Joint Statement from Jason Barclay, General Counsel to the Governor, and from Mike Newman, Deputy Director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 31 (“AFSCME Council 31”):
“Today AFSCME Council 31 and the Governor’s Office reached an agreement that precludes the possibility of a strike or lockout for a one-month period after the state’s collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME Council 31 expires on June 30. This agreement preserves all legal and contractual rights of the parties as of the contract expiration date. More importantly, it allows both sides to continue to negotiate during the month of July without the threat of disruption to important public services.”
* As if things aren’t already crazy enough right now…
With their contract expiring Tuesday, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis is saying talks have now broken off with Chicago Public Schools and that CPS’ “bargaining rhetoric is as empty as their bank accounts.”
Lewis said at a news conference Thursday that CPS is threatening to slash 3,000 jobs as part of $200 million in cuts.
“CPS refuses to budge on our contract proposals that will have no cost impact on the district,” Lewis said.
Lewis said teachers didn’t ask for a raise but couldn’t give on non-economic issues, including how teachers are evaluated.
*** UPDATE *** From Mayor Emanuel…
“We are encouraged that both sides finally acknowledge that CPS is in a fiscal crisis and lacks the resources to provide additional compensation, and that is a step in the right direction. We urge CTU leadership to come back to the bargaining table. After years of our academic gains, now is not the time to shortchange our children by eliminating evaluations for tens of thousands of employees or lowering teachers’ performance standards.”
* I’m expecting a lot of react, so we’ll put them all on this new thread. First to hit my in-box is Senate President John Cullerton’s spokesperson, Rikeesha Phelon…
“It appears that the Governor would rather move the state toward a shutdown rather than reasonable compromises that protect the middle class with a balanced approach to budgeting. The Senate President will take some time to discuss all options and next steps with his caucus.”
Interesting, particularly since Rauner went out of his way to repeatedly reference his work with Cullerton in his op-ed announcement.
…Adding… OK, we now have our second react, from SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Keith Kelleher…
“In vetoing this budget, Gov. Bruce Rauner has turned his back on hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Illinoisans who, while they played no role in creating the budget deficits now facing our state, are nevertheless the ones being asked to now sacrifice the most.
“The real immediate needs of seniors, people with disabilities, retired veterans, low-income children and working parents are about to go unmet but instead Gov. Rauner is blaming others for the present crisis of his creation.
“What Gov. Rauner did today was NOT the act of leadership which he proclaims but an irresponsible blow that will most harm the least fortunate among us.”
*** UPDATE *** From the House Speaker’s office…
“It is good the House set the wheels in motion on Wednesday for a Committee of the Whole hearing on agency preparations for the government shutdown.
It seems the Governor missed an opportunity to avoid disrupting the lives of many, many middle class families for the sake of non budget issues.
These non budget issues that have been thoroughly debated. Some were adopted by the House. Others were rejected when there was no persuasive case made,” said House Speaker Michael Madigan.
It’s clear that if a shutdown occurs, Democrats are pushing to lay the blame on Rauner. But some Republicans believed talk of a shutdown was premature.
“There are still six days in the fiscal year and in Springfield that’s an eternity,” said Patty Schuh, spokeswoman to Republican Senate Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont. “There is still some time to enact some things and to move the ball forward.”
Schuh scoffed at Democrats’ contention that Rauner would shoulder the blame for a shutdown.
“Oh please….Lest the Democratic majority forget, they have controlled state government for the last 12 years and current state revenue cannot sustain their spending level,” she said. “They passed a budget that is $4 billion out of balance, that’s not responsible government.”
* From Elliot Regenstein at Mrs. Rauner’s Ounce of Prevention…
Without a state budget, many programs and supports that children and families depend on—such as child care, home visiting, Early Intervention and mental health—aren’t going to be available.
Already, nonprofits throughout the state are announcing layoffs and programs closures; if this goes on long enough, many providers will be put out of business permanently, meaning that even when there is a budget those children and families they served still won’t have support.
Until a budget is passed that adequately funds the programs children and families need—with the revenue to pay for it—the state of Illinois will be failing its basic obligations to its most vulnerable citizens.
The governor and General Assembly are collectively responsible for passing that budget, and we won’t be the only ones ratcheting up the pressure on them to get it done right and get it done quickly. [Emphasis added.]
The people of Illinois sent me to Springfield to end the era of unbalanced budgets and runaway debt. The road back to fiscal sanity starts today with my veto of a budget that is nearly $4 billion out of balance and includes no reform. We cannot accept the status quo of throwing more taxpayer money into a broke and broken system.
Rather than repeating the mistakes of the past — just kicking the can and raising taxes without real reform — now is our chance to transform Illinois to make it more competitive and compassionate.
The Rauner administration is proposing reforms that are reasonable and balanced, where many of the elements have been adopted by other states as well as the federal government. If Republicans and Democrats commit to working together, we can reach a bipartisan, common-sense agreement to reverse economic Illinois’ decline and set the stage for a bright future. In fact, we have the opportunity now not only to turn around Illinois but also put Chicago and its school system on a sustainable path. […]
At the request of Senate President John Cullerton, we are prepared to reform Illinois’ school funding formula as part of our tax freeze package. A commission charged with rewriting the formula would report back by the end of 2016, with the current funding formula expiring six months later. As part of the compromise, we would allow the state to pay normal costs for Chicago teacher pensions, as it does for all other Illinois school districts, in exchange for sun-setting Chicago’s special block grants. [Emphasis added.]
Go read the whole thing. This’ll get buried under today’s Obamacare news, so it may be even better than a Friday dump.
…Adding… I skipped over this in my initial reading…
We can deliver comprehensive pension reform by taking elements of Senate President Cullerton’s model, along with revised portions of my administration’s plan, to encourage more government employees to move into tier 2 or tier 3 programs. In the compromise, we are willing to support Cook County’s pension reform plan and allow Chicago and downstate communities to implement longer, slower pension payment schedules.
Pension reform is not a prerequisite to signing the budget, but it should be completed this year. I’m committed to it, and I ask for the legislative leaders to be equally committed.
…Adding… The veto message language…
Today I veto House Bill 4146 from the 99th General Assembly in order to protect Illinois taxpayers from an unbalanced and therefore unconstitutional budget.
The Speaker of the House and President of the Senate have admitted that the General Assembly’s budget is unbalanced. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget concurs, calculating that this budget is nearly $4 billion out of balance.
For too long, the State of Illinois has made spending promises that exceed available revenues, relied on accounting gimmicks to make budgets appear balanced, used borrowing and cost deferral strategies to push costs into the future, and delayed payments to vendors.
This has generated significant backlogs of unpaid bills and a crushing debt burden of well over $100 billion. Because of past fiscal mismanagement, Illinois is experiencing the worst fiscal crisis in America, highlighted by Illinois being assigned the worst credit rating of any state.
The State of Illinois will be forced to pay more than $6 billion in debt payments in Fiscal Year 2016 due to years of fiscal neglect and overspending. A balanced budget is the only way to responsibly protect taxpayers and put the State on a path to once again using its resources for important public services rather than interest and debt service.
A balanced budget is not just good practice, it is a constitutional requirement: “Appropriations for a fiscal year shall not exceed funds estimated by the General Assembly to be available during that year.” Ill. Const. art. VIII, sec. 2(b). Although the General Assembly has chosen to disregard its constitutional obligation, as Governor I cannot approve a budget that violates this fundamental principle.
We must be partners in enacting a balanced budget that meets critical public needs within the resources available. The surest way to do that is by enacting structural reforms inside government and economic reforms that stimulate our economy and bring new jobs to Illinois.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 4146, entitled “AN ACT making appropriations”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
* From Elliot Regenstein, Senior Vice President, Advocacy & Policy, Ounce of Prevention Fund…
We are pleased to see the partial restoration of cuts previously made to the State Board of Education’s early childhood education funding in [yesterday’s] FY16 HB3763 spending bill. [Yesterday]’s action is a step forward, but there are still significant challenges that must be addressed urgently.
First, these critical education programs are only one of the supports young children and families need. For children to be ready for school, they need stable housing, nutrition and healthcare, as do their parents. For that reason, we strongly oppose any cuts in health, social service and education programs that would directly impact vulnerable children and families and their communities. In particular, we are concerned about threatened changes to the child care program, which is a key component of the early learning system and faces cuts that would be devastating to parents and providers. Many of these essential services and programs are already running at lower-than-needed levels, having seen cuts over the past several years.
Uncertainty about the budget is a serious threat to providers, and many will be forced to scale back or close their doors if a budget is not passed soon – and if that happens it may take months or years to build back resources that are lost in the next few weeks.
Second, the state still does not have a complete budget agreement that includes sustainable revenue, and until it does we cannot be sure that vulnerable children and families will have the supports they need.
Even in this time of budget uncertainty, early childhood investments are one of the strongest our state can make. Research has proven repeatedly that early childhood education can narrow the achievement gap and reduce future spending on crime, child welfare and remedial education services.
To prevent crippling delays or losses of vital services, we urge Governor Rauner and the General Assembly to work together to enact a budget that truly supports our youngest children and their families by July 1.
Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti’s task force on government consolidation and unfunded mandates voted Wednesday to recommend allowing local governments to opt out of publishing public notices in newspapers.
The nonbinding recommendation would allow governments to post notices on their websites instead. Local governments without websites would still be required to publish them in local papers.
It passed 20-0. The task force’s report is due by the end of the year.
The idea would probably save governments a bunch of money, but some small town papers really depend on that cash.
“The task force approval of the proposal today is unfortunate,” [Josh Sharp, director of government relations for the Illinois Press Association] said. “Groups that have thoroughly studied this topic have demonstrated that local governments already disobey existing law when it comes to posting information online.”
There are about 7,000 units of local government in the state. Each one is required to print notices of public hearings in the local newspaper. State law requires other notices as well, such as with land development.
The Citizen Advocacy Center partnered with the Illinois Press Association to survey public bodies’ compliance with website notice requirements in the Illinois Open Meetings Act. The Illinois Open Meetings Act requires all public bodies that have a full time staff member to post and maintain three key pieces of information on their websites: 1 ) Notice of upcoming meetings, 2 ) Notice of proposed agendas and, 3 ) Approved meeting minutes. A random sampling of 20% of school districts, municipalities, counties, and townships for compliance found that local government websites continue to fail at meeting the posting requirements of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
The results of the random sampling show that of the aggregate 756 public bodies that were surveyed, 385 have websites (51%). Of those 385 public bodies, 73% complied with posting notice, 57% complied with posting an agenda, and 48% complied with posting approved meeting minutes within the time constraints of the Act. Further, compliance with the Act’s website posting provisions for those with at least one known full-time staff member had a 77% compliance rate with posting notice, 64% with posting agendas, and 54% with posting approved meeting minutes
* The Question: Should Illinois’ 7,000 or so local governments be allowed to post official notices on their own websites, or should they continue paying to place those notices in newspapers? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Thursday, Jun 25, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
During some extremely challenging financial times facing consumers, one bright spot in the financial services arena has been credit unions.
Credit Union 1 is a shining example of how one credit union serves its membership through good times and bad. In 1995, Credit Union 1 introduced an “Employee Loan Assistance” program designed to provide payroll gap assistance for its members facing the threat of a missed or delayed paycheck. In June 2007, this program was utilized for the first time to assist state employees that incurred a delayed paycheck due to the Illinois budget crisis that occurred.
Most recently, Credit Union 1 offered the program to their members of the Illinois General Assembly and staff to assist during an interruption in the legislative payroll cycle. While fortunately this program has only been needed on a limited basis since its inception, Credit Union 1 members are afforded great comfort and security in knowing that their credit union is there for them whenever the need arises.
Credit unions are “People Helping People” — dedicated to serving the needs of their membership as well as providing “peace of mind” that the credit union is always there. And that’s the credit union difference.
Thursday, Jun 25, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The civil justice system give families of patients who have died or been injured by medical negligence an avenue to seek accountability. It also drives the development of patient safety systems that help prevent injuries before they occur. Hospitals, health systems, and even entire medical fields have reformed dangerous practices because of the civil justice system.
The civil justice system not only provides injured patients the ability to hold those responsible for their injuries accountable, but also encourages the adoption of patient safety systems that help prevent injuries before they happen. Specialties like anesthesiology have drastically improved patient outcomes by identifying system failures and implementing comprehensive practice changes. Individual hospital systems have also reduced errors after undergoing comprehensive safety studies. The civil justice system has served as a valuable deterrent to malpractice and a powerful motivator for patient safety.
Better patient safety is the key to lower health care costs. For more information, click here.
* As you already know, Gov. Bruce Rauner wants to close the Illinois State Museum. A Facebook group has popped up with the object of saving it. They have made a pretty good case through this thread that closing the museum will be a whole lot more difficult than people might think…
* Fran Spielman interviews a couple of Mayor Emanuel’s folks about the stalled 40-day CPS pension payment delay…
Another Emanuel confidant argued that the House roll call was somewhat misleading and that victory is “not as far away as it may appear.” That’s because, when lawmakers know a bill is going down, they pull back.
That’s very true.
It’s also true that legislators historically don’t tend to do anything controversial until their backs are up against a wall. Next Tuesday’s session is June 30th - the very same day the city’s school system has to make that $634 million payment. It’ll be much easier to convince legislators to go along because the crisis will be fully upon them.
If Emanuel is losing patience with anyone, it’s Rauner — not Madigan, a mayoral aide said.
“The mayor is the one who talks to everybody. He’s the one most impacted by this [stalemate]. He’s encouraged everybody to work with everybody. He’s frustrated with the governor’s approach. His [anti-Madigan] ads. His rhetoric,” one of the Emanuel aides said.
“Everyone knows you can’t squeeze Madigan. That’s not gonna happen. It’s naïve.”
* Also, strangely enough, the Tribune editorial board has not yet issued any thundering denunciations of this proposal to kick the can down the road a few days. But, hey, the governor is on board. Instead, they’ll just taunt the unions…
The idea here is to buy a little time to find a negotiated solution over the summer. If that happens, a few days’ delay won’t make a whole lot of difference.
…Adding… Oops. I also meant to note here that the CPS board voted yesterday to approve a cash-flow loan of over a billion dollars…
The borrowing — $200 million in short-term credit plus an additional $935 million — was arranged because the district is supposed to make a $634 million pension payment by June 30, but it says it cannot afford that payment as well as payroll. […]
The state kicks in just $62 million for Chicago’s retired teachers in fiscal year 2015, but $3.4 billion in fiscal year 2015 to the retirement system for teachers in every other district. If the state paid for CPS’ pensions as it does for every other district, Ruiz said, CPS could spend its $634 million pension payment in classrooms — or $1,600 more per student.
* This ruling means Illinois doesn’t have to change any laws, which, among other things, gets our GOP governor out of a potential jam…
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that President Obama’s health care law may provide nationwide tax subsidies to help poor and middle-class people buy health insurance.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the majority opinion in the 6-to-3 decision. The court’s three most conservative members — Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. — dissented.
The case concerned a central part of the Affordable Care Act, Mr. Obama’s signature legislative achievement. The law created marketplaces, known as exchanges, to allow people who lack insurance to shop for individual health plans.
Some states set up their own exchanges, but about three dozen allowed the federal government to step in to run them. Across the nation, about 85 percent of customers using the exchanges qualify for subsidies to help pay for coverage, based on their income.
The Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) applauds today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the legality of subsidies for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans and millions of Americans that have enabled them to obtain health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Because of these subsidies, more than 230,000 low- and moderate-income Illinoisans are able to afford health insurance, ensuring that they have access to the health care they need when they need it. These Illinoisans now receive more than $49 million a month in subsidies (nearly $600 million on an annualized basis).
The subsidies also help stabilize the overall cost of health insurance premiums in the state so that even those who do not currently receive subsidies have affordable premiums in the individual health insurance market. With health insurance, patients are able to seek care for serious health conditions at the right time in the right setting, leading to better health outcomes and lower costs for the health care system.
IHA and the Illinois hospital community have been long-time supporters of health insurance coverage. We are strongly committed to working every day to continue transforming the health care delivery system to ensure and maintain access to quality health care for all Illinoisans.
* Illinois State Medical Society…
In reviewing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, the Illinois State Medical Society is primarily concerned with the interests of our patients and their ability to access care. The Court’s decision validating subsidies for low-income patients who buy insurance through the federal marketplace provides important peace of mind for thousands of Illinois patients insured under Affordable Care Act plans. This decision does not represent the final word on accessing health care in Illinois. ISMS remains committed to addressing other crucial challenges, such as advocating for adequate financial resources for our Medicaid program and promoting a robust physician workforce to treat Illinoisans.
* Sheriff Tom Dart…
Today’s ruling allows people in Illinois to continue receiving both physical and mental health care.
Since Illinois’ Medicaid expansion went into effect, we have enrolled more than 11,000 detainees who came through the Cook County Jail. These detainees, with their new insurance cards, are now being treated for their physical and mental health problems and are less likely to be coming back to the jail as guests of Cook County taxpayers.
Too often in recent years we have seen detainees with mental health challenges re-offend soon after being released because they tell us the Cook County Jail is the only place they can get help. That is wrong on many levels and the new health care plan – combined with our own ground-breaking efforts to arrange mental health after-care for our detainees who are released – should help change that dynamic in the long run.
Now that these 11,000 people can rest assured that their insurance will not be abruptly taken from them, state and local legislators should focus their energies on appropriately funding mental health services and providing forums where these individuals can apply that insurance for the treatment they badly need. Until government gets it right on this issue, the shameful criminalization of mental illness will persist within our community.
Rauner signed House Bill 3763, which provides state spending authority for general state aid to public school districts, the backbone of state financial support for public schools.
The bill also contains funding for early childhood education programs, bilingual education and required payments to the downstate teacher pension system.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said the bill Rauner signed may have some contradictions.
“There appears to be elements to what he’s approved that are contradictory to his introduced budget as it relates to pension and health care funding that are part of the bill,” Brown said. “We’ll just take a review. That might offer some clues as to what their overall plan is.”
I think what he’s talking about there is the bill’s fully funded teachers healthcare program and pension payments. You’ll recall that Rauner wanted to short both.
Now, [Tony Sanders, CEO of Elgin School District U46, the second-largest district in the state] said, attention will shift to the Illinois State Board of Education, which decides how the money gets doled out. Both the spending plan Rauner signed and the amount he requested in his budget proposal were short of the amount that the state is supposed to contribute to schools, Sanders said.
In past years, the education board has handled the situation by making across-the-board reductions in the state’s payments to school districts. That disproportionately affects less-affluent districts, Sanders said.
It’s been years since Illinois funded schools at the proper level. This new budget is a mere 8 percent short of what the state actually owes school districts. That makes it slightly higher than last year’s level, but still lower than 2007, which takes some of the confetti out of the party. This legislation does, however, do more than just authorize funding. It actually changes the way the state distributes the money — setting aside $85 million to go to the neediest districts first, while the wealthiest wait till last.
This concept is known as “fill from the bottom.” It was pushed by a coalition of school officials and community activists called Funding Illinois’ Future. […]
Illinois relies on local property taxes to support schools. In districts that don’t have enough property wealth to reach a minimum funding level — currently $6,119 per student per year — the state is supposed to kick in the difference. But for the past few years, Illinois has shortchanged each district by 11 to 13 percent. That across-the-board reduction has meant that the neediest districts suffer the greatest loss.
“You’ll see some districts who over the past few years have lost $30 per student, and other districts that have lost $1,100 per student and everything in between,” [FIF’s Teresa Ramos] said. “And what you’ll find is districts that have higher percentages of low-income students, students who are English language learners, African American and Latino students, you’ll find that those districts have been losing more.” […]
The education spending legislation Rauner signed effectively caps each district’s loss at $232 per student.
Administration Officials, Service Providers Called to House Hearing with Rauner Shutdown Looming
CHICAGO – The impacts of a potential state government shutdown will be discussed at a Committee of the Whole in the Illinois House on Tuesday, Speaker Michael J. Madigan announced.
“The House acted in May to avoid any disruption of a wide range of core programs and services important to middle-class and struggling families. Those are the people who will be harmed by a shutdown,” Madigan said. “Every House member is entitled to hear how the administration will determine which services will continue, allowing advocates to assess the impact of the governor’s shutdown and his agencies’ shutdown decisions and determine appropriate alternatives to his approach.”
The Committee of the Whole will hear from advocates of the elderly in need of medical care, the developmentally disabled, and others who will be negatively affected if Gov. Bruce Rauner decides to shut down state government.
“In May, the House passed a spending plan that included close to $300 million in cuts to state agencies. Each day that passes without action by the governor creates unnecessary disruption and anxiety in every region of the state,” Madigan added.
“We urge a balanced approach, one that includes spending reductions but avoids devastating critical services for middle-class families,” Madigan said. “Compromise is possible if everyone is reasonable and willing to work together, but we cannot sacrifice medical care services for the elderly, disabled and struggling families, victims of child abuse and emergency shelters that serve children and families.”
State agency directors will be invited to testify before the full House on their plans should a budget agreement not be reached by July 1, including how their agencies plan to handle casework, phone calls and other requests for assistance from those in need.
Republican state Rep. Mike Tryon announced that he will not seek re-election next year, ending a 12-year run representing McHenry County in the General Assembly.
Tryon, of Crystal Lake, cited his belief in term limits as the primary reason for stepping down, as well as a desire to spend more time with his family. He said it would be “disingenuous” of him as a Republican to support term limits – a cornerstone of new Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed agenda – yet serve beyond 12 years in Springfield.
“I’ve always supported a 12-year term limit, and I think there’s some commitment to that policy if you really are a supporter of it. I’ll be 61 at the end of this term, I own two businesses, I have my first grandchild on the way, and it’s time for me to focus on that. I’ll have no shortage of things to do,” Tryon said.
[Subscriber protection removed and comments opened because the press release was just made public.]
* 1:59 pm - Gov. Bruce Rauner will sign an appropriations bill today which funds elementary and secondary education, sources say.
That means schools would be guaranteed to receive their first state aid payment this August and would open on time this fall (except Chicago, of course, but that’s a different story.)
Stay tuned.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The press release, which hasn’t yet been sent out…
Governor Bruce Rauner signed House Bill 3763 today making appropriations for General State Aid, Early Childhood Education, Bi-lingual Education and the Teachers’ Retirement System.
Governor Rauner has always made clear that improving education is his highest priority. While the legislature’s bill does not increase education spending by as much as the governor’s proposal, it does increase K-12 education spending by $244 million and early childhood education funding by $25 million.
“Education is the most important thing we do as a community. I would have done more for our schoolchildren, but I am taking action today to ensure our teachers are paid and our schools are open and funded,” Governor Rauner said. “I refuse to allow Speaker Madigan and the legislators he controls to hold our schools hostage as part of their plan to protect the political class and force a tax hike on the middle class without real reform.”
As part of his budget plan, the governor proposed increasing K-12 education by $312 million and early childhood by $32 million.
Bill No.: HB 3763
An Act Concerning: Appropriations
Action: Signed
Effective: July 1, 2015
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the Illinois Association of School Administrators…
“We are relieved that school districts can now plan for the new school year knowing that the state budget for education is in place. While we believe General State Aid should be fully funded for schools, going from 89 percent funding to 92 percent in this budget represents some progress. The downturn in the economy and the cuts to state funding the past few years have left many school districts across the state struggling, so we are encouraged that this budget includes $85 million that is supposed to go to the neediest districts as well as increases for Special Education and Early Childhood Education. Educating our children is the single best long-term investment the state can make and we are pleased that the governor and the General Assembly have made it a priority in the middle of these tough budget negotiations.”
* Stand for Children Illinois…
Today, Stand for Children Illinois – a statewide education advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring every Illinois student has access to a high-quality public education – praised Governor Bruce Rauner and the leaders of the Illinois House and Senate for enacting HB3763, the state education budget. While the state is still falling short of fully funding our schools, this budget is still an improvement, funding general state aid to school districts at 92 percent as compared with the 87 percent this past year. It also sets aside $85 million to recoup the losses from our neediest districts.
“We commend Governor Rauner and the General Assembly for adhering to their commitment to prioritize public education in the latest budget,” said Mimi Rodman, Executive Director of Stand for Children Illinois. “In the midst of our state’s fiscal crisis and competing spending priorities, this budget demonstrates that progress remains possible when both sides work together. While we have not yet achieved the goal of full and equitable public school funding, the governor and General Assembly have eased some of the burden on our local school districts, particularly in our most underserved communities. We hope this healthy collaboration will continue as all Illinoisans work together to ensure every child has access to a great public education that prepares them for the future.”
* Advance Illinois…
Statement of Advance Illinois Executive Director Robin Steans on the Signing of the Education Budget
Today, Illinois took a first step to ending the way schools are funded through the regressive general state aid formula. While Public Act 99-5 will still prorate education funds, it raises the level of proration to 92% and supplements the budgets of our neediest districts with an additional $85 million. For years now, these districts have suffered disproportionately under proration and these additional funds help to mitigate the impact on our state’s most vulnerable students.
“We applaud the Governor for taking action and signing the education budget to allow districts time to plan. While we still have a long way to go to get to fair and full funding, this is an important first step. We have a very real problem and an intent to address it,” said Advance Illinois Executive Director Robin Steans.
Miller’s proposal is a long shot, at best. But it’s a good idea, one that would serve the public interest by reinserting real democracy — competitive elections — in races for the General Assembly.
*** UPDATE *** The governor’s office claims that this grant was not frozen. It was part of the batch of projects that weren’t reappropriated by the GA in May. So, checks couldn’t be cut after July 1. “No special release was made on this project,” I’m told.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Gov. Rauner’s administration has made an exception to its construction grant freeze and released $3.6 million to help build a new school in Macon County…
State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, who represents part of the school district, said the money should never have been frozen because it comes from a fund that is not part of the political wrangling between the governor and Democrats who control the General Assembly. […]
In the case of the school district, Manar said he made the case that the district had liquidated its old furniture and wouldn’t be able to open next fall if the money wasn’t released.
“Given the circumstances of the school district … it was clear to me that they wouldn’t be able to open for school next year unless the governor’s office reversed its decision,” Manar said. “It has nothing to do with the FY 16 budget. The school district did everything it was supposed to do.”
Manar said the same parameters that led to the release of the money for Meridian should apply to other grants that were supposed to be released this year for schools, park districts and other local governments.
“I think we would be better served if the governor was more reasonable in his approach,” Manar said.
* From Michael McGrath at Illinois Partners for Human Services…
Hi Rich:
So we’ve heard that the state budget fiasco might impact state employee payroll in mid-July and may have an impact on education in August. But the impact of the impasse is being felt in the human service sector right now. Hundreds of human service organizations that rely on state contracts are cutting services and laying off staff.
* I asked for a few examples. He complied…
Easter Seals of Central Illinois http://www.easterseals.com/ci/ is suspending its early intervention service coordination program starting July 1, which will impact 1,600 families in 11 counties, resulting in the furlough of 40 employees.
Chicago Area Project http://www.chicagoareaproject.org is a not-for-profit employment agency that would normally place 300 youth into summer jobs is now placing none.
LINC, Inc. http://www.lincinc.org is an organization that empowers people with disabilities to live independently. They have been forced to lay off nearly half of their staff, cut hours of the remaining staff and deny service to hundreds in the community.
Also, IARF has just announced that the failure of Illinois state leaders to adopt a new budget has prompted service shutdown planning for nearly 26,000 mentally ill adults and children.
These are innovative programs with well documented outcomes; all about to lose impact.
Keep in mind, these are not programs that lawmakers have decided to defund through some organized budget and policy process. Rather, they are victims of the lack of any budget whatsoever. And the consequences will reverberate across the state, impacting families from every community.
* Much of today’s Tribune story covers ground that we’ve already discussed, particularly some of the governor’s harshest demands from AFSCME, including…
But perhaps the most charged proposal is the one that would halt the state’s long-standing tradition of withholding directly from paychecks union member dues and fees on non-members that fund union activities. Currently, that money is deducted along with taxes and health care premiums, and then routed back to the unions. Rauner wants to end that practice, essentially cutting off the regular, predictable flow of money to his union adversaries.
AFSCME wants an 11.5 percent pay raise over four years, two years of full health benefits for laid-off employees and what the administration describes as a more costly health care plan that offers orthodontics for adults.
Their last contract with Gov. Quinn gave them 4 percent raises over three years.
First, the governor’s office would need to declare that negotiations have reached an impasse, which would then allow the administration to try to impose the terms of its “best and final” offer. The union has the right to appeal that move to the Illinois Labor Relations Board.
If the board sides with the union, talks resume. If the board sides with the administration, it’s up to union members to vote: Either go along with the governor’s final offer, or strike.
* I told subscribers about this several weeks ago…
On Monday night, Representative Linda Chapa LaVia (D) became the first to announce her candidacy for Mayor of Aurora in 2017. Chapa LaVia made her announcement at the Copley Theater in downtown Aurora joined by a large crowd of family, friends and supporters.
“Many of you have put me where I am today because you say I’m the hardest working public servant you know,” said Chapa LaVia. “I want to continue to serve my community, and I’d be honored to serve as the next Mayor of Aurora.”
An Aurora native and veteran of the Army and National Guard, Chapa LaVia has represented Illinois’ 83rdState House District since 2003. Over her 13 years in the Illinois State House, Chapa LaVia has worked to promote economic development and educational opportunities in her district.
“We have a lot of work to do before this election,” said Chapa LaVia. “So over these next 20 months, I need you—the people of Aurora—to tell me what you think is most important for our city.”
Chapa LaVia’s decision follows current Mayor Tom Weisner’s announcement that he will not seek re-election in 2017.
Rep. Chapa LaVia added that while her campaign is still in its early stages, two of her top priorities will be to create an atmosphere that encourages business development and growth, and promoting early childhood education.
“Our city is ready to do incredible things for jobs and education,” concluded Chapa LaVia. “For now, I’m humbled and my heart is warmed by you believing in me. I promise, no matter what, to always believe in Aurora.”
Chapa LaVia represents Illinois’ 83rd Representative District, which includes Aurora, Montgomery and North Aurora. She lives in Aurora with her husband and two daughters.
On one hand, [the Rauner folks] say they want Madigan to let the mushrooms vote their conscience, and on the other, they criticize him for not telling his members how to vote like we saw with the CPS bill.
The Rauner people actually criticized Madigan for telling his peeps to vote against the bill, but the Tribune editorial board has also been guilty of this, decrying Madigan’s iron grip on Illinois’ throat, but then demanding that Madigan use his velvet hammer to pass things like pension reform.
* From the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission chairman…
Dear Governor Rauner:
On behalf of the entire Workers’ Compensation Commission, I am pleased to submit the Fiscal Year 2014 annual report.
Workers’ compensation costs are declining. Insurers reported a 19% decrease in total benefit payments (loss costs) between 2011-2015. The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute found that Illinois experienced the largest decrease in the average medical payment per claim among study states. The Oregon study found Illinois experienced the largest savings on workers’ compensation insurance.
More good news: in FY14, the first two felony convictions came in against employers that failed to follow the law to buy workers’ compensation insurance. These employers were given many opportunities to obtain insurance, but they refused. Uninsured employers put their workers at risk and they enjoy an unfair competitive advantage over law-abiding employers. These convictions strike a blow for a safer, more competitive Illinois economy for all.
My goals for the upcoming year are to instill professionalism, increase efficiency, and improve technology at the Commission. Through this effort, we will improve the administration of the Illinois workers’ compensation program. We appreciate your leadership and support in this process.
• Illinois experienced the largest decrease in the average medical payment per claim among WCRI study states, and moved from the highest state to near the median. For all cases, Illinois’ average medical payment per case fell 16% from 2010-2012. Importantly, there was little change in utilization, meaning providers did not provide more services to make up for the lost income. […]
• The closely-watched Oregon study found that Illinois had the largest decrease in premiums among all the states, dropping from the 4th highest to the 7th highest between 2012-2014. And the effects of some of the 2011 legislative changes have yet to register.
• The Illinois 2011 injury rate is 66% lower than in 1990. The overall injury rate in Illinois is lower than most states, and has declined dramatically over the years. Roughly 3% of Illinois workers experience an injury each year; only 1% loses time from work.
Even so, [Speaker Madigan] says the House is taking Rauner seriously: like passing the governor’s plan to partially privatize the state’s Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, albeit with Democratic touches, like a three-year sunset. Democrats say after ethical stumbles in states with similar set-ups, that’s a prudent safeguard.
The movement could be seen as a sign of compromise, but instead the governor’s office says Madigan refused to negotiate in good faith on the DCEO concept, and that Madigan is stuck on the status quo. The short opportunity is seen as too short to make the new agency viable.
Rauner also wants a freeze on property taxes combined with a provision he says will save local governments money by pardoning them from having to pay the prevailing wage.
But the House rejected that plan — again. It’s not just because of Democrats, who say that’d weaken unions. Republicans didn’t go along with it.
“For the fifth time, the Rauner Republicans in the House were given an opportunity to vote for a real estate tax freeze. And for the fifth time, Rauner Republicans declined to take advantage of that opportunity to vote for a real estate tax freeze,” Madigan said.
However, Republican Representatives say Madigan is trying to fake them out with votes staged for political games. Though Democrats maintain it’s a carbon-copy of Rauner’s proposal, Republican legislators are suspicious as the measure was sponsored by a Democrat, Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion.
Jil Tracy has confirmed that she will run for the Illinois Senate after Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, announced last week that he will not seek re-election in 2016.
“I did meet with the Senate staff and (Senate Minority Leader) Christine Radogno came to Quincy to meet with me. I am committed and I am going to run,” Tracy said Tuesday.
Her formal announcement won’t come until closer to the time when candidate petitions are circulated in September, but Tracy’s commitment lets the Republicans focus on other potential races.
“We’re very excited to have Jil as the candidate for us,” said Brian Burian, executive director of the Republican Senate Campaign Committee.
* And quite unlike the Illinois GOP, former Rep. Tracy had some kind words for Sen. Sullivan the other day…
“I appreciate what John Sullivan did for our area. I appreciate him dedicating 14 years of his time and his family’s time to being a Senator. And now I’m looking at it myself to visit with family and friends and see what’s next for me,” Tracy said.
Following is the statement of SEIU Healthcare Illinois Executive Board Chair Flora Johnson, following bargaining [yesteray] with the Rauner administration over contracts expiring June 30th that represent 24,000 Department of Rehabilitation Services workers.
“It’s a sad day for our workers and for the seniors and people with disabilities they serve when they are left to bargain with a party who looks actively to be seeking an end to labor peace.
“Bruce Rauner is making union-busting demands of our low-income workforce not to save money or improve the quality of care, but because he is seeking an outright crisis to justify a political end. This hardly justifies the real and immediate harm he’s willing to let tens of thousands of Illinoisans endure.
“We urge the governor to think of welfare of the citizens he’s supposed to serve and return to the bargaining table soon with real solutions.”
* Yesterday’s House vote on the Chicago Public Schools’ 40-day pension payment delay came as a complete shock to many people…
Before the vote, Republican leaders suggested that the agreement might be a step forward in thawing the frosty relations between the governor and Democrats who have controlled the General Assembly for the past 12 years.
“I think its definitely a sign of progress,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont. “Hopefully, this is a gesture of goodwill on our part and the governor’s part to keep those talks going.”
Within an hour of Radogno’s positive comment, the measure failed.
When Emanuel was asked during an appearance Tuesday on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight what happened to the agreement, he said, “Welcome to the mystery of the legislative process.”
* The governor’s office was not amused…
Administration Statement on House Vote
Attribute the following statement to Lance Trover, Director of Communications:
“Governor Rauner and Republican leaders supported this legislation, but the Speaker had Chicago Democrats vote against it. The only reason the Speaker’s Chicago caucus would vote against the Mayor’s bill is because Madigan wanted to kill it.”
Madigan, though, said the deal ”just didn’t get enough votes to pass,” and added he’ll work to secure the votes.
“I’m sure it can be done,” said Madigan, who hopes to persuade lawmakers the bill is “the right thing to do.”
Madigan accused the governor of ”operating on the extreme.”
“Issuing extreme press statements in the middle of the consideration of the bill is not helpful,” Madigan said. “It’s not helpful. It’s not how you do things in the Legislature.”
The House vote was 53-46, with 71 needed for passage. Democrats have 71 members in the House, but only 37 voted for the measure. The remaining 16 votes in favor of the bill came from among the 47 Republicans.
Looking deeper into the roll call, 16 members were either listed as absent, excused, not voting or voting “present.” And of the 19-member House Black Caucus, a group that’s often influential on key votes, 10 voted against the bill or did not take part in the vote, including five from Chicago.
Democratic Rep. Mary Flowers, a black caucus member from Chicago, contended Emanuel was disproportionately targeting the African- American community with red light and speed cameras to generate revenue and had closed dozens of schools affecting black children. […]
Madigan, the target of a second week of TV attack ads from Rauner, voted for the measure, as did House Republican leader Jim Durkin from Western Springs. Durkin contended he had additional GOP votes for the bill, but they pulled off the measure when it started to fail.
Democratic Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie, a Madigan ally, supported the bill but ended up voting against it to allow him to use a parliamentary maneuver to allow it to be called again if enough votes can be found to approve it.
Some Chicago Democrats did give the thumbs-down. Rep. Frances Ann Hurley said she opposed any “pension holiday” that puts off a payment, even for six weeks. Rep. Mary Flowers, saying she’s willing to work on a long-term solution, said Emanuel has other options and can dip into existing funds.
“You can’t fix it by pointing the finger at Springfield,” she said.
If you want something out of Springfield, you’d better figure out what Mike Madigan wants first—and give it to him.
That’s the message after the House speaker yesterday schooled a host of interests—including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Chicago Board of Education—on Springfield realities, leaving city schools in perilous condition and the state’s budget war more inflamed than ever. […]
Given Madigan’s normal persuasive powers with his caucus, much of Springfield concluded that the speaker didn’t want the bill to pass, at least not right now.
* Both sides of my family came to Illinois from the South. My maternal side traces its ancestry directly back to Thomas Jefferson. My paternal side is distantly connected to Johnny Cash. Both pretty cool, if you ask me.
But, there’s always been that dark side. Did any of my ancestors own slaves? I haven’t seen any records, but it seems likely that some did. [ADDING: Jefferson was apparently a great, great, etc. uncle, so it’s unclear about the slave question.]
My paternal grandmother hailed from the London, Kentucky area, which has been a hotbed of Ku Klux Kan activity for generations. Grandma was ecstatic to get the heck out of that backwater, but, well, let’s just say some of my “country” kin to this day aren’t exactly anxious to embrace the concept of racial equality.
* Like many of my contemporaries, I’ve been exposed to casual hatred of black people since before I could walk.
Thankfully, I was raised not to be that way. I was taught early on that my widely beloved ancestor President Jefferson was a great man but no saint. I was led to realize at a fairly early age that hatred is a dangerous and debilitating disease. I ain’t no perfect angel on anything, but I do regularly examine my attitudes and thoughts on this particular topic.
* And because both sides of my family veered through Kentucky at one time or another, I find this news to be incredibly heartening…
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said on Tuesday that a statue of Jefferson Davis, the Civil War president of the Confederate States, should be removed from the Kentucky state capitol.
McConnell’s suggestion comes after politicians in other states considered removing the Confederate symbols from state capitol grounds after last week’s mass shooting in Charleston, S.C., which appeared to have been racially motivated.
“With regard to my own state, we curiously enough have a statue of Jefferson Davis in the capitol in Frankfort,” McConnell said at a Senate news conference. “Davis’ sole connection to Kentucky was he was born there, he subsequently moved to Mississippi. And Kentucky of course did not secede from the union.”
It is, plain and simple, a marbleized burning cross.
So, good for Sen. McConnell and, hopefully, good for Kentucky.
* And while we’re all counting our blessings this morning, let’s also give thanks to my late shirttail cousin Mr. Cash for writing songs like this. Get up and dance…
Go on, I’ve had enough, dump my blues down in the Gulf
Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
During some extremely challenging financial times facing consumers, one bright spot in the financial services arena has been credit unions.
Credit Union 1 is a shining example of how one credit union serves its membership through good times and bad. In 1995, Credit Union 1 introduced an “Employee Loan Assistance” program designed to provide payroll gap assistance for its members facing the threat of a missed or delayed paycheck. In June 2007, this program was utilized for the first time to assist state employees that incurred a delayed paycheck due to the Illinois budget crisis that occurred.
Most recently, Credit Union 1 offered the program to their members of the Illinois General Assembly and staff to assist during an interruption in the legislative payroll cycle. While fortunately this program has only been needed on a limited basis since its inception, Credit Union 1 members are afforded great comfort and security in knowing that their credit union is there for them whenever the need arises.
Credit unions are “People Helping People” — dedicated to serving the needs of their membership as well as providing “peace of mind” that the credit union is always there. And that’s the credit union difference.
I thought a big part of being conservative meant picking a “side” and attacking the other. I thought not caring what others thought or felt was part of it. Some of my Confederate flag debates certainly reflected that mentality.
This is something ideologues do and is by no means exclusive to the right, as evidenced by the way some liberals cartoonishly portray conservatives, Christians, and, yes, Southerners.
Ideologues ridicule and dehumanize people at the expense of their personhood. Ideologues believe some groups must be attacked, and although the groups are comprised of flesh-and-blood human beings, it’s better not to think of them as people too much—it could get you off message.
It’s crude collectivist thinking. It’s an intentional lack of sympathy. It’s dehumanization. It’s at the heart of everything that’s wrong with our politics and culture.
Republican state senator Darin LaHood helped to perpetuate a cycle of crony capitalism and donor back-scratching by voting for a bill that benefited both his law firm and campaign donors at taxpayers’ expense, according to a study of his votes, law firm payments, and campaign contributions.
LaHood, who is running against Breitbart News’ Big Government founding editor Mike Flynn in a contest to replace disgraced former Rep. Aaron Schock, voted for a bill which would financially benefit his law firm, Miller, Hall, & Triggs, which represents the city of East Peoria.
On May 30, 2012, LaHood voted “yea” on a bill which established in East Peoria a new “Tax Increment District III” — a law which conveniently required the city hire to lawyers who would confirm each year that the city was in full compliance. This was the third such zone established by the city. […]
Who represents East Peoria? None other than Miller, Hall, & Triggs, for which LaHood is an associate. Yet LaHood apparently did not disclose to taxpayers that his firm stood to make significant financial gains from the new TIF zone he supported; transcripts from the vote show no evidence that LaHood made public the ties his firm has to East Peoria. […]
Since that vote, developers have also donated tens thousands of dollars to his congressional campaign after being awarded businesses in the new TIF zones in what appears to be a cozy, crony capitalist set-up.
Chairman of Cullinan Properties Diane Cullinan Oberhelman (and wife of Caterpillar CEO Douglas R. Oberhelman) earned $1,759,302 from TIF zones since 2010. Cullinan also donated $15,000 to LaHood’s state senate campaign PAC, and $10,800 to his congressional PAC. In total, she donated $25,800. The Otto Baum company, which received $4,073,797 to develop the new TIF zone since 2012, donated $5,000 to LaHood’s state senate PAC.
Provides that the redevelopment project in the TIF district created by an ordinance that was adopted on January 28, 1992 by the City of East Peoria must be completed by December 31 of the 35th year (now, the 23rd year) after the year in which the ordinance was adopted.
So, it extended a TIF district’s lifespan, but didn’t create it.
Also, I imagine Mrs. Oberhelman would’ve contributed to LaHood’s campaign with or without that vote. And I didn’t see any Otto Baum contributions to LaHood’s Senate campaign when I searched the ISBE site.
Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In 2011 the Workers’ Compensation “Reform” package was signed into law, aimed at lowering costs for employers in Illinois. These changes have had a negative effect on workers in Illinois and their ability to receive fair and reasonable compensation when they are injured on the job and have not resulted in insurance premium reductions for employers in Illinois, even though workers’ compensation costs have undeniably come down.
The National Academy of Social Insurance reports workers’ compensation is the second most profitable line of insurance after auto insurance. Over 300 insurance companies compete for and write workers’ compensation insurance in Illinois, more than just about any other state in the country. If Illinois is so unprofitable, why are these insurance companies climbing over one another to sell insurance here? It may be because insurance companies in Illinois are essentially unregulated when it comes to setting insurance premiums.
Decreased benefits for injured workers, medical reimbursements plummeting, claims falling, and reduced costs have all resulted in big profits for the insurance industry. This is the real result of the 2011 workers’ compensation reform.
Any further changes in workers’ compensation laws should instead look to promote insurance premium transparency and oversight – not further sacrifices by the injured worker.
For more information on workers’ compensation, click here.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is seeking to put off a massive teacher pension payment that’s due at the end of the month until Aug. 10 under a measure that surfaced Tuesday in the Illinois House.
The request for a delay comes after a series of internal Chicago Public Schools reports indicated that even if the school district drained its checking account, maxed out its credit card and burned cash set aside for other debts, it still would not be able to make the pension payment of more than $600 million, cover payroll and pay all the other due bills.
“We’re disappointed,” said Charles Burbridge, executive director of the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund. “We were expecting full payment next week as required by state statute. . . . It’s unfortunate that they’re in a position where they need to ask for this delay.”
But Burbridge said he was pleased that the amendment, introduced by House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, would not reduce the size of the payment CPS is required to make to restore the pension fund to financial soundness.
…Adding… The train, as usual with these things, is moving fast. The amendment has been assigned to House Executive Committee, which starts at 11:15.
…Adding More.. Greg Hinz rather cleverly ties the school deal to the DCEO privatization bill that I told subscribers about this morning…
A Rauner sign-on would be rather interesting, given that the governor previously has seemed to be pushing to have CPS reorganize its affairs in bankruptcy.
But that may explain a second bit of action today. Madigan has agreed to call for a final vote a bill to partially privatize the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which Rauner has been pushing for pretty hard.
If the DCEO measure and the CPS bill pass, every side will get something. That’s the kind of stuff that bigger deals are made of.
…Adding… The bill passed Exec 8-2.
*** UPDATE *** It looks from the roll call that Madigan pulled his targets off, and others were absent…
#ILHse rejects 40 day delay in Chicago Public Schools teacher pension payment that was due June 30, 53-47. Needed 71.
*** UPDATE *** The House Democrats just forwarded me their documentation. Click here.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* The chairman of the House Revenue & Finance Committee just accused the governor’s office of not telling the truth about internal office spending.
Gov. Rauner’s administration has claimed it’s spending $500,000 a year less than Gov. Quinn spent on staffing the governor’s office. Rep. John Bradley, however, said his research shows that Rauner is actually spending at least a million dollars more than Quinn.
Bradley said that number didn’t include “nine employees that appear on the telephone directory that we can’t determine where they’re being paid from.” He also said it didn’t take into account “contractual employees that have been hired at very substantial sums of money.”
* Rep. Bradley said he invited the governor to send a representative to today’s hearing, but nobody showed up today. When pressed, Bradley said he did not have documentation which he could immediately provide to the committee. He also didn’t have any witnesses to testify on the claims.
* From Lance Trover…
.@AmandaVinicky more phony, sham hearings from Speaker and politicians he controls.
The cost of marijuana in Chicago is about $300 an ounce, about ten percent higher than the national average, according to a Washington Post analysis.
However, that price is down from $349 per ounce recorded in the first 3 months of 2011, says the Post’s Wonkblog report.
Exactly what’s behind fluctuations in the price of marijuana is not clear, says the Post, which tracked prices through websites where users post costs.
But, the report, which lists average prices in eight cities and all 50 states, said legalization of marijuana, either for recreational or medicinal purposes, tends to add to the supply and drive prices down.
If you go to the WaPo post, you’ll see that Illinois pot prices are 9.7 percent higher than the national average. We also have higher prices than all of our bordering states except Iowa.
Among the more than $820 million in budget cuts being threatened by Gov. Bruce Rauner is one that would delay the opening of a new nursing home for veterans.
But, records and budget documents show the $70.2 million project wasn’t expected to be opened for more than a year anyway, raising questions about what exactly would be saved. […]
Lyndsey Walters, spokeswoman for the Illinois Capital Development Board, which is overseeing construction of the 200-bed home, said the opening would be delayed six months until Jan. 1, 2017, saving $4 million.
Rauner’s original budget plan, however, shows no evidence of the facility opening before July 1, 2016, which is in the next fiscal year and, thus, not affected by the current budget battle. There are no line items in the state’s proposed operating budget showing earmarks to pay for furnishings or for the hiring of additional workers. […]
Ryan Yantis, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, said the $4 million in savings are “startup costs.”
Startup costs that weren’t in the budget to begin with? OK.
Unsurprisingly, this facility is in a Democratic legislative district.
Governor Rauner today directed the deployment of Illinois Task Force 1, an 80-member search and rescue team, to assist local responders as they search for people who may have been trapped after a tornado tore through Woodhaven Lakes campground in Lee County last evening. The village of Coal City in Grundy County was also hard hit by a tornado Monday evening.
Governor Rauner today also issued a state disaster proclamation for Lee and Grundy counties to make available a wide variety of state resources that can help affected communities respond and recover from the storms.
“Tornadoes and severe storms have once again caused devastation in northern Illinois communities,” Gov. Rauner said. “The state is supporting local responders in these hard-hit communities to ensure the safety of people affected by these terrible storms and help them begin the recovery process.”
Illinois Task Force 1 is the state’s urban search and rescue team with specialized training and equipment to support extremely difficult recovery efforts. In addition to 80 team members, the group includes trained search canines.
Governor Rauner activated the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Springfield Monday evening after a line of severe storms and tornadoes moved across northern Illinois. The SEOC was staffed throughout the night with representatives from several state agencies, responder mutual aid organizations, and the American Red Cross to ensure response assets and personnel could be quickly deployed to assist local governments and all impacted areas.
In addition, field personnel from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police, and Illinois Department of Natural Resources are assisting affected communities.
For updates on the current situation, visit the Ready Illinois website at www.ready.illinois.gov.
If Gov. Bruce Rauner signs House Bill 2781, a pilot program will be created to replace snow days and other days when school would typically be canceled with days where students will receive instruction electronically. That instruction would be in place of using an emergency day that is tacked on to the end of the school year.
The pilot program could be implemented in up to three school districts, which may include one elementary or unit district, and last through the 2017-18 school year. The state superintendent of education would be tasked with selecting the districts. […]
Ottawa Elementary Schools Superintendent Cleve Threadgill is concerned a statewide program could become another unfunded mandate that would be burdensome on schools with a tight budget.
“It could become our responsibility (as a district) to make sure students have access to it,” he said. “That’s a concern.”
The legislation had Republican sponsorship, but bipartisan co-sponsorship. Just two Senate Democrats voted against it, Biss and Manar, with Republican Sam McCann also voting “No.”
* Metro East Democratic legislators held a media event yesterday and spotlighted some folks who would be hurt by budget cuts…
Two years ago, Tara Miller’s now 4-year-old daughter Destiny was diagnosed with autism. Destiny had no functional speech, wasn’t able to say if she was hungry, if she was tired, or if she was hurt, and would avoid social interactions.
“I felt so alone, and even though she couldn’t tell me herself, I know my daughter felt more alone than me,” Miller, the East Alton resident, said through tears.
Miller and her daughter received services and resources as an autism center in Maryville, such as pictures to help Destiny communicate with others.
“She’s able to ask me for help, … and able to ask me for things she needs and wants,” Miller said. “She can speak to anybody who has a set of eyes and can look at a picture.”
For Miller, if the help she and Destiny receive through the Autism Program of Illinois is cut would be detrimental.
“If the funds for TAP are cut, or if there is a long budget stalemate, the results of it is your taking my child’s voice away,” Miller said. “She finally is able to speak, the regression will be unmeasurable, and I as a mother will be watching her disappear back into herself.”
“(Speaker) Mike Madigan along with his allies Reps. Beiser, Hoffman and Jackson, and Sens. Haine and Clayborne, are more interested in protecting the political class rather than fighting for the middle class,” Kelly said. “They have passed another phony budget that is $4 billion out of balance while refusing to enact any of Gov. Rauner’s structural changes like lawsuit reform, freezing property taxes and term limits which could help turn our state around.”
With a contract deadline just one week away, state workers in Illinois are continuing to push for a fair labor agreement.
Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) say they are not pleased with Governor Bruce Rauner’s proposed cuts in pay and benefits, and his willingness to allow a government shutdown. Anders Lindall with AFSCME Council 31 says a strike is not in the public’s best interest.
“We have never had a governor who has made such extreme demands as to give state employees no choice but to force them out on strike for fairness,” he says. “That’s not what the people want and certainly not what state employees or our union wants.” […]
There is no formal agreement to extend the contract, but Lindall says bargaining dates have been scheduled for July.
Let’s hope cooler heads prevail on both sides here.
The latest closing announcement for Norb Andy’s Tabarin has again raised the issue of parking availability in downtown Springfield.
Nate Gurnsey, one of the partners who took over the restaurant-bar in February, said Monday the loss of 18 parking spaces in an adjoining private lot owned by the Illinois Municipal League was behind the decision.
“A lot of them (customers) just gave up,” said Gurnsey. “They’d come by and see the lot was empty and figure nobody was here.”
Saturday is the final day of business for the well-known restaurant at 518 E. Capitol Ave., though the owner of the historic building said Monday he plans to reopen the restaurant himself after a series of ownership changes in recent years. […]
Gurnsey said the loss of parking spaces to a Capitol Avenue beautification project also hurt businesses along the corridor. The project begun just prior to the 2009 bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth extends from Fifth to 12th streets.
Norb’s was the place to hang back in the day. It declined when other bars and restaurants began catering to the Statehouse crowd. That bicentennial project closed the block several times.
Chicagoans are accustomed to walking more than a few feet after parking. Not so much in downtown Springfield, even though residents have no problem hiking across gigantic strip mall lots to shop and dine.
The Illinois Municipal League obviously has a right to close its parking lot to the bar’s customers, but it’s not very neighborly or municipally-minded of them, which is kinda ironic.
As lawmakers return to the Capitol on Tuesday amid a budget stalemate, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is launching a second week of statewide TV advertising as he tries to gain leverage over Democrats who control the legislature.
Rauner is spending roughly the same amount of money he spent on broadcast and cable TV last week, more than $800,000, said a source familiar with the advertising contract who was not authorized to speak publicly about it.
Rauner’s 30-second spots, which criticize Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, are airing in cities across the state, including Chicago, Rockford and Peoria as well as in St. Louis and the Quad Cities to reach residents on Illinois’ border. […]
The ads represent an unprecedented perpetual political campaign on TV airwaves, as Rauner seeks to move public opinion on his side in a budget battle in which he is trying to portray Madigan as an obstructionist. Madigan, the state Democratic chairman, has been speaker of the Illinois House for 30 of the last 32 years.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is trying to muster enough support to raise the sales tax by a penny on the dollar — an about-face on the key issue that propelled her into office.
The money would help shore up the pension system for county government workers and balance next year’s budget. But getting nine of the 17 commissioners to vote for the sales tax hike could prove challenging, given the enormous backlash that unfolded in 2008 after the County Board increased the sales tax by 1 percentage point.
The move by then-Board President Todd Stroger led to his ouster in the 2010 Democratic primary, as Preckwinkle emerged from a crowded field after pledging to eliminate what remained of the unpopular tax hike. Preckwinkle ran a campaign ad in which she shook hands with an actor portraying Benjamin Franklin. […]
If Preckwinkle can line up the votes, she would introduce the tax increase in early July and try to get it approved by the end of the month, sources said. The tax hike would generate more than $300 million a year starting in 2016, when the county will face rising debt payments, increased payroll costs and possibly increased pension fund payments.
Ms. Preckwinkle’s office declined all comment on her decision, which was first reported by the Chicago Tribune. But in a statement, it stopped far short of denying the action, saying that her next budget will be “particularly challenging” and that her finance team “is hard at work looking at a number of scenarios for coping with this difficult situation.”
Three county officials who asked not to be named confirmed that the effort is under way. Another official, Commissioner John Fritchey, D-Chicago, predicted very strong opposition.
While the county’s budget situation has tightened, “The president has to be cognizant of the fact that she was elected on the basis of a promise to roll back Stroger’s sales tax,” Fritchey told me. “It’s hard for me to envision a scenario” under which he’d vote yes, Fritchey said.
Another commissioner said raising the sales tax “is certainly more palatable than raising the property tax. But is it nine votes palatable? I don’t know.”
That source said Preckwinkle “has asked us to keep it quiet while she tries to put it together,” with a vote possible as soon as next month.
* J3 is out of a halfway house and is now serving home confinement…
“I’ve experienced and I’ve accepted the consequences of my behavior, my poor judgment and my actions,” he said.
Jackson pulled up his trousers slightly to show the tracking device over his white sock on his left ankle.
Jackson said he has been writing a memoir while serving his time.
“I plan to use the next several months of home confinement…to share with the American people not only my journey, but the journey of Americans who have erred and made mistakes of judgement that led to their incarceration,” Jackson said.
“My takeaway is that people should not leave this experience bitter. They should be the better, more determined, more committed.”
* He also said he wanted to go into teaching. More…
Jackson, who pleaded guilty to spending $750,000 of campaign money on personal items in 2013, began his prison sentence on Nov. 1 of that year. The sentence does not officially end until September of this year, but Jackson became eligible to go home earlier.
After his release, Jackson must spend three years on supervised release under jurisdiction of the U.S. Probation Office and complete 500 hours of community service.
Sandi Jackson, former 7th ward alderman and the wife of Jesse Jackson Jr., will also serve prison time for filing false joint federal income tax returns that knowingly understated the income the couple received.
* Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) has introduced a new resolution. From the synopsis…
Calls upon the South Carolina General Assembly to take statutory action to remove any examples of the “Battle Flag of the Confederacy” from the grounds of the South Carolina State House, including the Confederate Monument.
* Carol Marin writes about Bonnie Liltz, the mother of a “catastrophically disabled” daughter who was herself desperately ill..
In 2012, Bonnie had a recurrence of cancer. And Courtney had to stay in an emergency residential setting until her mother recovered. It was not a good place and Courtney, said Glasgow, “came home a different kid. . . . It devastated Bonnie.”
Sue and Bonnie were both in the process of making application to a suburban residential center they felt would provide quality care. “But all these places have waiting lists,” said Sue.
Currently there are 22,000 developmentally disabled people on various waiting lists in Illinois, according to Veronica Vera of the Department of Human Services. And 7,000 waiting for residential placement. Yet, in Springfield, lawmakers and the governor are debating $33 million in cuts to those services.
“Bonnie wrote a letter to the governor,” said Sue, “asking him to reconsider.”
On the night she gave Courtney and herself an overdose of medication and wrote a suicide note, Bonnie was experiencing her worst attack yet of gastric pain and horrific diarrhea. She thought she was dying.
“She was in a desperate phase of her life,” said her attorney. “This was not a cry for help. This was a person who was at the end of her options in taking care of her daughter and herself.”
On May 27, Schaumburg police found both at home and unconscious. Courtney did not survive. Bonnie did.
Glasgow credits police and prosecutors for their professionalism and compassion. The charge, nonetheless, is murder.
* From a News-Gazette editorial about Gov. Bruce Rauner’s new TV ads…
What’s going on here? There is an old political maxim — if you can’t make them see the light, you can make them feel the heat.
Rauner is trying to peel away enough of Madigan’s legislative caucus to persuade the all-powerful speaker to entertain a few of Rauner’s legislative proposals, including modifications to the state’s workers’-compensation law. […]
So while Rauner and legislative leaders continue to talk, the TV ads will continue to play.
It’s an odd way to do legislative business.
But Illinois has become an odd state, one in which some of its leaders cling desperately to a status quo that has failed the people of this state. In that context, how much more harm can Rauner’s TV ads do?
* Yes, this is about making MJM et al “feel the heat.” Agreed, even though this is a relatively light check into the boards. But how does that ad “peel away enough of Madigan’s legislative caucus to persuade the all-powerful speaker to entertain a few of Rauner’s legislative proposals”? I’m not quite understanding how the CN-G is arriving at that conclusion.
And, by the way, they aren’t talking.
Whenever somebody or some institution appear to be cheerleading for war, or at least cheerleading one side in a coming war, their claims and predictions should always be put under a microscope and compared to actual facts and history.
* Let’s revisit my Crain’s Chicago Business column for this week…
In July 2013, Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed lawmakers’ salaries and stipends out of the state budget. He “hit them in the wallet,” he said, to spur action on pension reform.
Instead, all legislative progress suddenly and completely stopped on pension reform for a few months until a court finally ruled that the governor’s veto was unconstitutional. No way were legislators going to let Quinn push them around.
I could very well be wrong, but if legislators wouldn’t cave to protect their own pocketbooks, what makes anyone think they’ll cry “Uncle!” over somebody else’s problems?
Plus, legislators surely know, as they did with Quinn, that they can’t allow a precedent like this to be set: getting Rauner’s approval on the budget by giving in on his legislative agenda. If Democrats capitulate now, then the governor will just do it all over again when next year’s budget negotiations begin.
And then there’s the impact of that Rauner ad about Madigan. […]
Judging by history, including the Quinn paycheck ordeal, I get where the speaker is coming from, to some extent.
As long as Rauner’s TV ads are on the air, Madigan probably is not going to move even a millimeter. Doing so only would invite more ads in the future.
As noted previously, the governor’s ad isn’t devastating the process right now. As soon as the ad eventually comes down the two sides can probably resume talking. I just don’t see Madigan talking until then, however.
Then again, it’s not like he was talking all that much before the ads went up.
The statewide Independent Maps organization is getting a new leader, and the indefatigable Champaign-Urbana volunteers who collected thousands of signatures on petitions for a redistricting reform amendment are getting some recognition.
The new executive director at Independent Maps, a coalition aimed at passing a constitutional amendment to have a non-partisan independent commission draw legislative districts in Illinois, will be Cynthia Canary, who helped found the respected Illinois Campaign for Political Reform with the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon in 1997 and served as its executive director for 14 years.
Canary replaces Patrick Brady, who was appointed head of the organization in April but recently stepped aside.
“Patrick got it through the drafting of amendment and the launch of the petition drive on the streets,” said Independent Maps spokesman Jim Bray. “His family lives in Raleigh (N.C)., and he was flying back and forth to Chicago. It just became evident that it was going to be too much time for him.”
Um, they didn’t ask the guy if he’d be commuting back and forth?
Sheesh.
I like Canary. She’s reasonable, not a screamer, not a conspiracy theorist. But this is a big, big task, so we’ll see if she’s up to it, administratively speaking.
Also, keep in mind that this is about state legislative redistricting, not congressional reapportionment. Big difference. Keep national politics out of the comment section, please.
* The reason I think Democrats ought to be backing this concept is simple: It’s in their self interest. If things remain the same and Gov. Rauner is reelected, he’ll have a 50-50 chance of drawing the new district map.
So, the Democrats need to ask themselves if they’d be happier with a remap reform amendment that they draft themselves, or would they rather Canary push through her own version, or would they prefer that none of that happened and they simply roll the dice on Rauner’s 2018 campaign. That dice-rolling didn’t work too well last year, did it?
The Democrats need to set aside their institutional arrogance and reform this process.
* Plus, I see it as a possible trade. Instead of the term limits amendment that Gov. Rauner is currently demanding, the Dems could give Rauner this issue and perhaps check a box on the governor’s Turnaround Agenda list.
Throughout his campaign for governor, Bruce Rauner asserted he didn’t have a social agenda and was focused solely on Illinois’ deepening financial crisis.
He’ll now be forced to stake out positions on a range of social issues thanks to the majority-Democratic General Assembly passing proposals this spring that would, among other things, reduce penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana, ban therapists from trying to change a young person’s sexuality, and ensure employers pay women at rates equal to men.
Any of the bills could spark the controversy the first-term Republican hoped to bypass. […]
Rauner hasn’t signaled how he’ll proceed. Six months after taking office, he still refuses to detail his stance on same-sex marriage or immigration reform. When pressed about four issues in particular — decriminalizing marijuana, legalizing the drug for those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, requiring equal pay and banning gay conversation therapy — a Rauner spokeswoman emailed a standard reply: “The governor will carefully consider any legislation that crosses his desk.”
As I’ve said before, the governor so thoroughly controls both GOP caucuses that you first have to look for a “brick.” I think the bricks, if any, were more subtle on most of these bills than we’ve seen on other potentially controversial pieces of legislation.
* With that in mind, let’s look at the roll calls, starting with the marijuana decrim bill.
Republicans in both the House and Senate voted for the bill, suggesting that there was no solid brick on it. But the two GOP legislative leaders voted “No,” which could very well hint that the governor isn’t fully on board.
* Moving on to the PTSD bill. The Senate Republicans were all off that bill except for Sen. Oberweis. A couple of amendments were added in the House exempting patients from some FOID card laws. The amended bill passed the House with strong bipartisan support, although Leader Durkin voted “No.” But the Senate refused to accept the amendments and the House ended up voting to recede 60-41-6. This bill was sponsored in the House by Rep. Lou Lang. Rauner bricked Lang’s medical marijuana sunset extension in the Senate after the bill passed the House with bipartisan support. In between votes, Lang publicly lashed out at the governor.
* Next up, the equal pay bill. The legislation zoomed through both chambers, with Sen. Oberweis casting the lone “No” vote. That one’s not too difficult to figure out.
* And, finally, the gay conversion therapy ban bill. The legislation passed the House and the Senate with few GOP votes. However, both Republican leaders voted “Yes,” perhaps indicating that Rauner is open to supporting it.
The Chicago Public Schools will “run out of cash as early as this summer” and be unable to meet payroll, pension and debt payments without “third-party intervention” or a significant “cost deferral,” according to a new consultant’s report commissioned by the school system and obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
The firm Ernst & Young is suggesting the Chicago City Council approve two property-tax increases for the school system. It says the twin increases would be necessary even if CPS makes drastic budget cuts and gets the pension relief and greater state funding it’s seeking in Springfield.
One of the tax hikes it’s recommending would be a “separate levy” of $50 million to bankroll school construction and pay off old projects. CPS has had the authority to impose a “capital improvement tax” for more than 20 years but “never activated” it, according to sources who told the Sun-Times it appears likely Mayor Rahm Emanuel will do so.
The second tax increase — in the range of $100 million to $400 million — is far less likely to be passed. According to the consultants, it would “effectively replace general state aid” siphoned from operations to pay off school construction debt.
It’s debatable whether that second tax hike could be approved by the city council without prior Statehouse authorization. If the maximum tax increases are passed, it would cost the owner of a $250,000 home about $450 a year, according to the article.
But even if CPS wins concessions from the City Council, state lawmakers and the CTU, the district won’t be able to close its annual $1 billion budget gap, according to the May 22 report by Ernst & Young, which spent four weeks meeting with school finance officials and analyzing budget documents. The report shows that even with a capital improvement tax, a separate, even-larger property tax increase, additional state aid, increased state funding of teachers pensions, concessions from the CTU and $150 million worth of budget cuts, CPS would still face an annual $350 million shortfall.
Potentially worsening the situation are unexpected bank penalty payments, the costly legacy of a series of complex financial deals masterminded by school board President David Vitale. Those deals fell apart earlier this year as the district’s credit deteriorated, meaning CPS could be forced to pay $228 million if the banks demand their money. The district has set aside only $174 million to cover such costs.
“They absolutely are deep in an imminent crisis,” CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey said. “Maybe they won’t be able to open, and maybe the state of schools when they do open is going to be miserable.” […]
“Right now, the district needs us,” Sharkey said. “The politics of Rahm Emanuel going to Springfield are a lot different than the politics of Rahm Emanuel and Karen Lewis going to Springfield.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s much-anticipated TV ad isn’t as over-the-top negative as we might have thought it would be.
“Exactly,” was the response from a Rauner official I spoke with after watching the ad and making that above observation about its somewhat muted tone.
“There’s plenty of time for that if it’s necessary,” the official added.
In case you haven’t seen it, the governor’s ad, above, begins with shots of downtown Chicago, then moves to a photo of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
“Illinois is at a crossroads,” says the announcer. “Mike Madigan and the politicians he controls refuse to change.
“They’re saying no to spending discipline, no to job-creating economic reforms, no to term limits.
“All they want is higher taxes. Again.”
At the 19-second mark, Rauner appears in the ad. “Change in Springfield isn’t easy,” he says in voiceover as he’s seen talking with a couple of male workers. “But you didn’t send me here to do what’s easy,” he says as he’s seen talking to a woman standing at a counter near some flowers.
“With your help,” the governor says to the camera as the phrase “Join Bruce Rauner” appears next to his head, “I’m gonna keep fightin’ to grow our economy and fix our broken state government.”
The ad has played in most media markets in the state on both broadcast and cable stations, including the expensive St. Louis area, where Rauner is spending at least $100,000, according to a firm that tracks these things. Chicago, Rockford, Champaign/Springfield/Decatur, Peoria and the Quad Cities have been targeted.
An aide to the House speaker who saw the ad before I did said he didn’t think it would make much of a difference. After a buildup in expectations, he said, the ad failed to bite much at all, and he even laughed it off.
But a top Senate Democratic operative expressed sincere relief that the spot wasn’t so harsh that it would’ve destroyed any possibility of an agreement on the budget and the governor’s “turnaround agenda” issues, like workers’ compensation reform, a property tax freeze and tort reform.
They’re both probably right.
Rauner’s ad does not ask Illinoisans to do anything specific except support him. There are no phone numbers to call, no other actions to take. He could’ve flooded Madigan’s Statehouse switchboard if he’d chosen to do so, but he didn’t.
So on the one hand, you gotta wonder what exactly the governor hopes to accomplish with this ad, except to “punish” Madigan a bit and demonstrate his willingness to spend a million bucks a week on whatever the heck he wants.
On the other hand, those who still think a deal can get done ought to be relieved that the governor showed a little restraint in his march to war and didn’t go at Madigan with both barrels blazing.
And, by being somewhat reasonable and coming in under expectations, the ad likely will avoid any immediate public backlash. By speechifying across the state for months instead of holing up in Springfield, the governor has opened himself up to potential criticism that he ought to dump the rhetoric and get to work on solving actual problems. He’ll still have to deal with an angry and dismissive Madigan, however. That’s not going to be any easier now.
Former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar has been pleading for calm lately and asking that both sides avoid personal insults.
“The conversations they’re having aren’t the problem,” Edgar told Springfield’s WICS-TV. “Sometimes it’s what they’re saying when they aren’t together that’s the problem. It seems to be Madigan compares (Rauner) to Blagojevich and (Rauner) makes reference to their character. All that will happen in the heat of battle, but I think everyone needs to know we’re at the point if we’re going to get things done we need to back off of that,” the former governor said.
Regarding the new ad, Edgar said he was worried that Rauner’s TV buy would do more harm than good. “I fear that they could cause the Democrats not to come to the table, but maybe to dig in more,” Edgar told Statehouse reporters.
Rauner has all but claimed that Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton are corrupt, Madigan has compared Rauner to the imprisoned Rod Blagojevich, Rauner’s staff has pointedly insulted the House Democrats for engaging in a “sexist smear” of a Rauner appointee, etc., etc., etc.
So it’s little wonder that Edgar is worried that this thing could easily go off the rails, if it hasn’t already.
“Crisis creates opportunity,” Gov. Bruce Rauner told the Chicago Tribune editorial board in April. “Crisis creates leverage to change . . . and we’ve got to use that leverage of the crisis to force structural change.”
The “crisis” is the state’s severe fiscal problems. At Rauner’s behest, the Democratic-controlled Illinois General Assembly allowed the state’s temporary income tax to mostly expire on Jan. 1, which created a massive budget hole.
The Republican governor is refusing to negotiate on a budget fix until the Democrats agree to some of his “turnaround agenda” demands, like workers’ compensation insurance reform, a property tax freeze, legislative term limits and tort reform.
So when does the crisis begin? That’s debatable.
Does it start in the next few days, as the governor finally gets a chance to act on the budget, which the Democrats passed in May but didn’t officially begin transmitting to him until June 17?
Does it begin June 30? That’s when the Chicago Public Schools would miss a required $634 million payment to the teacher retirement plan if a pension fix continues to be caught in the crossfire between the governor and Democrats. If a budget deal isn’t reached, state spending starts grinding to a halt the next day.
Does it happen in mid-July, when the first state employee payroll can’t be met because there is no appropriations authority?
Does the crisis occur in mid-August, when public schools don’t receive their first state aid checks and many can’t open their doors?
Or has it already begun?
Rauner recently unveiled two rounds of budget cuts totaling $800 million that will run from July 1 through the summer. Those announcements set off a furor among Democratic legislators.
On June 16, Rauner launched a nearly $1 million TV advertising blitz slamming Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan for blocking his reforms.
Then again, here’s a question almost nobody is asking:
* Within what seems like milliseconds, an overlay ad covers our screen…
* But before we can click the “x” to close it, this pops up…
* And then we notice that a “pop-under” ad has been lauched…
* We hit the “x” on that, and we get this…
* After we’ve finally closed all the ads and solicitations, we click the “Navigation” button…
* Then we click “Early & Often”…
* Since there are no drop-down options under the main “Early & Often” link, we have to scroll through the page to look for Springfield news…
* Oops. We can’t find anything we need because for whatever reason they only display a handful of stories. But, luckily, we notice another “Early & Often” link at the top of the page. This one does have a drop-down option…
* Hooray!…
* Finally, we get to the story we want to read, but…
* And…
* Another pop-under…
* And…
* Huzzah, huzzah! We’ve arrived at the article we’d like to read…
* But we can’t read it until we answer a survey question…
* And after we answer that question, another survey question appears…
* And then a video ad starts playing…
I don’t know about you, but my browser usually crashes before I can ever read the story.
Now, all these ads don’t appear every single time. Like the headline says, this is a simulated experience. But it’s also too much like work.
