Six weeks after the original resolution was passed and two revisions later, City Council members voted down the local government relief resolution 3-2 during their meeting Tuesday.
The resolution, which was changed from “Supporting Local Government Empowerment and Reform” to “Supporting Local Government Relief and Reform,” went up for a vote after Mayor Larry Rennels opened the item to public discussion. Ultimately, Rennels and councilman Jeffrey Lahr voted in favor of the resolution while councilmen Brandon Combs, Matthew Hutti and Tim Newell voted against it.
The council reopened the resolution for discussion May 5 after a crowd packed the council chambers April 21 and addressed members concerning the measure. A different version, which removed portions of the resolution including a paragraph focused on who has control over what topics go into collective bargaining and also removed the term “prevailing wage,” was placed on file for public inspection.
The document was revised again before the final vote, this time taking out sections including a portion focused on right-to-work zones. Rennels said he wanted to focus specifically on areas of the resolution that affected Charleston. The resolution wouldn’t have enacted any changes; rather, it would send a message to Springfield that the city wants the state government to examine issues such as unfunded mandates, Rennels said.
Union supporters on Tuesday cheered Rock Island County Board Democrats who issued a defiant rebuke to what they say is Gov. Bruce Rauner’s efforts to weaken organized labor.
The board voted 17-0, all Democrats, for a resolution to “protect the middle class” that opposes Gov. Rauner’s proposals to allow right-to-work zones in Illinois communities and repealing rules that protect union wage rates on public projects. The board’s six Republicans abstained. […]
Rather than oppose it, Republican members abstained with Drue Mielke, R-Coal Valley, head of the board’s Republican caucus, reading from a prepared statement.
“This resolution is partisan, and although it does not mention him by name, it is a public repudiation of the governor of the state of Illinois,” Mr. Mielke said. “We should not be taking up this resolution, nor should we be taking up a resolution that supports the governor’s agenda.”
The “Resolution to Protect the Middle Class” was adopted unanimously by the board at its meeting Tuesday night.
The document, which calls the labor movement “a historic cornerstone of the American middle class,” asserts that right-to-work zones are not within the authority of local governments, and that the repeal of prevailing wage requirements on construction projects will drive down wages and benefits and hurt the local economy. […]
Following the roll call vote in Benton on Tuesday night, the standing-room-only crowd in the courtroom — where the meeting had been moved because the usual county board meeting room would have been too small to hold everyone — stood and applauded.
* Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration is apparently playing hardball with SEIU over a union contract covering 50,000 childcare and home care workers. Negotiations began Monday, even though the contract expires June 30th. Rauner’s opening offer was pretty harsh. From a union insider…
Rauner wants to take away virtually all union benefits that have been bargained for by these employees over the years, including health care, for tens of thousands of low-wage workers. These employees don’t get state-insurance, by the way, but belong to a union-funded plan. Taking health insurance away would represent a real hardship for them.
What’s more, Rauner is demanding that his administration stop collecting dues from workers, a time-tested union-busting tactic.
He’d also cut training-which would adversely affect the quality-of-care for countless seniors and persons with disabilities.
Additionally, as if this were one of his newly-acquired private equity properties, he wants to convert these workers into “independent contractors.” He also wants to remove the state’s neutrality position on the union and make it much harder for workers and the union to communicate.
And even though the contract expires on June 30th, no further talks have been scheduled until - get this - June 23rd.
Oy.
What a summer this is gonna be.
* SEIU Healthcare Illinois Executive Vice President April Verrett, by the way, just issued a press release…
Bruce Rauner’s anti-worker efforts to eliminate bargained-for benefits and protections for home care workers and child care providers would deliberately submerge low-wage workers deeper into poverty.
What the state proposed on the governor’s behalf on Monday, May 18, has NOTHING to do with the public good or budget savings Rauner claims and everything to do with diminishing the voices of working families, punishing political opponents and gathering power. His unprecedented and hostile proposals — which include stripping health care from thousands of workers — would have a devastating impact on the tens of thousands of low-income workers and their families and put the tens of thousands seniors and children who depend on them at risk.
In addition to totally eliminating access to health coverage for workers, Rauner’s team also proposed eliminating essential training like CPR and eliminating the right of workers to have union dues deducted from their paycheck.
Let’s be clear: The people whom Gov. Rauner is willing to harm with this attack are low-wage workers, most of them women and people of color who are hovering at or in poverty. Their rights and benefits have been supported over the years by legislators and governors of BOTH parties.
What’s more, these workers fought for years for health coverage, training and professional development and the right to have a union. Gov. Rauner’s proposals set workers back and put seniors, people with disabilities, parents who depend on affordable child care and other vulnerable populations further at risk.
Refusing to collect dues and interfering with the ability of workers to communicate with their union has nothing to do with the budget and everything to do with an extreme ideology that has been rejected on a bipartisan basis.
Bruce Rauner has not brought a reasonable deal to the table and has declared war on care providers, many of them who struggle to make ends meet, and on the communities they serve.
While his ultra-wealthy donors enjoy his special protection, Bruce Rauner instead is willing to hurt the working families of Illinois and the most vulnerable among us.
I asked the governor’s office for a response a few hours ago and haven’t heard back. I’ll let you know if they say anything.
A group of freshmen Republican legislators is pushing for term limits, saying gridlock in the Illinois Legislature is a sign the status quo isn’t working.
The lawmakers held a news conference Wednesday to rail on the “entrenched leadership” in Springfield.
None of the 11 lawmakers at the news conference said they’re voluntarily limiting their own time in office.
On the one hand, that’s kinda funny.
On the other hand, it’s not really hypocritical. We often see the same sort of illogical barbs aimed at those who want to see a tax increase: If you’re so concerned, how about you voluntarily send the state more money than you owe?
And, in reality, a bunch of minority party lawmakers have little to nothing to do with “entrenched” Springfield leadership. That press conference was really about the House Speaker, not rank and file members.
* I’m not a big fan of term limits, but I don’t think they would be the end of the world, either, as long as people realize that the governor would likely wind up with a whole lot more power than the office currently has. The legislative leadership has strengthened their somewhat weak constitutional position with impressive political and organizing skills (which will eventually deteriorate with turnover), creative rule-making and executive rule oversight (which hasn’t really been challenged).
I’d much rather see remap reform, but that’s not nearly as sexy in the waning days of a bitter spring legislative session.
* The problem, according to the Taxpayers’ Federation and the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability in a new report…
According to the Illinois Comptroller, the state has run a deficit in its General Fund every year since at least 1991. The causes of these annual deficits vary, as do the potential solutions, but the data make one thing clear—antiquated tax policy is one of the significant contributors to Illinois’ long term fiscal shortcomings.
For a sales tax to play its role of generating stable revenue for a fiscal system, it needs to apply broadly to most transactions that occur in the consumer economy. The reasons for this are easy to understand. First, consumer spending is the largest segment of both the nation’s and Illinois’ respective economies, accounting for nearly 70 percent of all economic activity. Second, consumer spending usually does not decline substantially—even during major economic downturns. For instance, during the Great Recession, consumer spending remained relatively constant, with real personal consumption expenditures declining by less than one percent from 2007 through 2010. Hence, if a sales tax base broadly applies to most transactions in the consumer economy, that sales tax will have the capacity to provide some stability to a state’s fiscal system, even when other more volatile/responsive revenues are declining rapidly. In addition, a broadly applicable sales tax is efficient—it does not distort consumer decision-making by exempting, and thereby favoring, one business sector over another.
Illinois’ sales tax applies to fewer service industries than do the sales taxes in all of Illinois’ neighboring states. Nationally, Illinois ranked 45th (out of 45) in the number of service industries identified as subject to its general sales tax. Because Illinois does not apply its sales tax to most services, it has what is considered a narrow sales tax base. This is problematic because research shows that a narrow–based tax is more volatile than a broad-based one. Volatility is not desirable in a sales tax, which is supposed to generate stable revenue for a fiscal system. Hence, broadening Illinois’ sales tax base to include more services than are currently taxed should decrease this volatility. This, in turn, should enable the sales tax to do a better job of generating stable revenue for the Illinois fiscal system. […]
in 1965, the sale of services accounted for 51 percent of the total Illinois economy, while the sale of goods accounted for 41 percent. Over the next half century, the Illinois economy greatly changed. By 2012, the sale of services increased to represent 72 percent of the state’s economy, while the sale of goods declined significantly, accounting for just 17 percent of the Illinois’ economy. Put another way, the base of the Illinois’ sales tax lost more than half of its value as a share of Illinois’ economy over the last four decades. […]
By leaving the majority of the largest and fastest growing sector of the state’s economy out of its sales tax base, Illinois has effectively ensured that its sales tax cannot perform the stability function needed for its fiscal system to be sound.
To modernize its sales tax, Illinois should expand its base to include consumer services, like pet grooming, haircuts, country club membership, health clubs, and lawn care.
The focus on consumer services is intentional. There are a number of service industries that should not be included in the state’s sales tax base for a variety of reasons. For instance, regardless of the service, business-to-business transactions should not be taxed, because taxing such transactions creates economic distortions and inefficiencies. Indeed, taxing business-to-business transactions typically results in “tax pyramiding,” which occurs when essentially one economic transaction is taxed multiple times during production and distribution, rather than just once upon final sale to the end-user. Tax pyramiding artificially increases the cost of a product or service as it flows through the economy, by taxing various stages of production.
Based on COGFA’s analysis, an estimated $2.105 billion in additional revenue could be generated if the sales tax base was expanded to include primarily consumer service industries while excluding business-to-business transactions and professional services.
Coincidentally, that’s almost the entire amount of Gov. Rauner’s phony “savings” from pension reform next fiscal year.
Local governments, which get at least an additional 1.25 cents on the dollar, would net another $526 million—money that would help Chicago, Oak Park, Schaumburg and other cities and towns throughout the state deal with budget problems including a proposed cut in state aid under Rauner’s budget.
The figure would be a lot higher if professional services were taxed, things such as legal and accounting fees. But the authors of the report say taxing such business-to-business charges are a bad idea. […]
Taxing construction services—such as carpentry, plumbing and painting—would net an estimated $795 million a year. Cable TV and other “program distribution” would get $11.6 million, data processing and other computer services $81 million, maintenance and janitorial services $28 million, and health clubs and tanning salons $11.3 million. A full list is at the end of the report.
To reach its $2.1 billion number, the groups took old estimates by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability—the Legislature’s fiscal research unit—and adjusted them for inflation.
State Representative Kelly Cassidy shepherded HB 217 to House approval Tuesday, moving Illinois closer to banning sexual orientation conversion therapy, a practice deemed disastrous for the well being of children by every prominent mental health organization.
“This archaic form of so-called treatment is based on an outdated and flawed philosophy that greatly increases the risk of suicide and mental anguish to the children who are forced to participate” Rep. Cassidy (D-Chicago) said. “I join a coalition of professional mental health organizations in applauding the passage of the bill.”
The legislation prohibits licensed mental health providers from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts, codifying the codes of ethics for mental health providers.
“The practice violates the basic Hippocratic oath of Do No Harm,” said Dr. Scott Leibowitz, Head Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist for the Gender and Sex Development Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. “Promoting stigma and shame, rather than acceptance and support goes against the fundamental principles of our practice and poses a unique and serious danger to children.”
The bill passed with a vote of 68-43 and now goes to the Senate for consideration.
* Excerpt from an Equality Illinois release…
The bill passed 68 to 43, with 61 Democrats and seven Republicans voting to protect the LGBT youth of Illinois, including the House Republican leader Rep. Jim Durkin among the “yes” votes. The roll call continues the history in Illinois of all laws that advance LGBT equality succeeding due to votes from both parties.
“The fact that there was a bipartisan vote in favor of the bill in the House demonstrates that this is again not an issue based on political affiliation but on doing what is right for Illinois children. We hope that Senate Democrats and Republicans will similarly give serious consideration to supporting the bill and that Gov. Bruce Rauner will sign it.”
Equality Illinois and allied organizations have held two meetings with Gov. Rauner about the issue, and he expressed concern about the therapy’s effect on young people.
The bill prohibits licensed mental health care providers from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with anyone under the age of 18. Sexual orientation change efforts are defined by the bill as any treatment or practice that seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Such practices can negatively impact the mental and physical health of LGBT youth. For instance, LGBT youth who experience rejection and social stigmatization are more likely to have high levels of depression, more likely to engage in substance abuse, and more likely to attempt suicide.
Every major mental health organization in Illinois supports HB 217, including the Illinois Psychological Association, Illinois Psychiatric Society, American Psychoanalytic Association, Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, and Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The legislation does not apply to religious leaders and would not impact the ability of clergy to practice their religion. Similar legislation is now law in California, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia, and the Oregon legislature has sent a bill to the governor. Also, the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to the New Jersey law.
* The Illinois Family Institute displayed its usual outrage…
Yesterday afternoon in an appalling disregard for children’s mental health, parental rights and religious liberty, the Illinois House voted 68 to 43 to pass HB 217, a bill to ban reparative therapy for children who suffer from unwanted same-sex attraction disorder. This bill was introduced by LBGTQ activist and State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago). The bill received eight more votes than the sixty needed to pass!
This is an unmitigated disaster for children and families! It is a shame that not one conservative lawmaker challenged this proposal during floor debate. Not one lawmaker defended children and free speech from the tyranny of Leftists who demand we act, speak and think according to the dictates of their beliefs. Not one lawmaker reminded their colleagues that by diminishing the right to live out our faith, they are establishing the religion of secularism which the First Amendment decisively prohibits.
While a number of representatives were excused from session that afternoon, it is disappointing to report that seven Republicans sided with this pro-homosexual, anti-parental rights, anti-religious liberty legislation, including: State Representatives Dan Brady (Normal), Tim Butler (Springfield), Michael McAuliffe (Chicago), Bob Pritchard (Sycamore), Deputy “Leader” David Leitch (Peoria), and Assistant Republican “Leader” Ed Sullivan (Mundelein), who also voted to pass same-sex “marriage” in November 2013. Even Republican Minority “Leader” Jim Durkin (Burr Ridge) voted to further the devastation of families who have members struggling with the issue of unwanted same-sex attraction.
However, a number of Democrats did not support this radical agenda, including State Representatives Kate Cloonen (Kankakee), Jerry Costello (Red Bud),Anthony DeLuca (Chicago Heights), Brandon Phelps (Harrisburg), Larry Walsh Jr. (Joliet) and even Assistant Majority Leader John Bradley (Marion).
IFI is grateful for the moral clarity displayed by these and other members of the Illinois House of Representatives who opposed HB 217.
The bill now moves to the Illinois Senate, the more liberal chamber. Unless an outpouring of prayers, along with many visits and calls are made to senators’ local district offices, this bill will likely become law.
We are seeing an unprecedented attack on Illinois families, parental rights and religious liberty by the people who are repeatedly elected back into their positions of authority. Are you registered to vote? Do you vote?
If people of faith do not step out of their comfort zone and speak loudly and publicly; at the very least with their vote, we are assuredly leaving a legacy of tyranny and evil for our children and grandchildren.
2. By restricting counseling options, HB 217 falsely sets lawmakers up as medical experts.
This bill claims that it’s always wrong for minors to seek counseling if they’re confused about their sexual orientation.
Page 8 of the bill says that type of counseling is allowed, “under no circumstances.” That means the minor cannot turn to a professional counselor for help, even if he or she is the one who desires to talk about unwanted sexual feelings one way or another.
Many of the bill’s sponsors would argue in reproductive health care that it is not the government’s place to come between a patient and his or her doctor.
It’s unclear how common the practice is in Illinois. Supporters of a ban largely point to anecdotal evidence from people who have come forward to share their stories. Cassidy said she was unaware of any specific places practicing the therapy but said she has spoken to several “survivors.”
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which oversees mental health providers, reported that it received one complaint related to the therapy in 2012. It was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has fought conversion therapy across the country. The state agency found no cause to discipline the therapist.
Sam Wolfe, a civil rights attorney at the law center, said it’s difficult to quantify how pervasive conversion therapy is in Illinois because conversion therapists operate through referral services and word of mouth instead of explicit advertising because of blowback in recent years.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
According to Moody’s, Exelon’s credit is rated (Baa2) two notches higher than Chicago (Ba1) and four notches higher than CPS (Ba3). Yet Exelon is demanding a $1.6 BILLION bailout from struggling family, business and government ratepayers including more than $20 million from Chicago and CPS. Maybe Exelon should be bailing out Chicago and CPS instead of the other way around!
“A plan to financially reward Exelon Corp. for producing no-carbon energy and potentially save three Illinois nuclear plants from closure would cost ratepayers $1.6 billion over five years and strain budgets for financially strapped businesses and municipal governments, a study released Tuesday found.” - Associated Press, 4/21/15
We simply can’t afford to pad the pockets of Exelon shareholders while governments from Chicago to Cairo are in such dire straits. Businesses and governments can learn how much the bailout would cost them at www.noexelonbailout.com/calculator.
Just say no to the Exelon bailout. Vote no on SB1585/HB3293.
BEST Coalition is a 501C4 nonprofit group of dozens of business, consumer and government groups, as well as large and small businesses. Visit www.noexelonbailout.com.
By giving every Republican member of the state House and Senate campaign cash, Rauner is no better than the special interest groups and Springfield culture he campaigned against.
When voters put Rauner into office, they did so expecting change. Not even six months into his first term, and Rauner is giving voters signs that he may be more about fitting in and conforming than mixing it up.
There’s a lot to like about Rauner’s turnaround agenda, and we’ve supported the ideas that make sense and strive to make Illinois a better place to live and do business. We don’t, however, endorse business as usual.
Using campaign dollars to attain votes is a disappointment. We expected more from the man who promised to shakeup Springfield.
* Actually, Rauner promised to do exactly what he did last week way back in December of 2013. From my syndicated newspaper column last November…
Last December, Bruce Rauner appeared on a WLS Radio talk show and revealed that he planned to form a new campaign committee to counter the power of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
“We’re gonna raise a PAC, we’re gonna raise a fund dedicated to the state legislature, members of both parties who take the tough votes,” Rauner said. “We’ve gotta protect the members who take tough votes.”
“Right now,” Rauner continued, “Madigan controls the legislature from his little pot of cash. It isn’t that much money. And he runs the whole state government out of that pot. We need a pro-business, pro-growth, pro-limited-government, pro-tax-reduction PAC down there in Springfield working with the legislature for those who take tough votes.”
Instead of one PAC, there’s two. One he controls and a “Democratic” PAC controlled by his pals.
“And Madigan’s never dealt with someone like me. He’s dealt with career politicians who need favors, who need money, who are worried about re-election. That ain’t me. I can stand up to him.
“And I’m also a very aggressive negotiator. I know how to leverage and advantage. And I’ve got big advantages. The power of the governorship, if you’re willing to shake it up, is hugely powerful.
“You have executive order ability like very few other governors have. You have line item veto, amendatory veto. You control the checkbook and the spending. You control the contract negotiations with the government union bosses and the suppliers.
“I can do things no career politician would think about doing. I can run the government like a business, challenge the government unions and their power, transform their deal through contract negotiations, and stand up to Madigan, because I know where his special interest groups are, and I can go after them.”
So, he’s actually toned down his promises. At least for now.
* Related…
* Local lawmakers get Rauner money, say it won’t affect their decisions: “It’s sitting on a table at home right now,” Butler said of depositing the check in his campaign account. “I think we’ve just got to see how things play out. Obviously, there’s been a lot made of the fact that he’s cut these checks, so I’m kind of evaluating it right now.”… Butler said he disagrees with the notion that he’s expected to vote in favor of the governor’s agenda because of the contribution… Poe said he got $3,000 from Rauner. “I don’t intend to probably ever cash it,” Poe said. “Give it six months, and we’ll see what happens. I didn’t think I needed it right now and probably shouldn’t cash it.”
House Democrats say they’re working behind the scenes to draw up their own budget plan they hope can pass before a May 31 deadline […]
“The truth is that what the governor is asking for is that we wholeheartedly accept his political ideology and agenda in exchange for a balanced budget,” Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said. “The people of Illinois deserve a balanced budget with or without Gov. Rauner getting what he wants on a number of political fronts.”
Democrats aren’t saying what their budget plan would look like. If it contained a tax hike, that would play into Rauner’s hands. The governor could veto the measure and force lawmakers back to the table over the summer as he airs millions of dollars in TV ads ripping Democrats for trying to raise taxes before making other fixes.
Given the Democrats’ control of the state legislature and their opposition to many proposals for spending cuts, municipal bond fund managers see little alternative for Republican Governor Bruce Rauner other than eventually agreeing to hike taxes, such as raising the state’s income tax or broadening its sales tax base. […]
“What is quite simple a solution is to raise taxes,” said Tom Metzold, senior portfolio manager at Eaton Vance Management, which has been paring down its Illinois exposure. “You’re going to have a game of chicken over who blinks first - the cutting expenditure side or raising taxes side.” […]
“It doesn’t take much of a tax increase and/or a combination of some spending cuts to solve their problems, it just takes the political will,” said Guy Davidson, director of Municipal Fixed Income at AllianceBernstein, which owns some Illinois state general obligation bonds.
While Illinois ranks 31st among the states in terms of its state business tax climate for 2015, according to the Tax Foundation research group, its flat personal income tax rate is well below many other states, particularly for higher-income earners.
Davidson is way understating the problem here. These aren’t easy peasy things.
* Meanwhile, yet another House proposal that has no chance of passage, but could likely wind up as direct mail fodder for the Democrats since it’s quite popular…
People who make more than $1 million per year would pay more in taxes after their incomes reached seven figures under a plan that lawmakers started considering today. […]
The plan would add a 3 percent tax to annual incomes over $1 million and send the money generated to Illinois schools.
Business leaders pushed back, saying the idea would be “another nail in the coffin” for businesses considering leaving Illinois. And he echoed last year’s criticisms of the 2014 referendum as a populist political move.
“It’s an easy vote to say yes to, much like being able to say: ‘Tax somebody else to take care of the problems that we face in this state,” Illinois Manufacturers Association President Greg Baise said.
The House Revenue Committee approved the measure along strictly partisan lines today.
“After New Jersey implemented its millionaires tax, the state itself came out and estimated it lost $2.4 billion of income as a direct result of tax migration,” said Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. “We think tax migration is going to be a very big issue.”
“In talking to our members, tax policy is indeed a driver of where they locate,” said Greg Baise, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “This will be another nail in the coffin for job creators who want to stay in the state.”
Baise said the amendment does not address tax policy in a broad manner, something Gov. Bruce Rauner has said he wants the legislature to do this spring.
Currie, though, said the number of millionaires in New Jersey increased after the state imposed a similar tax.
It’s gonna be a heckuva summer unless they can get their acts together right away.
Anti-tax advocates contend that higher taxes on the wealthy lead to millionaire flight. They say this has been seen in Maryland, Rhode Island, New Jersey and New York. The rich are mobile, they say. They can take their money, taxes and jobs wherever they are treated best.
But a new study focusing on New Jersey provides some of the most detailed evidence yet that so-called millionaire taxes have little effect on the movements of millionaires as a whole.
The study, by sociologists Cristobal Young at Stanford and Charles Varner at Princeton, studied the migration patterns of New Jersey’s millionaires before and after 2004, when the state imposed a “millionaire’s tax” that raised rates on those earning $500,000 or more to 8.97% from 6.37%.
The study found that the overall population of millionaires increased during the tax period. Some millionaires moved out, of course. But they were more than offset by the creation of new millionaires.
The study dug deeper to figure out whether the millionaires who were moving out did so because of the tax. As a control group, they used New Jersey residents who earned $200,000 to $500,000–in other words, high-earners who weren’t subject to the tax. They found that the rate of out-migration among millionaires was in line with and rate of out-migration of submillionaires. The tax rate, they concluded, had no measurable impact.
* California’s spending is able to rise 6 percent next fiscal year because the state previously did the fiscally responsible thing of cutting spending and raising taxes…
California Governor Jerry Brown said an expanding economy has channeled an additional $6.7 billion in revenue into state coffers, allowing him to boost proposed spending next year to a record $115 billion.
Most extra money will go to schools, Brown said Thursday at a Sacramento news conference where he released a revised budget for the year that begins July 1. Fellow members of the Democratic Party who control the legislature said he should spare some cash to augment programs for the poor. […]
Brown, 77, the longest-serving governor in California history, has steered the world’s seventh-largest economy away from deficits and turmoil. At points, it paid bills with IOUs. In the past two years, however, the three biggest bond-rating companies raised their rankings on California four times, more than any other state.
Voters increased taxes in 2012 and let lawmakers pass budgets with a simple majority instead of a two-thirds vote. Brown is capitalizing on a surge in revenue from capital-gains taxes that turned a $25 billion deficit four years ago into a surplus. […]
Brown’s new plan would provide health care to undocumented immigrants and offer an additional $2.2 billion for responding to a record drought.
Brown announced an agreement with University of California President Janet Napolitano that would freeze in-state tuition for two years by steering $436 million to the university system’s pension obligations, among other funding increases. Napolitano and Brown clashed last year when the Board of Regents granted her authority to raise tuition, inciting student protests. […]
Brown’s plan would create an earned-income tax credit to steer $380 million to 2 million low-income workers. The credit would provide an average $460 annually to households without dependents whose income falls below $6,580 and those with at least three dependents earning below $13,870.
* I posted remarks at length yesterday by House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno about how the Democrats were walking away from the “working groups” process in an attempt to push the session into overtime. Here are some stories with the Democratic response. Riopell..
A spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, criticized Republicans’ tone.
“It’s counterproductive and raises questions about the true goal of the governor’s secret meetings,” spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said. “We have been fully engaged in the process and continue to hope that we can arrive at a balanced and bipartisan budget.”
Democrats say they are “engaged in the process,” but have warned the governor’s “Turnaround Agenda” could hurt the middle-class.
“I don’t think anybody would realistically expect the progress that working families have made in Illinois would be dismantled in a few months,” said Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago. “It’s not going the way they want. But it is what it is.” […]
A spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said the Republican announcement puts a damper on the session, which is scheduled to end on May 31 with the adoption of a budget.
“Today’s press conference really does change the temperature in the building and will probably prove to be rather counterproductive,” Phelon said. […]
“Their complaints are a little curious,” Brown said. “I don’t think there is anything different happening there.”
However, Illinois Representative Mike Smiddy (D-Port Byron) said Republicans are sabotaging the negotiations.
“If anything is going to get done, it’s probably going to get done by the Democrats,” Smiddy said. “And as usual the Republicans are going to be sitting on their hands come crunch time with the budget.”
Steve Brown, spokesperson for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), called the press conference a distraction after Republicans came under fire for taking thousands of dollars from Bruce Rauner’s campaign
“We have been having roll calls on the signature elements of (Rauner’s agenda),” said Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago. “I don’t know how they can justify making that kind of a claim.”
Brown also said that to the best of his knowledge, Democrats are still participating in the working groups.
Senate Democrats are also participating, said Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago. […]
She said Cullerton “is disappointed in the change in tone in Springfield today. It’s unnecessary and counterproductive when we have such a short time to produce a balanced budget. The governor is basically asking the members of the General Assembly to wholeheartedly embrace his political agenda in exchange for producing a balanced budget.”
Steve Brown, spokesman for Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, fired back at Republicans for pushing an agenda he says hurts working people.
“I’m sure nobody seriously believed we’re going to dismantle decades of progress working families have made just because somebody’s showing a Power Point around the state,” Brown said, a reference to a Power Point presentation Rauner has frequently used to outline his agenda.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Ben Lowers, Police Chief in Clinton, Illinois:
As Police Chief in Clinton, I know firsthand of the significant impact the Clinton Power Station has on my community. It employs nearly 700 of our friends and neighbors and funds local government services including schools, fire and emergency response through the $12.6 million it pays in taxes every year.
Outdated energy policies are forcing nuclear energy plants nationwide to close down and Clinton could be next. These closures devastate local communities. Jobs are lost. Services are cut. Last year, a Vermont town eliminated its entire police department after its local plant closed down.
Clinton cannot afford this and neither can Illinois. That is why I support a legislative proposal called the Low Carbon Portfolio Standard. This proposal is good for our state’s economic health and would help prevent plants like Clinton Power Station from closing.
I urge our legislators in Springfield to act now and vote YES on the Low Carbon Portfolio Standard - House Bill 3293 & Senate Bill 1585.
* I tried posting this story yesterday on my phone and couldn’t get it to work right. Sorry about that. Let’s first go to the AP…
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s lawsuit over forced fees paid by non-union state workers may proceed, but without the governor participating, a federal judge ruled yesterday.
U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman decreed that the Republican, who has tried to limit labor unions’ political influence in his short tenure, does not have sufficient interest in the matter to seek a federal opinion that so-called “fair-share” fees are unconstitutional.
And he declared Rauner cannot collect the fair-share fees and keep them in a separate account—away from the unions—until the matter is settled.
But the judge decided that three non-union Illinois workers who were added to the suit later may press the case. Mark Janus of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Marie Quigley of the Department of Public Health and the Transportation Department’s Brian Trygg are better positioned to show “injury” from being forced to pay the fees, but they must prove as legal action moves forward that federal intervention is justified.
Rauner was “greatly encouraged” by the decision, a spokeswoman said.
In his ruling, Gettleman said Rauner lacked standing to challenge public unions in his official capacity because he had “no personal interest at stake.”
“In effect, he seeks to represent the non-member employees subject to the fair share provisions of the collective bargaining agreements,” Gettleman said of Rauner and non-union workers. “He has no standing to do so. They must do it on their own.”
In an attempt to move forward with his original lawsuit, Rauner amended it to include three non-union employees who oppose making the fair share payments. But Gettleman said Rauner lacked the authority to add the workers to his lawsuit without court permission.
Gettleman acknowledged the workers had standing to file suit to challenge the payments and agreed “in the interest of judicial economy” to allow their complaint to proceed separately. He ordered attorneys for the state’s public employee unions to respond to the suit by June 10.
* Illinois AFL-CIO react…
A federal lawsuit brought by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner against 25 labor unions representing state employees has been dismissed by the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois—the latest in a string of setbacks for the governor’s efforts to strip the rights of all workers to have strong union representation.
“We’re gratified that the court has rejected Governor Rauner’s latest ploy to weaken the unions that represent police officers, child protection workers, nurses and all who serve our state,” Illinois AFL-CIO president Michael T. Carrigan said. “This should be a strong signal to the governor that it’s time he treats public service workers with respect.”
Rauner filed the suit in February, at the same time he issued an executive order refusing to comply with federal and state laws that provide for fair share agreements, under which union-represented employees who choose not to join the union instead pay a proportional fair share of the cost of union representation.
Today, Judge Robert W. Gettleman granted motions by the unions and Attorney General Lisa Madigan, dismissing Rauner’s complaint for lack of standing and subject matter jurisdiction.
Judge Gettleman also denied Rauner’s request to place fair share fees in escrow.
He allowed three individual state employee plaintiffs to pursue the case in their own right.
For the reasons explained above, the Employees’ motion to file their complaint in intervention (Doc. 91) is granted and the complaint will be treated as the operative complaint in this action. The Unions’ and Madigan’s motions to dismiss the original complaint (Docs. 40, 51) are granted. The Governor’s motion to confirm the first amended complaint (Doc. 97) and motion to dismiss defendants’ motions to dismiss as moot (Doc. 99) are denied. The first amended complaint (Doc. 102) is dismissed. The Governor’s motion to place fair share fees in escrow (Doc. 83) is denied as moot. The remaining defendants are ordered to respond to the new operative complaint on or before June 10, 2015.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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As a thank you for their ultimate sacrifice to our country, credit unions from across the state unite to sponsor wreaths to decorate the gravesites of veterans from each branch of the military during the holidays. This past year, through member donations collected at their branches and with funds directly provided by the credit unions themselves, nearly 570 gravesites were decorated with wreaths sponsored by Illinois credit unions at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, as well as at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. True to their mission, groups of volunteers from Illinois credit unions also participate in the ceremonial act of placing wreaths at the gravesites.
As not-for-profit financial cooperatives with a mantra of “People Before Profits”, credit unions are a highly valued resource by nearly 3 million Illinois consumers — and remembered for their efforts in serving their communities this Memorial holiday and every day.
* “We are getting down to crunch time,” Leader Radogno told Statehouse reporters. “Unfortunately, with each passing day, it looks more and more like the Democrats are unwilling to seriously engage and negotiate transformational reforms to state government.”
Radogno said Democratic attendance at the governor’s working groups has “become spotty,” adding “things have been slow-walked, things have been taken off the table without any real negotiation whatsoever.”
She claimed the Democrats are “ignoring the problems of this state,” including Chicago’s pension crisis, which includes a “$600 million pension payment that’s due in 40 days.”
The Democrats “want to play politics,” instead of negotiating, she said.
Radogno claimed Democrats took codifying the governor’s executive order on state employee ethics reforms off the table because they feared it was the first step to applying those reforms to the General Assembly.
* Leader Durkin said that Democrats “only appear to be interested in doubling down” on the failed reforms of the past. “They are not participating in good faith,” on the working groups, Durkin alleged, saying “Democrats have made a mockery of the process.”
Durkin said the Democrats are only interested in scoring political points on the House floor so that they can send out mailers and do robocalls into GOP districts. “They’ve ruined the middle class,” Durkin said, mocking the Democrats’ claims that they’re all about protecting the middle class.
* In response to a question about the lack of actual legislation from the governor, Radogno said most of the bills they deal with start with conversations. “It is absolute nonsense that you throw a bill on the table, vote it up or down and then move on. That’s not how it’s done.”
Radogno went on to say that the working group dealing with revenue had made some progress because the Dems are “desperate” for more revenues.
* “The signal I’m getting on the House floor is that it’s over, that they have no desire to participate,” Durkin said about the chance that the spring session would go past May 31st. Radogno said it was solely the Democrats’ choice whether the session went into overtime.
* And asked about the governor’s $400,000 contribution to Republican legislators, Radogno countered that there had been no scrutiny of contributions to the House Speaker during his fundraiser last week. She said the governor’s a Republican so it “makes sense that he supports Republicans,” and said there was “nothing nefarious about it.”
* I told subscribers about these Democratic mailers this morning and the AFP mailers several days ago…
Just days after a vote to freeze property taxes that Republicans decried as a stunt, Democrats sent mailers to at least some suburban voters trying to criticize GOP lawmakers for not supporting it.
The Illinois House Friday debated a proposal from state Rep. Jack Franks, a Marengo Democrat, that would freeze how much local governments can ask of taxpayers. Most Republicans voted “present” and argued the plan was hastily written and didn’t match up with what Gov. Bruce Rauner is proposing.
By Monday, mailers criticizing state Rep. Sheri Jesiel’s vote landed in some Lake County mailboxes. She said she voted “present” — neither “yes” nor “no” — because the plan was a political game. […]
Party chairman and House Speaker Michael Madigan’s spokesman said Democrats are pushing back against TV ads and mailers from the conservative group Americans for Prosperity that have pushed for a property tax freeze. The ads have largely targeted suburban Democrats.
“That’s just a front for the administration,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said.
According to Riopell, at least three Republicans have been hit with the mailers so far. Subscribers have a copy of one of the Dem mailers and the AFP stuff.
The governor’s people, by the way, flatly deny that they had anything to do with the AFP mailers. AFP has issued the same denial.
This is not good news for the session’s prospects, to say the least.
* Jak is the Walter Cronkite of Illinois Statehouse news. There is nobody better.
Speaker Madigan, for instance, doesn’t sit down with many TV reporters, but he knows Jak is fair and asks insightful questions, so despite the fact that Jak has put him on the hot seat numerous times with tough questions, Madigan regularly submits to Tichenor’s interview requests. Jak isn’t a “gotcha” guy looking for cheap ratings boosts. He’s a real, honest to goodness journalist.
I’ve been privileged to appear on Jak’s “Illinois Lawmakers” show for years. Our friendship developed partly because of a mutual acquaintance, Jak’s wife Monica, who I’ve known since my early days in Springfield. But it grew strong because of our mutual respect. I cannot possibly say enough good things about the man. He’s decent, he’s honest, he’s trustworthy.
Here we are in 2014…
A congratulatory caption contest perhaps?
*** UPDATE *** Jak just called and said he hoped to continue with the Illinois Lawmakers program. That’s a relief.
Throwing her hat in the contest against incumbent Anita Alvarez is Donna More, a one-time assistant to Richard M. Daley when he ran the office before becoming mayor. She since has gone on to much bigger posts.
“Our current state’s attorney has too often had the wrong priorities,” More said in a statement announcing her candidacy. “The office is shrouded in secrecy and has too often had the wrong priorities. . . .Cook County needs and deserves a state’s attorney with the independence and accountability to restore integrity to the office.”
I’m not quite sure what More is getting at there—Alvarez’s office did not have an immediate response—but More has some resources to throw into her campaign, if she so chooses.
After leaving Daley, she moved to the U.S. attorney’s office and became first chief legal counsel to the Illinois Gaming Board. She’s now managing partner of the Chicago office of Fox Rothschild, a 600-lawyer firm.
More, 57, has made political donations on both sides of the aisle, giving to both County Commissioner Bridget Gainer, a Democrat, and Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican. Watch for the latter $2,500 gift to get lots of attention.
With the advent of the ostensibly “Democratic” but pro-Rauner IllinoisGO PAC, and Rauner transition co-chairman Bill Daley pushing his own candidate for US Senate, is a pattern developing here?
As you are aware, my father, Governor Dan Walker passed away recently. We have received a lot of inquiries about a service for him here in Illinois. We realize he touched the lives of a lot of people and some may want to pay respects. We are having a service for those that want to attend. Perhaps you are willing to share the information?
Sunday June 7
1 to 4 pm, with a prayer service at 2pm.
Lake Bluff Golf Club
355 W. Washington Avenue
Lake Bluff, Illinois
All is quiet at SIU’s campus and it wasn’t too noisy even when Governor Bruce Rauner delivered one of the graduation addresses. Many were bracing for big protests.
A controversial visit from Governor Bruce Rauner had some school officials worried of possible protests. Those worries were calmed Saturday, with only a few people outside the SIU Arena.
“It’s an informational picket, not a protest,” said picketer Rich Whitney.
He says the proposed cuts aren’t necessary.
“None of the cuts that Rauner or the General Assembly are talking about are necessary so we’re here to promote a positive solution,” Whitney explained.
Rich Whitney, eh?
Sheesh.
What about the 2,725 people who signed that online petition? Did they just click it and forget it? No large numbers of students? No labor union members protesting en masse?
From what I gathered, the unions decided to wait a bit. Unlike Gov. Quinn before him, Rauner seems to want rowdy confrontations. Better to just leave things to Whitney and his little crew…
* With time quickly running out on the spring session, I don’t think this should be seen as a snub…
Among the slew of politicians who did show up for Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s inauguration Monday, one was missing — Gov. Bruce Rauner.
“With the end of the legislative session nearing, the governor stayed in Springfield to continue negotiations with lawmakers on the state budget, Turnaround Agenda and other bills,” Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said Monday. “He looks forward to working closely with the mayor over his term for the people of Illinois and Chicago.”
In contrast, Emanuel traveled to Springfield in January to attend Rauner’s inauguration.
* There’s also a real problem here with logistics. Instead of taking the state plane, Gov. Rauner is driving back and forth from either Chicago or his north suburban home to Springfield. We’re talking a minimum of 3 hours each way, so driving up to the city for the inaugural and then driving back down to Springfield would take up his entire day.
Yet, his top agency officials are still riding on the state shuttle, as are legislative leaders.
I know, I know, he repeatedly blasted the state’s airplane fleet as a waste of money during the campaign and promised to shut it down and sell it off. But he hasn’t done that yet, and he’s now the governor with lots of responsibilities, along with his top staff, so…
* The Question: Should the governor and his top staff start using the state plane, even if it results in some seriously negative media coverage? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* The McHenry County Blog reports that one Republican state Senator has refused to accept a contribution from Gov. Bruce Rauner, who recently contributed a grand total of $400,000 to GOP legislators…
Governor Bruce Rauner’s campaign fund cut checks to all Illinois Republican legislators.
Mike Tryon, a member of the House Republican leadership, got one for $8,000.
State Rep. Steve Andersson, a first-term state rep. also reported receiving $8,000 from Citizens for Rauner Inc. […]
“Considering the timing,” State Senator Karen McConnaughay decided not to accept her contribution from the Governor’s campaign fund.
McConnaughay is known for both her practical bipartisanship and her toughness.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
My name is Amy Clark. Shortly after my first son, Brandon, was born I noticed he wasn’t meeting developmental milestones. He was showing severe developmental delays. As he got, he couldn’t speak and was excessively happy.
Brandon was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome, a rare neuro-genetic disorder. After genetic testing, I was told Brandon’s form of Angelman Syndrome was spontaneous and not hereditary.
Brandon’s condition required so much of my time and attention I wanted to be 100 percent positive his condition was not hereditary before I thought about having another child. I sought a second opinion and was assured the initial tests were negative. I was told I had a less than 1 percent chance of conceiving another child with Angelman Syndrome.
Our second son, Timothy, began showing the same symptoms of Angelman Syndrome that Brandon had. I sought answers and discovered my original genetic tests were not negative. The doctors were wrong, I indeed tested positive for the hereditary genetic mutation. This meant I had a 50 percent chance of having a child with Angelman Syndrome.
Because of the doctors’ mistakes, I now have two disabled children who demand 100 percent of my time and attention.
The civil justice system in Illinois allowed me to hold the doctors accountable for their mistakes. I cannot work, because it’s impossible to find someone to care for the boys. My life is not normal by any means, and my settlement did not place me in the lap of luxury. I needed my settlement to survive, pay the bills and to put food on the table. I didn’t win a jackpot—I obtained justice. Trust me, I’d give it all back to have that big, healthy family I always wanted.
Aldermen considered two proposals. Option A, as city officials called it, excluded much of the language about right-to-work proposals that has upset local and state labor unions. Option B included the right-to-work language. Both resolutions say the city “supports discussion on major reforms in state government, to be cooperatively negotiated among the governor’s office, General Assembly and local elected leaders, that will encourage local control, reduce costs on local governments and increase the competitiveness of our community.”
The Council only considered and voted on Option B after Ald. At Large Andrew Chesney quickly steered the discussion toward Option B. […]
Seventh Ward Ald. Tom Koester spoke at length, urging his colleagues to vote against the agenda.
“This resolution goes after labor,” he said. “These are the people we work for, and I can’t tell you what the Water Department employees do or the police do. I don’t know what they need to bargain on, because I don’t know what they do.”
Koester added that he spoke to a member of Rep. Brian Stewart’s office within the past week, and when Koester asked what would happen if the city did not move the resolution forward, he said he was told: “The governor controls some of the grants, so maybe you won’t get some of the money you’re counting on.”
Keep in mind that the alderman making that claim was against the resolution.
Wednesday, May 20 – Boone County Board has the Rauner anti-worker resolution on its agenda, 6:30 p.m., 1212 Logan Avenue, Belvidere
http://www.boonecountyil.org/page/countyboard
The so-called “right-to-work'’ initiatives being pushed by Gov. Bruce Rauner may arguably have an impact on the state’s business climate, but there are more serious issues that are more important.
So it was a colossal waste of time last week when the House spent time debating and voting down a right-to-work bill that was never going anywhere in the first place. Democrats, behind Speaker Michael Madigan, staged the vote. For the record, the bill received zero “yes” votes and 72 “no” votes. Most Republicans, as instructed, voted “present.'’ Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, was one of the exceptions; he didn’t vote either way. […]
While Rauner contends he has nothing against unions, he knows right-to- work is a divisive issue. Pushing the idea is as much about dividing people as is having a one-sided vote in the General Assembly.
There is undoubtedly a time and a place for a reasonable discussion about whether it’s wise, given changes in the worldwide economy, to consider right-to-work initiatives.
But the state’s overall economic outlook would be improved much more quickly with a stable pension system, a balanced budget, streamlined government, workers’ compensation reform, lower taxes and a more business-friendly attitude by state government.
Look, the governor has spent months and months wasting valuable time on this issue giving speeches and pushing local resolutions that could’ve been used to pass his legislative agenda. The General Assembly spent a few hours on the topic last week.
The governor’s office hasn’t produced any legislation dealing with the issues the Pantagraph wants addressed, so it’s not like the House could’ve voted on that stuff last week.
Plus, the governor appears, for now anyway, to have toned down his rhetoric several notches since that House vote.
I’m not saying it was the most productive use of the House’s time, I’m just saying that the vote may have actually helped move the ball forward a bit. At the very least, the amount of energy expended by the governor’s office showed him - or should’ve showed him - that the idea is a dead-bang loser here.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Thank you Georgia and Nevada!
Were it not for these two states, Illinois would rank dead last in the country in average spending per Medicaid enrollee – for kids, senior citizens, and people with disabilities or mental illnesses.
Illinois ranks 49th in the country in average spending per Medicaid enrollee among the 50 states and District of Columbia – substantially lower than every surrounding state in the Midwest and lower than other large states like California, New York, Texas and Florida.
But imposing $810 million in hospital Medicaid cuts as proposed in the FY2016 state budget will only help Illinois hit rock bottom.
40 percent of Illinois hospitals are already operating in the red – in every region of the State.
Drastic Medicaid cuts will decimate access to health care in urban and rural communities across Illinois.
Drastic Medicaid cuts will mean reductions and elimination of services for everyone, longer waits in the ER, higher health care costs for working families and businesses, lost jobs and lost economic activity.
Cutting Medicaid in the FY2016 budget is shortsighted and will result in real harm to people and communities.
In Springfield, I had the misfortune of watching Rauner speak, twice.
The first time was in downtown Springfield for a [Civil War] re-enactment. I subsequently shared a room with other Gold Star family members as Rauner and his wife made the rounds, shaking hands and apologizing for each loss. We moved outside for the dedication of a statue with a plaque etched with the names of our loved ones.
There were children, siblings and parents named on that plaque. People including my brother. Rauner had the audacity to assure us he knew how hard it was for us. As if he could grasp the depth of all of our losses, let alone one of ours.
I peacefully protested by turning my back while he spoke. I also did so as he was shaking hands with families.
Later, he and his wife forced themselves on me. They engaged in political bullying to gain power and control over me.
After his arrogant “I know how hard this is” speech, Rauner stood at the end of each aisle, so people could not leave without shaking his hand. I felt forced to engage and shook his hand.
Further, his wife approached me, saying she hadn’t had the chance to shake my hand yet. I was shocked by her nerve, and acquiesced. I wonder if survivors of entitled abusers feel similarly upon recognizing the lengths someone will go to to exude power and control?
I believe they registered my silent protest and decided to show me they wouldn’t be snubbed. They may be used to running businesses with impunity, believe they know what it’s like to lose someone precious in a senseless war, and feel entitled to bully, coerce and harass.
I hope they also know that winning by any means necessary isn’t really winning.
Oh, for crying out loud.
* We get this sort of thing a lot in comments and it drives me batty. It doesn’t matter what he does, the governor is somehow evil.
I’m not sure if some of y’all realize it, but going all-out against the governor for every little thing says more about you than it does about him. You should’ve seen some of the comments I deleted yesterday on a post about a pretty good speech the governor gave this week. Sheesh.
Grow up, toss out the hyper-partisanship and open your eyes and your minds, please.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The cable industry is asking lawmakers to place a NEW 5% tax on satellite TV service. The satellite tax is not about fairness, equity or parity – it’s a tax increase on the 1.3 million Illinois families and businesses who subscribe to satellite TV.
Satellite Tax Will Hurt Illinois Families and Small Businesses
• Satellite TV subscribers will see their monthly bills go up 5%.
• This tax will impact every bar, restaurant and hotel that subscribes to satellite TV service, which will translate into higher prices, decreased revenues, and fewer jobs.
• Rural Illinois has no choice: In many parts of Illinois, cable refuses to provide TV service to rural communities. Satellite TV is their only option.
Satellite Tax Is Not About Parity or Fairness
• Cable’s claim that this discriminatory tax is justified because satellite TV doesn’t pay local franchise fees could not be further from the truth. Cable pays those fees to local towns and cities in exchange for the right to bury cables in the public rights of way—a right that cable companies value in the tens of billions of dollars in their SEC filings.
• Satellite companies don’t pay franchise fees for one simple reason: We use satellites—unlike cable, we don’t need to dig up streets and sidewalks to deliver our TV service.
• Making satellite subscribers pay franchise fees—or, in this case, an equivalent amount in taxes—would be like taxing the air. It’s no different than making airline passengers pay a fee for laying railroad tracks. They don’t use; they shouldn’t have to pay for it.
* I had completely forgotten about this until a commenter pointed it out yesterday. From way back on April 28, 2003…
Converting campaign-style rhetoric into survey questions, Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich released poll results Sunday contending that his credibility with the public is so great lawmakers should fear for their re-election chances if they dare oppose his $52 billion budget proposal.
But it was the credibility of the $20,000 poll conducted for Blagojevich and paid for by his campaign that was immediately assailed by Republicans and at least one politically independent pollster. They said the survey, conducted last week, was laced with loaded words and leading questions skewed to favor Blagojevich and paint any critic in an unfavorable light.
The release of the poll results, which Blagojevich announced at news conferences in five cities, was the latest tactic of a chief executive whose public-relations-driven leadership style has been a hallmark of his slightly more than 100 days in office. […]
“I think what this does tell us is that the length of this governor’s campaign is unprecedented,” Patty Schuh, spokeswoman for Senate Republican leader Frank Watson of Greenville. […]
[Nick Panagakis, president of Market Shares Corp., which conducts political and issue polling for the Tribune] said the poll questions lacked neutrality and used words like “innovative” to describe for respondents one of the governor’s revenue-raising proposals. One poll question asked those surveyed whether they agreed with Blagojevich’s budget priorities or with “the same people who helped create the crisis the state now faces and represent the failed politics of the past.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner devised a new way to reward his friends and punish his enemies on April 16th when he created a campaign committee called “Illinois Turnaround.” […]
The governor’s campaign also released a polling memo which purports to show that the public backs his agenda. While his job approval rating is just 38 percent, his disapproval rating is five points below at 33 percent and his favorable rating is 42 percent, versus 34 who view him unfavorably.
By contrast, the General Assembly’s job approval rating is a mere 20 percent, with 57 percent disapproving. House Speaker Michael Madigan’s favorables are just 24 percent, with 51 percent viewing him unfavorably.
The poll also found that 57 percent agree with: “Bruce Rauner is trying to shake things up in Springfield, but the career politicians are standing in his way,” and 56 percent agree that the governor is “working to find bipartisan solutions that will help fix Illinois’s budget mess and improve the struggling state economy.”
“Every time they attack us,” a Rauner insider said about the Democrats, “they are reinforcing that they are insiders and the governor is the outsider - he’s the one trying to change things.”
…Adding… I should’ve also made mention of Blagojevich’s “Moving Illinois Forward” PAC, which was a lesser-funded version of the “Democratic” Rauner-favorable group.
I have strictly avoided direct comparisons here between RRB and BVR because I do not want to imply in any way that the current governor is corrupt. And this post today is in no way making that implication.
But if you’re wondering why the negativity appears to be escalating under the Statehouse dome, this may offer a clue.
Rod Blagojevich won reelection in 2006 during a huge Democratic year, but he was a failed governor because he constantly pulled stunts like releasing those poll numbers. He also failed because Speaker Madigan made it his mission to bring the guy down.
Question: What could cause Moody’s to change its GO rating on Chicago, in either a positive or a negative direction?
Answer: Our future rating actions on Chicago will largely reflect city officials’ actions on pension contributions and, ultimately, the growth of debt and pension leverage on the city’s balance sheet. Chicago’s pension funding requirements are governed by PA 98-0641 (the statute that applies to the Municipal and Laborer plans) and PA 96-1495 (the statute that applies to the Police and Fire plans). Whether or not either statute ultimately stands, we believe that Chicago’s administration will eventually have to increase pension contributions through some combination of operating revenue growth and operating expenditure reduction. The magnitude of those expected budget adjustments will be significant and will force city officials to make difficult decisions for years to come.
If both PA 98-0641 and PA 96-1495 stand, Chicago’s annual pension contributions are projected to increase by 135% in 2016; by an average annual rate of 8% in 2017-21; and by an average annual rate of 3% in 2022-26. To comply with these requirements, Chicago’s administration will need to grow revenue or cut spending by an average annual rate of 12% year-over-year (YOY) for the next decade in order to bring net pension contributions back to historical norms of 10% of annual operating revenue by 2026. (Given the scheduled contribution increases, actual annual revenue increases or spending cuts would likely be greater in 2016 than in 2017-26.) If PA 98-0641 is ultimately overturned, however, future pension funding will depend on how the city responds.
» Chicago officials could respond to an adverse ruling on PA 98-0641 by pursuing new state legislation that authorizes the city to increase contributions to the plans. If Chicago’s administration increases pension contributions in the context of balanced operating budgets that do not rely on non-recurring revenue sources, we could move the rating up or revise our rating outlook to stable.
» Chicago officials could also respond to an adverse ruling on PA 98-0641 by declining to pursue new state legislation that would allow the city to increase contributions to the plans. Chicago’s funding commitments would presumably revert to those which existed prior to the passage of PA 98-0641. Under the prior funding framework, the city’s contributions were well below those called for by plan actuaries, who projected that the Municipal and Laborer funds would deplete assets in the next decade. If the plans reach insolvency, the state could potentially implement legislation forcing Chicago to pay benefits to annuitants, either directly or through the plans. Benefits paid from the city’ four pension plans (Municipal, Laborer, Police and Fire), net of employee contributions, would significantly exceed the city’s employer contributions to those plans, as required under current laws (see Exhibit 2). If Chicago is forced to pay benefits from city operating revenue, we believe the city’s finances and GO credit profile would weaken. Therefore, if PA 98-0641 is overturned, and the city’s response raises the risk of plan insolvency, we could move the rating down.
* And here’s something for all you “We’re the next Detroit!” fanatics…
Meaning of Chicago’s Ba1 Rating in Terms of Default and Loss Potential Upon Default
Question: Does Moody’s Ba1 rating signal an expectation that Chicago will declare bankruptcy or default on its debt?
Answer: No. Moody’s ratings speak to both probability of default and expected loss upon default. The Ba rating range implies speculative elements in the risk profile but only a relatively small risk of default. Historically, approximately 1% of credits rated in the Baa range have defaulted over a three-year horizon. For credits in the Ba rating range, the share is 5%, and for B-rated credits, 15%.
We do believe, however, that the city’s pension-related challenges are significant and introduce speculative elements into the credit profile. Chicago’s pension plans will fund annuitant payments as long as assets remain in the funds. If plan insolvency occurs under the conditions described above, new questions would arise. Illinois law (40 ILCS 5/22-403) defines pension benefit payments as obligations of the pension funds, but if the pension funds are unable to fulfill these obligations, it is unclear which party will be responsible for paying annuitants.
If Chicago is forced to pay net benefit payments directly to annuitants or to the plans, elevated pension costs would compete with essential public services for city resources, creating particularly tough challenges for Chicago’s administration. We expect that this scenario would present city officials with several difficult options.
» One option would be to pursue massive revenue raising and expense cutting initiatives. Given the sheer size of the pension benefit payments that would be required, we believe that the magnitude of such budget adjustments would be extreme and would therefore be difficult to execute.
» A second option could be to pursue bankruptcy. Currently, Illinois local governments cannot file for bankruptcy, but in March 2015, proposed legislation (House Bill 298) was introduced in the Illinois General Assembly that would grant local governments authority to file for protection under Chapter 9 of the federal bankruptcy code.
» A third option would be bondholder impairment. In fact, we note that for cities in distress, pensioners have fared better than bondholders. For example, the City of San Bernardino, CA recently put forth a plan of adjustment that proposes no impairment to pensioners but a 99% loss to holders of the city’s pension obligation bonds (POBs).
Chicago’s decisions on future pension contributions – whether or not current laws stand – will be critical to our placement of the GO rating going forward. [Emphasis added.]
Question: Why hasn’t Moody’s taken rating action on the State of Illinois when the Illinois Supreme Court ruling concerned the state’s pensions?
Answer: The Illinois Supreme Court’s May 8 ruling has clear implications for the state because it appears to close the door on efforts to reduce accrued liabilities through benefits cuts. However, our credit view and rating was not dependent on the implementation of the state’s 2013 reforms, which had been stayed during the litigation. Our A3 rating on the State of Illinois reflects the state’s broad legal powers and fiscal tools to address its budget challenges, including pensions. Among the state’s options are reversing its recent income tax cuts and reducing revenue sharing with local governments. We note that the state itself also retains the option of shifting pension costs to lower levels of government, notably public universities and school districts (other than CPS), the pension liabilities of which are currently funded by the state. State shifting of pension costs to public universities and school districts would be credit positive for the state but credit negative for affected entities.
The state’s outlook remains negative, which reflects cuts in state income taxes and rising fixed costs, including those associated with pensions that have contributed to a budget gap of approximately 21% in the fiscal year starting July 1. Reliance on one-time or questionable fixes to address this gap – such as deficit financing, reduction in pension contributions or increased payment delays – would put downward pressure on the state’s ratings. [Emphasis added.]
* If you have time today, you should listen to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s address to members of the Large Unit District Association Superintendents’ meeting. It’s quite good, particularly the Q and A. The man has this stuff down. He also doesn’t scream about the unions, or whatever. I’m telling you, it could be the best speech I’ve ever heard him give. Yeah, there are some nitpicky little things I’d change, but it was his speech, not mine..
* I delayed fixing a chimney and it recently cost me a small fortune to have it repaired. The very same short-sighted principle applies here…
Although an initial analysis of deteriorating conditions at the [governor’s] mansion estimated minimal repairs will cost $8.8 million, organizers of the private fundraising campaign expect the figure to be higher when historic restoration experts release a more detailed report later this month. And officials expect the cost of repairs will continue to increase the longer the wait for repairs. […]
Last year, $2.4 million in emergency repairs for the mansion was approved but never spent. The mansion’s roof was patched last summer to prevent leaks that had continued to damage walls, buckle floors and cause mold to grow in the basement.
Problems with the mansion include roof leaks, water damage, wood decay, faded carpets, peeling paint, and outdated mechanical, electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling systems.
* Annual reports? Maybe they should reconsider and do them quarterly…
Governor’s spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said donations will be made public in annual reports. The campaign also has a website: illinoismansion.org.
Van Meter, a Springfield businessman who chairs the Sangamon County Board, said legislative leaders will be asked to highlight the fundraising campaign with constituents. But he said the Rauners were specific when it came to tax dollars.
“It’s 100 percent private funding,” Van Meter said. “It will be through memberships to the association and donations to the association.”
Gotta wonder if the unions will picket.
* And, look, if the swells wanna kick in I’m fine with that because the repairs are definitely needed. But will kids really care?…
Van Meter said the coming campaign will be statewide for donations large and small, perhaps including a “pennies for the mansion” appeal to schools.
…Rauner’s communications deputy, Mike Schrimpf… answered my email request to interview his boss this way:
“We aren’t going to do this while your organization continues fishing expeditions into individuals who work for the administration. This randomly trying to dig up dirt on people is sickening.”
The “dirt” apparently refers to some of our document requests, and these BGA stories about the new administration’s appointments and associates:
A Gaming Board selection heads a law enforcement group that took donations from a suburban casino that’s regulated by the board.
A campaign committee created by the new head of the Department of Natural Resources received money from a giant downstate coal company.
Rauner’s former campaign manager joined a lobbying firm that may lobby the governor’s office.
The stories expose potential conflicts the public should know about and the Rauner administration should care about.
That’s not “dirt” — it’s the road to “better government” and the goal of our investigations.
I can certainly understand how the BGA would be peeved.
But, from what I’m told, those requests are not what necessarily ticked off the governor’s office.
* Instead, the BGA FOIA’d Rauner spokesman Lance Trover’s Internet browsing history - not once, but twice (once through the governor’s office and a second time through CMS). Both BGA fishing expeditions were denied. And then they threw out their net again when they FOIA’d Schrimpf’s personnel file.
Seems a bit much, particularly if you know how the Internet system at the governor’s office works (any sites remotely political or otherwise prohibited are blocked) and personnel records are supposed to be private.
* I recommended Andy Shaw for the BGA job. 90 percent of what his group does is valuable. But maybe 10 percent is just weird. Nobody’s perfect, of course, but, c’mon, man. How about disclosing those three incendiary FOIA’s?
* Paul Krugman’s point is about some national and international stuff, which we really do not need to get into here because, well, this is a state blog. But his conclusion is well worth discussing in the context of Illinois’ failed “pension reform” law…
It doesn’t matter that the skeptics have been proved right. Simply raising questions about the orthodoxies of the moment leads to excommunication, from which there is no coming back. So the only “experts” left standing are those who made all the approved mistakes. It’s kind of a fraternity of failure: men and women united by a shared history of getting everything wrong, and refusing to admit it. Will they get the chance to add more chapters to their reign of error?
This is most definitely a conversation we need to have in Illinois. We were misled into this battle by people and institutions who shouted down anyone who dared to object or so much as voiced concerns.
The Civic Committee, a group of wealthy business executives headed up by former Republican Attorney General Ty Fahner, also has claimed that [Senate President John Cullerton’s] proposal wouldn’t save enough money. But last year, Fahner supported a bill that actually would have increased state costs in the short term and saved the state just a few billion dollars over the long term.
Fahner has been all over the place. He supported a pension bill sponsored by House Speaker Michael Madigan last year, then claimed a few months later that the pension problem was “unfixable.” He demanded that cost-of-living increases be eliminated altogether, but now backs a plan that allows COLAs on the first $30,000 of pension income.
Cullerton took the plan endorsed by Fahner and grafted his own pension reform language onto it. Cullerton’s “consideration” proposal wouldn’t take effect unless and/or until the courts ruled that the Fahner-backed proposal was unconstitutional.
Fahner didn’t like that idea, either. And he and lots of big-business types lobbied hard against it, along with a certain editorial board down the street, and forced Republicans off the bill. That killed the proposal, and the Fahner-backed bill was defeated as well.
The person who leads the Senate and who holds significant influence over his members prefers his own pension bill. Cullerton’s Senate Bill 1, which also could come to a vote Wednesday, includes the provisions of Biss’ bill. But it also does something odd: It says if the courts strike down those provisions, a Plan B would kick in.
Cullerton’s Plan B comes up far short of the savings needed to restore fiscal health to the pension plans. It depends on multiple choice: Government workers would choose between the much-coveted, compounded cost-of-living increases they receive in retirement, or access to the state’s health care plan. Cullerton believes his bill has a better chance of being found constitutional by the courts.
But the real message from lawmakers to the courts would be this: Hey, we don’t really trust Plan A, so be our guest, throw it out, we’ll live with Plan B. No, really. We beg you.
Both Fahner and the Tribune were on exactly the same messaging track. And they were both wrong.
That’s not to say that Cullerton’s proposal at the time would’ve necessarily passed constitutional muster. It’s just that anyone who objected to the Fahner/Tribune orthodoxy (Cullerton, Ralph Martire, public employee unions, etc.) was marginalized by the powers that be. Debate was stifled, and that was ridiculous.
Even I felt so beaten down by the end of that debate that I wanted the darned thing passed just to get it off the table for a while and let the courts decide.
Rauner, who was pushing his “turnaround agenda,” including right-to-work zones, also said in that speech: “We have bipartisan failure. … The problem is which members in each party are on the take with the insiders. … And we’re gonna take ‘em on.”
The governor also told the group that “crisis creates opportunity.”
* So, if you think you have members in your own party who are “on the take” - particularly from unions - and you want to create a little “opportunity” ahead of the “right to work” House floor vote, what do you do? Well, perhaps you give your folks some money to put ‘em in your own back pocket…
Gov. Bruce Rauner has started doling out money from his campaign fund to fellow Republicans as the Illinois Legislature approaches what could be difficult votes on several big issues.
Rauner divided $400,000 among every Republican member of the Illinois House and Senate, spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said Saturday.
The contributions, made [last] Monday, come with just weeks to go before the May 31 end to the spring legislative session, and with Rauner looking to his GOP allies to support his pro-business agenda in the Democrat-controlled General Assembly. […]
Kent Redfield, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield, called the donations and their timing in such close proximity to possible votes “very unusual.” While labor unions, businesses and other groups often ramp up their contributions this time of year, a governor or other elected official doing so “really isn’t something we’ve seen,” he said.
Redfield also said it could create a perception issue for Rauner, a multimillionaire who ran for office on a promise to “shake up Springfield.”
Yeah, it’s a cynical explanation, but those contributions weren’t exactly uncynical. However, accepting those contributions could sure raise questions for Republicans who abandoned the unions last week.
One option to balance the budget is reducing the state’s contributions to the retirement plans, which are the most underfunded in the nation. The state’s scheduled $6.6 billion pension payment in fiscal 2016 is larger than the entire deficit. Such a move would give the state some breathing room “for a few years” but would threaten its credit rating, Durkin says.
One big target to bolster revenue: income taxes. Increasing the personal tax rate to 4.75 percent—a quarter-point below the temporary tax hike—would raise $3.5 billion, according to the Civic Federation, which favors increasing the rate to 4.25 percent. Raising corporate taxes to 6.25 percent from 5.25 percent would add $445 million. The federation supports upping the corporate rate to 6.0 percent. […]
Other options include expanding the sales tax to 32 services, a move Rauner proposed during the campaign as a way to generate more than $600 million in revenue. An even broader expansion would raise $937 million, the federation says. […]
Taxing retirees with an annual income of at least $50,000, not counting Social Security, would generate between $1.5 billion and $2.0 billion a year, the Civic Federation says.
“Everything has to be on the table, at least for discussion,” says state Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, co-chairman of the General Assembly’s conference committee that produced the pension bill two years ago. “The pension problem is not just a pension problem. It came about as a result of the state balancing its budget on the back of the pension system.”
When Minnesota jacked up income taxes, it back-dated the hike to January 1st. That would bring in a whole lot more revenue, but it would also hit the poor and middle class particularly hard.
Retiree taxes are almost assuredly off the table, but one never knows, I suppose. Service taxes can’t be implemented right away, but the future revenues can be bonded for a capital plan.
And, of course, the final option is to do essentially nothing and let Gov. Rauner take the heat.
* The House convenes at 1 today, the Senate convenes at 3. The Illinois Kids Campaign is now sponsoring this post, so the group’s daily Tweet will “stick” to the top for the duration of the month.
Believe it or not, legislators usually try to reflect their constituents’ core values. If the folks back home are convinced that their representatives have strayed too far from those values, those representatives are in danger of losing their jobs.
Some politicians are so popular that they can get away with anything. But few elected officials want to risk sparking up an opponent. Even though they’d likely win, they’d have to actually work during an election year. Politicians are like everybody else. Not many enjoy doing extra work for the same salary.
But sometimes a problem becomes so large that politicians finally have no choice but to stick their necks out.
This is one of those times.
The 2011 income tax hike was reviled. But the truth is it had to be done. The state had skipped and skimmed on pension contributions for so many decades that it needed to start making payments or risk a fiscal catastrophe.
Those payments aren’t small. They amount to several billion dollars a year. Without that tax hike, the state essentially would have had to gut the entire government.
But in an attempt to free up some money for vital services, pension benefits were cut. As you know, the Illinois Supreme Court recently rejected those cuts, in a strongly worded opinion.
Part of the “temporary” income tax hike expired in January, creating a $6.16 billion hole in the budget that begins July 1. Pension benefits can’t be cut to fill even part of that chasm.
Legislators and the governor are scrambling to come up with a solution.
Gov. Bruce Rauner had several House Republicans over to the executive mansion last week to ask them to vote “present” when the House Democrats called their “right to work” bill the following day.
Right-to-work laws allow union members to not pay for any of their union’s services, even though unions are required by federal law to service all their members. The laws can cripple unions, which may help businesses, but it tends to drive down wages for working folks.
Why would the Democrats bring an anti-union bill to the House floor? Various reasons, one of them being that they are so opposed to the idea and the governor has pushed it so forcefully that they wanted to finally get the issue off the table by killing it dead. They also wanted to put the Republicans in a tight spot of choosing between the governor and their friends in organized labor.
Anyway, the governor’s push last week was resisted by a handful of Republicans, even after House GOP Leader Jim Durkin demanded that they stick with the governor and vote “present.”
Several eventually relented, and the governor reportedly said that they would be free to vote “no” when a “real” bill is presented but that they all needed to stick together and hit their yellow buttons to protest House Speaker Michael Madigan’s ploy to put them all on the hot seat. It probably didn’t hurt that Rauner contributed a grand total of $400,000 earlier in the week to what his staff said was every Republican legislator in Springfield.
The meeting at the mansion was often tense, insiders say, although there was reportedly a moment of levity when one of the governor’s beloved dogs made a doo-doo in front of legislators while Rauner was giving his pitch.
Believe it or not, quite a few unions in this state have spent years wooing Republican legislators. The Illinois Education Association has a strong presence in suburbia and downstate and the union has long endorsed a significant number of GOP candidates—including in Tier One races against Democrats. Getting on their wrong side can be a hazard to one’s political health, which is just one reason so many Republican legislators were nervous last week.
The IEA sent House Republicans a “simple” message last week: “We expect a ‘no’ vote,” said one IEA lobbyist. “Show that you are supportive of the middle class. A vote to the contrary and they will have to explain themselves to our members.”
The Republicans pleaded their case that the bill was mainly just political theater designed to make them look bad. But the IEA and other unions wouldn’t budge, leaving legislators to choose between their party’s governor (and his tens of millions of dollars in campaign cash) and their union allies.
Illinois AFL-CIO President Mike Carrigan said last week that “anything but a solid ‘no’ vote” will “not be tolerated and will be considered as an inexcusable vote against labor.”
Carrigan also specifically said that “present” votes weren’t acceptable. Skipping the vote altogether wouldn’t be a good idea, either, he warned. “House member absences will be reviewed with suspicious eyes.”
In the end, only one Republican sided openly with the unions and Democrats by voting “no” on the bill, Rep. Raymond Poe of Springfield. Four union-friendly Republicans didn’t vote at all (Reps. John Anthony, Bill Mitchell, Michael McAuliffe and John Cabello). A few others didn’t vote, either, but that likely had more to do with the process and/or their relationships with their party leaders than anything else.
Some Republicans with past union ties voted with the governor. Rep. Dwight Kay, for instance, was endorsed by the IEA for the first time last year, but he voted “present.”
One of Rauner’s main goals is to split the Republican Party from all union ties. If the unions follow through with their threats, some of those ties will most certainly be broken.
And the Republicans aren’t the ones that unions have to be worried about. The House Black Caucus sent a clear message to trade unions during the debate that they need to start admitting more minorities or they’ll face retaliation.
Rauner has tried to peel off black and Latino legislators from labor by playing up the historic “whiteness” of the trade unions and promising affirmative-action-style reforms. In remarks planned in advance with other Black Caucus members, Rep. Ken Dunkin, D-Chicago, said during debate that the problem needed to be addressed soon or trouble could arise.
Almost all minority legislators stood during his speech and stared at the gallery where labor leaders were seated.
* Becky Vevea at WBEZ has an excellent look at the history of Chicago Public Schools. I’m probably excerpting more than I should but you should still go read the whole thing…
There’s a growing body of evidence that Chicago’s schools are improving quickly and — for certain populations of students — doing better than other districts. U.S. News and World Report just released its annual rankings of the nation’s best high schools: Six of the top 10 in Illinois are in CPS and another three in the top 20.
“When the state’s not doing well or not making great progress, there’s always some number of people who say, ‘Well maybe that’s just because Chicago’s not doing well. Maybe they’re just dragging down the rest of the state,’” says Robin Steans, executive director of Advance Illinois, a bipartisan group focused on improving the state’s education policy. “What we found is that’s not true. Chicago has made steady gains both academically and in terms of some critical outcomes, like graduation.”
Steans’ group looked at scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, from 2003 to 2013 and found Chicago students grew 11 points on the 8th grade math test and 7 points on the 4th grade reading test. The state grew just 7 points and 3 points, respectively.
Advance Illinois also compiled state graduation data from 2014 to compare Chicago with other districts for certain subgroups of students. They found that Latino students enrolled in CPS are more likely to graduate high school than their counterparts in many suburban districts, including Maine Township High Schools and Evanston Township High School.
“It’s so counterintuitive to what they think they know about Chicago that they just disregard it,” Steans says of the data. “There’s been so much noise, with the teachers strike and the school closings. The political heat and noise tends to crowd out what’s actually beneath and behind that.”
Paul Zavitkovsky, a leadership coach and assessment specialist at the Urban Education Leadership Program at the University of Illinois - Chicago, may be able to help. In a forthcoming study, Zavitkovsky’s findings mirror what Advance Illinois found.
“On an apples-for-apples basis, if you compare yourself with your counterparts based on race and socioeconomic status in other parts of the state, you have a higher probability of having a better educational experience in Chicago,” he says.
But Zavitkovsky goes further. He shared a preliminary version of the report with WBEZ that showed students in the 75th percentile for 4th grade math achievement grew 20 points between 2003 and 2013. The performance of that subgroup in the rest of the state grew only 3 points in the same amount of time.
* Sen. Tom Cullerton has announced that he’s running for Congress. From a press release…
After spending the last weeks exploring a run for Congress, State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) announced today that he is formally running for the 8th Congressional seat being vacated by Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, who is running for U.S. Senate.
“Congress is a millionaires club. I want to change that by bringing my blue-collar work ethic and common sense solutions to Congress. I know what it is like to wake up, punch a time clock and put in an honest day’s work, “ Senator Cullerton said. “I believe everyone deserves a good job that allows them to get up each day and put in a hard day’s work. I believe that if you work hard every day, you deserve a good wage that provides for your family and the ability to retire with dignity. “
As a military veteran, Tom has made veterans and their families a cornerstone of his first term in the Illinois Senate, including sponsoring legislation that created Illinois’s first Suicide-Prevention Task Force for Veterans. As a proud Union member and former Hostess Route Salesman, Tom believes that working families need to come first and believes that Congress should increase the minimum wage.
* He’ll be up against Raja Krishnamoorthi in the Democratic primary to replace US Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth. From a Krishnamoorthi fundraising email today…
Democratic leaders are lining up to endorse Raja!
Here are just a few Democratic leaders who are backing Raja’s campaign for Congress:
State Senator David Koehler
Former State Rep. Paul Froehlich
Beth Siela Marcin, President of the Greater Palatine Area Democrats
OPEIU Local 45
And many others!
We’re building a strong grassroots campaign — and we want you there from the very beginning.
* Sen. Mike Noland is another possible candidate…
Have you been keeping tabs on Congress?
Well, I have. And I am tired of standing by while the House Republicans try to carry out their arcane Tea Party agenda.
This is what the Republican Congress has done so far this week:
Passed a ban on abortions after 20 weeks. This bill put an extreme agenda ahead of protecting the health of women.
Delayed a long term funding plan for the Highway Trust Fund. As our infrastructure continues to crumble, Republicans want to play politics with funding improvements and creating jobs.
Issued more subpoenas for its kangaroo court regarding Benghazi. As they continue their witch-hunt against Hillary Clinton, the United States faces real challenges abroad.
When I am elected to Congress I will stand up to these Republicans who are dead set on imposing their backwards thinking on the rest of America.
If you ready to help elect another progressive who will fight for a better tomorrow, I ask you to join our campaign today. If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
— Most talks are being held by special working groups, but the meeting times, locations and topics are secret. Lawmakers involved say Rauner’s staff has demanded they don’t reveal what was discussed.
— Rauner has so far refused to let anyone see copies of legislation outlining his desired reforms, though he has publicly assured reporters the legislation exists, and more information is coming soon. On top of that, his legal staff has rejected freedom of information requests seeking the information.
— Rauner’s staff has consistently taken more than one month to provide copies of his non-public schedule in response to requests from The Associated Press. Those documents, once provided, are redacted — making it impossible to see who’s attending “legislative briefings” and other meetings with the governor, and therefore who may be influencing his policy decisions… Responding to AP requests, Rauner’s office has so far provided only the governor’s schedules for January through March. AP is appealing to the attorney general’s public access counselor because the schedules that have been provided have redacted portions that appear to include the names of people with whom Rauner met or spoke.
“I don’t think I could be more transparent,” he said Thursday. “I’ve laid out everything we’re working on and why. I think we couldn’t be more crystal clear from our point of view. … I believe we’ll be able to come forward with a lot of detail in the not too distant future. “
* I posted on the ScribbleLive feed earlier this week that Madigan had started advancing this legislation. From a press release…
Encouraged by November’s referendum results showing widespread, statewide support, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan said the full House will vote next week on a constitutional amendment to increase state funding for elementary schools and high schools through an income tax surcharge on millionaires.
“I’ve believed for a long time that Illinois schools need and deserve greater resources to help give students the best education possible, and that more needs to be done,” Madigan said. “January’s income tax rollback is putting greater pressure on schools’ finances and the state’s ability to increase funding for schools. Once enacted, this measure would bring needed relief for students and schools.”
Madigan’s proposal provides for an additional 3 percent surcharge on incomes over $1 million. Based on a five-year average of taxable income over $1 million, Madigan’s measure would generate an estimated $1 billion in additional funding each year. The additional revenue would be earmarked exclusively for elementary schools and high schools throughout Illinois and would be distributed on a per-pupil basis.
Millionaires affected by the surcharge would pay the current individual income tax rate of 3.75 percent on income under $1 million and pay 6.75 percent on income over $1 million.
Illinois voters voiced broad support for Madigan’s measure, contained in House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 26, through a referendum in November’s general election. Statewide, nearly 64 percent of all those voting on the surcharge supported it. More than 40 counties supported the referendum with at least 60 percent of the vote, and 100 counties supported the measure with at least 50 percent of the vote.
In light of the budget challenges Illinois faces in the coming years, Madigan said the funding would help schools provide needed programs and avoid teacher layoffs while lessening the need for local property tax increases.
“This measure deserves legislators’ approval. The majority of Illinois voters made a clear statement in November that they support this idea, whether they live in Cook County, DuPage County, Jackson County or Montgomery County. Budget decisions have been very difficult in recent years, and they’re only going to get tougher with the rollback of the tax increase. While the surcharge proposal is not a complete solution to our education funding challenges, opposition to this legislation ensures property taxes at the local level will be increased.”
* Twenty years ago, the General Assembly (then in GOP hands) and Gov. Jim Edgar gave Mayor Daley a gift. Buried deep within a big school reform bill which gave Daley pretty much complete control of the school system was a nice little sweetener that keeps on “giving” to this very day. From a press release…
The Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund (CTPF), the Retired Teachers Association of Chicago (RTAC), the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association (CPAA), and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) announced their support for House Bill 3695, a measure which reinstates the pension tax levy diverted from CTPF in 1995. […]
The proposal reestablishes a specific tax levy for contributions to CTPF beginning in Fiscal Year 2016. In 1995, legislation diverted the CTPF tax levy into the CPS operating budget, giving CPS administrators control over pension contributions. CPS then deferred their contributions from 1996 to 2005. As a result, CTPF lost $2 billion in revenue. CPS again deferred contributions from 2010 to 2013 and cost the fund another $1.2 billion. In total, CTPF has foregone more than $3.2 billion in funding.
The bill restores the tax levy, equal to 0.26% of all taxable property within the Chicago Public Schools district, and would generate approximately $160 to $180 million in 2016. The bill does not increase taxes, but reduces the CPS levy from 3.07% to 2.81% to fund pensions. The 0.26% of tax levied each year will be deposited directly with CTPF.
And, yet, $3.2 billion in diversions later, nobody has ever bothered to repeal it. Indeed, it was apparently renewed four years after it first passed - under a Democratic House while Rep. Currie was Majority Leader.
* Earlier this week, I asked if you could help transport some rescued puppies from Missouri to points north. The response was strong. From Teri DeGrado in comments…
I am so excited! I just heard from Judy that she has many emails from folks offering to help. Thank you so much!! For the first time I can remember, we may actually have more drivers than we need.
But have no fear! There will be another transport in two weeks, so let Judy know if you want to be informed of future transports. We are almost always looking for drivers in northern Missouri/southern Illinois and southern Illinois over into Iowa.
If you couldn’t help this weekend, but would like to volunteer for a future caravan, contact Judy Kirkpatrick at: TomandJudy3015@att.net.
* More from Teri…
A little background, these transports run every two weeks (excluding Holiday weekends) to bring shelter dogs and puppies (with the occasional cat) up from high kill shelters in southern Missouri. These shelters still use gas chambers to euthanize dogs. Several rescuers work tirelessly to get those dogs up here where they are vetted and eventually find their forever homes.
…Adding… Oops. I didn’t notice that Michael had the scoop…
Sneed hears Urban League President and CEO Andrea Zopp, whose resume reads like a corporate bible, is all in.
• Translation: Top Sneed sources claim Zopp plans to run against Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and will make the announcement shortly.
On April 1, Sneed reported Zopp was mulling over such a run and encouraged to do so by former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley, the brother and son of former Chicago mayors.
“She [Zopp] is now making phone calls, she is not waiting any longer,” a source said. “She feels the time is right now.”
Top Dem leaders, concerned about an absence of African-Americans on the Illinois Dem ticket — besides perennial candidate Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White — were urging Zopp, whose nickname is Andy, to run.
* Oh, and by the way, check out the NRSC’s bizarre new slogan about Duckworth…
Sen. Mark Kirk said Friday that he’d rather take on Urban League President and CEO Andrea Zopp in the general election than U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth.
“Zopp is an easier candidate for me to defeat … Because she’s not as well known,” Kirk said Friday, before participating in a lunchtime event with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs downtown.
“Tammy is a war hero. She has a great story to tell because she’s given a lot to this country . . . ” Kirk said. Duckworth lost both her legs when her helicopter was shot down over Iraq.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
“Tammy Duckworth is a partisan voice who sides with Washington insiders and powerbrokers, not the independent-minded people of Illinois. The inability to clear her path in the US Senate primary demonstrates a massive failure by her Washington friends. Mark Kirk is the person Illinois needs in the nation’s capital as he works across the aisle to get things done that benefit all of us,” said Nick Klitzing, Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party.
Friday, May 15, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
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The Illinois Department of Transportation released its annual five-year report Thursday, saying the department continues to fall behind on maintaining the state’s roads.
IDOT issued the report as part of an announced $8.4 billion, six-year construction program. The report says funding will likely remain flat for any future projects without some kind of capital bill.
“While this latest multiyear program will have a positive impact on many of our communities, it also underscores the urgency to find a long-term, sustainable solution for our infrastructure needs,” acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn said in a prepared statement.
The report says 83 percent of the state’s highways and 93 percent of its bridges are in “acceptable condition” today. That number will drop to 62 percent for highways and 86 percent for bridges by 2021 at current funding levels. […]
The multiyear program IDOT announced includes $1.85 billion in projects for the fiscal year beginning in July.
In addition to a budget deficit of as much as $6 billion in the coming year, several factors crimp road spending. A $31 billion capital-construction plan which buoyed road work ended last year. The state’s road fund collects money from vehicle registrations — stagnant for the last decade at about $1.3 billion annually — and a motor fuel tax which, with falling gas prices, dropped about $100 million in the past two years from a 2004 high of just under $600 million.
What’s more, to erase a deficit in the current budget left when a temporary income-tax increase was allowed to roll back in January at incoming governor Rauner’s insistence, the [legislature] and Rauner agreed to take more than $350 million from accounts devoted to road-building [Emphasis added]
So, instead of $1.85 billion in spending next fiscal year, IDOT could’ve spent $2.2 billion - almost 20 percent more - if the Road Fund hadn’t been swept - not to mention the other $150 million swept from various state construction accounts.
A report from the state auditor’s office has found more than $321,000 was paid for services to dead people through a program in the Illinois Department of Aging. […]
The audit released Thursday from the Illinois Office of the Auditor General says the funds went for senior citizen services in the department’s Community Care Program last year. It also says another $38,000 was paid for services to incarcerated people.
OK, this is a serious story and somebody could be in big trouble, but check out this last line…
Auditors recommend stricter controls be placed on the program to prevent dead or imprisoned people from receiving services in the future.
Somehow, I’m thinking that the dead and the jailed didn’t actually receive any services.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desires to have right-to-work in Illinois went down in flames in the House on Thursday, gaining zero yes votes in a fiery debate Democrats aimed squarely at the governor.
The vote tally was 0 yes votes, 72 no votes and 37 voting present, offering a blistering rebuke to Rauner’s anti-union agenda.
Republicans were ordered to vote “Present.” So “zero yes votes” was completely expected. They were also ordered to stay away from the merits of the bill, which is why nobody rose to speak in favor.
Republicans, as they did in a vote on a portion of Rauner’s budget plan last week, once again objected to Democrats staging the symbolic vote, and with all but one member voted “present” on the bills. The “present” votes, in place of “no” votes — allowed Republicans to avoid taking a stand on the politically-sensitive issue.
“This isn’t about right to work,” Republican state Rep. Bill Mitchell, of Forsyth said. “It’s about dividing people and it’s not fair.”
Only GOP state Rep. Raymond Poe of Springfield, the state capital where many unionized government workers live, voted against the plan.
Poe did vote “No,” but a handful of Republicans took a walk yesterday and didn’t vote either way: Anthony, Cabello, Fortner, David Harris, McAuliffe, McSweeney and Bill Mitchell. Those were the cracks in the Rauner armor.
But some Republicans are gonna get some real grief from unions for their “Present” votes yesterday.
Republicans called the ordeal a political stunt. They said Democrats weren’t taking the idea seriously, noting that the language in the bill was not written or reviewed by the Rauner administration.
“People are watching us and they’re demanding results in Springfield that are going to put people back to work,” said House Republican leader Jim Durkin. “This governor was not elected with just Republican votes, he was elected with Democrat votes, independent votes, who told him to come to Springfield and fix the problems that we have.”
The governor has been traveling the state giving speeches almost every day for six months bashing unions, and yet his House leader calls yesterday’s vote a political stunt?
Please.
* Several Republicans also bashed the Democrats yesterday for being “divisive.”
Really?
For months, the governor has cynically attempted to turn the non-unionized have-little’s in this state against the unionized have-some’s while simultaneously catering to the grotesque self-interest of the have-it-all’s.
That’s not infinitely more divisive than a little floor debate?
Rep. Ron Sandack, R-Downers Grove, generated a chorus of boos when he said Democrats were just staging the event to produce videos for their next campaigns.
“The idea you are standing up for the working man is an embarrassment,” Sandack said. “You’re for no one but yourselves.”
District E’s Dan Neal said he supported working on creating equitable pensions and improving workers’ compensation issues, among other things, but he didn’t support the entire resolution.
“(Rauner has) really put this forth to us as: Take it or leave it; it’s all or nothing,” Neal said. “I don’t think we’re subject to that kind of dictation. I think we should look at this as what should be supported.”
Clukey, however, questioned when Rauner demanded that the resolution considered without any revisions, pointing out that other local governments had. Neal said he talked with a governor’s office representative who said county members could add an addendum but not change the language.
Control freaks.
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…
Good morning, Rich!
Moultrie County and Arthur both passed the Turnaround Resolution.
* Buried at the very bottom of this Tribune story is something I told subscribers about on Tuesday…
Rauner is hoping to put forth a united front heading into the final, frenzied days of session. The governor, whose campaign fund held more than $20.5 million to help supportive Republicans and potentially punish obstinate legislators, made the unorthodox move of doling out $400,000 to GOP lawmakers this week, a Rauner aide said.
The donations to the Republican legislators, who are a minority to the overwhelming Democratic majority that controls the House and Senate, included $10,000 to Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno of Lemont.
“We are encouraging the Republicans to stay strong together,” Rauner told reporters Thursday without mentioning his campaign donations to members of the Republican caucuses. “To have more influence in the process we need to stay unified, and that’s a message I’ve been saying that for the entire process and that’s important.”
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said the massive donations seem “a bit contradictory” since Rauner railed during the campaign about what he considered to be corrupt fundraising practices and has sought to ban political donations from some interest groups.
“He is a special interest,” Brown said of the governor. “It confuses the average person who thinks he’s about changing the whole environment, when he’s engaged in the very same activity.”
If some big votes were coming up on any topic and any leader or interest group dumped $400,000 on every legislator of a single party, I highly doubt it would be at the bottom of a story.
New representative Carol Ammons (D-Champaign) insinuated the Republicans had been bought by donations from political action committees including one on behalf of the new governor.
“Whether we will be able to represent the rest of us that don’t make it into the one percent, don’t cash that check,” Ammons said.
* Rep. Lou Lang also whacked the Republicans for the governor’s contributions during yesterday’s “right to work” floor debate. Relevant comments start at the 2:50 mark…
