Rauner’s office announced last week that it has hired Statehouse veteran PATTY SCHUH as deputy chief of staff for communications. She begins the job Monday.
By title, Schuh replaces DIANA RICKERT, one of the communications staffers ousted shortly after the operation issued a statement that Rauner could not comment on whether a cartoon was racist because he is a white male.
Hiring Schuh is a departure for the administration. She’s been with the Senate Republicans since 1985 and has been the top communications person since 1995. In other words, unlike some other folks Rauner has brought on board, Schuh has dealt with state government and specifically, the legislature, for a long time. That sort of experience can’t hurt this administration.
Schuh, 58, has worked for GOP Senate leaders for two decades, stretching back to the days when James “Pate” Philip ruled. She stayed on through a succession of leaders that ranged from moderates like Christine Radogno to conservatives like Philip and Bill Brady. In the process, she earned a reputation as someone who knows her stuff and certainly can stand her ground, but can work with anybody.
In other words, she’s exactly the person needed for a troubled governor who can’t seem to settle on a consistent, believable message.
In fact, he almost certainly needs her more than she needs the job, so for the sake of a two-party system, let’s hope this match-up works.
If this was a TV or radio ad, Manar would likely be able to get it taken down. Facebook has been another story. The ad has been running for weeks. Manar even tried running an ad to counter the false GOP ad, but that ad was taken down.
* Here’s how Manar described the process to me today…
Our paid ad referencing the fake Christian County Republican ad was approved by Facebook. We simply posted a screenshot of the rollcall of the bill where there is an “N” by my name and a screenshot of the Christian County Republican paid ad. Then about one day into the schedule for our paid ad, Facebook sent us a message saying that our ad violated their policy of paid advertising referencing another paid ad. And then took the step of suspending our ad while the Christian County Republican ad continued.
That’s insane.
* Manar sent a blast e-mail about the ad early this morning…
As a father, my children know the rule: If you make a mistake, you own up to it. Don’t lie about it. My kids know that, if they lie (especially if they design a lie purposefully) they have no choice but to admit it and apologize.
It’s hard to say, “I’m sorry. I lied.” But truth is nearly always inescapable.
For weeks now, central Illinois Facebook users have been peppered with ads lying about my position on a multi-billion-dollar bailout for the energy corporation Exelon. Paid for by the Christian County Republican Party, the ad accuses me of voting to give Exelon the okay to impose the largest energy rate increase in U.S. history. That increase comes both at the expense of rate-payers and coal-fired plants and the workforce that relies on good jobs.
Here’s the problem, I didn’t vote for the bailout. I voted AGAINST it. The truth is, the Christian County GOP propaganda team is lying.
With more than a year before the 2018 election, Christian County GOP bosses are clearly willing to engage in fake news, false facts and flat-out lies. Blatantly lying about my record should offend everyone – Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike.
Politics is always riddled with embellishments. But the families and citizens of central Illinois are decent, honest, hardworking people. They have every right to be offended and turned-off when they’re lied to. Many of them are.
Make no mistake, millions of dollars are geared up to defeat me in the next election. Big-money opponents don’t like our ability to bring average, hard-working people together - Democrats and Republicans alike. There’s a desperation to use anything to break down the bipartisan approach we’ve found successful. For whatever reason, our success at compromise to make central Illinois better, is a threat worth lying about.
So, unfortunately, we can expect more lies and far more personal attacks.
That’s why your active support is so critically important. When my team sees lies, I need your help to respond to them. When we’re attacked without merit, your willingness to help set the record straight is critical.
If you’re interested in helping us, I encourage you to follow our campaign’s Facebook page so you can help call out fake news and phony claims.
I’m not expecting the Christian County GOP leaders to say to the citizens of central Illinois, “I’m sorry. I lied to you.” As a father, however, I’ll forever expect my children to reject the impulse to lie.
Campaign manager Abby Witt released the following statement in response to JB Pritzker’s decision to leave the Illinois Sierra Club’s gubernatorial forum after opening remarks in order to board a private jet to a downstate event.
“Only an out of touch billionaire would travel by private jet to talk himself up as a strong environmental steward.”
I asked the Sierra Club for a response, but haven’t heard back.
Two things. First, the link provided by the Biss campaign shows Pritzker actually took a twin-engine turboprop, not a jet, which would’ve caused more environmental damage. So… since he didn’t take a jet, does that make him an in-touch billionaire? /s
“While JB regretted having to leave the Sierra Club forum before it was completed, he was happy he got to both meet with an important group of environmental leaders in Chicago and also be part of the NAACP state convention in Mount Vernon,” said Pritzker spokeswoman Galia Slayen.
Biss’ campaign sent the state senator’s running mate, Litesa Wallace, to the NAACP event, saying there was no way he could make it there. The offensive by Biss could be a sign that with Ameya Pawar out of the race, Biss is emboldened to compete as the “regular guy” — who can also raise money.
It isn’t uncommon for candidates to use private jets or planes to campaign, though typically due to resources, they don’t come into play until just before Election Day. Pritzker’s deep pockets, however, means he can travel the state more easily than his opponents even six months before the primary. Campaign reports from the second quarter shows the Pritzker campaign paid more than $115,000 to Wheels Up Partners. Pritzker is financing his own campaign.
Meanwhile, the Democratic field for governor is down one candidate as of last week, but the remaining contenders will meet at two forums within 12 hours.
On Tuesday evening, much of the field will be at Aurora University for a forum moderated by Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson. The next morning, the candidates will be in Mount Prospect for a breakfast forum hosted by the Daily Herald and ABC 7.
A political activism group for moms based in Chicago’s northern suburbs received a small donation from J.B. Pritzker three days before their founder blasted Pritzker’s primary rival Chris Kennedy in a press release as “disheveled” and “disrespectful to women.”
The Pritzker campaign could not say with certainty if his recent gift of $128.50 was the only time he’s given money to the group, but the paper trail revealing the donation could serve to confirm suspicions from progressives who remain skeptical of Pritzker’s attempt to co-opt grassroots groups. […]
“Mom + Baby and 11 other organizations focused on women and family issues came together to put out a “No Salary History” Bill postcard campaign,” said Galia Slayen, a spokeswoman for the Pritzker campaign. “JB personally contributed $128.50 to help cover a portion of the postcard campaign cost.”
$128.50 is now the baseline amount for co-opting the left?
* A bill was signed into law this year which would create a Community Care Program Services Task Force to look for ways to reduce costs for programs for seniors “without diminishing the level of care.” The law requires that the task force contain “one individual from a statewide organization that advocates for seniors” and “one individual from an organization that represents caregivers” in the community care program.
Nobody from AARP or SEIU Healthcare were appointed even though the law seemed basically designed to put both groups on it. SEIU has been battling with the Rauner administration for years over this program and it was furious…
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s scheme to cut 36,000 Illinois seniors from the vastly successful Community Care Program (CRP) by forcing them into an untested and unproven initiative, the so-called Community Reinvestment Program, was met with intense public outcry from day one. SEIU Healthcare Illinois and numerous aging advocates were outspoken against the Governor’s plan and it appears are now being PURPOSELY left out of the Community Care Program Services Task Force, mandated to look into ways to improve services for seniors.
* So, at its first meeting, the appointed members took a vote and added both AARP Illinois and SEIU Healthcare to the task force. But the Illinois Department on Aging’s general counsel Rhonda Armstead then rescinded the move…
As the Ethics Officer and General Counsel for the Department on Aging, it is my responsibility to advise you and the other members of the Task Force that this action exceeds the prescribed scope of authority for the Task Force and is therefore void ab initio. In more practical terms, the action has no legal effect to change the membership composition of the Task Force.
* From Ryan Gruenenfelder, Director of Advocacy and Outreach, AARP Illinois…
AARP is a statewide independent advocate for the health and well-being of Illinois most vulnerable seniors; we represent 1.7 million individuals over the age of 50 in Illinois, and we are highly disappointed that our voice and the solutions we have to offer will not be included in the Task Force.
As a compromise on the decision not to fund IDOA’s proposed Community Reinvestment Program, a Task Force was created by legislators in July – which was supposed to be a good faith effort of those involved to work collaboratively to improve quality and efficiency in the CCP and ensure that CCP continues to serve Illinois’ vulnerable seniors at home for as long as possible, prevent unnecessary nursing home institutionalization, and save Illinois hundreds of millions of dollars annually. When the task force language was written, our understanding was AARP would be appointed as required by point 7 where it is clearly states that one of the members of the Task Force would be an statewide organization that advocates for seniors.
* Rep. Robyn Gabel sits on the task force…
AARP is the largest organization representing seniors. SEIU represents the vast majority of home health workers. I find it difficult and unproductive to have a conversation about the CCP without the two largest representatives of seniors and home health workers in the room.
* And so does Sen. Heather Steans…
I think that is very shortsighted. The task force language cleary includes an organization the advocates on behalf of seniors and an organization that represents home Health care workers. These groups are knowledgeable stakeholders that have significant insights to share about how we can improve the program and make it more efficient. The general assembly will want their input on any changes recommended as well.
* SEIU Healthcare
“As the union that represents the 28,000 caregivers who care for seniors every day as part of the Community Care Program, it is unfathomable that we would be deliberately excluded from any conversation about the future of the program. It is equally unfathomable that AARP would also be excluded. This follows a pattern wherein the Rauner Administration is deliberately excluding stakeholders from important debates that directly affect seniors, children, and people with disabilities. This task force appears to be rigged to arrive at the preordained conclusion. Rauner wants to attack seniors with a $120 million cut to a vastly successful program.”
* From Mike Deering at the Department on Aging…
Rich, have you looked at the list? Legally compliant, highly qualified, national authorities on the subject. The job is to serve the aging, not the advocacy groups. So what’s the problem?
He did not respond to follow-up questions. If you click here for the task force member list, it seems unclear to me which “statewide organization” advocates for seniors and which organization “represents caregivers.”
* Republican state Sen. Dale Righter, who also sits on the task force, says it’s all good and the department was right to kick those two groups off…
The [General Counsel’s] opinion is correct. The appointing authority and number of members are set in statute, the language for which was reviewed and approved by everyone involved. Since the task force itself doesn’t have the authority to change who is on the task force or the number of appointees, neither SEIU nor ARRP are members.
The next task force meeting is tomorrow.
* From a media advisory…
Sen. Andy Manar will join AARP Illinois, the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, Caring Across Generations, and SEIU Healthcare Illinois for a press conference Tuesday, Oct. 17th at 8:30 a.m. at the Illinois Department on Aging headquarters… to discuss ways to strengthen senior home care services before a task force hearing on the Community Care Program.
BACKGROUND:
The Community Care program saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by allowing seniors to stay in their homes instead of of costly nursing home facilities.
Gov. Rauner sought to cut $120 million from the vastly successful program, but this was overridden in this summer’s bipartisan budget compromise.
The budget compromise expressly prohibited funds appropriated for CCP to be utilized for Gov. Bruce Rauner’s unproven and dangerous attempt to force 36,000 seniors into his untested Community Reinvestment Program (CRP), which would have replaced trusted caregivers with a patchwork of vouchers, ride-sharing companies, and housekeeping services.
While rules to create the CRP were finally pulled from the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules in September, the administration is still pushing the proposal through a pilot program in Bloomington and Moline.
Advocates, seniors, and caregivers fear the administration will use the CCP Task Force as a vehicle to reintroduce the failed Community Reinvestment Program, and will use Tuesday’s press conference to put forth recommendations that will truly strengthen and preserve care for Illinois seniors while providing value to taxpayers.
After only a handful of meetings, the CCP Task Force is expected to vote on recommendations in their afternoon meeting Tuesday.
Illinois is on the brink of its bicentennial bash, but political skirmishing that has battered the state could be blamed for late party planning, a comparatively low budget – and ultimately, its contribution to future generations.
The plans to celebrate Illinois’ Dec. 3, 1818, admission to the Union seem to pale compared with the two states that joined just prior. Indiana and Mississippi spent tens of millions of dollars and have flashy “legacy” projects to show off. The Prairie State, just 7 weeks from kicking off its yearlong festivities, is aiming to raise a modest $4 million to $6 million.
Stuart Layne, executive director of the Illinois Bicentennial, acknowledges planning got a belated start with his appointment just a year ago. While he said significant corporate and other donors are stepping up, he would not say how much has been raised.
But he dismissed the idea that 2 years of infighting in the 21st state between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who appointed him, and Democrats who control the General Assembly over a budget that is billions in the red, has hamstrung the project.
The state of Illinois is preparing to celebrate its 200th birthday in 2018.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s office said Monday that it has officially started planning for the state’s bicentennial. The governor signed an executive order to create the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial Commission. The volunteer commission will plan and coordinate events.
The commission will have dozens of members. The governor and other state leaders will name them. Members will come from business, labor, military, arts and other organizations.
When Illinois turned 100 in 1918 the U.S. Mint issued a commemorative 50-cent piece and two buildings were erected — the Illinois Centennial Monument in Chicago and the Centennial Building in Springfield.
The 2018 Illinois Bicentennial Commission was created in May 2014 by then-Gov. Pat Quinn and left in the hands of his successor, Bruce Rauner. Its official task: “The Bicentennial Commission will plan and coordinate events, activities, publications, digital media, and other developments and encourage citizen participation at all levels in every community in the state.”
That hasn’t happened. The commission’s Facebook page has made all of three posts in two years. In fact, it seems the commission hasn’t even met.
“Sad is an understatement,” says commission member Tony Leone of Springfield. ” … I’m kind of disgusted.”
Illinois is getting ready to celebrate a milestone. In 2018, the state turns 200.
Gov. Bruce Rauner Tuesday used his executive authority to create an office and a 51-member commission (members haven’t yet been appointed) to coordinate the festivities.
“And we want leaders from all over the state coming up with their ideas and recommendations on how we can best celebrate,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun, it’s going to be a really big deal.”
And here we sit. Click here for a list of events scheduled so far. Kinda sparse.
Many lasting physical legacies were created during the Bicentennial. The State Archives will preserve and display Indiana’s most important historical documents. Bicentennial Plaza offers a fitting memorial and a space for Hoosiers to rest and reflect as they visit our Statehouse. The Statehouse Education Center provides learning opportunities to the more than 60,000 annual visitors to our most important building – 80 percent of whom are children. The Bicentennial Nature Trust has preserved more than 11,000 acres of new parks, trails, wetlands and forestlands through 184 individual projects, bringing new public space within 20 miles of almost every Hoosier. This project, under the guidance of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and with the support of Lilly Endowment and the Nina Mason Pulliam Trust was the first announced and funded Bicentennial project.
It is our belief that the Bicentennial legacy will reflect our tagline, “Celebrate History. Ignite the Future.” The past year gave us all a chance to reflect on the state’s history, its future, and our place in it. The inspiration for the iconic “Bison-tennial” public art project was the fact that American Bison used to roam the Buffalo Trace across the Indiana countryside. The new Levi Coffin State Historic Site Interpretive Center demonstrates important lessons Hoosiers can learn from those came before us, like how to be citizen leaders and stand up strongly for our beliefs.
* The state also had a “Bicentennial Visioning Project.” A couple of examples…
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Promote the nobility of agriculture; provide best access to healthy foods; develop regional economic hubs; develop and maintain talent; make Indiana a center of agricultural innovation.
Arts, Leisure, Culture IconArts, Leisure and Culture
Double the size of the state park system; link urban and rural areas; integrate arts into schools; add beauty to construction projects; become the most civically involved state.
One year after Exelon convinced state lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner to bail out nuclear power plants, the second-largest power generator in Illinois has decided it’s its turn. Houston-based Dynegy will push for the General Assembly to consider legislation in next month’s veto session that would likely hike electric bills in downstate Illinois to preserve at least some of the company’s financially ailing fleet of coal-fired power plants. Dynegy’s plants are by far the largest source of electricity downstate.
The move follows recent news that Dynegy and the Rauner administration are working to soften state environmental standards on pollutants emitted by coal burners. The proposal, which was submitted Oct. 2 to the Illinois Pollution Control Board for approval, angered environmentalists who negotiated the standards with the coal industry more than a decade ago. […]
Dynegy’s Illinois proposal, which will surface by month’s end in the form of legislative language, would have the state take over the pricing of “capacity”—ratepayer payments to generators for the promise to deliver during peak demand periods. Currently, that’s handled by Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, the power-grid operator for southern Illinois and much of the Midwest. As energy prices have plummeted, these capacity payments—embedded in the overall electricity prices consumers and businesses pay regardless of whether they buy from utilities or alternative suppliers—have become a far more important part of plant operators’ revenue streams.
But MISO’s most recent capacity auction resulted in a paltry $1.50 per megawatt-day for the southern half of the state. By contrast, plants in the northern half, operating under a different capacity system, are being paid $153.61 per megawatt-day right now. For the average household, the difference between the two is about $115 a year. […]
Ellis stops short of saying Dynegy will close its entire downstate Illinois fleet, or even specific plants, if it doesn’t get relief. But there’s little financial risk to the company in doing so. It essentially paid nothing to acquire the downstate Illinois plants of St. Louis-based Ameren in 2013.
Asking Springfield to endorse a rate increase for all of downstate Illinois heading into a campaign year will be a challenge. Dynegy’s reticence to state the specific consequences of inaction likely will make delay until after November 2018 attractive for lawmakers and Rauner.
State subsidies to keep open two nuclear power plants took effect in June, hiking electric bills for all homes and businesses. But the ripple effects from last year’s Future Energy Jobs Act may well lead to future increases on top of the new surcharges.
The organization that sets the rules for the wholesale power markets from northern Illinois east to Washington, D.C. , is contemplating changes that would compensate the owners of unsubsidized power plants for the potential harm the subsidies pose to the competitive market. […]
The initiative is in direct response to Illinois’ nuclear subsidies. PJM is charged first with ensuring there’s enough power to keep the lights on during peak demand and secondly with keeping the power markets competitive. […]
Effectively, Chicago-area ratepayers could be paying twice to keep the same plants open. That’s because the subsidies for Exelon are nearly certain to remain at the state-imposed annual limit of $235 million for the decade they’ll be in effect despite provisions in the law calling for the subsidies to decline when market revenues rise. At Exelon’s insistence, the Future Energy Jobs Act was written in such a way to keep the subsidies flowing in most foreseeable market conditions.
“With most of the proposals on the table, Illinois likely will get penalized for the state approving the subsidies to produce cleaner air,” says Greg Poulos, executive director of Columbus, Ohio-based Consumer Advocates of PJM States. […]
Demanding action from PJM are Exelon competitors NRG Energy, based in Princeton, N.J., and Houston-based Dynegy. NRG operates coal- and gas-fired plants serving the Chicago market, and Dynegy is the second-largest generator in Illinois, running a mainly coal-fired fleet downstate.
More than 60 percent of Americans think climate change is a problem that the government should address, including 80 percent of Democrats and 43 percent of Republicans, according to a new survey from the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Those numbers were even higher when limited to those who say they believe in climate change. Seven in 10 Republicans and nearly all Democrats who believe climate change is happening agree that the government needs to take action, the poll found.
“Public opinion around many energy issues tends to be fluid, with people often defaulting to partisan starting points,” said Trevor Tompson, director of The AP-NORC Center, in a statement. “Majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agree that climate change is happening, and there are signs that consensus could happen on other issues, too.”
…Adding… Press release…
The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition issued the following statement today in the wake of a report published by Crain’s Chicago Business detailing a possible legislative bailout for Dynegy, Inc:
“On Friday, Crain’s Chicago Business broke a story suggesting that backroom discussions could lead to possible bailout legislation for Dynegy in the upcoming veto session, forcing downstate Illinois residential customers and businesses to subsidize this giant out-of-state corporation. This latest backroom deal comes on the heels of news that Governor Rauner’s office and Dynegy worked behind-the-scenes for several months on a new rule that would undermine pollution controls just to pad Dynegy’s profits at the expense of the public. This corporate bailout would represent an unfair rate hike on customers and small businesses in Central and Southern Illinois and would contain no benefits whatsoever to any party besides Dynegy. With new power coming on line under the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA), the majority of it expected to be located in Central and Southern Illinois, we urge lawmakers to reject Dynegy’s bailout that would impose new costs on downstate consumers and small businesses and pose new risks to the public’s health in order to shore-up the profits of an out-of-state energy giant. At a time when President Trump and his coal cronies are already moving to bail out companies like Texas-based Dynegy, Illinois needs to do exactly the opposite and prepare for a clean energy future.”
Madigan learned about service at a young age: His father was ward superintendent for their Southwest Side neighborhood, and when his father passed unexpectedly, the younger Madigan stepped up to ensure local residents would still get their snow shoveled, streets plowed and trash collected.
Madigan continues to serve the people of his community, maintaining a top-rated constituent service office. Madigan’s office helps hundreds of seniors clear snow after winter storms and he makes sure homebound residents get check-in calls during extreme hot or cold weather.
While the city can take weeks to remove graffiti, Madigan’s office operates its own graffiti blaster and has a full-time team that removes graffiti as soon as it is reported.
Madigan is also working to provide property tax relief to local homeowners by hosting regular tax appeal seminars, helping local seniors receive tax exemptions and working with local residents to reclaim more than $1 million in overpaid taxes.
Madigan was first elected as a delegate to the 1970 state Constitutional Convention and then as a state Representative the same year. As Speaker of the House, Madigan has worked to build consensuses, improve the quality of life for residents across all regions of Illinois and address Illinois’ most pressing issues in a cooperative and bipartisan manner. He advocates for honest, efficient government and has fought to strengthen the financial security of middle-class families. Under his leadership, the Legislature has enacted sweeping ethics laws, the first campaign finance limits in state history, and needed reforms to the state budget process and workers’ compensation system.
*** UPDATE *** You had to know this was coming. From the ILGOP…
“More than four decades of destruction with massive pension debt, unbalanced budgets, machine politics, and self-dealing - that’s the Madigan record. Welcome to the 21st century, Speaker Madigan, but pictures of you sporting a smile with children won’t save you from all the damage you’ve done to Illinois.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Longtime Speaker of the House and technological dinosaur Mike Madigan shocked the internets on Friday when Capitol Fax reported to the Twittersphere that Madigan has finally entered the 21st century with the creation of a new Facebook page and website, both ironically branded as “Madigan for Us,” with “us” being insiders, special interests, and the political class.
Madigan’s newfound internet presence showcases pictures of a smiling Madigan reading to children, enjoying a cup of coffee with fellow senior citizens, and telling wisecracks to area youngsters outside a grocery store.
But after taking a brief look through the comments on Madigan’s inaugural Facebook post, one will quickly realize that voters aren’t buying the spin.
Madigan is known to virtually all Illinoisans and not in a good way. He has been described as “the constant in key decisions that created the mess.” Under Madigan’s watch, Illinois has seen:
Four income tax hikes, taking billions of dollars from Illinois families
Years of pension holidays that led to over $130 billion in debt for Illinois’ five pension systems
Spending rum amok with over fifteen years of budget deficits
Highest in the nation property taxes for Illinois homeowners
All of which has led to the highest in the nation out-migration
Unfortunately for Madigan, staged pictures of him sporting a smile won’t save him from his decades of destruction.
It’s especially comical since CPS is one of the biggest districts in the nation. So a large chunk of our population is in one school district, and the other 10 million are split into 904. Apparently downstate really likes subdividing everything from schools to counties into minuscule parts.
* From the governor’s presentation to potential buyers of the state’s new bonds…
The State’s Credit Fundamentals are Improving
* Together with the 2017D Bonds, the 2017ABC Bonds will pay off approximately $6.0 billion of outstanding bills and is expected to result in the receipt of additional federal funds
* By the end of fiscal year 2018, the bill backlog is expected to be approximately $7.5 billion, a nearly 50% reduction
Recent Developments
* Passage of fiscal year 2018 Budget
* Permanent increase in personal income tax and corporate income tax rates to 4.95% and 7.00% respectively
* Passage of Tier 3 Pension Plan and funding changes
* Passage of Senate Bill 1947 (PA 100-465), which provided for an evidence-based method of allocating funding among the state’s school districts
* Reauthorization of EDGE Tax Credits to improve the State’s competitiveness for major economic development projects
* Reduced risk to swap counterparties by renegotiating rating triggers […]
The State’s base spending commitments are expected to exceed forecasted revenues by approximately $1.5 billion
Notice how they skate over that budget “passage” thingy without mentioning the veto and how they point out the tax hike the governor vetoed improves fiscal stability.
The governor’s budget director is listed as one of the authors.
The Governor cited an unbalanced budget at the time of the veto and did not support passage of a state budget that raised taxes without spending controls and structural governmental, economic and fiscal reforms.
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) estimates a $1.7 billion general funds structural deficit.
Without changes to the current trajectory of the state’s finances, the projected deficit for fiscal year 2019 is $2.15 billion and the bill backlog could grow to an estimated $13.7 billion by the end of fiscal year 2023.
So, the deficit in the bond document is $1.5 billion, but the deficit in the GOMB document is $1.7 billion. Then again, that latter deficit is based solely on the budget as passed and revenues as currently projected. The governor wants to cut a couple hundred million in spending on his own.
As has been the case for many years, Illinois’ economic growth continues to lag the nation, a condition that is expected to continue throughout the five-year forecast horizon absent reforms. U.S. real GDP grew 1.5 percent in 2016 while Illinois’ real GDP grew just 0.9 percent. The recovery of employment in Illinois since the recession has also lagged behind the nation. The U.S. experienced a 1.18 percent growth in total nonfarm employment from August 2016 to August 201715 while Illinois’ total nonfarm employment contracted by 0.57 percent.
*** UPDATE *** From IL AFL-CIO President Mike Carrigan…
I very much regret the unfavorable references recently made to Hanah Jubeh and her consulting firm, P2, in the IL State Federation News Update. Ms. Jubeh has provided professional services to many unions over the years and I know that her work is held in very high regard.
There was absolutely no sexist intent in what was published. The IL AFL-CIO has long been a strong supporter of equal rights for women and it pains me greatly that anyone might have a contrary impression.
I have apologized to Hanah Jubeh and assured her that such an incident will not happen again. It is my sincere hope that we can all move forward together to accomplish our shared goal of a better Illinois for all working families.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* The JB Pritzker campaign is finally responding to that allegation of sexism by Chris Kennedy’s chief fundraiser against the Illinois AFL-CIO. From Galia Slayen…
Leaders of one of the most politically active labor unions in the state blasted the president of the Illinois AFL-CIO on Friday for what they called “unwarranted attacks” on a longtime Democratic consultant. […]
“Your recent singling-out of Jubeh highlights a sexist mindset toward women that has no place in politics, the labor movement or anywhere else in society,” wrote SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff and the clout-heavy group’s secretary-treasurer, Laura Garza.
“It denotes a hostility toward women who refuse to ‘fall in line’ with their male counterparts. … We demand an apology for your unacceptable behavior.”
Carrigan did not respond to requests for comment.
* And the Kennedy campaign did some fundraising off the controversy over the weekend…
I need to bring something to your attention because it represents the state of our politics today, it’s indicative of the political system we have here in Illinois, and it’s personal.
This week, the President of the Illinois AFL-CIO bullied a senior advisor to my campaign. He insulted my campaign and he used her as a pawn for his criticism.
Not my campaign manager. He was never mentioned.
Not my political director. Not a single negative word was directed his way.
Not my media consultant. His name never came up.
Only Hanah. A successful small business owner, a strong political strategist - a woman.
Hanah has a long career fighting for labor. Many in the community can attest to it, and they have. Quickly after a Sun-Times reporter exposed two incidents in which Mike Carrigan made cutting remarks about her for choosing to work on my campaign, members of the labor community spoke out on her behalf.
It is no coincidence that Mike Carrigan is an ally to Speaker Madigan or that he has endorsed my opponent J.B. Pritzker. It’s no coincidence because this is what the insider political game looks like. He is picking on her because he wants her to feel intimidated. He wants my campaign to lose her talent, and ultimately, they all want me out of this race. Members of the labor community have indicated that the criticism is being directed toward her because she is a woman, and he wants her to “fall in line”.
It’s a disgraceful, egregious display of sexism that has no place in our politics, and it’s a glaring example of why people in our state desperately want to rid this system of insiders who stand by and let such bullying occur.
If this were a supporter of mine, I would condemn his behavior. In the very least, I’d demand that he apologize because for me, this race is about more than politics. It’s about bringing integrity back to our political system and bringing real leadership back to our state government. But J.B. Pritzker and his campaign have stood silent when they could have stood up to the establishment. If he won’t stand up to them now when they are clearly in the wrong, how can we trust him to do that as governor?
State agencies under the governor’s control are required to report the amount of unpaid bills they have not yet submitted to the state’s comptroller for payment.
The supremely goofy “Only in Illinois” part is, the agencies are required to make that report just once a year. And the information is always badly outdated by then.
Comptroller Susana Mendoza, the state’s bill-payer, can look at payment and revenue histories to approximate how many bills she has to pay every month and how much money may be available. But after more than two years with no budget and Gov. Bruce Rauner signing state contracts without official legislative appropriations, there are a lot of unknowns right now. Mendoza thinks there may be somewhere around $1.2 billion in spending that the General Assembly never approved. But she doesn’t know for sure.
To give you an idea of how ridiculous this process is, the state’s bill backlog unexpectedly grew by $1 billion one day in May when the governor’s Office of Management & Budget abruptly revealed the unpaid invoices.
The comptroller has to plan ahead to make the state’s bond payments so she doesn’t accidentally trigger a credit downgrade (which would put the state into junk bond territory). She has to make regular (and huge) state pension payments, and schools rely on their state funding to keep their doors open. So plopping $1 billion in new bills on her desk without warning can cause all sorts of very real problems.
Some of the state’s approximately $15 billion in unpaid bills qualify for an interest penalty, designed to help businesses and not-for-profit groups that aren’t being paid in a timely manner. But, in yet another “Only in Illinois” quirk, state law doesn’t require state agencies to tell the person who pays all the bills which invoices qualify for that penalty. So all Mendoza can do is guesstimate what is owed, and she thinks it may be nearing $1 billion.
In February, Mendoza had legislation introduced to require state agencies to tell her
*** UPDATE 1 *** Wordslinger noticed something in the GOMB presentation to bond buyers that I missed….
Approximately $2.8 billion in State General Funds operational liabilities were not appropriated in FY 2017, but these may be paid from future year appropriations
*** UPDATE 2 *** Pritzker campaign…
“$2.8 billion in unappropriated spending is just the latest cost of Bruce Rauner’s budget crisis,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Illinois is drowning in bills manufactured by this failed governor and his damage is done.”
* Related…
* State Comptroller’s Office: Checks Are in the Mail to Prevent Utility Shutoffs at Centralia Prison: “The bills have already been at the Department of Corrections for several months by the time they get to us. Most of the bills we’re paying for the state right now, we’re still paying bills from January to the state. So they talked about this being sort of an important bill they need to get paid right away so they can continue to get service at the prison so we bumped it up and paid those bills.”
* Editorial: Rauner’s DTA veto makes less sense by the day
In chess, a fork is a tactic whereby a single piece makes two or more direct attacks simultaneously. Most commonly two pieces are threatened, which is also sometimes called a double attack. The attacker gains no matter how the opponent responds; the opponent typically can only seek to mitigate the adverse impact, while pursuing his or her strategy. […]
Bear this in mind: Democrats control our legislature, Madigan controls the Democrats and so Madigan controls the agenda. So what does Madigan do with this control?
Madigan, the master player of Illinois politics, used his control of the agenda to set up a series of “forks” to blunt our advance and set the table for next year’s election. Madigan’s agenda is to win, so Madigan’s agenda is to focus attention on anything but what’s actually happening in the state. His game plan: distract, divide and diminish.
Which brings me to SB31, HB40, and the transgender license bill — three issues Madigan put on the political agenda this year. […]
Many on our team are not happy with the choice our Governor made when presented with Madigan’s forks. He ended up making personal choices that many receiving this would not. I am not writing to tell you that you’re wrong. I am not writing to tell you that one choice was good politically — either choice would bring political costs. […]
If you see that these bills are part of Madigan’s strategy then don’t let Madigan play you like some pawn on his board. Channel your anger toward Madigan — don’t fall into his trap of division and distraction.
While private institutions are better shielded from funding cuts by huge endowments, Midwestern public universities have much thinner buffers. The endowments of the universities of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois and Ohio State, which together enroll nearly 190,000 students, add up to about $11 billion—less than a third of Harvard’s $37.6 billion. Together, Harvard, MIT, and Stanford, which enroll about 50,000 students combined, have more than $73 billion in the bank to help during lean times. They also have robust revenues from high tuitions, wealthy alumni donors, strong credit, and other support to fall back on. Compare that to the public university system in Illinois, which has cut its higher-education budget so deeply that Moody’s downgraded seven universities, including five to junk-bond status.
This ominous reality could widen regional inequality, as brainpower, talent, and jobs leave the Midwest and the Rust Belt—where existing economic decline may have contributed to the decisive shift of voters toward Donald Trump—for places with well-endowed private and better-funded public universities. Already, some Midwestern universities have had to spend millions from their battered budgets to hang on to research faculty being lured away by wealthier schools. A handful of faculty have already left, taking with them most if not all of their outside funding.
“We’re in the early stages of the stratification of public research universities,” said Dan Reed, the vice president for research and economic development at the University of Iowa. “The good ones will remain competitive. The rest may decline.” Those include the major public universities established since the 1860s, when a federal grant set aside land for them in every state. “We spent 150-plus years building a public higher-education system that was the envy of the world,” said Reed, who got his graduate degrees at Purdue, in Indiana. “And we could in a decade do so much damage that it could take us 30 years to recover.” […]
These universities have served as bulwarks against a decades-long trend of economic activity fleeing smaller cities and the center of the country for the coasts. Since the 1980s, deregulation and corporate consolidation have led to a drastic hollowing out of the local industries that once sustained heartland cities. But a university can’t just be picked up and moved from Madison to New York in the way a bank, an insurance company, or even a factory can be.
* Speaking of which, the Tribune published another editorial about snagging Amazon’s HQ2…
Gov. Bruce Rauner is expected to discuss details of the Amazon bid after Thursday. What we want to hear is evidence that House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton recognize that creating a more vibrant Illinois is their responsibility, too. Amazon says the ideal location for HQ2 will have a stable, business-friendly environment. That’s not Illinois today. Madigan and Cullerton have to work with the governor in areas such as property taxes, workers’ compensation and public pensions to make this state attractive to all employers.
They’re not wrong, but what do you think a massive new headquarters will require more: workers’ comp reform or universities churning out highly educated people who can fill tens of thousands of six-figure white-collar jobs? That newspaper led the cheering squad for the budget impasse, which deeply damaged our higher education system, both public and private (via MAP grants).
Together, Harvard, MIT, and Stanford, which enroll about 50,000 students combined, have more than $73 billion in the bank to help during lean times. They also have robust revenues from high tuitions, wealthy alumni donors, strong credit, and other support to fall back on. Compare that to the public university system in Illinois, which has cut its higher-education budget so deeply that Moody’s downgraded seven universities, including five to junk-bond status. […]
Illinois reduced per-student spending by an inflation-adjusted 54 percent between 2008 and last year, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities […]
In Illinois, for instance, research output has stayed surprisingly steady as of 2015, the most recent year for which full data is available. But since then, a budget impasse has resulted in some of the deepest cuts to higher education in the nation. (Thanks to a legislative override, the more-than-two-year budget standoff finally ended in July, but significant damage had already been done to university enrollments, staffing, and facilities.)
Gummy bear-maker Haribo of America will expand its U.S. headquarters in Rosemont and add 55 jobs to its workforce there, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office announced Friday.
The German company is eligible to receive $1.67 million in incentives for the expansion through the state’s Economic Development for a Growing Economy program, according to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The new jobs will nearly double the current corporate workforce of 59 by 2021, according to the governor’s office.
That works out to $30,363 per job. If we gave Amazon the same level of incentives to snag its new headquarters and its 50,000 jobs, the state’s cost would be $1.52 billion.
The candidate filing period in Illinois begins in six weeks, and State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, a Champaign Democrat, still doesn’t have a Republican opponent.
That means that if a Republican challenger wants to appear on the primary election ballot in March, she or he is going to have to hustle to come up with the required 5,000 to 10,000 signatures on candidate petitions that have to be filed between Nov. 27 and Dec. 4.
A spokesman for the Illinois Republican Party, Aaron DeGroot, displayed no sense of panic or urgency about candidate vacancies for statewide offices (there also is no announced GOP candidate to challenge State Comptroller Susana Mendoza).
“There are several individuals considering a run for Treasurer, but there are no declared candidates at this time,” DeGroot said. “Stay tuned.”
OK, but four years ago — when incumbent Treasurer Dan Rutherford was running for governor — the major party candidates were already announced, passing petitions and raising money.
Frerichs raised just $109K in the second quarter and spent $62K. Of that spending, $43K went to P2 Consulting, his fundraiser. Yes, it will likely be a pretty strong Democratic year next year here, but he had just $273K at the end of the 2nd quarter. He’s as close as they’re gonna get to a sitting duck and the Republicans aren’t even floating names.
Last week, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign fund transferred $4.45 million to the Illinois Republican Party to bankroll a new effort to focus voters’ attention on House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The state party unveiled its “2018 Madigan Retirement Plan,” which it claimed was designed to “specifically target members of the Illinois House and Senate who empower their political boss, Mike Madigan.” The party said the governor’s money would supply “unprecedented support to local GOP organizations by providing innovative grassroots tools, enhanced digital and data integration, and targeted support for local Republican candidates in an effort to defeat Democrats at every level who empower their party leader, Mike Madigan.”
A few things are going on here. First, “Blame Madigan” has been Rauner’s main theme song since the 2014 campaign. This is a continuation of that effort. It has worked in the past, so they’re betting it’ll work again.
Second, talking about Madigan means he can deflect attention from his own problems.
And that brings us to the third reason. The governor is being criticized loudly and harshly by members of his own party for signing HB40 into law, which legalized taxpayer-funded abortions. Shoveling some cash out the door, or at the very least holding the cash out there as a potential carrot, might help calm some tempers. Running it through the state party means there are no direct Rauner fingerprints on the money, so accepting it gives Republican candidates and organizations some deniability. Not much, but some. They can just say the new cash in their accounts is all about defeating that bad ol’ Madigan.
But Republicans are now being asked whether they’re supporting Gov. Rauner’s reelection.
When Christian County Republican Party Chairman Seth McMillan announced he would run against Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, last week, he was asked where he stood on the intra-party schism. According to the Decatur Herald & Review, McMillan said he would support whoever won the primary and stated, “Right now, I support the governor’s re-election.”
Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, was asked during a local radio talk show last week whether he was endorsing Rauner’s reelection.
“Asking me, ‘Would I still support the governor?’ I’d have to know who’s running,” Brady said, later clarifying that the governor hadn’t yet asked for his endorsement.
As the numerous Republican legislative primaries start heating up between incumbents and others supported by the establishment and those backed by conservative activist Dan Proft and his cohorts, the Rauner questions will naturally become more frequent.
Most Republicans with far-right primary opponents can’t embrace the governor, for obvious reasons. And if they embrace Rauner’s primary opponent they could risk losing out on the so-called “Retire Madigan” money. Attempting to remain neutral comes with its own likely risks.
Once it became clear to the Democrats that there could be no budget deal with the governor, the plan was to drag him down to a point where he was almost as unpopular as Speaker Madigan.
Republicans will undoubtedly be put on the spot with questions next fall about whether they can remain independent of an unpopular governor with a reputation as a control freak who backs that up with a fat wallet.
* Some of us figured that since Monday is the last day to file 2016 income tax returns we’d have something out of the governor’s office by now. And maybe the Democratic candidates aside from Daniel Biss who haven’t yet disclosed their returns might do so as well. It’s Friday afternoon, after all. Maybe it’ll come later. Or not. I’ve got some stuff to do now, so if they do send out press releases and/or copies of their returns I’ll post them when I can.
Today I veto Senate Bill 1446 from the 100th General Assembly, which amends the Illinois Procurement Code to force the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to repeat its request for proposals (“RFP”) for purchase of care contracts with managed care organizations. Enactment of this legislation would needlessly cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
The Department conducted the RFP for statewide managed care contracts over a five-month period in a competitive, transparent process. The RFP was consistent with State procurement law and historical practice. Forcing re-procurement of the RFP under this legislation would prevent nearly one billion dollars in savings and block stronger accountability and performance management in the Illinois Medicaid Program.
The transformation of health and human services to help our most vulnerable citizens has been one of the primary goals of this Administration. In the beginning of this year, the Department began a process to help make the goals of the transformation a reality by improving health outcomes for Medicaid clients while slowing the growth of health care costs and putting the State of Illinois on a more sustainable financial trajectory. The result – after months of rigorous work and evaluation by experienced staff from several different State agencies – is a solution that serves all the people of Illinois.
The Department took steps to ensure the integrity of the procurement throughout the entire process. The process of evaluating managed care providers mirrored traditional procurements, including key components such as soundness of evaluations, transparent communications, and the use of objective measures. In addition, plans were chosen through competitive statewide bidding for the first time, using strict rules to ensure impartiality.
The Department has acted in accordance with the law to deliver improved health care to our most vulnerable citizens and provide value for our taxpayers. We should be commending the Department for its work in service of all Illinoisans. Instead, this bill would needlessly force the Department to repeat a task that has already been successfully completed, to the detriment of our vulnerable citizens and the State’s taxpayers.
The bill—which would essentially scuttle what could be the state’s largest procurement ever—is now making its way to the governor, whose approval is a long shot. […]
(C)ritics contend the selection process wasn’t transparent enough. Lawmakers still want to know, for example, who reviewed the bids and selected the winners. […]
Koehler’s bill would amend the Illinois Procurement Code, a roadmap of regulations for state contracting. The current code does not include contracts with MCOs. Currently, those are exempt from the state’s traditional route of securing business (as are collective bargaining agreements and contracts between state agencies). Instead, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which implements Medicaid, a health insurance program for the poor and disabled, oversaw the bidding process in-house. […]
The contracts, with initial four-year terms, are significant. Managed care now costs Illinois about $10.5 billion, but the tab is expected to increase to between $12.8 billion and $13.5 billion a year under Rauner’s revamp because enrollment will increase, and health plans are paid a fixed amount of money per enrollee. But the state expects to save around $1 billion over four years partly because the MCOs have agreed to be paid less money. […]
The bill was resurrected quickly—and passed the Illinois Senate with a 38-18 vote two days later—amid fresh concerns that no minority-owned companies won a bid, said Harris, a Chicago Democrat.
Rauner had repeatedly pledged that a minority-owned company would win the bid, but his administration and DHFS both subsequently said he played no hands-on role in the bidding process.
This will be an interesting bill to watch in the veto session.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) sponsored the legislation and issued the following statement after the governor’s veto:
“The governor’s veto truly is a defeat for transparency and accountability in state government. We are talking about billions of dollars of taxpayer money that is being contracted out by the state without any hearings or a framework of procurement rules.
“It is my intention to override this veto in the upcoming veto session. The largest contract in state history deserves the same amount of scrutiny as every other contract.”
With a national spotlight being shone on the issue, Governor Rauner’s team is working to curb addiction
The nationwide opioid epidemic has attracted attention in states across the U.S., but here in Illinois, Governor Rauner’s task force is already working to curtail its spread. The Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force has already made it easier to get life-saving medications to prevent overdose, and now they are travelling the state, collecting information to help prevent the spread of addiction.
* The campaign e-mail linked to this editorial in the Daily Herald…
On Wednesday, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Opioid Prevention and Intervention Task Force began a state tour in search of information and partners to help implement the state’s Opioid Action Plan to curtail the growing opioid overdose epidemic in Illinois.
The Task Force met in Chicago Wednesday and will be in Champaign and Mount Vernon in downstate Illinois this week.
“The opioid epidemic knows no neighborhood, no color, and no class. It is not confined to alleys in urban settings, nor isolated in rural communities,” said Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti of Wheaton, the task force chair. “We are traveling the state to collect research and hear stories of those impacted by this growing opioid overdose epidemic so we can take action to save lives.”
* Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) wrote an essay today about the “history of the Rauner Administration’s attempts since taking office to undermine a 2015 bi-partisan law, The Heroin Crisis Act, that serves as a national model to address the heroin crisis”…
Going back to March 2014, House Speaker Michael Madigan had already established a 39-member bi-partisan Heroin Crisis Task Force, which I chaired, and that month the full House had approved unanimously a resolution, HR 883, declaring a “Heroin State of Emergency in Illinois” and calling on the legislature to “develop a comprehensive, bold, and durable package of legislative proposals to combat the heroin crisis” – which, after multiple statewide hearings, the legislature set out to do.
After 14 months of work and hearing from more than 300 witnesses, the legislature put on the new governor’s desk the comprehensive, bi-partisan bill, House Bill 1, which I sponsored, and estimated to invest $25 to $75 million annually to fight the epidemic. The legislation included, among many other provisions, requirements that insurance providers offer coverage for medically necessary acute treatment and clinical stabilization services and that Medicaid provide all medication assisted drug treatment (injectable naltrexone, methadone, suboxone, Vivitrol, etc.) without utilization controls or prior authorization. Those provisions were opposed by Rauner’s Departments of Insurance and Healthcare and Family Services.
Despite House and Senate approval, 114-0 and 46-4, respectively, Rauner vetoed the bi-partisan bill while the heroin epidemic raged statewide. That veto sparked the first revolt by Republican lawmakers who joined with Democrats in the House and Senate to override the governor, 105-5 and 44-11, respectively.
The Rauner Administration retaliated to the bi-partisan repudiation by slow-walking the implementation of multiple provisions and failure to implement others. For example, the governor has failed to fully enforce mental health parity laws. That sabotage pushed me to introduce this year fresh, clean up legislation, HB 68, on which I consulted with the Kennedy Forum and other mental health experts, to force the governor to adhere to the current law.
Not satisfied with undermining the implementation of HB 1, the Rauner’s Administration also this year pushed legislation, HB 2908, sponsored by a top gubernatorial House ally, State Rep. Patti Bellock (R-Hinsdale), that sought to gut the Medicaid financing of medically assisted heroin treatment by re-imposing drug utilization requirements and requiring prior authorization, choking off medications for low-income individuals seeking treatment. I stifled that cynical move. Dead. The effort to weaken Medicaid funding came on top of Rauner’s move in Fiscal Year 2016 to slash state funding for drug treatment providers by 25%. And in the new state budget, Rauner killed a $1.2 million grant to the Rockford-based Rosecrance’s drug treatment triage center.
Thus, Rauner’s opioid advisory council and phantom strategy – two-and-half years after entering office – are nothing but disgraceful and cynical exercises to advance his wobbly reelection hopes. If the Illinois’ opioid crisis has worsened, it’s because Governor Rauner and his administration’s willful neglect and sabotage.
With the State of Illinois ranking in the top 10 states with the highest tax burden on it’s residents, state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, has introduced a measure to remove burdensome taxes on senior citizens when they are purchasing items they need to survive.
“We must do everything that we can to protect seniors on fixed incomes here in Illinois,” said Ford. “With the rising cost of living in addition to increased county, city, state, and federal taxes, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for vulnerable senior citizens to make ends meet.”
On Tuesday, Ford introduced House Bill 4111, a measure that makes senior citizens in the state exempt from being taxed on bare household health necessities. Among the items eligible for the tax exemption are fresh groceries, medicine, medical devices and items used for wellness in diabetic patients.
“People living on fixed incomes are trapped between a rock and a hard place,” said Ford. “This exemption from certain sales taxes for qualified senior citizens will provide real relief for the men and women who have worked hard and paved the way for future generations in Illinois.”
Wait. Aren’t those items already exempted from Illinois’ sales tax? From a spokesperson…
Currently, the goods that would be effected under HB 4111 are taxed at the local level at a rate of 1%.
So, it’s the local tax that he’s exempting. Some mayors will be pleased, I’m sure. He’s already picked up a few co-sponsors, including Rep. Theresa Mah…
“Senior citizens in our community have worked hard their entire lives to build up our neighborhoods and to bring their families up in our communities,” said Mah. “We must take preventative steps that protect elderly citizens who often live on a strict fixed income.”
I get the political angle here, but this would do to local governments what the state has been doing to itself for decades: Narrow the revenue base. Combine that with expanding the spending base (including by deferring pension payments) and we’ve wound up in a with a fiscal mess.
At the state level, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, is a chief cosponsor of House Bill 4083. The measure would prohibit counties from imposing soda taxes in the future. He said people see right through such money grabs.
“Because none of the money is being used to offset the risks of diabetes or obesity,” Moylan said. “It’s all going to pay other things.” […]
HB 4083, which has a broad swath of support in the House with 37 sponsors, is stuck in Rules Committee.
C’mon. Rules hasn’t met since the last time they were in session. I’m betting this will get popped to the floor (so to speak) before election day.
A four-time Illinois Legislator of the Year is free on $1,500 bail following a recent shoplifting arrest, authorities said.
Former Republican representative Sandra Pihos, of the 500 block of Williamsburgh Road in Glen Ellyn, is charged with retail theft. […]
According to court documents, Pihos, 71, stole three female clothing items from Von Maur in Lombard’s Yorktown Shopping Center at 2:05 p.m. on Sept. 26. […]
But authorities said Pihos returned to the store around 9:18 p.m. that same day and attempted to return the stolen items for cash or store credit.
* The Question: Do you have any experience with this problem in your family or circle of friends? Tell us about it.
Trump's decision will lead to higher premiums for Illinoisans. We'll fight this, and keep fighting until we achieve Medicare for All. https://t.co/19SFKUMFeu
Over the past two days, President Donald Trump announced he would end ACA subsidies for people buying insurance on the individual healthcare marketplace and issued an executive order expected to further destabilize the market. Rates are expected to rise 20% or more.
For months, Governor Bruce Rauner sat quietly on the sideline as President Trump worked to end the Affordable Care Act, despite the consequences in store for Illinois families. Recently, Rauner even deflected blame for President Trump by trying to tie recent instability in the marketplace back to President Obama. When asked what he’s doing to protect Illinoisans, Rauner claims, without evidence, that he’s talking to leaders in Washington.
Well, now Governor Rauner has an old friend to call. Earlier this week his old health care advisor, Eric Hargan, was named acting Secretary of President Trump’s HHS. Hargan served as the “Co-Chair and Convener of the Healthcare and Human Services Transition Committee for Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.” Will Rauner call acting HHS Secretary Hargan and prevail on him to protect the 350,000 Illinoisans in the marketplace? Or will he continue to stand by as Illinois families see their rates rise?
“Premiums are set to skyrocket for Illinois families and Governor Rauner has not lifted a finger to stop it,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “For months, Rauner sat idly by as Trump worked to strip needed health protections and destroy the state budget. Now Trump’s reckless actions will hit voters in their pocketbook and Bruce Rauner’s silence is only making things worse for families. It’s time for Bruce Rauner to stop shielding President Trump and start standing up for Illinois.”
* Chris Kennedy…
“Attempts to rollback Obamacare were successfully thwarted because of outcry from across the country, including from a bi-partisan group of governors, despite the glaring absence of Bruce Rauner. Trump, along with rank-and-file GOP, failed in those attacks so now they’re taking a new approach. They’re dismantling Obamacare piece by piece, starting with subsidies to cover costs for the poor because they don’t think we care about the poor. Well, we do, and it’s on us to prove him wrong. We know health care is a right, not a privilege. No one in America should choose between bankruptcy and staying healthy. We know that when we risk health care access for the few among us, we risk it for all of us. Nearly 10 years ago, my uncle Ted Kennedy proclaimed words that still ring true today: ‘The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.’”
* Pritzker…
As Donald Trump sabotages the Affordable Care Act by halting subsidies, the JB Pritzker campaign released a new digital ad, “Fight Back.”
The ad highlights the intentional destruction of our healthcare system by Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington and the urgent need for a leader in Illinois to fight back. Bruce Rauner has remained silent as Donald Trump systematically dismantles our healthcare system and puts millions of Illinoisans’ coverage at risk.
“Donald Trump is intentionally destroying our healthcare system, but Bruce Rauner doesn’t seem to care that millions of Illinoisans’ healthcare could be jeopardized,” said JB Pritzker. “Trump is an immoral leader, and Rauner is his clear partner in Illinois. We need a governor who will protect Illinoisans from Trump’s attacks and work to protect healthcare in our state.”
My own opinion of that ad is the editing may inadvertently pair Pritzker with Trump if you’re not paying close attention, and most people aren’t. I took my eyes away from it for a second and was a little surprised at what visuals were hitting my brain.
Steve Sandvoss
Executive Director, Illinois State Board of Elections 2329 S. MacArthur Blvd.
Springfield, IL, 62704
Executive Director Sandvoss,
We write to you today to express our deep concern about how Illinois voter registration data is used, shared, and protected outside of the State of Illinois. We urge the Board to end the state’s participation in the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck System (“Crosscheck”) and to refuse to comply with the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity’s second request for voter registration data.
Continued participation in Crosscheck poses several risks. The data shared with Crosscheck includes personal identifying information beyond what is normally shared with political parties, such as the last four digits of social security numbers. Crosscheck creates a central repository for voter data from over two dozen states. Portions of this data are then shared with the participating states. Both of these scenarios expose over 8 million Illinoisans to the risk of identity theft if hacked.
More concerning is the fact that Crosscheck is administered by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach who has a documented history of authoring anti-immigration legislation and advocating for laws that disproportionately disenfranchise people of color, the young, and those with low incomes. Since taking over administration of Crosscheck, Kobach has transformed what was once a legitimate tool for voter roll maintenance into a propaganda machine for voter suppression efforts.
When Crosscheck returned 400,000 potential voter registration matches to Illinois, based on nothing other than first name, last name, and date of birth, Kobach labeled these “potential duplicate voters” despite the fact that he is well aware most records were not matches on the same people, let alone actual duplicate voters. The data analysis may be free, but at what cost to voters? As the saying goes, “if you’re not paying, you’re the product”. Ultimately states are being used to provide the data necessary to manufacture statistics to justify new voter identification laws and to make it harder for some people to vote.
Kobach now serves as Vice Chair of the Presidential Commission which has the same objective as Crosscheck: use intentionally poor data analysis techniques to create misleading statistics which help to perpetuate the myth of widespread voter fraud and to further an agenda of voter suppression.
Voting is one of the most fundamental rights and exercises of power available to the American people. We trust that the Board will do everything in its power to protect Illinoisans’ personal information and the integrity of our elections. While Illinois has same day voter registration, many states using Crosscheck data do not. Every year Crosscheck puts millions of registered voters across the country on Kobach’s target list of “potential duplicate voters”. Simply by being on the list, people face an increased risk of having their registration wrongly inactivated or cancelled — Illinois must stop supplying over 8 million records that are used to disenfranchise our fellow Americans.
There are currently more secure and reliable systems available to maintain voter registration rolls, such as ERIC, which the Illinois legislature has already mandated the state to join. We again urge the Board to consider the societal impact of Crosscheck both within and outside of Illinois when weighing continued participation in this program and to refuse to legitimize the Presidential Commission by providing data that will be used to manufacture fraudulent statistics.
Sincerely,
State Representative Will Guzzardi
State Representative Linda Chapa Lavia
State Representative Mary E. Flowers
State Representative Elizabeth Hernandez
State Representative Carol Ammons
State Representative John D’Amico
State Representative Robyn Gabel
State Representative Jay Hoffman
State Representative Kelly Burke
State Representative Laura Fine
State Representative Greg Harris
State Representative Camille Lilly
State Representative Theresa Mah
State Representative Anna Moeller
State Representative Michelle Mussman
State Representative Carol Sente
State Representative Juliana Stratton
State Representative Arthur Turner
State Representative Emanuel Chris Welch
In theory, the program is supposed to detect possible cases of people voting in multiple locations. But academics and states that use the program have found that its results are overrun with false positives, creating a high risk of disenfranchising legal voters. A statistical analysis of the program published earlier this year by researchers at Stanford, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania and Microsoft, for instance, found that Crosscheck “would eliminate about 200 registrations used to cast legitimate votes for every one registration used to cast a double vote.” […]
Along with 18 other states plus D.C., Minnesota has instead opted to join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a separate voter data program started in 2012. ERIC draws on a much wider array of data sources than Crosscheck, including motor vehicle registration data, Social Security death records, and Postal Service data.
“Look at what ERIC’s doing. That’s the way you clean up the voting rolls,” Simon said. “It’s anonymized data, and you don’t have nearly the problem with false positives.”
The sheer number of businesses calling Illinois home is up 28 percent since 2001, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That compares to 17 percent for Wisconsin, 8 percent for Indiana and 4 percent for Ohio. Michigan is down 9 percent.
Most of the growth in Illinois is in small businesses, yet the data also show that Illinois has done better than neighboring states in retaining its roster of very large businesses.
* But…
Gummy bear maker @HARIBOUSA announced today that they will double their HQ workforce in Rosemont, creating 55 new jobs for Illinoisans! pic.twitter.com/512hhHJBTc
The better way to measure job growth is by growth *rate*, not net jobs gained. IL’s job growth is quite poor since Rauner took office pic.twitter.com/vxGqkWoKrG
* We’ve already discussed a couple of them, but if you click here you can refresh your memory. Here’s a very short one apparently designed for social media…
We're delivering for our kids because I believe Illinois' future is worth fighting for. pic.twitter.com/rjxLjX0cr3
Back in 2006, Republican polling found that whenever Gov. Rod Blagojevich appeared in one of his ads his numbers would sag. Despite winning by 10 points (in a huge Democratic wave), he had lousy job approval ratings.
* Note that this is a projected increase and not yet an actual increase…
The union representing corrections officers says inmate attacks on state employees have increased 51 percent since 2015.
Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 said Thursday that assaults increased from 541 in the 2015 calendar year to a projected 819.
AFSCME says the Illinois Department of Corrections is reclassifying violent inmates to lower security levels to save money. Those inmates are transferred to medium-security prisons which are less costly to run.
Corrections acknowledged an increase in staff assaults from 2015 to 2017, but put the number at a 34 percent increase, not a 51 percent increase. The department counts assaults by fiscal year which runs from July 1 to June 30. AFSCME based its numbers on calendar year figures. For 2017, the union compiled the number of assaults reported so far this year and extended it to the end of the year.
Corrections also said that more than half of the staff assaults at state prisons involved inmates throwing a “liquid substance” at staff. It said that since 2000, the department has averaged about 1,282 staff injuries per year. That number dropped to 907 in the 2017 fiscal year that ended in June.
[AFSCME executive director Roberta Lynch] also said inmates are being reclassified for their security threat which has resulted in inmates convicted of violent crimes being moved from maximum security prisons to medium and minimum facilities. She said the reclassifications are being made by Corrections’ management without consulting staff who actually deal with the inmates. […]
Lower security prisons have lower staffing requirements and cost less to operate, she said.
However you count it, even a 34 percent increase is still a lot. And “liquid substance” can include, um, bodily excretions.
“Is it because … prisons with lower security levels have lower staffing levels and cost less to operate and that far too little attention is paid to the human cost of increasing violence against staff?” Lynch asked […]
Illinois Department of Corrections Director John Baldwin, meeting later with reporters, rejected AFSCME declarations that management “doesn’t care” and dismissed the AFSCME’s claims of “budget-driven security re-classification.”
He said the department is changing its classification system for inmates to replace a 30-year-old model, acknowledging that “we have a lot of population in the wrong place.” […]
Seven in 10 assaults are perpetrated by mentally ill inmates, Baldwin said. Key to reducing those, he said, is training approved by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which all department employees have had, in dealing with sometimes uncertain responses and reactions associated with mental illness.
We have a mental health crisis in this country and we’re making prisons and jails deal with it.
Baldwin says the department’s staffing level has grown by 11 percent over the past three fiscal years.
He also says some increase in assaults is expected as Illinois changes the way it deals with inmates who have mental illness, but that based on the experience in other states, the trend will improve over time. The state has agreed to improve treatment of inmates with mental health disorders in order to settle a lawsuit.
Her role as chief fundraiser for Chris Kennedy’s campaign is putting Jubeh in direct conflict with longtime colleagues in the labor movement who want J.B. Pritzker to get the Democratic nomination in the March primary.
The tensions between Jubeh and her one-time friends and allies erupted into public view this week. In its newsletter published Tuesday, the Illinois AFL-CIO — which has endorsed Pritzker — took a highly unusual cheap shot at Jubeh.
“Kennedy’s campaign has been plagued with poor fundraising and no-show appearances, which has stalled the campaign,” according to an unsigned, lead article in the Illinois AFL-CIO newsletter. “Hanah Jubeh of P2 Consulting is senior advisor and fundraiser for the Kennedy campaign. Based on past political campaigns, combined with this campaign, many people, especially within the Illinois labor movement, are seriously questioning her abilities to manage statewide campaigns.”
Jubeh told me Thursday that the personal attack on her in the newsletter was “unprecedented,” but it echoed pressure she has faced privately since joining the Kennedy campaign. […]
Jubeh says she believes sexism is behind this criticism.
Other Kennedy campaign consultants who are men have worked with labor unions before this race, including Kennedy’s pollster and the guy producing his campaign ads. Unlike Jubeh, the men on the Kennedy campaign have not faced the same sort of attacks from labor.
“Why did [IL AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan] single me out, a female in leadership?” Jubeh says. “He knows he can only bully a female. If I was a guy, this would be a non-issue.
* OK, as I’ve been saying for months and as I told subscribers again this morning (I also worked on this story), the Kennedy campaign’s most fundamental problem is its fundraising. His pollster and his media consultant are not the problem over there. The real issue is money, meaning the lack of it.
“It was a bad quarter, no question about it,” Daley told me.
Kennedy raised $704,000 during that quarter. During the next quarter, he raised about $800,000 from others. Something simply has to change over there. And since she’s his chief fundraiser, that’s her turf, even though I would blame the candidate more because it’s his job to burn up the phones. And she has had success raising money for others, including Sen. Kwame Raoul.
While Pritzker builds momentum, his rivals for the Democratic Party nomination are struggling to gain any traction. Chris Kennedy has had two straight quarters of subpar fundraising, including injecting $250,000 of his own money in to boost the totals.
Kennedy’s campaign has been plagued with poor fundraising and no-show appearances which has stalled the campaign. Hanah Jubeh of P2 Consulting is Senior Advisor and fundraiser for the Kennedy Campaign. Based on past political campaigns combined with this campaign many people, especially within the Illinois labor movement, are seriously questioning her abilities to manage statewide campaigns.
The organization should’ve focused its attack on Kennedy without naming staff because it’s now opened itself up to public criticism. Bad move and understandably seen as sexist. Frankly, I was shocked to see it in the newsletter late Wednesday night when somebody sent it to me. They should apologize, or at the very least knock it off. When just five members of your 35-member executive board are women, you need to tread much more carefully.
* You can go back to the Sun-Times story for other responses, but something important was left out of this react…
[Chicago Federation of Labor Ramirez President Jorge Ramirez] didn’t want to comment on the remarks in the AFL-CIO newsletter. Although the CFL is supporting Pritzker for governor, Ramirez vouches for Jubeh.
“Hanah has done good work for us over the past 10 years,” Ramirez says. “I’d be dishonest to tell you otherwise.”
* The full statement from the CFL, with emphasis added by me…
Hanah Jubeh has worked for the CFL in various capacities for nearly a decade. While Hanah no longer directs the political work for the CFL, she continues to provide logistical support and planning for non-political events. I’d be less than honest if I didn’t acknowledge Hanah’s contributions to our organizational and public policy successes.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: My question is, would you legalize marijuana so this state would not go down the drain like all the others? Like [inaudible]
KENNEDY: I would do this. I would follow the advice of scientists and doctors. If the scientists and doctors and the recovery community said, ‘you should not do that because you’ll create a public health hazard,’ I wouldn’t legalize marijuana simply to get us out of a budget mess, I would tax the rich people who can do that. We don’t need to do that. But I would defer to science, I don’t think it should be a politician that makes that decision.
And we should, within six months of the next governor’s term, we should charge the University of Illinois with reviewing all of the studies that have been done and decide whether it should be legalized or not and how to legalize it. I talked to the governor of Colorado last Friday. So, he said, ‘Look we legalized it, but we didn’t know it would come as gummy bears.’ So, a bunch of kids ate gummy bears and ended up at the children’s hospital in Denver. Because we didn’t know that they should come in a medical container with a screw top lid that only an adult should open. So, they had to go back and re-regulate.’ Then he said the THC, which is the chemical in there, the THC is much stronger than it was when – I was familiar with the topic back in the 80’s, so it’s like 10 times stronger. There’s no regulation in Colorado, at least the way he said it, that regulates how much THC can be administered in one dose. Which means that for the first time in history, like in 10,000 years of human history, people can overdose from marijuana. You’re saying no you can’t –
AUDIENCE MEMBER: – Well, alcohol. You can overdose with alcohol.
KENNEDY: We should defer to science, and what we should say is, OK what do the rules look like? What would be good? Is it OK? Is it like liquor? If it’s like booze, they say it’s not a public health hazard, let’s do it. But let’s make sure we’ve got the right container, let’s make sure that we don’t have a dose that’s too high. Let’s learn from what other states have done. That’s what I say.
The thing is in America, this is interesting, the Republicans in the Senate and in the House, have stopped the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health from studying this question. There’s no study. The federal government is prevented from studying whether or not we should legalize marijuana. That’s like crazy, because politicians got involved where they should have differed to the scientists. In the state of Illinois we regulated medical marijuana. The doctors said, ‘oh no we should use it for many diseases.’ And they said ‘No, no, no, just a few,’ because the politicians substituted their own judgement for doctors and scientists. That’s ridiculous, we should defer to doctors, you should defer to science, there is truth and we should respect it. Let them decide and then we’ll do whatever they decide.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: I feel that God gave us this beautiful plant. Why does there have to be so much regulation?
KENNEDY: And I think I would just ask a doctor or a scientist that’s all I’m saying. I can’t argue with your point.
Democratic candidate for Governor, Bob Daiber, announced that Jonathan W. Todd, a Chicago Social Worker, will join him on the ticket for his bid for the 2018 nomination. Daiber said. “Jonathan is a person who knows the issues of Chicago because he works to solve them every day in his job.” The Daiber campaign has interviewed a long list of possible running mates. “Jonathan Todd is a good choice because of his working knowledge” stated Daiber.
Todd is 49 years old and is married to his wife, Stacy. The couple lives on the west side of the city in the Austin community and are parents of their four-year old daughter. Todd has worked for the Association House of Chicago for thirteen years. Todd has been politically active in Democratic politics as a community organizer, campaign volunteer, and strategist for numerous candidates. While Todd has never held public office, Daiber indicated that he is comfortable with him in the Lieutenant Governor’s spot because of his knowledge of social services and his understanding of government to help solve social problems. Daiber also welcomes the volunteer base that Todd will bring to his campaign.
Daiber stated, “Jonathan has a background to help lead the charge to end violence in Chicago and around the state. I feel very good that Jonathan has worked with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and the Department of Human Services (DHS).”
Todd holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from Roosevelt University. He has over twenty years of experience in social work.
Todd stated, “I am excited to join Bob Daiber in this gubernatorial race because Bob has an extensive background in public service and education. I began to follow Bob in his campaign last spring and have been impressed with his knowledge and detailed answers. We will be a good team because we will work to move the state forward and unite Illinois.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Another running mate problem…
I was excited to read your recent post that a Governor candidate selected a social worker to be his running mate, one problem – Johnathan Todd is NOT a social worker in Illinois. Social work is a title protected profession in Illinois that requires either a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work (not sociology), supervision hours and passing the ASWB test for the Licensed Social Worker, or a Master’s degree in Social Work, supervision hours and passing the ASWB test for Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Mr. Todd has none of those qualifications.
In Illinois you must be licensed as a social workers to call yourself a social worker, it is violation of state law to represent yourself as a social worker without those qualifications. I am asking that you please correct this inaccuracy.
Kyle Hillman
Director of Legislative Affairs
National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Bob Daiber…
On behalf of the Daiber Campaign for Governor, it was not the intent of our announcement today to misrepresent the qualifications of Jonathan Todd our running mate or to misuse the title of social worker. As a candidate for Governor, I apologize to any one who was offended by the misuse of this title. As a licensed professional myself, I uphold the greatest respect for all who have earned licenses to practice their professions. Mr. Todd does hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and has worked for the Association House of Chicago for thirteen years.
Gov. Bruce Rauner announced today that Patty Schuh will become his deputy chief of staff for communications.
Schuh will join the governor’s office next week, bringing with her more than 30 years of experience working with the Illinois General Assembly. Schuh started her career on the Senate Republican staff as a communications officer and advanced to the role of press secretary and Assistant to the Senate Republican Leader.
“Patty may be the most well established and politically astute communicator in Illinois government,” Rauner said. “As the leader of our team, she will add unparalleled experience in Illinois politics and media to our communication. I have known her for many years and I am excited that she has decided to join our effort.”
Schuh has the unusual distinction of having served as spokesman and press secretary for four Republican leaders – Senate President James “Pate” Philip and Senate Republican Leaders Frank Watson, Christine Radogno and Bill Brady.
“I’m honored to put my experience to work in the Office of the Governor. I’m grateful to Gov. Rauner for the opportunity and look forward to working with his administration to make the changes Illinois needs to move forward,” Schuh said.
Schuh teams with Communications Strategy Director Hud Englehart in Chicago.
Schuh and her husband live in Springfield.
I love me some Patty. She’s a pro through and through. I sure hope this works out for her. We’ll see.
* This will definitely help. Via the great Shia Kapos…
Billionaire philanthropist Neil Bluhm is backing Kwame Raoul, the Democratic state senator who’s running for Illinois attorney general.
Bluhm is a longtime campaign donor to Democrats. He raised $200,000 for former President Barack Obama’s 2008 bid and $500,000 for the 2012 race.
No word yet on how much Bluhm will donate to Raoul, who was appointed to the state Senate in 2004 to fill the vacancy left by then-state Sen. Obama after he won a U.S. Senate race.
Bluhm will serve as finance chair for the campaign. With an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion, it will be interesting to see if his backing scares off other Democrats from running against Raoul.
Today, State Representative Peter Breen (R-Lombard) and State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) filed the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” which would prohibit units of government in Illinois from using taxpayer funds for elective abortions, reversing key provisions of the recently enacted House Bill 40. Breen and McConchie are pressing for full debate and a floor vote on the measure during the upcoming fall veto session later this month, before HB 40 goes into effect in 2018.
“With the signing of HB 40, Illinoisans will be put on the hook for roughly 75% of the state’s 40,000 annual elective abortions,” said Breen. “Strong majorities of Illinoisans, especially folks in the suburbs and downstate, oppose taxpayer funding of abortions, and the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act will respect both their pocketbooks and their consciences. Considering the average cost of $1,000 per Medicaid abortion, we don’t have the $30 million required to cover 30,000 abortions every year.”
“The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act is a critical piece of legislation that respects the moral and fiscal concerns of our residents,” said McConchie. “In states that have legalized Medicaid abortions, over 50% of all abortions become taxpayer-funded. The residents in my suburban district are overwhelmingly opposed to this new spending scheme.”
The legislators are relying on data from the Guttmacher Institute, the former research arm of Planned Parenthood, about income levels of those seeking abortions and payment data from other states that provide elective abortion funding. Guttmacher indicates that 75% of women seeking abortions are below 200% Federal Poverty Level, and that, in states with elective abortion, over 50% of all abortions are paid for by Medicaid. See, https://www.guttmacher.org/report/characteristics-us-abortion-patients-2014. Because Illinois’ Medicaid system extends eligibility to pregnant women up to at least 213% Federal Poverty Level, those who will be eligible for taxpayer funded abortions may be even higher than 75%. See, http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=14091 (pregnant women considered at least family size 2, as Illinois law counts unborn children in family size). The legislators also received information from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services showing that the average cost, over the past five years, for a Medicaid abortion and ancillary services is approximately $1,000 per procedure.
Breen drafted the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act on the model of the federal Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal funding for abortions, other than for abortions sought in connection with pregnancies that result from rape or incest, or that threaten the life of the mother. Abortions under these circumstances constitute roughly 1% of all abortions. Federal law already requires states to provide Medicaid abortions under these three conditions, and the proposed Act recognizes those federal provisions.
While the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act reverses the substantive provisions of HB 40 and prevents taxpayer funding for abortion at all levels of government, it adds new public policy language on abortion, not including controversial “trigger language” about Roe v. Wade that was at issue in HB 40.
“The ‘trigger language’ in HB 40 had no legal effect, and there’s no need to reopen a theoretical debate about language from over 40 years ago. Instead, we wanted to start fresh with updated language and concepts that reflect the majority position of Illinoisans, especially folks in the suburbs and downstate, who care very deeply about this issue,” Breen added.
“This controversial and culturally divisive act should not be one that taxpayers should be forced to fund,” said McConchie. “Likewise, there is no good reason for taxpayers to be on the hook for someone else’s personal decision.”
Additionally, while the federal government typically matches a state’s Medicaid expenses, it will not do so for elective abortions. Breen has stated previously that, based on the estimated direct cost to the state of $30 million for abortions, the true impact to the Medicaid system is actually double that, $60 million in lost medical services.
Within an hour of the filing of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, numerous legislators from across Illinois joined the bill as cosponsors. The bills are pending as HB 4114 & SB 2241. Legislators are also considering legal action in the coming weeks to challenge whether HB 40 can be effective before June 1, 2018, due to it being held beyond the May 31 deadline set by the state constitution for the passage of bills. The current effective date is set at January 1, 2018, and legislators estimate the five-month difference in effective dates could prevent taxpayer funding of 10,000 abortions or more.
“I’m not ruling anything out. I just don’t want to talk about another office or another race today or any time in the near future. But I can tell you I’m not done in politics. I’m sure that I will run again.”
A natural alternative for supporters of Pawar’s populist campaign is progressive State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston). But Pawar said he is not prepared to endorse any of his opponents “at this time.”
Pawar’s absence may boost the chance that Biss or Kennedy will emerge as the top competitor to Pritzker, instead splitting the anti-establishment vote. […]
Meanwhile, a Democratic political consultant who’s not affiliated with any candidate for governor, ex-Rahm Emanuel aide Tom Bowen, agrees with my take that Pawar’s withdrawal “frees up a little more of the progressive lane, probably to Biss.”
But Pawar didn’t have that much support to start with, so the impact is limited, Bowen continued. “If Kennedy or Biss left, that makes a difference.”
But Biss seriously disrupted his own campaign when he picked and then dropped Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as his lieutenant governor running mate. And Kennedy has yet to find his stride as a contender, with his fund-raising short of what he’ll really need to be competitive against Pritzker.
* The Question: What impact, if any, will Pawar’s exit have on the gubernatorial campaign?
Wanted to flag this Register-Mail article for you. Mark Kleine is running an impressive campaign for Congress in IL-17. So far, his campaign has raised $507k, with 90% of those funds coming from donors within the district. $100k of that total comes from Kleine himself.
Cheri Bustos probably hasn’t noticed the groundswell of support for Kleine because she’s too busy helping Madigan and Chicago Democrats anoint J.B. Pritzker with the Democrat nomination for governor.
Mark Kleine, a local entrepreneur running to represent Illinois’ 17th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced Tuesday his campaign has raised close to $400,000 since he announced his candidacy in late August.
Kleine said that money came from donors. He provided roughly $100,000 in his own money. The total contributions amount to $507,000, and over 90 percent of the donated funds came from donors living in the 17th district, Kleine said.
“I’m investing in my own campaign because I want to utilize my money to help people throughout the district,” Kleine said.
* Bustos’ campaign just sent out a fundraising e-mail entitled “Urgent Message → Read Immediately”…
We can’t afford to sugarcoat this: Since Cheri was one of only TWELVE Democrats to win a Trump-district — this fundraising haul could doom our campaign.
We need to fight back — so we’re asking 5OO people to chip in $5 before Saturday.
Will you RUSH a $5 donation to Cheri’s Democratic Campaign?
Look, Cheri’s Republican opponent is ramping up his campaign arm.
The GOP knows their best chance of passing their extremist agenda is to replace strong Democrats like Cheri.
And since Cheri is FIGHTING BACK to stop Trump and the GOP from gutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, they’re desperate to defeat her.
That’s why hitting Saturday’s goal is critical. Everything we care about is at stake.
An annual tracking of child well-being finds huge gaps statewide in educational access and achievement that spans birth through college, and disproportionally affects low-income and minority children.
Illinois Kids Count 2017, being released Thursday by Voices for Illinois Children, blames systemic inequities in access to early childhood education, public funding for kindergarten through 12th grade, and both readiness for and access to college for those disheartening education statistics.
The annual report by the advocacy group shines new light on the critical nature of recent reforms to Illinois’ public education funding system. It found 82 percent of state kids most in need had access to preschool in 2015.
In 2016, only 22 percent of third-graders in that same population were meeting English Language Arts standards; and only 14 percent of sixth-graders were meeting math standards. Racial disparities in graduation rates remain entrenched. In 2016, only 75 percent of African-American students graduated in four years; 81 percent of Hispanic students, and 90 percent of white students. […]
Of those enrolling in college, less than half were meeting college readiness benchmarks, and only 60 percent were graduating from public or private nonprofit colleges and universities.
* From Voices for Illinois Children…
“The data in the 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book clearly proves that to build a future for Illinois where every child is a high achiever, we must reduce systemic inequities and increase support for the students who need it most,” said Tasha Green Cruzat, President of Voices for Illinois Children. “It’s time for leaders across Illinois to fulfill their promise to all our children by providing adequate revenue for quality and competitive programming. We must close the achievement gap and give children, in every community, the tools they need to reach their full potential.”
Through recent policy and budget changes – specifically affecting early childhood education programs, K-12 funding, school breakfast options, after school program access, high school and postsecondary alignment – Illinois has taken steps to reduce educational inequities for children across the state. The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book concludes that in order to build on the State’s foundation and continue the progress of these policies, Illinois must raise additional revenue.
The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book concludes Illinois will only make systemic gains in education for all groups of students by:
· Increasing investments in quality early childhood education programs for low and middle-income children;
· Examining and addressing inequities in school resources, teacher and principal distribution, course rigor and discipline practices;
· Coordinating support services so that every child has access to food, safe after-school programming and mental and health services.
“This information shines a clear light on where Illinois has made progress and where challenges remain,” said Anna Rowan, KIDS COUNT Manager at Voices for Illinois Children. “The expansion of access to early childhood education is promising, yet too many children still lag behind and graduate high school without the tools they need for college and a career. While new policies are a step in the right direction, we must continue to make necessary investments, especially in low-income and minority communities, so every child has the chance succeed.”
The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book uses 16 indicators to rank each state across four domains — health, education, economic well-being, and family and community — that represent what children need most to thrive. Illinois ranks:
10th in health. Illinois has been a national leader in providing children with access to health insurance. From 2010 to 2015, Illinois cut the uninsured rates for African-American and Latino children in half, from 6 percent to 3 percent, for both groups.
13th in education. Early childhood education has been a bright spot for Illinois. Less than half of 3- and 4-year olds do not attend school, ranking the state fifth in this indicator. However, the state still has significant work to do to close the achievement and attainment gaps that exist between low-income and minority students from their white and more affluent peers.
25th in economic well-being. Illinois families continue to struggle with economic security. Although more kids’ parents are now working full-time, year-round jobs than in 2010, the percentage of children living in poverty has not changed when comparing the height of the Great Recession in 2010 to 2015 data.
28th in the family and community domain. Illinois has made great strides in reducing the teen birth rate. There were more than 6,000 fewer teen births in 2015 than in 2010. But there are still far too many children living in high-poverty areas and in single-parent families.
The data show that key investments in health and early education have reduced racial disparities among children. Although Latino children still lag behind in preschool attendance, there is little difference between the percentage of African-American and white children who aren’t attending preschool. Additionally, all groups of kids are accessing health insurance at roughly the same rate. However, there is still work to do to lessen other disparities. For example, more than two-thirds of the half a million Illinois children living in poverty are children of color. If Illinois elected officials fail to enact a budget for a third year, we run the very real risk of causing disparities to grow and wiping out the progress we’ve made.
* Not to diminish the problem with Illinois’ pension debt, but this is an apples to oranges comparison from the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
In one year, Illinois’ pensions added more debt than 25 U.S. states’ entire budgets.
The Illinois Department of Insurance released its two-year report on every public pension in the state. From 2015 to 2016, Illinois’ 671 pension funds added $17 billion in additional unfunded liabilities, bringing it up to $185 billion. That’s larger than 25 state budgets in fiscal year 2016.
The pension debt is long-term. Those are one-year budgets.
The Teachers’ Retirement Fund is the state’s largest pension. At an estimated $71.4 billion in unfunded liabilities, it also carries the most debt. Director Dick Ingram said that his fund’s main issue is that the older, more generous pensions cost too much.
“The albatross that’s still out there is the Tier 1 unfunded,” he said.
Yep. And that debt can pretty much only be reduced by making the payments. Actually, it’s the only way unless somebody comes up with a brilliant plan that hasn’t yet been devised or tried.
* Moody’s recently issued a rating for the state’s upcoming bond issue to pay off part of the bill backlog. Check out the number one way Moody’s says Illinois can improve its credit rating…
Factors that Could Lead to an Upgrade
- Adoption of a realistic, long-term plan to provide funding for pension obligations
- Progress in reducing the state’s massive payment backlog, and formulation of a legal or policy framework to prevent renewed build-up of late bills
- Enactment of recurring fiscal measures that support the expectation of sustainable, structural balance
And check out the number two factor that could lead to a downgrade into junk bond status…
Factors that Could Lead to a Downgrade
- Structural imbalance that leads to renewed build-up of unpaid bills following issuance of debt to pay down backlog
- Efforts to obtain near-term fiscal relief by reducing pension contributions in a way that exacerbates the state’s long-term funding burden or indicates a lack of long-term sustainability
- Difficulty managing the impacts of adverse exogenous factors, such as a national recession or a reduction in federal Medicaid funding
*** UPDATE *** Dave Urbanek at TRS…
Rich:
The Illinois News Network story you highlighted today misquoted Dick. We saw it late in the morning and asked them for a correction. They complied and changed the story in the afternoon. You ran the original version.
The problem was that in the lead up to Dick’s quote in the original version, they wrote that he said that older pension benefits “cost too much.” That’s not what he said in the interview with them. The “albatross” he was referring to in his quote is the unfunded liability.
No one at TRS would ever give an opinion on the nature of benefits, and especially the cost of those benefits. Benefits are enacted exclusively by legislators and the governor. The job of TRS is strictly to administer those benefits, whatever they may be. We have to stay detached from the creation of benefits. We will talk about whether we have the proper resources and tools to do the job and keep the fund financially healthy, but commenting on the nature or cost of the benefits would violate the System’s fiduciary duty to its members.
“Why would J.B. continue dumping millions of dollars in this race, this early in the primary? Here’s the answer: he and the establishment backing him believe their best chance at winning is by piling on millions of dollars right now,” Biss campaign manager Abby Witt said in an email fundraising appeal.
“They think that a grassroots movement without the backing of a billionaire has no chance. They think it’s time to write our obituary. And they want you to believe that too,” she warned.
Even as she boasted of the grassroots support for Biss, Witt added an unusual cautionary note about the campaign’s long-term viability to try to raise some money.
“We have a lot of ground to make up. If we’re going to take this all the way to the March primary, we’re going to need each and every one of you to step up however you can,” she said.
That’s likely just a standard “scare the contributor into ponying up more dough” line, but in the wake of Ameya Pawar’s announcement today that he’s getting out of the race over money issues, they might want to shy away from that sort of thing in the near future.
Today, I am ending my campaign for Governor. Briefly, I want to explain why: we simply don’t have the money to meaningfully scale this campaign statewide. Without more resources, the only choices for expanding the campaign to a scope that could earn the nomination were to take on more personal debt or to cut staff. I have a young family, and we decided not to take on more personal debt right now. As to cutting staff, I simply refuse. We raised $828k from 2,526 donors; that is amazing. But as you know, the race for Illinois governor will set a record as the costliest race in American history. For democracy’s sake, I hope we see this as a troubling trend. My donors did the best they could, I’m the one who came up short, but I am not ashamed. Just know that while we didn’t have the most money, we have the volunteers (3,200), the signatures (10,000), and the right message. I’m sorry for the people who have stood with me that I don’t have the extraordinary wealth or extraordinarily wealthy connections to make up the difference.
We’ve all heard Winston Churchill’s famous line, “never give in, never, never, never, never.” Less often quoted is the rest of the sentence: “except to convictions of honour and good sense.” I think both suggest that this is the right time for this campaign to come to an end. I wish there was a sensible path forward, but we have always been playing a long game, and this is more of a beginning than an end. At this time, I will not be endorsing a candidate. That said, I urge you to get to know the other Democratic candidates. They are good people, and any one of them will make a fine governor.
Today, I am launching One Illinois, a political action committee to organize young people around progressive issues and fight the false and bigoted divides around race, class, and geography. We all want to see progressive change and policies, but to achieve our goals we must take on the politics that are used to keep communities fighting one another over scraps. I hope that you will join me in this new effort. More on this in the coming weeks.
We all want to see progressive change, but we must organize and attack the false divides around race, class, and geography. If we don’t, we won’t realize the changes we all seek.
Enough about the primary campaign’s end, now I want to talk about a beginning. I began my public service career with, quite frankly, a pipe dream. I decided to knock on every door in the 47th Ward to listen to the ideas of people who had lived there for years, in some cases, more years than I’ve been alive. My backup plan if I lost — and I was almost certainly going to lose — was to join the military. My chances of winning were roughly somewhere between zero and the Cubs winning the World Series. But as we know, these things can happen. My experience in city council convinced me that, as intransigent as politics can be, a normal guy with authentic passion can make a difference. One of the blessings of getting into politics as a no-name with no affiliation was that I didn’t have to play a character. I got to be myself from the very start. And that was the same for this race. I knew that speaking about my own progressive ideas and policies was a risk. When billionaires who own football teams are so afraid of public opprobrium that they say nothing while national politicians vilify their employees for unobtrusively exercising their rights, believe me, I realize that condemning the War on Drugs as a war on black and brown families is going to raise some hackles. But I got into public service speaking my mind when nobody cared what I had to say, and by now all I know how to do is be myself.
The reason I got into this race, honestly, is that I was afraid. Afraid of the society my daughter might inherit if the American ship stays the current course. She’s only one-and-a-half, but America is not a small ship. It is a giant tanker, the kind you need to start steering miles out from shore if you want to dock without crashing. We are not on a safe course right now, and we know it. If from nothing else, that should be obvious when nuclear diplomacy occurs on Twitter. (Threatening nuclear annihilation on Twitter really seems like it should be a violation of the terms of service.) And if we don’t address inequality across race, class, and geography, I believe we are headed to a very scary place. Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump are targeting communities and turning them into ‘the other.’ We have seen before the brand of fear mongering that Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump wield to pit people against their fellow citizens, to divide us by geography, or race, or class, or absolutely any other difference that can be wielded for political expedience. It never ends well.
One of my goals was to force a conversation on progressive values and shine a light on how race, class, and geography are used to drive a wedge between communities and prevent progressive change. That’s why I declared for the race first, so that I could plant the conversation firmly in progressive ideas. We hit the road with our message – a message that included progressive income tax, mass commutations of low-level nonviolent drug offenses, calling out the War on Drugs for the racist failure that it was, universal childcare, and single-payer healthcare. We also listened, a tactic in too-short supply among public officials. Today, I am so tremendously proud and so deeply heartened to see the other campaigns talking about race and class and geography. As the first entrants to the race, I believe we pushed the public discourse to the left, toward a more progressive Illinois. I may have come up short, but together, we made progress. I urge all candidates to continue those vital discussions in the fight against the plainly bigoted agendas prosecuted by the chief executives of both our state and our nation.
While fear got me into this race, as I leave it, it is the shared humanity I experienced on the trail that I’ll take with me. Beyond giving me hope, it literally makes my skin tingle when I remember the love and compassion people expressed, often people in desperate circumstances who were worrying about everyone but themselves. A moment that I can’t wait to tell my daughter about, when she’s old enough to understand, occurred at our campaign stop for a parade in Eldorado. My running mate, Cairo Mayor Tyrone Coleman, was traversing southern and central Illinois as part of our Don’t Close Our Communities Tour, and he was anxious about this visit. Whereas Cairo was the final stop on the Underground Railroad, Eldorado was once a “sundown town.” That is, in the 1960s people of color were required to leave by sundown. As a pastor, a man who came of age during the Civil Rights Movement, and founder of a southern Illinois chapter of the NAACP, Mayor Coleman knew that history well. As he and his wife, Mary, marched in the parade, a woman stopped them and shared how decades of disinvestment from Cairo reminded her of the disinvestment from Saline County and Eldorado. Specifically, she recounted how the decline of jobs ushered in the opioid crisis. Then she said: “We all want the same thing. We’re neighbors.” A town that black people once fled to and one they once fled from, but today they are neighbors in search of the same things.
Memories like that will continue to fuel me.
As will memories of the devotion of my incredible team. Sam, Will, Tom, Kayley, Charissa, Lindsay, Heather, Spencer, John, Maggie, Mica, Zach, Katie, EJ, Maria, Jordan, Morgan, Mary, Anjali, Jenn, Steve, David, Leslie, Stacy, Brian, Kyle, and Collin. Thank you. You are family to me and Charna. We did something amazing. We will be forever grateful for the time and energy you put into this campaign, and we hope you know we will always have your backs, personally and professionally.
To our volunteers, it has been the honor of my life. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are the most talented and hardworking people I ever had the pleasure to fight alongside. Your commitment, your energy, and your steadfast support kept me going. I hope you will stick with me because this is just the beginning.
To Mayor Coleman, thank you. Mrs. Coleman, thank you. Charna and I are so honored to call you our friends. Cairo captured a piece of my heart, and I look forward to working together to put a spotlight on Cairo and communities all over the state as they fight for investment. I hope to join you and your community as you fight for affordable housing, the port authority, and jobs. I urge every campaign for governor to meet Mayor Coleman and his constituents. Cairo deserves all of our attention.
Finally, I want to thank my wife, Charna. Our daughter Sigalit was 10 months old when I got into this race. I’ve missed so much, and Charna took everything upon herself so that I could run. She has sacrificed over the last eight years to support me. I am looking forward to sacrificing for her and what she wants. (Imagine that, a gubernatorial campaign wasn’t a new mother’s first choice!)
I wanted to be your nominee for governor. I gave it everything I had. But I don’t have the resources to continue in a manner that I think would both be fair to the people who work with me and would set us up to win, and I require both. But I feel the same way about the inspiration I’ve acquired to make positive change as the Greek philosopher Plutarch did about education: It is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
I will keep organizing around the principle that we are stronger together and that we must defeat the politics of divide-and-rule. For you. For us. For my daughter. After all, we all want the same thing. After all, we are neighbors.
Onward,
*** UPDATE *** Mayor Emanuel…
“Ald. Pawar has been a strong voice on the city council, not just for his ward but for Chicago. While he may have ended his bid for the governor’s office I have no doubt his commitment to public service and his commitment to using his voice to stand up for others will continue.”
* Pritzker…
“I want to thank Ameya Pawar for being a part of this race and running a positive campaign focused on our party’s progressive values,” said JB Pritzker. “Ameya made the race for our state’s highest office a real conversation about the issues that affect all Illinoisans—increasing public school funding, providing universal child care and paid family leave, creating jobs through investing in infrastructure, and reforming our criminal justice system. With his running mate, Mayor Tyrone Coleman, this was a ticket that focused on how we can lift up communities from Chicago to Cairo.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Chris Kennedy…
Ameya Pawar is a committed public servant motivated by social justice. We thank him for giving voice to the people of Illinois who have been left behind by a failed government that benefits a wealthy and well-connected few.
Ideas and solutions from a thoughtful, progressive leader like Alderman Pawar are critical to the future of our state. We should all be disappointed in a system where money is driving people out of politics and, in turn, silencing conversations that drive change.
Daniel Biss…
“Ameya Pawar ran an incredible campaign that elevated the effects of systemic inequality on working families. Illinois and the Democratic Party are better for it, but we still have a long way to go. Good candidates are being pushed out of races by big money and insiders. If you care about democracy, this should be unacceptable.
“As a father, I know how tough campaign life can be. Thanks to Charna and Sigalit for sacrificing so that Ameya can serve the people of Illinois. And thank you to Ameya’s supporters for the energy and commitment they’ve shown to progressive politics this year. Ameya, you’ve been a friend for years, and I’m especially proud to call you a friend this year. Today is hard, but I hope you’re proud of the campaign you’ve run.”
In 2017, Colorado eclipsed $1 billion in marijuana sales in eight months; in 2016, it took 10 months.
Colorado’s marijuana retailers logged upward of $1.02 billion in collective medical and recreational sales through August, according to The Cannabist’s extrapolations of state tax data released Wednesday. Year-to-date sales are up 21 percent from the first eight months of 2016, when recreational and medical marijuana sales totaled $846.5 million.
This year’s cumulative sales equate to more than $162 million in taxes and fees taxes and fees for Colorado coffers. […]
The special sales tax rate for recreational marijuana increased to 15 percent from 10 percent in July, as the result of a new law that also exempted recreational marijuana products from the 2.9 percent standard state sales tax. Medical marijuana and accessories are still subject to that 2.9 percent sales tax rate. […]
Here’s a look at Colorado’s previous cumulative yearly sales totals:
Illinois has more than twice Colorado’s population.
Right now, Illinois has decriminalization. But that means it’s not taxed and the production and distribution networks are controlled by criminals - and some of those criminals are violent people.
On the heels of trade mission trips to China and Japan, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has plans to head overseas again in the coming months.
Rauner says in about three weeks, he will head up a trade mission to Israel, meeting with Israeli officials, business leaders and university heads in hopes of expanding opportunities for Illinois. […]
The governor says after Israel, he will travel to Europe, with stops in the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland.
* Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner is planning on traveling to at least four countries in the coming months, which means four more opportunities for Rauner to bash Illinois abroad.
Last month when Rauner was in Asia, he criticized Illinois’ business and regulatory climate while trying to bring businesses to the state. Now he’s headed to Israel in three weeks and Germany, Poland, and the UK in a couple months, but will Rauner bad mouth the state — again?
“This is Bruce Rauner’s international bad-mouth Illinois tour,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “After failing to lead our state and creating economic turmoil, Rauner is taking his special interest agenda abroad and trashing Illinois wherever he goes.”
* Have you noticed the governor’s Twitter feed recently? He’s all about the international angle…
Happy to celebrate National Day of the Republic of Korea with Consul General Lee and our Korean-American community. pic.twitter.com/m9gexLiqkV
Great luncheon! Illinois has a longstanding releationship with Poland and I look forward to creating new opportunities for the people of IL. pic.twitter.com/8EDOjWuBjt
Great meeting with Sir Alan Duncan, Min. of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs & John Saville, Consul General Designate of the UK. pic.twitter.com/5igs5KC2E9
The most important role of a county commissioner is to pass a yearly budget that meets the needs of the residents and fairly balances services and costs.
I voted Wednesday — along with Commissioner Jerry Butler — to keep Cook County’s sweetened beverage tax because it was a tax on a small number of people rather than a general sales or property tax on all. This tax had a twofold purpose: First, it provided enough revenue to balance our 2017 budget without gimmicks. Second, it helped us fight the increase in heart disease, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis and the high cost of treatment.
Unfortunately, repeal of the sweetened beverage tax also repeals the law that prohibited the raising of any taxes by Cook County until after 2020. This tax limitation covered property taxes, sales taxes and home-rule excise taxes. The repeal of the tax limitation means all taxes are in play.
Cook County homeowners are getting a property tax break that their counterparts in other counties aren’t.
The $7,000 homeowners exemption and $5,000 senior citizen exemption are both increasing by $3,000 next year, to $10,000 and $8,000 respectively, thanks to legislation Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed. Cook County taxpayers will see the effects of the exemption increases on the second installment of their property taxes next summer, officials said.
“The exemptions hadn’t kept pace with the values of homes in Cook County,” said Tom Shaer, a spokesman for Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios. “This was designed to help lower-market and middle-class homeowners.”
The exemptions cut taxes by reducing the assessed value of homes.
Meanwhile, homeowners in the collar counties and downstate won’t see similar increases to their exemptions. The homeowners exemption will stay at $6,000 for collar county and downstate homeowners, and the senior citizen exemption will remain at $5,000. […]
Using Cook County’s most recently available average tax rate for the Northern suburbs, the change in the homeowners exemption would reduce the tax bill on a $300,000 home by about $277 next year if tax levies remain flat. People over age 65 who receive both exemptions on a $300,000 house could expect to pay about $555 less.
Facing ongoing criticism from conservatives, Gov. Bruce Rauner this week has put $4.45 million into the state GOP that he controls in what was branded as an effort to topple Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan next year. […]
Since he won the Republican nomination, Rauner, wife Diana and the Citizens for Rauner campaign fund have contributed more than $35.5 million to the state GOP, campaign finance records show. The donations represent more than 71 percent of the nearly $50 million the state Republican Party has raised during that period. For 2017 alone, Rauner has given the state GOP $6.6 million, records show. […]
“He has his tentacles in every part of the Republican Party all across the state because he’s put so much money into it. And now he’s fractured all of those tentacles and we’re in a very bad spot right now,” state Rep. Peter Breen of Lombard, the House GOP floor leader, said before Rauner’s most recent campaign contribution.
“We have a really serious problem. Folks are depending upon money from Rauner. At the same time, he’s betraying our principles. So we have to have a difficult family discussion within the Republican Party: Are we going to continue to stand with a guy just because he’s writing big checks?” Breen asked. “I mean if he wasn’t writing these kind of big checks, you think anybody, anywhere in the Republican Party would still be with him for governor?”
But he is writing big checks and he just wrote another one. Ah, the conundrum.
