congressional budget cuts. In fact, the ATF inspected just six percent of the 136,000 gun dealers in the U.S. in 2015. Meanwhile, a typical Illinois dealer may go up to 10 years between inspections. Perhaps worst of all, because the ATF is prohibited from requiring dealers to conduct annual inventories the actual number of guns lost or stolen in the U.S. each year is unknown. SB 1657 addresses these issues, creating a better system of checks and balances that will save lives.
This bipartisan poll was conducted by American Viewpoint and GBA Strategies on March 26 – 28, 2018 in 20 key state House and Senate Districts located primarily in the suburban Cook and Collar Counties of Chicago, in addition to a few downstate districts. 600 likely voters were interviewed and the poll has a margin of error of +/- 4%.
* Related…
* Democrats face two-week deadline in trying to override Rauner veto of gun store bill: “For years we have been combating the intense depth but narrow breadth of NRA-supported districts,” Harmon said. “The same 20 or 30 guys show up at a senator’s office over and over and over again and demand that the senator not support common sense gun laws. And meanwhile there are 30,000 people in the district who feel the opposite but they don’t have the same intensity. And that’s something that has changed in the wake of these horrific shootings.” But opponents led by gun shop owners said they were “optimistic” Rauner’s veto would stand. They note that just 30 senators voted for the proposal the first time around, and Harmon needs 36 votes to override the governor.
While the Rauner campaign launched an “Illinois Priorities Survey” yesterday, it was wildly different than a first draft sources tipped us off to. Take a look for yourself:
“Bruce Rauner forced this state into a 736-day budget crisis, fatally mismanaged the Quincy Veteran’s Home, and decimated the tools Illinoisans need to build better lives,” said Pritzker campaign spokesman Jason Rubin. “After three years of crisis, damage, and pain the results are in: Bruce Rauner has failed.”
* They missed an opportunity, however. A reader recently pointed out this question in the governor’s survey…
Do you believe patronage hires in state government should be illegal?
The snark possibilities are almost endless, but the topic is also in the news this week. From a Daily Herald editorial…
Late last year, we urged a change in state law that allows professional contracts to be awarded at the discretion of the Illinois Toll Highway Authority board.
Rather than seeking sealed bids and awarding the contract to the qualified bidder offering the lowest cost, current law allows the board to choose from among three finalists vetted by a blue-ribbon committee.
At the time, we were concerned about the awarding of a $157 million contract to a Lisle-based engineering company that employs the daughter of the tollway chair and the son of the chief tollway engineer. […]
Daily Herald transportation writer Marni Pyke reported this week that the tollway authority has paid more than $636,000 over seven months as part of an estimated $6.6 million contract with a politically connected communications firm.
Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) would be a lock to become the new chairman of the City Council’s Aviation Committee if not for his role in the #MeToo scandal swirling around House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political organization.
But Quinn is simply too hot to handle after playing a pivotal go-between role between his own brother and political consultant Alaina Hampton, who has accused Kevin Quinn of stalking her with a series of harassing text messages.
As a result, the race is wide open to replace Aviation Committee Chairman Mike Zalewski (23rd), who is resigning his City Council seat, effective May 31.
Although the Aviation Committee budget is a modest $109,496-a-year that’s been frozen since 2011, the position is pivotal.
The new chairman will preside over the $8.5 billion O’Hare Airport expansion project and make certain that African Americans and Hispanics get a fair share of the bonanza of jobs and contracts.
Zalewski’s 23rd Ward is closely allied with Speaker Madigan’s 13th Ward, the home of Midway Airport, which is always in danger of being overshadowed by O’Hare. Quinn would’ve therefore been a perfect contender.
[Ald. Ricardo Munoz] is allied with onetime Emanuel opponent Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, and he is a member of the City Council Progressive Caucus that occasionally opposes the mayor’s initiatives. So it’s questionable whether Emanuel would put someone with such an independent streak atop a key committee.
“I would think the mayor would want someone who’s willing to do the work, to work hard,” Munoz said when asked if the mayor would consider him too much of a wild card.
[Ald. Nick Sposato] has been on the council since 2011, and it could rankle some longer-tenured aldermen if Emanuel gives him such a powerful chairmanship. But Sposato pointed to his work as vice chairman on the committee and his proximity to O’Hare.
“Come over to my house. If someone’s on a plane they can wave to you out the window,” he said.
Remember, however, that Chuy has been cutting a whole lot of interesting political deals the past several months, particularly on the Southwest Side.
In this suit under §2 of the Voting Rights Act, 52 U.S.C. §10301, plaintiffs (registered voters, some of whom are parents or grandparents of school-age children) contend that this system deprives black and Latino citizens of their right to vote. School boards elsewhere in Illinois are elected; plaintiffs say that failure to elect the school board in Chicago has a disproportionate effect on minority voters. The district court dismissed the complaint. […]
The Voting Rights Act has been on the books for 53 years, and as far as we are aware no court has understood §2 to re- quire that any office be filled by election. Several courts have rejected contentions to that effect. […]
There is a further problem with plaintiffs’ position. Black and Latino citizens do not vote for the school board in Chicago, but neither does anyone else. Every member of the electorate is treated identically […]
Plaintiffs have a second theory: that allowing the Mayor to appoint the Board’s members violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. […]
This equal-protection theory is brought up short by Sail- ors v. Board of Education, 387 U.S. 105 (1967), which holds that appointing a school board is constitutionally permissible, and by Hearne v. Board of Education, 185 F.3d 770 (7th Cir. 1999), which holds that the 1995 Illinois statute is valid not- withstanding the line it draws between Chicago and every other city in Illinois.
How Bruce Rauner Decimated Agriculture in Illinois
Rauner Tried to Zero Out Ag Funding, Shut Down Illinois State Museum
Chicago, IL – Bruce Rauner is celebrating Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day today at the Illinois State Museum, but his failed record on supporting the agriculture industry begs serious questions:
Why did Rauner propose eliminating funding for agriculture education? In 2016, Rauner zeroed out funding for the second time.
Why did Rauner cut tens of millions of dollars for agriculture programs? In late 2017, Rauner cut $21 million from the Department of Agriculture in a budget legislators passed over his reckless vetoes.
Why did Rauner hold back on disbursing the soil and conservation funds approved by the legislature? Rauner only disbursed $5 million of the $13.5 million appropriated, a nearly 63% reduction.
Bonus: Why did Rauner close the Illinois State Museum for nine months? A few months into the budget crisis, Rauner closed the museum — which caused two thirds of management to leave — and suggested it charge admission to re-open.
“From gutting agriculture education to slashing funding for agriculture programs, Bruce Rauner has failed hardworking farmers and workers across Illinois,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Illinoisans deserve a governor who knows one in 17 Illinois jobs is in the agriculture industry and values the working families that drive our agricultural economy — and that’s JB Pritzker.”
Read JB’s plan to nurture our agriculture economy HERE.
Rauner’s Unbalanced Budget Cuts Funding, Increases Expenses in Communities Across Illinois
Chicago, IL – Bruce Rauner’s FY19 budget proposal attempts to “balance” the budget on the backs of working people. With the General Assembly holding budget hearings this week, the Pritzker campaign is highlighting the different communities that would be hurt by this failed governor’s unbalanced budget.
To balance the state’s budget, Bruce Rauner is reducing shared income tax revenue while offloading state expenses to local governments across the state. Rauner proposed a 10% cut to the Local Government Distribution Fund while forcing cities and towns to pay for road construction and school districts to pick up pension costs. Now, local governments will be left to either slash services or increase property taxes.
“Bruce Rauner’s unbalanced state budget is leaving gaping holes in local government budgets across the state,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Towns, cities and schools in communities across Illinois will suffer as Rauner tries to balance the budget at their expense and lets his fiscal mismanagement spiral.”
* And here’s the Rauner campaign with a Tuesday press release about something Pritzker said the previous Friday which also mentions Joe Berrios, who lost his primary race and is about to lose his party chairmanship job…
On Friday, JB Pritzker appeared on WJBC and criticized the property tax system as “regressive” and “not fair,” despite personally abusing the system to secure a $230,000 tax break. In doing so, Pritzker forced other residents who are unable to afford politically-connected lawyers to pay more in taxes to cover his reduction.
“Lowering the tax burden is the goal. By lowering the tax rate that they might pay on income taxes, and also, very important, lowering local property taxes, which are so regressive. The poorest neighborhoods and in middle class neighborhoods, people are paying higher rates of property taxes than people who live in wealthy neighborhoods, they’re paying lower rates. That’s just not fair.” - JB Pritzker on WJBC
Pritzker is hypocritically criticizing a system he took advantage of himself. This comes after months of Pritzker’s refusals to condemn Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, the man implicated in multiple independent reviews as having directed a corrupt property tax system that benefitted political insiders like Pritzker and Mike Madigan.
It’s “just not fair” that taxpayers are paying the price for JB Pritzker to benefit from a corrupt system while refusing to criticize Joe Berrios.
* Erratic, arrogant leaders who lay off staff and slash newsroom budgets while spending lavishly on themselves, and demeaning reporters and editors by forcing them to interview to keep their own jobs will often lead to this sort of thing. Even so, wow…
One of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious regional newspapers, The Chicago Tribune, could soon have a unionized staff. Wednesday morning, journalists from its newsroom informed management they are preparing to organize and they have collected signatures from dozens of colleagues.
This is a historic move at a paper that had for decades taken a hardline stance against unions.
The move will likely not go over well with its current corporate owner Tronc. Two months ago, the newspaper publishing company struck a deal to sell another venerable daily the Los Angeles Times, weeks after the paper’s journalists succeeded in unionizing its newsroom.
Journalists at the Tribune say the move will help them secure better pay and ensure they can fulfill the paper’s mission.
The Tribune always kept the union out of its hair by treating its people well. That era has ended.
You can learn more about the organizing attempt by clicking here.
* Background is here. From a Rep. Scott Drury constituent e-mail regarding his state Senator Julie Morrison, a fellow Democrat…
Friends:
Based on the overwhelming response to our email about Sen. Morrison’s efforts to kill the bump stock ban, she issued this response:
“All three pieces of legislation that the Senate passed a few weeks ago represent a bipartisan effort to deal with the epidemic of gun violence in our state. I am in favor of the most restrictive definition of what constitutes a bump-stock and I have complete faith in Rep. Moylan to do what he feels is necessary with HB 1467.”
The response is disingenuous:
Note that the House bump stock ban had bipartisan support. Thus no need existed for Sen. Morrison to placate the Gun Lobby at our expense.
Sen. Morrison’s claim of favoring “the most restrictive” bump stock ban is at direct odds with her own bill which bans nothing.
Sen. Morrison knows she left Rep. Moylan (the House sponsor of the bump stock ban) with two bad two choices:
Accept Sen. Morrison’s amended language; or
Let the bill die and start over.
If you have not already done so, please email Sen. Morrison and let her know that we want to end gun violence in Illinois. Her email address is: xxxx@gmail.com.
Many have asked if we should organize a protest. We are considering this action. If you, your children or someone you know would be interested in attending such an event, please email us at repdrury@gmail.com.
As always, thank you for the privilege of allowing me to help keep our community safe.
–Scott
To use his own word, this whole thing is entirely disingenuous.
You may recall that Rep. Drury made the same accusations against Sen. Raoul during the attorney general campaign. Raoul said at the time that the bump stock language was suggested by the state police. So, instead of going after his party’s AG nominee, Drury has decided to attack his own state Senator.
Secondly, Rep. Drury has been in the House since 2013 so he ought to know basic procedures by now. Rep. Moylan’s bill is HB1467. The Senate added an amendment. Rep. Moylan can now file a motion to either concur with the Senate’s amendment or non-concur. If a non-concur motion passes, the Senate then has the option to recede from its amendment. And Sen. Morrison has said she would defer to Rep. Moylan’s wishes.
* What are your thoughts on a progressive income tax for Illinois?…
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin to file resolution opposing a progressive income tax - the structure supported by Dem gov candidate J.B. Pritzker. Rauner yesterday spoke out about the tax as well, saying it would be a "disaster" for the state.
WHEREAS, A move to amend the constitution to allow for such a repugnant affront to Illinois families would be an act of utter insult to Illinois taxpayers and a dereliction of the duty owed to taxpayers by members of the legislative branch of government, a body that is supposed to improve the general welfare and protect the best interests of all Illinoisans; nothing about creating an unfair, unequal, and avaricious tax system helps the General Assembly accomplish these ends
After fatally mismanaging the Quincy Veterans’ Home, @BruceRauner is letting persistent health issues jeopardize the wellbeing of our nation’s heroes. This is a shameful display of failed leadership. https://t.co/YIiGmT9LaE
Yet unlike Legionnaires’, which is contracted by inhaling water vapor contaminated with the bacteria, the stomach bug state health officials suspect caused the latest Quincy health problems is spread from person to person, rendering a case for structural mismanagement something of a stretch.
Norovirus spreads most frequently in closed environments like nursing homes and assisted living facilities such as Quincy. There is no specific cure for it, meaning the response from care providers is largely limited to isolating patients, casting doubt on what Rauner or his administration could have done to prevent or eliminate it.
Asked how Rauner bears blame for the gastroenteritis outbreak, Pritzker’s campaign did not directly respond, instead attempting to characterize it as further evidence after the Legionnaires’ problems at Quincy that the Republican should not be trusted to handle any health issue at the state facility.
That conflates two very different epidemiological challenges, and leaves an impression–disputed by experts–that more could have, and should have, been done to stop the spread of norovirus at Quincy.
For that, we rate Pritzker’s claim as Mostly False.
Tuesday, Apr 10, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
This bill chills generic competition, leading to fewer choices and higher prices for patients in Illinois. Learn more on the on the Association for Accessible Medicines website.
The Effingham County Board is considering a resolution opposing recent proposals in the state legislature for gun control measures.
The resolution started as a suggestion by local firearms owners and the businesses that cater to them, said Effingham County Board member David Campbell. He modeled the legislation on a similar resolution passed by the Iroquois County Board on March 13.
Campbell consulted with Effingham County State’s Attorney Bryan Kibler, who added a “sanctuary county” section, which attracted the most attention during legislative committee meeting on Monday.
Kibler explained the goal is to protect those people affected by future state legislation by prohibiting the county from enforcing “unconstitutional actions.” He drew a parallel with actions in other fields.
“If you can be a sanctuary county for undocumented immigrants, why can’t you be one for firearms?” Kibler said.
He explained that the section, like the rest of the resolution, is largely symbolic.
“I was in a really surly mood when they sent that to me,” said Kibler.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza has Gov. Bruce Rauner over a barrel — again.
The Republican governor is in a tough political spot this time because Mendoza, a Democrat, has targeted a state budgeting practice that existed long before Rauner took office. He’s just continued it.
And, in an already tough election year, Rauner has few good options.
Mendoza’s Truth in Hiring Act would ban “offshoring,” a practice where executive staff salaries are stashed within state agency budgets, usually to keep the executive’s office budget — in this case the Governor’s Office — low, at least on paper.
Here’s the short and dirty: Mendoza accuses Rauner of playing a shell game.
* Press release…
A bill that would add the Dutch Reach method to Illinois’ Rules of the Road manual and add bike safety questions to the state driver’s license exam passed out of committee Tuesday.
The Dutch Reach method encourages drivers and passengers to use their far hand and reach across their body to open car doors after parallel parking, forcing people to look back for approaching cyclists and other traffic before exiting the car. Research shows it makes drivers and passengers more aware of approaching cyclists, helping prevent crashes and save lives.
“With more people riding bikes in communities across Illinois, these updates to the state’s road manual and driver’s license exam are sorely needed,” said State Rep. Theresa Mah, the bill’s lead sponsor. “The changes will help people driving become more aware of bicyclists and teach them how to travel and exit their cars safely.”
The bill (House Bill 5143) now advances to the full House. It’s co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 20 legislators.
Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) data shows dooring crashes are on the rise across the state, especially in urban areas. In 2015, there were more than 300 reported dooring crashes in Chicago alone – a 50 percent increase over the previous year.
“Getting doored is never too far from the mind of people riding bikes in the Chicago region,” said Ron Burke, Executive Director of the Active Transportation Alliance. “This bill is a good step towards reforming state policy to better reflect the needs and safety of all road users.”
For months, Rep. Mah and advocates have been working collaboratively with the Secretary of State on revamping the road manual and exam’s bicycle safety content for drivers and bike riders, including adding the Dutch Reach.
* Other stuff…
* Can Illinois Restore Net Neutrality Protections?: Khadine Bennett, associate legislative director for the ACLU of Illinois, says states are not allowed to regulate the Internet, which is a task reserved for the FCC. States, however, are allowed to set rules for anyone who does business within. The proposal would not force Internet service providers to maintain net neutrality, she said. If a service provider holds a contract with the state, they would fall under a transparency disclosure.
In 2003, one year before Facebook was founded, a website called Facemash began nonconsensually scraping pictures of students at Harvard from the school’s intranet and asking users to rate their hotness. Obviously, it caused an outcry. The website’s developer quickly proffered an apology. “I hope you understand, this is not how I meant for things to go, and I apologize for any harm done as a result of my neglect to consider how quickly the site would spread and its consequences thereafter,” wrote a young Mark Zuckerberg. “I definitely see how my intentions could be seen in the wrong light.”
In 2004 Zuckerberg cofounded Facebook, which rapidly spread from Harvard to other universities. And in 2006 the young company blindsided its users with the launch of News Feed, which collated and presented in one place information that people had previously had to search for piecemeal. Many users were shocked and alarmed that there was no warning and that there were no privacy controls. Zuckerberg apologized. “This was a big mistake on our part, and I’m sorry for it,” he wrote on Facebook’s blog. “We really messed this one up,” he said. “We did a bad job of explaining what the new features were and an even worse job of giving you control of them.”
Then in 2007, Facebook’s Beacon advertising system, which was launched without proper controls or consent, ended up compromising user privacy by making people’s purchases public. Fifty thousand Facebook users signed an e-petition titled “Facebook: Stop invading my privacy.” Zuckerberg responded with an apology: “We simply did a bad job with this release and I apologize for it.” He promised to improve. “I’m not proud of the way we’ve handled this situation and I know we can do better,” he wrote.
By 2008, Zuckerberg had written only four posts on Facebook’s blog: Every single one of them was an apology or an attempt to explain a decision that had upset users.
In 2010, after Facebook violated users’ privacy by making key types of information public without proper consent or warning, Zuckerberg again responded with an apology—this time published in an op-ed in The Washington Post. “We just missed the mark,” he said. “We heard the feedback,” he added. “There needs to be a simpler way to control your information.” “In the coming weeks, we will add privacy controls that are much simpler to use,” he promised.
I’m going to run out of space here, so let’s jump to 2018 and skip over all the other mishaps and apologies and promises to do better—oh yeah, and the consent decree that the Federal Trade Commission made Facebook sign in 2011, charging that the company had deceptively promised privacy to its users and then repeatedly broken that promise—in the intervening years.
Last month, Facebook once again garnered widespread attention with a privacy related backlash when it became widely known that, between 2008 and 2015, it had allowed hundreds, maybe thousands, of apps to scrape voluminous data from Facebook users—not just from the users who had downloaded the apps, but detailed information from all their friends as well. One such app was run by a Cambridge University academic named Aleksandr Kogan, who apparently siphoned up detailed data on up to 87 million users in the United States and then surreptitiously forwarded the loot to the political data firm Cambridge Analytica. The incident caused a lot of turmoil because it connects to the rolling story of distortions in the 2016 US presidential election. But in reality, Kogan’s app was just one among many, many apps that amassed a huge amount of information in a way most Facebook users were completely unaware of.
* The Sun-Times editorial board has some questions Congress should ask Zuckerberg…
Shouldn’t users be allowed control their personal data? Specifically, should the United States adopt controls similar to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which goes into effect next month and lets users correct data and transfer their data elsewhere, while letting regulators impose big fines on companies that don’t comply? If such a law is not the answer, in what other way can users regain control of their personal information? Why does Facebook oppose a proposed California ballot measure that would give users the right to know what data about them is being collected and how it is being used?
In your prepared remarks released on Monday, Mr. Zuckerberg, you talk about how Facebook has failed individuals. Doesn’t the company, by its enormous reach, also have large responsibilities to our democracy and our nation as a whole?
Facebook knew about Cambridge Analytica’s data gathering back in 2015. Why wasn’t the public told then?
Is the model of a company that collects personal data to sell to a wide variety of advertisers and others simply incompatible with the goal of protecting users’ personal data, some of which is collected without their knowledge? Will Facebook make it possible for users to retract information they no longer want to be accessible to others, including information gathered through facial recognition software? Over the weekend, “Saturday Night Live” mocked you for resisting this kind of empowerment by Facebook users.
How many other companies are using deceptive techniques to gather data via Facebook, and are they mishandling it once they have it? Recently, Facebook suspended another company, CubeYou, that used personality quizzes similar to the one Cambridge Analytica used to access the personal data of users and their friends. Will Facebook be able to stop such abuses in the future or are they beyond control?
Why didn’t Facebook do more to keep fake news from circulating and prevent foreign interference in our elections? Can we expect a future in which trolls and other abuses of social media become a regular part of political campaigns?
How can we be assured that large social media companies won’t use their power to favor politicians whose views align best with those of the companies? How can we be assured that a particular politician or party won’t get broader reach, cheaper ad rates or more access to user information?
We compile a new dataset containing roughly 780,000 bills, combined with more than 16 million roll-call voting records for roughly 6,000 legislators serving in U.S. state legislatures with term limits. […]
Studying four states which provide estimates of the budget impact of specific bills, we find no evidence that electoral incentives encourage incumbents to propose or pass more fiscally irresponsible legislation, contrary to theories of myopic electorates and political business cycles. Taken together, the evidence suggests that electoral incentives successfully induce incumbents to exert productive effort.
* During the last term in office, state lawmakers sponsor fewer bills and pass fewer bills that become law. They also cosponsor fewer bills.
* “The reduction in bill sponsorship among term-limited legislators is concentrated in states where the term limits permanently bans incumbents from the office, as opposed to states where the term limit only requires them to sit out a term before running again.”
* Termed-out legislators serve on fewer committees and are less likely to be involved with top committees. In addition, they are less likely to serve as committee chairmen or chairwomen.
* Legislators who cannot seek another term are present for fewer committee votes, on average. They participate in fewer roll-call votes, on average.
* “These effects are larger … in state legislatures that pay higher salaries.”
How much of an impact term limits really have is kinda beyond my ability to understand the numbers in this study. Perhaps some of you smart folks can read it and tell us in comments.
It’s ironic that the call for fiscal sensibility comes as a proposal in the Senate that would blast many Illinoisans with a blood-boiling increase in gasoline taxes.
Senate Bill 3279 would increase the per-gallon taxes on gasoline by 30 cents — to 60 cents — making it the highest motor fuel tax in the nation. There is even discussion that it should go even higher, to 85 cents a gallon for gasoline and almost $1 a gallon for diesel fuel.
It doesn’t stop there, though. The same Senate proposal calls for a 50 percent hike in vehicle registration fees. That yearly cost is $101 now but would jump to about $150 — although some talk has floated the idea of making the fee $578.
That all sounds well-informed until you search for SB3279 and see it’s a shell bill which has nothing whatsoever to do with the gas tax.
However, if you go back a couple of years, you’ll find a Senate Bill 3279 in the previous General Assembly which did all that. The bill was filed on February 19, 2016, never got a committee hearing and died when the 99th GA adjourned sine die in January of 2017.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday portrayed Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a gun dealer licensing bill as the height of hypocrisy, but Rauner stood his ground in demanding a more “comprehensive” solution.
As he urged the Illinois General Assembly to override the governor’s veto, Emanuel ridiculed Rauner for vetoing the bill licensing state gun dealers on grounds it’s burdensome, yet imposing new regulations on catfish sales in restaurants. […]
After weekend talks with House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, Emanuel believes the chances for an override may well come down to the votes of three DuPage Republicans, all of who are being challenged by women.
The mayor is hoping to enlist support from Cardinal Blase Cupich, perhaps by persuading the cardinal to go out to DuPage and lobby those three lawmakers. Cupich has already made one trip to Springfield.
It’s down to three suburban Republican votes? The bill fell seven votes shy of a veto-proof majority in the House. It only received 30 votes in the Senate - six votes shy of passage. So they flipped ten members?
I’m a bit dubious, but I suppose we’ll see. The Senate is journalizing the veto today, so the 15-day clock is now ticking.
The campaign worker who sued Madigan’s political operations is expanding the case where she alleged her career got sidelined when she accused a Madigan lieutenant for sexual harassment.
Alaina Hampton has added Madigan-controlled 13th Ward and Democratic Majority political funds as defendants to her federal lawsuit, according to a Hampton statement. She had originally sued Madigan’s campaign fund and the state Democratic Party.
“I will continue to seek ways to hold the defendants accountable for the sustained sexual harassment I experienced, because no one should be forced to quit her job because she is unsafe in her workplace,” Hampton said in the statement released Monday night.
Hampton, who first told the Tribune of receiving inappropriate texts from former Madigan aide Kevin Quinn, contended in the original lawsuit her effort to stop his unwanted advances effectively prevented her from getting further work on Democratic campaigns.
The campaign worker who filed a federal lawsuit against House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political operation is now asking City Hall watchdogs to look into Chicago Alderman Marty Quinn, the brother of the ousted political operative she accused of sexual harassment.
Alaina Hampton sent a letter Wednesday to Joseph Ferguson, the city’s inspector general, and Steve Berlin, executive director of the city’s ethics board, accusing the 13th Ward alderman of failing to take appropriate actions when she reported harassing texts of his brother, Kevin Quinn.
Hampton wants city officials to review whether Ald. Quinn failed to comply with ethics and employment rules.
* Kristen McQueary on JB Pritzker’s opposition to the private school tax credit program…
Pritzker can avail himself of school choice. So can Gov. Bruce Rauner, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and members of the Chicago City Council, many of whom send their own kids to private school or work the system to gain entry into elite CPS schools.
Pritzker knows this. His family has been deeply involved in the school choice movement involving charters for the same reasons. Not every kid fits in the box of public education. Parents need choices. They’re craving it.
Roughly 60,000 scholarship requests statewide have flowed into the program, which relaunched last month after high demand crashed the computer system the first time around. But private donations so far will cover only a fraction of those kids. Worse, Pritzker’s comments and a bill to eliminate the program have stalled efforts to raise money, organizers say. And for what? To flatter the teachers unions? To position Pritzker as far to the left as possible? […]
Again, let’s give Pritzker the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t know what he was saying. He doesn’t understand the program. It’s the only plausible explanation. Why? Because the other explanation is that a billionaire candidate for governor is willing to impose a lower education standard on poor families that he would never tolerate for his own. [Emphasis added]
Ouch.
As we discussed the other day, donors pledged $36 million on the first day of the program in early January and just $5 million since then.
* Meanwhile, from the Rauner campaign…
On Friday, JB Pritzker appeared on WJBC and criticized the property tax system as “regressive” and “not fair,” despite personally abusing the system to secure a $230,000 tax break. In doing so, Pritzker forced other residents who are unable to afford politically-connected lawyers to pay more in taxes to cover his reduction.
“Lowering the tax burden is the goal. By lowering the tax rate that they might pay on income taxes, and also, very important, lowering local property taxes, which are so regressive. The poorest neighborhoods and in middle class neighborhoods, people are paying higher rates of property taxes than people who live in wealthy neighborhoods, they’re paying lower rates. That’s just not fair.” - JB Pritzker on WJBC
Pritzker is hypocritically criticizing a system he took advantage of himself. This comes after months of Pritzker’s refusals to condemn Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, the man implicated in multiple independent reviews as having directed a corrupt property tax system that benefitted political insiders like Pritzker and Mike Madigan.
It’s “just not fair” that taxpayers are paying the price for JB Pritzker to benefit from a corrupt system while refusing to criticize Joe Berrios.
* Sometimes, you notice a little something when reading a bunch of stories on the same topic and a blog post idea emerges. This is one of those posts. Tribune…
But the budget proposal Rauner offered in February also did not account for an immediate drop in the tax rate, which is now 4.95 percent for individuals, up from 3.75. Instead, his budget plan would spend the extra money from the tax hike, while suggesting pension cost savings could generate as much as $1 billion to pay for a modest rollback of about a quarter-point at some point down the road.
To accomplish that, Rauner pointed to pension legislation introduced by Cullerton and co-sponsored by House Republican leader Jim Durkin. It passed the Senate last spring before stalling in the House. Rauner said the bill was “not perfect” but that he wants it sent to his desk.
Asked if the speaker would allow the bill to be called for a vote, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said, “So far the sponsor has not persuaded many members that it meets the standards set by the Illinois Supreme Court in various pension rulings.”
* Brown was more up-front about his feelings with the Sun-Times…
“You can’t really react with a straight face,” Brown said of the governor’s desire to roll back the income tax after passing pension reform. “It’s all predicated by a pension law change some people say is unconstitutional. So I guess it’s a pipe dream.”
“The Rauner priorities seem the same as the past. He has generally failed to persuade many that this is a path to improved prosperity,” said Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Despite Rauner’s insistence that his plan is bipartisan, or non-partisan, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown characterized most of Rauner’s agenda as a retread for which there is no support.
“He offers no explanation of why they would want to agree,” Brown said of legislators stance on Rauner’s demands, calling it “the same mumbo-jumbo he’s been peddling for several years without any persuasive arguments, and therein lies part of his problem with why none of this has been passed.”
Brown, too, noted the governor didn’t list improvements to the Quincy Veterans Home as one of the things he wants to focus on: “It appears it has quickly fallen as a priority.”
Rauner’s re-election effort continues to be hindered by open wounds from his narrow, 3-point win over state Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton.
The two still haven’t talked.
Ives has said she will vote for him, but that she has no interest in speaking to Rauner.
Whether she’s a sore lose, or whether Rauner is at fault for being unable to swallow his pride or an inability to overcome a reputation for betraying his word, the divide stands to prevent Rauner from getting even Republican support for elements of his agenda.
Ives has returned to Springfield, and she isn’t sure how the governor will achieve his stated goals of a balanced budget and pension reform.
“People are very skeptical on the budget,” she said. “First of all, politically speaking I think House Speaker Mike Madigan wants to make sure Rauner doesn’t have any success, but Rauner needs success if he’s going to do anything in November to get elected.”
Even though Ives has been publicly critical of the governor, GOP Leader Bill Brady believes the representative and her supporters will be in Rauner’s corner by the time the election rolls around.
“They know. They’re smart. They’re activists,” he said. “They know staying home is a vote for JB Pritzker and Mike Madigan and I believe they’re smart enough to know that.”
But if that’s an olive branch to Democrats, Rauner still has problems in his own party. He still has not spoken to Jeanne Ives to mend fences after a rough and tumble primary election, although the governor said he hopes to soon.
Instead of uniting his base, Rauner says, he is more interested in leading a kind of non-partisan crusade.
“What we need is the support of everyone in the state,” he said. “We need everyone to come together to push back against the corruption and failure of the existing regime that’s controlled our state.”
Incumbent Bruce Rauner’s narrow defeat of Jeanne Ives, a state representative he once characterized as a “fringe” candidate, cannot be spun as anything less than a rebuke of the way government has been operating.
* DGA…
Day 21: Rauner’s Outreach to Ives Was One Text Message, and He Lied About It
At a press conference yesterday, Governor Bruce Rauner was absolutely besieged by reporters’ questions about his efforts to patch relations up state Representative Jeanne Ives. Rauner claimed his campaign “called” Ives’ “office right after the primary”, and that they “were told…that she did not have an interest in speaking with me.” As embarrassing as this admission is for a sitting Governor, it also happened not to be true.
Capitol Fax reported yesterday that the full extent of Rauner’s outreach to Ives was an unanswered text message from one staffer to another. As a reminder, 341,836 Republicans voted for Ives - 48% of the Republican primary vote.
“What’s worse?” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “The fact that Bruce Rauner’s outreach to Jeanne Ives and the 48% of Republican voters that supported her was a single text message… or the fact that Rauner lied about it?”
* Meanwhile, the Pro-Life Action League is planning to protest outside Gov. Rauner’s big fundraiser Thursday night with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. So far, though, only a handful of people have signed up on Facebook.
[Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady] said there have been initial bipartisan talks about the potential for a statewide public works bill funded, at least in part, by expanded casino gambling in the state.
Asked by a reporter later about the talks, Brady said, “It’s as real as it’s ever been.”
“Speaker (Michael) Madigan, I think, wants a capital plan. I know the governor does. I think John Cullerton does. We’ve had some discussions,” Brady said. “You know, everyone going into re-election, it’s a difficult year. Everyone would like to be able to show some accomplishment. I’m hoping to leverage that.” […]
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said, “There are discussions and gaming may figure into it. It’s kind of hard to grasp how far things might go.” Brown added that as he has in the past, Madigan has recused himself on gaming issues.
Brady’s comments came a day after Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin appeared doubtful that Democrats would back a large scale infrastructure plan in an election year.
Group health insurance bills climbed during the State’s budget impasse in FY2016 and FY2017, when the program received no general operating funds. About $4 billion from last fall’s sale of backlog bonds was used to pay down group health bills. As a result, the amount of unpaid health insurance bills declined to $1.6 billion at the end of February 2018 from $5.2 billion in October 2017, according to a recent report by the Illinois General Assembly’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA).
COGFA’s report also provides information about how long it currently takes the State to pay its bills. For group health insurance bills, the delay is as much as 309 days, still high but significantly lower than 734 days a year ago.
Housing advocates and other community activists — including someone in a “giant Alexa costume” — are going to City Hall on Tuesday, calling on Amazon to help people living in whichever city gets the giant company’s new headquarters.
Members of the Grassroots Collaborative are scheduled to hold a news conference to press for community involvement in Amazon’s planning. They want living wages in all jobs created by the company, as well as affordable housing guarantees to help stave off gentrification that they warn could push residents out of working-class neighborhoods as thousands of Amazon workers move in.
“This setup is a losing deal for everybody but Amazon,” the group said in a news release Monday. “Instead of trying to win the race to the bottom, residents in cities bidding for Amazon are coming together to collectively demand that wherever Amazon HQ2 ends up it actually benefits the people who live and work there.”
Chicago voters like the idea of trying to lure Amazon’s second headquarters here, at least in the abstract. And they give Mayor Rahm Emanuel some credit for leading the effort.
That’s the gist of a new poll released today that found, as in an earlier survey, voters see some benefits to chasing after a big corporate prize so long as you’re not hitting them over the head with the potential cost. […]
Asked flatly if they back the city’s efforts to win Amazon, which promises to bring up to 50,000 jobs to the winning city, 48 percent said the bid has their strong support, with another 27 percent saying they somewhat support the move. By comparison, just 12 percent said they strongly or somewhat oppose, with 13 percent saying they don’t know.
Support was greatest among Gen Xers (84 percent), and somewhat stronger among African-Americans (81 percent) then Latinos (78 percent) or whites (73 percent). […]
The survey found somewhat stronger backing for the HQ2 bid than an earlier poll I reported on last month. But that poll, unlike this one, at least mentioned that incentives are being offered to Amazon, though it failed to mention the reported figure: $2.2 billion, mostly in state job credits.
The latest poll, including methodology, is here. The earlier poll Greg mentioned is here.
* Related…
* Brady vs. Pritzker on Amazon: Illinois Senate Republican leader Bill Brady of Bloomington said he believes Bezos will be concerned about higher tax rates, contending that J.B. Pritzker’s call for a graduated income tax could doom Chicago in the contest… “I really believe, if what I read about Jeff Bezos and his philosophy at Amazon is the only thing that would keep them from coming here would be the J.B. Pritzker tax increase,” Brady said.
* Who’s going to win the Amazon hustle?: New York University marketing professor Scott Galloway thinks all the speculation about the new site is moot at this point. “The cake is baked,” he said, and the winner is one of three D.C.-area sites. After all, D.C. is where Bezos recently acquired a huge house, where he and his family might want to spend time, where the political action is, where decisions will be made about the company’s future. And given that President Donald Trump has expressed special animus for Amazon, wouldn’t it be better to be a player where the decisions are made? “The only thing standing between Amazon and a trillion-dollar market capitalization is regulation,” said Galloway, dubbed the Amazon whisperer after his lucky or brilliant prediction that Amazon would buy Whole Foods last year (it did a few weeks later). “The ultimate prophylactic against regulation is to be the local boy in D.C.”
After a judge ruled against the city of Harvey as it seeks money the Illinois Comptroller’s Office is holding, the city’s mayor warns that massive layoffs could be on the horizon.
Harvey Mayor Eric Kellogg convened an emergency meeting on Monday after a judge ruled that the state acted appropriately in withholding $1.4 million to cover shortfalls in the city’s pension plan.
“The city of Harvey has never undergone massive layoffs like the ones we’re expecting for our police and fire departments,” Kellogg said. […]
In a statement, Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s office said it acted appropriately.
“The legislature passed a law allowing pension funds to certify to our office that municipalities have failed to make required payments to pension funds,” the statement reads.
In 2015, a Cook County judge found that the city of Harvey, a south Chicago suburb, owes more than $7.3 million to its police pension fund after failing to make payments for nearly a decade.
To satisfy this judgment, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is currently withholding more than $1 million in revenues due to the city. […]
The city, represented by Ken Hurst with Roth Fioretti, owes payroll of $400,000 due on April 13 as well as an additional $300,000 for its employees’ health insurance, but currently holds less than $200,000 in its general fund, according to the suit. […]
Harvey is currently in serious debt, with a deficit of $5.9 million, and its collection rate on real estate taxes is just 58 percent. […]
In 2015, Harvey reached an $18.5 million settlement with Chicago to pay back the money it owes for water taken from the city without paying and resold to other suburbs.
* Ex-Harvey official made secret recordings for prosecutors in bribery investigation, unsealed documents show
* Federal investigation continues in Markham after mayor’s guilty plea: At the center of the investigation is a series of secret recordings made by a now-deceased Harvey comptroller, Joseph Letke, whose firm was also paid by Markham. Letke recorded conversations with Harvey officials, including Donald Luster, a consultant to Harvey given influence over economic development by Mayor Eric Kellogg. Luster said he could fast-track projects if given bribes, according to the affidavit filed in court for a search warrant.
Speaking later at the City Club of Chicago, Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady said the most powerful agent for Republican unity will be Pritzker.
“That’s the simple election question,” Brady said. “If you think we can grow our state by raising the tax burden on families and businesses, vote for JB Pritzker. He clearly supports that.”
However, Republicans are taking a big chance if they believe their most powerful force for victory is that the opponent is so distasteful.
Many Democrats assumed the same thing two years ago, when Donald Trump won the White House.
Many Democrats assumed the same thing four years ago, when Bruce Rauner won the governor’s race.
But, yeah, it’s gonna be a variation of “Taxes, Madigan, Taxes, Madigan, Taxes, Madigan, Taxes, Madigan” all the way through November. It’s the best and probably only shot Rauner really has.
Rauner said Monday that his campaign had reached out to Ives but was told she didn’t want to talk to him.
“We called her, her office, right after the primary,” Rauner said. “We were told at the time that she did not have an interest in speaking with me or meeting with me at this point. That’s the current status. Hopefully, we’ll be talking soon.”
Ives spokeswoman Kathleen Murphy disputed the governor but showed little indication that she wanted to reconcile.
“Good grief. I would laugh if it wasn’t so sad,” Murphy said. “The governor is a professional liar. Our campaign made no such statement to the Rauner campaign. No such dialogue ever happened. And why would it? Why would Rauner desire to speak with ‘Madigan’s favorite Republican,’ right?”
Murphy went on to say that Rauner had made it clear he wants “Ives and conservatives out of the party” and that Ives was “done with this back-and-forth playground note-passing.”
So, there was no “call.” And nobody in Ives’ campaign said a word directly to the Rauner campaign, as far as I can tell.
He’s suffering one of those awful political deaths by a thousand cuts. And they’re all - all - self-inflicted. Maybe he should think about getting his story straight and then sticking to that script for once.
We write this email with deep regret. As you know, our office has been on the frontlines of the battle against gun violence. Working collaboratively with our municipalities, we have ensured that District 58 has more individual assault weapons bans in place than any other district in the state!
Our mission is not just to pass along good news. For too long, politicians have gotten away with claiming to be on our side of the battle, while also placating the Gun Lobby. We are concerned that Senator Julie Morrison may have joined the ranks of those politicians.
Background
On March 14, 2018 - as students across America walked out of schools and demanded better gun laws - our own Senator Morrison voted with the Gun Lobby to: (a) gut a bill that would have banned bump stocks; and (b) replace the bill with language that will allow the continued sale of the devices.
What Is A Bump Stock/Trigger Modification Device?
As we learned from the recent Las Vegas massacre, bump stocks and trigger modification devices drastically increase a semi-automatic weapon’s rate of fire to make it more like a machine gun. If you’ve never seen what these devices can do, watch this video. It shows a trigger modification device in action. Notably, while the modified gun in the video shoots more than 600 rounds per minute, that is less than a machine gun’s rate of fire.
The Real Bump Stock Ban
In February 2018, the House passed legislation that banned all devices designed to increase a gun’s rate of fire - i.e., bump stocks and trigger modification devices. I proudly co-sponsored the legislation and advocated for it on the House Floor.
The Gun Lobby’s Preferred Language
Prior to the House passing its ban, the NRA came up with its own definition of a bump stock/trigger modification device. Under the NRA definition only devices “intended to increase the rate of fire achievable with the firearm to that of a fully automatic firearm” would be banned. The problem is that bump stocks/trigger modification devices do not increase the rate of fire of a semi-automatic weapon to that of a fully automatic firearm. Thus, the NRA definition bans nothing.
Senator Morrison Adopts the NRA’s Language
In early February 2018, Senator Morrison proposed her own version of the bump stock ban that inexplicably adopted the NRA’s language. Read it here. Then on March 14, 2018 - the day of the student walkouts - the Senate gutted the House bill and replaced it with Senator Morrison’s language. The sponsor of the Senate Bill even credited Senator Morrison for the amended language. The bill now returns to the House.
The Senate Adds a Poison Pill
In addition to adopting the NRA’s language, the Senate also added a poison pill to the House bump stock ban. Specifically, the Senate - seemingly at Senator Morrison’s request - added language from one of my bills in the House (HB4127) that would allow municipalities to enact assault weapons bans (Senator Morrison has a similar bill in the Senate). Unfortunately, the votes do not exist in the House to pass that legislation. Thus, adding this language to the bump stock ban has effectively killed the bill in its entirety.
Contact Senator Morrison To Express Your Disappointment
Until now, Senator Morrison has consistently helped us in our efforts to enact responsible gun laws. Let’s help get her back on track. Please contact Senator Morrison’s office and let her know that our community values the right to live life without fear of gun violence. You can email her by clicking here or call her at (847) xxx-xxxx.
As always, thank you for the privilege of allowing me to represent you.
–Scott
* Sen. Morrison…
“All three pieces of legislation that the Senate passed a few weeks ago represent a bipartisan effort to deal with the epidemic of gun violence in our state. I am in favor of the most restrictive definition of what constitutes a bump-stock and I have complete faith in Rep. Moylan to do what he feels is necessary with HB 1467.”
* Multiple sources confirmed today that Rep. Tabares, who beat progressive activist Rudy Lozano by five points in 2012 and sits on the state Democratic Party’s central committee, is very likely getting the job…
Ald. Mike Zalewski (23rd), powerful chairman of the City Council’s Aviation Committee, said Monday he will resign May 31, paving the way for the appointment of a Hispanic alderman in the majority-Hispanic ward.
“What happened in the last election was real,” Zalewski said, referring to the sweep by County Commissioner-turned-Democratic Congressional nominee Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Garcia’s entire slate of progressive Hispanic candidates. […]
Zalewski’s decision to resign from the aldermanic seat he has held since 1995 comes just weeks after he helped Mayor Rahm Emanuel muscle through the City Council an $8.5 billion O’Hare Airport expansion project billed as a game-changer for Chicago. […]
Zalewski said he has a replacement in mind for a ward now 67 percent Hispanic. But, he refused to say whom he would recommend to the mayor.
Community leaders are expected to rally around State Rep. Silvana Tabares (D-Chicago) as Zalewski’s replacement.
The appointment of a prominent Hispanic woman would also help Il. House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) with the “Me,Too” scandal swirling around his 13th Ward Regular Democratic Organization.
From what I can tell, this has been greased for a while now.
[Madigan spokesman Steve Brown] noted the governor didn’t list improvements to the Quincy Veterans Home as one of the things he wants to focus on: “It appears it has quickly fallen as a priority.”
Maybe the $265 million project falls under a capital plan, but I doubt he can get that done, either.
*** UPDATE *** Governor’s office…
Rich,
Members on both side of the aisles in both chambers have already pledged full cooperation to adequately address the issue at Quincy. We hope this doesn’t signal they’re walking away from our veterans to try to score some perceived political point.
Rachel Bold
Press Secretary
Office of Governor Bruce Rauner
* Related…
* Illinois Republicans warn against repeat of partial state budgets: But Steve Brown, spokesman for Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, said on Monday the Republicans “are the only ones talking about a six-month budget.” Democratic Senate President John Cullerton wants stability and a full-year budget, according to his spokesman John Patterson.
* Rauner gives session wish list that includes a tax cut; calls on leaders to meet: He wants a crackdown on illegal gun trafficking, lawmaker harassment and ethics reform, term limits (10 for lawmakers and 8 for constitutional officers), an overhaul to the state’s business tax credit program, and a ban on lawmakers profiting from property tax appeals – a shot at House Speaker and property tax attorney Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.
* Gov. Rauner lists legislative priorities as lawmakers return to Springfield: “We’re going to do it right this year,” Rauner said. “Let’s get a revenue estimate that we agree on as the law calls for, and then do a balanced budget that lives within our means for a full year, not partial, and calls for no new taxes. That’s number one first priority.”
* Rauner calls leaders’ meeting, pushes balanced budget: Rauner says he will also push for property tax reductions, seek to revamp an incentive program for economic growth, await a task force recommendation on reducing gun violence, pursue stronger sexual-harassment penalties and continue his yearslong push for officeholder term limits.
With federal regulators bringing the age of “net neutrality” to an end, Illinois lawmakers are trying to preserve the practice within the state.
House Bill 4819 would require Illinois Internet providers to maintain net neutrality and not limit access to websites based on ideology or “paid prioritization.”
Companies offering Internet in Illinois would also be required to publicly disclose practices that could violate the principle of net neutrality.
Illinois’ divorce laws could be up for debate next week when lawmakers are scheduled to hear a bill supporters say would throw out the existing system of parenting time.
A number of states are either considering or enacting divorce laws that would move away from one-parent guardianship to a kind of co-parenting model with more flexibility. Kentucky enacted a law last year allowing a court to give both parents equal footing during the divorce proceedings. Supporters of equal parenting laws say the flexibility creates a better opportunity for both parents to be present in a child’s life.
State Rep. Lashawn Ford, D-Chicago, is the sponsor of a bipartisan bill scheduled for a hearing when lawmakers return to Springfield next week that would create a co-parenting model in Illinois’ divorce proceedings. His bill changes divorce law to recognize that “the involvement of each parent for equal time is presumptively in the children’s best interests.”
Ford said the state’s existing laws that favor one parent over another don’t have the child’s best interests at heart.
* Press release…
Today, patient advocates will testify in the Illinois House Insurance Health & Life Committee in support of House Bill 4146. This legislation would protect commercially insured residents from mid-year prescription drug coverage changes, commonly referred to as “non-medical switching.” Right now, nothing prohibits commercial health insurers in Illinois from making prescription coverage changes mid-year, even while consumers and families are essentially locked into their health plans. The bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Laura Fine, is the committee’s chairperson.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reporting the death of a third individual who experienced severe bleeding after using synthetic cannabinoids, often called Spice, K2, or fake weed. To date, 107 people in central Illinois and the Chicago area have experienced severe bleeding after using synthetic cannabinoids, including the three deaths.
Two of the deaths occurred in men who were in their 20s; the third was a man in his 40s.
Individuals who have been sickened by the synthetic cannabinoids have reported coughing up blood, blood in the urine, severe bloody nose, bleeding gums, and/or internal bleeding. Numerous have tested positive for brodifacoum, a lethal anticoagulant often used in rat poison.
“Each day we’ve seen the number of cases rise,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “Synthetic cannabinoids are unsafe. They are not regulated and people don’t know what chemicals may be in them, like rat poison. While efforts are underway to get the contaminated drugs out of circulation, it’s possible they could re-emerge. We urge people not to use synthetic cannabinoids?now or ever.”
Synthetic cannabinoids are human-made, mind-altering chemicals that are sprayed on to dried plant material. They can be smoked or sold as liquids to be vaporized in e-cigarettes and other devices. These chemicals are called cannabinoids because they are similar to chemicals found in the marijuana plant. The health effects from using synthetic cannabinoids can be unpredictable, harmful, and deadly.
Synthetic cannabinoids are found across Illinois and the U.S. in places like convenience stores, gas stations, drug paraphernalia shops, novelty stores, and online.
Anyone who has a reaction to synthetic cannabinoids, such as severe bleeding, should call 911 or have someone take them to the emergency department immediately.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., on Monday gave birth to a daughter, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey, becoming the first sitting senator to have a baby while in office.
Duckworth, who turned 50 on March 12, is one of only 10 women in the history of the nation to give birth while in Congress, with the other babies born to members serving in the House.
This is the second child for Duckworth and her husband, Bryan Bowlsbey. Daughter Abigail was born Nov. 18, 2014, when Duckworth was 47 and in the House, representing a suburban Chicago congressional district.
Maile was born in a hospital in suburban Washington.
* Press release…
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) became the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office when she delivered her second daughter, Maile (pronounced MY-lee) Pearl Bowlsbey, today. Senator Duckworth and family are recovering well and appreciate respect for their privacy during this time. She issued the following statement:
“Bryan, Abigail and I couldn’t be happier to welcome little Maile Pearl as the newest addition to our family and we’re deeply honored that our good friend Senator Akaka was able to bless her name for us—his help in naming both of our daughters means he will always be with us.
“Pearl Bowlsbey Johnson was Bryan’s great Aunt, an Army Officer and a nurse who served during the Second World War. He spent many summer months with her while growing up, we feel her presence still and are grateful for her service to our nation during the most challenging of times.
“We’re also so grateful for the love and support of our friends and family, as well as our wonderful medical teams for everything they’ve done to help us in our decades-long journey to complete our family.”
Though millions of American women have become mothers while continuing their careers, Senator Duckworth is one of only 10 women since our nation’s founding who have given birth while serving in Congress. Her experiences as a working mother give her an important—and underrepresented—perspective in the halls of Congress, where she has long advocated on behalf of working families.
“Parenthood isn’t just a women’s issue, it’s an economic issue and one that affects all parents—men and women alike,” the Senator continued. “As tough as juggling the demands of motherhood and being a Senator can be, I’m hardly alone or unique as a working parent, and my children only make me more committed to doing my job and standing up for hardworking families everywhere.”
Illinois’ ‘BBB’ IDR and GO rating reflect several years of weak operating performance and fiscal decision making. This has led to a credit position well below the level that the state’s solid economic base and still substantial independent legal ability to control its budget would support.
The Negative Outlook reflects uncertainties related to successful implementation of the current year budget and ongoing fiscal management and decision making, particularly given the contentious political environment in the state.
Stabilization of the rating is sensitive to the state’s ability to maintain budgetary balance over multiple years, indicating more sustainable fiscal management. Upward rating momentum is unlikely until the state more comprehensively addresses its accumulated liabilities. […]
A re-emergence of political stalemate that negatively affects fiscal operations, including a material increase in accounts payable, could trigger a downgrade. […]
Illinois has demonstrated a repeated inability to address its structural challenges due to an absence of consensus and resistance among key stakeholders. The political environment in the state remains a negative rating consideration.
Gov. Bruce Rauner says he has called a meeting for Thursday with legislative leaders to discuss the final weeks of the spring session.
Spokespersons for both House Speaker Madigan and Senate President Cullerton told me their bosses will attend.
* Meanwhile…
"This election is abt the people uniting against a corrupt machine of self-dealing, unethical behavior, insider transactions, higher taxes that benefit a few against the people." - @GovRauner slimes Dems ahead of Thurs meeting he wants with them @wlsam890pic.twitter.com/6MPNZAdn9E
The League of Women Voters takes action on an issue or advocates for a cause when there is an existing League position that supports the issue or speaks to the cause.
Positions result from a process of study. Any given study, whether it be National, State, or Local, is thorough in its pursuit of facts and details. As the study progresses, a continuing discussion of pros and cons of each situation occurs. Prior to the results of the study being presented to the general membership, study committee members fashion consensus questions that are then addressed by the membership.
Additional discussion, pro and con, takes place as members (not part of the study committee) learn the scope of the study. After the members reach consensus, the board forms positions based on that consensus.
It is the consensus statement — the statement resulting from the consensus questions — that becomes a position. Firm action or advocacy can then be taken on the particular issue addressed by the position. Without a position, action/advocacy cannot be taken.
Needless to say, the fraidy cats at ISRA got mightily dragged on Twitter. Click here. Ouch.
* Meanwhile, this is an interesting little analogy…
.#Rahm now using CATFISH against @GovRauner. He says Rauner claimed the gun dealer licensing bill was too burdensome when he vetoed it right before his primary, but last year signed the bill regulating catfish sales in restaurants! @wlsam890pic.twitter.com/yVCBBfT5dj
Today, Bruce Rauner said “we need to move expeditiously” to take “strong action” on gun violence, but so far he’s vetoed or ignored any concrete solution passed by the legislature and only proposed a task force.
Rauner vetoed the Gun Dealer Licensing Bill a week before his heated primary election, and the fate of three other bills passed by the legislature remain unknown as Rauner takes his time to make up his mind.
“While gun violence ravages our communities, Bruce Rauner is talking out of both sides of his mouth and dragging his feet on critical bills passed by the legislature,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Unlike Bruce Rauner, when JB Pritzker is governor he will treat gun violence like a public health epidemic and take strong action to keep our communities safe.”
* Way back on March 13th, I sent this e-mail to Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s spokesperson after talking with her on the phone…
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said this morning on WJPF Radio that he has spoken with Gov. Hickenlooper about Colorado’s experience with legalizing marijuana. Rauner has related this story a few times in the past (at least).
According to Rauner, Hickenlooper said “You guys in Illinois and other states, you ought to wait a while [to legalize it] because it’s not all good.”
Questions: 1) Has Gov. Hickenlooper spoken to Gov. Rauner about legalizing marijuana? 2) Did Gov. Hickenlooper advise Gov. Rauner to hold off on legalizing marijuana in Illinois?
I’ve heard Gov. Rauner say this often enough that I figured I’d check to see if he was telling the truth.
Gov. Hickenlooper’s spokesperson got back to me right before spring break and I totally forgot about posting it last week.
The spokesperson said the governor doesn’t remember the exact conversation. He has spoken to Gov. Rauner and it could have been about marijuana, she said.
“He talks about marijuana all the time,” she said.
Gov. Hickenlooper often says, I was told, that unless your voters approve it, then you should wait a few years before making it legal. It’s a common conversation and comes up a lot, she said.
So, I suppose Rauner is in the clear.
* Moving right along. Remember this post from early March about Rep. Jeanne Ives possibly violating the United States Military Academy’s logo trademark in a TV ad? Well, West Point finally got back to me over spring break and I forgot to post it last week as well…
Mr. Miller,
Good morning! I know that this response is well past your deadline, but your query came during our spring break week when most U.S. Military Academy faculty and staff were away from the academy on leave.
Our Staff Judge Advocate Office reviewed the use of our crest in the video you sent to me, and the use does not violate our trademark. Because the person using the crest is a graduate of our institution and she used the crest in a factual manner to represent her graduate status, there was no violation.
* I can’t say this surprises me, but it sure does disgust me…
When parents, teachers or students have complained in recent years about dirty classrooms and lunchrooms, Chicago Public Schools officials have pointed to high “pass” rates found in audits by an independent firm that monitors the work of private companies overseeing the cleaning.
But following Chicago Sun-Times reports revealing that CPS staffers found filthy conditions at 91 of 125 schools they examined, janitors now tell the newspaper that supervisors cheated to pass those cleanliness audits.
Janitors at two Chicago schools say their bosses alerted them whenever the auditing company would be coming — sometimes several days ahead — and also tipped them about where to clean.
That allowed them to focus on areas they knew the auditors would check — and skip other parts of the schools that wouldn’t face inspection, the school janitors say.
Also, extra help would be provided in the form of “floater” custodians and additional cleaning supplies, they say.
An inspector who checks on hundreds of schools acknowledges that the way CPS set up the system was “ludicrous,” allowing schools to learn in advance of coming inspections so they could take steps to pass.
I don’t know if Lauren FitzPatrick has received any awards for her CPS reporting, but she’s definitely due.
The trend toward school choice has educators across the country looking at Chicago’s Noble Charter Schools — an award-winning network of mostly high schools that specializes in helping inner-city kids achieve the kind of SAT scores that propel them into four-year universities. But despite its prestigious reputation, Noble has a peculiarly high teacher turnover rate.
And some of those teachers are speaking up about policies they describe as “dehumanizing.”
Noble’s handbook lists more than 20 behaviors that can elicit demerits. The dress code, for example, requires students to wear light khakis, plain black leather belts, black leather dress shoes, and school-branded polo-style shirts that must be tucked in. Hair must be only a “natural” color, and students can’t have any designs in their hair. […]
Jane Sundius, a social psychologist who focuses on poverty, children and education, says low-income families tend not to question systems like those at Noble. She points to a study by sociologist Melvin Kohn, exploring how parenting styles vary by social class.
“What he found was that working-class parents focus very much on obedience. Off little Johnny went to school and his mom said, ‘Listen to the teacher! Be good! Be quiet!’ And upper-class parents focused on learning and creativity and having fun,” she says. “The working-class parents trained their children to be workers on an assembly line, not empowered, while the upper-class families taught their children to believe that they had a legitimate right to their opinion and their views.”
Discipline varies widely among Noble’s 17 schools, but data provided by the network shows students at five predominantly black Noble campuses (Hansberry, Johnson, Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy, Baker College Prep and DRW Trading College Prep) last year got about twice the number of demerits as students at Noble’s 10 predominantly Hispanic schools.
* Related…
* Editorial: It’s on CPS to fix the mess at filthy schools fast
Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs said it would be a mistake for Democrats to try to advance a six-month state budget in hopes that J.B. Pritzker will win the governor’s race over Rauner. […]
“The speaker does not have to go down and spend a month of gotcha votes. He’s got an arsenal of those ahead of him. So my plea to him, or request to him, is that let’s spend the next six, seven weeks on putting together a full-year budget,” he said.
Durkin said a half-year budget leading up to the seating of the governor in January is a “very dangerous, dangerous attitude to take” that would create uncertainty involving social service agencies, universities and grade and high school education.
The Democrats, including top budget negotiator Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), have been saying for months that a six-month budget is not in the works. The only people talking about it are Republicans who are close to Gov. Rauner. But even Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield), who publicly expressed “worry” about a six-month budget back in January, is now saying he doesn’t think it’ll happen this year…
For his part, Butler said he doesn’t think even the Democrats want to pass a partial budget, even if they believe J.B. Pritzker will get elected governor.
“I think from their perspective, at least what I hear, is they don’t want to have a governor come in and have to deal with that right off the bat,” Butler said.
* So, of course, Gov. Rauner stated his opposition to a six-month budget today…
We are open to any 12-month budget approach that will help resolve the state’s precarious financial condition as long as tax increases are NOT part of the plan. #NoNewTaxespic.twitter.com/tE20iIFsDF
Gov. Rauner says he is calling a meeting with the four leaders for thursday and will push for "balanced budget" for full year…..and let's get revenue estimate we agree on (actually gov's estimate and COGFA pretty darn close)……
Just sayin’, but the governor and the Republican leaders don’t exactly have a great track record on this whole budget negotiating topic. All three got rolled last year by a bipartisan legislative revolt.
We’ll have to see how much mischief the majority Democrats want to play as the session drones toward its scheduled end. Like repeating that performance in the House with property tax relief, a series of votes on bills that Republicans labeled as bogus and nothing more than show. The idea was to get Republican lawmakers on the record with votes that could be used against them in campaigns.
* And it wasn’t just Democrats who used and will use those votes…
Ives said a different Rauner mailing distorted her vote on a property tax freeze that was contained in a bill put forward by Rauner’s nemesis, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
“I’m the only one who had the courage to call the scam what it was and vote no,” Ives said.
Monday, Apr 9, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Did you know that health plans are changing Illinois families’ benefits while consumers are locked into their plans for the year? People in Illinois, especially those living with chronic conditions, carefully shop for a health plan which covers the treatments they need at prices they can afford. But health plans aren’t delivering the benefits they have marketed and sold to Illinois consumers.
House Bill 4146 Fixes the Health Plan Bait-and-Switch
House Bill 4146 would simply prevent insurers from making unfair – and potentially unsafe – benefit changes while Illinoisans are locked into the plan. The legislation, however, would still allow insurers to utilize generics, add treatments to their formularies and also remove them for safety reasons.
Insurers need to deliver on the policies they sell. The Illinois Legislature should support HB 4146 to make health coverage fair.
Last week, Illinois Democrat gubernatorial candidate and heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune J.B. Pritzker admitted that if elected governor, he would immediately move to hike taxes on Illinois families even further.
The News-Gazette editorial board reports, “Pritzker said, as soon as he takes office, he’ll urge the Democratic legislature to approve an immediate increase in the state’s current 4.95 flat income-tax rate.”
The Journal Standard also notes that raising taxes is the “main thing” Pritzker wants to do if elected.
Pritzker refuses to pay his own fair share in taxes, but will hike taxes on every single family in Illinois. Pritzker has reportedly used offshore shell companies in the Bahamas to dodge his own tax burden, and claims that his Gold Coast mansion is “uninhabitable” in order to allegedly receive huge property tax breaks.
At the same time he’s proposing an income-tax increase, Pritzker said, he’ll urge legislators to increase exemptions and deductions to ensure that lower- and middle-income taxpayers would not pay more.
“… You could have what I would describe as … an artificial progressive income tax in which we would raise the exemptions for those striving to get to the middle class, those in the middle class too, and raise the overall rate and raise the earned income tax credit at the same time — all of which would create a kind of artificial graduated income tax in the state,” he said.
The main thing Pritzker wants to do is raise taxes.
Pritzker wants to convert Illinois’ flat 4.95 percent income tax to a “progressive” income tax, which would have several rates.
Pritzker says he only wants to raise taxes on wealthy people and that most people would actually see a tax reduction under his plan.
So, what are the rates? And who would be labeled as wealthy? Pritzker wouldn’t tell us during the Democratic primary campaign. And he won’t tell us now.
Whatever the spin or misrepresentation from the RGA, voters don’t do nuance. Pritzker’s entire tax idea is nuanced.
*** UPDATE *** I forgot to post this press release…
Americans for Prosperity-Illinois (AFP-IL) on Monday launched a new digital ad and website calling on lawmakers to oppose scrapping Illinois’ constitutionally protected flat income tax for a graduated one. AFP-IL, the state’s leading free-market organization, has been at the forefront of fighting this anti-taxpayer agenda that would force a costly graduated income tax on taxpayers.
Americans for Prosperity-Illinois State Director Andrew Nelms issued the following statement:
“If lawmakers scrap our constitutionally-protected flat income tax in exchange for a graduated income tax, they will have free rein to raise our taxes. The last thing Illinoisans need right now is a graduated income tax that will inevitably lead to higher taxes. Springfield has proven incapable of spending tax dollars wisely, so giving them a blank check is outrageous. Families throughout the state are scrambling for the exit, and amending the Constitution to allow for higher taxes will only make matters worse. We urge the legislature to ‘Keep Illinois Flat’ and reject the graduated income tax.”
The video highlights how scrapping the flat tax would give lawmakers more latitude to increases taxes on Illinoisans. The video urges Illinoisans to visit KeepIllinoisFlat.com to contact their lawmaker and tell them to oppose the graduated income tax.
SCRIPT:
“When politicians in Illinois have an opportunity to raise taxes, they take it – like when they hiked income taxes 32%,” the video states. “Our property taxes are some of the highest nationwide. Now some lawmakers want to scrap our constitutionally protected flat income tax and replace it with a graduated one. At any time, they can add brackets or increase rates. A blank check signed by you, the taxpayer. How do you think Springfield will use that power?”
The U.S. intelligence community has concluded there is no doubt the Russians meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, leaking stolen e-mails and inflaming tensions on social media. While Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller investigate Russian interference, including whether the campaign of Donald Trump colluded with Russia, we have been looking into another vector of the attack on American democracy: a sweeping cyber assault on state voting systems that U.S. intelligence tied to the Russian government. Tonight, you’ll find out what happened from the frontline soldiers of a cyberwar that was fought largely out of public view, on digital battlegrounds in states throughout the country.
The first shots were fired here in Illinois, not far from downtown Springfield, in a nondescript shopping center, the kind you’ll find anywhere in the United States. There, in a repurposed supermarket, is the headquarters of the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Bill Whitaker: This doesn’t look like a war zone.
Steve Sandvoss: No, it doesn’t, actually.
Steve Sandvoss is the executive director. He told us, in his first television interview about the attack, that this office is on the front lines of a cyberwar.
Steve Sandvoss: We have– a good I.T. department. But –
Bill Whitaker: No match for the Russian government.
Steve Sandvoss: Bows and arrows against the lightning, hate to say it.
Bill Whitaker: Bows and arrows against the lightning? Is that what it felt like?
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security say hackers from the GRU, the Russian intelligence service, successfully attacked the computers of the Illinois State Board of Elections. Of 7.9 million registered Illinois voters, the state Board of Elections told Fox News that a total of 76,000 Illinois voters may have had their information viewed, with the greatest number of them — 14,121 — being Galesburg residents.
There was no evidence that any vote was changed, officials said. The Illinois State Department of Elections told Fox News the hackers were not trying to target Galesburg specifically, but that the city’s voting code happened to match the numbers the hackers used to breach the system.
Machine malfunction during the March 20 primary election was among the top reported issues to a hotline set up by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, a national nonpartisan voter-protection group.
“Many old voting machines across Illinois jurisdictions caused delays, which resulted in voters losing confidence in the system and some leaving the polls without voting,” said Ami Gandhi, director of Voting Rights and Civic Empowerment for the committee’s Chicago branch. She added that some polling places opened late, sometimes because of malfunctioning equipment. […]
Illinois would get more than $13 million from the congressional plan, provided it puts up a 5 percent match. The State Board of Elections said it is adding $600,000 to its budget request for the spending year that begins July 1.
But that’s a fraction of the $147 million it got more than a decade ago from the federal Help America Vote Act, which allowed states to overhaul their voting systems. Compounding the fiscal problem: about $4 million a year in grants for voter-registration system security wasn’t available from the State Board of Elections for two years during a historic state budget stalemate.
Illinois’ lack of election infrastructure investment has put the state in a tough spot, particularly given the federal government’s warning that another Russian attempt at interfering with the November election is likely.
Even if the state had enough funds, there wouldn’t be enough time to completely overhaul its voting infrastructure before November. Under the Help America Vote Act, the last effort took years.
A key question in Illinois, then, is the best way to spend limited funds during a narrow window. State elections officials are moving cautiously.
* Related…
* Mark Brown: Russian threat or not, Congress funds security upgrade for voting systems
J.B. Pritzker appears to have chosen a solid message for the fall campaign. The overall theme at the successful Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s press conference the day after he won the primary race was “Bruce Rauner is a failed governor.” The message is also the primary subject of his online advertising push against Rauner.
Not coincidentally, that’s pretty much the exact same message Rauner successfully used against former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn four years ago. “Pat Quinn failed.” Period. End of story. Whatever the question was, the answer was: “Pat Quinn failed.” When will you release your complete tax returns? “Pat Quinn failed.” What about the questions about your company’s business practices? “Pat Quinn failed.” What color is the sky? “Pat Quinn failed.”
Rauner avoided answering an awful lot of questions with that response back in the day. When he’s properly managed, the man knows how to stay on message, and it worked phenomenally well in 2014.
Gov. Rauner’s message since he’s taken office has been a variation of blaming House Speaker Michael Madigan. No budget? “Madigan.” State fairgrounds deteriorating? “Madigan.” Sky isn’t blue today? “Madigan.”
And because he’s stayed so perfectly on message, Rauner has completely framed the current political debate. What did Pritzker’s top two Democratic primary opponents use against the frontrunner the most? “Madigan.” What question does Pritzker get whenever a reporter interviews him? “Madigan?” Pritzker has to change the subject. He has the answer, but he’s just not using it yet. He’s still allowing Rauner to control the campaign.
“Obviously you’re going to keep getting asked about this,” I said to Pritzker hours after his post-election press conference to denounce Rauner as a failure. “The governor says you’re Madigan’s hand-picked candidate. The governor says if you win, Madigan will run the state. And you have said you’re going to be independent. But how?”
“Bruce Rauner’s got nothing else to talk about,” Pritzker replied. “He has for the last three and a half years, he’s tried to trash Democrats by throwing the Speaker at them.” And then he said, “I’ve been an independent leader my whole life. I don’t think that any of that sticks to me.”
OK, stop right there. Nobody in Voter Land has any clue whatsoever about Pritzker’s life. They mainly know what they see on TV. And for the next several months, the TV ads they’ll see will be about how Pritzker is Madigan’s corrupt stooge.
The “right” answer is: “Bruce Rauner’s got nothing else to talk about because he’s a failed governor.” If you’re going to have a campaign theme, then for crying out loud use it so incessantly that we all get completely sick and tired of hearing it. Then — and only then — will you know it’s working.
Pritzker eventually did slip in the word “failed,” but only in relation to Rauner’s failure to win his primary by more than a tiny margin.
The big worry expressed by several Democratic insiders who otherwise support Pritzker is that the nominee may not be tough enough, mean enough and single-minded enough to really take it to Rauner, who we all know by now is willing to say and do whatever crazy thing it takes to win – up to and including calling Rep. Jeanne Ives, of all people, a Madigan pawn. Beating a guy like that requires strict message discipline, even in a “blue” state in a “blue” year. Blithely treading water through November risks a 2016-style ending.
So, I asked Pritzker about this. I’ve heard more than one Democrat, I told him, who wished he would show more meanness. Does he believe he has what it takes to really take it to Rauner?
“I absolutely have what it takes to beat Bruce Rauner,” Pritzker said. “He’s an utter and complete disaster as a governor. I’m gonna make that clear.”
Then make it as clear as that with every answer to every question, man.
Pritzker used to tell the story about when Rauner attacked him the first day he publicly expressed an interest in running for governor. “Well,” his wife said, according to Pritzker, “we’ll just have to crush him like the roach he is.” Pritzker admitted that he hadn’t used that story in a long time, but said he will be “equally explicit as we move forward to make sure people know what it is that we intend to do in the general election.”
That’s a lot of garbly words instead of just: “Rauner failed.” He’s got a winning message. He should use it.
